The Guest House
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-27 09:51:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robin Morgan-Bentley
- ISBN：1409194221
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
THEY HAVE YOUR CHILD。
THEY WILL KEEP HIM SAFE。
SO LONG AS YOU DO WHAT THEY SAY。。。
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby。
With a few weeks to go， they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines。 The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents。 Upon arrival， they are greeted by Barry and Fiona， the older couple who run the guesthouse。 They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves。
The next morning， Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted。 Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen。 All the doors are locked。 Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared。 Even though it's a few weeks early， Victoria knows the contractions are starting。
The baby is coming， and there's no way out。
THEY WILL KEEP HIM SAFE。
SO LONG AS YOU DO WHAT THEY SAY。。。
Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby。
With a few weeks to go， they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines。 The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents。 Upon arrival， they are greeted by Barry and Fiona， the older couple who run the guesthouse。 They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves。
The next morning， Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted。 Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen。 All the doors are locked。 Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared。 Even though it's a few weeks early， Victoria knows the contractions are starting。
The baby is coming， and there's no way out。
Reviews
Tracie Gutknecht
，
Contemporary FictionVictoria and Jamie are just about to have their first born child， They decide to take a quick holiday before the baby comes。 They check into a guest house in a remote location。 Before the first night is even over， Victoria has gone into labor and their patrons seem to have disappeared while locking them in。 It was a bang up way to start off the book， unfortunately it trudged along after that initial burst。 The timeline shifts back and forth as well as the POV， so the plot sho Contemporary FictionVictoria and Jamie are just about to have their first born child， They decide to take a quick holiday before the baby comes。 They check into a guest house in a remote location。 Before the first night is even over， Victoria has gone into labor and their patrons seem to have disappeared while locking them in。 It was a bang up way to start off the book， unfortunately it trudged along after that initial burst。 The timeline shifts back and forth as well as the POV， so the plot should have moved quickly， but it just didn't。 The details of the confrontation that must happen are very slowly revealed。 The author takes so much time getting there that it was pretty easy to forecast the outcome。 There were two minor surprises for me at the very end of the book， but it wasn't enough to move this book into the good category。 This book has a lot going for it， a unique premise， complex characters and a creepy setting it just fell a bit short and ended up in the OK column。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel。 。。。more
imsongofsongs
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I absolutely loved loved loved this book。 I didn’t let my husband speak to me until I finished。 First of all， it is about time someone with a physical disability is a protagonist in a novel。 Jamie’s disability was a part of him， but his heart and soul were the important part of him。 The writing was riveting and the characters full of flaws， which is what should be when writing a good book。。 one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time。 Bravo！
Hazel
，
Reading Stuff 'n' ThingsThis is a compelling and disturbing read and whilst it may be a tad unbelievable and OTT in places， it is enjoyable and rather riveting and has a premise like no other I have read before。The characters are well developed and whilst you may not like some of them very much， this works well with the story。 It is written in the past and present which helps to build the tension and intrigue until the killer twist is revealed。Recommended to those who enjoy something a little di Reading Stuff 'n' ThingsThis is a compelling and disturbing read and whilst it may be a tad unbelievable and OTT in places， it is enjoyable and rather riveting and has a premise like no other I have read before。The characters are well developed and whilst you may not like some of them very much， this works well with the story。 It is written in the past and present which helps to build the tension and intrigue until the killer twist is revealed。Recommended to those who enjoy something a little different with plenty of suspense and thanks go to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Guest House and to share my thoughts。 。。。more
Kevin
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4。5 starsReview to follow。
bookishcharli
，
Holy moly what an absolutely wonderful read this book was， talk about locked room thrillers！！！。 I couldn’t put it down！ I was gripped from start to finish trying to figure it all out in my mind。 I connected with Victoria and Jamie instantly and I just wanted to see them get out alive， along with the baby， oh man。 Poor Victoria！ If you only read one book this year， make it this one。
Claire （c。isfor。claire_reads）
，
