Cover Image: The Guest Book

The Guest Book

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Member Reviews

This was an interesting read as I wasn't sure where it was going at first but it kept me intrigued as to what was going to happen and what had happened in the past. When Charles and Grace have to cut short their honeymoon to St Ives due to a train derailment, they find they have to spend time in Saltwater, a town where Charles holidayed as a child. There is only one guest house left to stay at which is the same one Charles stayed at previously. To Grace, it seems quite a spooky house and she isn't sure about its patrons.

A psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and makes you wonder which of the characters are genuine and which aren't!

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I noticed that this book had mixed reviews but I really liked it. . It has for me an unusual story. I didn't guess the ending though admittedly I tried to and most importantly I found the book really hard to put down.

The other unusual thing about this book is that it had a few twists all of which came close to the end.

I'd recommend if you like ghost stories.

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The Guest Book by C.L Pattison is the story of a couple heading on their honeymoon by train. A really bad storm hits causing a tree to fall across the line meaning the train has to be evacuated and all the passengers end up stuck in a small town called Saltwater. The couple manages to find a room in a local guesthouse where they can wait out the storm for the next couple of days. But creepy things start to happen like hearing a child crying in the middle of the night and footsteps of people walking around the halls even though they soon discover they are the only guests there!
I really, really enjoyed this book....... until the end. I can't state what it was about the ending that I didn't like because that would spoil the entire story but it just wasn't for me. It was such a quick and easy read. The author did an excellent job of creating a creepy atmosphere in the guest house but then also adding in the feeling of being trapped and cut off. I kept thinking of ways to escape that I would try if I was in that situation. I was just so disappointed when the book ended the way it did. I feel like there was other ways it could have ended that would have been so much better. It was an easy 4 star until the end. However, I will still read another book by this author as I really liked the writing style and the development of the characters.
TW - Gaslighting

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Charles & Grace are on the train heading for an upmarket hotel in St Ives for their honeymoon. It is a stormy night & the track is hit by a fallen tree. Fortunately no-one is injured & the passengers head to the seaside town of Saltwater. By the time they get organised all accommodation seems to be full apart from the big house on the hill. Charles reveals that he stayed there as a child & had a wonderful time. However Grace is not very happy. With the storm continuing & the sound of a child crying she can't wait to get out of there- especially when she finds a note telling them to get out while they could. The townsfolk also don't seem to have a good thing to say about the place. The storm continues, the road out is blocked- will they ever get away?

The author does create a very creepy & claustrophobic atmosphere. I'm not sure why I didn't like this book more. It might have been that I couldn't really bond with any of the characters. Sadly for me this book missed being the great read I was expecting. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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Suspenseful and creepy at times... this book had all the elements I look for in a good thriller. I was instantly drawn into the story that kept me reading till the early parts of the morning.

With a captivating plot and characters that keep you invested till the very last page, this is an absolutely gripping read with an ending you don't see coming.

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The Guest Book is a book that will keep you reading and turning the pages. It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing right up until the end. It's one you find yourself reading in one sitting.

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This is the first time reading this author and likely won't be the last as this was an enjoyable and easy read.

Grace and Charles are on their way to St Ives to start their honeymoon when disaster strikes and they are stranded in the small seaside town of Saltwater; with there being few available rooms left, they have to book in to the run-down bed and breakfast, The Anchorage, and which is where the creepiness starts.

This is a story that is full of atmosphere which is excellently captured from start to finish. You can feel the weird vibe jumping out of the pages from not only the strange owners of The Anchorage but from the town itself and its inhabitants. You know something's not quite right but you struggle to put your finger on it and this builds the tension however, and it's a big however, it didn't really end as good as it started; it just seemed to fizzle out unfortunately and I didn't get that sense of satisfaction or pleasure when the "twist" was revealed.

Despite the disappointing conclusion, I did enjoy reading it and will seek out more of C.L. Pattison's work in the future.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Excellent scary thriller featuring Grace and Charles as honeymooners who get stuck in a village called Saltwater after a storm. They end up staying in a guesthouse which is deserted. What follows is a story of intrigue as Grace hears voices and things start happening, Charles dismisses the actions as Grace's mind playing tricks on her.
The ending is a surprise well worth reading.

