Just don’t!

One star for a slightly engaging premise, but thereafter the wheels don’t only fall off, but fail to exist. The whinging and whining of the protagonist is pathetic and annoying, especially in the context of how the book ends (I think you’re meant to pretend the first three-quarters doesn’t happen).

The gaps and holes could be filled with the missing wheels (above) and there would still be place for more. The single POV hampers the story’s progression, and the silences don’t leave you guessing, but rather scratching your head.

Avoid or maybe read the other (glowing) before deciding.10 s2 comments SueCanaan393 27

I do not give out 5's.

Somehow Last Minute Guest ended up on my list. I've never heard of the author. On audio, not kidding, I listened to this non stop. Completely hooked.

And, for those of you who AirBnB - oh my gosh. Stop. It's terrifying, lol.

Well done, Drew Strickland. Write more.audiobook xpired-2023-book-challenge-group12 s1 comment Wendy Del Toro682 13

Wow, I loved everything about this deliciously twisted story. As a reader we know who is behind the "mishaps" that are happening to our hero, Edward. But poor Eddie is naive and seduced by the charms of his new friend Jax and I'm rooting for him all the while to get the upper hand. These two main characters jumped right off the page for me. I got such a Norman Bates vibe from Edward and wanted to shake him so many times to wake up and smell the psycho! But while the reader is presented with the obvious villain there are a few curveballs thrown in to keep me off balance. What is Jax's motivation? I know there's going to be a twist coming and the presentation is clever, there's a few whiplash moments as I neared the end, which was dark and delicious! Loved it!4 s1 comment Jerri740 22

Slow, repetitive, not for me3 s Niko257

A lonely, socially awkward man takes the plunge and decides to rent out his guesthouse on his property to an overly eager renter whom he thought was the perfect renter, until he wasn’t.

The synopsis drew me in and kept me interested…but it went downhill pretty quickly once all of the things that transpired became wayyyy too farfetched.

It became obvious that Jax was just a damn sadist who enjoyed renting from property owners just to ruin their lives but why? What was the purpose? There was no conclusion, no reasoning - just a random renter hellbent on ruining lives. Just silly.

Edward turned out to be batshit crazy after all with his “caretaker” abilities, but even that shocker fell flat after two seconds. The entire book was filled with quirky-ass characters who just made me scratch my head a few times. Book had potential but pretty much went south for me. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2 s Sammie Edwards60 5

I knew straight away that ‘jax’ was going to be the guy from the first messages, but the ending!! OmgThis entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2 s Kay29

3.5 ??????… a bit juvenile but I was interested enough to want to finish it and was a little surprised at the ending. 2 s Jasmin Winchell24

Disturbia circa 2023. THE LAST SENTENCE. Yes!!!2 s1 comment Angi Vanhoose15 1 follower

DNF. Way too slow.2 s Rachael Ashak-Benson355 18

Thrilling read! Super fast page-turner!….

This is the 1st work I’ve read by author, Drew Strickland — & now I’m definitely a fan of his writing!
This story is juicy & incredibly unique. His creativity (ability toward depravity?? Lol) is top notch. And such fun to read.
I really can’t say much in the way of specifics without chancing giving any of the important bits of the story away — other than to say surprises & shocks abound, & the twists are beyond satisfying.
The characters within Last Minute Guest are well developed, which increases enjoyment during the final chapters. Strickland’s world building is colorful & adds so much to the tale.
There are some editing blips here & there, but nothing too major or even annoying.
Overall, I really love this story & can heartily recommend it to all readers.
Kudos, Mr. Strickland! And thank you for the thrilling & fun read! :) 1 Jana21

This book was exhausting trying to get through. I think it may be the worst book I’ve ever encountered. The protagonist was giving Incel from the very start. He was so backward and constantly thinking that others were thinking negatively of him or even thinking of him at all. He was entirely narcissistic and the self deprecation was so over the top that annoying doesn’t even begin to describe how irate this character made me. I trudged through and finished it but my.god. Was it hard! 1 Christine Abruzzi255

Ok, but.....

