I found The Other Guest to be a great read. I found the characters relatable and the twists and turns kept me guessing all the way to the ending that I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

James and Laila have been trying for a baby, after several rounds of IVF they still haven’t had any luck. James decides to surprise Laila with a surprise holiday, however she is furious when she finds out how much it costs as this could be used for another round of IVF.

Whilst James and Laila are away it becomes clear there are cracks in their marriage. Laila becomes obsessed with another family, a mum and her two sons in particular. James believes his wife is paying them more attention than him and so the holiday that was supposed to bring them together soon starts to pull them apart.

Then one night James and Laila have a huge and very public row, Laila takes herself off back to the hotel whilst James heads off for another drink. The next morning a dead body is found in the hotel pool. No one saw a thing, the only thing the police know is this was no accident.

This book had me guessing the whole way through at times I think I suspected just about everyone. There were so many secrets and lies it was impossible to decide who was or wasn’t telling the truth and it had me guessing right until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

I've enjoyed a few of the author's previous novels so was looking forward to reading The Other Guest. After many failed IVF attempts Laila and her husband James arrive at a luxury holiday resort on a Greek island. 5 days later tragedy strikes when the body of a guest is discovered in one of the resort's swimming pools.
This is a slow burn thriller and for me it lacked suspense and I was not particularly drawn to any of the characters. However, I found the relationships between Laila and James and Em and her sons interesting and I became more immersed in the novel towards the end and felt that it had a satisfying ending with a moral dilemma at the heart of it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Overall 3.5*

I was so looking forward to reading this book however it is a slow burner that never quite catches fire! It jumps to and fro - nothing wrong with that, it has characters which I was not particularly drawn to - nothing wrong with that either but it is certainly not a thriller. Some readers will probably like it more than others although it won't stop me reading other books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

OMG, I am excited to share this great release from Heidi Perks today. 'The Other Guest' is a thrilling read with fantastic plot twists and a suspenseful, dramatic atmosphere. The characters are absorbing and entertaining. The storyline is both compelling and addictive, with a jaw-dropping conclusion. Perks' writing style is impressive and brings this story to life flawlessly. I am confident this is going to be a huge success!

If anyone is new to Heidi Perks, this is perfect for reading as an introduction. I have read parts of the back catalogue, and 'The Other Guest' is my favourite by her so far. This read is also one of the most enjoyable psychological thrillers I have read so far this year!

'The Other Guest' is released today - don't hesitate to pick this up as a definite must-read for 2023. Highly recommend reading it.

A very enjoyable read that hit me with an emotional sucker punch. This author is capable of writing very twisty and unexpected scenes so I hope to discover all of that and more in her next novel.

As with Heidi Perks’ other novels, I have been hoarding The Other Guest for precisely the right moment to devour it. That meant waiting til after the craziness of Christmas, but it was just like a beautiful present to myself that I was saving to unwrap.

The waiting was definitely worth it. The Other Guest is a departure from the other books, being set on a remote island in Greece, but all of the hallmarks that readers love about Heidi Perks are right there too.

The main character is Laila, who has come on what should be a dream holiday with husband James. Actually the holiday is anything but a dream, especially as the couple are attempting to move forward after a numbers of unsuccessful rounds of IVF. We are fed breadcrumbs of the couple’s story, but the full story does not come until much later on in the book, with devastating consequences for all.

Oh, and did I mention that there’s a dead body in the hotel pool?! The Other Guest is fantastic; I literally couldn’t put it down.

The basic premise of this novel is not uncommon in crime fiction; several families on holiday in an exotic location, dramatic events, secrets and lies, surprising revelations....However, Heidi Perks tells the story with such style and panache that it feels fresh and new. A tremendous read!

Heidi sets the scene when she whisks us away to Crete in Greece When we meet Laila and her husband. For a holiday in the sun. but things take a turn with a horrifying event that would certainly be my worst nightmare. We follow a deliciously twisty story that will have you hooked from start to finish piecing the puzzle together.

I have read all of the authors' books and I have loved all of them but this one is without a doubt my favourite one. This is what a psychological thriller is all about. The suspense is built up page by page as Laila gets more involved and drawn in by another family. It is kept creepy how she is with them in all honesty but it is all part of the story. Does she tell them what she's seen is the question? Exactly what the title says!

The Other Guest is brilliantly written. It is an absorbing read making you feel right there in Crete the whole time guessing what happened. This is one of those books you need to read for yourself to see what happens. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what Heidi brings us next.

I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Other Guest. I liked the idea of the book - a woman people watching on holiday and then one of those people dies. The setting, a luxurious resort on a remote Greek island, was well-described and I can see this being a popular summer read (and good for escaping cold, wet England in winter too!) The story itself - how did Isaac die, and who, if anyone, was responsible - was well-told, with little snippets of information being revealed at about the right pace to keep me wanting to read on. I liked the change of perspective when the narrative switched from one guest to another. So why only a 4*? I think for me, there were a few too many points where there was commentary about what mothers/families/parents do/think etc - it felt like it detracted from the story. Whilst the book was about at least one individual who did clearly think deeply about what it is to be a mother and what it is to be part of a family I didn't feel these sections added to the character development

The Other Guest had me guessing the whole way through. It was quite sad in parts as it is the death of a teenager and also touches on infertility. I really disliked Laila’s husband, and I very much felt for Laila and the position she was put in. It was a good read.

