I don't like this. Incestuous, with unlikable and annoying characters and a dash of they/them sprinkled on top. I made it to Part 2 but I cant relive Part 1 again from a different perspective.

I just don't click with this author. I've tried a few of her books and they just don't land to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher but no. Narration was okay, not great. Sounded older than the characters.

The House Guest was my first book by Alison James. The premise of this book was interesting, and it took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. I was captured from the beginning and enjoyed the ride. But there was quite a bit of repetition throughout. I am a huge fan of varying POVs, but with this book, the varying POVs seemed to repeat the same things.

Aside from the above, the writing makes this book stand out. The character development was flawless. I got to know these characters and what they represented, what they had been through, and their reasons for doing what they were doing. There were very powerfully written descriptions throughout that made you feel as though you were in the story. The plot was fast paced with unpredictable plots and twists. There were so many layers to the plot in this one, and I enjoyed reading as they unfolded. I can’t wait to try another book by Alison James!

Thank you to Bookouture, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a thriller this Halloween that has:

🔪Multiple POV
🔪Cliffhanging chapters
🔪Satisfying ending

I would definitely recommend this one!! You get the different perspectives of all the characters throughout the book which just gets better as it goes on. It’s hard to explain why I recommend this without any spoilers so you’ll just have to trust me that it’s a good one!! I haven’t read anything by Alison James before but would definitely pick up another of her books! I listened to this book on audio and I was surprised that it made me look forward to my commute to work just so I could listen to the next chapter.

Twists and turns galore! This book leaves you wondering which party to believe. It was filled with moves I never saw coming!

**listened to the audio book**

I don't think I have read a book where I have hated ALL of the characters, and I mean ALL OF THEM!.
They were so unlikeable, and had no redeeming features. The book played on the tropes of the upper class, and their privilege. The narrator really egged it with the posh accent too! If it wasn't for the fact I was reviewing this book I would have DNF'ed.
There were many twists and turns none of which though that were original. I have read similar plots before so none of the twists took me by surprise.
Overall, this book was just OK.

The House Guest is a psychological thriller that I had high expectations for. Unfortunately, this one mostly fell flat for me.

The story follows a family that has a relative show up out of nowhere with DNA proof that she is their cousin Alexis. This makes her the heir to their estate since the owners Juliet and Hugh do not have any children.

Alexis was the most interesting character and there just wasn’t enough of her. The book took place over multiple parts from multiple perspectives and only one of those parts was from Alexis point of view.

As the perspectives changed so did the book. It got crazier and crazier and not in a good way. Some plot points just got more unbelievable and I started to lose interest. I do think there are great ideas in this story so I do recommend this one to thriller fans.

Juliet lives with husband Hugh in the fabulous historic house he inherited close to London. But Hugh's only claim is a life tenancy, and without any children of his own, the current heir is a distant cousin he has never previously met.

When this cousin unexpectedly arrives in the middle of a dinner party, Hugh is unperturbed and very taken with the attractive young woman, whereas Juliet is very uneasy and unsure what her husband and this annoying woman's motives are.

The intrigue quickly develops when events are retold from other POVs. No one is quite as they seem.

An engrossing read with plenty of twists. Requires some suspension of disbelief but despite this the storyline is interesting and cleverly plotted.

A great read and well narrated.

Super twisty and fun “read”. I listened to the audiobook version and I would have preferred different narrators for the different characters. This narrator seemed older than the characters in this novel, so I kept forgetting how young they were in the story.

This is my first novel by Alison James, but I will seek out more since I throughly enjoyed it. I liked that it was written with so many points of views.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not really suspenseful but it did give me mild anxiety during the initial build because there was an obvious thing that was never addressed. The story is told and then retold from four different POVs, which was basically resulted in reliving the same week from four different but not very interesting characters. The characters were all equally uninteresting and not good at whatever it was they were all trying to get away with.
Neat idea, terrible execution. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Many thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Jan Cramer who, as always, did a fantastic job.

Juliet and Hugh live in Hugh’s family estate, which is named "Mullen’s End". They are the envy of their friends and family being essentially, Lord and Lady of the manor. Enter Alexis. Alexis claims to be a distant cousin of Hugh's and as such, Juliet and Hugh agree to let her stay at their home while her own place is redecorated. But she doesn’t seem to want to leave. She and Hugh have struck up a fast friendship while Juliet looks on and worries about her marriage to Hugh.

Is Alexis after the inheritance? Is she after Hugh? Will Juliet stand by and allow Alexis to take her place? There are a lot of secrets, murder and betrayal in this tale. It had the promise of being a really great story but for the slow start and a few events that seemed too far fetched for me.

3 stars

I was excited to have the opportunity to review The House Guest as domestic thrillers are my favorite type of book. James utilizes the backdrop of a stately country manor as the characters subject of envy, greed, and desire. The different points of view illustrate some humorous, and ridiculous, moments among the three main characters. I enjoyed the story and was engrossed throughout. I do wish the twists in the story were more unexpected. Overall, the book was fun and I finished it quickly. Alison James is an author I will be looking at for future books.

TW: A dog is killed

What a fun domestic thriller! I received this early audiobook copy from NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and finished it in just over a day. It roped me in from the start, I just had to keep listening!
There are multiple POVs, which really adds dimension to the story along with some twisty parts. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller!

4 stars- I had to take away a star because I couldn't get over the dog thing, didn't think it was necessary to the overall story.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookoture for an ARC of the audiobook. A possible family member turns up at the home of a British couple and the story begins. Told from a number of points of view, it was narrated really well. A really thriller with lots or twists

THANK UUUU to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in reply for an honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well what can I say but WOW WHAT A RIDE 🤩 This is everything I love in a book 📚… BAD wealthy people acting EXTREMELY just awfully!

Ever single character is loathsome in their own way but so loveable to read and see how far they’ll actually go to get all they want.

JULIET- Seems so gullible but really not!! 👍
HUGH- WHAT AN ARSE! 🤬
BELINDA- Where’s the girl code huh ?! 🤷‍♀️ But oh what a gal!
SUMMER- Really didn’t think that through did you lovely 😉

Ran through this! Thank you again

This was fun, Completely implausible but total fun. Beware the younger more attractive relative who is an actual heir to the fortune turning up and staking their claim.

Told from multiple pov and split over around a year this was as funny as it was gripping. Imagine being the envy of all your friends living in your country pile only to find the heiress to the fortune on your doorstep. The characters in the story were all really predictable but in the best way, Belinda was utterly hilarious. Well written, unbelievable in every way but loveable, easy 4 stars!

Thank you to Bookature and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio.

Just when I figured the plot out, I was totally wrong. So many lies, secrets and deceitful characters with lots of twists. Fast paced domestic thriller which I really enjoyed.

I loved the fact that each character told their version of events which put the puzzle together. Narration was brilliant.

Highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre Audio

The House Guest by Alison James
(Narrated by Jan Cramer)

The stranger to the Mullens stood at their doorstep and claimed that she’s going to inherit the house. She is Alexis. Then they allowed this stranger to enter their home and all these mistakes they should not have made.

Interesting story plot but it’s difficult to relate in real life. The characters were all pop-out. The story was having more layers with various POVs, which I enjoyed much. It would be great if there were two or three narrators for this thriller!

This book was really entertaining. I loved all the different parts and perspectives. So many wild twists. A quick and entertaining story. I enjoyed the narrator and how the story unfolding piece by piece.

A good thriller but the narration on the audio book wasn’t done great, which threw the whole story off for me.

So many points of view. Quite an interesting story but it really took the entire story to get you to the WOW part.