It is no secret that books can take us on a journey. They can transport us to distant lands, teach us something new, or simply entertain us for an afternoon. Heidi Parks’ novel “The Other Guest” offers all three of these experiences in one delightful package. Read on to find out what I thought about this lighthearted romance novel.

After several failed IVF attempts and James’ announcement that he no longer wishes to continue on that path, he and his wife, Laila, take an expensive trip to the luxury island resort of Ixos in Greece. The aim is to rekindle their relationship, relax after all the stress and strain of the IVF and work out where their lives will go next. Laila loves to people-watch while she relaxes by the pool and spends a lot more time on her sunbed than James who would rather take himself off for some adventure. Before the end of their holiday though things take a tragic turn when one of the other guests is found dead in mysterious circumstances and someone is to blame.

Parks does an excellent job of setting the scene of the beautiful, well-detailed, location, so much so that I found it appealing enough to wonder if I might like to visit before realising that its clearly not for me for a number of reasons. The characters fell a little flat for me in this book, though it pains me to say as I usually love the characters that Parks invents. Laila felt disconnected from the beginning, showing no interest in spending time with her husband and James was no better. Planning a holiday to spend time together and abandoning the other doesn’t bode well!

The other characters were discussed from Laila’s perspective from her people watching and some had some good twists in who they actually were, but they all felt quite two-dimensional. When the body is found I didn’t feel that people actually cared. There was a lot of speculation over who had done what and who found him first etc but nobody seemed that devastated or upset that he had passed away or particularly concerned that it was in suspicious circumstances.

Having said all that though, I enjoyed it for the most part and was gripped by what I thought was going to happen (way off!), the little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter kept me reading well past bedtime and I found myself wanting ‘just one more chapter’. Things went downhill after the death for me though and things went too flat towards the end.

The Other Guest had one of the most irritating endings of all the books I've read recently though. I found it frustrating and felt that it left an otherwise good book falling flat on its face. I wanted something juicy and some big twists but alas they didn’t appear and what was shown to have happened was boring in comparison to the rest of the book.

I have always enjoyed Heidi Parks' novels, but “The Other Guest” stands out from the rest for all the wrong reasons. Where4 she can usually keep me hooked until the very last words here I just wanted to throw the book in the bin and never look at it again! The more I think of it the more it's beginning to annoy me, to be honest, it's left a brain worm that just keeps niggling and eating away at an otherwise good book. It had such a good premise and what could have been a great ‘who done it’ feel but it didn’t do it for me this time unfortunately.

I’m frequently drawn to stories set in a resort, in a sort of 'locked room' mystery way, so The Other Guest by Heidi Perks immediately appealed.

I liked that the story was told from multiple viewpoints & through varying timelines as we are fed nuggets of information. Ultimately though, I wasn't convinced by some of the characters' reactions or lack of reactions to the terrible events during the holiday.

There are numerous red herrings, and if you can suspend belief, it certainly would be a good poolside read.

Laila is on holiday at a luxurious resort on a Greek island. She spends her days people-watching around the pool. Halfway through the holiday tragedy strikes, yet it is unclear who is responsible. While Laila thinks that she knows the truth, she isn't sure what to do with this information.

I was hooked as soon as I read the first couple of pages.

I really love the lure of discovering a secret that a character is keeping, just waiting to be unraveled. Heidi Perks has done a brilliant job in keeping the reader wanting more and dishing out little hints and clues as the story progresses.

The story is so cleverly plotted and I found Laila's character to be very believable.

I actually found myself longing for a holiday somewhere hot and sunny thanks to the beautiful descriptions of the hotel and island.

A brilliant thriller that will keep you gripped until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I got The Other Guest By Heidi Perks from NetGalley for free for a fair and honest Review.


The Other Guest is a Mystery Thriller Set on an upscale holiday resort on A Greek Island were two woman Em a married woman with two teenage boys and her husband, who to the other woman Laila is envious of her as the fith round of IVF as failed and her Husband has said he wants to stop.

It is a typical holiday until the events of Wednesday night changes everything and Laila thinks she knows something but if she tells Em and she is wrong what will the repercussions be.

The Other Gust is an intriguing mystery Thriller which on the outside looks like the run of the mill beach read, while it is that it does have parts to the novel which take it above and beyond this simple premise.

Firstly the structure of the novel being set around two individual perspectives and two timelines, all of which change throughout the story which means you may be following a timeline with Em Before the event and the next following Laila after the event.

While this may seem a little confusing at the start with Heidi Perks writing style these jumps in perspective and timeline are rarely if ever confusing.

With the setting being in a holiday resort being on a quiet Greek Island it almost gives the novel a locked room feel which means as a reader you feel that each character in the story starts to be a suspect, as a lot of them may not fit in to their public persona.

While this Book is does have a mystery at the heart of the book the way that the writer wevis in twist and turns it starts to be who is hiding what and if those individuals and their provblems really do have an affect on the mystery.

All this makes The Other Guest By Heidi Perks beach read perfect for readers who love to read while relaxing in holiday.

This is a very well written book with great characters . It was interesting reading the couples different lives and problems. There was just something missing for me even though I did finish the book it was a bit of an effort. Maybe this style of book is not for me and I’m sure it will appeal to a lot of people . 4 stars from me

A truly absorbing plot set in a beautiful part of the world. Laila’s relationship with her husband was not as good as they would have liked, especially as numerous IVFs had failed for them. Laila has a tendency to ‘people watch’ and becomes too involved for her husbands liking, but all is not as it seems- secrets abounds!

