A Gripping, Emotional Story
That
Is Hard to Forget
About the Book
USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards returns with a fan-favorite story.
Teenage Savannah’s father passed away recently and she has been rebelling against her stepmother, Cassie, since. When she happens upon a pouch filled with cash in a parking lot with some new friends she’s trying to impress, she decides to keep it in an act of defiance. When Cassie learns of her crime after Savannah has already spent the money, and learns that the money belonged to a woman, Amber, who has since been evicted along with her teenage son Will because they couldn’t pay the rent after losing the pouch of money, she invites Amber and Will to move in with them. As they become involved in each other’s lives, the teenagers develop a friendship while the mothers do the same. But while Cassie is trying to figure out what happened to her husband in the months before he passed away – why he was becoming distant and draining the funds in their bank accounts, leaving them destitute upon his death – Amber is clearly trying to outrun something dark in her own past.
Details
- Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
- Title: The House Guests
- Author: Emilie Richards
- Genre: Family Life Fiction
- Length: 544 pages
- Trade Paperback
- $16.99 USD
- Publisher: Harlequin Fiction
- Release Date: June 29, 2021
- Click for a Peek Inside the Book -Excerpt
My Thoughts
Two moms each with a child and each family unit with secrets and concerns. This story will have you flipping pages and wondering what’s coming.
If you’ve read many of my reviews you are aware that I usually don’t read a synopsis before I start a book. It’s usually enough for me to know the genre, since I want the unfolding of the story to be a surprise. So as this story unfolded I kept waiting for the thriller…and waiting. If you are expecting a thriller, this is the wrong book. But if you want great characters and building suspense, don’t pass this up. This is going to make you happy.
The Setting
The setting was the first thing to capture my interest. Tarpon Springs is a place that holds many fond memories for me. And the author’s descriptions brought me right back to the sponge docks and the first time I tried a gyro sandwich.
Characters
Secondly, the characters came to life in a very short time. Did I like everything they said? Nope. But don’t throw your hands up and say that you’d never accept that kind of back-talk from your teenager. It will be short lived. And when you think about it later you will realize that the mouthy teenager and her step-mom weren’t reacting all that much out of character. I think you’ll find that Richards has created dialog for characters that makes them much more than just names, they become people who could be your next door neighbors.
Content
I found the content of this story to be a little of this and that. As I said earlier, the characters have problems and are complicated and suffering many emotions, the relationships are difficult, and as continued turning the pages I realized that suspense was mounting.
My Concerns
Nothing at all.
My Final Thoughts
Even though I like a story, I’m usually slow to hand out 5 stars. By doing that I want the rating to mean more to my readers. And hopefully it will. But this story ticked all the boxes.
- Interesting Characters with believable dialog
- Well though-out story with two families and two different secrets
- The writing flowed
- The ending was satisfying
For some unknown reason Emilie Richards has flown under my radar. This is the first time I’ve read a book by her, but I will guarantee you I’ve got her spotted and I’ll be watching for her next one.
My thanks to #NetGalley, the author and Harlequin for an eBook. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels. She has appeared on national television and been quoted in Reader’s Digest, right between Oprah and Thomas Jefferson.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Richards has been married for more than forty years to her college sweetheart. She splits her time between Florida and Western New York, where she is currently plotting her next novel.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Author website: https://emilierichards.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoremilierichards
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilierichards
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilierichards/
BUY LINKS:
Bookshop.org, Amazon, Amazon (Print), Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Books-A-Million, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Audible
