Devoured this book in one day--couldn't put it down!
A very clever psychological suspense thriller with a stellar twist toward the end. I liked that none of the characters are exactly who they seem to be on the surface, which makes the novel overall more compelling and intriguing.
The plot is quite original and never slowed down for a second. If you think that it will suffer from one of the main characters being silent for the great majority of the book, then think again. The book's themes are deeply rooted in psychological pain and made me think about how our pasts shape us in ways that we might not even be conscious of on the surface.
This is a fantastic debut and I look forward to reading additional books by this author in the future, especially if they are all as fresh and intricately twisty as this one.

Alicia and Gabriel Berenson were married for seven years. Gabriel was a world famous fashion photographer, and Alicia was an incredible artist. They were blissfully happy. Until the night Alicia shot him. Five times. In the face.

And then she just stopped speaking.

Six years later, psychotherapist Theo Farber is absolutely certain he can get through to her. He takes a job at the crumbling facility where she's been silently housed and sets about attempting to break through the walls she's built, to get to Alicia's voice. To her truth.

Why did Alicia murder her husband?

When people say they want to read more thrillers, I get super excited. Because I LOVE a good thriller. But in the last year, I think I've read maybe five decent thrillers, and maybe two actual good ones?

This right here. This is the one I'm going to be recommending for months and months to come.

Told in alternating view points between Alicia's journal leading up to Gabriel's murder, and Theo's clinical point of view, we slowly work our way to the answers we are so desperately craving. This isn't a red herring situation, you're not led to believe it could be any of the other players. Slow, methodical, but never boring, we're led through the tiny papercuts of Alicia's life, and her rapidly deteriorating mental state. And we think we see where this is going.

And lo and behold, we know nothing.

I did not see the ending coming, and that always makes for a good thriller to me.

Don't miss out on this one, thriller lovers. It's one for the record books.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, features an artist, Alicia Berenson, who murders her husband one evening and then never speaks again. She is sent to live in a psychiatric hospital where she is treated by psychotherapist, Theo Faber. He has transferred to the hospital in hopes of helping Alicia and to determine why she killed her husband and the reason she continues to live in silence.

This novel is unlike any thriller I have read in the past. It has you on the edge of your seat and filled with tension, but without the violence or sense of danger that many thrillers rely on. It really plays with your mind, questioning what is real and what is a lie or imaginary. It doesn’t have the “dime a dozen” feel that most thrillers published have now. The plot is well thought out, and the characters are well developed. There are some great twists in the story and at one point my jaw truly did drop I was so shocked! I will say that it is a bit slower than a lot of the best selling thrillers, but in a good way. There is more depth and development in the story, and it was a bit more sophisticated in the way it is written than the average thriller.

There are so many “whys” to consider when reading this novel. Why did Alicia kill her husband? Why did she stop talking? Why is is so important to Theo to help her? It is worth the read to find out!

I'll admit that at it took me at least 50-100 pages before I was really invested in this story, but once I was in it, I was invested. It's pretty interesting to have a character who isn't speaking a word in their own defense- who isn't speaking a word at all- and I was very curious about Alicia Berenson. Is she a traumatized victim, or a stone-cold killer? From snippets of the diary she kept leading up to the death of her husband, readers get to know Alicia a little bit, but even her private musings can leave readers wondering who she is, as she seems a bit sad, a bit lonely- but murderous? Her psychologist, who tells the story, is a bit of a strange character as well, seeming pretty obsessed with his famous patient and pursuing endless methods to get her to speak. I'll even admit that I was taken by the ending, but in retrospect it probably should not have felt like such a surprise.

I read a ton of psychological thrillers, and most fall short of the mark for me. Granted, the continued exposure does mean that it is increasingly harder and harder to "get" me with that required big twist. Then, along comes this debut from Alex Michaelides.

The story is a slow build, and in the beginning, it feels almost like two separate stories. Most of it is told from Theo's point of view, but we also get glimpses into Alicia's life through her journal entries, so there's Theo's personal life, Alicia's inner turmoil before the murder, and their interactions together. I'll admit that I was a bit confused at first about where this tale was headed, and it does take a while to get there. Despite that, there's just something thoroughly compelling about this story. Whatever that special something is that pulls a reader into the story and doesn't let go - this one has it in spades.

