Half way through the story I had figured out the finale not knowing my theory was going to go pear shaped in a few pages more. The Guest is a example of a clever plot that has you guessing along the way only to find an ending that comes as a complete surprise. Just loved it and look to reading more Cathryn Grant..
There is a saying that sums up this story, " never get between a mother and her children'.
This has been an independent review for NetGalley / Inkubator Books

I hate to say bad things about books- I love books. I admire and fangirl authors. But this book was really not for me... The writing was way too wordy, I counted almost 30 pages with out dialogue that dragged and dragged. There was no real mystery- I stuck with the book hoping for some mystery and some explanation. When I got the explanation around 90% completed, it was a little ridiculous.

Didn't work for me

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is one twisty turney read!!

I wasn't too pulled in in the first 1/3 of the book but then something seemed to grip me and pull me in so I'm glad I didn't give up on it.

Ellie has it all - a faithful husband, 2 wonderful children, her own successful business and a beautiful home. Then a handsome stranger comes to stay - invited by her husband, and a knock on the door from the police wanting to speak to her son about a girl who's gone missing.... Ellies life starts to rip apart by the seams but not everything is as it seems....

The ending to this book twisted in a way I didn't see coming and I could not put this book down in the last third of the book.

All is well in Ellie Mitchell's busy life. She and her husband, Seth have two beautiful children, Brandon and Simone and Ellie has her own successful art gallery. But then Seth becomes cold and distant, and begins to act strangely, choosing to invite mysterious stranger, Ace to stay in their guest room. Ellie finds Ace charming, but not completely trustworthy and there is another problem... she is attracted to him. When a pupil attending the same school as her son is murdered and the police believe Brandon is involved, matters take an even worse turn for Ellie...

Cathryn Grant has written a tense, engaging thriller that flowed effortlessly, making it easy for me to become quickly embroiled in Ellie’s troubled life. Unable to put the book down, and when I thought the worst had already happened, something new unfolded, thereby keeping me on tenterhooks throughout. With a strong plot and totally believable, vivid characters, The Guest has an eye-popping bombshell of an ending. It was completely unexpected, exposing truths that left me dumbfounded.

Readers searching for a book that will keep them continuously guessing need to look no further than The Guest.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Inkubator Books via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Ellie is married with 2 children, loves her husband, owns a gallery that she loves. Looking in from the outside reveals a perfect life ... but that's deceiving.

Seth, her husband has become distant. If she didn't know better, he could be having an affair. And then he invites a stranger, Ace, to stay in there house ... for a week or so. Supposedly Ace is a friend of Seth's cousin .. who Ellie has never heard of.

She finds herself attracted to the newcomer, but she also has a feeling of something not quite right.

A school acquaintance of her son is found murdered and she's devastated to learn that the police suspect him. The murdered girl has been known to bully Brandon .. but she knows that he is innocent.

And then her gallery is broken into and a valuable painting is destroyed. She already suspects Ace of having a problem ... but then she learns something so disturbing she contacts the police.

This is a stunning psychological thriller filled with angst and tension from the very first page. The characters are deftly drawn ... warts and all. The ending was quite unexpected with truths revealed that left me almost breathless.

Many thanks to the author / Inkubator Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Without giving too much away I thought that this thriller was extremely captivating and in many parts, extremely dark. The blurb gives a lot of the storyline away - what if your husband invited someone into your home? How would you feel? But then things start to unravel: a murder, a break in, and your son is the main suspect but you know that can’t be true. Is this stranger to blame it could it be someone much closer to home?
I thought that the beginning of this book was a little slow and dragged out and it took me a while to get through the first half; however, as soon as the story picked up the author built the tension nicely and the ending was unpredictable and satisfying.
Overall, I gave this book 4 stars because the second half of the book was worthy of this rating and I would class this book as a good psychological thriller.

Wow, I mean WOW... So many twists and turns, it’s like who dun it......what a great read ...... yeah Ellie thinks through everything she’s thinking ..... a lot , but wow.....
I never saw any of this coming ......great read

The Guest is a psychological thriller by Cathryn Grant. One that will keep you reading way past your bedtime.
Ellie and Seth have everything, two children, boy and a girl. Good jobs, Ellie has her own Art Gallery and they have a beautiful home. Everything is going well, until the day Seth invites a friend of his cousin to stay with them Ace, an enigmatic young man. Ellie is disgruntled Seth has brought a stranger in to their home without saying anything. Brandon, Ellie's son is questioned by the police about a young girls disappearance as he had a known crush on her. Then Seth then breaks the news he has lost his job and has been deceiving her for weeks. All of these things cause Ellie to start checking out things she is missing, like why is Ace here? Who is he really? She starts digging and when she discovers the truth decides to take her own action to get Ace out.
A stunning Psychological thriller with the tension rising from the first page and a completely unexpected twist at the end! Thanks go to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and Inkubator Books and Netgalley for my copy of The Guest to be a part of the Blog Tour.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

Ellie and Seth alongwith their children Brandon and Simone, seem like a normal family with its little hiccups. Enter a house guest Ace, who is a friend of Seth's cousin.

