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The Perfect Guest
She stayed in your house. Now she wants your life . . .
We all have that friend - the one who doesn't quite belong. Dinah Marshall is that person and knows it. After someone drops out, she's invited to spend the weekend at a luxury holiday home with women she's known since university. However, the gulf between them has widened since then, and Dinah is conscious of being the only one with no money, career, partner or children. Feeling like an outsider, she takes to snooping around the house. She's fascinated by its owners, Sarah and Isaac Rivers - and when she discovers she can secretly stay an extra night, that fascination quickly spirals into obsession.
When Isaac Rivers meets 'Diana Malone' at an exclusive members club, he introduces her to his wife and friends, and she's soon welcomed into the group. She seems to be trying a little too hard, however, and as her somewhat intense behaviour starts to raise both eyebrows and questions, one of her new acquaintances begins to suspect she isn't who she says she is. For Diana - or is it Dinah? -this is a disaster: she's worked hard to get where she has, and these suspicions threaten everything. But Diana isn't the only one with secrets, and if she's going down, then she might just take everyone else with her . . .
We all have that friend - the one who doesn't quite belong. Dinah Marshall is that person and knows it. After someone drops out, she's invited to spend the weekend at a luxury holiday home with women she's known since university. However, the gulf between them has widened since then, and Dinah is conscious of being the only one with no money, career, partner or children. Feeling like an outsider, she takes to snooping around the house. She's fascinated by its owners, Sarah and Isaac Rivers - and when she discovers she can secretly stay an extra night, that fascination quickly spirals into obsession.
When Isaac Rivers meets 'Diana Malone' at an exclusive members club, he introduces her to his wife and friends, and she's soon welcomed into the group. She seems to be trying a little too hard, however, and as her somewhat intense behaviour starts to raise both eyebrows and questions, one of her new acquaintances begins to suspect she isn't who she says she is. For Diana - or is it Dinah? -this is a disaster: she's worked hard to get where she has, and these suspicions threaten everything. But Diana isn't the only one with secrets, and if she's going down, then she might just take everyone else with her . . .
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2024
199 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
July 15, 2024
Yet another "Perfect" book that was anything but perfect.
😭😭😭
A PERFECT GUEST's "An obsessed woman stays in your house and now she wants your life" premise was intriguing.
It was the book's execution that faltered.
Many times, the book was all over the place.
The book was also waaaay too long.
IMHO, this 9.5-hour audiobook easily could have been a 6-hour book.
Stephanie Cannon narrated this not-so-perfect book.
Her narration was good but not great.
2.5 stars.
July 13, 2024
Very hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I’m struggling to think of anything that u can compare it to! An excellent read/listen.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, and Dinah has carefully curated that web, is she about to become trapped in it?!
Dinah is a bit of a loner, she has a history of depression, and a history of obsession, a dead end job that is far from the hopes and dreams of the Oxford student she once was. She has loose friendships and when another member of her old group drops out she finds herself invited on a girls weekend, except she doesn’t quite fit there either, alone in company she soon starts exploring the rental property and becomes fixated by the owners and the lives they must lead. Dinah makes it her mission to befriend the family, and just when you think you know exactly where the story is going everything completely shifts and the unexpected twists will leave you reeling.
I instantly connected with Dinah, I felt for her immensely and there was even an out loud “oh” moment.
The writing and narration here are brilliant!
My thanks to Bonnier U.K. audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, and Dinah has carefully curated that web, is she about to become trapped in it?!
Dinah is a bit of a loner, she has a history of depression, and a history of obsession, a dead end job that is far from the hopes and dreams of the Oxford student she once was. She has loose friendships and when another member of her old group drops out she finds herself invited on a girls weekend, except she doesn’t quite fit there either, alone in company she soon starts exploring the rental property and becomes fixated by the owners and the lives they must lead. Dinah makes it her mission to befriend the family, and just when you think you know exactly where the story is going everything completely shifts and the unexpected twists will leave you reeling.
