Twists you won't see coming. B.A. Paris has done it again! Thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner of a thriller.

Huge thanks to B.A. Paris, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one early.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read The therapist by B.A. Paris. As usual, B.A. did a fabulous job keeping me on the edge of my seat...in fact one night after getting to a rather intense scene when Alice is alone in the house (or is she???) I am freaked out to hear someone trying to unlock my apartment door! They were at the wrong apartment, and apologized, but let's just say I didn't sleep well that night! While I thought the main character was gullible and somewhat stupid, I still liked her, and I kept reading to find out what happened next.
Alice and Leo buy a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is a wonderful house, a chance to start their new life together, but is their dream house too good to be true?
Then Alice finds about what happened in her new home, and why no one wanted to buy it, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice soon becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before....then starts to think someone is in the house at night? Who is it?
The Therapist is a great summer thriller, and while there are some plot holes I do recommend it.

I love a good murder mystery and I’ve always been so curious about living in a home where something terrible occurred - so this was right up my alley! Loved and will be recommending!

Alice and Leo are in a long term relationship. Alice owns a little cottage where she lives by herself but Leo has convinced her that they should move somewhere together. He purchases a house in a gated community called The Circle. This is their chance to be together in a new location in a home that may be just what they need to start life as a couple.

They haven’t lived in the house for very long when Alice discovers that a devastating incident took place in the house. Unfortunately, Leo knew what happened to the previous owners, Nina and her husband Oliver. He never disclosed the information to Alice before he bought the house and this makes Alice very uneasy. Nina was murdered in the house and according to the police, Oliver committed suicide after he killed his wife.

Alice is convinced that Oliver didn’t kill his wife and, at first, Alice is determined to discover what actually happened to Nina until she finds that no one in the community wishes to discuss the incident. As time progresses, Alice learns things she would rather not know. She no longer even feels safe in the neighborhood because something about the house and the incident is terribly wrong.

The book is labeled as a domestic psychological thriller. Most of the book was more psychological than thriller. Fortunately, there were a few moments in the book that lived up to the genre when the pace of the plot eventually picked up and mounted in tension as the conclusion came in sight. Overall though, the plot wasn’t robust enough to fortify the entire book.

The author spent too much time in the protagonist of this book, Alice’s head. She was a tiresome character and there were too many parts of the book where she mentally bantered situations back and forth multiple times. And then, of course, she proceeded to do just exactly what she thought she shouldn’t do. Consequently, parts of the book moved at a very slow pace making it difficult to maintain focus on the story.

The unexpected and twisted ending compensates for the otherwise slow pace and lack of intensity in the book. Even though it doesn't offer the same experience as the previous Paris books, if you are a fan of the domestic thriller genre you will still most likely find it to be a satisfactory read.

Alice and Leo have been in a long distance relationship for eighteen months when they finally move in together and buy a house in the The Circle, a development in the middle of London. It's a gated estate made up of twelves house designed to be especially safe and secure. But Alice soon discovers a horrible secret about her new home and becomes obsessed with Nina, the therapist who lived there before her. She starts trying to figure out what happened to Nina--at the expense of her relationship with Leo and her neighbors.

"It's only as I stand there, shrouded in perfect stillness that a thought slams into my head. I don't like this house."

This thriller was slow to start and was one of several locked neighborhood books I've read lately. I'm sort of over the trend of average folks up in everyone's business thinking they can solve murders. I didn't quite buy why Alice cared so much, even though there's supposed to be a "reason" for her attachment to Nina (she shares a name with Alice's late sister).

As with many of these types of thrillers, there's a cast full of mostly unlikable characters and a bunch of somewhat interchangeable neighbors. Alice forms an odd bond with a Private Investigator, Thomas, who is quickly added to the mix. She seems fast to accuse basically everyone she meets of nearly anything, so I suppose that added to the suspense/red herrings. The book does have a slightly ominous feel, though I think many of her problems would have been solved by simply changing the darn locks!

There are some good twists and the story held my interest once it picked up the pace. However, I'm afraid it will get lost in the swirl of recent locked neighborhood books and not stand out in a few months.