I d the premise of the story and it was interesting. But, I almost quit at the half way point because there were just so many pages to skip with info we had already been given numerous times. Could have been about 50 pages shorter and told the same story. I did the end and d the story enough to give it 4 stars.1 H.S. BurneyAuthor 6 books159

This book was quite a ride. It was a slow burn to start with. In fact at one point I was going to DNF but I plugged along.
You're inside Edward's head from the get-go. The story is told from a single perspective in a stream-of-consciousness style. You're hearing Edward's thoughts as he has them. Of course you find out later in the book that - much later - that Edward's self talk may not be most reliable.
I love how the character was developed. A socially awkward fly on the wall to self righteous rage monster. T times he was completely irritating. I can only imagine how the police felt about all his calls.
And then there was Jax. A character who didn't even really need a motive. He was just deliciously, unapologetically crazy. Although I puzzled as to why he would fixate upon this particular rental to the point of murdering his way to get it? That's commitment right there.
I would've d to know more about how exactly he did what he did to Tim. Although we get a taste of it in what he does to Edward.
Some of the situations were totally unbelievable. For example how could Edward get fired from Dr Pyle's office for such a flimsy reason? That sounds a wrongful dismissal suit waiting to happen.
The very last twist at the end was nice. And a reminder that still waters run deep. Overall this was a very enjoyable read. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review CammieOH414 11

Edward is mentally challenged. Paranoia, OCD, and overthinking clutter his brain, yet he is determined to open his “other house on the property” as a rental property. After all, after his mother’s death he and his sister had the dream and rehabbed the place to perfection. And now his sister is gone too, fell off a cliff, her body never found. So Edward is alone and mentally unable to pull the trigger on the listing.

Enter Lonnie, Edward’s only friend. Lonnie owns the antiques and comic book store and feeds Edward’s eccentric hobby of restoring cast iron pans. Sounds super quirky, right? So Lonnie just grabs Edward’s phone and uploads the listing for the guesthouse. Edward is pleased that he has a friend that pushes him to do things.

Enter Jax, the renter from hell. Jax befriends Edward and now he is pleased bc he has two friends! But Jax is not who he said he was and as he inserts himself into Edward’s life things get dicey.

This was a fast read. The plot was really good. My issue is that as much as I love a messed up POV, living in Edward’s brain for the entire book was grating. I don’t think it would have hurt the plot to maybe get Lonnie’s POV giving the reader a break from Edward’s constant overthinking brain.

The ending was supreme, and put a crown on the book. 4 Stars. Aurora Jay189 13

2.5 ?? Awkward Edward, steps out of his comfort zone and puts his guest house up as a vacation rental. Enter Jax the super friendly tenant and Edward’s world is turned upside down

Half way through and I wondered if I was going to discover anyone’s motivations. It was such a slow burn, with a lot of repetition and although I suspected an awesome ending, I wondered if the journey was worth it

This is of course a matter of opinion, but although the ending was pretty epic, it wasn’t worth the read…. It was too slow, we didn’t get to know anyone except really Edward and I wanted more of the drama we got at the end…

This book has got excellent but for me, I just wish the whole book could have been as exciting and interesting as the final hour
Lynn Mccorry250 20

3 stars for the book, 4 stars for the ending. 3.5 stars overall

I’m in a few different minds about this book. I didn’t love it but didn’t really dis it either. I guess there were parts I d and other parts, not so much.

I found the story to be a bit lack lustre. I didn’t the main character. I felt that there was just too much reference to his social awkwardness. The ending was surprising and pretty good, but when you pair that with the rest of the book, it all becomes a bit unbelievable.

Overall, not too bad a read and if you are looking for a relatively short thriller, it’s worth giving it a go.read-in-2023 Ana61

Edward is introverted. socially awkward and an over-thinker. A year after his sister's death he decides to rent out the guest house he inherited from his mother in an attempt to break our of his routines. After an older couple's brief stay, Jax rents the place for a month and strange things begin to happen. Maybe Jax isn't the cool friend after all.
I enjoyed the book despite Edward's pathetic character, but about halfway through the book it all became repetitious and pretty predictable. There were a few twists but it was just too far-fetched and non-sensical. The ending was ridiculous. Pheadra805 44

I really enjoyed this story about a young man( Edward) who appears to have a version of Aspergers Syndrome and counts repeatedly to ground and calm himself. He has lost both his mother and sister and sees a therapist. A project he's completed is his guesthouse, which he is encouraged to rent out by his friend Lonnie. When his overnight guests do a disappearing act in the middle of the night, he takes in a kast minute guest, Jax, who turns into a nightmare. I loved the twist at the end and the writing style was easy to read. 4 and a half stars.2023 Megan89 1 follower

Considering I originally thought this book was extremely slow paced, I can safely say the 2nd half of the book hooked me in so well to the point I couldn't put it down! It was quite frustrating to read in areas but that was only because I, as the reader, knew what was going on before poor Edward had even considered the possibility. This book would've been 3 stars but then the shock factor of the ending had my jaw on the floor so I had to bump it up.