I instantly connected with Dinah, I felt for her immensely and there was even an out loud “oh” moment.
The writing and narration here are brilliant!
My thanks to Bonnier U.K. audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.
July 13, 2024
This high quality audio has vibes of single white female. It all starts on a girly weekend away at a posh house. Dinah feels unwanted and is fed up with her life so decides to tru and get into the lives of the owners by being like them.
This took a while for the action to start. A lot of time was taken to carefully set the scene and the mindset of the main character. This is a skillfully written physiological thriller that screams don't assume a perfect picture is a true picture of a life. The sction starts half way throught for i me and then the plot unfolded. I was compelled to listen. The plot itself changed as I listened. I didn't like some of the posh characters but I found it enjoyable with so many twists and turns .
This was a cracking 4 star liayen. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator
This took a while for the action to start. A lot of time was taken to carefully set the scene and the mindset of the main character. This is a skillfully written physiological thriller that screams don't assume a perfect picture is a true picture of a life. The sction starts half way throught for i me and then the plot unfolded. I was compelled to listen. The plot itself changed as I listened. I didn't like some of the posh characters but I found it enjoyable with so many twists and turns .
This was a cracking 4 star liayen. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator
June 20, 2024
Dinah Marshall is a bit of a loner. No close friends, no relationship, no high flying career. So when a group of old student friends invite her on a weekend break she jumps at the chance. But when she gets there she’s swiftly aware that she’s out on a limb. Left to her own devices and exploring the luxury holiday home they’re staying in, she feels envious.
This is the life Dinah’s dreamed about.
This is the life she must have.
She quickly becomes obsessed with the owners of the holiday home, Sarah and Isaac Rivers, and becomes hell bent on infiltrating their lives. But someone is onto her. Is the charade that Dinah has created about to shatter?
WOW! What a fantastic debut novel. I don’t know about you, but I really love a book with a despicable protagonist and Dinah is often that. Despite her flaws, I found her intoxicating. As the layers are unpeeled it’s clear that there’s much more to Dinah that meets the eye and I was intrigued by her; she’s such a conflicting character. Confident but occasionally intimidated, fair yet devious, not all bad but certainly not all good. I absolutely love protagonists like this, they really keep you guessing.
The Perfect Guest is an excellent book. I read so many thrillers that sometimes it’s hard to find one that stands out but this genuinely does. Clever and chilling, with a sense of unease and apprehension simmering throughout the whole story, Ruth Irons is definitely one to watch out for.
November 10, 2024
Dnf'ed @18%.
This is overly descriptive, I don't care how a cup or glass is looking. The FMC is also really unlikeable, she goes with friends for a weekend away and they try to include her but she keeps going her own way whining about how her friends don't care about her. Really didn't like it and wasn't in the mood for a hate read so I dnf'ed.
This is overly descriptive, I don't care how a cup or glass is looking. The FMC is also really unlikeable, she goes with friends for a weekend away and they try to include her but she keeps going her own way whining about how her friends don't care about her. Really didn't like it and wasn't in the mood for a hate read so I dnf'ed.
July 24, 2024
This is the first book in a while that I havent been able to put down, I love this book, from the first chapter or two I was hooked!
The book follows an unreliable narrator though this whole story, there aren't to many twists and turns but the endings twist I didn't even see coming!
Great book and highly recommend
The book follows an unreliable narrator though this whole story, there aren't to many twists and turns but the endings twist I didn't even see coming!
Great book and highly recommend
July 29, 2024
An easy read/ listen in my case. The actions of the main character Dinah had me physically cringing at times. Although some parts felt over dramatised/ far stretched it was an enjoyable book.
June 24, 2024
Is there anything more delicious than a twisty read with a wholly unreliable narrator? If it’s done right then you’ll want to devour it in one sitting, and I’m here to tell you that Ruth Irons gets it absolutely spot-on with her debut offering, The Perfect Guest.
