The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous

Happy Book Birthday to Emma Rous whose latest, The Perfect Guests, releases today!

It's 1988 and Beth has been all but orphaned after the death of her family in a car accident. Fortunately, she's been invited to live at Raven Hall as the companion to another girl her age. They become friends, roaming the estate together over the months that follow her arrival. But one day, the family makes a strange request. A game they'd like her to be part of...

Cut to 2019 and Sadie, a struggling actress who receives an offer that's almost too good to be true. Excellent pay to play a role in a murder mystery dinner at a country estate. But as the game progresses, things take a very strange turn, including clues that strike a little too close to her own personal life...

I adore this latest from Emma Rous! This is the kind of suspense novel that hooks you completely from the very start. And while it's tempting to gobble it up as quick as you can, because honestly, the wheels are turning from the first page in terms of trying to figure out where the story is going, I really found myself savoring each and every page!

There are actually three POVs in the book. We begin with Beth, cut to Sadie, and then meet a third narrator whose identity and timeline aren't initially very clear. The voice of each narrator is completely different as is their piece of the story. And figuring out how Rous is going to weave them all together into one tale is just half the fun of the reading!

I'll admit that when I read a book with multiple timelines and narrators, there's always a fear that one of them won't stack up to the others, or that one will shine above the rest, making it feel as though I'm muddling through the less interesting bits while really just wanting to get back to my favorite character or characters. That isn't the case at all here! Each narrator and their part in the story is equally engaging—hence the temptation to make this book last as long as possible!

I love, love, loved this book and am so glad that it's got me sticking to my trend in excellent reads so far this year! The Perfect Guests is great fun and one I highly recommend!

Huge, huge thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review!

Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!