The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

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📖 Book Review: The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf

⭐ 1.5 out of 5 stars | Psychological Thriller / Mystery

🤨 Did I Read a Different Book Than Everyone Else?

I just don’t get it. This one came highly recommended, but The Overnight Guest dragged so much and felt unnecessarily confusing. The “twists” felt like withheld info rather than surprises, and the pacing was slow.

📝 The Plot — Full Spoilers Ahead

The story bounces between three timelines:

1. The year 2000

Josie Doyle, a teenage girl living on a farm with her parents and older brother Ethan, spends a summer day with her best friend Becky Allen. After some tension between Ethan and their dad, the day turns horrific when gunshots ring out at the farm. Josie is grazed by a bullet but escapes. She finds her parents dead and both Ethan and Becky missing.

Police suspect Ethan at first because of his violent behavior and fights with his dad. But when Josie finds Ethan’s body, the police shift their focus to Jackson Henley, a local troublemaker with a history of violence.

2. The basement timeline

A mother and her daughter are held captive in a basement by the girl’s father, who abuses them horribly. During a winter storm, the mother shaves the daughter’s head to disguise her as a boy, and they escape.

3. The present day

Writer Wylie Lark rents the Doyle farmhouse to research the old murder case. She finds a young, scared child in a storm and an injured woman nearby. Slowly, it becomes clear:

  • Wylie is actually Josie Doyle, who changed her name to escape her past.

  • The woman is Becky Allen — Josie’s childhood best friend.

  • The “boy” is actually Becky’s daughter, disguised to stay hidden.

The Awkward "Twist" Moment

Jackson Henley, the man once suspected of murder, turns up. Without checking with Becky, Wylie locks him in a shed, convinced he’s the killer. You’d think Becky would clear things up — “Uh, no, that’s not the guy, it’s Randy.” But nope, that conversation never happens until much later. It’s baffling.

The Real Villain and Final Showdown

The true abuser, Randy Cutter, Becky’s captor and father of Brock (Ethan’s friend), shows up. After a violent confrontation, Becky and Wylie are overpowered — until Becky’s daughter shoots Randy dead, saving them all.

💭 My Take

  • The slow pacing and confusing timelines made this hard to stick with.

  • The “twists” felt cheap — important details were withheld instead of revealed with finesse.

  • The Jackson Henley subplot was a distracting red herring that never got a proper resolution.

  • The lack of clear communication between Becky and Wylie about the real villain was a major head-scratcher.

📚 If You Like This Genre, Try:

🛒 Buy The Overnight Guest

👉 Get it on Amazon (affiliate link)

Did The Overnight Guest work better for you? I’m curious!

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