‘The House Guest’ by Charlotte Northedge was an ok read and I can certainly imagine it being snapped up to make into a film. For me however I just really didn’t like the characters and found that Kate’s behaviour came across as quite unbelievable, if not a little stupid.

Probably a good book to read by the pool but I struggled to really engage with it. I found the main character naive and some of her decisions unbelievable. The other main lead character was just unlikable.
An easy enough read though.

loved this read, loved getting into the story of how Kate gets caught up in things out of her control. Lots of twists that i didnt see coming.

As Kate embarks on a new life in London, we learn of the family she has left behind and of her missing sister, potentially having been sighted in London. It’s clear Kate is dealing with demons within her life and quickly latches on to the affections of life coach Della. But is Della everything she seems or is she pulling Kate into her life for other reasons.

This is a well written book which pulls you in and you will want to keep reading to find out just what is going on! With lots of twists and turns you may not have it quite as figured out as you may think!
The main character is not the most likeable person in the world and I feel there could be a little more information of her past, but the story progresses well and you’ll find ourself questioning just what’s going on!

An enjoyable read that will keep you guessing!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

A really well written, yet easy to read psychological thriller. There are twists that are cleverly built throughout the text yet you still don't see coming. It's great to read a book with big twists that are still logical and have been carefully seeded but without signposting. It's atmospheric too, and evocative of the south of France. It made me long for summer evenings on a veranda with a cold glass of wine to hand, so would be a great summer read. A real page-turner with interesting, flawed female characters.

A long time family secret is proving to become a challenge for Kate. Her sister Scarlett has vanished years ago and she leaves her parent’s house to pursue her dream of living in London and maybe finding out what happened with her sibling.

Soon after, she gets seen by a life coach woman who gets obsessed by Kate and takes her under her wing. Mesmerised by her glamorous life and person, Kate is wishful dreaming that she can one day be like Della, this strong incredible woman that has a perfect life with a perfect husband and children.

As usual, nothing is proving to be what it seems and everything takes a very twisted turn and that’s when the real puzzle comes together.

I felt bad for Kate. I didn’t like her as a dominant character too much because she seemed too childish for me, but she has to go through so much here, alone, scared and especially as a new mother. The ones that should have been more closed to her aren’t helping at all, and that’s her mother. Liam is nice, but I wanted to know a bit more about him and maybe to have them interact more.

Della is the perfect villain here. A very calculated woman, obsessed to the brim and manipulative in every step on the way.

All in all it’s a suspenseful story that many readers will enjoy.

Enjoyable thriller let down for me by the irritating heroine but I’m sure it will be a popular holiday read.

Thrillers tend to start with something bad. It sets the scene. It puts you on edge and slowly ramps up the tension until the closing pages where everything falls into place and things turn towards normality once more. The House Guest takes another route; heavily downplaying what awaits in the concluding chapter. It's a move that pays off in the end, but in the meantime, you only get very slight hints that anything more is yet to come, reading more like a domestic drama with just a few teases that there may be an edge to come.

And so, it makes a decent enough read. The characters are strong and engaging enough to carry you onwards despite wondering if the height of tension will be a few slightly catty remarks about trivial matters. I even wondered if I was seeing clues to a mystery I'd made up in my own head at times. But it flows easily, it's just there was no real drive spurring me on. Pleasant, but not captivating.

Until everything came to fruition.

Those vague hints and possible clues? They're real. And cleverly misleading at times. Those seemingly simple chapters beforehand were a very delicate framework, carefully laid to set up the real story. Even in looking back, some aspects need a second thought just to see their real purpose. It's impressive, but also the biggest weakness - it's so subtle it could easily get lost. It makes for a thoughtful read but it loses out on some simple entertainment as a result.

Anyway, the final chapters do still deliver the rewards. Yes, there's the entertainment I was craving, but it doesn't sacrifice any of the qualities that had kept me reading in the first place. The qualities of the characters make the internal conflicts fascinating and believable. The careful story building pays off and allows the whole story to embrace grey areas, spaces where we can insert our own opinions and make the story our own. I can see it making for interesting discussions as it would be so easy for readers to come away with different feelings about how it plays out.

An intriguing and sometimes enthralling story, in spite of the rather irritating lead character. I felt that Kate’s back story could have been more fully explained; the post-university breakdown was mentioned on numerous occasions but not, I felt, satisfactorily made clear especially as it did seem critical to her behaviour.

