This is an authors who's books I always look forward too and although this one was a bit slower paced than previous books I still really enjoyed it and look forward to the next one

The Guest by B.A. Paris

I was so glued to this story about a group of friends and the entanglements between them that I read it in one sitting. The action focuses on two couples: Iris and Gabriel who live in a village with their daughter Beth who is currently enjoying a gap year at a dog rescue centre in Greece. Their friends are Laure and Pierre, who reside in Paris. The couples met on holiday, while Laure and Pierre were on honeymoon and Gabriel and Iris had only been married a year. They became firm friends, seeing each other every year and Laure even became their daughter Beth’s godmother. However, this visit is different. Laure has turned up alone, saying Pierre has confessed to having a daughter with a woman he spent the night with at the start of their marriage. Laure needs space to think and so does Pierre, could she stay with them for a short time? Of course the answer is yes, but it’s not an easy time. Gabriel is taking a long period of leave from his job as a GP, because he has struggled mentally after finding a teenage boy who fell into the nearby quarry. He did all he could for Charlie, but sadly he died before the ambulance arrived. Those last moments with the dying boy have weighed heavy on Gabriel, especially his final words. He has decided to use his time off restoring the walled garden that has grown wild over the years. Friends from their village, Esme and Hugh, offer their gardener and handyman Joseph to give Gabriel a hand with the more back breaking jobs. As these people collide over the summer, guests will outstay their welcome, relationships become strained, and huge secrets are on the verge of being disclosed as obsession and jealousy boil over.

Our story is mainly told by Iris, who throws herself into looking after their new guest in a lull she has between interior design jobs (although she calls herself an ‘enhancer’). Laure is petite and chic, sometimes making Iris feel ungainly by comparison. The irritations are small at first - for some reason Laure hasn’t brought many clothes with her, but when she borrows from Iris’s wardrobe she always seems to pick the very thing Iris was planning to wear and it looks better on their guest. Then after a couple of weeks Laure rearranges their kitchen, meaning everyone is opening the wrong drawers and cupboards and any job takes twice as long. Iris asks her to put it back, but Laure meant no offence, she just thought it made more sense the new way. There are no signs of her seeing Pierre either. In fact no sign of him at all. Gabriel had extended an offer of help, could he perhaps go over to Paris and give him a listening ear? There’s no reply. It’s uncharacteristic of him. When Laure finally goes to Paris for talks, she’s back by evening of the same day saying that he didn’t turn up at the flat. As the summer moves along, the constant presence of another person starts to chafe at Iris’s goodwill. There are only so many times she can listen to the same story, or pull apart their relationship in every detail. Gabriel is also struggling but at least he has his garden escape, but he’s under pressure to speak to the mother of Charlie. He had passed Charlie’s last words to paramedics at the scene, but actually meeting his mother would be difficult. In some ways it might bring closure, but unfortunately Gabriel has kept something to himself. To save his mother more grief he told them Charlie sent his love to her, but that isn’t what Charlie said at all.

The author has a brilliant way of creating our interest in these characters, even though I wasn’t particularly rooting for any one of them - although I did have enormous sympathy for Iris because Laure felt like an emotional vampire and I’m rubbish with houseguests too. However, I was addicted to finding out what would happen to them next. Which of the various secrets they were keeping from each other would actually be exposed? Joseph is very intriguing and seemingly very tempting for the women who meet him. He feels like a drifter, living in Hugo and Esme’s converted outhouse and picking up gardening jobs here and there. He’s rootless and very tight lipped about his life before arriving in the village, could he have something to hide? Iris certainly thinks so and wonders if there is a secret liaison going on, perhaps with Esme or even Laure as the summer lingers on with no sign of Pierre. As the tension grows and unease develops, you won’t want to stop reading. Even as events implode this small group of friends and you think you have all the answers, you don’t. This is a brilliant thriller, really cementing the author as a definite ‘must buy’ for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eCopy to review

The Guest is a super addictive thriller, I read it in a day. Iris and Gabriel had me completely hooked, the slow erosion of their relationship by the secrets they are keeping from each other. The tension is ramped up by having an old friend Laure stay with them after she finds out that her husband Pierre has a child with someone else.

As the secrets unravel the body count starts to mount, I really did not see the ending coming at all, I was completely taken in by all the lies.

I don't want to say too much as that would ruin the surprise. This is a fast paced thriller with fantastic characters

Yet another gripping psychological domestic thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. Read cover to cover in just one day, B. A. Paris's masterful storytelling solidifies her as a must-read author on my list.

Iris and Gabriel return from their holiday only to discover an unexpected visitor in their home: their old friend, Laure. Shock quickly replaces their initial fear as Laure reveals she's left her husband after a shocking confession.

