When Natalie brings home Tanya, the foreign exchange student to her home she is really elated - it seems like Tanya is so identical to her other daughter who dies a couple of years ago.
But Natalie's another daughter Paige is really suspicious of Tanya and just cant stand to be in the same room as her. She finds Tanya to be weird, as if she is hiding something.

Soon Tanya starts to show her true colors, she starts to take what doesnt belong to her without a bit of regret - soon Paige's friends and her boyfriend seem to be getting more and more closer to Tanya
As Tanya is trying her best to hide her secrets, the rest of the family members are also hiding something!

This book became super interesting once all the characters and a bit of their background is revealed, not at all boring anywhere!

Thanks to Nelle Lamarr, Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for approving the audio ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. I thoroughly enjoyed my 1st book by this author!

We follow the story of the Merritt family from LA whilst they welcome their new family guest to their home and adjust to life with this new young woman. The Family Guest is foreign exchange student, Tanya. She is an extremely dislikable character who is unashamedly flawed and an infuriating young woman. She is self-centred and manipulative and seems absolutely set on ruining the life of Paige, the Merritt's daughter. As a character, Tanya made me want to scream, but she kept me absolutely hooked to the story - who wouldn't want to know what she's up to and why she doesn't appear to be everything she seems!?

There's a tonne of background drama with the Merritt family to contend with too - we get threads of individual aspects of drama as we go along but around two thirds of the way into the book all of these individual threads start to come together to form the bigger picture and suddenly everything makes sense. The story definitely packs a punch and I found myself hooked from quite early on as I tried to piece everything together - when I wasn't listening to the book I was thinking about it and wondering how it was going to progress and end, I just had to get back to the drama!

One of the things that I loved about this book was this it was written in dual-perspectives from both Natalie (mother) and Paige (daughter), this added depth and drama to the story for me and I thought that it was done really well. It was good to see the story from the perspective of a teenage girl and on the opposite end, her mother's point of view too. The only thing I'd say let this aspect down is some of the language used throughout the book perhaps didn't fit properly with the character perspective it was supposed to be from - at times Natalie appeared to be speaking like an immature teenage girl and vice versa.

This book is definitely one you should read if you like teenage drama, family drama, questionable characters, and truths to find! I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys mystery and thrills in the books they read.

Thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for the copy pre-publication - good luck for publication day next week!

This gripped me from the first word. The story starts an doesn’t let up for the whole read. It’s told from several points of view so the storyline builds but from different perspectives. It moves at a steady pace that it keeps your interest and those pages turning. Really good storyline that had you looking at it from all sides but not quite sure where it’s going. I had a fair idea how it was going to play out but I love when I’m only half right and your thrown a twist from nowhere. I didn’t find the characters overly likeable except for Tanya and her little brother and their relationship with each other. The narrator was engaging and kept my interest and worked well. How it all came to together and the outcome worked well and left me 😳. 


Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheFamilyGuest

I received an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review is entirely my own.

This was a difficult one for me to rate. Let me explain why. I loved the premise of this book. (Mostly because my family has hosted exchange students and I know how difficult it can be.)

So let's look at the characters. Firstly I loved Paige and Will, their relationship is so cute. I love how they stick together and support each other no matter what. Then we have Natalie who I annoyed me most of the time. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a clue. In regards to Matt I'm indifferent I didn't like him but he wasn't as annoying as Natalie. Then there is Tanya, I have never wanted to climb into a book and slap a character as much as I wanted to with her. Lastly we have grandma Marjorie and she might just have been my favourite. Then again who doesn't love a sassy grandma?

Now for the plot. As a whole I really enjoyed the story there were plenty of twists and turns and it kept me guessing about certain things until the very end. There is a part where you think I've got this and then you get hit with another curve ball. However I do feel like the story was to long and that there was a lot of unnecessary information that could have been left out without affecting the plot.

The narration for this one is done by Cecily Bednar Schmidt and Lynn Norris. They did an absolutely amazing job of keeping my attention. They captured the emotions and feel of every situation perfectly.

So for me this was a 3.5 maybe 3.75 star book but not quite a 4 star. But since Goodreads and NetGalley do not work with half stars I decided to round up rather than down since there was a lot more about the book that I liked than the things I didn't like.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good twisty thriller. If you are a fan of Freida McFadden, Sarah Alderson and John Marrs you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGally for the ARC.

The Family Guest is a wild ride with an ending I did not see coming. I read, and listen, to mostly thriller genre books; I consider twists the bread and butter of a good story. There was a bit too much sex and YA type dialogue for my taste (three teen characters are featured), but I understand how it would not have been the same story without it. Two thumbs up for The Family Guest, and I will certainly be keeping my eye out for future thrillers from Nelle Lamarr.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Family Guest by Nelle Lamarr.

Okay, I'm going to say something that sounds harsh, but I mean it with love, in kind of an endearing way...

This was SO DUMB.

And when I say so dumb, I mean, OMG, could the characters possibly be more vapid, obtuse, narcissistic and shallow. Except of course, the most overlooked characters in the story, the son and daughter. Like, I rolled my eyes, laughed out loud, and grooooaned at how deeply ridiculous the parents of this story were.

