I’m a big fan of B.A. Paris and her psychological thrillers. In The Therapist, Alice and Leo have recently moved to an exclusive gated community. Alice learns a horrible secret about the woman (Nina) who used to live in her house, that Leo kept from her. She starts to investigate and, at first, none of her neighbors are willing to speak to her about Nina. I do feel the way Alice approached her investigation was a bit reckless. She wasn’t my favorite protagonist from this author.

There is a lot of twists and turns to get to the end, but the ending was just okay. The book had a lot of characters for potential suspects, but they were easy to keep track of.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars but rounding to 4 stars for Goodreads.

THE THERAPIST by B.A. Paris was a fun twisty thriller that kept me guessing as I sped through the pages. Alice has moved to London to be with Leo and finally start their lives together. Leo has bought a beautiful, newly renovated house in an exclusive conclave, and Alice wants to love her new life, but she misses her hometown and her house. Plus, Leo is away most of the week and she’s lonely and the neighbors don’t feel as welcoming as she hoped. When she makes and effort to get to know them, she learns that her house has a tragic past that no one wants to talk about.
Alice becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened, and in the process, everyone becomes suspect because everyone seems to be hiding something… including Leo. Paris created a story full of twists and suspects and made me wonder about how reliable Alice was as the protagonist.
Toss this one in your bag to read wherever you are taking a break for the summer, but be warned, you won’t want to stop reading until the end where everything comes together in a satisfying ending.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#BAParis #TheTherapist #StMartinsPress

I have gotten behind on Netgalley reviews, but am making a valiant effort to get caught up while a small injury prevents me from doing some other activities. Thanks to a buddy read with an online book club, I was finally able to read this latest novel by B.A. Paris.
In parts I had to suspend disbelief. Alice and Leo have mainly had a long distance relationship and decide to move in together in a gated community near London. You wonder how they can afford such a place with limited finances, but then you later find out someone has been murdered in the house, so the price is drastically lowered. Alice wants to get to know her neighbors, but they all seem to have their own lives in "the Circle", as it is known. She soon discovers that they also seem to being keeping lots of secrets, especially about their murdered neighbor.
It also seemed rather low on Leo's part to leave Alice by herself in their new home. Of course, there has to be certain ways that the arc of the story can proceed. I enjoyed how the plot used a lot of classic techniques with plenty of red herrings along the way. I had suspicions along the way and some were correct, but I still appreciated the twists along the way and at the end.
After reading lots of books with unreliable narrators in recent years, it was a pleasure to have one who called it as she saw it, even though she seemed a bit naive and reckless at times. With THE THERAPIST, author B. A. Paris provides a tale that is lovely escapism from the rigors of everyday life.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for providing me the opportunity to read this clever novel.

This book is a mystery, a thriller, and an exploration of how trust or the lack of it can affect relationships. This was hands down one of the best books that I have read.

The title is the key to unlocking secrets in “The Therapist” by B.A. Paris. The book opens in the “past” with unidentified participants in a short present-tense therapy session. These first person accounts appear periodically throughout the story, providing insights, posing questions, and hiding answers.
Alice and Leo have just moved into a new home in a gated community, “The Circle,” in London. It is a very pretty enclave, like a movie set depicting an enviable life in the capital city. Despite Leo’s reluctance, Alice invites the entire neighborhood to an informal housewarming party. It goes well, except that one unknown uninvited guest shows up. Neighbors caution Alice to be careful what she says to other neighbors, especially in a small community like “The Circle.” Alice discovers that “The Circle” has a clouded past, and her idyllic life starts to unravel.
Paris pulls readers into Alice’s story as events are revealed little by little. The tension increases as Alice seeks to understand the situation and mitigate her circumstances. She is alone, alienated from neighbors and from her husband; she really does not know whom she can believe. Her neighbors wonder if “she actually knows.” Knows what? People are lying, and untangling that web of lies is proving impossible, and if they are not lying, they are covering something up.
“The Therapist” drops clues slowly, one tiny hint at a time about what the house, “The Circle,” and the people are hiding. Readers go along with Alice as events unfold, as she thinks, speculates, suspects, and investigates. Sometimes she fears that she is in real danger, but at other times she thinks that she must just be imagining everything. Of course, there is also the question of “the house.” Will she stay? Go? Be safe? Can she find answers in the absolute stillness of that empty house? I received a review copy of” The Therapist” from B.A. Paris, and St. Martin's Press. It is filled with introspection, speculation, and surprises. No one can be trusted from the first page to the last.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I love B.A. Paris books and this one did not disappoint! I just knew Alice was going to be in for it when she found herself living in a gated community called The Circle. The thing is, you never know how, when or where it will happen, and thats what makes the reading fun. Read in one setting, and honestly, in this one I wasn't sure who the bad guy was and even if there was only one bad guy! Don't read alone, at night and make sure you keep your doors locked!😳
4 stars