Thank you Netgalley, St-Martin’s Press and B.A.Paris.
I really enjoyed this novel, it was a quick read, loved the pace.
Alice is a great character, sleuth at heart, she is trying to solve the mystery of Nina’s death, two years prior.
Who do you trust, who had a hand in Nina's death? Who in the private Circle she lives in does she trust.
Secrets, secrets, everyone has secrets.
Until the very end I did not know who had done it.
Recommend 4 stars

Alice had been dating Leo for a year and half, seeing him only on weekends, when he suggested they move in together. He bought a house for them in a small gated neighborhood in London, and while Alice is nervous about moving to the big city from her small town, being in a quiet development with only 12 homes seems to be a good middle ground.

Everything is new: living in the Circle, being with Leo more often, the neighbors. Just observing them from her front windows, it seems they all get along well and are involved in each other’s lives. So as a first step, Alice decides to invite everyone in the neighborhood over for drinks at their place; then she starts to get to know the women.

It doesn’t take long until she finds out a shocking secret about their home, and some odd remarks and attitudes she’s noticed in some of her neighbors now make sense. At first, she doesn’t want to stay, but then she starts to feel a connection to the previous resident, Nina, a therapist. So rather than moving out, Alice decides to stay, at least until she can piece together some of what happened and why. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets, even Leo, and Alice is afraid and nervous even as she feels compelled to solve the mystery. But she is opening herself up to danger the longer she stays and asks questions about what happened to Nina.

The Therapist is an engrossing thriller I read in one sitting. I had read B.A. Paris’ The Breakdown and enjoyed that, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up this new book. What makes it easy for me to recommend both books is their clean content. It seems pretty rare in books of this genre nowadays. So hats off to Paris for her skill as a writer and for not feeling the need to add in lots of profanity, sexual content and gore.

Alice and Leo move to The Circle, a gated community with nice houses and friendly neighbors. Though Leo seems less than willing to actually want to meet any of the neighbors, Alice makes it a priority to make friends with them so she doesn’t feel so secluded and alone while Leo is at work.

During a get-to-know-the-neighbors party, secrets are revealed about the last inhabitant of the house and what actually happened to her. Now that Alice is acquainted with the residents of The Circle, she can surely find out what happened to Nina, the last owner, right? Turns out that no one wants to talk about Nina or what happened to her, which makes Alice even more determined to figure out what really happened.

When Alice’s new friends continuously tell her to stop digging and leave the past alone, Alice takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of Nina’s untimely death, but what she doesn’t expect is someone who is determined to stop her from finding out the truth. In the meantime, all of her digging exposes secrets that Leo has been keeping from her too. Now, feeling even more alone than ever, Alice turns all of her energy to Nina’s past.

This book held my attention from the beginning. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded, though I can’t say I really liked any of the characters except the older couple living in The Circle. All of the other characters seemed too flaky and immature and annoying, though maybe that was on purpose to make the reader suspicious of everyone. (Spoiler alert: I suspected everyone at one point, so well done, B.A. Paris).

Alice’s character annoyed me the most because I felt she had too much baggage to be worrying about some previous house owner who she didn’t even know and her untimely death. Sure, I guess I would want to know the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, but I don’t think I would need- or want, for that matter- to know all of the details. That seems prying and insensitive and rude to me, but hey, no one was murdered in my house.
I felt like the pacing was kind of slow, but at the same time, I felt like I flew through the book. There wasn’t much happening between the big reveals except mundane conversations and arguments, so that was a little disappointing to me. I’m not really sure what I expected, but a little faster pace or some minor reveals in between could have helped.

The ending was the best part for me, and that NEVER happens. Review after review I say how the ending makes or breaks a book for me and I am almost never satisfied with endings. Satisfied is maybe not the right word here because I felt heartbroken for more than one reason, but the ending also completed the story and made sense. For that, this ending was the best it could have been. I was angry, surprised, shocked, and couldn’t read fast enough to find out what would happen. And if I cried while reading books, this ending would have brought me close to tears.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There was nothing major that would deter me from recommending this to anyone who loves thrillers or B.A. Paris books. Sure, there were things I thought could have been better, but overall this book really worked well and came full circle (ha, see what I did there?) in the end. 5 stars for another great book from B.A. Paris.

