Such a good back - so many unexpected twists and turns that keep you on your feet! The author has a great writing style and had me on edge the whole book

Multiple POV’s and a private island? I was in.

This was good, it didn’t struggle with all the characters and I was hooked. I would say there could have been a little bit more suspense or something to amp up the thrills but a very good read.

If you love a private island you need this book.

I really struggled to get in to this book. I picked it up and put it down at least twice. Once I gained some momentum though, holy cow! I was completely enthralled and tore through it.

Definitely give this a chance and don't be surprised if it takes a minute to get into it.

THE GUESTS by Adriane Leigh is a contemporary, adult, stand alone psychological thriller that follows a group of friends and acquaintances in the aftermath of the reading of a will of Henry Lange.

Told from five first person perspectives THE GUESTS focuses on the fall-out of secrets, lies and greed. Decades earlier, four friends , including Henry Lange, pooled their money and bought Stonecliffe Island, a small island on Lake Michigan but the death of Henry Lange, the last surviving original investor sees the island ownership transferred to family members, friends and the embroiled island caretaker but all is not as it appears to be when two of their own go missing, and the finger of guilt is pointed to everyone in attendance. Kip Lange, his wife Kerrigan and Mika are the descendants of the original owners but six people arrive (Kip and Kerrigan, Kerrigan’s friend artist Ryleigh Halstrom and her best friend writer Daniel, Mika and her husband Stavros). Inevitably nine people are involved including caretaker Cole Mayer, Henry’s best friend Jon Caruso , and Jon’s daughter Lyra, and in the end, ownership of the island comes at a cost.

The characters are eclectic; their actions are questionable ; everyone is unlikeable, unredeemable and suspect. Cole Mayer, the island caretaker is caught in a downward spiral not of his making, when a violent storm becomes the catalyst and backdrop for murder placing Cole in the middle of something out of his control. Kip and Kerrigan’s marriage is imploding; Ryleigh and her friend Daniel’s relationship is faltering, then Kerrigan and Mika go missing.

Adriane Leigh pulls the reader into a dark, dramatic and thought-provoking story of who and why. From the outset, secrets and lies lead to infidelity ; jealousy and greed threaten any peaceful transition of ownership; murdered and missing heirs make for real crime fodder; and the breakdown of marriages, friendships and family all culminate in finger pointing, wrongful accusations, death and final karma.



THE READING CAFE: https://www.thereadingcafe.com/the-guests-a-psychological-thrillerby-adriane-leigh-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7003340258


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2101458178

Reading in Between the Wines book review #121/130 for 2024:
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Guests
Author: Adriane Leigh
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Wow, so many crazy people all on one island. There was so much going on that it felt like a nonstop rollercoaster. When I thought I knew what was going on, then the drop would come. The ending was bananas, and the entire book had me on edge.

Cheers and thank you to @Netgalley and @JoffeBooks for an advanced copy of @TheGuests.

#TheGuests #AdrianeLeigh #JoffeBooks #NetGalley #ARC #advancedreader #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

This was my type of thriller. The multiple POVs helped me form a connection with the characters as unlikeable or morally gray as they were. I loved second guessing everything because they were all such unreliable narrators. The twists and mystery were great and I couldn't figure out who done it at all. Great book.

The Guests by Adriane Leigh was an gripping psychological suspense thriller that had lots of twists and turns throughout which made it an excellent read. When six people are invited to a remote island called Stonecliff Island which is a remote island in Lake Michigan, This island maybe beautiful but is often without cell service.
They have all been invited here for a reading of a will.

Cole is the only "local" one there, he is the caretaker of the island. His only job is, to make sure everything runs smoothly, and this is his last chance, so he can't screw up. Cole knows most of the invitees, but not all.

The other thing he has to make sure happens and Not all of them will survive!!! WoW.............

Kerrigan has everything, She lives in a glamorous city apartment and is married to Kip. She is a housewife with the perfect life. Her life is everything she could ever dream of. But, her husband hates her. Their marriage is a sham!
Kerrigan has invited her new best friend Ryleigh who is a struggling artist, and still trying to catch her break in theatre, a once in a lifetime opportunity, which is a week on her family’s private island on Lake Michigan.

How can Ryleigh say No to this?! So Ryleigh does not want to be on her own she invites her dear friend Daniel as company.

When, Stavros and Mika met it was love at first sight and she has a large stake in the island. But was he just using her. and was it love at first sight?

