Book Review: The Uninvited Guest

By Sara Steven

Megan Lewis is ready for her big day, but when an unexpected guest crashes her hen weekend, her perfectly curated world unravels.

Beth, claiming to be Jamie’s cousin, quickly charms the group. But when she gets close to bridesmaid Lauren, things take a dark turn, and a game of truth or dare exposes secrets from Megan’s past, shaking her world.

As the wedding nears, Megan realises Beth isn’t who she says she is — but she may be her only ally.

When you can’t trust anyone, not even your fiancé, who can you turn to? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

The Uninvited Guest starts with fear and uncertainty, when Megan tries to figure out why someone would send her a funeral bouquet to her parent’s home. That central theme of fear and uncertainty continues on through most of the book, particularly due to constant upsets like the funeral bouquet–dead animals, hand-written scary messages, funeral wreaths, and text messages that threaten the worst, all in an effort to scare Megan off. 

She doesn’t know who to trust anymore. The friends she felt she could lean on the most become number one suspects, and the stranger who shows up unexpectedly at her hen weekend (Beth) soon becomes the most reliable safeguard during moments of upheaval and chaos. Beth claims she’s innocent and honest, but Jamie tells Megan not to trust Beth. Given Megan’s own experience with Jamie, there could be a lot of truth to Beth’s warnings. It’s enough to make the reader unsure of who to trust, let alone Megan’s trust in her allies!

I knew that something sinister was on the horizon–as each chapter passed and the threats thickened, I had a feeling everything would be revealed (and unravel) on the wedding day. Suddenly, people go missing and there are no breadcrumbs left behind to decipher what’s really going on, leaving Megan feeling lost and terrified. Who would want to hurt Megan or the people she loves most? And most importantly: Why?

I really enjoyed the psychological thriller aspect to this story. I had my suspicions on who I thought was the culprit, and while I was right, for the most part, there were still some twists and turns that made the eventual unveiling exciting and unexpected. There were a couple of inconsistencies here and there that I snagged on, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience of the book and its thriller elements. I think The Uninvited Guest was engaging and kept me locked in on trying to figure out who's out to get Megan and what would happen next, every step of the way.     

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Kobo

Ruby Speechley is a bestselling psychological thriller writer, whose titles include Someone Else’s Baby. Previously published by Hera, she has been a journalist and worked in PR and lives in Cheshire.

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