Scan barcode
beccaandthegingercat's review against another edition
5.0
Wylie is snowed in at a farmhouse to finish her book. She finds a boy outside in the cold. Where did he come from?
Every time I thought I had a part of this story figured out, there was another twist. So good! Will definitely be reading more from this author.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
k8lynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
kavisu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
kacieo33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
aas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
brielowrey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.25
“Homes were supposed to be safe havens, meant to protect. It was supposed to be a shelter from the elements, a fortress to keep out evil, and her home had betrayed Josie in the worst possible way.”
WARNING: another unpopular opinion review!
My first two experiences with this author were excellent, so I fully expected to have a great time reading The Overnight Guest as well. The premise has everything I love in a thriller: a bookish angle, a remote setting, a bout of bad weather to further isolate the main character... But in the end there was something about the execution of the plot that didn't hit the mark for me. Is it just a case of wrong expectations and not being in the mood for the story that was presented instead? Maybe. But the fact is that somehow this story just didn't work as well for me personally. This has a lot to do with the structure of the plot. The Overnight Guest is divided into three storylines, and only the present POV is the one as described in the blurb. Then there is a flashback POV to 2000 where we see the events surrounding the crime that took place in the house featured in the present POV... And last but not least, a POV that has serious Room vibes following a young girl and her mother locked up and being abused. Especially the third POV kind of came out of nowhere for me, and it wasn't a POV I particularly liked even though it was well written. Reading about active (child)abuse just wasn't what I had signed up for when I started this story...
The pace in general was also a lot slower than expected, but I think this has a lot to do with the constant POV switches. These switches were way too frequent in my opinion, and the story would have benefitted considerably from staying with one storyline more than a couple of pages. And while part of me can appreciate how everything was woven together in the end, it also ment having to accept way too many coincidences and it just wasn't credible anymore. I did love the ominous atmosphere of the present POV, and the storm is very well done. I think my reaction to The Overnight Guest is the result of overcomplicating the plot, and as a result it all felt a bit disjointed during most of the story. And while I can understand the third POV featuring the girl being included, I would have enjoyed this story SO much better without it. In short: interesting start, WAY too many POV switches, undesirable POV and over the top conclusion with way too many coincidences. Not the story for me, but most people do seem to enjoy it better so it might just have been my fickle reading mood acting up again.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
ladyinverse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse
kt2e56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The ending also felt a bit rushed but the plot itself does make up for that. It’s certainly entertaining.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Pregnancy
jkar7's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Police brutality, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Vomit