WoW, each guest or couple have their own villa. There are staff on-call to help with every need, There is a masseuse, a chef to make dinner every night, waiters pouring endless champagne. It’s going to be perfect break for them all..............

Everyone is hiding secrets from each other and we all know what happens to them.....They start to bubble and come up to the surface!

There is a violent storm looming off the horizon and there’s no way off the island.................

Now, one of the guests disappears. They won’t be the last . . . . . . . . . Who will survive?

I highly recommend this book I loved it

Big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Joffe Books for my ARC.

Review on Goodreads and Amazon UK

6 guest. 1 week on a private island. 4 return. Or do they?

I did not like this book. Maybe I am unversed in thrillers but I found this confusing the time jumps are unnecessary and the multiple POVs are clunky and not helpful. I really wanted to like this book but I felt like at every turn the author was trying to get the reader but none of the character's POVs line up with the plot and the storyline. In the first 70 pages, nothing happens and then there are several time skips and then actual murder. I didn't feel like I was able to get a clear view of who any of the characters were besides what the author spelled out. I haven't read a lot of thrillers but as a whole, this doesn't seem like the book was finished. The setting was fun and the author's descriptors were clear. I wouldn't recommend this.

Six people are invited to a remote island for a will reading but will all six leave ?

Secrets are revealed and lies unravelled as resentments and past loves are revealed, affairs discovered and an announcement at the reading puzzles all

Not as enjoyable as I thought but still a very good read

This book invites readers to escape to a secluded island on Lake Michigan, where six guests—each harboring their own secrets—arrive for what promises to be a luxurious, private retreat. The setting is ripe for a psychological thriller: an isolated island, extravagant amenities, and a brewing storm that traps everyone with no way off. As the storm intensifies, the tension builds, and one by one, the guests' hidden truths begin to surface. But when one of them vanishes, the situation spirals into a series of mysterious and potentially deadly events.

On paper, the premise has all the makings of an intriguing psychological thriller. The combination of isolation, suspense, and interpersonal drama sets the stage for an edge-of-your-seat experience. Unfortunately, the story falls short of its potential. The pacing feels sluggish from the outset, and despite the atmospheric tension created by the storm and the isolation, the story never quite achieves the mounting sense of urgency or dread that one would expect in this genre. Rather than feeling increasingly trapped with the characters, I found myself waiting for the plot to pick up the pace.

While each character has their own hidden flaws and agendas, none of them are fleshed out enough to be particularly engaging or relatable. The lack of a truly compelling or sympathetic character made it difficult to invest emotionally in the story. Without someone to root for or empathize with, the suspense, which should have been the driving force of the book, falls flat. Instead of feeling the stakes rise, the narrative simply felt mechanical and distant.

As the plot advances, the twists become increasingly convoluted—more complicated than clever—and the layers of mystery seem to multiply in ways that only serve to muddy the central storyline. What should have been a series of shocking revelations ends up feeling like unnecessary complexity, detracting from the suspense rather than enhancing it. By the time the final twist arrives, the resolution feels anticlimactic and unsatisfying, leaving several key questions unanswered and offering little in the way of closure.

In the end, while the book’s premise is undeniably promising, it fails to deliver the thrills and tension that are expected of a suspenseful, character-driven thriller. The lack of emotional depth, combined with an overcomplicated plot and a deflating conclusion, ultimately left me disappointed.

The Guests by Adriane Leigh is an Intriguing, Mysterious and addictive story. You get sucked in from the first page with twists and turns. It engages the readers and you keep on turning the pages.

I would highly Recommend this book to all readers who love to read psychological thrillers and mystery. A Must read.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Joffe Books via NetGalley.

This book invites readers to a remote island getaway on Lake Michigan, where six guests, each with their own secrets and lies, are promised a luxurious, secluded retreat. The setup is perfect for a suspenseful thriller: an isolated island, lavish amenities, and a looming storm that traps everyone with no way out. But as the weather worsens, the guests’ secrets start to surface—and then, one of them disappears, setting off a chain of mysterious and deadly events.

The premise holds so much potential, with all the classic ingredients for a psychological thriller, but the story never quite delivers on its promise. The pacing felt slow from the start, and despite the storm and ominous isolation, the tension didn’t build in the way I had hoped. Each character has their own hidden flaws and agendas, but none of them came across as particularly compelling or relatable. Without a character to root for or care about, it was hard to feel any real suspense as the mystery unfolded.

