Scan barcode
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
abigail_loves_to_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The book starts off very slowly and the characters make VERY dumb decisions. I mean who goes on a trip a few weeks before you are about to give birth? So that kinda annoyed me. And there were some parts I forgot coz I read the few chapters and coz I was so bored I put it down and didn't pick it up for a while.
But decided to continue and it went okay. The twists caught me off guard and when the first twist came I was shookkk, didn't expect that.
I must say tho I am not a fan of the direction the book went in coz u have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit.
But overall a good read:)
Check tw pls coz it deals with some very heavy topics surrounding babies. And those parts were very hard for me to read.
But decided to continue and it went okay. The twists caught me off guard and when the first twist came I was shookkk, didn't expect that.
I must say tho I am not a fan of the direction the book went in coz u have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit.
But overall a good read:)
Check tw pls coz it deals with some very heavy topics surrounding babies. And those parts were very hard for me to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Murder, Infidelity, Kidnapping, 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
beca_reads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.
What a brilliant thriller, this had me gripped from the first page. Jaimie and Victoria go away just before Victoria's due date. On the first day Victoria suddenly goes into labour three weeks early, and they suddenly realise that they are alone, with no one to help them.
This book leans heavily into the psyche of a new mother and the anxiety and fear of bringing a baby into the world. It also shows the lengths people will go to repair past actions that could lead to serious consequence.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the main character Jaimie to have a disability specially cerebral palsy. Robin mentions in the acknowledgements the lack of disability representation within thriller's and I could not agree more, that there is a distinct lack within the thriller genre. Though Jaimie is shown to have his struggles with his disability and the discrimination he has faced, he is still seen as an independent character that is in a loving relationship, and is a business owner.
What a brilliant thriller, this had me gripped from the first page. Jaimie and Victoria go away just before Victoria's due date. On the first day Victoria suddenly goes into labour three weeks early, and they suddenly realise that they are alone, with no one to help them.
This book leans heavily into the psyche of a new mother and the anxiety and fear of bringing a baby into the world. It also shows the lengths people will go to repair past actions that could lead to serious consequence.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the main character Jaimie to have a disability specially cerebral palsy. Robin mentions in the acknowledgements the lack of disability representation within thriller's and I could not agree more, that there is a distinct lack within the thriller genre. Though Jaimie is shown to have his struggles with his disability and the discrimination he has faced, he is still seen as an independent character that is in a loving relationship, and is a business owner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Ableism, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Infertility, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Vomit, Chronic illness, and Violence
aliciaurbain's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Kidnapping
More...