Scan barcode
A review by vanishing_librarian
The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley
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