Heather Gudenkauf

Coming soon! The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf will be available Jan 25, 2022.

A Novel

The Overnight Guest

A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf She thought she was alone... True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn't mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she's retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls--haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. Bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn't as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them. "A tightly woven braid of a novel guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck and keep you turning the pages deep into the night. I devoured this." --Catherine McKenzie, USA TODAY bestselling author of I'll Never Tell "Atmospheric and claustrophobic, tense and twisted, this chiller will make you hold your breath as you turn the pages. Cancel your plans because you won't be able to put it down." --Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me

The premise sounded scarier than it turned out to be. While this was wildly predictable as soon as the different POVs started to come together, I was still engaged enough to finish.

Nik ✨

There's nothing negative to note about this book. It was a fun time. The mystery element was fun. The plot twists weren't mindblowing but they still were impactful. The pacing was good. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the different perspectives. I was initially going to give it 4.5 stars, but thinking back on the book, I don't think the whole "found a lap with Becky's blood on Jackson's property" was ever explained. Also, who was the guy following Josie in the truck at the beginning, should we assume it was Randy?

blue

This book is so confusing for awhile but once you get into it, it’s interesting and easier to follow. Everything comes together in the end. 

Jillian Roberts

I really like this author’s writing style. The story wraps up neatly tying all the bits together. It even has some twists I didn’t see coming!!! 

Jennifer Palmer

armoni mayes

rounded up because my mouth was agape at one twist

A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf She thought she was alone… True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. Bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them. "A tightly woven braid of a novel guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck and keep you turning the pages deep into the night. I devoured this." —Catherine McKenzie, USA TODAY bestselling author of I’ll Never Tell “Atmospheric and claustrophobic, tense and twisted, this chiller will make you hold your breath as you turn the pages. Cancel your plans because you won’t be able to put it down.” —Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me

tori

Followed the recommendation of a TikTok hottie and he was right: it tied together very nicely.

shellybn

** spoiler alert **
           I did not like this book. The premise was fantastic, but it did not live up to the hype in my opinion. I can't stand the "abused woman held captive in a basement for years and years" trope, and if the book reviews I read had included that information, I would not have bought it. The idea that someone who went through what Josie went through would become a true crime writer did not seem realistic to me. The idea that she would return to the farmhouse of horror to write about her own horrific experience while not admiting that she was Josie did not ring true. And of course, it was the war veteran with PTSD who committed the crimes.

Jessica De Hoyos

My thoughts:

1/3 of book: great and I was completely engrossed
2/3 of book: I struggled to get through
3/3 of book: flew through but very underwhelming...I just wanted to be done with it 😞

Very disappointing because this was one of my most anticipated reads.

I loved this one!! I think the author did a great job. I was on the edge of my seat and loved how well this one tied all of the pieces of the story together. Highly recommend for thriller lovers. 

Kerry Kalinoski

This is scary, dark and sad, it's one of those books the grip ypu from the very first page. This book had me hooked and I binged it in two days. 

It's atmospheric and gripping. There were twists and reveals I didn't see coming. We get three different time lines all of them gripping. All leaving you wanting answers

Samantha King

This is scary, dark and sad, it's one of those books the grip ypu from the very first page. This book had me hooked and I binged it in two days. 

It's atmospheric and gripping. There were twists and reveals I didn't see coming. We get three different time lines all of them gripping. All leaving you wanting answers



Louise 

3.5 ⭐

This is a nicely put together thriller, more of a "true life" horrific story than a twisty shock horror/thriller á la Alice Feeney.
The dual POV & timelines are the strong suit here.
 
I'm shit at guessing twists and I knew everything in here before it got revealed & the last act felt drawn out, which made the story in general feel longer. By the 80% mark I really just wanted the story to wrap up!

Brittany Cimini

4.5 - I really enjoyed this book all of the twists and turns were so well done I never knew what was coming next. All of the different stories flowed together so nicely!

I did not like this book.  The premise was fantastic, but it did not live up to the hype in my opinion.  I can't stand the "abused woman held captive in a basement for years and years" trope, and if the book reviews I read had included that information, I would not have bought it.  The idea that someone who went through what  Josie went through would become a true crime writer did not seem realistic to me.  The idea that she would return to the farmhouse of horror to write about her own horrific experience while not admiting that she was Josie did not ring true.  And of course, it was the war veteran with PTSD who committed the crimes.  

