This was a quick read that caught me right away with full intensity.
When Lydia and Josh come to see Karen for marriage counseling she can tell quickly what the actual situation is. . . or so she thinks. As the weeks go on and she forms her opinion of what's really taking place at home she realizes she may have read the entire situation incredibly wrong. Has she projected her own experience on this couple? When things intensify and the truth comes to light, will they all be standing at the end?

Not what I expected at all. It is a true psychological thriller.
It is an uncomfortable read however the topics that are being talked about does make you think.
Recommended read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Bookoutre for sending me eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I guess I have to start this review by saying that this was one very twisty story! A story that took me on quite a journey involving three characters who all had a mysterious and intense edge to them. In this book we meet Karen who doesn’t realise that when Josh and Lydia walk into her office everything will change and nothing is as straightforward as it appears to be!

Throughout the story there is this undercurrent of unease, I knew something was wrong but it was all kept safely hidden away just waiting to surprise me. I also thought that the way the details and the past of all the characters was hinted at added an extra need to keep on reading. I felt like I couldn’t settle until I discovered what was going on and whether I was going to be proven right with any of my theories.

The pacing for the most part was good but I did feel like I had to concentrate just that little bit more on the dialogue. Although a couple of restless nights sleep probably didn’t help with my concentration! Victoria Jenkins created a story that kept bits of information back just out of reach making me ask questions along with wondering if was I really seeing the full picture.

In a way I didn’t really find any of the characters that likeable because there was this closed off feel to them. However I think that this was the way in which you were supposed to take the characters as there is an obvious but unknown tension between this trio. With plenty of intrigue and mystery surrounding both the characters and story The Divorce kept me invested on seeing it right through to the end!

The Divorce is an intriguing and intense story that will make you question everything!

This book fell a bit flat for me. It had a good premise of a storyline and it did have a decent little twist although it was quite predictable.
However the story just seemed to have an 'around the houses' way of unfolding and I found myself becoming disinterested and not really caring about the characters at all.
The Book had a good plot but I think it just wasn't interesting enough and perhaps wasn't told particularly well.

The Divorce by Victoria Jenkins is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Dr. Karen Fisher is a marriage counsellor who has first hand knowledge of both what a happy marriage looks like and what an abusive marriage looks like.

When Lydia and and Josh Green show up for their first counselling session, Karen is pretty sure that they are not in a good place in their marriage.  Subsequent sessions seem to show that Josh may be physically and emotionally abusing his wife.  Things are starting to seem a little too familiar to Karen.

She has no idea how familiar things are going to get.


My Opinions:  

While I didn’t really enjoy the topic of this book, I did like how the different chapters were in different points of view, thereby showing me the thoughts of each character.  However, right from word go it felt like Karen was being “played”, and I think that should have been felt later in the book.

Occasionally I found myself skimming when the paragraphs seemed to go on and on.  The twist was good, but after that, the book sort of died.

Overall, this book was okay, but not “thrilling”.  I am enjoying the Detective King & Lane series by this author, and look forward to more of those, but this book just didn’t do it for me.

THE DIVORCE is a psychological thriller, and first venture into this category by bestselling author Victoria Jenkins, known for her police procedurals.

“I thought I knew how to help them. I knew nothing.”

Karen is a marriage counsellor with personal experience, as she came from a controlling abusive relationship with her first husband, Damien. Karen woks from home, a comfortable setting where her clients can feel at ease.

When Lydia and Josh Green walk into Karen’s office one rainy February morning, Karen sees a couple under stress, almost at breaking point. Lydia and Josh have two children, a girl thirteen and a boy nine. But by working with struggling couples, finding out more about their problems, helps her to save their marriage.

Josh feels resentment for being brought here. Lydia, a woman of low self-esteem, starts to relay the history of their relationship, but it involves fidelity and she appears to be afraid of her husband. Josh belittles his wife, and speaks down to her. He is hostile in his approach. He says that Lydia’s memory “isn’t that reliable.”

But they were happy once…

As Karen spends more time with Lydia and Josh, there are elements of Josh’s character that remind her of her ex-husband, Damien. Karen’s sense of unease grows…

Lydia is frightened and afraid for her safety.

Josh seems to be hiding a dark secret.

I can’t say anymore for risk of spoilers…but I will say that nothing is as it seems. The ending threw me for a loop! I never say it coming!

A well-written and debut psychological thriller, that shows this author has a promising future to continue writing in this genre. Looking forward to reading more of her books.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with my digital copy.

Insert eye roll gif and/or emoji.

The Divorce was utterly disappointing and slow-moving.

Karen is a therapist and her latest clients, Josh and Lydia have her questioning everything she’s ever known about her work. She feels like nothing she’s doing is helping them. And everything she thinks she knows makes little sense anymore.

