I love a good thriller, especially when they edge towards the domestic, and The Other Guest fits the bill wonderfully.

The book is set on a small Greek island and is mostly about one couple and one family holidaying at the all-inclusive, expensive and luxurious White Sands resort.

Laila and her husband, James, are on what is pretty much a make-or-break holiday to try and repair the damage to their marriage that the stress of several courses of IVF has caused. But it also appears the couple are harbouring some other secrets.

Laila is a people-watcher, something I can identify with myself. She cannot stop attempting to analyse the various people around the pool, and with this comes feelings of envy for Em and her two teenage boys, Isaac and Theo. A family is all she’s ever wanted.

When a tragedy occurs, Laila’s people-watching comes of interest to the local police. Does she hold vital information, or has she just made everything worse?

The book's first part is Laila’s account of the first few days of the holiday, and she’s a little unreliable as the reader doesn’t know how much is simply watching and how much is snooping, which she absolutely isn’t above.

Interspersed with Laila’s sections are chapters about the events after the tragedy is discovered. Of course, when a teenager is found dead in the swimming pool, all the guests come under suspicion, but which of them had the motive and the opportunity to commit such a crime?

Later we discover more from Em’s point of view, and gradually, the two strands of the story become intertwined.

Perks keeps the character list relatively small, and it’s great to see how, as they all become embroiled in the tragic events, their relationship dynamics change.

With a solid start, The Other Guest was a real page-turner. It was easy to read and kept my interest and intrigue even though the plot is a little predictable and the story a little protracted.

The Other Guest is ideal summer holiday reading, particularly poolside and cocktail in hand. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this proof copy in return for an, as always, honest review.

An exciting suspense story that has devastating consequences for both families. What should have been a relaxing break in Greece turns out to be their worst nightmare. There are no winners in this story. Heidi Perks never disappoints as we are left guessing so many things right until the end.

Heidi Perks is one of my favourite thriller writers and this, her latest book does not disappoint. She crafts a plot well and her characters are very believable and well drawn and are easy to feel connected to. This is told over a duel timeline and perspective. The setting in an upmarket hotel on the Greek island of Ixos, which adds an air of excitement to the story. When a teenager is found dead in the swimming pool all the guests comes under suspicion, but which of them had the motive and the opportunity to commit such a callous crime?
Laila and her husband James are on holiday after another failed attempt at IVF. James wants to give up on their plans for a baby and just enjoy their life as it is, Laila meanwhile wants to continue trying to concieve. Their relationship is now strained as they come to terms with their individual needs. Em, another guest is the mother of two teenage boys, the perfect family to all outward appearances. But like all families they have their own secrets that are kept well hidden. As they all become embroiled in the tragic event we see how their relationship dynamics change as they try to protect each other.
Heidi Perks keeps the reader guessing throughout. Her plots are full of twists and turns. This is a perfect beach read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy to review.

Set in a Greek luxurious resort The Other Guest tells the story of Laila and James who go on holiday to rekindle their relationship and relax after the strain of the IVF treatment that they had been undergoing. People-watcher Laila sees something when, partway through the holiday, tragedy strikes and it is unclear who is responsible.

The novel has clever plotting and it's big on relationship dynamics, with the character of Laila being totally believable. Engrossing and addictive.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Laila and her husband, James, arrive at a Greek island resort in a desperate attempt to save their marriage. After several unsuccessful IVF procedures, Laila becomes fascinated with watching other families, especially mothers with their children. Her attention is captivated by Em and her relationship with her teenage sons. Suddenly, the guests of the resort are shocked by a body found floating in the swimming pool...

The Other Guest is an unusual read. It is a crime story and a psychological novel at once. Written from multiple points of view, the narration gives deep insight into the thoughts and motivations of the characters. There are also long passages where Laila, fascinated by psychology, describes the behaviour of the other guests. To sum up, this is not a typical fast-paced crime story, but it has a few themes specific to the genre. For example, for much longer than I anticipated, we don’t even know who was killed, not to mention how or when.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for providing the arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

An okay read

Initially gripped, I had high hopes for this book, unfortunately, after the main event (which happened very early in the story), not a lot happened and sadly I found the ending quite disappointing.

Laila has been taken away on a luxurious holiday by her husband James. After many failed attempts at IVF, James has told Laila he no longer wants to try for a baby and hopes this holiday will be exactly what they both need.

Lying by the pool Laila likes to people-watch (don’t we all! 😂). However, she becomes a tad obsessed with another lady and her family, much to the annoyance of James who is starting to act strange and seems to be harbouring some secrets of his own! With a couple of other suspicious characters, there are certainly plenty of suspects when tragedy strikes at the resort just a few days into the holiday!