Dark， and full of twists and I've loved every minute I've listened to this on audiobook。It had me gripped from the opening sentence。 Joanna Froggatt's narration of Victoria was just perfect。I've been totally engrossed in this story。 8 couldn't sense which way the twists were goring to go， and there were some major ones。 Alternating between Jamie and Victoria's voices， from the present day， back to the events at the Guest House。Fast paced， dark， everything a thriller should be。 It ticked all my b Dark， and full of twists and I've loved every minute I've listened to this on audiobook。It had me gripped from the opening sentence。 Joanna Froggatt's narration of Victoria was just perfect。I've been totally engrossed in this story。 8 couldn't sense which way the twists were goring to go， and there were some major ones。 Alternating between Jamie and Victoria's voices， from the present day， back to the events at the Guest House。Fast paced， dark， everything a thriller should be。 It ticked all my boxes。 One of my favourites so far this year。 。。。more
Karen Makeham
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Victoria and Jamie drive from London to the Pennines for a break at a guesthouse， before their first baby is due。 Victoria goes into early labour，and they find themselves locked in the guesthouse by the owners Barry and Fiona， until the baby is born。The book then moves to a month afterwards。 The book is told from the two dates， so moves forward and back until the whole story is revealed。When Jamie and April felt trapped they made some bad decisions which affected them both in different ways late Victoria and Jamie drive from London to the Pennines for a break at a guesthouse， before their first baby is due。 Victoria goes into early labour，and they find themselves locked in the guesthouse by the owners Barry and Fiona， until the baby is born。The book then moves to a month afterwards。 The book is told from the two dates， so moves forward and back until the whole story is revealed。When Jamie and April felt trapped they made some bad decisions which affected them both in different ways later。 Can they ever break the hold of the guesthouse？ What really happened with the baby？ Great conclusion and very good book。 I enjoyed piecing it all together and seeing the whole perspective。 。。。more
Hannah Symonds
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This was a superb thriller that is full of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read on。 It was thought provoking and I felt as though I needed to know what happened straight away so read it in one sitting。 The main characters are Jamie and Victoria who decide to go for a weekend away to a remote part of the North Pennines， they are expecting a baby very soon so need a break but when things start to go wrong and Victoria starts having contractions will they all be ok？ there is also a major t This was a superb thriller that is full of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read on。 It was thought provoking and I felt as though I needed to know what happened straight away so read it in one sitting。 The main characters are Jamie and Victoria who decide to go for a weekend away to a remote part of the North Pennines， they are expecting a baby very soon so need a break but when things start to go wrong and Victoria starts having contractions will they all be ok？ there is also a major twist in the story that was very unexpected but oh so good， I liked how we as the readers also find out what actually happened too， with the timeline that runs alongside the other story。 Such a great read from Robin。 。。。more
Julie Lacey
，
This is a great psychological thriller。 Victoria and Jamie are expecting their first child and just before her due date they go away for a few days。 Things don’t go to plan and soon Victoria is in labour at the guest house and the owners seem to have taken their phones and car keys。 I can’t say much else about the story as there’s quite a few twists and turns and I don’t want to spoil it。 This is a great thriller that will certainly keep you guessing what’s really going on， right up until the la This is a great psychological thriller。 Victoria and Jamie are expecting their first child and just before her due date they go away for a few days。 Things don’t go to plan and soon Victoria is in labour at the guest house and the owners seem to have taken their phones and car keys。 I can’t say much else about the story as there’s quite a few twists and turns and I don’t want to spoil it。 This is a great thriller that will certainly keep you guessing what’s really going on， right up until the last page。 Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Charlie Morris （Read， Watch & Drink Coffee）
，
A fast-paced and intriguing mystery， The Guest House is a chilling and tense story that will leave you breathless in the race to find out what actually happened at the ominous guest house。While I enjoyed this overall， there are two main things that prevented me from engaging with it more， so I'll get those out of the way。 The first is a personal preference as I find it really difficult to read about infants in danger， and there was too much of that here for me。 While I'm all for dark thrillers t A fast-paced and intriguing mystery， The Guest House is a chilling and tense story that will leave you breathless in the race to find out what actually happened at the ominous guest house。While I enjoyed this overall， there are two main things that prevented me from engaging with it more， so I'll get those out of the way。 The first is a personal preference as I find it really difficult to read about infants in danger， and there was too much of that here for me。 While I'm all for dark thrillers that can instil that sense of dread in you and I believe there are ways around this subject that can invest you in a story more emotionally， it's the one thing that I find too uncomfortable to read about and I don't think it felt necessary enough here。