After a whirlwind long distance romance, Alice and Leo have decided to move in together. Leo lucks into the perfect house in a gated community and the pair set about with renovations, excited to make this house a home. As Alice gets to know her neighbors, however, she learns a devastating truth about her house: it seemed to good to be true…and, unfortunately, it was. The previous owner had been brutally murdered and the man deemed responsible, the husband, might have been innocent.

As Alice digs deeper into the mystery surrounding Nina’s death – and she feels such a strong connection to her after losing her own sister named Nina – she begins to wonder about the community she’s found herself in. And the boyfriend she realizes she hardly knows.

Behind Closed Doors was not only a 5-star read, but one of my top reads of 2016. Since then I have been gobbling up each new release, eager to recapture the brilliance of that debut. But each time I’m painfully letdown; I don’t know if a deadline was looming or what, but The Therapist was so lackluster, so repetitive – neighbors came to the door, Alice answered the phone, Alice had coffee with neighbors, the doorbell rang again announcing more neighbors had arrived. If her follow up novels to Behind Closed Doors hadn’t all been steadily going downhill, I honestly wouldn’t have believed this one was written by Paris. The few intriguing bits (could there really be someone else in the house at night when Alice believes she’s alone? Who really was Nina?) had me reading to the end, but gosh, I hate it say that I think this is where I part ways with the author.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my free review copy. This was somewhat suspenseful, but highly predictable and not hard to put down.

Alice moves into “the Circle” with her boyfriend and soon discovers something horrible occurred in the master bedroom (that they remodeled) about a year before. The previous owners are both dead — the wife was brutally murdered and the husband - accused of murdering her- committed suicide.

Alice feels uneasy about all of the houses facing inward where everyone can watch from within, but she puts on a brave face and throws a house warming party. A man, seemingly uninvited, attends briefly and asks to see the renovations upstairs. Alice assumes he must be the neighbor, Tim, who wasn’t there, but soon thereafter she discovers that this man was not Tim.

This man later tells Alice his name is Thomas and he is a private investigator, hired by the male owner’s sister, Helen, to clear her late brother’s name. He begins inquiring about the people in the circle and soon Alice finds herself questioning everyone around her - Eve, Will, Tamsin, Tim, Lorna, Edward, and even her own boyfriend, Leo.

She discovers her boyfriend, Leo, has a less than honest past and ends things fairly quickly. Soon after he exits the picture, strange things begin occurring. Someone is visiting the house in the middle of the night to frighten her. It works, and she begins suspecting her neighbors, the realtor, Leo, etc.

Toward the very end— she realizes who the killer really is, seemingly too late. If you regularly read suspense novels, you’ll have figured this out way before Alice does. The end involves her fighting for her life and then there is the typical wrap up six months post confrontation with the killer.

It’s an easy read, but nothing special. If you don’t read many thrillers, this is probably a good thriller. If you do, this is just so-so. Not bad, but nothing novel.

I will continue to read BA Paris’s novels, but suffice it to say this wasn’t my favorite.

4.5 stars. Thank you Netgalley, B.A. Paris, and the publisher for this ARC.

I discovered B.A. Paris a couple years ago and sometimes I feel like her books are hit or miss. But, the one thing I can always say is that they are page turners and Paris does a good job of pushing me to keep reading to get to the core of the mystery. This one was much the same but Alice annoyed me! Someone else said it on here but, Alice could really talk herself into anything and it just drove me crazy! There comes a point in time when, if things are getting really suspicious, then, uh, ya know there's probably something going on.

If you're a fan of Paris' psychological thrillers, pick this one up, but it wasn't my favorite of hers!