This was an enjoyable read and at no point did I not want to finish it, it just sadly didn’t tick the right boxes for me. I feel the cover, blurb and grab line are a little misleading. ‘She knows what she saw, but is it the truth’. I’m not sure that’s quite right as to what happens in the story.

After the tragedy near the start, the rest of the book is a bit lacklustre. The twists are there, but they didn’t blow me away. I really wanted to be shocked by the ending as that would’ve made this book great, but sadly it was a bit of an anti-climax and predictable in parts.

My thoughts could merely be down to the fact that I read so many thrillers that it takes a lot to shock and surprise me now. I really do appreciate the time and effort an author puts into writing a book and I’m a big fan of Heidi Perks’s books, I guess sadly we can’t love everything we read. Heidi is a great writer and I love how she set the scene in this book, making me dream of sunny holidays.

I’m possibly in the minority by not being overly struck on this one, so please do judge for yourself.

Thank you to Heidi Perks, Century and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

2.5 ⭐️ - Okay mystery set in a luxury Greek resort

So I was a little disappointed in this book. For me it just wasn't gripping enough and the plot felt a little boring. Couple go on expensive holiday after years of unsuccessful IVF, someone dies, lots of questioning by police, truth revealed.

I kept waiting for a big twist or something really sinister to happen but it never came. The setting is nice and the descriptions are good but the charterers irritated me and the ending was a bit lacklustre. I feel you might enjoy this more sat round the pool people watching like the main character.

Thanks to Century & Netgalley for the ARC

Heidi Perks does it again. The Other Guest takes you on a holiday that a couple can’t afford but desperately need to try and put themselves back together. Victims of the emotional toll IVF can put on a relationship this was their new start. But fate has other ideas.

I enjoyed the face that I really couldn’t predict the ending and had to keep reading sometimes late into the night to try and find the next clue. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

It is no secret that books can take us on a journey. They can transport us to distant lands, teach us something new, or simply entertain us for an afternoon. Heidi Parks’ novel “The Other Guest” offers all three of these experiences in one delightful package. Read on to find out what I thought about this lighthearted romance novel.

After several failed IVF attempts and James’ announcement that he no longer wishes to continue on that path, he and his wife, Laila, take an expensive trip to the luxury island resort of Ixos in Greece. The aim is to rekindle their relationship, relax after all the stress and strain of the IVF and work out where their lives will go next. Laila loves to people-watch while she relaxes by the pool and spends a lot more time on her sunbed than James who would rather take himself off for some adventure. Before the end of their holiday though things take a tragic turn when one of the other guests is found dead in mysterious circumstances and someone is to blame.

Parks does an excellent job of setting the scene of the beautiful, well-detailed, location, so much so that I found it appealing enough to wonder if I might like to visit before realising that its clearly not for me for a number of reasons. The characters fell a little flat for me in this book, though it pains me to say as I usually love the characters that Parks invents. Laila felt disconnected from the beginning, showing no interest in spending time with her husband and James was no better. Planning a holiday to spend time together and abandoning the other doesn’t bode well!

The other characters were discussed from Laila’s perspective from her people watching and some had some good twists in who they actually were, but they all felt quite two-dimensional. When the body is found I didn’t feel that people actually cared. There was a lot of speculation over who had done what and who found him first etc but nobody seemed that devastated or upset that he had passed away or particularly concerned that it was in suspicious circumstances.

Having said all that though, I enjoyed it for the most part and was gripped by what I thought was going to happen (way off!), the little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter kept me reading well past bedtime and I found myself wanting ‘just one more chapter’. Things went downhill after the death for me though and things went too flat towards the end.

The Other Guest had one of the most irritating endings of all the books I've read recently though. I found it frustrating and felt that it left an otherwise good book falling flat on its face. I wanted something juicy and some big twists but alas they didn’t appear and what was shown to have happened was boring in comparison to the rest of the book.

I have always enjoyed Heidi Parks' novels, but “The Other Guest” stands out from the rest for all the wrong reasons. Where4 she can usually keep me hooked until the very last words here I just wanted to throw the book in the bin and never look at it again! The more I think of it the more it's beginning to annoy me, to be honest, it's left a brain worm that just keeps niggling and eating away at an otherwise good book. It had such a good premise and what could have been a great ‘who done it’ feel but it didn’t do it for me this time unfortunately.

I’m frequently drawn to stories set in a resort, in a sort of 'locked room' mystery way, so The Other Guest by Heidi Perks immediately appealed.

I liked that the story was told from multiple viewpoints & through varying timelines as we are fed nuggets of information. Ultimately though, I wasn't convinced by some of the characters' reactions or lack of reactions to the terrible events during the holiday.

There are numerous red herrings, and if you can suspend belief, it certainly would be a good poolside read.

