Reviews

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

meijke's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

snootybeans's review against another edition

3.0

Thank you @parkrowbooks and @heathergudenkauf for this #arccopy of The Overnight Guest! And happy belated pub day (Jan 25).

Told in three different timelines, this book was really good at first.

One of the narratives had an extreme overuse of a characters name, when that character was the only one in a “scene”. It was very distracting and bothersome when that particular narrative rolled around each time.

I was also able to figure out the ending very early on. I was really hoping to be surprised in the end. But…

lyraggs's review against another edition

3.0

3.4

voracious_reader_j's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

saraheijerman's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a very satisfying thriller - I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it, but I think that was because I was listening to it, and couldn't quite tell what storyline was present day vs. the past...once I got all that cleared up, the story was gripping, and I loved how it all came together in the end. Bonus points for being set in Iowa, even if the storyline is dark. 

1313magicway's review against another edition

4.0

The way this is written is fascinating, in a good way. I couldn't put it down. I kind of figured out the end, but the way it was written was so intriguing that it still kept me captivated.

sarahlizz13's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

ashbatten's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

hanmarfre's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love a dual timeline mystery thriller. This one is no exception. There’s a pretty good plot twist and the characters are interesting. The investigative work is a little meh in the 2000’s timeline but I can look past that. 

lilbanne's review

4.0

I think I’ve read too many dumb-dumb thrillers, because I predicted the outcome of the book. It wasn’t surprising to me. The author kept throwing “curveballs,” to throw the reader off, but they were glaringly obvious and set up as decoys. The book was reasonably suspenseful and I enjoyed the writing. But, I kept going back to the movie the Room. I felt like I have read this story, or similar versions of the story.

I would give it 3.5/5 starts, but I am rounding up because it really was beautifully descriptive. The story is told through three different points-of-view and from two different timelines. The present day perspective, Wylie, was the best and most thrilling parts of the book. I found myself wanting more of her story.