My second issue is that book includes one of my thriller pet peeves， which is when an early chapter is revealed to be a false account that couldn't have happened once you know the outcome。 I love when a narration tricks you into believing something else， but when you've read something that obviously didn't happen in that way at all， I find this a lazy way to add a shocking twist， which left me annoyed rather than shocked。But there's a lot of great potential in this story at the same time。 I loved the atmosphere， the mystery， and the duo timelines work really well alongside each to build up to the truth。 However， The Guest House is one of those books that you will love or hate， as it relies on your personal connection to the story and how you think they would react in the same circumstances。At first， I thought everything was far too ludicrous， but I kept up some hope that the answers at the end would justify everything going on。 And for the most part， the end did provide me with the answers that I needed and there are some extra twists that I really wasn't expecting。 But overall， I'm left feeling fooled rather than deceived， and it didn't work well enough for me in the bigger context of the story。 。。。more
Kath
，
If I have one thing to stress about this book is that please try and get to the end。 I know that there are parts that will make you wonder and maybe doubt what you are reading but， if you have faith and do manage to stick with it and get to the end， it will all become clear and finally make sense。 I do fear however that the journey may lose a few along the way as there is a lot of bonkersness going on and a lot of motivation questioning of certain characters。So， we follow Jamie and Victoria as t If I have one thing to stress about this book is that please try and get to the end。 I know that there are parts that will make you wonder and maybe doubt what you are reading but， if you have faith and do manage to stick with it and get to the end， it will all become clear and finally make sense。 I do fear however that the journey may lose a few along the way as there is a lot of bonkersness going on and a lot of motivation questioning of certain characters。So， we follow Jamie and Victoria as they take their final weekend break prior to becoming first time parents。 It's not long now until the day that will change their world。 Although， that day is about to come a lot sooner and will change their world in a whole different way to the direction they thought they were going。。。 And that's all I am saying。。。And so begins the bonkers， and implausibility， and weirdness， and out of character， unintelligent decision making。。。 Which， all that aside， is one heck of a ride。。。 And， with the benefit of the hindsight you will get when you get to the end， will all eventually make perfect （if insane） sense。。。If you want credibility and non-crazy characters then this probably isn't the book for you。 But if you are willing to let certain things ride， to put aside your questions and confusion， and just go with the flow， then you might just be pleasantly surprised and rewarded。I did， and I was。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Bekah Lees
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Jamie and Victora are due their 1st child within weeks， and decide to have one last break together before their new life as 3 begins。 They head off into the remote countryside to their home for the weekend and meet the owners。 Of course， baby decides it's coming early， however the owners are missing - as are their phones and keys。 They're stuck。 The twist in the book was fairly far fetched and frankly unbelievable， but I read this book as fast as I could to see where it was going！Great job on Ja Jamie and Victora are due their 1st child within weeks， and decide to have one last break together before their new life as 3 begins。 They head off into the remote countryside to their home for the weekend and meet the owners。 Of course， baby decides it's coming early， however the owners are missing - as are their phones and keys。 They're stuck。 The twist in the book was fairly far fetched and frankly unbelievable， but I read this book as fast as I could to see where it was going！Great job on Jamie having Cerebral Palsy， it's about time some disabled protagonists came to light！Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Annarella
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The author is an excellent storyteller as this story kept me hooked and on the edge even if I found the plot fairly unbelievable。That said I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the story even if it's a bit disturbing at times。It's fast paced and kept my attention alive， I appreciated the style of writing and the character development。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine The author is an excellent storyteller as this story kept me hooked and on the edge even if I found the plot fairly unbelievable。That said I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the story even if it's a bit disturbing at times。It's fast paced and kept my attention alive， I appreciated the style of writing and the character development。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Stuart Cummins
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Brilliantly crafted， twisted thriller that keeps getting darker…Every now and again a thriller comes along that kicks your legs out from under you with just how twisted and surprising it is。 The Guest House is that thriller！ I was absolutely engrossed in the horror of this story， but entirely bowled over by the multiple twists and shifts in direction that I never saw coming。 Like most crime fiction readers， I’m down for a good twist， but for a book to pull off as many as three major， unexpected Brilliantly crafted， twisted thriller that keeps getting darker…Every now and again a thriller comes along that kicks your legs out from under you with just how twisted and surprising it is。 The Guest House is that thriller！ I was absolutely engrossed in the horror of this story， but entirely bowled over by the multiple twists and shifts in direction that I never saw coming。 Like most crime fiction readers， I’m down for a good twist， but for a book to pull off as many as three major， unexpected reveals is nigh on sheer genius from the author。 Morgan-Bentley is unrelenting in his revelations and that propels this story into rollercoaster territory。 I felt a plethora of emotions， bit my nails to the quick， audibly gasped multiple times and didn’t once want to put this book down （it was physically removed from my hands on a couple of occasions！）。 This book is simply a must-read for fans of fast-paced and dark thrillers that are exceptionally well plotted and written。I really enjoyed the format of the novel， which alternated between present day events after Jamie and Victoria’s ordeal at the guest house and the past events of that trauma。 This meant that tension was being built on two fronts， which makes this a complete page-turner。 As the truth of what happened at the guest house is gradually revealed in all its shocking glory， suspense and anguish is also spiralling out of the precarious nature of Jamie and Victoria’s relationship after these events。 As well as a fantastic thriller about extreme circumstances， The Guest House is also an astute examination of a relationship in the aftermath of it。 The unravelling of Jamie and Victoria’s marriage is as equally fascinating to read as the tragedy at the guest house is。 Both of these central characters have had so much life breathed into them that I felt a genuine sorrow for them。 Similarly， I felt a palpable， visceral hatred towards Fiona and Barry。 I love when a book sparks such intense reactions when I read and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch fictional characters as much as Fiona and Barry （I still do want to！）。 I perhaps felt such strong emotions because I was reading this novel as a fellow parent and transporting myself into Jamie’s shoes。 This man is a hero and has fast become one of my favourite male characters in literature！ I can’t mention Jamie without mentioning his cerebral palsy。 Morgan-Bentley is paving the way for disability visibility in commercial fiction and I can’t applaud him enough for how he has woven Jamie’s condition into the very soul of his character and the heart of the book。 Whilst the physical restrictions that Jamie faces certainly add to the tension in some of the action scenes， it is the everyday impact that resonates throughout the narrative。 I have a newfound awareness of what sort of impact cerebral palsy has on an individual and a newfound respect for someone who is facing the prospect of becoming a parent whilst managing this condition。 I think it’s a true achievement to have given me as a reader that gift so organically。 This is not a book about a character with cerebral palsy， it’s a book that happens to have a character with cerebral palsy in it。 I really hope to find more books that have this kind of representation within their pages。I can’t recommend this novel enough。 It ticks ALL of the boxes: plot， character， twists， locations， well written prose and above all， incredibly entertaining （in a deliciously dark and sinister way😏）！ 。。。more
Tess Lloyd
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I loved the premise of this book but， sadly， the execution just didn't work for me。 I really struggled to get through it。 I loved the premise of this book but， sadly， the execution just didn't work for me。 I really struggled to get through it。 。。。more
Sherri Thacker
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Let’s meet Victoria and Jamie who are expecting their first baby。 They decide to get away for a few days and rent a guest house。 While there， Victoria goes into labor but the doors are locked， they can’t find the keys and their mobile phones are no where to be found。 Told in alternating chapters， I found myself second guessing what I had just read because it was fast forwarding then backtracking。 But this book kept me on my toes！ So many twists kept coming and coming。 The ending was mind blowing Let’s meet Victoria and Jamie who are expecting their first baby。 They decide to get away for a few days and rent a guest house。 While there， Victoria goes into labor but the doors are locked， they can’t find the keys and their mobile phones are no where to be found。 Told in alternating chapters， I found myself second guessing what I had just read because it was fast forwarding then backtracking。 But this book kept me on my toes！ So many twists kept coming and coming。 The ending was mind blowing！！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review。 To be published September 2022。 。。。more
Beth