Dinah Marshall is not living her best life. She’s living alone in a tiny, dingy apartment and working at a miserable job in a grungy cafe where her every move is reported back to her judgmental sister, Hen. When she’s invited along on a mini-break with some old university friends, she thinks, “why not?” After all, surely she deserves to enjoy herself and have some fun … doesn’t she?
Of course she’s fully aware that she no longer fits in with the group. Well, if she’s being honest, she never really did! The other women are all that combination of married, successful, comfortable and confident – everything that Dinah is not. As much as she wants to relax and enjoy herself, she can’t help feeling completely judged and inadequate, until she finds a way to undermine them and manages to sneak around the house at leisure without the others even knowing. And then she discovers she can remain in the house for another night after they’ve left and before the owners return. She’s quite proud of her ingenuity!
As Dinah contrives to meet Sarah and Isaac, the owners of the luxurious home that has captured her heart, she becomes increasingly obsessed with inveigling herself into their lives. And when she finally does meet them and their friends, it awakens a new hope in her. Perhaps the life that she craves is not as far out of reach as she thought it was – it might be for Dinah Marshall, but not for her brand new persona, Diana Malone!
And while her new friends might not exactly know ‘Diana’ as well as they think they do, they also aren’t the perfect people they appear to be. The more she gets to know them, the more she comes to realize that the magnetic, shiny veneer that attracted her to them in the first place might be a bit more tarnished up close than it looked from a distance.
Ruth Irons sets the tension and tone from the very first page, making this an unputdownable, unpredictable, roller-coaster ride of a psychological thriller. The main protagonists are not likeable people but one cannot help eagerly racing through this fast-paced read, to see where the plot is heading. And I have to admit, it certainly didn’t head in the direction that I was expecting!
And what is it about unlikeable characters that makes the reader (against their better judgment) quietly root for them? That is all down to the skill of the author and their ability to create multi-faceted characters. I’m looking forward to future reads from Ruth Irons!
Thank you to Compulsive Readers for another page-turning Blog Tour!
Dinah Marshall is not living her best life. She’s living alone in a tiny, dingy apartment and working at a miserable job in a grungy cafe where her every move is reported back to her judgmental sister, Hen. When she’s invited along on a mini-break with some old university friends, she thinks, “why not?” After all, surely she deserves to enjoy herself and have some fun … doesn’t she?
Of course she’s fully aware that she no longer fits in with the group. Well, if she’s being honest, she never really did! The other women are all that combination of married, successful, comfortable and confident – everything that Dinah is not. As much as she wants to relax and enjoy herself, she can’t help feeling completely judged and inadequate, until she finds a way to undermine them and manages to sneak around the house at leisure without the others even knowing. And then she discovers she can remain in the house for another night after they’ve left and before the owners return. She’s quite proud of her ingenuity!
As Dinah contrives to meet Sarah and Isaac, the owners of the luxurious home that has captured her heart, she becomes increasingly obsessed with inveigling herself into their lives. And when she finally does meet them and their friends, it awakens a new hope in her. Perhaps the life that she craves is not as far out of reach as she thought it was – it might be for Dinah Marshall, but not for her brand new persona, Diana Malone!
And while her new friends might not exactly know ‘Diana’ as well as they think they do, they also aren’t the perfect people they appear to be. The more she gets to know them, the more she comes to realize that the magnetic, shiny veneer that attracted her to them in the first place might be a bit more tarnished up close than it looked from a distance.
Ruth Irons sets the tension and tone from the very first page, making this an unputdownable, unpredictable, roller-coaster ride of a psychological thriller. The main protagonists are not likeable people but one cannot help eagerly racing through this fast-paced read, to see where the plot is heading. And I have to admit, it certainly didn’t head in the direction that I was expecting!
And what is it about unlikeable characters that makes the reader (against their better judgment) quietly root for them? That is all down to the skill of the author and their ability to create multi-faceted characters. I’m looking forward to future reads from Ruth Irons!
