Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mary_silva_21 's review for:
The Guest House
by Robin Morgan-Bentley
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Net Galley and the author for the advance copy.
I loved this book. I’d label it horror as a mother of three! What an ingenious premise and a very interesting structure. I am not often surprised by twists and turns but this one got me! I speedread it as I was sick with fear. This book was absorbing and compelling and I read in one sitting.
The plot is told via dual timelines and these were very easy to follow. We get Jamie and Victoria’s perspectives both present and past. The pacing seemed almost frenetic as we sped back and forth trying to understand what happened. We know they did not come home with a baby, but what happened? I kept reading to find out first if he was alive and second what happened and who did actually die? The author dropped just a few nuggets with each chapter to keep me reading.
At first, I thought what had happened was totally unbelievable but the actual reveal delighted me as I didn’t particularly like those two characters. They were not portrayed as monsters, just not as mothers/women I would admire. It was nice to see the dad be the good guy for a change. Jamie was not totally lovable and so quite human, but he did his bit as a father. I enjoyed the author’s note where he discussed normalizing disabled main characters. It was educational to see how someone with cerebral palsy navigates his day-to-day life and how insensitive people can be. He was ultimately the better parent despite all the circumstances.
I see Lucy Foley, Shari Lapena and Ruth Ware fans enjoying this book. Just stick with it as the beginning is a bit different and filled me with such a sense of dread. It picks up steam and is a very unique take on a thriller.
I loved this book. I’d label it horror as a mother of three! What an ingenious premise and a very interesting structure. I am not often surprised by twists and turns but this one got me! I speedread it as I was sick with fear. This book was absorbing and compelling and I read in one sitting.
The plot is told via dual timelines and these were very easy to follow. We get Jamie and Victoria’s perspectives both present and past. The pacing seemed almost frenetic as we sped back and forth trying to understand what happened. We know they did not come home with a baby, but what happened? I kept reading to find out first if he was alive and second what happened and who did actually die? The author dropped just a few nuggets with each chapter to keep me reading.
At first, I thought what had happened was totally unbelievable but the actual reveal delighted me as I didn’t particularly like those two characters. They were not portrayed as monsters, just not as mothers/women I would admire. It was nice to see the dad be the good guy for a change. Jamie was not totally lovable and so quite human, but he did his bit as a father. I enjoyed the author’s note where he discussed normalizing disabled main characters. It was educational to see how someone with cerebral palsy navigates his day-to-day life and how insensitive people can be. He was ultimately the better parent despite all the circumstances.
I see Lucy Foley, Shari Lapena and Ruth Ware fans enjoying this book. Just stick with it as the beginning is a bit different and filled me with such a sense of dread. It picks up steam and is a very unique take on a thriller.