Everything about the synopsis for The Divorce presents a thrilling tale; one that is both gripping and suspenseful. While the story presents a good does of suspense, it leads to a dull and predictable ending.

The book seems to keep leading to the next big thing but nothing big ever happens. Not to mention, Karen’s character. Karen is dull for lack of a better word. She seems to live in an overwhelming state of guilt and grief for some untold thing. What the thing is isn’t revealed until the very end. Another agonizing thing about Karen is her consistent internal dialogue. While as the reader her point of view is important as the MC, getting more from the couple would’ve added more depth to the story.

The story could have been so much more than it was and that was disappointing. The book was a letdown, and the ending had this reader ready to throw hands. The easiness of it was a copout.

Meh.

This is the first book I've read from author Victoria Jenkins.
Here we meet a couple Josh and his wife Lydia.
Their marriage isn't working and they have decided to attend counselling..
Karen is their therapist/counsellor. She deals with couples whose marriage appears to be in crisis.
We see early on that Josh is a domineering husband and his wife Lydia is clearly suffering.
The story is told from three viewpoints, Josh, Lydia and Karen.
Different to be getting the counsellors viewpoint as it is normally only the people attending that we get.
We can see that this couple are affecting Karen and bringing up some rather painful memories from her own life that she needs to deal with but she carries on.
She feels uneasy when she's in the company of this couple and can't quite put her finger on why.
The story is a slow burning one but not everything is as it seems with it.
The pace increases though and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.
Worth taking the time to check this one out 💕

Perfect psychological thriller! It moved at a fast pace with twists and turns throughout! I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend!

The Divorce is the first book I’ve read by Victoria Jenkins and earns a 3.5 stars from me.
Josh and Lydia are a new couple to Karen’s counselling clinic, Karen rubs this clinic from her own home due to factors we find out about further in the book. There are only three characters in this thriller and because of that you get to know them very well.
This is a fairly short book so I’m not going to spoil the plot for you but if you are looking for an edge of your seat thriller this isn’t it, this is a slow builder with an ending that doesn’t take your breath away it just leaves you with your questions answered....or the majority. The chapters are quite long and you feel like you’ve interrupted a private meeting but it turns on its head two thirds of the way in and deals with some sensitive issues (abuse and suicide) well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

You may know Victoria Jenkins from her brilliant crime fiction series featuring detectives King and Lane, but now she has crossed genres and The Divorce is her first psychological thriller.

In The Divorce, we are first introduced to Karen. She is a marriage counsellor and through her we get a glimpse into the marriage of Lydia and Josh. It soon becomes apparent though that this isn’t your average marriage. Both Josh and Lydia seem to be hiding something and don’t come across as particularly trustworthy. But is Karen’s own traumatic past blinding her from seeing the truth?

There are only three characters in this story, which allows the author to really dig deep into the psychology and give tremendous insight into what makes these characters tick. At times it even felt somewhat voyeuristic, seeing things play out through Karen’s eyes. A bit like being a fly on the wall, getting a glimpse into what goes on behind closed doors. There’s always something fascinating about that, isn’t there?

It’s not easy to keep the reader’s attention when there are so few characters to rely on but I feel Victoria Jenkins did a great job in fleshing them out, keeping me intrigued and guessing throughout. Despite the fact that I found it hard to get to grips with these characters, I did rather quickly pick a side but I couldn’t at all see what the purpose of it all was or where the story would end up.

The Divorce deals with some uncomfortable topics like domestic abuse and ends up being quite thought-provoking, wondering whose responsibility it is when something goes wrong but also the impact domestic abuse has. I could have done with just that bit more tension but overall, this is a really well written psychological thriller full of suspense and I very much look forward to whatever Victoria Jenkins decides to tackle next.

Interesting read!
Karen has a new couple, Lydia and josh attending for marriage counselling.
At first it all seems straight forward but then a threat arrives and there's more to the couple than Karen first thought. Karen thinks back to her relationship with her first husband and a previous client where someone was hurt.
Is Karen in danger?

Thank you for the ARC of this book!

