It was a special read. Very dark in my eyes. Coming to an island and soon know someone is dead. Someone lies. Someone hide. Someone has secrets. Someone pretends to be someone else. Is anyone there that is telling what he thinks for real. Well the book goes around a lot and slowly revel the layers and gives us a conculsion. Some present and some previous time lines. But in reality is just a perspective. Set in a Greek luxurious resort The Other Guest tells the story of Laila and James who go on holiday to rekindle their relationship and relax after the strain of the IVF treatment that they had been undergoing. People-watcher Laila sees something when, partway through the holiday, tragedy strikes and it is unclear who is responsible. I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the tour hosted by Random Things Tours.

The Other Guest by Heidi Perks - Fantastic Fiction The Other Guest by Heidi Perks - Fantastic Fiction

Lying by the pool Laila likes to people-watch (don’t we all! 😂). However, she becomes a tad obsessed with another lady and her family, much to the annoyance of James who is starting to act strange and seems to be harbouring some secrets of his own! With a couple of other suspicious characters, there are certainly plenty of suspects when tragedy strikes at the resort just a few days into the holiday! Unfortunately, I felt a little bit let down by this book. The cover and the title really caught my eye, but I didn't really get how they tie in with the book itself. Laila has been taken away on a luxurious holiday by her husband James. After many failed attempts at IVF, James has told Laila he no longer wants to try for a baby and hopes this holiday will be exactly what they both need. As well as Laila’s obsession with paying close attention to the other holidaymakers, there are some really emotional strands to this story of which some could possibly be triggering (IVF, infertility etc.) but which I thought were written about sensitively. Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened. But in telling Em what she’s seen, she stands to lose everything she holds dear.To say it's categorised as a thriller, I didn't find it very thrilling - excuse the pun. It's a bit mysterious maybe but honestly, all that build up for, in my opinion, not a fantastic ending. I was really waiting for some big plot twist or a seriously dramatic turn of events. Sadly, it never came. The title and the cover were both which caught me and the thriller categorisation too, of course. Unfortunately, I was let down by all of them. Heidi Perks was born in 1973. She lives by the sea in Bournemouth with her husband and two children. The blurb and name seemed interesting but it’s a little misleading as it doesn’t quite fit in with the storyline. It’s described as thriller but it really didn’t live up to that. There are no real twists or turns. No build up or suspense. I found it dull and it never really got going. The characters for me werent likeable in any way with Laila being a little irritating. Story was a real slow burn and dragged out with an ending that was just meh. Not a favourite I’m afraid. I have to say I was pretty excited for this book and was reading it in pretty much the perfect setting but it just missed something for me hence why I’ve gone for the 4 rather than 5 stars. A great storyline and characters that intrigue you but I think I was expecting a bit more of a busier book if that makes sense. It’s set in an ultra luxury hotel but it was as if the characters mentioned and the staff were the only people staying at the resort whereas my nosy nature wanted to know more about more people and maybe have more potential suspects…

The Other Guest Heidi Perks - Tesco Groceries The Other Guest Heidi Perks - Tesco Groceries

Laila and James are there trying to make their marriage work following several failed IVF attempts. The Other Guest is a fantastic sun-soaked thriller with a gripping mystery at its heart. It's the perfect read to take on holiday - but just keep one eye on those other guests!' Lucy ClarkeLaila and her husband James have arrived in Greece at a luxury resort for a make or break holiday. After several years of failed IVF treatment, James has said that he can no longer go through the painful process, leaving Laila’s dreams of motherhood in tatters. Both of them know that they have spent the last five years drifting apart, so this break from reality is desperately needed.

The Other Guest by Heidi Perks - Goodreads Editions of The Other Guest by Heidi Perks - Goodreads

The cover does not fit, as the main women characters don’t ever enter the water to swim, to my knowledge; title seems odd, maybe be -s is missing but maybe it’s just an ill fitting title which makes little to no sense in connection to this book. And lastly, a thriller this was not. This is my second experience of Heidi Perks' work, having previously read and enjoyed "The Whispers". Unfortunately, "The Other Guest" was not as much to my liking. Although this appears to be positioned as a mystery thriller, I would say that it is actually far more akin to a family drama for the most part. I thought the author’s portrayal of a couple’s struggle with infertility and a family dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one were heartbreakingly well done, Perks has obviously done a lot of research into this and it definitely paid off

Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently.