Member Reviews
This was a holiday whodunnit read. I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it over a few hours. The plot is heavily centred on a number of holiday makers who’ve forked out a fortune to stay at a very expensive exclusive resort on a small island in Greece. During the book Heidi cleverly gives you more and more background on the key players, it’s fascinating as you will definitely form early opinions only to have that change over the course of the story.
It’s a book that speaks to us about why judgement of others can often be incredibly wrong. Who can you trust. The characters are all really interesting and there was a great amount of reveals and twists right to the end. I did not guess the final reveal but I was close if that counts!
The storyline weaves around events and each character and how they connect and relate to each other. You never really can know anyone it seems. As a disaster creates chaos and fear in the resort it ups the ante and the pace of the plot. I loved the way secrets just kept pouring from every main character. Skeletons in closets are actively falling out of sad cupboards. It tackles deep trust issues and the moments when you realise nothing is what you thought it was.
It was a great read and left me pondering what would I do in each pair of shoes. You’ll be stunned at times when you think you’ve got the picture and outcome sussed. The only reason is a sold 4 stars not 5 was that the police investigation could of been more realistic. There are things around that which would not happen and things missed that were obvious. Aside from that tiny thing it’s a great book to read on holiday but be very careful who you get to know on your holiday!
Laila and her husband are at a luxury hotel trying to work on their marriage but Laila is distracted with people watching and then a tragedy happens….told from different perspectives it’s a great holiday read!
Wow what a read. Perfect sun lounger book I was gripped from
Start to finish. I would highly recommend this book.
I normally love everything that Heidi Perks touches, but unfortunately, I found this suspense, well, a little less suspenseful. It was rather slow going, and to be honest, it was harder to engage with all the characters. I wonder whether it was because the 'killer' was more obvious after all, and the ending didn't feel dramatic. This is a slow burner, and although I held on to the end, it didn't quite deliver in the way we'd usually expect from Heidi Perks.
The Other Guest is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Other Guest asap.
Laila and her husband James are on holiday in Greece in the hope to recapture the early years of their marriage which has been under strain after many years of failed IVF treatment. When the body of one of the guests is found in the resort pool Laila is convinced she knows who is responsible but does she really know what happened or is she making assumptions?
Laila is definitely a people watcher to the point she spends more time trying to work out the dynamics of some of the other guests than she does on her own husband who also seems very preoccupied during the stay. It is the people watching aspect of her personality that I can relate to as I always find myself doing the exact same thing if I have too much time on my hands but that is where the similarity ends as I am not one for lounging by a pool all day and would much rather explore the places I visit. I can kind of understand her resentment of her husband who seems intent on doing things that exclude her and bring up events from his own past that do more harm than good and I often felt like I would dearly love to bang their heads together. With the secrets that you sensed they were both hiding I did wonder if the holiday would produce the results they had hoped for.
Laila and James were not the only ones with secrets and as we learned more about the family of the murdered boy you could see that there was a lot of tension between the two sons and even Laila suspected him of being up to no good.
I liked the way that the chapters were broken up between the aftermath of the body being found, the days that ran up to it and also going between Laila and Em (the mother of the victim). This gave me different perspectives and also more than one possible conclusion as to what actually happened. Although like the police you want to know what happened, the investigation took more of a back seat to this story as I felt it was more about the characters rather than what happened. The slower pace gives the reader the chance to discover that what we present on the surface may not be the whole story and that every action no matter how small can sometimes have devastating consequences.
It took me a while to get into, and I did nearly give up. But it was a good read anyway.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
When a body is discovered in the luxury Greek resort plenty of twists and turns ensue as relationships, already fraught, are tested further. Everyone is a suspect with fingers pointing jot only for the murder but for a multitude of sins.
Another great read from Heidi Perks. Laila is lounging by the pool on holiday in Greece with her husband. While checking out the other guests Laila becomes obsessed with one of the families, a well off couple with two sons. When one of the sons is found dead in the pool by the family’s villa an investigation is launched. Laila thinks she knows the truth but is also a suspect The book is cleverly written with believable characters, twists and turns. This would be an intriguing book for your holiday bag. A gripping but easy read.
