The Guest Room by Rona Halsall
Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic drama, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 27th January 2022
Published: 31st January 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
You think you’re safe in your home. You’re wrong.
Steph used to think her life was perfect. A happy marriage, two wonderful kids, and a home she felt safe in and called her own. But now her husband has walked out after thirty years, her daughter Bea is married and lives miles away, and Steph’s estranged son hasn’t made contact in years. Home doesn’t feel like the safe haven it once did.
When she begins to hear noises in the night, at first she thinks she’s imagining things. But then she finds open windows she knows she left closed, and a strange smell in the kitchen – and she knows none of it feels right.
Then her front window is smashed, and a young man named Noah helps her fix it. He’s fallen on hard times and Steph impulsively offers him a place to stay. He reminds her of her missing son, and as a mother she finds herself wanting to help him. Also, if he is there, she won’t be home alone.
Before long Noah is living in Bea’s old bedroom, paying rent, and getting his life back on track. Steph’s ex-husband and Bea are furious. But Steph feels secure at last, and that’s what matters.
Until the strange things start happening once more.
And Steph realises that someone is out to scare her…
Someone who will stop at nothing to make her never, ever feel safe again.
The most twisty and unputdownable thriller of the year – perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and Gone Girl.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Rona Halsall's latest compelling thriller #TheGuestRoom.
You think you're safe in your own home...you're wrong.
Steph has always thought she a pretty good life with husband Andy but after almost thirty years together and a multitude of rows fraught with misunderstanding, Andy walks out filing for divorce soon after. Her grown-up children, Bea and Max, have long since flown the coop so, now in her fifties, Steph finds herself living alone for the first time in her life. And she intends to make the most it.
But living alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. For Steph is a nurturer and she thrives on helping others and being there for them. But now she suddenly finds herself on her own and she isn't quite sure what to do with herself. She works at a local homeless shelter where she feels she is most needed...an environment in which Steph thrives. But it doesn't provide the money she needs to take out a mortgage to buy Andy out of his share of the house. And no amount of discussion with Andy will shift her stance on remaining in this house, where all her memories are...not to mention her son Max. What if, after leaving abruptly in the middle of the night ten years ago to join the army, Max finally comes home only to find they've moved? But Andy is intent on selling and finds every opportunity he can to try and change her mind. But Steph is adamant. She is staying.
And then strange things begin to occur. Returning home from work she finds clear signs there has been an intruder. The stale smell of cigarettes. A window left open she knows she had closed. And a cigarette butt on her living room floor. The feeling that someone has been in her home....and yet nothing was taken. The police are called, a report is filed and she is given a crime number. End of. Until a few days later a brick is thrown through her front window. Steph feels uneasy. Someone is trying to frighten her. But who? Andy wants her out but surely he wouldn't stoop to this...would he?
When she stumbles upon young Noah in her shed, she offers him a feed if he helps her board the window until the glazier can come the following morning. Steph recognises Noah from the homeless shelter and having fallen on hard times after dropping out of university, she impulsively offers him a room. He'd be doing her a real favour actually. The security of having someone there will make her feel less vulnerable plus the rent will help her towards taking out the mortgage she needs to pay Andy. However, the problems don't go away but merely increase and Steph is really beginning to feel scared. Who would want to frighten her so much?
A real page-turner, THE GUEST ROOM is a chilling and disturbing read highlighting the vulnerabilities of the main character, Steph. I had to shake my head at some of her impulsive decisions and although I understood her motives they were borne out of naivete and idealism. Not everyone can be taken at face value yet that is just what Steph does. I was sympathetic to her plight even if I wanted to shake her at times.
There is a real sense of foreboding and a creepy atmosphere throughout where the tension is clearly palpable. I was sitting on a knife-edge waiting for the heart-pounding tension to dissipate and yet the twists keep coming. Although there were many suspects, I had two clear ones in my mind as I sifted for clues throughout the debris that was now Steph's life. When the reveal came, it was with a slow build that the reader became suddenly aware at the moment Steph did, though I sat there thinking..."At last the penny drops!!" No, I wasn't surprised but it was indeed a shocking twist...and yet it wasn't even the last one either.
The jaw-dropping twists that pepper throughout make THE GUEST ROOM an engaging and compelling read you won't want to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I did find the start a little slow with the constant domestic disputes between Steph and Andy. I can't wait to see what Rona has in store for us next!
Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers such as Ruth Heald, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell.
I would like to thank #RonaHalsall, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGuestRoom in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Rona was born in Nottingham, grew up near Blackpool and went to college in Leeds. She then moved to Snowdonia, North Wales where she brought up her family while working as a business mentor.
She is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful beaches on the Island while she's plotting how to kill off her next victim. She also makes sure she deletes her Google history on a regular basis, because... well, you can't be too careful when you spend your life researching new and ingenious ways for people to die.
She has three children and two step-children who are now grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of ideas for new stories!
Rona lives on the Isle of Man with her husband, two dogs and three guinea pigs. She has been a bookworm since she was a child and now she's actually creating stories of her own, which still feels like a dream come true.
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