This is a story of a family of four (once five) who decide to bring in an English exchange student Tanya. She's beautiful, perky, talented, and so excited to be there. The mom instantly loves her more than she loves her own kids because Tanya likes to shop, so that's normal. And despite EVERY GLARING red flag, Natalie the mom, just cannot see anything other than the daughter that she's always wanted, the daughter that she lost. But her kids can, and they are determined to expose Tanya for who she is, which ends up being a bit harder than you feel like it would have to be, given that her parents are such self destructing, unfaithful, narcissists.

I say all this, but don't let that make you think that I didn't like this book. I devoured it, it went down about as fast and easy as a giant pixie stick. I'll forget it forever, but sometimes we just need to enjoy the candy.

TW: One of the protagonists has a sexual addiction.

"The Family Guest" primarily focuses on the interplay between an exchange student Tanya and her host family's teen daughter.

As a result, the entire book had strong "YA" vibes.

Also, I was easily able to guess the major "twist" of this "gripping thriller" early on.

Since I am not a fan of the YA genre and I do not enjoy predictable books with protagonists with sexual addictions, this book was not for me.

I listened to the audiobook read by Lynn Norris and Cecily Bednar Schmidt.

Both narrators did a superb job with the narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paige and her parents welcome exchange student, Tanya to their home. Fresh from England, Tanya is a balm to Paige’s mother, Natalie, after the death of her other daughter, Annabel. But while Natalie is thrilled with their guest, Paige is anything but. She senses that Tanya isn’t who she pretends to be even as the new girl insinuates herself into the family. Tanya has plans for her American hosts, and they don’t include curling up for a family movie night. An old storyline gets a fresh perspective as its told through multiple viewpoints

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thankyou netgalley for the arc copy of this book for an honest review .
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It’s self explanatory. The title and for the plot of the story .
I thought it will come some twisty story at the end but it’s just okay.
Best for thriller for young adult genre.
Story of a girl from ‘England’ coming as an exchange student to the wealthy family of Natalie, Paige, Will and Matt . When something is wrong .
Tanya is getting wilder toward the middle of the story up until she loses the accent . She is just pretending. As I said pretty much explain the title.
Anyway, turn out she is a daughter .
But I did not see the connect . It lacks of the story on how and why.
Also at the end I know Matt and Natalie gotten divorce but not telling if Matt was okay from the accident? Not sure what happen there. Overall , it’s a good story. But doesn’t need to be 70 odd chapter long .


✨ shaye.reads

The Family Guest is one that you’ll love to hate! Told from multiple POVs, it the journey of a family that takes in a foreign exchange student, and the turmoil that she brings with her.
There were a lot of red flags in this that the mother, Natalie, certainly missed, and I found her to be very self absorbed and obtuse. The exchange student, Tanya, is a despicable being and has set out to destroy all the lives around her. Matt, the husband, really could have been left out of this story, as I feel like he really didn’t play a significant role.
My favorites, of course, were Paige and Will, the smart and loving brother and sister who seem to be the only ones in their family with any brains at all.

I will say that I pretty much figured out what was going on about 20% into the book, but there were a lot of good and evil twists along the way.

The narrator of this audiobook also did an excellent job! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early release in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub date: 21 Sep 2023

4.5⭐ (the narration) I listen to tons of audiobooks, and both of these narrators were superb. Each of the narrators was perfect for the character POV they were reading for. It takes a lot for a narrator to impress me. Both of these did!

4.5⭐ (the story) OMG, this was a gripping page turner from the beginning!

The Merritt family lost one daughter in an accident, and decided to take in an exchange student for the year. Strangely enough, the exchange student Tanya looks eerily like their dead sister. Paige and Will feel uneasy, and they're determined to get to the bottom of this stranger in their midst.

This seriously is one of the best books I've read this year. Fantastic characters, hair-raising plot twists, one late night because I couldn't put it down. 😂 The ending was chef's-kiss! Five stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audiobook (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Tanya really is the perfect guest – kind, polite, and always happy to help in the kitchen, finds a common ground with the father of the family and Natalie loves her, growing specially fond of her after a tragic accident claimed her oldest daughter’s life, Anabel.

Paige , isn’t so happy about their guest though. She thinks it’s weird that Tanya looks like Anabel, she hates it when she wears her sister’s old clothes, and Bear the dog doesn’t seem thrilled with her either.After some incidents, Paige insists Natalie checks Tanya’s records. She’s become convinced Tanya isn’t who she says she is, but Nat learnt a long time ago that sometimes it’s best not ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.

3.5 rounded down solely because I only liked 1 character in this!
I definitely found it a level better than a run-of-the-mill popcorn thriller, good writing, good pace, and definitely a great example of the correct usage of red herrings!

Definitely recommend this best for people that are still introducing themselves to mystery-thrillers.

A family welcomes a foreign exchange student into their home, but she isn't who she seems. Told from two perspectives, Natalie, the mom, and Paige the daughter, we see how Tanya, the foreign exchange student, comes in to take over. Natalie opens her with welcome arms, but Paige is suspicious.

