Reviews for Hank Phillippi Ryan's ARC - The House Guest

First I want to thank Hank Philippi Ryan for letting Shelf Indulgence Book Club have an early peak at this book. It's one you certainly don't want to miss when it's due out February 7th. We open with Alyssa meeting her new friend Bree in a bar and inviting her into her house - which had me screaming oh no from the very start... Each chapter left you wanting more. Every time I thought I had 'The House Guest' figured out, it took me for another twist and turn. It leaves you on edge questioning who can you really trust? And isn't that like like sometime? I can guarantee you, you'll be shocked by the ending. This must be on your 2023 reading list. 

Brittany P.

Do we truly know 100% everything about our spouse or significant other?  Do we truly know what they do all day long when they are ‘working’, and what does ‘working’ exactly mean?  In ‘The House Guest’ by Hank Philippi Ryan, we learn that we don’t know 100% about our spouses. We do learn what happens when your spouse, who is the sole supporter of the family, leaves and seems to practically vanish.   We also learn how that everyone you meet are not exactly who they say they are. What can we believe?  We learn from this that Alyssa has a lot of learning to do herself. About her husband’s, her marriage, and everyone and thing she meets along the way in life. 

Heather P. 

 The idiom “the devil is in the details” is an effective determination of the skilled writer from the less skilled writer. Hank Phillippi Ryan is the former, the skilled writer. I won’t spoil the clever plot by telling you who the devil (or devils) is in The House Guest. You’ll have fun figuring that out. I will tell you that Ryan is quite adept on what she includes, and what she doesn’t. You’re going to be able to visualize the bar, the spacious Boston house, the house at the shore, the house in the islands. Ryan puts you there. You’ll want to tell the main character, as if you’re watching a scream queen movie, “don’t do that. Don’t go there. Don’t say that.” But, will she listen? Hmm. Maybe. Face it. You need a break. You need an escape. So, pickup this book. You’ll get to travel to the Chesapeake shore. You’ll get to lay on the beach at St. Barts. You’ll have a good time figuring out who to trust. You’re going to be challenged a bit, and entertained a lot. Go for it.

Phyllis T. 

Thank you Hank for providing an ARC to myself and fellow members of Shelf Indulgence Book Club via Netgalley. I simply could not put this book down. Each chapter ended on a cliff hanger that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Newly separated Alyssa meets the mysterious Bree at a local hotel bar. Bree has also fallen on hard times and Alyssa takes her new friend under her wing…and invites her to stay at her guest house. This book is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing until the very end! 

Bailey S. 

    We meet our main character at a bar, reflecting on her current state of affairs. While we ruminate on the betrayal of lost love, we meet another down on her luck woman, and a friendship of sorts is struck. Needing and seeking distraction, we throw caution to the wind and we bring this woman home, and this is where the wild ride that is The House Guest really begins. 

         We go into this story not knowing if anything is true. Is Bill really a narcistic monster, or is Alyssa painting him that way because losing him just hurts so much? How helpless is Alyssa, really? Is Bree really as down on her luck as she seems? How much trust can you really put into someone you’ve just met?

         With plenty of twists and turns, The House Guest will surprise you. Even when I guessed a part of outcome, how we got there was a complete surprise. This is the book that you are going to read late at night even though you have a big work day the next day. This is the book you’ll include in your ‘divorce care package’ to your friend. This is the book you’ll suggest to your book club to read next.

         My only complaint? Not enough dogs.

Jessie T.