This was my first read by Ruby Speechley. Though it had good pace and the premise was good, it was only a 3 star read for me. The main character bought in to everything she was told, no matter how far fetched. The storyline had too many “twists” and back and forths that it got a bit muddy.

I would give this author another try, but this book just wasn’t a favorite for me.

Thank you to Ruby Speechley, NetGalley, and Boldwood books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have followed this author since her first book a few years ago and this was just as good.

It was an interesting storyline, well written, plenty of twists and turns with a great ending, I was hooked from the very beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Megan is only days away from her wedding to Jamie and about to head off on her hen weekend when the first of several unexplained, un-nerving events happen. Things continue to take a strange turn when someone Megan doesn't recognise turns up at her hen weekend claiming to be Jamie's cousin from Australia.

The book held my attention really well and I read it in two days; its the first book I've read by Ruby Speechley and I would be interested in trying some of her other thrillers. The pacing was good and the short chapters helped to keep me engrossed.

What made this a three-star read for me was that I really struggled to root for Megan, I really wanted to but I found her to not be particularly likeable. I also found it irritating that nobody was taking the events from the hen party more seriously, the general theme seemed to be brushing things off so as not to ruin the weekend when it was already pretty ruined. I also found it ridiculous that she continued to refuse to involve the police even once her toddler was clearly being brought into things.

The Uninvited Guest was as twisty and fast paced as described and it was quite a thrilling start in the first half of the book.

Unfortunately once we get past that and the reveals start coming, it was a mix of excitement and sheer confusion. The thrill aspect at the start was lost and the reveals started to make less and less sense as the main antagonist seemed to keep switching between personas that made the whole story less believable.

By the time we got to the actual reveal, it felt rushed and hurried to get the story over and done with.

This book! I think I had it figured out, and then it make a turn .. again and again! I read it in 2 days and was shocked at the ending! Great book!

I loved this book and all the drama. It was fast paced and it kept me wanting to read it and figure out what was going on and who was behind it all! The characters are like able so that made me like the book even more.

The Uninvited Guest is a fast paced psychological thriller packed with secrets, lies, twists and surprises. I really enjoyed this book and flew through it. The main character, Megan, was a bit gullible and naive, but i liked her. The story was believable for the most part and interesting.

Megan is about to marry Jamie, the love of her life and father of her daughter. Before the wedding is the Hen party and the stag party. At the hen party, strange things start happening and a stranger crashes the party and claims to be Jamie's cousin. Megan isn't sure who to trust but decides to confide in "the cousin" and winds up revealing a very personal secret. Massive chaos ensues leading up to the wedding day and a sinister plot is revealed.

The writing was smooth and the short chapters made it an easy read. Aside from Megan, the other characters were quite unlikeable and some were downright evil.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy

To be completely honest, I didn't like the main character AT ALL. She was so gullible and naïve and believed everything anyone told her. I felt the grudge from her friends kept for SO LONG was so petty. I felt like I was reading a story between some girls in high school fighting over a boy. The reason why I gave it a 3 star and not lower is because the plot twists all throughout the book was a good touch.

Thank you to netgalley for letting me get an early sneak peak at this book.

This is the first book I have read written by Ruby Speechley and it’s not going to be my last!

The way the book starts and just pulls your attention in with the suspense and mystery off the bat is amazing! Love the ending as well! Very well written!

I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you Ruby Speechley and NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing book!

The Uninvited Guest by Ruby Speechley is a tense, fast-paced psychological thriller that delves into secrets, betrayal, and the fine line between trust and deception. With twists that keep you second-guessing and a dark, unsettling atmosphere, this book is a gripping exploration of how past mistakes can resurface in the most unexpected ways.

The story follows Megan, a bride-to-be excited for her upcoming wedding, who embarks on a hen weekend with her closest friends. However, her plans take a chilling turn when an unexpected guest, Beth, crashes the celebration, claiming to be her fiancé Jamie’s cousin. As Megan navigates strange messages, unnerving threats, and the unraveling of carefully kept secrets, she begins to suspect that Beth is not who she claims to be.

