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brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this. I liked that it was duel timelines because I find it easy to get engaged because you want to know what going on in the time lines. I did think this was going to be like an isolated thriller and it was to an extent, but not as much as I hoped. I also liked the true crime aspect to this because I honestly had no clue what this was about so that was a fun surprise. That being said I did guess everything because I thought it was obvious, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Abortion, Car accident, Confinement, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual violence
rishel's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Vomit
matthewsalibi's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Really hated it. The contortions the author has to go through to make the twists work spoiled the story for me, because nothing really makes sense. I saw most of the twists a mile off and could not have cared less about the final whodunit. The main character is a brat who argues with people who DEFINITELY know better than she does about their own safety. The brutal stuff is a little too brutal for my liking without enough payoff. The final confrontation takes way too long.
Also, not a huge spoiler to say, the abducted-woman-held-prisoner trope is one of my least favorite of all the hacky thriller tropes, and I think I am just going to have to implement a rule where I refuse to read any more of them unless it seems like the author might subvert the trope in an interesting way, because otherwise they only ever annoy me!
The thing that structurally did not work at all about this book is we're supposed to believe Wylie is a true crime writer, but we never see her think or talk about the crime itself or the house she's living in, which really should be driving the suspense of the book -- so right away, that was a big clue that she's one of the folks from the other stories, because why else would the Gudenkauf not leverage the very intriguing and creepy setup of a true crime writer isolated by a storm in the house where her most recent subjects died to ratchet up the tension? But she's boxed herself in because all Wylie's memories of the crime are personal, so we can't really know her thoughts about it without spoiling the reveal.
Some of the plot holes that annoyed me: you're telling me this crime happened to Wylie and she just finished writing a book about it, and not only is there NO doubt in her mind about who committed the crime (the evidence is pretty inconclusive), it also NEVER occurs to her that the mysterious stranger who shows up on the doorstep of the crime scene and is the right age as the missing person might be related to the case, and FURTHER she does not recognize her childhood best friend who she just wrote a book about, even though she DOES immediately recognize the person she thought was their assailant? I mean.... what a terrible, terrible book, and I am mad at it.
Also, not a huge spoiler to say, the abducted-woman-held-prisoner trope is one of my least favorite of all the hacky thriller tropes, and I think I am just going to have to implement a rule where I refuse to read any more of them unless it seems like the author might subvert the trope in an interesting way, because otherwise they only ever annoy me!
Some of the plot holes that annoyed me: you're telling me this crime happened to Wylie and she just finished writing a book about it, and not only is there NO doubt in her mind about who committed the crime (the evidence is pretty inconclusive), it also NEVER occurs to her that the mysterious stranger who shows up on the doorstep of the crime scene and is the right age as the missing person might be related to the case, and FURTHER she does not recognize her childhood best friend who she just wrote a book about, even though she DOES immediately recognize the person she thought was their assailant? I mean.... what a terrible, terrible book, and I am mad at it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Murder
ohhthehorrors's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Death, Grief, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
jmbibliophile's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It isn’t the dark you should be afraid of… It’s the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear.”
True crime writer, Wylie Lark, has holed up in a small-town farmhouse determined to finish her latest book. Tonight, she’s snowed in due to a brutal blizzard. The solitude would make for a perfect setting - if the house wasn’t also the scene of Burden’s most gruesome crime. As the night goes on, Wylie’s dog discovers a small child nearly frozen in the snow. Wylie rescues the child to find that they are malnourished with remnants of duct tape on their mouth. She tries to get answers but is met with intense fear and silence. It doesn’t take Wylie long to realize she’s taken in a runaway and there’s someone out there that will do anything to get them back.
Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, The Overnight Guest is an intensely captivating thriller that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. While reading this book, I found myself becoming an armchair detective, trying to connect the dots between the characters and events from the past. I was able to predict several of the twists in this book, but still found myself immersed in the story despite that. Gudenkauf’s writing is atmospheric and detailed with an ending that leaves you completely satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for my fellow thriller fans and armchair detectives. Even if you’re a seasoned armchair detective who can solve the craziest of mysteries, I absolutely believe you’ll enjoy this wild ride.
Content Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual assault, kidnapping, captivity, gaslighting, police brutality, child abuse
(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of The Overnight Guest by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
True crime writer, Wylie Lark, has holed up in a small-town farmhouse determined to finish her latest book. Tonight, she’s snowed in due to a brutal blizzard. The solitude would make for a perfect setting - if the house wasn’t also the scene of Burden’s most gruesome crime. As the night goes on, Wylie’s dog discovers a small child nearly frozen in the snow. Wylie rescues the child to find that they are malnourished with remnants of duct tape on their mouth. She tries to get answers but is met with intense fear and silence. It doesn’t take Wylie long to realize she’s taken in a runaway and there’s someone out there that will do anything to get them back.
Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, The Overnight Guest is an intensely captivating thriller that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. While reading this book, I found myself becoming an armchair detective, trying to connect the dots between the characters and events from the past. I was able to predict several of the twists in this book, but still found myself immersed in the story despite that. Gudenkauf’s writing is atmospheric and detailed with an ending that leaves you completely satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for my fellow thriller fans and armchair detectives. Even if you’re a seasoned armchair detective who can solve the craziest of mysteries, I absolutely believe you’ll enjoy this wild ride.
Content Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual assault, kidnapping, captivity, gaslighting, police brutality, child abuse
(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of The Overnight Guest by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Vomit, Rape, and Physical abuse
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