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3,5 ⭐️

I’ve had The Guest Book eARC for several months but as I read them in order of publication I did not start it until a couple days ago, so I went in blind without reading the synopsis again and I was not expecting those gothic vibes.

The book started off pretty well with a really unsettling atmosphere when a couple of newlyweds get stranded in the coastal town of Saltwater when they’re on their way to their honeymoon. The storm, the strange vibes of the town and the weird behavior of owners of the B&B where they end up, were pretty disturbing. Add that Grace and Charles seems to be hiding a secret of their own and you had everything for it to be a fantastic read.

Although I liked it it didn’t deliver everything it promised. First of all, why is the title The Guest Book when said guest book plays such a small part in the whole plot? Halfway through the story stalled a bit. Things didn’t seem to go anywhere and one of the things I dislike most in this kind of stories started happening. Why does the husband always trust more the opinion of strangers than that of his own wife?

Anyway, despite all this I was really enjoying it and could not wait to find out who or what was behind the strange happenings in The Anchorage. Until the end. What was that? It was completely disjointed! There’s nothing I hate more that when we’re just told the resolution without any involvement from the characters. I think the same thing could have been done in a different way and be much more organic. And to top it off, the last twist was not that surprising and left things hanging open a little bit.

A good story with a fantastic atmosphere that started of really good but fizzled out as it moved toward the resolution, and that sucks cause it showed so much promise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for fproviding an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Newlyweds Charles and Grace are forced to spend a few nights in a creepy guesthouse in a seaside village. The other villagers avoid the guesthouse but no one wants to say why. This is gripping and very creepy. I read it in 2 days flat, it was almost impossible to put down.

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Very dark read. It actually chilled my bones reading it. Not for the faint hearted. I read it in two days so it did engage me. Grace and Charles on honeymoon get stranded in a Cornish seaside resort in winter. What could go wrong?

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The Guest Book definitely gave me a very eerie vibe and there were a few times where I was like nope I’m out but then I was pulled right back in again. I can honestly say that I never want to stay at The Anchorage whatsoever especially with those creepy dolls.


Now I didn’t really connect with any of the characters because I felt like I couldn’t trust any of them especially Charles, Pamela and Michael. I liked Grace but she did become quiet annoying at times.

I really enjoyed the way that the author managed to bring the town of Saltwater to life with the use of vivid imagery that made me feel like I was transported into the pages of the book. I also really liked how the other characters especially Pamela were described from Grace’s perspective. The addition of the unknown narrator was very intriguing and I was surprised to find out who it was.

There were so many twists and secrets revealed at the end of this book. I never saw any of them coming and it totally blew my mind. The ending was definitely my favourite part.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

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When newlyweds, Charles and Grace, are travelling by train towards St Ives for their honeymoon, their train is delayed by a terrible storm which brings down a tree upon the trainlines. They and the rest of the passengers have to stay the night in Saltwater, the nearest small town, but by the time Charles and Grace get to the town there is only one guesthouse with any vacancies. They thankfully check into the imposing house, but Grace is kept awake by the sound of child crying in one of the other rooms but the next morning they discover they are the only guests. As their stay in Saltwater is indefinitely extended by the bad weather, other strange things to happen and Grace finds a message in the guest book: Leave now. Do not trust them .

This was a gripping read for the most part. There are chapters told from both Grace and Charles's point of view and we learn that they are both hiding things from each other. The author manages to evoke a sense of isolation and almost suffocating oppression around Saltwater: they hardly see any of the other train passengers, the townspeople are reluctant to talk to them about the guest house, and the weather with the mist and fog cuts them off from the outside world. I think it all worked very well and it was well worth reading. I recommend this to anyone who likes slow-burning psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK/Vintage, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

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A quick read, easy paced and well written
Not a lover of ghost stories in the main but this had enough variation to keep me reading

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This would have been the perfect book to read in late autumn as it has a definite Halloween vibe. The eerie and atmospheric old house, the storm, and of course the isolation make it a “bump in the night” kind of read.

The writing evoked a heart-clenching suspense. You wonder whether Grace’s suspicions about the old place are unfounded. You wonder if the ‘atmosphere’ is created by paranormal or human forces.

