ALC Review: The Guest by B.A. Paris
The Guest
Author: B.A. Paris
Narrator: Emily Joyce
To Be Published: February 20, 2024
Audiobook: 8 hours 14 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: January 4-9, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Audiobook Description:
Some secrets never leave.
Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.
As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Laure has seemingly moved in after her husband’s revelation that he has had a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris’s clothes, following her every move, and asking her about the recent death of the young man.
Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes from a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.
With fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive?
Jessica’s Review:
I have enjoyed B.A. Paris’ novels and hers will be ones I will pick up, but her last few have been less than enjoyable for me. I have also listened to those in audiobook format, so at this point I think her books I need to actually read versus listen to get everything I need to from the book and full enjoyment. This is no fault of the narrator, It just seems that Paris’ books I need to read.
The Guest is her newest novel coming out on February 20th, 2024. It is an extremely slow burn that shows how secrets and lies can affect everything and everyone. I did have trouble keeping the characters straight, even though it is not a huge cast of characters. I was totally engrossed in the story with the death and final words of one character given to another who decides to keep them secret from the mother. The rest I was not interested in. Once the body count started around 55% in is when the story got moving for me. There was so much buildup, but it was needed!
The chapters are short, but then when the novel is over we have the epilogue and that was almost an hour long! And there is where the ending of the novel comes together in an unexpected way, so I gave an extra half star to my rating for it.
I will have to try and read a physical copy of The Guest at some point because I know I missed so much with the audiobook in this case. I might even enjoy it better that second time around. Any future B.A. Paris books will be read!
Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan Audio for granting me an alc!
Audio ARC Review: The Prisoner by B.A. Paris
The Prisoner
Author: B.A. Paris
Narrator: Georgia Maguire
To Be Published: November 1, 2022
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 12-16, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 2.5 stars
Book Description:
Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.
But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?
Jessica’s Review:
I have enjoyed most of B.A. Paris’ novels, but last year’s The Therapist didn’t work for me and now The Prisoner failed me. And she started so strong with her debut of Behind Closed Doors.
We have Amelie who is our narrator for both past and present. And we get to know her and what has happened in her past to make her who she is today. The premise was intriguing for me: Amelie locked in a dark room alone, what’s she to do? Why is she being held there? Just what is going on?
The novel just became a muddled mess and I thought it was going in one direction, but it wasn’t. As it progressed and we started figuring things out at the end I found myself just not caring anymore. I felt this is a novel that had a lot of potential that just wasn’t for me. I did like that it shows how knowing some basic math and doing some quick figures can be important! I also liked how the chapters were short and that made the novel go by quicker. If the chapters had been longer, I don’t know if I would have completed it.
I listened to the audiobook and Georgia Maguire is the narrator. She is a new narrator for me and she portrayed Amelie very well. I felt the tension and fear that Amelie had when she was first in that room. I would be interested in listening to more from her.
Many thanks to the publisher Macmillian Audio for granting me an audio arc to listen to and review. I just wish my review had been favorable.
Pre-order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Therapist by B.A. Paris
The Therapist
Author: B.A. Paris
Published: July 13, 2021
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: August 25 -31, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 2 stars
Book Description:
When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…
As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.
Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…
Jessica’s Review:
**Minor spoilers**
I am a B.A. Paris fan and have really enjoyed all her other books, until The Therapist. This one was just lackluster as it moved very slowly for me. I also did not connect with Alice and she just seemed too caught up in trying to figure out what really happened to the former resident Nina, who was murdered in the apartment. Once Alice found out about Nina’s murder after moving in, she stayed?!?!?! Leo didn’t bother to tell her when he bought the house!?!?! WHAT!?!?!? Yeah, they totally don’t have a good relationship.
Maybe it was that I listened to the audiobook on this one and have actually read the others. Sometimes audiobooks are hit or miss. I just had no feeling of suspense listening to The Therapist and by the time we got to the ending I wasn’t shocked or really cared with this one.
Since I have enjoyed all of her other novels, I will continue to read anything else she writes. I highly recommend her first novel: Behind Closed Doors. Read that one!
Purchase Links
Amazon US
Amazon UK