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unlifeoftheparty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage
katyannreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infertility, and Miscarriage
vanishing_librarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Wow, this was intense! This is a story about a couple who decides to go on one last trip before the baby comes. In the guest house, they are staying in, they get to know Fiona and Barry who are desperate to have a child after their own boy died years ago at two years old. What will they do to get the child they want?
The story starts off really strong! I enjoyed the jump between timelines - it makes it just feel a little more real and gets you invested to find out what happened. Throughout the book, I really felt a lot of empathy for the couple and what happened to them (even though I am not a mother). But while the story was really engaging up until the big twist, it just went quite a big downhill from there in my opinion. The idea was pretty good but I just felt a disconnect to how the last part of the novel was concluded. There are some (in my opinion) very irrational choices made and I just didn't really like/understand the reasoning for the things that happened.
Nonetheless. I did like how the ending did not just stop after the reveal but gave a little more details on what happened after it and how it might continue. I always appreciate it when stories don't just stop abruptly but instead try to give a little bit of close.
3/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this for an honest review!
The story starts off really strong! I enjoyed the jump between timelines - it makes it just feel a little more real and gets you invested to find out what happened. Throughout the book, I really felt a lot of empathy for the couple and what happened to them (even though I am not a mother). But while the story was really engaging up until the big twist, it just went quite a big downhill from there in my opinion. The idea was pretty good but I just felt a disconnect to how the last part of the novel was concluded. There are some (in my opinion) very irrational choices made and I just didn't really like/understand the reasoning for the things that happened.
Nonetheless. I did like how the ending did not just stop after the reveal but gave a little more details on what happened after it and how it might continue. I always appreciate it when stories don't just stop abruptly but instead try to give a little bit of close.
3/5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Miscarriage
thereadingnook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death
ceeemvee's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first child in a few weeks, and decide to take a short getaway in the countryside. After a 7-hour car ride, they reach their destination, the middle of nowhere. The retired couple they are staying with, Barry and Fiona, are a bit off and giving weird vibes. So, after having a bite to eat, Jamie and Victoria call it a night. The next morning, Victoria awakens and needs fresh air. They find the guest house is locked, their phones and keys are missing, Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be found and Victoria is in labor. What do they do? The story does engage you, and I certainly don’t want to give away the plot and the twists.
There are multiple points of view, both past to present. It’s easy to keep track of the characters and the plot. Suspense builds when something in the present happens, giving you a hint of something in the past. It all works well and the character development is good. You really have a sense of each character’s personality, even if some of the characters’ actions are a bit over the top and don’t seem well-reasoned or sound. The problem is the plot didn’t work for me. It’s as old as the hills, and it felt like a long time getting to the point and the end of the story.
https://wordpress.com/home/candysplanet.wordpress.com
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first child in a few weeks, and decide to take a short getaway in the countryside. After a 7-hour car ride, they reach their destination, the middle of nowhere. The retired couple they are staying with, Barry and Fiona, are a bit off and giving weird vibes. So, after having a bite to eat, Jamie and Victoria call it a night. The next morning, Victoria awakens and needs fresh air. They find the guest house is locked, their phones and keys are missing, Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be found and Victoria is in labor. What do they do? The story does engage you, and I certainly don’t want to give away the plot and the twists.
There are multiple points of view, both past to present. It’s easy to keep track of the characters and the plot. Suspense builds when something in the present happens, giving you a hint of something in the past. It all works well and the character development is good. You really have a sense of each character’s personality, even if some of the characters’ actions are a bit over the top and don’t seem well-reasoned or sound. The problem is the plot didn’t work for me. It’s as old as the hills, and it felt like a long time getting to the point and the end of the story.
https://wordpress.com/home/candysplanet.wordpress.com
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, Child death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Confinement, Grief, and Miscarriage
shelfofunread's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I’ve read a lot of psychological thrillers so now I consider myself fairly adept at spotting plot twists. So it was a pleasant surprise when I did not see any of the revelations in Robin Morgan-Bentley’s new novel The Guest House coming!
Seeking one last break before their baby arrives, Jamie and Victoria check in to Chorister’s Lodge, a small luxury guesthouse in a remote part of the North Pennines. Upon arrival, they are greeted warmly by Barry and Fiona, who cook them dinner and show them to their room. When Jamie and Victoria wake up the next morning, however, Chorister’s Lodge is deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen, the rooms are locked up, and Jamie and Victoria’s phones and car keys have been taken. And, despite being weeks early, Victoria knows that her contractions have started and the baby is on its way.