I enjoyed The Other Guest, i felt so sorry for Laila who after heartbreaking rounds of IVF had hoped to enjoy a holiday with her husband and then everything just starts falling apart. When the body of another guest is found in the pool we wait to see if the local Greek police can work out who did it.
A few little surprises along the way.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK,Cornerstone and the author for an ARC in return for an honeset review

My first Heidi Perks read thanks to Net Galley and what a read. Not a gory murder which is my preference but once the first page was read I was gripped. This unputdownable 5 star read won't be my last book by Heidi Perks

Having read all of Heidi Perks’s other books I had high hopes for this one. It was a fairly good story but I felt it was a bit flat and was a bit too lightweight. I also hoped the ending would’ve been better than it was. But I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend to others but i didnt enjoy it as much as her others.

Laila and her husband James are on holiday in Greece trying to relax after numerous failed IVF treatments but Laila likes people watching and James keeps disappearing, then a teenage boy in the hotel is murdered.
You keep trying to guess who's done it but there is not one likeable character in the book and it seems very
slow for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

This book is set on a Greek island and Lalia and James choose to holiday there.Another family stay there and unfortunately 1 of their teenage sons was murdered. I found this a difficult and sad read and not really to my taste.Thank you to Netgalley for A.R.C,

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Heidi Perks for the ARC of The Other Guest.

When Laila and James have yet another failed IVF attempt, James decides to take her away for a holiday - escape from reality for a bit and plan for a future without children. A small, intimate resort, Laila finds herself people watching - the family with two teenage boys, the newley wed couple on their honey moon who are acting a little strange.

Soon into their holiday, teenager Isaac is found dead in the hotel pool. Someone must know what happened to him but who? As Laila starts to learn more about her fellow guests, it leaves her questioning herself and all those around her.

Unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. There was a lot of focus on the infertility, which at one point felt like there was going to be a big twist relating to a seed sewn elsewhere in the book, but it never quite materalised - to the point where it left me wondering why it was insinuated at all? I found the ending disappointing and unfortunately it left me a bit flat about the whole thing.

3 stars as well written and great character building but unfortunately not one for me.

I found The Other Guest to be a great read. I found the characters relatable and the twists and turns kept me guessing all the way to the ending that I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

James and Laila have been trying for a baby, after several rounds of IVF they still haven’t had any luck. James decides to surprise Laila with a surprise holiday, however she is furious when she finds out how much it costs as this could be used for another round of IVF.

Whilst James and Laila are away it becomes clear there are cracks in their marriage. Laila becomes obsessed with another family, a mum and her two sons in particular. James believes his wife is paying them more attention than him and so the holiday that was supposed to bring them together soon starts to pull them apart.

Then one night James and Laila have a huge and very public row, Laila takes herself off back to the hotel whilst James heads off for another drink. The next morning a dead body is found in the hotel pool. No one saw a thing, the only thing the police know is this was no accident.

This book had me guessing the whole way through at times I think I suspected just about everyone. There were so many secrets and lies it was impossible to decide who was or wasn’t telling the truth and it had me guessing right until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

I've enjoyed a few of the author's previous novels so was looking forward to reading The Other Guest. After many failed IVF attempts Laila and her husband James arrive at a luxury holiday resort on a Greek island. 5 days later tragedy strikes when the body of a guest is discovered in one of the resort's swimming pools.
This is a slow burn thriller and for me it lacked suspense and I was not particularly drawn to any of the characters. However, I found the relationships between Laila and James and Em and her sons interesting and I became more immersed in the novel towards the end and felt that it had a satisfying ending with a moral dilemma at the heart of it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Overall 3.5*

I was so looking forward to reading this book however it is a slow burner that never quite catches fire! It jumps to and fro - nothing wrong with that, it has characters which I was not particularly drawn to - nothing wrong with that either but it is certainly not a thriller. Some readers will probably like it more than others although it won't stop me reading other books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

OMG, I am excited to share this great release from Heidi Perks today. 'The Other Guest' is a thrilling read with fantastic plot twists and a suspenseful, dramatic atmosphere. The characters are absorbing and entertaining. The storyline is both compelling and addictive, with a jaw-dropping conclusion. Perks' writing style is impressive and brings this story to life flawlessly. I am confident this is going to be a huge success!

If anyone is new to Heidi Perks, this is perfect for reading as an introduction. I have read parts of the back catalogue, and 'The Other Guest' is my favourite by her so far. This read is also one of the most enjoyable psychological thrillers I have read so far this year!

'The Other Guest' is released today - don't hesitate to pick this up as a definite must-read for 2023. Highly recommend reading it.

A very enjoyable read that hit me with an emotional sucker punch. This author is capable of writing very twisty and unexpected scenes so I hope to discover all of that and more in her next novel.

As with Heidi Perks’ other novels, I have been hoarding The Other Guest for precisely the right moment to devour it. That meant waiting til after the craziness of Christmas, but it was just like a beautiful present to myself that I was saving to unwrap.

The waiting was definitely worth it. The Other Guest is a departure from the other books, being set on a remote island in Greece, but all of the hallmarks that readers love about Heidi Perks are right there too.

The main character is Laila, who has come on what should be a dream holiday with husband James. Actually the holiday is anything but a dream, especially as the couple are attempting to move forward after a numbers of unsuccessful rounds of IVF. We are fed breadcrumbs of the couple’s story, but the full story does not come until much later on in the book, with devastating consequences for all.

Oh, and did I mention that there’s a dead body in the hotel pool?! The Other Guest is fantastic; I literally couldn’t put it down.

The basic premise of this novel is not uncommon in crime fiction; several families on holiday in an exotic location, dramatic events, secrets and lies, surprising revelations....However, Heidi Perks tells the story with such style and panache that it feels fresh and new. A tremendous read!