3.5⭐️

Next up is another upcoming February release, ‘The Guest’ by B A Paris.

Iris and Gabriel return from holiday to find their dear friend Laure, living in their house, sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ clothes and even rearranging furniture. Laure has walked out on her husband Pierre - who is also the couple’s close friend - over a confession of a child he never knew about. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive but their uninvited house guest is soon outstaying her welcome. With their own problems to sort, the unpredictability of the situation builds and builds until things reach breaking point…

After having read a few of this authors previous books I was excited to read this new release as I really enjoy their writing style. This is a slightly slower pace than some of her other books, the setting of the scene and the background story taking up a good chunk of the first three quarters of the book before a rapid run through at the end to reveal the twist. I enjoyed the short, sharp chapters which drip feed you the information in clever, effective bursts throughout, building up to the big reveal.

It’s hard to say much more without spoilers to be honest, whilst a slower-pace read to what I usually like, I was still kept enthralled enough to keep the pages turning and, it must be said, the final quarter provides enough action for the whole book! It goes off in varying different directions so the conclusion is very unexpected, my only criticism is that it was maybe a little rushed to fit in the end but, in saying that, the slow burn build up does play very nicely to that final twist reveal.

I feel so sorry for B A Paris when I pick up one of her books as I always compare it to one of my all time favourite culler, her debut, Behind Closed Doors, which I have recently realised, will be so hard to beat
Her latest novel is a real popcorn thriller book and I read it over the day whilst on the sofa hungover
B A Paris delivers a novel packed full of deceit and lies and characters who don’t really understand each other. Whilst the book was slightly unbelievably in places, it did exactly what it needed to. The book kept me engaged, focused and excited to read
I loved the Epilogue and it was that chapter that made this book for me. I had a suspicion, but I thought no surely not. Should have gone with my gut feeling. Thanks to the author for another great domestic thriller

What does she want from you? Why won’t she leave?


Iris and Gabriel open their home to best friend Laure when she decides to separate from her partner for a while. She soon outstays her welcome and makes things tricky in their friendship group. Gabriel is dealing with his own issues and when a new couple arrive in town things get even more complicated.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in less than 24 hours. I liked how everything came together but I’m not too sure the Charlie story was needed. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and good luck to the author on its release.

Publication Date - 20/02/2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheGuest
#BAParis

This is the fourth book I have read from B.A. Paris and I was so excited when I got the ARC of her latest book, The Guest!

Iris and Gabriel are living in the countryside in Britain when their friend Laure unexpectedly comes and stays with them. Laure tells Iris that Pierre her husband has cheated on her and that he is fathering a child, a daughter. Laure stays with Iris and Gabriel till she resolves her issue with Pierre. Meanwhile, Gabriel is dealing with his own demons when a young boy named Charlie Ingram dies in front of Gabriel and he was wondering if he should talk with Charlie's mother or not about the day Charlie died. And Joseph, a gardener comes to work at Iris and Gabriel's garden. Gabriel tried to contact Pierre but Pierre wasn't answering the phone and receives the news that Pierre was found murdered in his workplace.

This was a fast paced thriller. There were some twists and turns and the story is mainly told in Iris and Gabriel' POVs. Initially, I wasn't sure if there was a connection between Charlie Ingram and Laure although the connection and everything was explained later on in the book. There were some repetitions in the book which made me give a lower rating for the book. The epilogue and the twist at the end was the unexpected of all in the whole book. The book is mainly about the family drama and dynamics. I actually couldn't put the book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. Overall, this is a good thriller and so this book worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

B A Paris absolutely nails the domestic drama filled with psychological suspense. The Guest is no exception and this is a title I whipped through with a final twist that left me totally blindsided. This really is a cracker.

It’s clever to take an ordinary situation and turn it into something extraordinary. I felt as if I’d dropped into a nightmare world. Iris and Gabriel return from holiday to find that their good friend Laure has moved in. Not only moved in, but taken over. Genius idea…it had me wondering how I’d react. Laure is having problems but as you might expect with a Paris take, all is not as it seems. Layer by layer secrets are revealed and Iris and Gabriel’s world starts to fracture.

This has everything I want from a domestic noir. Strong characters, great dialogue, a situation that I can buy into. Absolutely loved this. Perfect pacing, twists and turns and as I mentioned a really strong final turn. A huge recommendation from me if you want some well written escapist fiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Guest, the latest psychological suspense/domestic thriller from BA Paris. The story is told from two view points - Iris and Gabriel - a married couple who take in their friend, Laure, when her relationship with her boyfriend Pierre breaks down. Soon, their 'guest' has outstayed her welcome. But due to a number of unforeseen events and tragedies. the situation escalates, until Iris and Gabriel are embroiled in a nightmare. Page by page, I was drawn into the lives of Iris, Gabriel, Laure, and their neighbours Esme and Hugh, and the enigmatic and mysterious gardener, Joseph. A brilliant read!

