Oh how I love B A Paris. However I will admit that this isn’t my favourite novel so far. To begin with I found it hard to keep track of who was who, meaning I had to keep returning to previous chapters to remind myself. It didn’t feel as neat as some previous books either, but nonetheless was an enjoyable read overall.

It was quite twisty (which is to be expected with Paris’ writing) and I have to admit I didn’t see the ending coming. The characters weren’t too engaging either which made it more difficult to get through BUT overall I did enjoy it, and I look forward to seeing what Paris does in her next book!

One of the most jaw dropping endings so far!
This one was so full of twists and turns you never knew what was coming next. The characters were well done and the plot moved along nicely. You knew through this whole book that something was not as it seemed but you can not be prepared for what is coming. This books keeps you really wondering who is lying and who is what they seem. A great fast paced read that will grab you from the start and keep you reading till the astonishing finale

B.A. Paris is either an absolute hit or miss for me!
I have to admid that I struggled to keep track of the numerous names and characters at the beginning. We have Iris and Gabriel, Laure and Pierre as well as Esme and Hugh.

Laure unexpectedly stays with Iris and Gabriel due to troubles in her marriage. What was meant to be a short visit extends indefinitely.

The story took quite some unexpected turns. And I would never have guessed the ending.
I am happy, that I kept up with the story!

Thank you #NetGalley #Hodder & Stoughton for this reading copy

Iris and Gabriel live in a village near London. Iris is an interior decorator and Gabriel is a doctor. He is on sick leave after coming across an accident where a young boy died. They return from a holiday to find their French friend Laure has come from Paris to stay following an argument with her husband Pierre. There is also a new couple in the village Esme and Hugh, with the handsome gardener Joseph. Their lives all become entwined while they are all trying to get answers from the elusive Pierre. It moves along briskly but the characters aren't particularly pleasant. The revelation at the end makes you question your reading of the story. Good beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Gabriel and his wife Iris have been having a tough time lately, and have been away in Scotland to try and reconnect. They choose not to stay the extra night that Irish booked, and instead head on home. But when they arrive home, there’s someone in their house. They’re relieved to find it’s their French friend, Laure, who has come over from France to get space from her husband Pierre. But she may become to overstay her welcome.

This was a perfectly, tense, creepy story, with a few twists that I did not see coming. Aside from the mysterious side of the plot, the author deals with issues such as depression, the distance that can develop in a marriage, secrets in a marriage, and, of course, friends who can’t take a hint when you need them to go. The plot develop3d really well, and was very well written. The characters were well written, but I naturally did not trust any of them. This author always delivers a nail biting, tense, domestic mystery, and this one is no different. An excellent read I’d recommend.

Good book, but difficult to get into and not very likeable characters. It took a while to get going and did have a few twists in it but slightly disappointed as usually consume BA Paris’ books so quickly. That being said worth a read

This book was so good! The Guest follows Iris and Gabriel who return home from holiday to find their old friend Laure staying in their house. They find out she's left her husband after he apparently cheated on her so they let her stay. She begins to really make herself at home - moving things around and wearing Iris' clothes and it starts to feel claustrophobic. Gabriel is struggling with his mental health after he found a young teenager after a horrible accident so we hear about that too. Over the novel the tension slowly creeps up until you feel like you can't breathe, and you certainly can't put the book down because you just have to know what is going on. I had no idea how this novel was going to end, there seemed to be so many loose ends and so many suspicious situations that I couldn't put it together. The end when it came shocked me and it's rare that a novel does that so I loved it. I recommend this one!

@currentlyreading__
Book 100 of 2023

Thank you to @NetGalley, the publishers and the author @baparisauthor for the advance copy of ‘The Guest’ ahead of publication in February.

I am so behind in my review of this but it has lingered in my mind and made for a very slow start to my reading in 2024. This was book 100 (woo hoo!) and was glad to have not only a BA Paris novel for my final one of the year, but my favourite genre.

Iris and Gabriel have had a rocky year and have just returned from a much-needed break. GP Gabriel has put pause on his job after the death of his father, dog and finding the body of local young man Charlie at the quarry. He has focused on his garden and finding some semblance of normality after a period of grief. But returning home with Iris, their friend Laure has made their house her home and not only moved things around to her liking, she’s dressing in Iris’s clothes.

Laure has separated from her husband Pierre and left him in Paris. There’s new enigmatic neighbours in the village to befriend and daughter Beth is mulling over her options before university. So, there’s a lot of guests and a lot of drama and with the usual ramping tension from the author, this is another great domestic thriller.

If you’ve read anything else by Paris, I’m sure you were captivated by the characters she constructs - menacing with hidden depths. There are secrets, lies, deception and let’s face it, all the ingredients for a cosy night of reading on these winter nights.