Thank you to Compulsive Readers for another page-turning Blog Tour!
March 8, 2025
Main character needed therapy, but chose the plot instead. 4.5⭐️
May 12, 2024
I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading The Perfect Guest but I found it to be an immensely compelling read that went in an unexpected direction.
Dinah has always felt like an outsider in her group of university friends and after staying at a holiday home with them she becomes obsessed with the hosts and desperate to be part of their friendship group.
This is such a clever novel and I was completely drawn into the character of Diana and her pursuit of Isaac and Sarah. None of the characters are particularly likeable but I did feel some sympathy for the appalling Dinah and wanted things to work out for her.
A really enjoyable read with a great twist that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
Dinah has always felt like an outsider in her group of university friends and after staying at a holiday home with them she becomes obsessed with the hosts and desperate to be part of their friendship group.
This is such a clever novel and I was completely drawn into the character of Diana and her pursuit of Isaac and Sarah. None of the characters are particularly likeable but I did feel some sympathy for the appalling Dinah and wanted things to work out for her.
A really enjoyable read with a great twist that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
November 19, 2024
Found the main character very frustrating
December 23, 2024
A debut for this author & read📖📚 in one sitting. 💥👍🩷🔥 Sooooooo good! Hope she has more coming!
January 15, 2026
Very good, not the ending I’d expected.
March 29, 2025
Surprised by how much I liked it
Good at making you cringe with second hand embarrassment from protagonist
Good at making you cringe with second hand embarrassment from protagonist
February 4, 2025
This is Ruth Irons’ first book? Right now it seems to be her only one, so I hope she’s writing more. The Perfect Guest was fantastic. I went from feeling sorry for Dinah, to feeling anxious because she takes her time snooping! I felt a little crazy because she seems to be crazy, and I was right there with her while she did some unhinged things. But maybe we’re all crazy, only we don’t take chances like she does.
I even felt second hand embarrassment… but also laughing because she’s so funny. When she’s drinking at the party, and slurring her words (I listened to it on Audible) I laughed too much. She’s fun, though. It’s just her life … she’s in her late 30’s, no husband, a sister who is always on her about everything, she works at a cafe, and she hates her flat!
Anyway … this is what it’s about.
Dinah goes on a girls weekend with some friends (I’m playing fast and loose with the word friends) and Dinah was a last minute substitute and she knows this) to a beautiful house that they’ve rented for a few days, like an Airbnb. The couple is away, but they do live there. So Dinah starts obsessing over the house. It’s gorgeous and huge. Then she sees photos, so her obsession becomes more about the people who own the house, Isaac and Sarah. She wants to know everything about them.
Everything she does leads to her getting to know Issac and Sarah’s friends, Duncan and Vangie. And that’s when you can’t stop the book. It gets so good! It’s a little slow at first but then I got so engrossed with it, I couldn’t put it down.
Dinah just inserts herself in their lives, and not all of them are happy about it. To me, Dinah starts out to be ‘a bit too much’, but then I felt for her. She’s a much better person than the one who judges her the most. And the more it unfolds, the more the reader learns about all the characters, and it’s so much more than I’d imagined.
There are so many fun turns in this book, and I’m so glad I found it. I’d highly recommend it, but I’d also say to keep reading … you might want to stop, but it’s only because it’s very descriptive, and it’s slow at first.
I even felt second hand embarrassment… but also laughing because she’s so funny. When she’s drinking at the party, and slurring her words (I listened to it on Audible) I laughed too much. She’s fun, though. It’s just her life … she’s in her late 30’s, no husband, a sister who is always on her about everything, she works at a cafe, and she hates her flat!
Anyway … this is what it’s about.
Dinah goes on a girls weekend with some friends (I’m playing fast and loose with the word friends) and Dinah was a last minute substitute and she knows this) to a beautiful house that they’ve rented for a few days, like an Airbnb. The couple is away, but they do live there. So Dinah starts obsessing over the house. It’s gorgeous and huge. Then she sees photos, so her obsession becomes more about the people who own the house, Isaac and Sarah. She wants to know everything about them.
