A great read from Heidi Perks. Having read her previous novels I was looking forward to reading this. Wasn't disappointed- full of twists etc and an excellent psychological page Turner. Would definitely recommend this.

I really enjoyed this book, and kept being hooked to read more to find out what exactly happened to Issac. Good storyline, and lots of twists and turns to you keep you guessing to the end.

I really enjoyed this book, very atmospheric drama set in an exclusive holiday resort on a remote island in Greece.

The descriptions were perfect, evocative and moody which set the scene for this gripping read.

The book centres on Laila, an avid people watcher who is holidaying with her husband in an attempt to reconnect after a difficult period, and Em, a mother who seemingly has it all.

But terrible events unfold. This book is all about how we scratch the surface of people’s real lives when we make assumptions based on first appearances.

It was a great holiday read and very easy to devour while sat on your sunbed!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy Heidi's writing but for me this wasn't her best. I personally struggle to be in love with a book when the protagonist is quite unlikeable and when there is a depressed tone to book. It wasn't a 'bad book though, I would still recommend people give it a go if they're looking for a murder thriller.

The writing style is great and it's fantastically written. A wonderful story, beautifully told. I absolutely tore through it! A sparkling, joyful read! This authors books always keep you guessing to the very end!

James and Laila go on a luxury holiday to the Greek Islands , James has booked this but Laila is worried about the money because they have been spending a lot on IVF treatment. James breaks it to Laila that he is not prepared to carry on with this as it has not worked and they had agreed on 5 treatments but she does not want to stop .
Another couple Em and Rob are there with their 2 sons Theo and Isaac , who Laila takes to watching , especially after the loss of her watch ,that she suspects Theo has stolen.
Isaac has been seen talking to a 21 year old girl who is on her Honeymoon and Theo is not happy and suspects an affair . His parents had broken up acrimoniously years ago due to his father , Charlies infidelity so he is concerned about Isaac breaking up a new relationship.
One morning after a "Gala Dinner" when James and Laila have been seen arguing Isaac is found dead in the pool , he has a wound on the back of the head . Laila suspects James may be involved because he has admitted he has blackouts after drinking too much , but she had also seen Theo and Isaac arguing earlier . The Inspector in charge of the investigation follows up all the leads but is struggling to find the guilty party. It all comes to a head with an unexpected outcome in the end.

It was a special read. Very dark in my eyes. Coming to an island and soon know someone is dead. Someone lies. Someone hide. Someone has secrets. Someone pretends to be someone else. Is anyone there that is telling what he thinks for real. Well the book goes around a lot and slowly revel the layers and gives us a conculsion. Some present and some previous time lines. But in reality is just a perspective.

Thank you Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for this great oportunity

A highly unusual murder on a Greek island, in an upmarket resort. It is unusual as there seems to be no motive for the death and no suspects, initially. The reader follows two sets of guests through this tragedy. Laura and her husband James are on holiday to try to repair their relationship after many failed attempts at IVF. Em is on holiday with her second husband and kids and doesn't seem to have a care in the world, as far as Laila can see! The reader follows Laila and Em , their thoughts and feelings as the drama unfolds.

Laila and James go on an expensive holiday to a Greek island to get their marriage back on track after years of failed IVF. Laila comes across as miserable, envious and interfering, James' personality changes several times in the book. A murder happens, and the story is about the investigation. All the characters are so miserable, I couldn't really care about any of them.

I look out for books by Heidi Perks as they always have a different twist or setting. This one is set in an exclusive Greek resort. As with other reviews I refuse to outline the plot as I think the blurb writers do a better job without giving anything away.
Sadly, I found it had some inconsistencies and unrealistic investigative procedures, which I found annoying. I also didn’t warm to any of the characters, especially Laila whom I think we were supposed to feel sorry for and get on her side. Without her I might have given this 4 stars. The plot has twists and turns but overall is just rather sad. Overall an OK thriller worth a punt especially as a holiday read.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Heidi Perks is a new author to me and I really hope she’s written more. The story unfolds but by bit and you have no idea where it is going next. Highly recommended.

