Megan Miranda | THE LAST HOUSE GUEST

Plot (via Goodreads):

Littleport, Maine is like two separate towns: a vacation paradise for wealthy holidaymakers and a simple harbour community for the residents who serve them. Friendships between locals and visitors are unheard of - but that's just what happened with Avery Greer and Sadie Loman.

Each summer for a decade the girls are inseparable - until Sadie is found dead. When 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.

Review:

Megan Miranda is one of my go-to authors ever since I read All the Missing Girls. Well, The Last House Guest is her newest one and in my opinion, this one does not disappoint. Now, if you're looking for a gritty and dark thriller, this is not going to be your cup of tea. However, if you are looking for a beach-thriller that is perfect for outdoor reading with a summery beverage, than look no further.

Megan Miranda has this insane ability to just transfer me into whatever world she is writing in. The setting to this one was one of my favorite elements about this novel. I felt like I was in Maine, I was eager for summer, and there was fresh blood just waiting to be shed with this suspenseful story. I enjoyed this plot, I really did. I liked the setting, I loved the main character, and there were some really cinematic and eerie scenes that I think would play off perfectly on screen. My only drawback with this one was that as much as I enjoyed the alternating between the present summer and the summer of Sadie's death, I felt that the present chapters still had little "flashbacks" or stories from the past in them that kind of confused me and also made it hard to alternate between the present/flashbacks as well as the chapters from last summer as I was constantly trying to keep track of a timeline in my head. I think that while this initially confused me, I did catch on quickly and really had  to take my time reading it (not that that's a bad thing because I love Megan Miranda), but I still think this is a testament to how well she can tell a story and how much she invests within her creativity. 

I loved my girl Avery. She was fierce, smart, and not at all cliched. A few characters I felt were introduced and kind of fell off and some kind of fell into cliched pockets of other stories similar to this genre, but like I said - this is just a really suspenseful and entertaining thriller that is devilishly paced and I still found it to be one of the more enjoyable summer reads I've gotten to enjoy. As for the ending to this one, not only was it not one I saw coming, but it kind of went into a darker direction and a spiderweb of events just kind of hit me in the face after relaxing and only being on guard during the creepier moments of losing power and hearing things that go bump in the night. I found that to be effective and really well done.

I'm always going to read Megan Miranda's adult novels. I find them to be entertaining, engrossing, and cinematic. I would definitely recommend packing this one in your beach bag this summer or lounging by the pool with this one for the day.

Special thanks to Corvus and Simon Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5