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2。5 starsHaving recently read the authors previous book The Wreckage and gave it 4 stars， I was looking forward to reading this and the blurb had me excited to start it。Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book much at all。First of all， the beginning felt rushed。 I do enjoy when a story dives in straight away， but this felt like you are dropped right in it with no real background as to what is going on。I felt like the flash forward chapters really spoiled any tension/intrigue that the author was tr 2。5 starsHaving recently read the authors previous book The Wreckage and gave it 4 stars， I was looking forward to reading this and the blurb had me excited to start it。Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book much at all。First of all， the beginning felt rushed。 I do enjoy when a story dives in straight away， but this felt like you are dropped right in it with no real background as to what is going on。I felt like the flash forward chapters really spoiled any tension/intrigue that the author was trying to put across。 So because of that there didn't really feel any need to keep reading。The characters （especially Barry & Fiona） lacked depth and felt very 2D。I really struggled to connect to the story and never cared about any of the characters， so as the book went on， I lost more and more interest。The plot is quite slow and there is not much pay off by the end。I finished this feeling very disappointed after having enjoyed this author before， this was a big let down。However there are many good reviews for this， so maybe I'm the exception？Thanks to Orion and Netgalley for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Hayley
，
I had the privilege of seeing Morgan-Bentley talk about The Guest House at the 2021 Harrogate Theakstons Crime Festival and I was chomping at the bit to read it！ Boy did it not disappoint。 We meet couple Victoria and Jamie， after a few arduous rounds of IFV they finally have their miracle baby on the way。 Only a few weeks away from her due date， they get away for a much needed weekend getaway at a remote country house。 Upon arriving， they are the only guests there， but the owners Fiona and Barry I had the privilege of seeing Morgan-Bentley talk about The Guest House at the 2021 Harrogate Theakstons Crime Festival and I was chomping at the bit to read it！ Boy did it not disappoint。 We meet couple Victoria and Jamie， after a few arduous rounds of IFV they finally have their miracle baby on the way。 Only a few weeks away from her due date， they get away for a much needed weekend getaway at a remote country house。 Upon arriving， they are the only guests there， but the owners Fiona and Barry are friendly。 The next morning Fiona wakes up - her contractions have started early。 Jamie frantically looks for his car keys， but when he can't find them he goes in search of the owners。 They are nowhere to be seen。 Fast forward a month， Jamie and Victoria are separated and grieving the loss of their child。 However， they keep getting threatening letters telling them to keep their mouths shut。 What happened at the guest house？ Why do they have to spin a tale as to how they lost their child？This is one powerhouse of a book！ It hooked it's grips into me and dragged me on one hell of a ride。 I can honestly say I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming。 I love the fact that a protagonist （Jamie） is representing a disability and the barriers and thoughtless comments that he faces daily were so honestly written， it gave me food for thought。 The chapters alternate between the present day and 1 month ago。 Be prepared to go down the rabbit hole as some parts of the story are utterly bonkers， yet fully immersive。 If you want a gripping thriller for your summer holidays then look no further！ 。。。more
Louise Wilson
，
With a few weeks to go until her first baby is due， Jamie and Victoria head off for a weekend break in a small countryside guesthouse。 The next morning， Jamie and Victoria awake to find the guesthouse has been emptied。 Both their mobile phones and their car keys have disappeared， the owners are no place to be seen， and all the doors are locked。 Even though it's only a few weeks early， Victoria knows the contractions are starting。 And there's no way out。。。。I was quickly pulled into this story。 Yo With a few weeks to go until her first baby is due， Jamie and Victoria head off for a weekend break in a small countryside guesthouse。 The next morning， Jamie and Victoria awake to find the guesthouse has been emptied。 Both their mobile phones and their car keys have disappeared， the owners are no place to be seen， and all the doors are locked。 Even though it's only a few weeks early， Victoria knows the contractions are starting。 And there's no way out。。。。I was quickly pulled into this story。 You know the inevitable is going to happen when it involves a remote location， this time it's the North Pennines。 The characters are complex and unlikeable。 The story has a dual timeline， the time spent in the guesthouse and after their visit。 The plotline is unpredictable， the ending I never saw coming。 I liked the authors writing style。 This is a gripping and shocking read with a few surprises along the way。I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroupUK and the author #RobinMorganBentley for my ARC of #TheGuestHouse in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Shelley Winsor
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This was a fast read for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it！ I was at first， disappointed that it didn't all take place at one time （while they were locked in the Guesthouse） but then I thought it rather clever。 It is told during the time they are locked in the guesthouse and after they made their escape。 The writing was great and I was eager to turn pages。 The twist I didn't see coming but I was getting a bit bored with not knowing what happened at the house， and started to dislike both characters。 This was a fast read for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it！ I was at first， disappointed that it didn't all take place at one time （while they were locked in the Guesthouse） but then I thought it rather clever。 It is told during the time they are locked in the guesthouse and after they made their escape。 The writing was great and I was eager to turn pages。 The twist I didn't see coming but I was getting a bit bored with not knowing what happened at the house， and started to dislike both characters。This is a fun and easy read though so if you are looking for something like that， you should pick this one up！ 。。。more