What I like most about B.A. Paris’ works is the equal amount of detail given to the characters as setting. So much so, that the setting is much like a character itself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
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#TheTherapist is no exception here, when Alice and Leo move into a house with a sordid past (much to Alice’s surprise) in an exclusive neighbourhood, The Circle.

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As Alice gets to know her neighbours, it’s revealed that a woman was murdered in the house Alice just moved into, which brings past trauma back for Alice, too. Alice feels compelled to find out what happened to Nina, the victim, which forces an alliance with a local PI. This is a helpful new alliance as Alice becomes increasingly sure someone is breaking into the house at night. Soon enough, every neighbour is a suspect.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

In retrospect, I should have seen the big reveal coming, but my favourite thrillers are those where the author plays fair and drops enough hints, I’m just too in the moment to pick them up.

A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Thank you to @Netgalley for the arc!

#thetherapist #baparis well. Alice and Leo are finally moving in together. Due to work and distance they see each other one day a week. Moving to a gated community called The Circle they are eager and excited to start their future together. But. When Alice finds out the previous owner was murdered there. And. Leo left that out. Well. Craziness ensues. You won’t be able to put this page turner down. Definitely a must read. #netgalleyarc #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations

2.5*
Oh! I was so looking forward to this one!😩

Alice and Leo are ready to take their relationship to the next level. No…not marriage. Leo doesn’t believe in that. 🤨. Leo asks Alice to move in together. He even picks out the house, and with Alice only seeing pictures of it…he goes ahead with the purchase.

Alice has an odd feeling about the house right from the beginning. It’s a tight-knit gated community and Alice is determined to win over all the neighbors.

But when Alice finds out about the history of the house she becomes all consumed to solve the mystery.

Alice’s actions were so frustrating. I just couldn’t understand her need to stay in that house. Personally, I would have packed my bags and hightailed it out of there.

Leo was no prize either. A very unlikable character. But, he was a saint to put up with Alice’s behavior.

What a pair!🤣

This book started off so well.

I was all in and completely captivated.

But by the halfway mark it started going downhill and never recovered.

Truthfully, it became a struggle to finish. But I persisted because I wanted to know about the therapist. But the ending was just too outlandish.

A buddy read with Susanne.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.

I’ve enjoyed several of BA Paris’s books, with the exception of her last one, but this one redeemed her! I enjoyed this twisty domestic thriller and didn’t expect the way it turned out. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The story reads like a simmering kettle waiting for the whistle to ring. Going in you are captivated by the idyllic charm by description of what should be the perfect place. The story moves the plot thickens,stories of people living here are revealed. Tension builds till you find yourself speed reading to find if one or all are responsible. A great introduction for me of this writer. I am a fan.

FIVE HUGE STARS for this one! The Therapist was a wild wild ride, and probably my favorite of all of BA's books so far, and I have read every single one. WHile each is different, The Therapist is the closes to her debut Behind Closed Doors, which I couldn't stop recommending or thinking about for months. My copy was making its way around the office, and people were so impatient that I think half of my colleagues bought their own copy! The Therapist has gone down the same way!

I was left guessing until the end, I had no idea HE was the therapist! I can't wait to see what BA writes next

The Therapist had a truly promising premise, but it didn't keep my attention. I found the characters were really hard to relate to and the plot too predictable.

I kinda enjoyed this book. I gavenit only 3 stars because I had a hard time liking any of the characters. I found the MC annoying. The twist was interesting but odd. Not as suspenseful as I had hoped jt would be.

This was an okay read. I went through it quickly but at the same time, there wasn't a lot of excitement or much going on. I was not a fan of Alice and felt that her character took away from what could have been a good setting and plot for a mystery. The ending did speed up a bit and added some excitement, red herrings, and a twist.

As much as I enjoyed Behind Closed Doors, this book did not hold my attention. I really wanted to like it, but I was very disappointed. It missed the mark. I was bored reading it.,

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about The Therapist but the things I didn't enjoy overshadowed the book and would lead me to not recommend this one. The neighbourhood was a classic what happens behind closed doors, who's hiding what secrets? Which at first had me chasing ideas and theories but the further I got the more disappointed I was.

I think the characters were interesting and wish that more had been revealed about each couple, I felt the story just scratched the surface. However the relationship between Alice and Leo was unrealistic and just never clicked for me. The biggest complaint I have is the title of the book, I enjoy when reading the book and the ah-ha moment comes where you connect the title with the story but this one just didn't work.