The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous: Review

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous cover

I was in the mood for a little mystery this week so I picked up this upcoming book for review that sounded very intriguing. I read the first book this author wrote and loved it!

With the perfect amount of twists and turns and a story that was so unique and well developed, it left me guessing the entire book. Read on for my full review.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
ISBN-13: 978-0440000488
Publisher: Berkley (January 12, 2021)

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous cover

SYNOPSIS:
1988. Beth Soames is fourteen years old when her aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a rambling manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. The Averells, the family who lives there, are warm and welcoming, and Beth becomes fast friends with their daughter, Nina. At times, Beth even feels like she’s truly part of the family…until they ask her to help them with a harmless game—and nothing is ever the same.

2019. Sadie Langton is an actress struggling to make ends meet when she lands a well-paying gig to pretend to be a guest at a weekend party. She is sent a suitcase of clothing, a dossier outlining the role she is to play, and instructions. It’s strange, but she needs the money, and when she sees the stunning manor she’ll be staying at, she figures she’s got nothing to lose.

In person, Raven Hall is even grander than she’d imagined—even with damage from a fire decades before—but the walls seem to have eyes. As day turns to night, Sadie starts to feel that there’s something off about the glamorous guests who arrive, and as the party begins, it becomes chillingly apparent their unseen host is playing games with everyone…including her.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous Review

When I started reading this book I thought it was going to be a murder mystery suspense type novel but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This book is not like any story I’ve read before. It almost reminded me of a soap opera. Don’t ask me why as that doesn’t really even correlate in my brain.

But with each layer of information and each new person that came into the story, the author wove these tangled ribbons around and around so many times that I almost felt confused. What I thought was happening was not anything like what’s truly going on in this twisted family saga.

What Rous brings us is a plot spanning decades that we meticulously untangle one knot at a time, until the conclusion, which totally blew me away. She litters the playing field with droplets of clues. An intricate plot that I could not stop reading!

Rous killed it with her compelling storytelling and her ability to tell multiple streams at the same time. The story is just an amazing contemporary mystery with the intrigue of not knowing the true story until the end.

5 STARS!

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.

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