The Last House Guest Paperback – April 21, 2020

This book captivated me from the beginning! Enjoyed it thoroughly!

This is a great read, especially for autumn, when it all takes place as the summer season is winding down in Maine and the local workers hold their annual party at one of the cottages. But last year Avery’s best friend died at that party, and now everything has to be faced, which means uncovering what really happened that night.Soon Avery is all on her own as she tries to uncover the truth, and when the revelations start to hit, one after another, they leave you reeling with the character, to where she doesn't know who to believe or to trust.I have no idea if the author has worked in this position of looking after cottages, or if she’s ever navigated that tricky territory of a local person among affluent summer visitors, but she delivers much insight into that situation. The subtleties of gestures, expectations, boundaries, and fashion are all perfectly explored, without resorting to clichés. The narrator’s the outsider who can give us an honest view, and she pays careful attention.Chapter to chapter, past to present, everything is densely woven. Always pulling you on with new clues, mysteries, and details. As Avery tries to reconstruct what happened at a party through flashbacks, it gets a little repetitive, but each time more is revealed, with both the past and present shifting with each telling. And the twists keep coming, which keeps you reading, because now it matters even more.

I read this book for work, but I got to choose it from a list of unassigned books. I chose it because, well, I'm a thriller reader. Avid to the core. I read and write in this genre.There are good and not-so-good things about The Last House Guest. I'll compact them into two lists to better explain them.The Good1. The plot moves quickly. I did not feel like I was stuck in a total quagmire, trying in vain to get out. The chapters are short enough and digestible for readers like me who have short attention spans. And, yeah, this is how a good thriller should be paced.2. There are some relate-able characters. Faith is a minor character who plays an important role and comes off as infinitely more likable than the narrator, Avery. Connor is also relatively likable and believable. But we do not get to see a lot of Connor or Faith, Avery's two former friends.3. The description of the scenery is vivid enough for me to get a clear idea of what fictional Littleport is supposed to look like. These passages are some of the best parts of the novel, in my opinion.On to the Not-So-Good Things1. Some of the language gets repetitive. I don't think I've ever seen "fulcrum" used as often in a novel.2. The language can get lofty. Even for an adult thriller novel, it comes off as excessive. I would suggest that the author tone down some of the word choices to make the book more accessible. Some readers might also find this to be a bit pretentious.3. What the hell is with the concluding chapter?! First off, Detective Collins' demise is not at all fulfilling. The showdown between Avery, Parker, and Collins just feels like a blip, not a climax. Then to have Avery reveal she has been investing all along, setting herself up to survive her split with the Lomans... It didn't feel right. It kind of made me dislike Avery even more. At no point in the novel did I feel sorry for her, but I had hoped that she would leave Littleport for good in the end.4. It's not that thrilling. The format feels repetitive. Avery goes somewhere she shouldn't. Avery hears odd noise. Avery sees shadowy figure. Lather, rinse, repeat.I'm divided on how I feel about this novel. Parts of it are really good, and parts of it are just... bland. I don't know. Maybe it caters better to a younger audience. But, if it is trying to do that, the elevated lexicon gets in the way.

Very well written, kept engaged and wasn’t confusing to read. The story tied up very nicely and I was definitely schocked by the ending as well as loved the outcome.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda is gripping and unpredictable, and you know you cannot trust any of the characters.Avery Greer works for the Lomans, who own rental property in her small town, Littleport, Maine, which is a tourist attraction during summers. After going through some tough times, Avery was given the opportunity to work with the Lomans because their daughter Sadie took a shine to Avery, and became her best friend. This friendship was only for the summer months when the Lomans relocated to Littleport. It was an unlikely friendship that sparked strange rumours, but had held strong for ten years.Then one summer, as the season is drawing to a close, Sadie is found dead; her death ruled a suicide. A year later, Avery is still not over the incident and Sadie's brother and a police detective are suspicious of her. As Avery stumbles into one problem after another, she realizes that the police were too quick to close the case, and there is a strong possibility that Sadie was murdered.Unfortunately, the closer she tries to get to the truth, the more it seems to implicate her for the murder.The book is fast paced, with something new being revealed in every chapter, the narrative jumping back and forth between the two summers. The chain of events is such that you cannot trust anyone, not even the narrator herself, who seems to reveal something new in her story every time you think you know what happened.Though the real character of a town supposed to be dark and evil, never really comes through, I was relieved not to have to read through unlimited lines of prose dedicated to a town.Overall, a good, interesting book after a long time.

This book was full of twists and turns right up to the end! The writing and storyline was well thought out with lots of secrets that slowly revealed themselves throughout the book. A great summer beach read as the setting will make you wish you lived in a beach side town!

I read this one pretty quickly, once it got going I couldn’t put it down. I like how her main characters are all flawed, and you don’t always root for them to be honest, when they are making dumb decisions 😂. But this one was good and I didn’t see the end coming.

This is the second book I have read by Megan Miranda (the first was A Perfect Stranger, which I loved). This book flips between Summer 2017 and Summer 2018, with lots of looks into the past. Told from the POV of protagonist Avery Greer, it's a fast paced read with plenty of twists and turns and a ending I didn't expect (though in hindsight the clues were there). And Miranda does an admirable job of painting the picture of a seaside tourist town in Maine, the powerful family that "runs it," and the secrets it, and they, hold. That said, the flipping back and forth was sometimes distracting. Overall a solid read, recommended.

As an non-native speaker, it was easy to understand and wonderfully written at the same time. I loved the in character. I think everyone sees herself in her or at least hopes.

I thought this was a good read. I love thrillers and this was really creepy and full of suspense throughout. It reminded me of an American mini series that you see on TV that gradually gives you clues as each episode goes on.l didn’t guess the outcome and it did all piece together nicely at the end. The story centres around the death of a young girl which has been put down to suicide.A year later her friend comes back to the scene for a memorial and isn’t happy with the verdict. It is a little slow in parts however I felt that it kept that pace even at the end. I enjoyed the characters and their back stories everyone has a secret which is usually the case. All in all a worthwhile read and I will read the authors other books.

Reese’s Witherspoon club pick for august. Perfect summer reading to chill by the pool or at the beach.An absolute page-turner that I read in 2 days! Miranda sets the perfect ambience for a summer thriller.Although I have to point out I wont remember this book forever I have to say that it fulfills its function perfectly, it’s a great summer read.

It's a gripping novel with a surprised twist at the end. Wonderfully written and nicely paced. Must read.