Idecided to read this based on a recommendation, as it's not my usual genre of choice, and I'm pleased I did. Louise Pledge1,289 26

I saw this advertised on FB and thought it looked intriguing. It was a very weird story! But that's okay; it was supposed to be very weird! While it held my attention fairly well, the ending made me sick to my stomach.

Here's one descriptive paragraph that I really d, "Everything hurts. My legs are sore, my shoulder is somehow searing in pain, and my whole body feels it was taken through an automatic car wash without a car." I'm sure I have felt that before but never would have been able to describe it that aptly.

I think 3 1/2 rounded up to a 4. Renee155

This was definitely a twisted physiological thriller filled with mystery! The main character, Edward, is socially awkward and has many quirks and I listened to the audiobook on 1.20 and 1.25 speed which really fit perfectly with his personality. His tenant in his Airbnb, Jax, is outgoing and charismatic and has everyone fooled - especially Edward in the beginning. However, Edward gets the sense that things are not as they seem with Jax and he goes about trying to figure out what Jax is really up to! Really enjoyed this! Well read! Cheryl Wippich13

JAW DROPPING ENDING-INDEED!!

I loved this book immensely. It had lots of twists, but the ending was so shocking that I had to reread some of it to make sure I caught every juicy detail.
Each character is described so well, especially Edward and Jax, the two main leads. Edward rents his guesthouse out to Jax . I just wanted to read this all night because of all the action taking place.
Highly recommend this novel to thriller lovers. Joggingt684 1 follower

Well that was a shocker!!!! Edward is maladjusted young man with OCD, fear of socializing and multiple other anti-social tendencies. In order to move himself out of this sphere he takes on a project of renovating his guest house and doing short term rentals. There in lies the drama. With a possible renter from hell or a possible newly developed paranoia, the developments are catchy and capturing. Joice140

This audiobook was narrated as the neurodivergent
main character. It was not easy to listen to.
The plot line was very much a mystery and not
knowing what or who did what. Edward decides to create an air b&b in his guesthouse in the backyard. The guests kept his life interesting until one guest was questionable.

It took too long to
get interesting for me-
then the end was a WTF!?!?!
WTF!???? WTF!!!!???

not my jam.

#2024readsjph2024-reads Mel1,234 9

1??
Edward is a highly anxious individual, grieving the deaths of both his mother and sister; making him the perfect victim for a dubious character. I could relate to Edward, his levels of anxiety and his internal monologue but he made for a frustrating protagonist. I think it was a shame Jax was mentioned in the blurb, as the reader knew exactly what was going on and there was very little element of surprise. This was a non-starter for me, I persevered but couldn’t get into it at all. Cindy65

Last Minute Guest - Drew Strickland

Three and a half stars. Very bizarre book. The main character is a man who would probably have been diagnosed with Asperger’s and/or Antisocial Personality Disorder in the real world. The book goes on and on about everything going on in his head. It takes patience to keep reading. The end is a super shocking twist that you would never expect. That made it worth while. Megan Olds7 2

really d the interesting ending!!!

This book went out with a ABANG! Great ending. However I hated the main chapter the whole book. He was so friggin pathetic and insufferable it was hard to read sometimes. However, at about 40% the book slowly picked up and it ended up being an interesting read. Margaret Kennedy6

HAD ME SEEING MYSELF

This book really grabbed me because I have the same quirks as the main character - in fact I've never identified so much with a character - but let me say to a point-I never saw the ending coming and that's always one of my favorite things about a book. I'll be looking for more by this author. Jenna133 1 follower

Anxiety-ridden Edward, while mourning the loss of his sister and mother, decides to rent out his guest house to short-term renters (think VRBO). A guest comes and begins to insert himself into Edward’s life. This is where things start to go horribly wrong.

This book has misdirection, twists, and an unreliable narrator. I loved it and it’s available on KU. celene irwin189 2

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