I’m going to be honest and say right from the off that the premise of The Guest House is…somewhat far-fetched. Leaving aside any major spoilers for later plot revelations, it was somewhat unbelievable to me that a couple who had struggled to get pregnant (Jamie and Victoria, it transpires, have been having IVF) would risk going to a remote guesthouse miles from the nearest hospital only a few weeks before their baby was due. And, as the plot reveals, it only moves further beyond the bounds of probability.
BUT (and this is important), I ended up not really caring that the premise was beyond belief because the twists are just so good and the writing had me hooked!! I genuinely didn’t see most of the revelations coming and the final twist, when it arrived, was really unexpected! Which is, for me anyway, the signs of a very enjoyable thriller indeed.
Robin Morgan-Bentley has also conveyed a really chilling scenario with just the right amount of fear and malice. This is a thriller that, at times, borders on horror territory because some of what happens to Jamie and Victoria in Chorister’s Lodge is seriously sinister! Indeed, readers of a sensitive disposition should be aware of some relatively graphic medical/childbirth content, as well as (**mild spoilers ahead**) a plotline involving kidnapping/abandonment, infidelity, fertility issues/IVF, and child death. And this tension doesn’t let up until right at the end of the book, making The Guest House a page-turning read!
Morgan-Bentley has also done a really good job of conveying the characters. Although Barry and Fiona are very VERY creepy, once you realise why they are doing what they’re doing to Jamie and Victoria, you do begin to understand their warped psychology. Revelations about Jamie and Victoria also change our perceptions of them and their relationship as the book develops. Whilst many of the characters are not, by the end of the book, especially sympathetic, it is clear why they act the way that they do and I did buy into the reasoning for their decisions and actions, even if I didn’t sympathise with the decisions themselves.
Overall, The Guest House is what I would call a riot of a novel. By which I mean that it’s probably not the most realistic premise you’ll read this year but, if you’re happy to ignore that, it is a wild ride of a book that offers a huge amount of entertainment value for thriller lovers. Fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will definitely want to check this one out.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publishers and author for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Seeking one last break before their baby arrives, Jamie and Victoria check in to Chorister’s Lodge, a small luxury guesthouse in a remote part of the North Pennines. Upon arrival, they are greeted warmly by Barry and Fiona, who cook them dinner and show them to their room. When Jamie and Victoria wake up the next morning, however, Chorister’s Lodge is deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen, the rooms are locked up, and Jamie and Victoria’s phones and car keys have been taken. And, despite being weeks early, Victoria knows that her contractions have started and the baby is on its way.
I’m going to be honest and say right from the off that the premise of The Guest House is…somewhat far-fetched. Leaving aside any major spoilers for later plot revelations, it was somewhat unbelievable to me that a couple who had struggled to get pregnant (Jamie and Victoria, it transpires, have been having IVF) would risk going to a remote guesthouse miles from the nearest hospital only a few weeks before their baby was due. And, as the plot reveals, it only moves further beyond the bounds of probability.
BUT (and this is important), I ended up not really caring that the premise was beyond belief because the twists are just so good and the writing had me hooked!! I genuinely didn’t see most of the revelations coming and the final twist, when it arrived, was really unexpected! Which is, for me anyway, the signs of a very enjoyable thriller indeed.
Robin Morgan-Bentley has also conveyed a really chilling scenario with just the right amount of fear and malice. This is a thriller that, at times, borders on horror territory because some of what happens to Jamie and Victoria in Chorister’s Lodge is seriously sinister! Indeed, readers of a sensitive disposition should be aware of some relatively graphic medical/childbirth content, as well as (**mild spoilers ahead**) a plotline involving kidnapping/abandonment, infidelity, fertility issues/IVF, and child death. And this tension doesn’t let up until right at the end of the book, making The Guest House a page-turning read!
Morgan-Bentley has also done a really good job of conveying the characters. Although Barry and Fiona are very VERY creepy, once you realise why they are doing what they’re doing to Jamie and Victoria, you do begin to understand their warped psychology. Revelations about Jamie and Victoria also change our perceptions of them and their relationship as the book develops. Whilst many of the characters are not, by the end of the book, especially sympathetic, it is clear why they act the way that they do and I did buy into the reasoning for their decisions and actions, even if I didn’t sympathise with the decisions themselves.
Overall, The Guest House is what I would call a riot of a novel. By which I mean that it’s probably not the most realistic premise you’ll read this year but, if you’re happy to ignore that, it is a wild ride of a book that offers a huge amount of entertainment value for thriller lovers. Fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will definitely want to check this one out.
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com. My thanks go to the publishers and author for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Medical content
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child death
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