This is a book that fills the reader with unease and suspicion, yet the writing didn’t flow as smoothly as I would have hoped.

A ghost story yes, but a crime story too. An entertaining novel that lovers of domestic suspense will surely savor. Recommended for reading on a dark and stormy night…

3.5 stars rounded up

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I really enjoyed reading this somewhat creepy book. I did have a slight criticism in that I found the writing to be a little stilted at times, for me it didn't always flow. Having said that there was nothing wrong with the story, I thought it was highly original ,and it kept me guessing until the very end. It was different, and I liked that.

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The Guest Book - C.L. Pattison

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and Netgalley.

Charles and Grace wanted a quiet staycation honeymoon, but when their train terminates early due to a storm up ahead, they wonder if they made the wrong decision. Forced to take shelter in the nearest seaside town, Saltwater, they discover their fellow passengers have filled all the recommended B&Bs to the brim. There is only one guesthouse left. Unlike the rest of Saltwater, The Anchorage is entirely deserted.

That night, with the storm howling relentlessly, Grace is woken by a child crying. She is haunted by the sound, until Charles convinces her it was only her imagination. But the next day, she finds a warning scrawled in the guest book: Leave now. Do not trust them .

This book starts off very atmospheric with a storm in a coastal town, but the full gothic potential of this setting is not reached. To say that Charles and Grace are supposed to be on their honeymoon I struggled to see any chemistry between them and there was little character development through the events that happen at The Anchorage.

It is a quick and easy book to read which switches between Grace’s and Charles’ perspectives. There are many plot twists and clues dotted throughout this book. It would be a great book to read on a dark stormy night.

Rating 3/5

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I had been expecting this to be a very decent 3- to 3.5-star “I enjoyed it” read, but there were too many plot holes.

Even though the story was pacy and engaging, with an eerie vibe, the flat writing took a lot of the fun away. Most of the novel is just either Charles or Grace telling you that something happened. The suspense about Turkey was drawn out too long, and ended up being a damp squib (even so, how could Grace continue to trust Charles?). There was something off about Charles right off the bat, and tbh, I’m getting a little sick of stories that hinge on women being gaslighted by their (male) partners, and the women bending over backwards to believe these manipulative men. (Happens enough in real life!).

The ending was disappointing, especially the twist in the last chapter. One plot hole that bothered me was that young Charlie never really alluded to the strange happenings at The Anchorage. He should have been old enough to remember; instead, he only recalled the B&B being a lovely place. Possible he was conveniently misremembering, but Grace finding the guest book should have jogged his memory. The other thing that needed a huge suspension of disbelief was Grace being in the dark about the events of the night they left.

To be fair, I enjoyed most of the book, but the ending and plot holes really left me cold. (Also, the title is misleading. The guest book had a very peripheral role in the story, and none in the plot.)

(Review copy from NetGalley)

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Charles and Grace wanted a quiet staycation honeymoon, but when their train terminates early due to a storm up ahead, they they wonder if they had made the wrong decision. Forced to take shelter in the nearest seaside town, Stillwater, they discover their fellow passengers have filled all the recommended B&B's to the brim. There's only one guesthouse left. Unlike the rest of Stillwater, The Anchorage is entirely deserted.

This is a dark and creepy read. Grace and Charles are heading to St Ives on their honeymoon but their journey is cut short due to the weather. They stop in Stillwater, a place Charles is familiar with as he used to holiday there with his parents. The only place they could get a room was at The Anchorage where Charles also stayed with his parents .On their first night Grace hears a child crying but there's no children staying in the guesthouse. The book is descriptively written. It's told from Charles, Grace and a mystery person's perspectives. Grace did annoy me with her constant moaning. This is quite a haunting tale.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #Vintage and the author #CLPattison for my ARC of #TheGuestBook in exchange for an honest review.

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I rarely read a thriller, usually when I'm stuck in a rut with some similar reads. So, I thought this one would be a nice refreshment to keep me on my toes. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of the characters and the plot was just too much for me. The end was good, but overall, nothing to kick me out of my feet.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the arc in return for an honest review. I do wish I have enjoyed it a bit more.

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