The Guest Room

by Tessa Thorne

Be careful who you let in…

After her husband Nick’s tragic death, Ally is barely keeping it together. The once-glamorous architect drowned just steps from their quiet riverfront home and now Ally spends her sleepless nights haunted by grief, guilt, and questions she can’t answer.

Her teenage daughter Paige is slipping away, and the house that once held their happy family now feels like a tomb—until Marcy shows up.

the childhood best friend Ally hasn’t seen in over a decade. The one who needs “a place to stay… just for a few days.”

At first, she’s helpful. Warm. Familiar. But then Ally starts to forget things—where she left her keys and whether she took her pills. Paige doesn’t trust Marcy. Ally isn’t sure she trusts herself.

As the past resurfaces in fragments, Ally starts to wonder what really happened the night Nick died—and how well she ever knew the friend now sleeping just down the hall.

Because someone is lying. And in this house, the truth is a killer…

A compulsively readable thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, and Alice Feeney.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2025

Reviews

[Vir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se presenta como un thriller doméstico “ideal para fans de Freida McFadden”, pero la narración abusa de un mismo recurso: la insistencia en que la casa se vuelve cada vez más oscura, pequeña y opresiva. Esa supuesta atmósfera asfixiante se describe una y otra vez, pero sin llegar a transmitirse de manera convincente.
Hasta bien avanzado el libro, realmente “no pasa nada” más allá de sospechas cruzadas entre personajes y reiteradas quejas sobre el ambiente. La trama carece de avances significativos, lo que genera la sensación de estar en un círculo narrativo sin avance.
La tensión no crece, sino que se estanca en un tono monótono. Los personajes parecen moverse en un espacio de sospecha permanente, pero sin motivaciones ni acciones que profundicen esa dinámica.
El final ofrece un plot twist que, en mi caso, no fue una sorpresa. Eso termina de confirmar que la historia no logró cumplir con las expectativas que había generado la sinopsis. En vez de un thriller doméstico intenso, encontré un relato repetitivo, con una atmósfera sobreexplicada y un desenlace previsible.

[ss jane e orford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t find much tension reading this book. None of the characters seemed to have any depth, the deceased husband nick , had no history, daughter Paige just fumbles around with vague accusations ally and Marcy share a past with a vague incident that happened on ally’s 17th birthday
Altogether the ending was pretty predictable

[Susan Belman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guest Room had my mind reeling from start to finish. After the tragic drowning of her husband Nick, Ally is barely keeping it together—haunted by grief, guilt, and questions she can’t answer. When her long-lost childhood best friend Marcy suddenly reappears and asks to stay, it feels like comfort at first. But soon Ally begins forgetting things, doubting herself, and wondering if her mind is unraveling—or if someone is manipulating her.
The tension was so well done. At first I chalked Ally’s unease up to grief, but as the gaslighting crept in, the feeling became palpable. I couldn’t put this book down—I had to know what really happened to Nick, and whether Ally could trust Marcy… or herself. The twists were sharp, the atmosphere was chilling, and the ending absolutely blew me away. That epilogue? Perfection.
A compulsive, gripping thriller that plays with memory, trust, and betrayal—I devoured this in one sitting. Highly recommend!

[Brittany Parnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Yuliia Manastyrna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Нудно та передбачувано

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded to 4 stars for me. Ally husband Nick drowned ,she and her teenage daughter Paige are grieving , and Ally is barely holding everything together. Ally is surprised when her friend Marcy reach out ,they didn't see each other in a decade. Thinking that may be good idea Ally invite Marcy over,to stay together for a while.
Reunion between friends fast turn into a nightmare, and Ally need to figure it out what Marcy really want from her? Things don't help when Ally's daughter also thinks that Marcy hiding something.

Will Ally get the truth before is to late?
Will she finally find out what happened to her when she and Marcy were best friends?
Is Ally and Paige safe?

Full of tension and secrets this thriller keep me reading to the end. Revelation and twists at every corner, and I'm happy with the ending. Hope to read more by this author.

Thank you booksprout and publisher for arc copy.

[Amanda Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not really sure how to feel about the ending. After all that suspense and buildup, it felt like everything led to nothing. The conclusion seemed rushed… like it was all wrapped up in just eight pages. I can’t help but feel the story could’ve ended so differently. I gave it 3 stars, though, because I did enjoy the suspense and tension throughout the book, but def disappointed a little 🫤

[La Lectora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es bastante soso , repetitivo y previsible pero está bien escrito , engancha mucho y el final inesperado sorprende .2,5

[Hannah Bunch Guillory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worst book I’ve read, but not bad. Long, dragged out but kept you guessing enough to keep reading it all the way through.