A wonderfully gripping thriller that had me hooked to the very end. Utterly believable and ultimately very sad too.
James and Laila have undergone rounds of IVF all unsuccessful and are now in need of a break to see how what path they will take forward
James splurges on an island resort in Greece, which causes tension about the use of money. However the hotel and its setting is beautiful - Laila enjoys watching the other guests but James feels she is becoming obsessive - and further tensions become obvious between them.
Then a tragic event happens which changes everything, no one knows who is telling the truth and who is hiding it.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Do some secrets we keep affect our whole life? The answer is always yes. Secrets can destroy us for the rest of our lives and ruin trust we may have previously felt. The story was rather implausible in my humble opinion but a great idea. It left me with the feeling that the Greek police are exceptionally incompetent. I didn’t warm to any of the characters, possibly Laila’s father-in-law who is mentioned only briefly. I found Laila extremely annoying…her people watching could have been explored far more than it was.the end was very flat and it isn’t a book I’ll remember. I also took much longer than I usually do to read this as I wasn’t itching to keep picking the book up. Sorry, but I do believe with some editing it would have been much better.

Really like this author, and enjoyed this book. That said, it all seemed to move very quickly and I didn't find anything all that surprising. It just didn't feel like a huge amount of plot or character development, but if you want a summer read that's quick, then this is a good choice.

A good thriller from Adele Parks, I found the ending a bit too much but an easy read on the beach and we’ll written

The theme of a luxury holiday that spirals out of control for an individual has been well developed in recent years, with particularly excellent offerings by Maile Meloy and Tina Seski, so I was intrigued what Heidi Perks would do with this this theme.

Perks' main character is Laila, who has withdrawn to an exclusive Greek island resort with her husband James to recover from several unsuccessful IVF cycles.
From her holiday villa, Laila becomes obsessed with fellow guest Em and her family that includes several teenage boys. When one teen is found drowned in the pool, Laila feels compelled to share everything she has witnessed from her sun lounger. But are her memories true or false? And what other subplots will emerge?

Other reviewers before me have picked up on the fact that in some places, this novel needs a good edit to polish the sentence structure and tie up loose ends, but on the whole, this is an enjoyable read that I can recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC I received in exchange for this unbiased and honest review.

Red Herrings Aplenty…
Laila is a people watcher, she can’t help herself it’s what she does, and a holiday with her family in Greece is the perfect opportunity to pool sit and do just that. When an unspeakable event occurs, and an investigation begins, Laila just might be the perfect witness. A well drawn cast populates this immersive and credible suspense with a solid mystery at its heart. It’s a truly escapist read which is well peppered with red herrings aplenty and which leads the reader to a most satisfying, cleverly done denouement.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Heidi Perks for my ARC of the Other Guest in return for an honest review. I have read all of Heidi Perks’ novels and the stories are always full of twists and turns and this is no different.

Set in the five-star resort in Greece Leila and James are having relationship struggles and have decided to go away as a ‘fresh start’. This does not go according to plan.

A tragic death leaves everybody in the resort under suspicion and Leila has in-depth knowledge of what has been happening as an avid people watcher bordering on stalking. The police begin questioning and those in the resort and they start pointing fingers at each other.

Excellent read and highly recommended.

Don’t be fooled by the cover in imagining this is going to be a relaxing poolside read! As the inner private lives of the holiday makers are revealed, suddenly everyone is a suspect at this high end resort, as the idyllic retreat turns into scene to escape from.

Oh dear…a miss for me!

At 25% through I was finding this a slog and was debating dnf it. I should have really…but instead I skipped forward a bit and saw we’d be getting another narrative! Great I thought because Laila is very annoying and I just didn’t care about her and her problems with her husband /on holiday/ - he’s not spending time with me when all she wants to do is sit by the pool at people watch….

Also the ‘big fight’ that was hinted at and the ‘unspeakable thing’ was just YAWN and could have been much better done, I have many ideas! It was just boring and I would have loved to see multiple points of view from all the guests in the story throughout the book.

It’s not awful…but there’s better books and I feel this could have easily been in a butlins instead of a Greek island and the atmosphere would be no different.