The Perfect Hosts

By: Heather Gudenkauf

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Xe Sands

A USA Today bestseller!

"You don't know who to trust or where loyalties lie in The Perfect Hosts. I loved every minute of this fun, twisty wild ride!" –Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

A couple’s gender reveal party turns deadly and everyone is a suspect in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest.

Is it a boy or a girl? They would die to know…

Madeline and Wes Drake have invited two hundred of their closest friends and family to their sprawling horse ranch for the most anticipated event of the year: a “pistols and pearls” gender reveal party so sensational it is sure to make headlines. But the party descends into chaos when the celebratory explosive misfires, leaving one woman dead and a trail of secrets.

As the aftershocks of the bloody party ripple across the small town, Agent Jamie Saldano is brought on the scene to investigate. Battling his own demons from the past, Saldano unearths a web of deceit spun around the Drakes. The appearance of some unexpected houseguests only deepens the mystery. And as tensions mount, it becomes clear that the explosion wasn’t just an unlucky accident. But who was the target, and why? As the shadow of a killer looms, the happy parents-to-be must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

A party gone horribly, horribly wrong.

I expected nothing less from Heather, and I wasn't disappointed. Typical small town, everyone having something to hide. Well-written and well performed, though Brittany takes up the bulk of narrating duties.

Weak story

I like Brittney Pressley and Xe Sands
But Xe did one minor character that didn’t do much for the story
Trent, Meli, and even the brother didn’t have complete roles they were introduced as if they were pertinent but fizzled away the end was outrageous even for this genre.
I won’t seek out this author again

Gudenkauf does it again!

Heather Gudenkauf is one of my favorite authors, and this is another Perfect example of why! I keep coming back for her unexpected twists. Even expecting an unexpected twist, she will leave you stunned!

Weak Story

I really did not like the main character… inconsistencies in story itself. Not one of my favorites for this author.

Uhm, sequel??

I truly enjoyed The Perfect Hosts and I’m so excited for the inside scoop when I get to meet Heather Gudenkauf at an event in Iowa this weekend, because I have so many questions!

I both loved and Hated Madeline. Initially she comes across as privileged and ungrateful, but you quickly learn that isn’t entirely the case.

In a small twist Lucy is actually my favorite character- what can I say, I love a messy human in my fiction, and Lucy brings it.

The whole story of a gender reveal gone wrong is something we see in real life all too frequently with everyone trying to do the next biggest viral thing. I love how HG plugged that in and made it the start of this wild adventure.

Overall ‘The Perfect Hosts’ is a really well done novel, and the narrators do a wonderful job bringing Madeline and Lucy to life.

I’m begging for a sequel because that ending had me raising my eyebrows. I also would love a follow up on Jamie, as he is an important side character and I feel like I needed a little more closure surrounding where we leave him at the end.