Book Review: The Guest | B.A. Paris

New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris has built a well-deserved reputation of writing standout psychological thrillers. I’ve read several of her books and I always look forward to the next one! The Guest takes us back to her domestic suspense style books. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this story won’t deliver one stunner of a twist—the ending is so well-crafted and surprising, I can’t stop thinking about it!

About the Book | The Guest

The premise of this book is one that most can relate to—a friend and guest that no matter how beloved, has overstayed their welcome. Don’t we all just want our home back at a certain point? I found myself horrified on Iris’s behalf, but it turns out that a guest who overstayed their welcome may be the least of their worries.

In The Guest, married couple Iris and Gabriel return home to their house in the English countryside to find their friend Laure in their house. Laure and her husband Pierre have been close friends with Iris and Gabriel for two decades, ever since they met on vacation in the Bahamas. But Pierre has done something that caused a fight, and Laure has fled to their home unannounced.

Recently, Gabriel happened upon a local teen named Charlie who had a tragic accident in the quarry near their home. Gabriel was with Charlie for his final words, and is haunted by what he saw and heard. Iris is doing her best to support him, but Gabriel hasn’t shared the whole story with her—or with anyone. So when the couple arrive home to find Laure unexpectedly in their home, the timing isn’t great for a guest. Especially one who has no clear timeline to leave.

Iris feels too guilty to turn Laure away when she learns that Laure discovered her husband Pierre had an affair that resulted in a child. Laure is cagey on the details at first, prompting Gabriel to reach out to Pierre and try to talk through what happened. Laure and Pierre are such a wonderful couple—Iris and Gabriel can hardly believe this isn’t something they can work through.

But their good intentions wear thin as Laure continues to involve herself in every aspect of their lives. Iris’s only break from Laure seems to be when she goes in to take a bath. Her other respite seems to be with a newer friend, Esme, who is expecting her first child. The only troubling thing seems to be their gardener, Joseph, who they refer to do some work with Gabriel. It appears Joseph has a checkered past, and there is more than one skeleton in his closet that is yet to be revealed.

Review | The Guest

B.A. Paris continues to show diversity in her writing that excites me with each new book. Her earlier books were known for their heart-pounding pacing and twists and turns, some of her more recent books have leaned into the psychological suspense of fractured relationships, and others have leaned into the jaw-dropping realization that nothing in your life is what you thought. The Guest takes us to new territory again—it reminded me of what is wonderful about authors like Sally Hepworth, who build suspense throughout a book as things become more sinister and complicated and then deliver a jaw-dropper of a twist towards the end.

What I liked about the plot

The three storylines—Pierre’s affair and Laure’s unwelcome visit, Charlie’s death and what Gabriel is holding back, and Joseph’s shady past—are just the beginning of what will unfold in this book. The story moves quickly in my opinion, and before long the mysteries evolve and combine into a twisted web of lies, secrets, and deception. Iris finds herself at the center of it all, trying to repair Laure and Pierre’s marriage, help Gabriel work through his trauma, and find out what is going on with Joseph.

As the story progresses, twists and turns make the storyline even more complicated, and it’s clear that there are secrets being kept on all sides. Iris is a sympathetic character. She’s rational and level-headed, doing her best not to show her frustration with Laure or Gabriel to them. After several weeks of Laure’s stay, Iris and Gabriel set out to nudge her and Pierre towards a resolution. But there are more twists in store that may change everything… The narratives intertwine and become tangled as the story proceeds. The ending ties everything together into a beautiful final chapter.

What I liked about the characters

There is a good amount of character-development which is almost always a pre-requisite for me to give a psychological thriller my top rating. The characters are all intriguing in their own way. Pierre is the least present in the story of the four central characters, but his figure also looms over the story. Laure absolutely fascinated me, and she was the character I most wanted to learn more about. Characters like Esme, Hugh, and Joseph start more in the background, but become more present as the story progresses. Esme was a good foil to Laure as a close friendship for Iris, especially since her relationship with Iris is still relatively new.

Sometimes the husbands in these stories can be throwaway characters, but that is not the case with Gabriel. The secret that’s eating him up regarding the death of Charlie and what happened in those final moments is the hook, but he also is a support to Iris and a close friend to Pierre who wants to resolve things.

The relationships are complicated and intertwined. Some relationships seem so strong to start out and eventually reveal how fragile they were all along. Others move in the reverse direction, growing stronger as the secrets, lies, and betrayals unfold across the pages. They are also filled with moments that lend authenticity—sometimes they are grateful for their friend or partner, and other times exasperated by them.

Final Thoughts

I wish I could spoil this book because I’m absolutely desperate to talk about it! I did this as a buddy read with my friend Berit and thank goodness because this is a twisted, dark, character-driven psychological suspense novel with an absolutely jaw-dropping ending! I re-read it twice to make sure I captured all of the delicious details that Paris dropped in. The suspense was high by that point in the book, with tension mounting from the very first chapter. The last line (which I won’t reveal here) is absolute perfection. I savored it! I thought about it again and again…

A tense, gripping psychological thriller about secrets, lies, and betrayal, and how no one escapes unscathed by them.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Audiobook Narration | Emily Joyce

If you’re an audiobook listener, this is a book I definitely recommend grabbing the audio copy for. Emily Joyce brings her extensive acting experience to her work on this book, and she captures Iris brilliantly. In the book, Iris has quite a bit of internal monologue, particularly as she is navigating sensitive moments with other characters like Laure or Gabriel. Joyce shows the exasperation Iris feels with Laure’s extended visit to perfection, balancing the kindness she feels for her friend with the frustration this imposition has caused. Joyce’s excellent narration combined with Paris’s expert plotting make this book impossible to set aside!

About the Author | B.A. Paris

B.A. Paris is the New York Times and Sunday Times Number 1 bestselling author of seven novels including the word-of-mouth hit, Behind Closed Doors and her latest thriller, The Guest.

Over 7 million editions of her work have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 41 languages. Her novels have been optioned for major screen adaptations with a film of The Breakdown, titled Blackwater Lane, in post production.

Before becoming an author, B.A. Paris worked as a bank trader and teacher in France. Today, she writes from her cottage in Hampshire, England, where she lives with her husband with visits from her five grown-up daughters. She has a newsletter and is on social media @baparisauthor

Synopsis | The Guest

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.

As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Laure has seemingly moved in after her husband’s revelation that he has had a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris’s clothes, following her every move, and asking her about the recent death of the young man.

Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes from a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

With fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive? (Synopsis from Goodreads)