Enjoyed this story and particularly liked the setting. Not an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster thriller, but a satisfying slow burner that kept me guessing. Like the writer's style and will look to read more of her books.

Laila and her husband James have arrived on the Greek island of Ixos to stay in the luxury resort White Sands. After five failed attempts at IVF their marriage is floundering and they believe a holiday will reset the balance. Laila is happy to just sit around the pool and people watch, one particular family catches her eye, a couple with two teenage boys and, for some reason, she develops a rather invested interest in them. Em and her husband Rob are oblivious to the interest that Laila is showing in her family until five days later when tragedy strikes and Em's world is blown apart. Laila is certain she knows what's happened but what if she's wrong?

The Other Guest is told mainly from Laila's perspective and starts from the day of the incident and jumps back and forth between the days leading up to it. The premise grabbed me from the start and I was intrigued to find out what had happened, even though I had my suspicions, so raced through the book quite quickly. I didn't particularly like any of the characters so wasn't really invested in any of their stories, although I did feel sorry for Laila and her desperation to have a family of her own. I've read a couple of other books by this author and enjoyed them, so was looking forward to this one too but felt that the ending was a bit of an anti-climax and it was more of a family drama/whodunnit than a thriller, hence me dropping a star and giving it three stars.

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Fast paced domestic thriller that grips you from first page. Good style of writing and good mix of characters. I stayed up late finishing this a I couldn't wait to find out what was going on.

A promising start to the book with a holiday setting on an exclusive island in Greece. Sadly, the story did not deliver, it just didn't flow for me.

I was hooked from the beginning of this book. Following Laila's story was compelling. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and was very surprised at the ending. A really great whodunnit and one that kept me guessing who the culprit was. I loved it.

I was looking forward to this book but sadly it just didn't deliver. Slow moving story, title that didn't fit the story and an ending which just fell flat.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this read and it was well written. Laila and James go on holiday to a Greek island after several failed rounds of IVF. Leila is sure James has been there before with a previous girlfriend. She spends most of her time people watching end becomes envious of other people’s lives. Suddenly, a young boy is found dead in the swimming pool and Leila believes she knows who did it.

A good tale of twisted relationships, pain and sorrow.

A well-written domestic thriller, The Other Guest is an intriguing mystery set in a luxury hotel resort and centred on a cast of dubious characters.

I loved the setting of this story and think it would make the perfect airport read. I supposed it helps that I went on my honeymoon to a resort in Greece which was far out of the way from any of the towns and residents, so it was easy for me to reminisce about being back there and sitting on a sunbed, so I immediately felt like I was in Laila's shoes.

The story is told through multiple narratives, and I really enjoyed the contrast between the different perspectives, especially between Laila and her husband. There are obviously a lot of secrets bubbling on the surface and reasons for the character's questionable actions, so I was interested to see how everything would play out.

But if you're looking for a thriller that will shock with constant twists and unexpected revelations, then you will likely be disappointed. The Other Guest is definitely more domestic, and the pace is quite slow as it focuses on characters and relationships, following a much simpler plot than anything too dramatic.

The tension may have been mild, but I was still engaged throughout. And while the revelations are definitely more straightforward, I like how authentic the story felt, especially when Perks had spent so much time giving her characters so much depth.

I was expecting some more thriller elements, but I was certainly left satisfied all the same, and always enjoy how Perks so easily emerges me into her stories.

I've enjoyed previous books by this author and so was very much looking forward to this 'thrilling read'. However, for me, it wasn't! I think it's been incorrectly marketed and categorised, as, it's definitely more of a family drama and very much focuses on relationships, desire for a family and jealously. The characters are well drawn, but, unlikeable.

Having said that, I did read the book quickly and maintained the desire to see what the outcome was, I just felt a bit let down and disappointed.

Overall, for me, an OK read.