Jessica
，
Robin Morgan-Bentley is a new favorite thriller author。 His story kept me reading until the end！ This is book I could not put down！
Sue Plant
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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this bookthink i must be in the minority as i wasnt enjoying this book as much as i thought i was going to and in fact was looking for things to rather than pick it up again。。。not one for me sorry
Amolika
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Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC。I liked this book and it has a lot of potential。 The author does a really good at making the reader angry at most of the characters because they’re so unlikable and terrible people; you just wish the worst for them。 This is a positive thing and keeps your heart pumping because you aren’t supposed to like these characters。 I really liked and appreciated the inclusion of Jamie having cerebral palsy， but I thought Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC。I liked this book and it has a lot of potential。 The author does a really good at making the reader angry at most of the characters because they’re so unlikable and terrible people; you just wish the worst for them。 This is a positive thing and keeps your heart pumping because you aren’t supposed to like these characters。 I really liked and appreciated the inclusion of Jamie having cerebral palsy， but I thought he was a bit pathetic and passive。 Though it is nice to see him become his own person in the end。The plot summary is that Victoria and Jamie are expecting。 They stay at a guest house and then are trapped when Victoria is in labour; the owners of the guest house nowhere to be found。The beginning of the story was really boring to me and took too long to pique my interest。 It took me like 3 days to get through the first quarter of the book and I'm not a slow reader。 I think part of that is not understanding why the couple felt so trapped。 This story is told in a dual timelines and （dual） perspectives， which is fine but I thought the whole contractions sections were just repetitive and did the opposite of upping the tension。 However the ending and unravelling of everything was the best part of this book。 The ending utilizes letters and I’m a complete sucker for them because well-done letters allow the reader to understand a character’s voice and thought process。 I was hooked and cared about the consequences for the main characters。 It is disturbing and reminiscent of true crime documentaries so the believability is there for me。Overall， I do not regret reading this book and the book left me a lot to think about， which is important to me。 I’d give this book a 3。5 stars and I would recommend it for the most part， but it’s not my favourite read of the year。 I feel like other people would enjoy this book more than me。 。。。more
Dee
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⭐️ 4 ⭐️I was pulled onboard from the premise of The Guest House and thoroughly enjoyed the whole tense， twisty journey。 It’s well-paced and the suspense builds nicely from chapter to chapter。I love a thriller with a remote backdrop and I could picture the location perfectly from Robin Morgan-Bentley’s detailed description。 It’s well-written， with relatable， well-developed characters; although I didn’t particularly warm to any of the main characters， I did feel for them。The Guest House is a chill ⭐️ 4 ⭐️I was pulled onboard from the premise of The Guest House and thoroughly enjoyed the whole tense， twisty journey。 It’s well-paced and the suspense builds nicely from chapter to chapter。I love a thriller with a remote backdrop and I could picture the location perfectly from Robin Morgan-Bentley’s detailed description。 It’s well-written， with relatable， well-developed characters; although I didn’t particularly warm to any of the main characters， I did feel for them。The Guest House is a chilling， entertaining read with an intriguing storyline and a couple of twists I didn’t predict。Looking forward to reading more from Robin Morgan-Bentley in the future。Many thanks to the publisher for my copy， in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 。。。more
Debby*BabyDee
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Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。Rating: 3/5 StarsPublishing: September 13， 2022Pages: 320“The Guest House” is a first time read by Robin Morgan-Bentley， new author to this reader。 I do love on occasion taking a step back from the romance genre and diving into a good thriller sometimes。 With that being said， I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this book。 The story seemed more psychological than Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。Rating: 3/5 StarsPublishing: September 13， 2022Pages: 320“The Guest House” is a first time read by Robin Morgan-Bentley， new author to this reader。 I do love on occasion taking a step back from the romance genre and diving into a good thriller sometimes。 With that being said， I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this book。 The story seemed more psychological than mystery/thriller。The story is about Jamie and Victoria who are expecting their first child after having a hard time conceiving。 They planned to travel before the baby’s birth to a guest house in a rural country of England that was arranged by Victoria。 Upon arrival， all does not seem amiss as the couple that runs the facility takes care of their needs， as well as get to know them while they a guest at the house。 Unfortunately， Victoria goes into labor well before her time and the story goes downhill。