A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller “Once again, Megan Miranda has crafted the perfect summer thriller.” –Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Time I Lied The summer after a wealthy young summer guest dies under suspicious circumstances, her best friend lives under a cloud of grief and suspicion in this “clever, stylish … friend lives under a cloud of grief and suspicion in this “clever, stylish mystery that will seize readers like a riptide” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) featuring “dizzying plot twists and multiple surprise endings” (The New York Times Book Review).
Littleport, Maine, has always felt like two separate towns: an ideal vacation enclave for the wealthy, whose summer homes line the coastline; and a simple harbor community for the year-round residents whose livelihoods rely on service to the visitors.
Typically, fierce friendships never develop between a local and a summer girl–but that’s just what happens with visitor Sadie Loman and Littleport resident Avery Greer. Each summer for almost a decade, the girls are inseparable–until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother, Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name, before the facts get twisted against her.
Another thrilling novel from the bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger, Megan Miranda’s The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read with a strong female protagonist determined to make her own way in the world.
“A riveting read…from master of suspense, Megan Miranda,” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl) The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read that brilliantly explores the elusive nature of memory and the complexities of female friendships.
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Littleport, Maine is one of those resort towns where money talks, and class is an issue– the haves own the houses, and the help do for them.
This finely-wrought read by Megan Miranda kept me turning pages into the night as I felt with Avery, tragic “suicide” Sadie’s best friend, an angry young townie woman who was groomed and made over to be a de facto member of the Loman family by Sadie…until Avery is caught up in the swirling currents that surround Sadie’s death, and nothing is as it seems. Skillful use of language and well-drawn characters set this suspenseful tale apart. The only reason it didn’t get 5 stars was how slowly the story built.
Megan Miranda keeps getting better and better. This sinister and compelling thriller will grab you with its suspense, and keep you connected to the characters as you race through the high-stakes pages. And wow–the structure is unique and gorgeous. Only the brilliant Megan Miranda could pull this off. Loved it.
I can’t get enough of Megan Miranda’s thrilling stories. This is my third book by her and I’ve noticed a few things they have in common. There’s always two girls bound together though they’re nothing alike. Something always happens to one of them. The other is always set on finding the truth even if that truth is dangerous or leads them down uncomfortable paths that have them questioning even their own memories and minds. Personally, I love the setup. The Last House Guest took me a little longer to get into than Miranda’s previous books but once it got rolling I couldn’t put it down. I finished the whole thing in a day and was left gaping by the last of the plot twists. In typical Miranda fashion she led me down the rabbit hole just far enough to have me believing I’d figured it all out only to discover a dead end and a path hidden by brush I’d never even noticed before. I love the way Miranda writes and I can’t wait for her next book.
Avery is left with her grandmother’s house after she passes, a wealthy family buys it, and they hire Avery to manage this house and their entire neighborhood of exclusive, rented summer cottages.
Avery is an excellent manager, becomes friends with the Lowman’s daughter, Sadie, and is treated like family, and then is faced with Sadie’s death that is being ruled as a suicide. Avery knows Sadie wouldn’t kill herself and especially on the night of the annual Plus-One end-of-the-summer party.
Avery stuck to her theory that Sadie didn’t commit suicide, and she found a few things to prove the police investigation hadn’t been thorough and that no one could be trusted.
Her investigation made me nervous, though, because of the way she went about gathering evidence.
We move from chapter to chapter telling the before and after of Avery and Sadie’s friendship and of the goings on at the rental community. Was Sadie really Avery’s friend or did she think of Avery as the help and pretend to be her friend? Was anyone really Avery’s friend?
I was a bit confused at first about what was going, but once Avery found evidence and clues about what really happened and things were revealed, the interest kicked up.
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST will be for you if you enjoy a beach setting, characters that have secrets, characters that are broken, and a mystery that keeps you guessing.
The ending is definitely a surprise. 4/5
This book was given to me as ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A suspenseful story set in a picturesque coastal town, The Last House Guest is about friendships and secrets, the haves and the have-nots, the locals and the out-of-towners. This is the perfect summer thriller with an ending you won’t see coming.
