The Guest House by Bonnie Traymore

Allie Dawson has been offered an amazing opportunity by Laura Foster and is keen on bringing her entrepreneurial concept to life. Allie lost her hearing at a young age, and together with her brother and a partner, has created a screen that clips onto eyeglasses and captions speech in real-time.

 

But life in Silicon Valley is expensive and Allie is struggling to find a place to stay. When a gentleman named Mike, claiming to be in real estate, approaches her at Starbucks and offers her a rental in his guest house, she is initially sceptical. But beggars can’t be choosers so Allie takes a chance. Initially, Allie is happy, but when she sees him dragging something across the lawn in the middle of the night, she has questions.

 

And, adding to her questions is the mysterious Hungarian Barnat, who also has a place at the guest house. After meeting a potential investor, Allie is over the moon about the future. But things take an odd turn when she realises that some people will do anything to get their hands on the newest idea.

 

I read the previous book in the series, which helped to understand some of the characters’ choices in this one as it continues where the previous one ended. However, there were directions some plot lines went in that didn’t seem necessary. For example: why the secret/angry looks from Susan and Willa?

 

I loved Allie’s concept and her portrayal as D/deaf and to be let into how she experiences the world was very interesting. Lots of things hearing people take for granted are highlighted here.

 

Laura has grown in this one and I liked the fact that she decided to take care of herself. But did Peter’s story have to go in that direction in order to get the closure she needed on her decision?

 

Shep was my favourite in the last book and I’m glad his story took a good turn in this one.

 

I think there were too many leaps to just “accept” in this. For Mike to invite Allie to stay and make her pay for three months meant he knew of the viability of her concept, otherwise what he was up to versus the timeframe is a waste. Barnat’s end story almost felt like a plaster on a plot hole. I also found Lydia’s fantasy oddly disturbing and hinted at something more maybe?

 

Again, I wouldn’t call this a psychological thriller but more of a suspense. However, the editing was great and the story kept me going. It does end with questions and seems to have been left open somewhat again. Is there another planned in the series? It is an enjoyable read but leaves you with questions and a feeling like it wasn’t quite finished off. I don’t mean things tied up with a bow, I mean loose tangents.

 

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a chance to review the book.