As the plot progresses, the twists felt more convoluted than clever, adding layers of complexity that seemed to detract from the main story rather than heighten the suspense. Even the ending, which should have offered a thrilling conclusion, felt somewhat anticlimactic and left several questions unanswered.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my cope of this book.

6 very different people are invited to a paradise island to hear a will being read. Kip and Kerrigan are having marriage difficulties and argue all the time. Stavros and Mika were love at first sight but was he just using her. Ryleigh and Daniel are just the poor friends along for the ride. There’s also Cole and Lyra locals. When one of the group goes missing events spiral out of control.

This was so good. Well written characters. Spoilt, rich and selfish. Complicated relationships. Twists galore. I think most of what I thought I knew was a lie. And I’m not sure I have fully processed all of the twists and turns in my head. This was exciting and definitely worth a read!

From the book description: <i> Six guests are invited to paradise. Not all of them will survive.
Ryleigh is a struggling artist, still trying to catch her break in theater. Her new best friend offers her a once in a lifetime opportunity — a week on her family’s private island on Lake Michigan. She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t know these people at all. Kerrigan is the housewife with the perfect life. She has a loving husband and a glamorous city apartment. Her life is everything she could ever dream of. Her husband hates her. Their marriage is a sham. Cole is the only local on Stonecliffe Island. He’s there to make sure the guests have everything they want. He has to focus on creating the perfect experience. He can’t afford any distractions after last summer. This is his final chance.

Each guest has their own villa. There are staff on-call to help with every need — a masseuse, a chef to make dinner every night, waiters pouring endless champagne. It’s going to be perfect.But a violent storm looms on the horizon. There’s no way off the island. Then, one of the guests disappears. And they won’t be the last . . .</i>

So as you can see from the book description this book is about a group of friends. And there’s a lot of them to keep track of, and most of them get chapters from their POVs, which means that you have to be paying attention to keep things straight in this one.

As the story begins to unfold, I was really into it. Things came fast and furious, and I Leroy thinking I had a handle on where things were going, but then there would be a twist and something would throw a huge wrench in things. That was pretty exciting. There were times I had to resist skipping to the end and checking to see how it ended!

But after a while, there were so many twists, I felt like I was getting whiplash. Things were changing so fast, I could barely keep up. I’m still not entirely sure I got every detail in the ending, because there were little revelations up to the last page. It was A LOT.

Also, none of the characters were really worth rooting for. Well, maybe one, I guess, but I won’t say too much more, because as I said, there’s so many spoilers I don’t want to influence any opinions. But overall, you can really make a case that everyone is kind of obnoxious, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a story like this, but for some reason with all the back and forth, I felt like I wanted someone to root for to come out on top, if that makes sense. But as they all piled on top of each other and pointed fingers, I just watched and didn’t feel that bad for anyone.

So, this book is indeed filled with suspense galore, but it’s also a bit of a bumpy ride!

Compelling..
Six guests, six villas, a luxury private island with every whim and want accounted for. Sounds perfect? Think again. With an impending storm on the horizon the island is soon cut off.. and then the guests begin to disappear. A compelling suspense with a cast of nicely crafted characters, an atmospheric backdrop and a plot populated with twists aplenty and an underlying undercurrent of simmering tension.

Gripping mystery. I just couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what happened. There are so many unimaginable lies,secrets and twists to the story and the real culprit is not revealed until theend. Everyone is unreliable. All friends are hiding some twisted mindsets. Told from multiple points of view makes it more sinister. I was so suspicious of Ryleigh and Kerrigan,
both from the start. It's gripping read with lots of turns. A highly recommended thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

The book had me intrigued and it lived up to its expectations. I enjoyed the trill it gave me with lots of twist and turns. I liked most of the characters, some not so much. This author kept my attention all the way through.

This book was a gripping fast paced read that will hook thriller fans from get go.
The plot is great, full of mystery and intrigue. The suspense doesn't let up and the twists are guaranteed leave your jaw dropping on the floor in shock.

Adriane Leigh never disappoints if you’re looking for shocking/jaw dropping. Her storylines are twisty and full of interesting characters with a lot of depth (they may not always be likeable, but you still want to follow them along to the end of their story). Another hit!

This was packed with action and thrills! I turned page after page wanting to see what was going to happen next and who was the next "victim"! Great read!!