It's rare that I think that a story would come across better as a film/tv show than a book but this is one of those rare instances. The story's focus is upon Kay, her grand-daughter Stephanie and a homeless family - 16 year old Rosie, 18/19 year old Ash and weeks old George. The tension between Ash and Stephanie in particular is well-described and I think visually could be quite menacing. It is made obvious throughout that Rosie, Kay and Stephanie have something to hide (Ash's own perspective is not made clear - he is described by others only). At the end there is a bit of a twist, - although Kay's actual secret was fairly easily guessed the way that things play out at the end was the twist. I can't say that initially I particularly liked it or the characters but I got into it as I read and from about 65% was keen to keep reading to find out what happened. So for me a solid 4. With thanks to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

Reading the little summary you get on NetGalley, I really thought I was getting a whole different book, thought this was going to be all about Kay and her possibly difficult Granddaughter and their screwed-up path back to each other... What I got was ... something else. Holy Cow I'm not even sure how to digest this book and everything that happened at the end tbh. It was all so much I haven't quite figured out if I even liked it or not yet.. There is so much going on with all the characters, all the bickering back and forth, the "accidents" that you end up just focusing on Stephanie & Ash most of the story, seems "poor" Kay, Rosie, and little George just kind of fall to the back burner, you almost end up feeling sorry for them.. Almost..

I'll tell you one thing I know for sure of this story. Max deserved way more words in this book than he got. He probably would have ended up being my favorite character, had I read more about him!

Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for the ARC

Review:

The story revolves around Kay, her granddaughter Stephanie, and a young couple, Rosie and Ash, who are on the run with their newborn, George. After losing her mother, Amanda, to an overdose, Stephanie moves in with her grandmother. As they try to navigate their new reality, Kay finds Rosie and Ash living in a tent with nowhere to go during a storm. Out of kindness, she brings them home to stay for a few days.

Kay, Stephanie, and Rosie are all dealing with the loss of their loved ones, while Ash remains fiercely protective of his family. However, Stephanie suspects that Rosie and Ash are hiding something important and worries they might be taking advantage of Kay's hospitality. Ash and Rosie seem willing to do anything to extend their stay at Kay's house. Each of them hides secrets they wish to keep buried, fearing the worst if the truth comes out. None of them wants the police involved—but what exactly are they hiding?

The book is an easy, fast-paced read that quickly draws you into the plot. However, I found the tension and suspense lacking for a thriller. Though, the last chapters were a pleasant surprise, unfolding in an unexpected way. The narration remains completely unreliable until the very end. I've never read a thriller that involves old-age people. Loved Kay's character overall. I highly recommend this one if anyone's looking for an easy, fast paced book and with an interesting plot.

The Perfect Guest by Casey Kelleher is a slow burn psychological thriller that is easily read in one sitting. Stephanie goes to live with her grandmother Kay after her mother's death from an overdose. Kay hasn't seen Stephanie in years and worries that Stephanie knows why it's been so long. One night Kay sees a young family in a tent outside. Being a kind person she offers them to stay with Stephanie and her. Stephanie thinks they are taking advantage and soon things start to go wrong. Is everyone hiding secrets? And how far will they go to keep them hidden?
This story was not what I expected but I still really enjoyed it. Multiple unreliable narrators, suspense and secrets kept me engaged throughout this book. I did find the first bit a little slow and somewhat repetitive but overall I really enjoyed it! I found it well written and while I didn't particularly like some characters I found them well developed. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley, Casey Kelleher and Bookouture for this ARC. Expected release date is January 28th 2025.

There are some thriller books that can have you feeling both on the edge of your seat while also feeling firmly in place. You know where things are going to go and what the reveal is going to be but you are still intrigued with how it is all going to plan out. This was how I felt about this book.

I knew from the beginning who to trust and who not to trust, I knew what the reveals were going to be and I just knew that while all seemed nice, something darker was approaching. While sometimes this is something I can come to enjoy, this book had me feeling disconnected and I think it was for this reason. I did not have an intense desire to keep reading but I still was left intrigued.

My other issue was the writing. Nothing really happened and then at around the 65% mark, it all seemed to happen all at once. It was just a bit much. I would have much preferred for a gradual build up. But this could also just be because the execution of this idea was not done in the way I would have preferred.

However, stating all of this, while it may appear negative, I did actually read this in one sitting. I found the atmosphere that was created to be addictive, so while I was not fully invested, I was sucked in regardless. I also did enjoy the little bits of information we got along the way and the parting sentence. I liked the storyline ideas and the characters too, these elements were done well. I do wish we had more information on the characters but the mystery with them does add to the narrative.

Overall, while this may not have been my absolute cup of tea, I would recommend it if you're looking for a quick and easy, suspenseful thriller book to read that does not approach heavy topics and stays relatively predictable.

The plot line is a slow burner, the characters all have their own issues and flaws and at first it's difficult to figure out the is the bad guy
and who is the good guy. However the story is great and intense and it's a book you cant put down once you have started.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC copy in exchamge for my honest review.