Speechley does a commendable job of creating an atmosphere of unease, and the setting of the hen weekend serves as the perfect backdrop for the escalating tension. The story is told entirely from Megan’s perspective, allowing readers to experience her growing paranoia and desperation firsthand. The short chapters and relentless pace make it difficult to put the book down.

While the plot twists are engaging, some elements of the story stretch believability. Megan’s character, while sympathetic, often makes frustratingly naive decisions that can be hard to relate to. Her overly trusting nature and emotional decision-making felt out of step with the gravity of the situations she faced. Similarly, the behavior of some supporting characters lacked realism, which detracted slightly from the overall impact of the story.

Final Thoughts:
The Uninvited Guest is a fast-paced, anxiety-inducing thriller that will appeal to fans of domestic suspense. While some character decisions may frustrate readers, the story’s twists and turns provide plenty of entertainment and keep you guessing until the end. Ruby Speechley’s writing style is accessible and engaging, making this an enjoyable, if occasionally implausible, read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick read, but the protagonist was laughably gullible and not a nice person overall. The story centers on Megan and is told entirely from her POV- she is preparing for her hen weekend with a group of friends when creepy things start happening to her. To top it all off, a guest claiming to be her fiancé’s cousin crashes the party and Megan can’t decide whether to trust her.

As stated above, I found Megan’s character to just be ridiculous. She was so gullible and naive, while downplaying a major secret that actually was a big deal. In fact, it felt like all of the girls at the hen party acted like teenagers and I didn’t believe adults would act like that at all. There were a lot of twists and turns in the book, which makes it a quick read, but I felt like many were predictable and others verged on silly. The ending of the book was ok and fit with the rest id the story.

Overall, while the premise of this book was good and it was fast paced, these characters just did not seem for real. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Boldwood Books for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This book is packed with a perfect amount of backstory. I had a hard time to not speed read as I just needed to know how the whole thing ended. It was a real page turner for me. I did not expect the ending in this one at all. If you a Freida McFadden fan you would enjoy this one!

A tense and gripping thriller that keeps you guessing until the end - who is telling the truth? Lots of twists and turns, brilliant!

Good book did take me a little to get into but stick with it! I would definitely read it again! It was a quick read for me after I got into the story.

This book was not for me. It difficult to root or like a character like Meghan. Her stupid decisions and clueless personality were a turn off. The hen party was more like a gathering of mean girls. It was so far fetched it is not relatable or believable.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy! This had some interesting twists and turn as well as some extreme moments. We follow a couple during their bachelor/bachelorette weekends when weird things keep happening, including threats. Who to trust? Who is the new person in the group? Who is sending anonymous financial threats? Who is sending funeral arrangements? Is it tied together? Keeps you second guessing until the very end.

The uninvited guest was a fast-paced, tense psychological thriller and hooked me from the prologue. This is the first book I have read from Ruby Speechley.

Megan Lewis is excited for her upcoming marriage to Jamie, until an unexpected visitor crashes her overnight hens celebration. The surprising visitor, Beth, claims to be Jamie’s cousin and quickly charms the group. Soon Megan’s carefully curated life starts to unravel and starts to take a dark turn. As the wedding nears, Megan realises Beth is not who she claims to be, and is forced to unravel years of secrets, and lies.

I appreciated the short chapters and the anxiety-inducing entertainment value in this domestic thriller. Unfortunately, many of the choices of the characters in this story felt unbelievable or misguided, and Megan was a frustratingly gullible protagonist.

This book would be ideal for readers who enjoy Kiersten Modglin, Alice Feeney or Freida McFadden.
With thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy, for review consideration and an honest review.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy of The Uninvited Guest. I will say this had so many twists that at the end of each chapter, I had no idea who to believe. Unfortunately, the twists were all ridiculous. The book was fast reading but many times, I was confused why I was still reading because of the immature scenes. I stayed with it because I really did want to see how it ended and I’m glad I did.

I’ll give it a three because it really is a page turner but I found a lot of the twists and turns to be quite ridiculous and the last couple made me roll my eyes, and so did the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This will be out in February of 2025.

I just read a page turner from Ruby Speechley. The Uninvited Guest was a great psychological thriller that had me turning pages until the end.