Reviews

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

lavloveslit's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

alwaysraineyday's review against another edition

3.0

Underwhelming.

bookbugworld's review against another edition

4.0

Read the complete non-spoiler review of the book in my book blog. Link : https://bookbugworld.com/review-unwanted-guest-shari-lapena/

bookappeal's review against another edition

3.0

The setting and atmosphere are exquisite - a remote, cozy cottage where a dozen people are trapped due to an ice storm. They get to know each other a bit before the first dead body is found. It won't be the last. Lapena makes most of the characters distinct enough but I didn't particularly care for any of them. She drops so few solid clues, leaves out too many details, and throws in an abundance of red herrings. The story alternates between characters' perspectives and they each spend a lot of time speculating on things they can't possibly prove true or false, which is annoying.
A clever ending but readers may end up feeling a bit cheated.

katiefitzstories's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this thriller set in a hotel in the Catskills. It was fast-paced, suspenseful, and surprising and yet also somehow cozy and light at the same time. I especially liked that the writing style kept me at a distance from each of the characters so that I wasn't devastated by each death that occurred and could instead focus on solving the puzzle of whodunit. After reading a lot of cozy mysteries, I was craving a bit more substance without a lot of content that would keep me from sleeping at night, and this was the perfect choice. As soon as I finished this book (in one day!), I checked out [b:Someone We Know|43982433|Someone We Know|Shari Lapena|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552515516l/43982433._SY75_.jpg|68017246] by the same author and I'm zipping through that one as well.

katyhart47's review against another edition

3.0

Love a good locked door mystery! And this one was extra fun for the season — set within a roadside motel during a snowstorm as guests are slowly picked off one by one. The ending didn’t blow me away, but the tension was steady throughout and it’s a quick, easy to read whodunnit.

***Spoilers below***

I was thinking the whole time the culprit would be Gwen and it would somehow be related to the SA she witnessed in college and kept quiet about. Revenge over the girl who committed suicide because she wouldn’t testify for her or something. At one point, I thought also maybe everyone was somehow connected to David’s wife’s murder and he was out to get revenge?? Ultimately, the actual reveal was super underwhelming and felt disconnected from the rest of the story. Also, was it ever revealed why Riley looked so spooked at the beginning after their car accident? What made Riley freak out so hard and run? Was it all just PTSD? And why was she so adamant at making Gwen share her story? Left with quite a few questions!

Definitely enjoyed this read, but not sure it will be super memorable for me.

jchildsbrandenburg's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

armorcats's review against another edition

4.0

Excellent, bare bones thriller. Nothing unique but very well executed. I will check out more of this author’s books for certain.

micherable's review against another edition

2.75

didn’t enjoy as much as her other books.

jewlzngozi's review against another edition

4.0

This was certainly entertaining! Not absolutely phenomenal, but solid.