Everything she does leads to her getting to know Issac and Sarah’s friends, Duncan and Vangie. And that’s when you can’t stop the book. It gets so good! It’s a little slow at first but then I got so engrossed with it, I couldn’t put it down.
Dinah just inserts herself in their lives, and not all of them are happy about it. To me, Dinah starts out to be ‘a bit too much’, but then I felt for her. She’s a much better person than the one who judges her the most. And the more it unfolds, the more the reader learns about all the characters, and it’s so much more than I’d imagined.
There are so many fun turns in this book, and I’m so glad I found it. I’d highly recommend it, but I’d also say to keep reading … you might want to stop, but it’s only because it’s very descriptive, and it’s slow at first.
June 26, 2025
Razvlečeno in dolgočasno. Zgodba o 42letni Dinah, ki je polna samopomilovanja, saj pri svojih letih ni s svojim življenjem naredila ničesar. Ko se s tremi prijateljicami iz fakultete odpravi na vikend oddih v razkošno hišo, postane s to obsedena. Sledi res izčrpen opis vseh podrobnosti iz knjige in ta obsedenost postaja na moč moteča. Dinah sledi celo lastnikoma in se kasneje nekako, z lažmi, inflitrira v njuno družbo.
Nič posebnega, razen če vam je všeč opisovanje in samopomilovanje in laži. Meni ni ustrezala, verjetno pa najde hvaležne bralce.
Nič posebnega, razen če vam je všeč opisovanje in samopomilovanje in laži. Meni ni ustrezala, verjetno pa najde hvaležne bralce.
December 19, 2025
Suprised this was a debut!
Ate this up in basically a day. Couldn’t look away from the main character, eager to see if her plans worked. At the same time she was fleshed out enough that you felt where she was coming from and felt her vulnerability.
The author really knows her psychological thriller craft and builds the tension and plot twists like a pro - hence my surprise this being her debut novel!
Loved the lush feeling of this book, as a reader you are living through the main character experiencing the glitter of how the other half live. I don’t blame her for wanting a piece…
Ate this up in basically a day. Couldn’t look away from the main character, eager to see if her plans worked. At the same time she was fleshed out enough that you felt where she was coming from and felt her vulnerability.
The author really knows her psychological thriller craft and builds the tension and plot twists like a pro - hence my surprise this being her debut novel!
Loved the lush feeling of this book, as a reader you are living through the main character experiencing the glitter of how the other half live. I don’t blame her for wanting a piece…
August 14, 2024
3.25
This was different.
I liked the premise of the story, an average person infiltrating the wealthy. I was hoping for a vibe closer to the South Korean film Parasite.
Much of the action felt forced or awkward.
The reveals were fun, the scene with the villain went on a bit too long
This was right on the edge of great fir me.
I'll definitely read more by this author.
This was different.
I liked the premise of the story, an average person infiltrating the wealthy. I was hoping for a vibe closer to the South Korean film Parasite.
Much of the action felt forced or awkward.
The reveals were fun, the scene with the villain went on a bit too long
This was right on the edge of great fir me.
I'll definitely read more by this author.
April 3, 2025
This was excellent! Many times throughout the book I felt strong secondhand embarrassment because of the things Dinah said and did…😖 Other than that, I really enjoyed the story and was eager to learn how it was going to end.
July 25, 2025
Really good if you’re looking for a book that dives deeply into character development! Not much action happens until the last 1/4 of the book, but the love/hate relationship you have with the protagonist makes it worth it imo 👌🏼
July 13, 2024
Helt okei bok, greit underholdende
September 10, 2025
Listened on audio - was ok? Could have been better . Dragged a bit after halfway point
April 24, 2025
5 porque é uma história bem construída, com uma protagonista coerente.
