The Guest

Emma Cline

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The summers of the wealthy - shimmering pools in green gardens attached to air-conditioned villas by the beach. Dinner parties with live-in chefs. Lots and lots of white clothing. Accessible for few, unless you know your way in.

Alex has evaded the city and is riding the wave of Simon’s luxurious life. Simon is a bland rich man in his fifties with a sweet tooth for girls the age of his daughter, and has them around in short intervals as arm candy. Alex spends the summer in his pool, at the beach and accompanying him to parties in dresses that he bought her. Life is beautiful, especially without the worries of her old life, which evaporated when she left the city behind. The painkillers she steals from Simon may aid in that as well. 

After a few slip-ups, Simon is done with her and tosses her out. She is sent to the city. Going back to her old life is not an option. She is convinced that she has another chance with Simon and this life of security. If only she could stay there for another week until Simon’s party, where she can show him she’s worth keeping. We follow Alex as she navigates her way through the picturesque beach town, taking what she needs and leaving behind what no longer serves her. 

You get a peek into the life of a young escort barely holding up with drugs and manipulation to survive. The Guest is full of cunning and cleverness that she just gets away with, or not at all.

Emma Cline’s writing is spellbinding. Any book I read of hers, I devour in less than a week. Her portrayals of girls are intoxicating and her books always leave me yearning for more. They are a Lana del Rey song written out on paper.

I’m begging the goddesses for a part 2. Highly recommend.