Book Review Wednesday: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

I've had this book sitting in my Kindle library for a while and I finally decided to read it late in December. It was the perfect winter thriller to end the year with; super twisty, unexpected and a little scary. 

There were multiple POVs, alternating timelines and a mystery behind every corner. It had an ending that was truly surprising and I didn't see it coming from a mile away, which is the tell tale sign of a good thriller. 

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf is one of the best thrillers I've read in a while. 

Publisher's Summary

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. After 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.

My Thoughts

As I said above, this was a really great thriller with an ending that I didn't see coming, but was beautiful in it's own way... which is odd for a thriller.

I enjoyed how meta the book was with the true crime writer, Wylie, researching a cold case in the town she is staying in, and then reading about Becky & Josie in the past tense. When you start the book, you're trying to figure out how the past and present are connected but things don't come together until the end of the book.

However, each plot point on it's own is just as interesting; I was intrigued and frightened by what was happening to Becky and Josie, and dying to find out more about the surprise guests that Wylie had come across. 

There was also another POV, a young girl and her mother locked in a basement, and you also assumed that it was the same people who showed up at Wylie's house. Yet, there is always room for error so you spend most of the book unraveling multiple mysteries; how are all the stories linked? What happened to Josie & Becky? Who was this little girl and her mother? 

It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I finished the book within a day or two, something I hadn't really been doing with a lot of books lately. 

Gudenkauf's writing is magnificent; it's poetic and detailed, yet not overly flowery that you can't follow it. I did think that it was a smidge too slow at times and the climax could've come sooner but it was well worth the wait. 

I can't say too much without giving everything away but if you're a fan of mysteries and thrillers, you will love The Overnight Guest!

xoxo
B