Very slow to get going and not really very thrilling. Couldn't quite take to the characters,not many surprises.
I really enjoyed the idea of the story.
Wasn't fast paced but a really enjoyable read that kept me turning the pages.
I was really enticed by the premise of a couple going on holiday and the wife people watching and I really enjoyed the novel but I like a bit of extra bite to my thrillers. A good read none the less and a gripping read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review
I wasn’t enamoured by this book to be honest!
I felt like it was tad boring, repetitive and as if I was constantly waiting for something big to happen!
I also found the title and cover to actually not have that much to do with the book.
That said, I did want to keep reading and find out what happened, was just a tad disappointed when I did 😩😂 it won’t put me off reading other books by Heidi though and I’m sure my opinions will differ from others!
Thank you to @netgalley for sending it to me in return for an honest review.
A slow-burn suspenseful "vacation gone wrong" thriller. Not the most original novel, but fits the bill as an entertaining beach read.
She thinks she knows the truth. But what if she's wrong?
Laila and her husband arrive for a week's holiday in Greece in desperate need of a reset.
As Laila sits by the pool she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the other family staying in their resort.
Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently.
Five days later their worlds will be blown apart by a horrifying event.
Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened. But in telling Em what she's seen, she stands to lose everything she holds dear.
And what if she's got it wrong?
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
Wow! I love Heidi Perks novels and IMO this her best one to date! The story focuses on 2 women who have come to White Sands Resort on the island of Ixos in Greece; Laila who has come on holiday for a break with her husband James after their 5th failed attempt at IVF, and EM who has come on holiday with her husband Rob and her two teenage sons. On day 3 of the holiday there is a murder (no spoiler) and you, along with the guests) are left trying to work out whodunnit.
The way Heidi has written and described the venue really makes you feel like you are on holiday with the characters, especially as Laila (like me) is a people watcher!
I found this novel really difficult to put down and several times woke up in the morning with my kindle on my chest! I highly recommend this book, especially if (like me) you’d like to escape these gloomy February days for a couple of weeks but can’t afford a 5* holiday atm… have a 5⭐️ read instead!
A MASSIVE thank you to Century & Penguin Random House Publishing and NetGalley UK for ARC
The blurb and name seemed interesting but it’s a little misleading as it doesn’t quite fit in with the storyline. It’s described as thriller but it really didn’t live up to that. There are no real twists or turns. No build up or suspense. I found it dull and it never really got going. The characters for me werent likeable in any way with Laila being a little irritating. Story was a real slow burn and dragged out with an ending that was just meh. Not a favourite I’m afraid.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read #TheOtherGuest
The Other Guest by Heidi Perks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 19/01/2023
-
-
-
Laila heads off on holiday with her husband to a luxury resort. Too much time on her hands leads Laila to people watch, imagining how her life could have been and make assumptions about the lives of the others. As an horrific event tumbles into the lives of the holiday makers, Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened, but does she?
This novel kept me gripped through the different parts and differing narratives. It instantly hooked me due to its opening chapter. I got equally immersed into Laila’s head and the views she was creating. I felt the ending was a little flatter than it could have been which is why I gave it 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Heidi Perks and Random House for this ARC in return for an honest review.
-
-
-
#books #booknerd #bookworm #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstack #bookchallenge #booklover #reader #read #2023Reads #readersofinstagram #reading #bookswithcookandacuppa #NetGalley #HeidiPerks #TheOtherGuest
This one was fairly enjoyable. I liked the concept of the story and the contrast of the different characters within the book. The second half was more enjoyable but all in all this was still a decent read.
Laila is a people watcher. On holiday with her husband on a Greek Island, she is obsessed with another family, she cannot stop watching them. Then a tragedy occurs and the atmosphere in the resort changes. What happened?
I found this book too irritating,
2 stars