This was too much of a slow burner for me. The latter half of the novel picked up pace and the few plot twists were welcomed.
Characters were not particularly interesting however this may have been due to the Narrators tone.
Disappointed in this read as was excited to receive an ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for honest feedback.

Starts off a slow semi detached suburbia type novel, then about halfway becomes more interesting and the epilogue spells it out. There are a few different stories intertwined around the main plot although it may not have been a plot to start with. No spoilers. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review..

I was a huge fan of B A Paris as soon as I read her first book, I love her take on domestic thrillers and she totally pulls you into the story and never see the ending coming and this was no exception.
The characters in the guest are not the most likeable and Laure in particular was very annoying but I still couldn’t put it down.
There was loads going on and if you love a twisty ending then this is one for you.

I'm a big fan of this author and I love most of her books but this one just was not my cup of tea! 🍵

I made a video about it:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3pY_DZhRayU

1. This book was so slow, not much was really happening, too many unnecessary conversations and fillers.

2. Some characters act in unbelievable/ridiculous ways; a character just decided to keep a secret that's not even a big deal and should NOT be a secret NOR a big deal!!

3. I did not care nor connect to any of the characters.

4. Apart from a couple of deaths, nothing really happens till the epilogue.

5. Even though the whodunnit was pretty obvious, because the way they act just gives them away, I was incapable of figuring out the motive of the killings and when it was all revealed in the epilogue, it all made sense and that was quite satisfying!

I was SO excited to listen to this ARC audiobook by BA Paris after loving The Therapist. This was a domestic drama about Iris and Gabriel, Parisienne couple Laure and Pierre and village newcomers Esme and Hugh.
Gabriel and Iris have been away for the weekend and return home to find someone in their home, sleeping in their bed and wearing Iris' clothes.

Their friend Laure has fled Paris and her husband of 20 years after finding out he's got a secret child. Laure massively outstays her welcome and seems to have no respect for boundaries...personal space or anything! Iris sought some breathing space at the welcoming Esme's home. This is a domestic drama...hint of thriller...maybe...about lies, deceit and relationships between friends and families.

It was a slow burn for me and the twists weren't as twisty as I'd have liked... but it was easy to listen to and kept me intrigued! I thought the epilogue was so good at pulling all the loose ends together... almost too much. I normally am left craving the answers to questions I had...I'm not sure how I feel about being told them!

Really fun slow burn mystery with lots of twists and turns. Perhaps a little slow to start but lots of intriguing threads that kept me listening

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Guest
BA Paris

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a real slow burn mystery that kept me guessing right to the end!

When Iris and Gabriel return home to find their friend, Laure, asleep in their bed - they know something is wrong.
After a tiff with her hubby sent her fleeing for support, we discover that there is much more to the story than it first seemed.

I usually love a quick and easy, gripping storyline that grabs your attention and races you towards a conclusion - but this book managed to grab me and have me hooked right from the start even without the super speed pace. I loved this for a change as it allowed me to get really stuck into the characters backgrounds and it felt as though I was enjoying and living the story instead of just rushing through it.

There were a number of characters and a number of different storylines which wove around each other throughout the book - adding to, explaining and filling in gaps for us as we read.

It was obvious that the storylines would start connecting but I had absolutely no idea how until very close to the reveal!
Looking back, I feel like I should have worked it out much earlier - especially as I'd had the suspicion of who from quite early on - but I just couldn't get my head round the why and was shocked when the answers came racing in during the epilogue.

The characters were all perfectly presented and I found that I could connect to most of them - all the while, not quite trusting any of them - this was all very cleverly written.

This is only my second read from this author (I also read (and loved!) The Prisoner) but I have so many on my 'want to read' list!
I must make time for more as this was another brilliant read and I can't wait to get reducing that tbr list!!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Loved this audiobook - had me hooked from the start.
Great narrator, tone just correct and fun accents.
Story kept me guessing - the epilogue was a massive shock - didn't see it coming, and made the book even better than it was!!
Good characters, great plotting and good twists.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC copy.

Fantastic read and made even better by the audiobook narrator, sometimes I struggle with accents but this one was perfectly suited to the story.

Initially it was a little hard to get into but even before midway I was hooked. The story begins with the unexpected arrival of Laure to Iris and Gabriels home after an altercation with her husband in Paris. Her short stay continues to extend and Iris becomes increasingly frustrated as Laure begins to settle in comfortably as a part of their lives. As the novel progresses we see Iris trying desperately to find a way to evict Laure from their lives.
The novel grows darker in the last third and before long we find twist after twist as we approach the novels end.

Thoroughly enjoyed this!

This was the first book I have read by the author and have seen loads of reviews on their books so was intrigued when this became available on netgalley. This book started off really strong and was fully invested in the main characters and after listening to this for a while i began to loose interest a bit as I wanted something major to happen and then the big reveal wasnt such a big reveal I found. Unfortunately I didnt love this book but I have seen alot of positive reviews for the author and hope to read another one of their books in the future to change my mind.
Thanks to Netgalley & Hodder & Staughton for sending me a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and B.A.Paris for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Another thrilling story from B.A Paris! The story is very well written, a definite rollercoaster ride, with plenty of twists and turns. Just when you think you know exactly what is going on - the narrative changes.

This story is different to others from B.A Paris - following a group of people in a who done it tale, apposed to a domestic violence story.

I was invested right from the start! Gripped the whole way through, and had me questioning many of the characters! A great read!