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

A nosy guest! A dead boy in the pool! Not a typical holiday! Leila and James are trying to restore the equilibrium in their 10 year marriage but she is fixated on trying another round of IVF while he seems preoccupied by an incident in his past. Longing for a family of her own, Layla becomes fixated on Em, her husband, Rob, and their sons, Theo (16) and Isaac (18). Spying on them she overhears an argument between the boys. Early next morning she's out for a walk just as a boy’s body is found in the pool. She reports the argument to the police, but is more worried by the fact that, after a serious row with James, she left him drunk and getting drunker and she has no idea when he came to bed. Accident or murder? Fratricide or homicide? The brother or the husband?
The story is told in alternating sections, either first person Laila, or third person Em. It is basically a Greek police procedural but lacks any real detail of this (unless the Greek police really are this nonchalant) so perhaps it is family drama onto which a murder mystery has been pasted. However, there isn't much drama and no real mystery overall, so I found it fairly dull with no real pace and no very believable (or likeable) characters. The dénouement is predictable, but the resolution is boring. It is fairly well written and would probably appeal to those who like family type dramas and aren’t too fuss about depth. It's a 2.5for me, round up to 3, which is a bit generous.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Lots of red herrings and two different narrators will keep you guessing about what actually happened in this exclusive holiday resort. Like all thrillers there are moments of "really?" but will is a page Turner and would make a great holiday read.

I wasn’t a lover of this book….it wasn’t a page turner in my eyes and I was dissatisfied with what I read. I do enjoy Heidi’s books but it this one!

I really enjoyed this thriller from Heidi Perks. If you have read some of her other books and have enjoyed, you are sure to feel the same way about this one.

Whilst on holiday to repair her own relationship, Laila is more interested in other guests, where one ends up dead, putting Laila in a bit of a situation.

This book had a few good twists, making it an enjoyable read.

A good storyline although a little slow going. A lovely setting in a Greek resort where a body is found in the pool. One of the guests must know something!! I didn’t find it a real page turner I’m afraid but would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I felt a little bit let down by this book. The cover and the title really caught my eye but I didn't really get how they tie in with the book itself.

To say its categorised as a thriller I didn't find it very thrilling - excuse the pun. A bit mysterious maybe but honestly all that build up for in my opinion not a fantastic ending. I was really waiting for some big plot twist or a seriously dramatic turn of events. Sadly it never came.

I also didn't feel the characters has much depth to them therefore I was unable to connect with them.

Negatives aside I did read the whole story and felt it was readable and an okay story just felt a but misguided from the beginning when I expected so much more.

3.5 stars
This is a good read but it wasn’t quite as good as I thought it would be.
The book centres around a 5 star resort in Greece where a teenager is found dead in the swimming pool.
Laila and James are there trying to make their marriage work following several failed IVF attempts.
Em is there with her family and is devastated when she finds out her son was murdered.
The Police know that someone at the resort knows what happened but it’s hard for them to get to the truth.
This is a good read but had something missing for me.
Thanks to Random House Cornerstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I dont think this book was right for me. I found it slow going without enough tension to keep me engaged. I also failed to like any of the characters.

I was excited to read this book, from the synopsis, it sounded exciting, and I thought it would be an atmospheric read. In reality, it was a quick easy read, which was enjoyable but unfortunately flat, that did not make you feel any emotion or substance - Definitely lacked something.

I don’t understand the title of the book – It really isn’t about the ‘Other Guest.’ Plus, the cover just does not fit the contents of the book.

The story mainly follows 2 families who are on holiday at the luxury 5* White Sands Resort in Ixos, Greece: Laila and James, who are holidaying to get their marriage back on track after 5 years of continuous IVF attempts. Em and her family, the mother of 17-year-old Isaac, whose body is found one morning floating in the swimming pool. Soon secrets of each character unravel to reveal the conclusion of who killed Isaac.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, in return of an honest, unbiased review.

I was excited to receive an ARC of this novel as I'm a fan of Heidi Perks previous books.
Sadly, this one didn't work for me. I didn't like the characters and found it incredibly slow going. I skimmed through a lot of it and in the end I DNF.

⭐️ 2 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I’m afraid to say that The Other Guest wasn’t really the book for me.

Firstly, I thought the title and the cover were very misleading. I would also describe it as a family drama rather than a thriller.

All the action takes place in the first few chapters and after the main incident it just became repetitive and dull; I found myself skim-reading just to get to the end.

The book is well-written and I do like Perks style of writing I just feel that this book was over padded and the ending left too many unanswered questions.

Sadly not the book for me.