The book starts off good and there seems to be a premise of a thriller, but somewhere towards the middle, I lost interest in the story but completed it nonetheless.The title is a litle misleading and the end is a damp squib.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. This is another new author to me , one of the joys of lockdown and netgalley. This is a completely unpredictable book with twists and turns galore. Secrets are revealed and people show their true colours.What starts with a regulsr family living in a nice house…somehow loses that and their lives are turned upside down.Compelling and exciting this is a great thrilling read.Mothers know best …right?Published 31st May and i look forward to reading more from this author.

What a great book :) Had me hooked....avsokute corker of a story! Great characters, great plot and a great ending

A wow ending indeed!

Ellie is a successful gallery owner, who has two children and a husband. Life is good. Recently Seth, Ellie’s husband, has begun acting strangely and she can’t figure out why. Surprisingly, Seth introduces Ace into the family and that is when the trouble really starts.

Ellie is fighting her thoughts the whole time. She wonders what is going on with her son and the recent muder of a classmate, why is her husband being so distant and what should she do about her attraction she has for their new house guest?

While reading this book I had trouble with a few things. One, the husband, he’s not very nice and that didn’t sit well with me. Two, how the girl’s murder played out (at first). I was led to believe that the story would focus on it but it didn’t and I was a bit confused. Lastly, Ellie’s mental dialogue seemed to dominate a good portion of the book and I found this a bit boring.
I considered putting the book down, but I persevered. I am so glad I did.

This book took, not one, but several unexpected turns that left me completely flabbergasted.
I was blindsided at the end and was thoroughly satisfied that I had persevered and completed this book. It definitely has a WOW factor.

Overall, the characters were interesting. I didn’t like Seth at all and I believe I wasn’t supposed to. I’ll admit that I too was attracted to Ace. I even felt a bit sorry for him as well. The children were also written well. Especially Brandon, he seemed like a nice boy. Ellie was an interesting character, but I felt that she thought about things a little too much. I enjoyed her nonetheless, especially at the end. The way the story unfolds is interesting and I was forced to make assumptions that weren’t entirely accurate and therefore I was completely surprised at the end.

Thanks to Cathryn Grant, NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars/ REVIEW
The Guest is another fast paced thriller that makes everyone look like a suspect. Ellie is a very successful gallery owner with a loving husband and two kids. Their lives turn upside down when her husband brings a man he hardly knows into their home to stay as a guest. Something is off about him, but Eille just can’t put her finger on it. When a classmate of her son’s is murdered the police question him, but she knows that even though her son has been having a tough time lately, he would never commit murder. As she tries to keep her family together, secrets are uncovered and life will never be the same.
I breezed through this book quite quickly and found it to be a nice escape with a twist I did not see coming until the very end!
Thanks to @netgalley for the #arc!
#netgalley #theguest

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is an interesting twist to a mystery that initially portrays a rather normal family that hold it together until a stranger comes to town and exposes their under belly. Told from the perspective of a mother juggling two kids, a successful art gallery and a distant husband we get to know a family falling a part at the seams. You don't expect the ending but are sympathetic to the killer.
Overall, a disturbing parody of a modern family.

If you were to ask Ellie what her life was like she would tell you that it was perfect. She is the owner of a successful art gallery and is deeply in love with her husband Seth and they have two perfect children Brandon and Simone.

But the reality didnt live up to how Ellie portrays it

Lately Seth has been cold and distant and she is certain he is keeping secrets from her. Then out of the blue he moves a handsome stranger into their home. Ellie instantly finds herself feeling attracted to the mysterious Ace and he is quickly accepted into the household by her kids.

But then Ellie's perfect world is blown apart when the police arrive on their doorstep and want to interview her beloved son about the disappearance of a teenage girl who lives on their street.

Her mother's instincts tell her that Brandon is innocent and she strongly suspects that Ace knows what happened to the girl and is also behind some other scary incidents that have plagued her recently. But when she starts digging for the truth, she begins to uncover shocking secrets that will change her life forever.

The story is voiced entirely from Ellie's perspective, she was a complex character who obviously adored her children. Despite this redeeming quality, I personally couldn't stand her, I thought she was a very irritating individual for many different reasons. She was a hypocrite, constantly changed her mind when it suited her and was a major control freak. She also had a wine obsession, she didn't seem to be able to get through the day without consuming a bottle or two. I really don't understand characters who think.that they will find the answer to all their problems at the bottom of a bottle. Their problems might go away for a while but they are guaranteed to return the next day along with the obligatory hangover. I can't say that I thought much of wonderful Seth either and as for the nosey cow who lived next door, I was so disappointed when she didn't get her comeuppance. I felt so much sympathy for poor Brandon and Simone, I think they were destined to cause Ellie a lot of problems in the future. I really liked Ace but was I correct in liking him or was there more to him than met the eye?