This is a great psychological thriller.
Stephanie goes to stay with Kay when her Mum dies and appreciates her helping her. However, she can’t quite bring herself to calling her her grandmother as she barely knows her.
It’s a bit of an awkward relationship but Kay wants it to work due to her failed relationship with her daughter.
Kay then discovers a young couple and a newborn baby staying in a tent near her home. With cold weather and a storm lashing their tent, she asks them to stay in her house for the sake of the baby.
This is where things get interesting as Stephanie doesn’t trust them one bit.
I won’t say anymore. but there’s some great twists and turns in the story.
Thanks to Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Psychological thriller author Casey Kelleher is back with a brand new book The Perfect Guest.
A story that is easily read in one sitting.
Stephanie comes to live with her grandmother, Kay after her mother Amanda dies from an overdose.
Kay has trouble sleeping and one night while looking out the window she sees a tent with a young girl exiting.
The next morning she investigates and stumbles on Rosie, Ash and baby George, they have no food and the weather is freezing.
Being the nice person she is and worried for them, Kay invites them inside her home for a meal, shower and a rest.
Stephanie believes they are taking advantage of her kindness and is totally against the idea of them staying.
Soon things don’t add up, mishaps are frequent and everyone is hiding a secret….
The blurb is evasive, the plot is easy to foretell, I did work out the twist and the end was just the little bit anticlimactic.
It’s fast paced, a quick read and was ok.

Kay offers her granddaughter Stephanie the chance to live with her after she has lost her mother, despite having not seen her in years. Kay has secrets about why she hasn’t seen her for so long and wonders if Stephanie knows. When a new young family comes to stay with them, Stephanie immediately does not trust them. Are they hiding secrets as well?

This is my first book by this author and I wanted to read as I found the synopsis intriguing and I was drawn to the cover. This story was not what I was expecting from the synopsis, however it was still an enjoyable thriller. The story is told in the voices of multiple unreliable narrators, which helped build the suspense and atmosphere. I enjoyed the profound, intense writing style as this helped create a dark, disturbing vibe to the overall story.

Although this was well written, I did find it very slow at times and quite repetitive. The characters were well developed, although not that likeable. I enjoyed how there were also moments of raw emotion and serious themes. This ended up being a very compelling mystery and is definitely not the last book I will be reading by this author. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I have to rave about The Perfect Guest, it was just sooo good!! There are brilliant characters and plenty of twists, enough to make me change my mind on what I thought was going to happen, that’s for sure! No spoilers, but certain people are slightly batty!!
Casey does it again, this will be another bestseller, that’s for sure!

I really liked this one. It didn’t jump around and the twists were pretty interesting. It dealt with a lot of lies, manipulation of truths and how misleading sometimes people can be.

First, I want to thank Casey Kelleher for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Casey Kelleher is back with another one of her twisted psychological thrillers in The Perfect Guest. The Perfect Guest is fast paced, addicting, dark, suspenseful, and at times heartbreaking.

Right away Casey captures her readers interest with the shocking prologue leaving you wanting what happened that lead up to this point! What a great hook to the story that made me want to continue reading! I just love when authors do this!

Casey, you freaked me to the core with the storyline of the character’s daughter being buried alive! Oh the emotions that that scene brought up in me were real! Seeing I am still grieving my father (he passed away in December) I could see me very well react the way she did in this scene.

The character in this book that pulls hard on my heart strings is the adorable baby George who is really sick and needs medical attention. What pulls on my heart even more is his living conditions in which he is living are not suitable for any baby!

Ash was not a character I was very fond of. He rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning.

This book had a lot of wicked twists and turns, ups and downs, and shocking moments.

i was saying "oooooo" right from the start of this. and it never once let up. i have a soft heart for thrillers that ramp me up like this one does. i feel my heartbeat slowly rising. and getting more and more invested. more and more needing to know what happens next and unable to read quick enough so i can get to the next part. ooooooooooo indeed i do love a good thriller. finding one is one of the best feeling for a reader like me. and this one was it. yes yes yes i did like this book and my review will surely not do this justice.

there was so much tensions between the grandmother and grand daughter. they both had their secrets and were practically radiating with mistrust and secrets. and the doubting of each other was off the scale. add to that the loss of the mother and what exactly happened to her. and why the grandmother hasnt been able to see her grandchild for all this time?
my own tension met the characters and the plot.
the great little adition happened when the grandmother allows a young couple and their new baby to come into her home after she finds them living in a tent. this is not met with gladness and i loved all parties reactions to being around eachother. and it is a great little side arc that then goes to run to the brilliance of this story and how the secrets start spilling out. and certainly all is not what it seems.