The two want to be supportive, but Laure doesn’t make it easy. They found her sleeping in their bed initially, she’s wearing Iris’s clothes, rearranging cupboards and furniture to how she prefers it!! Ummm, just how long is she planning to stay?! And what is really going on?

I love thrillers featuring disruptive houseguests, and this one delivers! The characters are well developed, particularly Laure, who evokes a rollercoaster of emotions - empathy, frustration, and even rage. Iris and Gabriel's goodwill is tested to its limits as they navigate Laure's unpredictable moods and actions.

As the plot thickens with the introduction of new characters and intertwined storylines, the web of deceit becomes ever more intricate. I found myself engrossed in unraveling the mysteries, questioning the significance of each character's role and whether they were merely distractions or integral to the main story.

It was well plotted, with a great twist I did not see coming. I made several guesses along the way, but was still blindsided.

A huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton, the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the Guest by B A Paris, I couldn’t put it down all the twist and turns, normally I can guess who did it but not with this book, I was gripped till the very end. I enjoyed the characters and learning about there history, I felt almost like I was there as I was reading the book. Thank you NetGalley for this sneak peak

I loved this book!! I’ve read all B A Paris’ books and eagerly anticipated this one and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Characters I could really feel like I got to know, and some great twists and turns! I’d thoroughly recommend!

I absolutely loved The Guest by B.A. Paris. I loved all the characters, to begin with anyway, and enjoyed all the twists and turns. I liked how the seemingly unconnected subplots all wove together in the end resulting in an ending I had no way of predicting. I would highly recommend The Guest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

Iris and Gabriel have been having some issues and are just returning from a short break away when they discover their friend Laure sleeping in their bed, this isn't unusual as they often use each others houses when they're away, but Laure's husband Pierre isn't with her, she's left him after discovering something from his past. Iris and Gabriel are happy for her to stay for a short while but she shows no signs of wanting to sort things out and starts acting quite strangely, but nobody is prepared for the events that follow...

This is the latest domestic thriller by Paris and her best, in my opinion, since reading Behind Closed Doors. It's a fast paced, roller coaster read with short chapters and a complex plot which is laden with secrets and kept me second guessing throughout, but nothing could have ever prepared me for THAT ending! For those people that say they don't read the epilogue of a story (no, I've never understood that either!) believe me you need to with this one because that's where everything slots into place! A great read which I highly recommend.

I'd like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book. Fast paced and a really intriguing mystery. I was guessing right up until the final pages. Highly recommend.

I have always been a fan of B.A. Paris books and this one did not disappoint! I actually hadn’t read a book for quite a while so I expected it to take me some time to get back into reading but this book just made me want to keep reading! A real page turner! The ending I felt like it kept me guessing what the twist was going to be and I loved how it wasn’t predictable.

Iris and Gabriel arrive home from their holiday to find their friend has been living in their home. Laure tells them her and Pierre have taken a break from their marriage and she had no where else to go. As time goes by there is no sign of Laure going back to Paris and her behaviour starts to take is toil on Iris and Gabriel. They want to be supportive but they have their own personal problems to deal with.

This was quite a slow burner for me at the start but more due to not having the time to read. Once I got some time to delve into the book, I was page turning a lot faster.

The plot felt quite unique and the build up of the characters was brilliantly written, you learn not only about their present situations but the relevant past ones which explain why they are in the position they are now. I found the characters quite chaotic but considering what was going on it fitted well. Iris at times was to nice to Laure whilst Laure was quite an eccentric person and often too in your face. The mystery around the new family and their gardener was quite intriguing but I did I really like Esme who Iris befriended.

The way it was written was by feeding you the information you needed whilst throwing in some great unforeseen twist and turns was just exceptional. The ending for me was just *chefs kiss my mouth hung open as I read it.

A must read for all those thriller lovers out there. The Guest is to be published on 20 February 2024, go check it out!

Laure is the houseguest from hell, but is it really her that should be feared?

Solid thriller. Read it in a couple of days. At the start it was hard to get your head round so many characters, I feel they should have been introduced a bit slower. Aside from that I had a great time.

That ending? No way was that guessable, I absolutely love it!