#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #instabook #reader #bookobsessed #bookstagramuk #readersofig #baparis #theguest #netgalley #domesticthriller

Gabriel and Iris return home from a much-needed holiday to find their friend Laure staying at the house. She is sleeping in their bed and even wearing Iris’ clothes. When they discover that Laure has separated from her husband Pierre after finding out that he fathered a child many years ago. The couple never wanted a child.
Iris and Gabriel are trying to support her, but they have problems of their own. Gabriel is trying to get over the incident when he found someone whilst riding his bike dead at the bottom of the local quarry. He has not since got over it and has taken leave from his job.
Thank you, the publisher, for a copy of B. A. Paris latest offering, The Guest. I have read many of the authors books. So, I was looking forward to reading this. I found this to be a slow burn and nothing really riveting happens in it. I just found it just full of narration and I struggled to connect to the story and characters. The only interesting thing, like other reviews have said, was the epilogue at the end. 3 stars from me.

Oh my word this author has done it again. I was totally hooked from start to finish and once I had started reading I couldn’t put it down.

This was an addictive psychological domestic thriller that takes the reader on a rollercoaster of a journey through lots of twists and turns and surprise revelations. It also covered a lot of sensitive issues such as alcoholism and grief and brings them to the forefront.

The storyline and characters were engaging and also makes you think who you can truly trust

Absolutely loved it!
The book revolves around Iris, her family and her friends, in particular a friend who lands at her doorstep and refuses to leave. It sounds very ordinary, but the story-telling is superb and the ending is so good that you never really see it coming. This book has plenty twists and turns to keep people gripped. The book is very well written I’m really glad I got the chance to read it. Definitely recommended and am now looking forward to the next B.A. Paris book
Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this ebook and giving me a chance to review it.

This is a brilliant, suspenseful read that had me hooked from the start. It is quite a slow burn but I always had the feeling that there was something dramatic to come and I was not disappointed. The characters are good, fairly likeable and very realistic which helped to make the events seem real. There were moments where I thought it was dragging a bit so it is maybe a little bit too long but overall I enjoyed it.
Then at the end, Paris throws in the twist that I really did not see coming and I was left reeling. It really is exciting and made complete sense.
What a fantastic read this is.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

This felt like a bit of a nothing story, right up until the epilogue, which in fairness was pretty good. It was one of those stories where the reader isn't really present while the action happens live, but instead has it reported to them later through conversation and inner monologues. This is a great way to hide secrets and plot twists but unfortunately it doesn't make for a pacy and exciting story along the way. I enjoyed the book but it didn't really wow me.

If I could give more than 5 stars for this book I would, I am still reeling from it

Iris and Gabriel return from their holiday in Scotland to find, Laure a friend of 20 years in their house. They are tired, and hot from the long journey and now they’re shocked by their House Guest, they are even more shocked to find Laure has left her husband Philippe following g his admission of an affair which resulted in a child. Gabriel is already suffering from having discovered the body of a young man he knew, and the boys dying message, and finding Laure taking over their home is not helping his recovery.

What follows is a tale of new friendships and relationships and of old ones strained to breaking point.

You think you’ve finished the book when B.A.Paris shows her true genius with a plot twist twist that left me dumbstruck and I’m still thinking about it 24hours later. An absolutely brilliant book of deception and betrayal

Very well written, with relatable characters and well-constructed dialogue resulting in a very disturbing — but also satisfying — storyline ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for a copy of “ The Guest “ for an honest review.

Another brilliant , suspenseful and totally unputdownable book by B A Paris.
I find her stories to be consistently well written and entertaining , and this book kept me guessing right to the unexpected ending.
I’ve already recommended this to work colleagues and I’m looking forward to her next release.

3.5 stars rounded up - a very very slow burner.

I’m a big fan of B A Paris and for me, this was good but not a patch on The Prisoner. A slow burner for the first half, the second half does make it all worth while as the pace certainly picks up and that final chapter - oof, I did not see that coming!

The story centres around Iris and Gabriel, a couple in their 40s whose friend, Laure, unexpectedly comes to stay with them for an unwelcome amount of time. Laure’s marriage is on the brink of collapse after discovering her husband Pierre has a child he didn’t know about. Meanwhile, Gabriel is battling his own demons after witnessing the death of a young man at the local quarry.

When a new couple, Esme and Hugh, move to the village with the mysterious and untrustworthy family friend, Joseph, secrets begin to come to light. Very slowly though. The first half is mainly Laure mulling over what to do about Pierre, being quite annoying, and Iris and Gabriel wishing she’d move on. I began to wish she would just move on.

Then halfway through - pow! - suddenly (finally!) the element of mystery and suspense appears - and along with it, my intrigue to know what is really going on with Pierre and what the deal with Joseph is. The characters may be largely unlikeable but they’re also very interesting and it becomes difficult to know who to trust.

Worth persevering with!

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

BA Paris is one of my savouries authors. Whilst nothing comes close to her first novel, in my opinion, this is still a good solid read. It’s well written and the twist at the end is something else!!

I enjoyed this although I found parts to be a bit slow moving and I guessed a minor middling twist however the final big reveal I never saw coming. Easy to follow and great character development