A quick and nifty read and not half bad
Karen is a ‘marriage counsellor’, with a 2 pronged past she is trying to deal with
Josh and Lydia are a couple who are new to her practice and Lydia at least wants, needs, to sort her marriage out
Its quite an interesting say first 150 or so pages as each chapter ( fairly long ones ) is narrated by one of the 3 re their latest counselling session, its well done as in as a reader you are privy to these sessions and feel you have stumbled upon someones private counselling
Just as you ( well me ) begin to get fidgety and think ‘ok, what lies behind this book then?’ the ‘what lies behind the book thing happens’, without warning you are sent into another book altogether and the last portion is quick, tense and worthy of the first 150 pages ‘setting it up’
Its a clever book and I didn’t see what was going to happen at all ( see Im trying to avoid saying twist!)
The let down is one of the quickest endings to a book I can remember, I am not sure why it was decided to end the book on a kinda cliffhanger and I am not sure if there is a 2nd book in the offing, I read the ending 3 times just to make sure it had ended as I thought it had and I wasn’t missing anything
Good, strong characters and a book of 2 parts that is well done, let down, again IMO by the ending
7/10 3.5 Stars

I’m giving this novel 2 stars. The writing was fine, as was the storyline but it felt like it went on for too long. I didn’t empathize with any of the characters and was not invested. When all of the mystery was revealed I’ll admit I was pretty underwhelmed.

Karen has been a counselor for a number of years. She had two husbands, one who recently passed away who was good to her and then there was the other one who still haunts her figuratively speaking. Karen gleans that there is something off with Josh & Lynda Green the newest couple attending counseling sessions. She watches, questions and analyzes what she witnesses through her counseling lens all the while noting the similarities from her once very tumultuous relationship.

Lynda appears to be vulnerable, timid and admits to a drinking problem. Josh is an arrogant narcissistic doctor who is fending off allegations of misconduct with a young female patient. The couple dances around one another with insults and indignations; it’s a performance for their sole audience. Something is bubbling below the surface and it’s only a matter of time before the truth immerges

The novel was at times a little monotonous, but I had to keep reading until the very end.

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Having been a big fan of Victoria Jenkins' King and Lane series, I was excited to discover a psychological thriller by her. THE DIVORCE is a very different book and not what I expected. It is an incredibly slow burn that builds at an almost glacial speed to culminate in a somewhat different climax. By the end, I still wasn't sure what to think of it.

The story opens with Karen Fisher, a marriage guidance counsellor, who has her own demons to battle. When she meets Lydia and Josh Greene to help fix what is wrong in their own marriage, Karen has no idea what a pandora's box that would open. She immediately senses that something is not quite right with the couple and in trying to address their issues, the memories of her own past and her own demons began to surface. The unspoken words between the couple reverberated in Karen's mind as she was thrown into the turmoils of the past.

Karen's first husband was abusive and the pain she has felt at what she was subjected to and lost helps her to counsel couples today.

In Lydia, Karen can see herself. A woman frightened of her controlling husband who belittles her at every turn. Karen sees his anger in their sessions, knowing that if it remains unchecked Lydia could be in danger.

Josh is an angry and confused young man. He displays the signs of narcissism and sociopathy Karen is familiar with and his unchecked rage is a force to be reckoned with. The more time she spends with the couple, the more she believes Lydia to be in danger.

But something is not right. The more time she spends with the couple, the more apprehensive and afraid she becomes. What is it about them and their behaviour that that sets alarm bells ringing?

What are Lydia and Josh hiding?

What is Karen hiding?

Not everything you think about these people are true. Is everything as it seems?

But nothing prepares Karen for what's to come.

As the story unfolds we are privy to each character's perspective in alternate chapters. We gain insight into how they think and feel as we bounce between Karen, Josh and Lydia. It is an appealing idea but to be honest it was very slow and rather tedious in its build-up.

Sprinkled with lies and deception, THE DIVORCE is an original thriller with a very slow build in tension. It is clever, and yet it is tedious and challenging to get through. For a book that isn't overly long, it drags. The first half seems to go in circles, as therapy sessions can, and the chapters were too long.

I admit that I contemplated about abandoning this book after the first few chapters but I'm glad I didn't. Although it is almost boring to begin with, it does pick up a little but unfortunately I don't think it completely delivered. I could see where it was going but did it actually get there?

I think my biggest issue was the long drawn out chapters. I really hate them. Karen's in particular were lengthy. And given that there were really only three main players throughout, the chapters were focused on either the therapy session or Karen's long-winded narrative of thoughts. For me, I found it to be too wordy and lacking in real suspense. The ending was a bit of an anti-climax and I'm not sure where it was meant to be going from there. Or what we, as the reader, could draw from it. I found it to be as complicated as Josh and Lydia.

But I could see the concept of the story was original and it really made you stop and question how people can appear. And how our brain perceives things. Like I said, it was a clever idea...but it just failed to completely deliver. Which is a shame as I was so looking forward to this new direction the author was taking.

Having said that, I hope Jenkins tries her hand at more psychological thrillers and doesn't let the mixed reviews for THE DIVORCE put her off. She is a fantastic writer so I know she has it in her for more. I look forward to her next offering - maybe with shorter, punchier chapters.

I would like to thank #VictoriaJenkins, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheDivorce in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you very much #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this advance copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

This is the first book by Victoria Jenkins that I have read and it wasn't a bad start at all.