A obsessão da personagem leva-nos a um interesse constante em acompanhar o desenrolar dos acontecimentos.
O desenvolvimento da narrativa consegue manter o entusiasmo no leitor que oscila entre a tensão nervosa e a curiosidade.
A obsessão da personagem leva-nos a um interesse constante em acompanhar o desenrolar dos acontecimentos.
O desenvolvimento da narrativa consegue manter o entusiasmo no leitor que oscila entre a tensão nervosa e a curiosidade.
July 11, 2025
Ok I’m glad I stuck with this despite it being exposure therapy for second hand embarrassment. Great twists and it was nice for the narrators last and mental struggles to be humanized
May 14, 2025
I wished for Dinah to do one more fudged up thing at the end for good measure but alas. I was entertained!
June 24, 2024
4.5-star rating
What a gripping psychological thriller! It kept me on the edge of my seat.
Dinah Marshall, our protagonist, is an outsider among her old university friends. She doesn’t have the glamorous career, financial stability, or family life that her friends have. She feels out of place when these friends invite her to a weekend getaway at a luxurious holiday home. But, after some snooping around, it’s the house’s owners, Sarah and Isaac Rivers, who truly captivate her. Dinah’s curiosity turns into obsession as she secretly extends her stay, desperate to be part of their inner circle.
The novel skillfully navigates the complexities of human relationships. Dinah’s character isn’t always likeable, but I did find her motivations relatable. I sympathised with her desire to fit in and want a more satisfying life, even as her actions became increasingly questionable. The unreliable narrator kept me guessing, and as layers peeled away, my anxiety increased!
The tension builds steadily, creating a rollercoaster of emotions. Irons masterfully weaves drama and suspense, making it impossible to put the book down. The writing is clever, evoking feelings of anxiety and discomfort as the characters open Pandora’s box of secrets. The unexpected twists and turns kept me engaged, and the pacing was relentless.
“The Perfect Guest” is a remarkable debut novel that defies predictability. Ruth Irons delivers a well-written, compelling story that explores the thin line between desire and deception. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, this book is a must-read!
Thank you, Compulsive Readers, for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour. #ThePerfectGuest
What a gripping psychological thriller! It kept me on the edge of my seat.
Dinah Marshall, our protagonist, is an outsider among her old university friends. She doesn’t have the glamorous career, financial stability, or family life that her friends have. She feels out of place when these friends invite her to a weekend getaway at a luxurious holiday home. But, after some snooping around, it’s the house’s owners, Sarah and Isaac Rivers, who truly captivate her. Dinah’s curiosity turns into obsession as she secretly extends her stay, desperate to be part of their inner circle.
The novel skillfully navigates the complexities of human relationships. Dinah’s character isn’t always likeable, but I did find her motivations relatable. I sympathised with her desire to fit in and want a more satisfying life, even as her actions became increasingly questionable. The unreliable narrator kept me guessing, and as layers peeled away, my anxiety increased!
The tension builds steadily, creating a rollercoaster of emotions. Irons masterfully weaves drama and suspense, making it impossible to put the book down. The writing is clever, evoking feelings of anxiety and discomfort as the characters open Pandora’s box of secrets. The unexpected twists and turns kept me engaged, and the pacing was relentless.
“The Perfect Guest” is a remarkable debut novel that defies predictability. Ruth Irons delivers a well-written, compelling story that explores the thin line between desire and deception. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, this book is a must-read!
Thank you, Compulsive Readers, for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour. #ThePerfectGuest
July 13, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Perfect Guest by Ruth Irons is an audiobook narrated by Stephanie Racine is a gripping physiological thriller that tells you not to assume a perfect picture is true as you don't know what's going on behind closed doors. This is a story about obsession, manipulation, lies and secrets, about wanting to fit in and be better as you are.