Nonetheless I enjoyed the book despite the lack of surprise(s) at the denouement and I would thoroughly recommend The House Guest.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I’d kept seeing reviews of this novel and then all of a sudden it appeared in my inbox, a gift from the publishers…so I dropped everything else and started to read.

As joint Head of Books for the Guardian, Charlotte Northedge knows what readers in the psychological thriller genre are looking for- and she supplies this in a book that is tightly plotted with many twists, hooks, red herrings and suspense.

It is a very unsettling story with suggestions of gaslighting and quite dark, making me feel uneasy. At times I felt very frustrated by Kate, she didn't seem to have a lot of common sense- but that didn’t stop me staying up late into the night to discover the final, final twist!

I enjoyed this book - a family mystery, missing woman, a narrator desperate to find answers. Kate is in her mid 20s and had just moved to London and becomes ‘adopted’ by Della - a glamorous life coach with the perfect life: two children, a lovely house, a gorgeous husband. They take her on holiday to their dreamy house in the South of France, and that is where things get complicated. No plot spoilers but Kate gets very close to Della’s husband, and their lives change forever.
It was very very readable, written in a way to make sure the reader doesn’t lose their place. I could see the twists coming as there were clues throughout the story, handy for a busy or fast reader. A well-written book. One small comment: I found the narrator’s constant questioning (‘Why did she say that?’ ‘Why had he lied?’ ‘What would she think?’) slightly disruptive to the flow of the story. Other than that, an enjoyable, readable novel.

The story was gripping, it pulled me in, but I couldn't help wondering if I was a bit jaded with the genre as I felt it was a bit formulaic. Nonetheless, a good read, and I hadn't quite worked out the final twist. Very chilling - you know from the beginning that there has to be something going on, so you suspect every move, every motive and wonder when Della will show her hand, and what it will be. I also wondered why Kate would be so trusting. Such an interwoven web of events. I did feel sorry for the children. Some of the more traumatic events in Kate's life were glossed over and I really didn't think it was plausible, that knowing how Scarlett's disappearance had affected Kate's life, her mother didn't tell her all the facts. However, a really good read that made me gasp! #netgalley #thehouseguest

At the age of twenty-five, Kate moved to London, but her life was far from what she wanted it to be. She was living in a run down flat-share, whilst working in a coffee shop on a zero hours contract. It is safe to say that Kate is feeling very much alone in life, especially since her sister disappeared without a trace several years ago.

And then she meets Della, and by chance she finds herself taking up her life coaching classes. Before long, their lives have become entangled with one another. Della is a rather enchanting character, and despite Kate not wanting her help, she finds herself unable to refuse Della’s charming personality and simply can’t say no.

Their relationship quickly becomes all consuming, and Kate finds herself dressing like Della, looking after her children and getting extremely close to her new friends husband. With both women having their own secrets buried in their past, how long can Kate remain in Della’s all consuming orbit before her whole life spirals out of control?…

If you are looking for a captivating read, this is certainly the book for you. The story is filled with suspense, passion and deceit, all of which really capture your attention and hold it firmly from the very beginning. The characters are fascinating, and the contrast between Kate’s rather naïve outlook on life, to Della’s confident, powerful persona, really added that extra level of intrigue for me.

A story of obsession and jealousy that has you on the edge of your seat as you find yourself being drawn into the complex lives of these characters. With the perfect level of suspense that had me turning the pages well in to the night, this is a clever, thrilling story that I couldn’t put down.

Kate has moved to London in the hope of finding her missing sister, Scarlett. Who disappeared 15 years ago. Kate's parents are reluctant to let her go. But Kate is determined.

Whilst working in a cafe and here she meets Della. Della is a life coach and invites Kate to join her group sessions. What a lovely thing to do. Or is it? Kate's life turns darker after this meeting.

For a debut novel this is an excellent psychological thriller. It is so dark and creepy in places, all courtesy of Della's character. You know when you read a story and you get shivers down your spine. This is what happened here.

The two main characters Kate and Della are like chalk and cheese. Kate is a very vulnerable and easily manipulated. Whilst Della is larger than life and very controlling. How far can Della go to control Kate? She welcomes her into her home, gives her free sessions and offers her a job. Is there a hidden agenda? Well of course there is but I'm not telling you why 😊

All I will say is that I devoured this book, I couldn't get through it quick enough. As the plot develops and we see how deep Kate is unwittingly getting herself into bother. I just had to know how on earth she was going to get out of it.

Follow Kate as she descends into a hole of despair. The House Guest is one book that will make you question those around you.

