Cover Image: The Guest

The Guest

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Member Reviews

Iris is a self-employed interior designer, married to Gabriel, who works as a GP. Together, they have a daughter, Beth, who is currently volunteering in Greece at a dog shelter.

Gabriel witnessed a local teenager dying right in front of him, and because of this, he’s now on sick leave from work. His depression is noticeable to the point, where Iris and Gabriel go on holiday, so he can forget about what happened.

When they return, they notice that they now have a house guest, Laure.

She is a good friend of the couple and lives in France with her husband, Pierre, who never wanted children, and Laure went along with it despite secretly wanting to be a mother.

Laure is in a great state of distress and informs them that Pierre has discovered he has a child and wants to be a part of the child’s life.

Laure asks Iris and Gabriel whether she could stay with them for a bit, and they agree.

However, tensions will soon rise very high in the house as Laure makes herself very comfortable and starts being in the way.

Moreover, Gabriel doesn’t believe Laure’s story. When he tries to call Pierre, his calls go unanswered.

Why isn’t Pierre picking up? Is there more to the story than meets the eye?

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller.

I am a big fan of B.A.Paris; her domestic thrillers are always a pleasure to read, and this one didn’t disappoint.

I was quite annoyed at Laure for always moping around and following Iris around the house and the village. At the same time, I tried to put myself in Laure’s shoes (it was hard, though!) as she suffered a terrible shock.

There are more characters in this story: we have Hugh and Esme, who just moved into the village. The two couples quickly became friends.

There is Joseph, the gardener, who goes between Hugh and Esme’s and Iris and Gabriel’s houses. Joseph is very good-looking and that causes a stir with the ladies…

You just have to read this book for yourself. I definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for approving my NetGalley request to listen to this audiobook.

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This book was easy to listen to but felt it was a little predictable, saying that the end of the book was not as predictable as to who had done things and why (dont want to give away any spoilers).
The voice overs for this audio book fit the story.

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The Guest by B A Paris is a thrilling rollercoaster of suspense and surprises! Iris and Gabriel return from a pivotal vacation to find their friend Laure unexpectedly inhabiting their home. What begins as a gesture of support quickly spirals into a tense and unsettling situation as Laure's behavior becomes increasingly erratic—sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, and rearranging their home.

The tension only escalates as Iris and Gabriel navigate their loyalty to Laure while trying to preserve their own sanity. Amidst this chaos, a new couple in town offers a semblance of normalcy, but even they bring along their enigmatic gardener with a mysterious past.

As secrets unfurl from each character's history, the suspense intensifies, leaving you guessing until the very end. B A Paris has crafted a gripping tale that had me hooked from the first page. I devoured this book in one sitting, unable to tear myself away. If you crave a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and shocks you with its twists, "The Guest" is an absolute must-read!

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I am so sorry but I just couldn't get into this book at all. The voice wasn't my favourite and I couldn't get into the plot - I do feel I would have enjoyed it much more in a book format. I think often while we are reading we are hearing the voices in our own interpretation of how they might sound. (obviously not in a mad way! )


I have read all of this authors books and enjoyed them so I will give it another try as a book.

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Oh wow...... I have read a few B A Paris and think this was my favourite, I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter to the last. The twists and turns were a roller-coaster and I don't think I will forget this book for a long time. I loved the dual timeline and multiple POVs slowly helping you piece the jigsaw together and that ending was so unexpected.

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I enjoyed this book, lots of stories about the guests that then come together. it was a bit slow and repetitive in some bits but was overall a great read.

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I loved this book. Everyone needs to remember not to overstay their welcome. Adored the story and the characters were really interesting and had depth. Loved it!

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I didn’t hate this but I didn’t love it. Besides BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, which I read back in 2016 and LOVED, I haven’t read anything else by Paris and I just found this to be very slow-paced. This was a suspenseful ‘whodunit’ domestic mystery, with a large cast of interesting characters, and a decent twist, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING is revealed until the epilogue (!) It just didn’t grab my attention like I’d wanted.

(3.5 rounded up to 4⭐️)

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What a book!! Certainly kept me hooked and guessing all the way through!! Would definitely recommend. Can't wait to read more by this author.