I am not a big fan of dual timelines because they can become quite confusing when reading stories。 In this case， the present telling of the story was a giveaway for the past。 That made the plot not so much a mystery or thriller。 Having almost DNF， I continued reading and noted that some parts of the story became unrealistic and repetitive。 There was no connection to the characters and their plight…the only exception was Jamie。 There were twists， turns and an unexpected ending that I wasn’t anticipating， however the slow burn to get to that ending was way too long。I couldn’t wrap my head around Victoria’s need to travel to destination far from civilization knowing she is weeks away from having her first child。 I thought her a bit selfish and snooty。 Did not understand Jamie agreeing to going along with the weekend trip， however chalked it up to his kindhearted nature…much the opposite of Victoria。 And， his character development due his disability was nicely written in the story…I guess that was one love I had。 Other than that， this wasn’t a homerun。 If not for the dual storylines， this would have been an enjoyable read。 My rating is in part to the author’s writing， Jamie’s character， and his disability inclusion。 。。。more
Rebecca Evans
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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 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。 。。。more
Amanda Holyoak
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This was another superb book by this author， a follow up to his debut The Wreckage。 I loved the dual perspective and dual timeline which followed the aftermath of a frightening scenario where Jamie and Victoria find themselves locked in a Guest House with Victoria about to give birth。 This book was tense and compelling with a fast moving plot。 The characters were well drawn and authentic， and the book was very effectively structured。 Whilst I anticipated one of the outcomes shortly before the en This was another superb book by this author， a follow up to his debut The Wreckage。 I loved the dual perspective and dual timeline which followed the aftermath of a frightening scenario where Jamie and Victoria find themselves locked in a Guest House with Victoria about to give birth。 This book was tense and compelling with a fast moving plot。 The characters were well drawn and authentic， and the book was very effectively structured。 Whilst I anticipated one of the outcomes shortly before the end， the book still had secrets to reveal and I was gripped until the end。 Overall an excellent， and compelling read。 I look forward to reading the author's next book。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Ellen
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Review to follow over at CompulsiveReaders。com on the 24th of June！
Kate Rock
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Excellent！ How far would you go to protect the ones you love？A tense， domestic thriller with some great twists that you will race through！
Chantelle Hazelden
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I actually tweeted the author when I was part way through reading the story that I was firmly on the edge of my seat。It's all quite chilling right from the first chapter。Jamie and Victoria appear to be a rather normal couple， who arrive at a remote guest house just a few weeks before their first baby is due。 However what was meant to be a short and relaxing break turns into something much less like a holiday and more like a prison stay。 Upon arrival they are greeted by the owners Fiona and Barry I actually tweeted the author when I was part way through reading the story that I was firmly on the edge of my seat。It's all quite chilling right from the first chapter。Jamie and Victoria appear to be a rather normal couple， who arrive at a remote guest house just a few weeks before their first baby is due。 However what was meant to be a short and relaxing break turns into something much less like a holiday and more like a prison stay。 Upon arrival they are greeted by the owners Fiona and Barry， a nice enough couple that kindly offer dinner after such a long drive。 The atmosphere even at this point felt heavy and aboding。 After a nights sleep - just as they're supposed to be beginning to soak up the peace and quiet -Victoria goes into labour but their phones have vanished， the car keys are missing and they've been locked in。 Where are Barry and Fiona and how are they going to get to the nearest hospital？Time to start panicking。I'd say it's obvious from the tone of my post but let me say it plainly， I loved this book。An obscure plot told from 2 main points of view， Victoria and Jamie。 It's written in a way that takes us from past to present， slowly filling in the gaps。 Only letting us as the reader know small details， cleverly keeping the suspense at an all time high。What happened at that guest house？ Where is baby Danny？ And just how did Jamie and Victoria make it out alive？All is not as it first appears。 Cleverly plotted， I really enjoyed the twists， right until the very end。 Prepare to be left with your mouth wide open。 The whole time I was reading I felt desperation。 Victoria's emotions were erratic and at times irrational and this for me really added to the tension。My only negative thought is that I didn't warm to Fiona as a character， quite two dimensional， flat， given the circumstances。 But the rest of the cast were able to make the story work still。The Guest House has me not wanting to go to any Air B&Bs any time soon！Highly recommended。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Guest House
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Guest House&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Guest House&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0