This book will hit you like a freight train right from the get-go and never let up the entire time. We are thrown right into the middle of the chaos and left to get the beginning of the story and learn about its previous facts and information as we progress. I really liked the way that this was written because it really pulled you in as a reader and I felt that this was a perfect way to submerse the reader but also give them necessary information. The characters were absolutely fantastic and I loved the complete tension and animosity that was felt between both grandmother and granddaughter. The book starts out with granddaughter Stephanie unwillingly having to reach out to her grandmother Kay after the death of her mother. There's a lot of tension between the two characters right from the start and the animosity that radiates off Stephanie is intense. When Kay notices a tent in her back yard one day she is very curious. She goes to investigate much to her granddaughter's dismay and finds a young couple, Rosie and Ash, with a new baby. With thoughts of her own daughter on her mind she decides to take the couple and their new baby in and give them a warm place to stay. Stephanie however, is very leery of their presence and takes an instant dislike to rosie. However all four of these characters are hiding deep secrets, so who's to say who really is the villain and who's the good guy? There was so much information that each character was hiding that I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of things. And I loved how there weren't to many many characters at all. My favorite part was seeing all of the characters reactions to the couple staying, the good and the bad. It was very realistic to the situation and what I believe would actually happen in real life. As the tension begins to rise we start to see true colors come to the surface however it's not always as it seems. This book full of suspense and it had me holding my breath a good portion of the novel. If you are a thriller fan than this is for sure a book you won't want to miss. I'm so glad I got the change to check it out because I loved the plot and the characters but it was the tension and suspense that really left me biting my nails. This is a book that I can't wait for everyone to read, you won't be disappointed. This was a thriller that was made for the big screen and I couldn't get enough. Great read however if you have any plans for the day then don't start just yet because nothing will get accomplished once you pick up this book because the plot will have you in such a chokehold. This book had a dark vibe from the very beginning and seeing the tension and wondering what was going to happen with rosie was great. While every part of this book was good it was the ending that left me speechless. This is unlike any book I've ever read before nor will I ever read again and I'm so glad that I got the chance to check this one out.

Kay’s estranged daughter, Amanda, has died. Amanda’s daughter, moves in with her nan, but they don’t really know each other.

Ash and Rosie are living in a tent near Kay’s house, with their baby son, George. One very stormy night, Kay invites them all to come and stay at hers for a couple of days.

It soon becomes apparent that everyone in the house has secrets that they are keeping.

The characters all had their own fears and were running from their individual problems.

The tale is told from Kay, Stephanie and Rosie’s points of view, and made for a captivating read.

The layers of the characters are slowly peeled to reveal just what it is going on.

What an astounding read this was! My heart felt like it was going to burst, it was pounding so hard at times.

It is a dark psychological thriller, that took my breath away.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Talk about hiding secrets! There are so many family secrets going on within this story, it was hard to keep everything straight in my mind.
The Perfect Guest certainly takes you on a wild, suspenseful ride!
Who exactly is the victim in the story???? The twisty ending will reveal all!
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A really enjoyable read that was well paced and had just the right amount of suspense, atmosphere and twists. I couldn't put it down

Stephanie is in a bind when she contacts her estranged grandmother, Kay. Her mother Amanda has overdosed and 16-year-old Stephanie didn’t know who else to reach out to. Kay invites her to her home without question, but soon she starts seeing things about the girl that remind her too much of her daughter.

One night, Kay is looking out of her window when she sees a light out in the woods. She sees a woman go outside in a terrible storm to use the restroom, and worries that this girl is freezing and in trouble. When she approaches the tent the next day, she soon finds out that the girl isn’t alone - she has a very angry man and a very sick newborn with her. Wanting to make sure the baby is okay, she invites Ash and Rosie to stay with her as well, even though Stephanie is totally against the idea.

Now this ragtag group of teenagers is living in Kay’s home, and we slowly find out what their misdeeds are - even Kay’s. Everyone in this house has a secret (except for the baby!) and that’s basically the book. I feel like the synopsis was slightly misleading, and I didn’t care about any of the characters. I also didn’t care for the ending, but that’s a personal preference. Overall this book was entertaining enough, but not quite the stunning psychological thriller that it seems made out to be. 3.5 stars.

(Thank you to Bookouture, Casey Kelleher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 28, 2025.)

A brilliant read, fast paced and with some truly devilish characters. All characters are very well developed making it difficult to guess the true intentions of any of them. Told from multiple pov to add more depth.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Perfect Guest’ written by Casey Kelleher in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Kay Wildes’ daughter Amanda dies of a drug overdose and her daughter Stephanie goes to live with her grandmother. While walking her dog, Kay sees a blue tent pitched on the edge of Highgate Woods and becomes concerned about the occupants Ash, Rosie and their newborn son George, inviting them to stay with her for a day or two while the baby recovers from a nasty cold. Stephanie hates sharing the house with them and doesn’t trust them not to take advantage of her grandmother. She wants to find out why they’re hiding from the police, but they’re not the only ones with secrets.

‘The Perfect Guest’ is slow to get going and I contemplated giving up halfway through but I’m glad I persevered as the last 20% suddenly increased in tension and my reading started to speed up with curiosity. None of the characters were likeable or trustworthy and they all had hidden agendas but it wasn’t until I reached the final chapters that the truth was revealed. This is a dark psychological thriller that was generally sound and would have benefited from being faster-paced, but apart from that it’s been a good enjoyable read.