I loved this book! Twisted suspense at its finest. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the author threw another twist in.
Another fantastic novel by Megan Miranda.
As summer winds down, only the last of the vacationers are left behind in Littleport. Local resident, Avery Greer soon finds herself spinning out of control and on the defense when her so-called best friend, Sadie Loman, is found dead, in what is being ruled a suicide. But this town is full of secrets and in her quest for the truth, Avery may not like what she finds.
Miranda provides a multidimensional narrative, full of elusive foreshadowing. The story is psychologically driven with a cast of well developed character that give a unique undertone to the narrative. It is superbly written to hold the reader’s attention from the first page to the very last. 5 stars.
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheLastHouseGuest in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last House Guest. Intriguing depiction of a small tourist town, and the conflicts between the year-long residents and the summer people. Also, I liked the author’s thoughts about how terrific it is to live in a town that has a strong identity and sense of place, even if towns like that drive you a little nuts sometime, especially when you’re a teenage. This novel has a bit more internal monologue than I usually like, but I went with it because it was so well written. And it started off a little slow, but then got so page-turny I skipped an afternoon at the beach to stay at home on the hammock and finish it. The heroine is a woman in her mid-twenties who’s straddling two worlds and is just starting to find herself, and she’s very rootable. I look forward to reading more novels from this author.
Avery Greer is a local in a summer resort town in Maine. Tragedy strikes her family when her parents die in a car accident, and her grandmother dies a short time later. Avery becomes depressed, and starts to alienate her close friends.
Sadie Loman is one of the wealthy summer residents. The summer residents and the locals don’t usually hang out together, but Sadie befriends Avery, and Sadie’s father gives Avery a place to stay and a job managing his properties.
When Sadie ends up dead, and all clues point to Avery involvement, Avery is desperate to prove her innocence.
However, will Avery trust the right people?
I really enjoyed this twisty thriller that highlighted the differences between what happens when you have money and when you don’t. What are people willing to do to get into the good graces of those with wealth? What will it cost them, both financially, emotionally, and physically? You will keep guessing to the end as to what is going to happen. I love it when a thriller surprises you!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions are freely given.
The first thing that cached my attention when I first saw the book was the cover (the vibrant colors together with the window and the raindrops on it) it was like it was screaming “look at me, look at my colors, pick me up and start reading”.
I like thrillers movies and mystery tv series, I like playing the detective and trying to figure out who did it and why, before it is revealed by the protagonists, and because of that I decided to give this book a try.
I admit, I was skeptical at first, because I have tried in the past reading this genre and didn’t like it, but after a few pages I was proven wrong.
I finished it in one sitting because I couldn’t put the book down, that much I liked it and I wanted to know how it will end.
Megan offers us a thriller novel, with plenty suspense and action, that will have the readers gasping for air at the end of the book. I know that I have. Can’t wait to read her other books.
Unexpected ending!
At times both atmospheric and ethereal, this novel does so much more than simply unspool events surrounding a young woman’s death. It deftly captures the search for belonging and deep friendships that often define youth and young adulthood, and the power dynamics between hardworking locals and the wealthy seasonal inhabitants they serve in a small vacation town. Most of all, it reminds us that circumstances are rarely what they first appear, and trust can be fleeting. Rarely have I been so immersed in the time, setting, and feel of a story.
This book hooked me from the beginning. Trying to figure out what happened. I liked the twists the plot takes to keep you guessing.
Another great hit by Megan Miranda, as I love all her books this one I just couldn’t put down.
i love Megan Miranda’s books! The journey to the end is always interesting.
This was an excellent book! I look forward to reading more by this author.
I would not recommend this book. It was way too laborious. This author is capable of writing pages and pages that literally say nothing. The book progress so slowly many times I wanted to give up. Literally pages would go by with nothing happening. Disappointing
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.
if you have time, I’d give it a try
This was a good summer of COVID 19 distraction, entertaining and a fast read. Avery is an interestingly flawed character who draws you to read more and her attraction to Sadie and the Loman family is a realistic premise. I thought I had figured out the twist, but I was wrong.