Thoroughly enjoyable every part of this story was incredibly well thought through and although there were some minor warning bells, I absolutely did not guess the ending.
The characters are slowly and comprehensively built up throughout the story which makes you feel like they are familiar old friends. I particularly grew an affinity and trust with the narrator and settled into a comfortable understanding of her and her point of view. I was surprised when the main part of the book seemed to come to an end with a sizeable chunk of the time remaining on my audiobook. I’m used to epilogues being a page or so of the story being reflected upon so thought, at first, that it was an error being so lengthy, how wrong I was! The epilogue in this case threw everything I thought I knew up in the air and on its head as the correct version of the truth was revealed piece by piece in front of my eyes with shock revelation after revelation. A very intrinsically clever story within a story and pleasantly shocking.
On a subnote I obtained this quite accidentally as an audiobook and I have never used audiobooks before and was sceptical about whether I’d take to them. Happy to report that overall this was a positive experience and the speed and prosody were agreeable. It was nice feeling I had personal guide and company, especially through the more shocking moments of the story and extra points for tackling the French accents successfully. A definite recommend and unmissable experience, thank you.

The Guest is yet another accomplished novel from BA Paris, who delivers a plethora of seemingly unrelated stories and weaves them into a tightly bound knot, which you must carefully unpick to discover how brilliant this book is.

It's got characters you really won't like, who do things you can't fathom, for reasons you wouldn't contemplate. It's genius, with a real sting in the tail which, unexpectedly, actually appeared late in the tale.

I loved this book. There is an amazing twist at the end which I absolutely loved. The book itself is well written and kept be enthralled.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

I'M SO CONFLICTED WITH WHAT STARS TO RATE THIS........2??? STARS??

okay, before things kick off let me explain myself. I started off the audio book intrigued. I got invested with the story quick, the narration was great and the story flowed. I got annoyed, suspicious, confused, detective mode you name it I was in! it did move quite slow to my liking and it felt like nothing happened for a long time but still I wanted to crack a damn thriller book!

The start and middle of the book I had it all planned out. I knew who did what and how to the story was going to go, you bet I did. But at chapter 65/66? which was the last one none of what I predicted came true....but that was the last chapter??? wtf is going on?

THEN AN HOUR LONG EPILOGUE BEGAN AND IT HIT ME LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! It did a complete 360 to what I had in mind and I didn't even suspect this is what happened....but that should make it a good book right?

you're right it should, but I couldn't help but feel like I was really disappointed in the reveal. It got me, I'll give it that but I was like .....really? and I'm shocked at myself to not being a huge fan of it.

The guest by B. A. paris.
Narrated by Emily Joyce.
DURATION 8 Hours, 16 Minutes.
Iris and Gabriel have just got home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their dearest friends, Laure, is in their house - sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture. She has walked out on her husband - and their good friend - Pierre over his confession of an affair. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive. But as Laure's mood becomes more unpredictable, her presence begins to unravel secrets in all their pasts - until things reach breaking point ...
I did enjoy listening to this audiobook. I loved the narrator. It was slow at times. I didnt like Laure at all. There was something about her. She was annoying and i really didn't like her. Twisty and gripping. I didn't see that coming. The epilogue was a jaw dropper. I certainly didn't see that coming. That was a surprise. I did have a theory but boy was I wrong. A twist within a twist. 4*.

A lovely, well paced anf fun, twisty turny mystery with characters that draw you in and motives that keep you guessing.

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook

It’s a while since I read a B A Paris book, but this book shows she still has the talent to write a good psychological thriller.

At first this book was hard to get a handle on, especially in audiobook form, as there were three different couples introduced in quick time and it took a while to get them all right in my head. Once I did I enjoyed the interplay between the characters and the element of suspense that was thrown in, following a potential marriage split up, and a French wife having left her husband landing herself on Gabriel and Iris. They themselves were having their own marriage difficulties, following the trauma Gabriel had gone through.

The surprises keep coming in this book, along with the possible theories as who was guilty of what. Overall I found it difficult to empathise with any of the characters, none of them seemed to be characters you truly cared for, but that didn’t stop the enjoyment of the book. I particularly like the epilogue to the book and the great reveal, with some shocks thrown in that others may have guessed but I didn’t.

Overall I’d give this book 4 stars as a good book, but not the best in its genre. I felt the audiobook narration did help with the story once I’d got the characters right, and I did enjoy the narrator. So overall I feel able to recommend this book to those that enjoy a good psychological thriller.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

B A Paris absolutely nailed the narrative of this book, I found myself engulfed in a real wild ride. From the very outset, the author skillfully captivates readers, creating an atmosphere of intrigue that kept me eagerly listening. The plot is a dynamic puzzle, challenging the reader to piece together fragments. Unlike some predictable narratives, this book defies expectations, keeping you engaged as the story unfolds.

What sets this book apart is its ability to maintain a perfect balance between familiarity and unpredictability. While certain stories may unravel with a predetermined path, offering a sense of comfort, this one veers into uncharted territory, leaving you in state of anticipation. Every twist and turn in the plot kept me on my toes, relishing the unpredictable nature of the storyline.

As the narrative progresses, the author weaves a web of suspense, drawing the reader into all of its uncertainty. It's the kind of book that orchestrates an intricate dance, always one step ahead of the audience until the climactic revelation. The final twist is a right show stopper - I would never have guessed it.

In conclusion, this book is another great read from BA Paris. Proper rollercoaster of emotions and a plot that leaves you reeling. If you enjoy a riveting read that challenges expectations and provides a truly wild ride, this book is an absolute must-read. I enjoyed every minute. The audio definitely brings this story to life.