I do love a good family drama book! and this one was full of it!

I liked the fact that the story was told by both, the counsellor -Karen- as well as the husband and the wife -Josh and Lydia-. It's good to know the two (three on this case) sides of the story in order to understand better what goes on.

I kind of got to understand them both, Josh and Lydia, and how they had got to the situation where they found themselves into. That's why I was very interested in knowing how Karen was going to help them, what was she going to do to "fix" their marriage.

Although the book is called "The Divorce" it's not just focused on the main couple struggles, but Karen also lets out a few bits of her own personal life which I appreciated as it kept the story away from being monotonous.

Every chapter was a new counselling sessions which meant a week has passed since last time we knew anything about the couple and, to be honest, I would have liked to know a bit more about their home life. How they were at home, whay they were doing to solve the problem, how they talked to each other, how they behaved in front of other people, etc.

Then I obviously understood why! It would have ruined the story straight away!

I felt myself a bit stupid as I didn't see that revelation coming. It actually surprised me a bit and thought it was a good plot twist to end this story.

The end was, in my opinion a bit too long and repetitive. We were told the same thing twice -Narrated by Lydia and by Karen- and I was like: okay, I already know that because I read like literally 5 mins ago! But, somehow, it felt a but rushed too? A bit weird, I know, but it's the only reason I didn't give this book a 5 stars rating!

Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't the best book ever, but nor was the worst. It entertained me and I found myself wanting to keep reading and know more about the couple.

I will definitely check out more titles by Victoria Jenkins!

The Divorce was an interesting read that kept my brain working to discover the true aspects of the characters in the story. I enjoyed how the past was intertwined with the present and how the end tied it all together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

The Divorce by Victoria Jenkins is a slow burn psychological thriller that for me was anything but boring.

What it's about: Karen is a marriage counselor that speaks from experience since her first husband was abusive. So when Josh and Lydia Green show up and Lydia seems to be in trouble, all Karen wants to do is help. But the secrets all of them are hiding might just make that impossible, and maybe even deadly...

I am keeping my summery of this one vague because I liked going into it pretty much blind, and I think everyone else should do the same. I really enjoyed how Jenkins slowly unravels one secret at a time, until you know the full picture of what is going on with all the characters. This was my first time reading a book by this author so I can't compare it to her other ones, but I do know this was her first foray into physiological thrillers. I think some people might find this book TOO slow, but I really enjoyed the slow burn and I didn't see any of the twists coming.

I can't really say that I loved any of the characters in this book, but I did feel for Karen the marriage counselor. This is another book out of a few in the past week that I have read that focuses on abuse, and I think it is really well done. My last one was a DNF, so I was very happy to like The Divorce so much.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Wonderful by Everclear

Final Thought: Even though most of the chapters in The Divorce were quite long, I still read it in just 3 hours and 18 minutes which is incredibly speedy for me. The book is only 224 pages, but I have been known to read shorter books in a longer amount of time, so I think it definitely speaks to the pacing of the novel and how much I enjoyed it. I will for sure be going back and reading Jenkins' police procedurals now and recommend this book to people that love a slow burn!

Karen has done well as a marriage counselor, working from her home for decades. She generally works with couples together, and will do what she can to keep their marriages intact. It doesn't take long for Karen to understand the newest couple, Josh and Lydia Green. At least she thinks she understands the dynamic of their relationship.

Karen begins to listen and soon begins to offer advice as to how they can draw closer together. However, things begin to unravel rather quickly, and Karen soon realizes that she might be out of her depth with Lydia and Josh.

Neither Josh nor Lydia make Karen feel comfortable. There are things about both of them that send an alarm, but as she is dedicated to her work, she seeks to look past the angst that rises within her as she treats them. Furthermore, Karen is plagued by her past and this occasionally affects her perspective. Beyond that, Karen begins to feel unsafe.

What a twisty book! I felt much like Karen in the beginning. All I wanted was for this couple to look past their anger and grief and to learn to rediscover what brought them together in the first place. But, like Karen, I quickly learned that nothing was as it seemed. As things evolved, The Divorce moved past being a domestic drama to an actual thriller. Yes, indeed, something changed, and it did so smoothly, if not rapidly.

This book by Victoria Jenkins captured my interest from the outset and never let go. I was drawn into the couple, especially with the shift in the story. There were a few surprising twists and turns and a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fantastic story that had me guessing all the way through.

I loved the author, Victoria Jenkins' easy style of writing and the characters were all believable, well rounded and relatable. This was not a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it was an extremely interesting story and a steady and solid read that had me in its clutches until I reached the startling reveal. For me, The Divorce was all about the subtle asides and the many variations of the psyche.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.