Then we get to the twist and I was gobsmacked. It came out of nowhere - but it really didn't, not when I looked back at everything I'd absorbed to that point. So, I was thrown for a loop, yet it all connects and makes sense. Everything, from the how and why of the murder to that jaw-dropping reveal, it all just works.

To sum it up, The Silent Patient is dark, twisted, and filled with not so likable characters that still managed to draw me in completely. Slow build or not, I kept turning those pages and finished it in one day - Well, one sleepless night because one chapter turned into two, and so on. And this debut has put this author firmly on my radar.

Alicia Berenson is a well-known artist married to Gabriel, a well-known fashion photographer. They seem to have an idyllic life in London - until one night Alicia shoots Gabriel 5 times in the face. Her lawyer manages to get her committed to The Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. as she has never spoken one word since that night. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has long wanted to work with Alicia and when the opportunity arises, he manages to get a job at The Grove. He then manages to get himself assigned to Alicia’s case. His mentors have trained him to believe that he will succeed when he becomes “one” with his patients. And this is exactly what the reader will see him do until......... This debut novel brings a new talent to the genre. Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book has everything I could ask for in a psychological thriller- twists and turns, interesting characters, a plot that keeps me guessing, an ending that I liked- and more shocking still- a female protagonist that I liked. I'm also starting to pick up on a plot device being used in recent years in these sorts of books- repeated reference to an obscure book or movie. In this case it's Euripides' play Alcestis. I'm always up for a recommendation for a good book (or movie- thanks to The Woman in the Window I have a whole list of film noir to catch up on) so I think I'll add it to my list.

This book kept me hooked from beginning to end. When I was forced to put it down to deal with reality (Doing dishes and the such) my mind stayed with the story. I certainly was not expecting the twist at the end! Alex Michaelides did a fantastic job crafting this tale.

Wow this book really surprised me! It kept you guessing the whole time and just when you thought you had it figured out it threw you a curve ball. Excellent writing and story telling!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides for the opportunity to read this amazing debut novel - this one deserves all the buzz it is getting! It hits the stores on February 5th - order it now, clear your calendar, stay inside and read this book! 5 glowing stars for an incredible read.

Alicia is a painter and her husband, Gabriel, a photographer. As the story opens, Alicia is standing with a gun near her husband who has just been shot in the face. Alicia is brought to trial, deemed unstable, and sentenced to The Grove - a psychiatric institute for severely troubled people. From the time she was discovered immediately after the shooting, Alicia hasn't said a word - for years. Psychotherapist Theo has read and followed Alicia's case and is determined to get her to speak. He transfers to The Grove to begin therapy. But who is helping whom?

Enough said about this one because the twists and turns will make your head spin! I couldn't put this down and will be telling everyone to read this book - loved it!

What an excellent debut novel! Alex Michaelides has what it takes to write a psychological thriller. Definitely a "didn't see it coming" ending to a story that hooks you from the beginning and compels you to keep turning the pages. Alicia Berenson is a famous painter and is married to Gabriel, a fashion photographer. From all accounts, they are deeply in love. Then one night Alicia is found standing in front of her dead husband with a gun. Gabriel was shot five times in the face. Alicia refuses to talk, she goes completely mute, all throughout her trial and sentencing she is mute and gives no explanation. The case becomes a mystery that captures the public imagination. She is sentenced to a secure psychiatric hospital. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who seeks to unravel her mystery. But this compulsion to unravel only entwines their lives in ill-fated ways. Oh, what an evil web that is woven . . .

“As you will see, it’s an incredible story-of that there is no doubt. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

This story hooked me immediately. And the ending…WOW…didn’t see that coming! Highly recommend for those who enjoy thrillers. Sure I had to suspend belief, a psychotherapist who acted more like a criminal investigator and a silent painter who seemed more like a novelist in writing her diary. But even so, I sure enjoyed the ride.

*will post in additional online venues once published

Thank you @celadonbooks and @netgalley for granting me access to The Silent Patient for review! Publishing February 5, 2019.

The Silent Patient is best read with very little known about it so I will not go into too much detail in this review.

I did find The Silent Patient moves a little slower than I personally prefer. I did understand why by the time I had made it to the end but I still wish it was paced slightly faster.
The ending truly was inspired though, a giant shock but also then made total sense to me. It also was a realistic ending once you thought about it and revealed in such a way that even if you had guessed it by some miracle, I think you still would enjoy the way it was done.