SPOILER ALERT:

I did not like this book.  The premise was fantastic, but it did not live up to the hype in my opinion.  I can't stand the "abused woman held captive in a basement for years and years" trope, and if the book reviews I read had included that information, I would not have bought it.  The idea that someone who went through what  Josie went through would become a true crime writer did not seem realistic to me.  The idea that she would return to the farmhouse of horror to write about her own horrific experience while not admiting that she was Josie did not ring true.  And of course, it was the war veteran with PTSD who committed the crimes.  

Ren Sparks

the atmosphere of this book was so creepy and chilling. I loved everything about it. dare I say my favorite book of the year. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANY THRILLER/TRUE CRIME LOVERS!!!!!

Siya S

3 Stars 

This book wasn't for me — the pacing was really off. 80% of it was too slow, then the final 50-somewhat pages exploded with adrenaline rush (which I liked and thus the 3 stars). Some parts were overexplained that it ruined all the suspense. Plotwise, it's nothing I haven't seen before — it reminded me of "Room" and a mixture of Crime Junkie episodes. 

Only *one* part of the book threw me off guard, the rest not so much. The red herring made me feel like I wasted a lot of time, and I kind of got it right from the beginning with the 3 timelines. 

Still, I managed to read to the final page so it wasn't that bad. If you hadn't devoured a bunch of mystery/thriller books or true crime contents in the past couple of months, this might be just for you. But if you reached the point where you feel like you've seen it all, then you probably have seen it before, no surprises.

Cheri McElroy

Interesting and atmospheric. I enjoyed it, although there were some plot holes

Megan Leprich

*Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted copy for my honest review!*

My first book by this author I’ve read and it definitely didn’t disappoint.  This had so many gasping, jaw-dropping moments that kept my attention the whole time and had me desperate to know what was going to happen next.

The story follows three different timelines; one follows Wylie in the current day who is holed up in an isolated farmhouse writing her next book.   The atmosphere would be perfect except a grizzly murder decades earlier occurred in this very house with three people murdered and a young girl vanished without a trace.  Then  she discovers a child outside during a horrendous snowstorm.  More events continue that make Wylie realize she’s not as isolated as she thought and there’s a sinister reason the child was outside.

The second timeline follows a girl named Josie in the past tense who loses her family in a heinous murder and also loses her best friend, Becky, who is presumed dead when she’s never found.  

The third timeline follows a mother and daughter who deal with an abusive father and husband every day of their lives and must find a way to escape him.  

Once I got past figuring out the three timelines the book became less confusing to me.  At first I couldn’t figure out what was going on and then realized the book is written in three different tenses.  If that reason holds you back from reading this book, I promise, stick it out because you will not be disappointed.  

The plot was extremely well developed and structured with so many twists and turns, it was one of the best suspense/thriller novels I’ve read in awhile.  Besides the plot twists this story was also a very heartbreaking story that pulls your heart in and doesn’t let it go.  There were so many shocking moments throughout but the ending was even more shocking but it really tied everything together perfectly and was a heartwarming ending after all of the shocks.

Totally Addicted to Reading

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf was a wonderful read. The story embedded in the pages of this book is packed with enough mystery and suspense to pull readers in and have them turning the pages to the very end.

I have enjoyed Gudenkauf’s work in the past. Therefore, I went into The Overnight Guest expecting to be engaged. She did not disappoint. She delivered a spellbinding tale of murder, kidnapping, and abuse.

There were three storylines, which at first appeared to have no bearing on each other. However, as the story slowly developed, the connection between all three threads became crystal clear. One storyline was centered on a crime that occurred in 2000. The others were focused on the present. There was a lot of movement between each of the narratives, however I had no issues following the story. All three pulled me in and had me eager to see how it would unfold.

It didn’t take me longer to figure out the connections between each of the thread. It took me a little longer to guess the villain’s identity. Although there were no surprises with this one, it did not take away from the enjoyment of watching all aspects of the story unfold. Although the abuse aspect of the story proved a bitter pill to swallow.

The characters, except for the antagonist, have each gone through their own personal hell. Despite this, they displayed an inner strength, which proved beneficial in fighting their demons at the point when most needed.

I wish I could say more about this one, but the reader needs to go in blind.

Overall, The Overnight Guest was an intense and well paced read. It’s a story that is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages into the wee hours. 

Narration

Brittany Pressley was a new to me narrator, but I enjoyed listening to her. She nailed  the  voices of each character. She handled them with ease. I would definitely listen to her again. 

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

The Overnight Guest A Novel

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