The Guest is a well written domestic noir with a added dash of intrigue and suspense. It's not fast paced but there was something about the story,a chilling sense of foreboding that kept you captivated by the events that were unfolding before your eyes. The characters were relatable and could have lived on any street in any town or city. I really enjoyed this book and would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

The Guest, a psychological suspense/thriller, throws you into one of the most hectic moments in Ellie Mitchell’s life. Ellie is dealing with a widening gap between her and her second husband, newly discovered information regarding her teenage son’s school life, and living with a complete stranger. In a series of increasingly daunting, tumultuous events the reader begins to realize that not everything is what it seems. Readers searching for a book that will keep them continuously guessing “who did it” and how a series of chaotic occurrences all relate, will want to look no further.

Cathryn Grant did a great job writing a novel that flowed effortlessly, making it easy to get intertwined with Ellie’s thoughts and her life. More so, Cathryn Grant created a story that left the reader unable to put the book down. As soon as you think the worst had already happened, something new transpires that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. With a twisted bombshell ending that will leave the reader shocked and make them wonder how they didn’t see this coming before.

Overall, I found The Guest to be a great read. The Guest was a great suspense read that kept me consistently interested in the book and struggling to put it down. I can honestly say that Cathryn Grant kept me constantly trying to figure the story out with a steady buildup of events. Once I had an idea of where the story was going, my thoughts were proved exceptionally wrong. I found myself allured by this book because it kept me guessing and yet the ending was something I never saw coming. From this book, I have become a big admirer of Cathryn Grant, from her writing style to her creative plotlines. I am very eager to dive into Cathryn’s previous books and ones to come.

I received a free e-ARC for an honest review.

Ellie is a loving mother of two, a wife and an owner of an art gallery. When her husband Seth brings a "friend of his cousins" to live with them, everything goes down hill from there.

I thought this was a good thrilling read. There were a few things I thought didn't belong or were a little ridiculous. One, I don't think the neighbor should have been in the story at all. Her presence seemed out of place. Second, what mother and father let their teenage son cuss the way Brandon did? They never really said anything about it, almost like it was a normal part of life, but oddly, the parents never curses. Other than that, I thought is was a good story. I was surprised by the ending of who killed Jasmine.

Amazing and riveting novel with an ending that blew me away. This author can really write and I highly recommend this book. Ten stars!

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I was in two minds about this novel! I felt like the first chapter was good, the last three chapters were good but the rest of the novel just lagged. Things were said repetitively, there wasn't much of a flow and it was a bit so so.

Saying this, the last three chapters were good and the twist was great!

I feel it's best to go into this book blind and not know too much about it.

I did not expect greatness and I wasn’t disappointed. That’s really the trick for life in general and here it worked out perfectly on a microscale. The goal was to find a quick and easy thriller read, something mindless to pass the afternoon of not wanting to make choices or invest too much time. This book was on Read Now of Netgalley and checked all the boxes, there are so many books like this out there right now, so many authors are taking advantages of this obscenely popular avalanche of female driven suspense thrillers. This author, especially, seems to produce these books like pancakes, all very similar sounding, similarly titled and probably fairly uniform in quality…which is to say just ok. This book was very much just ok. It fact, mostly it read below that ok line, like some flat Lifetime movie of the week…a woman, wife, mother, business owner, accomplished in every respect, has to put up with her sad sack of a spouse who in fact did get sacked and has been lying to her about it. And on top of it he brings a guest to stay, a good looking, good with kids, good in the kitchen kind of guest who seems to have no intentions of leaving. And for some reason our protagonist, this woman who now pays the bills, works and comes home to cook every night and tries to be a cheerleader for her waste of space man just totally goes along with all this. Presumably because the guest is so dreamy. And so then there’s this vicious triangle dynamic to play around with, which the author does her best with. Oh yeah, there’s also a murder sublot just to muddy the waters some. It’s one of those books where you just plow through the thorough mediocrity hoping the genre prerequisite plot twists in the end will save the entire production. Which is exactly the case here. Only toward the end does it get remotely interesting and mildly original. And we all learn that there’s no greater driver, no more potent motivator than mother’s love. Cue in a sappy pop country song and roll the credits. But seriously, this wasn’t by any means terrible if you go in with sufficiently low expectations, it had the decency to be brief in length and it read as quickly as this sort of thing ought to, easy one sitting read, with afternoon still left to spare. Thanks Netgalley.