We begin with Iris and Gabriel returning home from holiday to find an unexpected guest. Laure has used the spare key she has, has let herself in, and made herself at home. She wasn't expecting them home for another night but Gabriel didn't really fancy the stopover they had planned to break up the drive home, he has other things on his mind. You see, he was the one who found a young man almost dead in the nearby quarry and stayed with him until he passed, the only witness to his final words.
Anyway, back to Laure... she has rocked up as her husband Pierre has admitted that he found out recently that he has a child by another woman and, not being able to handle it - as they are a childless couple, her being the one that wanted them - ran away.
And so begins a rather strange tale, full of weirdness and, well, bonkers behaviour. Especially when a new couple moves in, bringing their strange gardener with them. And then there's a death, a murder. And the ante is most definitely upped.
I have a bit of a hit and miss relationship with this author. Mostly hits... but I think this one lies towards the miss, although I never thought it too much to ever even contemplate ditching it, my eyes did get a rather good workout with the amount of rolling they did!
It's all a bit, well, incredible at times. Iris and Gabriel were a bit on the wet blanket side initially, and that did annoy me and, as for Laure, well. To be honest, Pierre was better off without her!
And then we have Gabriel who has blatantly lied about a kid's last words to his mother... throwing him into mental turmoil but I'll leave you to follow that thread yourself.
Throw in Esme and much older husband Hugh, with their gardener Joseph and you complete the eclectic cast. This trio brings a whole new layer of weird to the overall story.
As I said, this one was a bit too much for me. All the threads do come together satisfactorily at the end but the destination was totally worth the journey(s) getting there. Probably didn't help that I don't really have anything positive to say about any of the characters so I wasn't really of a mind to care much about them. But, all that said, it did mostly hold my attention and I did get through it without much hassle, eye rolling aside. Obviously with the author's back catalogue to compare with, maybe my expectations were too high going in. Or maybe it just wasn't for me.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

When Gabriel and Iris return from a holiday they find Iris’ best friend has left her husband and is in their home. They expect that things can be resolved but Laure seems to be planning to stay indefinitely. There’s lots of tension wondering what has happened and what is going to happen to the extent I needed to race through this book.
The characters are interesting and the ending unexpected.

I found this book very easy to read, with short pacy chapters and I finished it in just over a day.

The story is narrated by Iris who returns home after a weekend away with her husband Gabriel to find her friend Laure living in her house.
Laure has moved from Paris to the UK after her husband Pierre confessed to having a daughter with someone else. Laure is happy to wear Iris' clothes, rearrange her cupboards and sleep in her bed.
Why is Pierre refusing to answer his phone? What secrets are these four friends hiding and who is telling the truth?

This is definitely a slow burn psychological thriller but I enjoyed the slow build up of tension and found the characters interesting. It was hard to predict what was going to happen or where the book was going but I found it intriguing. I loved the twist in the extended epilogue at the end which was a complete surprise!

Having read most of BA Paris's books I was keen on getting started on this. It didn't disappoint and was written to her usual excellent standard. Based on a friendship between two couples it was full of twists and a surprise ending.

BA Paris is one of my favourite authors, so I was excited to get started on this latest book.

The story started with a prologue and then goes back to the beginning. Personally I’m not a fan of reading out of order, and this part didn’t really wet my appetite for the rest of the story.

The first half of the story was quite slow, and I started to wonder whether I was going to enjoy this book. Having never been disappointed by this author before, I carried on, and the pace and excitement definitely came into fruition.

As the end approached I thought the plot had played itself out, and then the twist took off, which I hadn’t seen coming at all.

Overall this was a great read, but perhaps not my favourite book by BA Paris.

After reading the first chapter with the character overload, I did wonder whether to carry on with the book as it sounded like it would be confusing - but I'm glad I persevered and got to know the characters and actually found the book enjoyable. Maybe the chapter with the NOW in at the beginning was not necessary.

I did enjoy the book and I did not guess the ending, and with some good twists and turns kept me reading as I could not put down as had to finish the book to find out what happened.

I have read a book from this author before (behind closed doors) and loved it, so would definitely read more in future.

I've really enjoyed B.A Paris books in the past, but the latest ones have been a little 'off'- and not been as engrossing as the earlier thrillers.
I struggled with this book because of the amount of characters. I usually struggle when books have loads of characters especially if there is no differentiation between them. I struggled to get to know the characters in this book, making me less engrossed in the overall plot and the mystery of it all.
I just couldn't get into this one.
Left super disappointed!
C'mon B.A Paris - gimme another page turner!!

It is hard to believe that it is a mere eight years since B.A. Paris published her first novel ‘Behind Closed Doors’. Since then, she has become one of my favourite writers, and a novelist who can be relied upon to fictionalise urgent societal issues in page-turning fashion. The issues in this paper include mental health issues, marital discord and materialism, and in usual authorly fashion, these are very sensitively threaded into a plot that shows a happily married couple’s descent into familial chaos.
The protagonists here are Gabriel and Iris, who find they have to put up with a demanding houseguest who will not leave in the form of Iris’s friend Lauren, who becomes increasingly demanding and usurps Iris. Additionally, Gabriel is traumatised by his encounter with a badly injured young man, whom he supported and who lets him into a terrible secret before his death. On the sidelines, but also slowly manoeuvring themselves into Iris’s and Gabriel’s domestic life, are various neighbours with agendas of their own. How will it all end? A thriller that tests your stamina, I warmly recommend this and would like to thank both NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC provided in return for my honest views expressed here.