Dinah lives alone in a cramped, filthy apartment and works a miserable job at a dingy cafe. Dinah agrees to a mini-break, a girly weekend away at a posh house with some old university friends but she feels unwanted. She knows she doesn't fit in. After friends left and before the owners returned, Dinah worked out how to stay in the house for another night. Then she decides that she will do everything to befriend Isaac and Sarah - the owners of the house. All she wanted was to fit in but she wasn't ready for the mess she getting into.
The narrator did fantastic narration, she managed to change voices and give the multiple narrator vibes. Definitely a good fit with the book!
Thank you, NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for this copy!
The Perfect Guest by Ruth Irons is an audiobook narrated by Stephanie Racine is a gripping physiological thriller that tells you not to assume a perfect picture is true as you don't know what's going on behind closed doors. This is a story about obsession, manipulation, lies and secrets, about wanting to fit in and be better as you are.
Dinah lives alone in a cramped, filthy apartment and works a miserable job at a dingy cafe. Dinah agrees to a mini-break, a girly weekend away at a posh house with some old university friends but she feels unwanted. She knows she doesn't fit in. After friends left and before the owners returned, Dinah worked out how to stay in the house for another night. Then she decides that she will do everything to befriend Isaac and Sarah - the owners of the house. All she wanted was to fit in but she wasn't ready for the mess she getting into.
The narrator did fantastic narration, she managed to change voices and give the multiple narrator vibes. Definitely a good fit with the book!
Thank you, NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for this copy!
April 11, 2025
Ok, seriously now—Dinah gave me secondhand embarrassment throughout the whole book! :P That feeling was so consistent, it overran everything else. That lady has a whole lot of unresolved mental issues, and she gave off such an intense villain vibe that it made it totally impossible for me to adjust to the twists and turns of the ending.
And even though I totally get the whole "unreliable narrator" concept and how it served and enhanced the plot, I felt like I needed a deeper understanding of her past and personality in the first half of the story to make the perspective shift in the second half feel smoother.
However, I prefer to focus on the forest rather than the tree. This is a DEBUT NOVEL! And it’s a really, really good one at that! My realistic review would be 3.5 stars but I'm happily giving 4 stars because this is a debut novel. Thumbs up—Ruth Irons really set the bar high. I’ll definitely keep an eye on her future work. :)
And even though I totally get the whole "unreliable narrator" concept and how it served and enhanced the plot, I felt like I needed a deeper understanding of her past and personality in the first half of the story to make the perspective shift in the second half feel smoother.
However, I prefer to focus on the forest rather than the tree. This is a DEBUT NOVEL! And it’s a really, really good one at that! My realistic review would be 3.5 stars but I'm happily giving 4 stars because this is a debut novel. Thumbs up—Ruth Irons really set the bar high. I’ll definitely keep an eye on her future work. :)
February 7, 2025
I listened to this on Audible and I absolutely loved this book! First of all, the narrator did an exceptional job with this book, from the expressions to the accents, and the storytelling...it was 10/10.
The storyline was beautiful. And it really took me on a journey, a long journey lol and I wasn't expecting how the end would turn out.
Initially I found the FMC annoying, but as the story went on, she kinda grew on me and I could sympathise with her.
I loved loved loved the plot twist at the end. It was one I didn't see coming at all.
I'm looking forward to more books from this author.
5⭐
The storyline was beautiful. And it really took me on a journey, a long journey lol and I wasn't expecting how the end would turn out.
Initially I found the FMC annoying, but as the story went on, she kinda grew on me and I could sympathise with her.
I loved loved loved the plot twist at the end. It was one I didn't see coming at all.
I'm looking forward to more books from this author.
5⭐
February 24, 2025
Lost in translation.
I actually enjoyed this book but at the same time felt I was reading two different books altogether.
One book about an angry, feisty, green eyed monster with nefarious intentions and another book about a mousy, flawed, quiet woman who just wants to be loved.
I actually enjoyed this book but at the same time felt I was reading two different books altogether.
One book about an angry, feisty, green eyed monster with nefarious intentions and another book about a mousy, flawed, quiet woman who just wants to be loved.
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