The Other Guest: A gripping thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author of The Whispers

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The Other Guest is a fantastic sun-soaked thriller with a gripping mystery at its heart. It’s the perfect read to take on holiday – but just keep one eye on those other guests!’ Lucy Clarke

The Other Guest

I also didn't feel the characters had much depth to them. Therefore, I was unable to connect with them. Laila and her husband James. James books a holiday, on an exclusive Greek island resort. James is hoping that this holiday will help them both relax, as they have just gone through an unsuccessful IVF and felt they both needed a break. Laila is so obsessed with having a baby but James thinks they have both gone through enough especially as it's put a great strain on their marriage. But, he loves Laila and wants them to work. Laila and James are on holiday in Greece, their relationship is in need of some attention but unfortunately Laila seems to be more interested in watching other guests. Sitting by the pool her eyes are constantly watching the interactions of a family, so much in fact that when one of the family ends up dead she has information that would help the police investigation. The novel has clever plotting and it's big on relationship dynamics, with the character of Laila being totally believable. Engrossing and addictive.This is my second experience of Heidi Perks' work, having previously read and enjoyed "The Whispers". Unfortunately, "The Other Guest" was not as much to my liking. Although this appears to be positioned as a mystery thriller, I would say that it is actually far more akin to a family drama for the most part. A surprising plot and lots of twists with interesting characters. I loved the writing style and the setting of the story' Alongside James and Laila's story and their childless marriage is the dilemma of a mother (Em) as to the loyalty she shows to her sons, how far she will go to protect them. I was very excited (maybe a bit too excited) to read The Other Guest so it’s a bit surprising that I found this an okay read, nothing wrong with it really, but there just wasn’t enough in it to get me really excited about it. I did enjoy the holiday setting in a lush 5* resort on a Greek island and Leila’s people watching. It felt oddly relatable although I don’t think – I hope not – I’m that much into it as Leila.

The Other Guest Heidi Perks - Tesco Groceries The Other Guest Heidi Perks - Tesco Groceries

Heidi Perks is a Bournemouth based English author of mystery and contemporary books who possess a unique way of telling stories in papers. A graduate of Bournemouth University, Perks enjoyed a successful career in marketing before she decided to leave it all behind and concentrate on writing and raising a family. Heidi applied for an online creative writing course to sharpen her skills and get some tips to help her in her newfound career. Perks enjoys writing about relationships, and she doesn’t mind turning slightly dysfunctional characters into heroes. Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently. This was a great, slow burn of a mystery. I liked the way that the author alternated between each day of the holiday to the day that the body was found, so that we could slowly begin to make our minds up on what had happened. I flitted from theory to theory but I did not suspect the ending at all! I found it so hard to know who we could trust, which is a credit to the author’s writing for making it so gripping and twisty! Loved the setting of Greece - reading it in the sunshine made me feel like I was actually there! Although I’m glad I wasn’t! I can’t even begin to imagine how it would feel to be caught up in something like that!A dead body is discovered in the pool at the resort, Laila thinks she knows the truth about what has happened. she realises that everyone is under suspicion. However, it becomes clear to Laila and James that they are not the only ones who have secrets. But, secrets have a way of coming out......and they will come out in the end. Negatives aside, I did read the whole story and felt it was readable and an okay story. I just felt a but misguided from the beginning when I expected so much more. felt a little bit let down by this book. The cover and the title really caught my eye, but I didn't really get how they tied in with the book itself. The book centres around a 5 star resort in Greece where a teenager is found dead in the swimming pool. After several failed IVF attempts Laila and her husband James decided to take a break to a luxury island resort in Ixos in Greece. They use the money saved from their treatment to get away and recharge and rekindle their relationship, as the couple’s relationship is currently strained.

The Other Guest: A gripping thriller from Sunday Times The Other Guest: A gripping thriller from Sunday Times

As Laila sits by the pool she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the other family staying in their resort. the difference between fear and excitement is two inches, and what I once thought of as a flippant remark now feels closer” First off, I want to say Leila was creepy, who watches people that intently on holiday, surely you would want to relax and enjoy yourself. Her One Mistake is a thriller story featuring Charlotte, a mother whose life changes overnight when a friend’s child goes missing. Charlotte was looking forward to a fun and carefree day with her children and her best friend’s daughter Alice. Tragedy strikes when Alice goes missing. Charlotte takes her eyes off the kids for just one minute, and it’s like Alice disappears into thin air. A frantic search for the lost child starts, but even after looking everywhere, she is nowhere to be found. Now Charlotte has to tell Alice’s mum Harriet, that her daughter is missing and it’s all her fault.

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the tour hosted by Random Things Tours.

The Other Guest on Apple Books ‎The Other Guest on Apple Books

The cover does not fit, as the main women characters don’t ever enter the water to swim, to my knowledge; title seems odd, maybe be -s is missing but maybe it’s just an ill fitting title which makes little to no sense in connection to this book. And lastly, a thriller this was not. One day I realized I wasn't living anymore, I was surviving, and I didn't want to do it any longer.” It was a special read. Very dark in my eyes. Coming to an island and soon know someone is dead. Someone lies. Someone hide. Someone has secrets. Someone pretends to be someone else. Is anyone there that is telling what he thinks for real. Well the book goes around a lot and slowly revel the layers and gives us a conculsion. Some present and some previous time lines. But in reality is just a perspective. Laila and her husband go on a luxurious holiday to Greece to help bring them closer together after their fertility problems have been driving them apart, but when someone is found dead in the pool one morning what once felt like paradise soon becomes a prison. Unfortunately, I felt a little bit let down by this book. The cover and the title really caught my eye, but I didn't really get how they tie in with the book itself.

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The Other Guest by Heidi Perks was a great holiday read however, I found it very hard to get into, its about infertility issues between When Erin and Will start having couples therapy, they hope it will fix the rift that has appeared out of nowhere in their marriage. All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. But when one of the teenage boys is found dead in the pool, their lives are completely blown apart. Was Laila involved? Was James involved? Were the family involved? Or was it someone else entirely? No one can be trusted and secrets begin to unravel. The Other Guest is a fantastic sun-soaked thriller with a gripping mystery at its heart. It's the perfect read to take on holiday - but just keep one eye on those other guests!' Lucy Clarke