This one was interesting... Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going, It swerved. I thought it was going to be a lot more of everyone thinking something is up with Tanya and then boom they're in the house with a killer. It definitely is a lot more drawn out than that. I think I struggled most with the fact I found Natalie horrible. Like truly a horrible person, favoring this new girl over her own daughter. We also get one weird POV chapter near the end from Matt (the husband) that was really unneeded, especially since he too is a terrible person. I think this plot had promise, but I never got the sinister vibes I wanted. I was hooked enough to want to see where it went, but ultimately disappointed by both the journey and the end.

For the narrators, I think they did a good job. I appreciate that there were two - one for Paige and one for Natalie so that it was easy for the listener to differentiate.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

🤩 Many thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley, and Nelle Lamarr for this advanced copy of the book!
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My Review: This was a solid 5-star read! I was granted early access to the audiobook and was not disappointed. It had my full attention from cover to cover. It read like a full-blown drama series that had non-stop twists and turns. The audiobook was such a performance! The guest, Tanya, has me in stitches! She was brilliant. Equipped with her English accent and supposed sweet demeanor, Tanya was the gift that kept on giving throughout this story. Mom Natalie and Dad Matt, along with their children Paige and Will, were all grappling with the list of their daughter and sister Anabel. Somehow, Natalie thought having a foreign exchange student stay with the family would be a good idea. Little did they all know that would be a horrible decision. I found the storyline well-paced, Tanya’s wit and cunning extremity entertaining, and the number and caliber of secrets hitting me upside my head throughout the story so fun! I highly recommend this book! It was a deliciously fun ride.

This was a great story with great characters. I loved the brother sister relationship and the dog. Very twisty.

3.5⭐️🎧

I’ve rounded it up, because the pace was fast, and there was plenty going on, so I was never bored.

A new author to me, Nelle Lamarr has switched genres with this psychological suspense. She is an established contemporary romance author Nelle L’Amour.

I had the audiobook read by Cecily Bednar Schmidt and Lynn Norris. I preferred the voices for the teenagers. I found Natalie’s voice overly dramatic.

A rich Beverly Hills family take in an exchange student Tanya. Paige the younger daughter is suspicious about her, and just how much she looks like her sister Annabelle who died. The mom feels like she has her precious daughter back.
From this snippet the reader can see that there’s plenty of potential for family disharmony.

The book is told from multiple POV.
From the outset there is friction between the teenage girls, which is where the emphasis lies for the first half and was the strongest part of the book for me. Paige is combative, whereas Tanya is more passive aggressive. Tanya is a kiss up to the mom ( Natalie) and dad (Matt) who absolutely lap it up. Non of the characters are likeable, with the exception of Will. The parents naivety is a bit irritating. Both of their POV felt a bit cliched. Natalie felt overly dramatic. The ‘blackmail’ element also felt weak.

It’s kind of good to love hating the girls. It’s got a combative light easy listening vibe in the first half which then takes on a more threatening tone in the second half.

It takes several different directions which gives plenty of interest, there are also some shocking surprises. It does feel to some degree that the author threw the kitchen sink at the twists.

The Family Guest by Nelle Lamarr

The story had a fast-paced starting, it kept me guessing the real identity of this family guest. Then it involved lots of teenager dramas, parenting problems and cheating issues. The story plot was predictable but the ending was still a surprise.

Tanya was an exchange student who was going to stay in the well-off Merritt family. When Natalie Merritt saw Tanya, she was shocked that Tanya looked like her dead daughter Annabel. Along with loads of spoilt behavior of Tanya, this pissed off Natalie’s another daughter, Paige.

Tanya and Natalie now had a strong relationship, because somehow Natalie treated Tanya as her daughter. But what about when there were secrets behind?

Tanya knew a secret which would shatter the Merritt family. Natalie had a secret and even her husband Matt was hiding secrets as well….

The narrator gave an extra star for this book. She created the tension and presented the personalities of different characters perfectly especially for Tanya. How spoilt and annoying she was.

Pub date: Sep 21, 2023

A family takes in a foreign exchange student, Tanya. Tanya and the mother of the host family, Natalie, instantly hit it off—mani pedis, shopping, cooking together. Tanya reminds Natalie of the daughter she lost. Natalie’s other daughter, Paige, does not like Tanya—she feels like something is off about her. Paige and her brother, Will work together to reveal the truth about Tanya. Is Tanya who she claims to be?

I listened to the Audiobook of The Family Guest and loved it! There are different voices for the different characters which makes it easier to decipher who is speaking/thinking. The book had a good amount of drama, as well as twists that kept me feeling the suspense. I thought I had everything solved and then Lamarr threw in a final twist!

The Family Guest will be released September 21, 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Family Guest!

A really good and gripping story if a little predictable in places, but I couldn’t stop listening, I loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This has an interesting cast of characters that carry the story along a nice pace and create depth to the story. Great plot and I found myself filling an afternoon listening to this in one sitting as I found it so enjoyable.