I love a book by author Heidi Perks, such a big fan of her work and this was such a great novel to read. The blurb reads

"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?"

Laila is on holiday with her husband after many failed IVF attempts and she is in need of a relaxing holiday in Greece. Laila spies a woman who is with her family and she is transfixed in watching them.

Unfortunately - I will not give away what happens - but something terrible happens and the police are called into the resort to investigate this terrible thing.

I really felt for Em and her family and what she goes through in this novel, as many mothers would this is a life changing event for her and its heart-breaking.

The novel is a gripping read and is classic Heidi Perks as I just wanted to delve straight into this novel and find out what happened and who did it. The character of Laila, for me personally, was not overly likeable as a woman but her back ground and what she is going through you can understand.

A brilliant beach read and perfect for a getaway abroad.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and Heidi Perks for allowing me a copy of this novel.

The characters in this book felt real and believable (I know a couple of ' people watchers'). The plot had plenty of twists and I kept wondering who did it, but I didn't see the ending coming.

Found this such a sad book, cou;dn't recommend it, don't know why, just felt it was wrong. So sorry for the family and the husband who will never know the truth

The perfect holiday getaway becomes a nightmare. When the body of a young man is found in a luxury resort all the guests are potential suspects. Em can’t believe her precious first born is dead. Laila and her husband James, whose marriage is already hanging by a thread comes under even more pressure when his past is revealed and the honeymoon couple look anything but like they’re in love. Intrigue, death, betrayal, mistrust and loneliness all set in paradise. What should have been a holiday to remember will definitely be one they won’t be able to forget.

Can you ever really know what is going on in someone else’s head? When Laila and James head out to a luxury Greek resort, they need a chance to reconnect. Their chances at IVF have all all failed and they need to decide what their next step will be. When they get to the resort, Laila becomes obsessed with a seemingly perfect family.but then someone dies….

Part murder mystery this was an enjoyable read.

Leila and James, her husband head for a week in Greece at an expensive resort, way out of their price range. After three failed attempts at IVF, they need it. Leila likes to people watch and becomes fixated on Em and her perfect family. One of Em’s sons ends up dead, but who killed him?

This is a great book. The first half is maybe a little slow, but the fast paced second half more than makes up for it. I loved the side plots and trying to figure out how they all connected and how the book would end. It kept me guessing throughout and is definitely my favourite Heidi Perks read yet!

The narrative flits between present day and the days leading up to the incident. The POV also changes between our two main characters, Laila and Em. I quite liked this as I felt I was getting some good backstory to help build a bigger picture of who all the characters were and what happened.

Laila's obsession with people watching is a little unnerving. It seemed she was incapable of doing anything other than watching the others, working through the problems in her head and envying them. While she used it as a way of distracting herself from her own problems, it seemed to create new ones for her. I found her observations of the others interesting though because who doesn't love a bit of people watching?

James is quite sketchy. He seemed erratic and angry. I didn't like his character much and felt a bit sorry for Laila. I was desperate to know what secrets he was hiding from his wife and why he was so eager to get away from the resort.

At first, Em and her family seemed quite elusive. Once we started seeing the story from Em's POV, you could start to feel her desperation to find out what had happened to one of her sons, and her desire to protect the other.

The ending wasn't what I was expecting for either of the characters. I'm still not sure how satisfied I am with the end, but overall I did enjoy the book. The story was fast paced and easy to read, I devoured it in 3 days!

A good thriller, set in a luxury resort on a Greek Island after several failed rounds of IVF, Leila and James want to use this holiday to reconnect. At the resort Leila is happy to people watch, when a body is found in the pool. One of the guests must know something.

There are twists within the story that keep the intrigue, but it isn't fast paced or shocking, more of an easier read, but still enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to preview.

I do enjoy this author's books and this one, The Other Guest has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes.

Laila and her husband are having a getaway on a Greek island it is a chance for them to reconnect and try to get their marriage back on track. Things have been tough for them after several rounds of failed IVF, and Laila is distraught when she realises that there may be no more rounds to come.

At this luxury resort, they meet various couples and families, some they had seen on the journey to the hotel and they will inevitably bump into them at various points of their stay. What none of them expect is the death of one of the guests.

An inspector comes to ask and make inquiries about all those at the hotel, the author keeps her cast to a minimum. She does this by sticking to those that Laila has met or seen, this makes it easy to keep track of who is who.

While Laila has been dealing with her own inner turmoil she is aware of other things going on, she loves people-watching and while her husband thinks she can get obsessed, she has her own thoughts about things.

This is a great read and one that I found myself easily falling into and getting on with. There are plenty of twists and some red herrings and then there are some other much deeper and darker things that emerge.

While this is an engrossing book and one that I enjoyed, I did feel that the ending was dragged out a little too much, while there were still things that needed answering I just thought it could have been done sooner. It didn't ruin the story for me but did take the edge off it a little.

An enjoyable read and one for fans of contemporary fiction and holiday crime and mystery readers. It is one I would happily recommend.