Laila is on holiday at a luxurious resort on a Greek island. She spends her days people-watching around the pool. Halfway through the holiday tragedy strikes, yet it is unclear who is responsible. While Laila thinks that she knows the truth, she isn't sure what to do with this information.

I was hooked as soon as I read the first couple of pages.

I really love the lure of discovering a secret that a character is keeping, just waiting to be unraveled. Heidi Perks has done a brilliant job in keeping the reader wanting more and dishing out little hints and clues as the story progresses.

The story is so cleverly plotted and I found Laila's character to be very believable.

I actually found myself longing for a holiday somewhere hot and sunny thanks to the beautiful descriptions of the hotel and island.

A brilliant thriller that will keep you gripped until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I got The Other Guest By Heidi Perks from NetGalley for free for a fair and honest Review.


The Other Guest is a Mystery Thriller Set on an upscale holiday resort on A Greek Island were two woman Em a married woman with two teenage boys and her husband, who to the other woman Laila is envious of her as the fith round of IVF as failed and her Husband has said he wants to stop.

It is a typical holiday until the events of Wednesday night changes everything and Laila thinks she knows something but if she tells Em and she is wrong what will the repercussions be.

The Other Gust is an intriguing mystery Thriller which on the outside looks like the run of the mill beach read, while it is that it does have parts to the novel which take it above and beyond this simple premise.

Firstly the structure of the novel being set around two individual perspectives and two timelines, all of which change throughout the story which means you may be following a timeline with Em Before the event and the next following Laila after the event.

While this may seem a little confusing at the start with Heidi Perks writing style these jumps in perspective and timeline are rarely if ever confusing.

With the setting being in a holiday resort being on a quiet Greek Island it almost gives the novel a locked room feel which means as a reader you feel that each character in the story starts to be a suspect, as a lot of them may not fit in to their public persona.

While this Book is does have a mystery at the heart of the book the way that the writer wevis in twist and turns it starts to be who is hiding what and if those individuals and their provblems really do have an affect on the mystery.

All this makes The Other Guest By Heidi Perks beach read perfect for readers who love to read while relaxing in holiday.

This is a very well written book with great characters . It was interesting reading the couples different lives and problems. There was just something missing for me even though I did finish the book it was a bit of an effort. Maybe this style of book is not for me and I’m sure it will appeal to a lot of people . 4 stars from me

A truly absorbing plot set in a beautiful part of the world. Laila’s relationship with her husband was not as good as they would have liked, especially as numerous IVFs had failed for them. Laila has a tendency to ‘people watch’ and becomes too involved for her husbands liking, but all is not as it seems- secrets abounds!

I enjoyed The Other Guest, i felt so sorry for Laila who after heartbreaking rounds of IVF had hoped to enjoy a holiday with her husband and then everything just starts falling apart. When the body of another guest is found in the pool we wait to see if the local Greek police can work out who did it.
A few little surprises along the way.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK,Cornerstone and the author for an ARC in return for an honeset review

My first Heidi Perks read thanks to Net Galley and what a read. Not a gory murder which is my preference but once the first page was read I was gripped. This unputdownable 5 star read won't be my last book by Heidi Perks

Having read all of Heidi Perks’s other books I had high hopes for this one. It was a fairly good story but I felt it was a bit flat and was a bit too lightweight. I also hoped the ending would’ve been better than it was. But I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend to others but i didnt enjoy it as much as her others.

Laila and her husband James are on holiday in Greece trying to relax after numerous failed IVF treatments but Laila likes people watching and James keeps disappearing, then a teenage boy in the hotel is murdered.
You keep trying to guess who's done it but there is not one likeable character in the book and it seems very
slow for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

This book is set on a Greek island and Lalia and James choose to holiday there.Another family stay there and unfortunately 1 of their teenage sons was murdered. I found this a difficult and sad read and not really to my taste.Thank you to Netgalley for A.R.C,

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Heidi Perks for the ARC of The Other Guest.

When Laila and James have yet another failed IVF attempt, James decides to take her away for a holiday - escape from reality for a bit and plan for a future without children. A small, intimate resort, Laila finds herself people watching - the family with two teenage boys, the newley wed couple on their honey moon who are acting a little strange.

Soon into their holiday, teenager Isaac is found dead in the hotel pool. Someone must know what happened to him but who? As Laila starts to learn more about her fellow guests, it leaves her questioning herself and all those around her.

Unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. There was a lot of focus on the infertility, which at one point felt like there was going to be a big twist relating to a seed sewn elsewhere in the book, but it never quite materalised - to the point where it left me wondering why it was insinuated at all? I found the ending disappointing and unfortunately it left me a bit flat about the whole thing.

3 stars as well written and great character building but unfortunately not one for me.