♥️ Thank you to Harper Collins for my gifted digital copy and for inviting me on to the book tour ♥️

An enjoyable story - Kate gets completely suck into the glamorous life of Della and makes some pretty bad decisions - I found it difficult to sympathise with her because you could just see what was going to happen and she should have shown a bit more sense than she did and not got into the bad situations - but it made it an entertaining read. Recommended

Genre: Mystery| Thriller

Release Date: 13th May 2021

Publisher: Harper Collins UK



When Kate was twenty-five, she moved to London and wasn't exactly where she was expecting to be. Living in a run down flatshare, working a zero-hour contract in a coffee shop and feeling very alone, especially since her sister vanished without a trace years ago.

But then she meets Della and by chance ends up taking part in her life coaching class, and very quickly their lives become tangled together, Della was charming, enchanting even and despite Kate not wanting Dellas help she couldn't say no to her. Without even realising it, their relationship becomes all-consuming. She's looking after Dellas' kids, meeting her friends, wearing her clothes and getting very close to her husband ...

Both of them have secrets, but how long can Kate stay in Della's orbit before it spirals out of control?

The House Guest was a slow-burning fire of a story full of tension, passion and lies that was gripping right from the start. The contrast between the hopeful naivety of Kate and the enigmatic powerhouse that is Della caught my intruige at once and right before my eyes a story about jealousy, obsession and possession that made me look behind my back way too many times.

For me, it felt a little obvious what was going to happen throughout the story, and even though I'd guessed most of the conclusion and several key points throughout - it was the journey getting there that caught me off guard in ways I didn't expect.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Charlotte Northedge, Harper Collins and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Kate moves to London looking for her sister. Instead she finds Della, a charismatic author and TV personality who welcomes Kate into her home and her life. Picking her out of all the 'Janes' - a group of 20-something blondes all looking for direction in their lives - Della makes Kate feel special. But, is there an ulterior motive? Well, of course there is, what kind of psychological thriller would it be if everything was as it appeared on the surface?

I swithered over whether to give this three or four stars. There are times when the storyline goes a bit too far for its own good - think American soap opera-esque levels of double lives, family secrets and conspiracies. But, actually I think it's a book where you just have to give yourself over to the ride, and accept that within the world the author has created this is all believable.

While the Della character is at times one dimensional, the Kate character holds things together. She avoids being too passive while still believably finding herself trapped in a situation spiralling out of her control. Overall, a fun read, at times over the top, but always compelling to keep me reading to find out what was really going on.

It's an enjoyably uncomfortable read. The central character is Kate. Kate is unbelievably naive and not really safe to be out on her own. Her parents manipulate her and have her on a permanent guilt trip since her sister Scarlett disappeared many years previously.
When nervy Kate meets polished life coach Della it is out of the frying pan and into the fire. Della takes a special interest in Kate, as does her smooth husband Mark. They are the Tom and Daisy Buchanan of this book: casually cruel and uncaring when it comes to the sharp end of the plot.
Kate ends up working for Della as a nanny and Della sets about massively gaslighting her. Lots of the plot points are set up well in advance because Della is playing a very long game. I must admit to have seen a lot of the twists coming, including the final one. I think you are meant to, though, if you are paying attention. It makes you more emotionally invested and prepared for the inevitable second volume of revenge.

4.5 stars
Guest House was an intriguing, clever read which I couldn’t believe was a debut book.

I was immediately drawn into the story and into the characters lives, my interest immediately piqued by the situation the characters find themselves them. I had to read more and often found myself reading too late at night as I was desperate to discover what would happen next.

The characters were all fantastic creations that I enjoyed learning more about. They two main characters were both fairly unlikable but that actually made the book more fun for me as I didn’t have to choose a side . I actually wish there had been a little more about Della as I thought she was a particularly interesting, complex character and I’d have liked to be able to get into her head a little more but maybe that is for a different book.

I thought this was quite a dark story in places with some if the scenes being quite unsettling but this helped build the atmosphere. The author cleverly increases the tension and unease in the book so that I was soon unable to put the book down. I found myself reading faster as I both wanted to know what would happen next but was also slightly nervous about it. There are lots of twists that kept me guessing to the end and I thought the ending was very well done as it completely surprised me which I always enjoy. It’s one of those books that I’d like to read again now as I’m wondering if I missed so clues on the way.

Huge thanks to Emily from Harper Collins for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley.

I was drawn in very quickly to the story in this book. When Kate met Della and as the story progressed I had a feeling there was something just not right. I couldn't put my finger on it and never did see what was to come. It was a very well written story and I was engrossed from the beginning. Excellent read.