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BA Paris has a great skill in creating characters that really get under your skin and those in The Guest are no exception.
This is an excellent thriller that builds the tension up nicely and builds to an ending that you won’t guess!
A winner for me. Highly recommend

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Unfortunately I felt slightly let down with this book. I enjoyed the narrator and was really drawn in. I hadn’t seen the twist coming at the end, and I was genuinely surprised. And yet it still somehow felt a little bit disappointing

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I have read Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris and so I was really looking forward to listening to this book.
However, I am not sure this book really had the wow factor for me. It seemed like a jumble of different and disjointed stories and although they came together in the epilogue, it was all a bit late for me.
I did like the narrator and felt that I wanted to keep listening to their telling of the story.

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Thank you to NetGalley, B.A. Paris and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to listen to this pre-release audiobook in return for an honest review. I will say I enjoyed this, but I wasn't hooked on this. The characters didn't really develop and I didn't really enjoy reading about any of them. It was slow and extremely repetitive. Laure was upset, Gabriel was brooding, Pierre was non existent and Iris just existed. The introduction of Esme and Hugh (the new neighbours) was not particularly believable - who make friends to that level over a few weeks. Joseph, Marcus, Beth - all seem like fillers for the most part. The one redeeming thing from this story - easy, and had some good plot twists towards the end - although the final one - not for me!

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Iris and Gabriel arrive home from holiday to find a friend who has taken over their home sleeping in their bed and wearing Iris clothes. She has left her husband and asks to stay with them for a while, but with the baggage she brings, how quick will she outstay her welcome!

Oh my ! What a ride that was !

This was a brilliantly twisty domestic thriller I was gripped from the start. The twists just kept coming, and that ending 😳 would definitely recommend.

I listened to this book on audio and I had a great time listening it was well read and engaging.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton, and B.A. Paris for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Omg I was hooked. This felt like an intense relatively short listen. A psychological thriller at its best. The narrator was spot on and dodnt overdue the accents. I lioved rhe pov it madecit so real and rivweting. It was full of red herrings and although initially i was angey when will it be resolved when it was i was omg. I'd forgotten how fantastic B a Parris was with skillful character development and dialogue. Thank you so much to netgallery and publisher and author and narrator for this 5 star listen.. its perfect for anyone who loves domestic thrillers where things are so much more.

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I really enjoyed the Guest by B A Paris, I couldn’t put it down all the twist and turns, normally I can guess who did it but not with this book, I was gripped till the very end. I enjoyed the characters and learning about there history, I felt almost like I was there as I was reading the book. Thank you NetGalley for this sneak peak

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B.A.Paris has been a long-time favourite author of mine and this book follows in the footsteps of previous work in its clever twists and turns.

The story revolves around Iris and Gabriel, with the unexpected arrival of their French friend, Laure, who's escaping her husband Pierre. As she settles in, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable as she continually oversteps boundaries and her stories don't quite add up, raising more questions than answers about what happened in France.

The narrator of this audio book adds a real extra dimension to the book, with a rich gravelly tone that I found helped build further suspense and interest.

Thanks to Netgalley and B A Paris for the opportunity to listen to this book as an ARC.

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A good thriller with plenty of twists. A slow start but builds up nicely to a stunning climax. Iris and Gabriel come home from holiday to find their friend Laure from France in their home having left her husband. Good plot that will keep you hooked. Emily Joyce does a superb narration of this book. Thank to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for this audio ARC

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Although enjoyable this story was full of unlikeable and unreliable characters and was slow to start. Not one of my favourites by this author but still entertaining enough

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This domestic drama follows Gabriel and Iris on their return from a much needed break after a very stressful time. But when they arrive home, they find their friend Laure has all but moved in to their house after leaving her husband Pierre behind in Paris. It isn't unusual for the couples to stay in each others houses while they are away, but they have never turned up unannounced. Having made herself very comfortable and seemingly having no plans to return home, Laure is turning into the guest that won't leave! But when there is no contact from Pierre, even when Gabriel goes to Paris to speak to him, holes start to appear in Laures story, but what is she trying to hide?

This was a very slow-burner of a read with a brilliant ending that made all the build up kind of worth it! And it is one if the few final reveals that I really didn't see coming!

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