Alicia Berenson shoots her husband in the face 5 times and then never speaks again. Theo, a psychotherapist, is determined to help Alicia recover her voice and unravel the mystery of why she did it.
My curse seems to be figuring out the twist a chapter before it happens - too late to be surprised, too early to feel clever. I was hoping for a un-put-downable page turning thriller, but this was too slow. I did think the big reveal was well done, but it did confuse the timeline for me a bit. Overall a mediocre read.

Here's what's fun about this book: you KNOW it's going to have a twist. You can even, without breaking a sweat, suss out the main components and characters of the twist--like a horror movie haunted house: "Don't go in there!" And yet....the ending is well done and satisfying, elegant and clever. (With one exception: the resolution of what happens with Theo's wife is a little clumsy).

Excellent pacing, well-written, and the psychological insights add a layer of sophistication. Would recommend.

This was certainly an interesting book. It had a lot going for it: a clever idea for the basic plot, it was fast and easy to read, there was a diverse cast of characters, and it had a surprise ending. All good things. But, were they enough? Unfortunately, I have to say no.

I was surprised to find the book more about Theo, the therapist, rather than Alicia, the patient. I really didn’t care about his life, or his problems, growing up. I also didn’t like that he seemed more like a detective rather than a therapist or how easily he became Alicia’s therapist. Also, the book seemed to be mired down in psychological theory, which rapidly became annoying.

However, there were things about the book I liked. The mystery of why Alicia wouldn’t talk was compelling and kept me reading. I thought the use of her diary was clever. I also enjoyed being proven wrong about certain assumptions I had made while reading. And, I did like the surprise ending. (I never see them coming!)

All in all, I think it’s a good beach read or, maybe, a book club selection. There’s certainly a lot to discuss!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A seemingly conventional thriller, whereby, a ‘beautiful’ married couple, once passionately in love, is found with one partner standing near the other, now dead one, holding the murder weapon. A professional enters the tale to determine the truth of the tableau and then the thrills begin. THE SILENT PATIENT moves slowly and at times I wondered why I was reading such a conventional novel. Perhaps my mind wandered a bit as I read, to be honest. As the book neared the very end, I was gobsmacked by the surprise. This is not the kind of twist that makes any sense to jump ahead and read. The pieces must be picked up along the way. I was lulled into this twist and it was just fantastic. I loved the great big jolt I received. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I finished reading The Silent Patient in one sitting. This is the author's debut novel and even though the book description sounded intriguing, I had no idea that 3 months later, this would still be the book that I keep thinking about and talking about to every book lover I know.
Alicia is an artist, married to Gabriel, a photographer. To the world, her life appears pretty perfect and yet one night, Gabriel comes home and Alicia kills him. What could have led her to murder her husband? No one may ever know the truth since she has not spoken a single word since that night. Enter Theo, a psychotherapist who believes if given the opportunity to treat Alicia, that he can break through her silence.
Almost everything I want to say about The Silent Patient veers dangerously close to spoiler territory. What I can say is that the story is told in the past and in the present and that much is revealed about both Alicia and Theo. Did I have my own thoughts about where this story was headed? Why yes I did and I totally got it wrong! The ending has an unbelievably good twist that made perfect sense after I thought about what I had read. It was weeks before I could read another book without thinking it was just 'OK'. Actually, I read some very good books, but my Silent Patient book hangover just wouldn't let go.
Honestly, the story, the characters, and the twists and turns made this unputdownable.
The bar is set high for psychological thrillers to be published in 2019! I would give The Silent Patient more than 5 stars if I could.

WOW, this book grabbed me right from the start. Great twists and turns. I really enjoyed the way the author keeps you guessing right up until the end. I love a good psychological thriller and this one delivered. Did she do it? Will she speak? Read and find out!!

Ok, I am still recovering from the end of this excellent book. Not expected, perfectly played out. I now want to go re-read this.
The Silent Patient tells the story from the perspective of Alicia Berensen, the patient, and her psychotherapist Theo Faber. Alicia’s story is primarily told through her diary, which leaves the reader to wonder if she truly is insane, and if she did indeed kill her husband.
Alex Michaelides spins a clever tale, worthy of being called a page turner. Most of my theories throughout the book turned out wrong. Ok, all of my theories! But at the end, I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it.
Thanks so much to Celedon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book. The library will need to have many copies of this on hand, as it is sure to be a blockbuster.