I loved this book, it was so hard to put down and adult instead! It constantly keeps you guessing, the intricate web of lies and twists Paris has woven are just brilliant. Another great book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book and this author she is on auto buy so i was thrilled to get a copy to read before publication day.
I did not see that ending coming and was surprised.
Looking forward to the next book by this author.

I'm a massive fan of this author, so was incredibly keen to lose myself in their latest novel. And from the prologue I was certainly intrigued.

I needed to know just who these characters were, and just why did it sound like someone had just been blown up!

And this is certainly a twisted sort of a story, where you are never completely sure what the truth is, but I was certainly invested in finding out what would happen next at all points.

All I did know was that Laure wasn't just getting on Iris and Gabriel's nerves after a while, but mine too. But i could never have guessed how some of the sub plots were going to interconnect.

It was brilliant, and certainly had me guessing until the last pages, where I was open mouthed. It's another great book from this talented author and it definitely hooked me in.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

B A Paris was one of the first authors that introduced me to psychological thrillers, and when I saw The Guest I knew I had to read it!

Husband and wife Gabrielle & Iris return from holiday to find someone in their house, when they realise it’s their good friend and that she has come to retreat after finding out her husband has had a child with another woman. Of course they open up their home to her, that’s what friends do. Then secrets start to unravel and things aren’t quite all as it seems.

Loving the ending to this book, highly recommend.

Another brilliant book from B.A.Paris.
I started off a bit confused when all the different characters were introduced as it was a bit of information overload, but as more detail is given around each character, it became clearer.
Iris and Gabriel are central to the story and with both of them not coping with the sudden arrival of their friend, Laure, things are tense amongst them.
They meet some new neighbours and soon form a close bond with them but their gardener raises questions with them both.
I can’t say too much more but there are murders, secrets and lies involved throughout this story and I loved every minute!
I highly recommend this book if you like a gripping thriller.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a great read, a complex web woven in between the pages.
There is so much going on in this book you'd be forgiven for thinking it's confusing, but it really isn't. It's a fast paced novel with the right amount of suspense and drama. And with short chapters you really want to continue reading. I've read many a psychological thriller that it's not often now that I am blindsided by the ending. This book gave me that. My favourite B.A Paris book to date.
I received this advanced copy from Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton with no obligation to leave a review

This was an odd one for me. The book began ok with nice short sharp chapters which kept me turning the pages. As I read on though, I realised not much had happened. There were a few incidents in the story but I didn’t dwell on them too much and carried on. Still, I read on, more incidents were happening and still it all didn’t click. The story was quite slow, but still a little interesting and sometimes I thought the characters were a bit stupid in some of their actions.

By the time I had finished though, I just sat and thought for a while wondering “why hadn’t I seen see all that?” The book was written so well that I was totally blindsided all the way through. Amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first ever B.A. Paris book and I am hooked, I will definitely be exploring the back catalogue.

The story of this book had me gripped from the first chapter, it's many twists and turns kept me compelled to keep reading, long after I should have turned out my bedside light. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, with well-rounded characters, written from multiple points of view.

Wow so I went through the whole book thinking one thing and then the ending turned my whole idea on its head which doesn’t happen that often these days with books. This is a great thriller of a read about how far people will go to keep those they love safe.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I've enjoyed the authors earlier books but found this one to slow paced for me.it just didn't make me rush to read it.Saying that the ending finished very strongly and left me wishing the rest of the book had been as good,.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC

3 stars really. There are a lot of characters, some of them annoying. Although a bit confusing at first, the book was easy to read with lots of short chapters. Another annoying thing for me were some of the names – Iris, Gabriel, Esme. I'm clocking on and I've never met anybody with those names. Despite these drawbacks, I enjoyed the story.

I gave the extra star for the ending – a twist I did not see coming that made the book worth reading.

Loved it! It's no surprise as I have loved everything that I have read by B A Paris. None have quite lived up to Behind Closed Doors, but they all make great reading, and this one is no exception.
Great characters (most of whom don't seem to need to do much paid work, yet can pay for designers, gardeners etc!) Plenty of suspense, and some twists too.

I absolutely adored this book. I was completely drawn into the story and I couldn’t put it down. I think the characters are so well developed and the world building is intoxicating. When you start this book you are hooked and you can’t not read on. It isn’t a twisty thriller and feels more like a domestic suspense which isn’t normally my genre because I love the twists and turns. But the author has created such believable and compelling characters that I loved it.

I always look forward to reading this authors books - there is always plenty going on, and lots of little twists that I am sure most people won't see coming at all.
This book was great. It was very easy to read, and I read it quickly despite it not being one of those 'i couldn't put it down' type books. It kicked up a notch about half way through, but in my opinion it was slow and steady throughout - but I still enjoyed it, so this is not a negative.
I usually get a bit confused.witjmulyiple characters, but with this one I didn't feel myself getting confused at all.