I read thrillers fast because I have no chill, but it's always an extra good sign when I binge one in less than 24 hours. The Therapist was creepy and had me guessing throughout. I enjoyed this one a lot. I recommend looking up content/triggers (as I would suggest for any thriller) if that is something you need for your reading journey.

I've been a reader of B. A. Paris' since I read "Behind Closed Doors" in 2017, so I went into this book with the full expectation of losing a lot of sleep. I was pretty surprised that "The Therapist" wasn't as horrifyingly tense as her previous works, but I was not at all disappointed. The mystery, while (seemingly) straightforward still kept me guessing right along with Alice right up until the wild ride of an ending.

Hmm... I had a hard time deciding on a rating for this one. I felt the second half was fast-paced, which, when I get through a book quickly, usually means I'm enjoying it. However, I found I didn't love the writing style (seemed a bit disjointed or stilted to me - at least in the beginning) and was very annoyed with our main character throughout the novel.

I don't expect main characters to always "see" the clues, but Alice, the main character, seemed to miss SO MUCH. Yet, despite missing a lot, she took things that maybe shouldn't have been clues and suspected just about every single character in the book. She seemed frantic throughout the novel, which is definitely due to her own personal history, but it made for a frustrating reading experience. I don't mind being manipulated by an author for the sake of a twist, but this was over-the-top. I guess I felt like a lot of the plot was put there for no other purpose than to confuse the reader, and I didn't enjoy that.

Things I DID like: Although I suspected the killer, I did not see the final twists coming. I didn't love the writing style of this author (it's my first by her), but I found it fast-paced and easy to get through. I enjoyed some of the characters and the background developed by Paris. My favorite character was definitely Lorna due to some of the things we learn at the end of the book - I almost wish we had learned more about her and Edward, but I understand that would be difficult to do given her situation.

Overall, I didn't hate my reading experience, but I didn't love it either. This is definitely a "meh" book for me, but I'm not opposed to reading more from this author.

Creepy, page-turner. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Will probably go and read other books by this author.

I found myself another fantastic book that is totally worthy enough to add to my Holy Shooty Balls shelf!!

This book totally captivated me and had my complete attention right to the very end. I absolutely loved it! It was an unputdownable and emotional read.

trigger warnings- death, murder, suicide, stalking, grief, car accident, death of a parent.

honestly, one of the biggest thing that didn't make sense was how over and over and over again leo and alice and thomas, but mainly leo, would make comments over and over and over again about how this is such a private and that everyone is protected in here. so, i just feel like there should have been some sort of camera, at least by the gate by the entrance. and it's 2021 so i have no clue why there aren't some sort of ring doorbell, even if it is gated. so, i feel like half of this book was thrown out of the window, since there probably was some sort of camera. and even i think thomas made some comment about how there is camera at the gate, like so they can see who was at the gate and who wanted to get in. so, i don't know why the police didn't look at that or anything.

but, the writing of this book was also so boring and just plain bad. like, for one, this whole books writing was just like 'i was sad' or 'i watched so and so.' so, basically very blocky and choppy writing, and more telling than showing. which, honestly sucks. but, also with when they would try to show emotions of alice, and it was just annoying cause they would just tell their emotion and not show that she was angry or that she was sad or scared. which, just was so annoying

i did like though the plot about leo and alice's relationship. like, i feel like that they had a rocky relationship in a thriller book was honestly kind of cool since most relationships in thrillers i feel are like they hate each other and they broke up, or they are that happy family with a white fence. so, seeing them not be perfect, i honestly really enjoyed it and that they weren't so perfect and that they weren't the strongest couple.

but, i did honestly kind of like leo as a character. i mean, he was not the best character in the world, and that he had his flaws, and probably should have had better communication, but, he by far wasn't the that bad, in this book. like, i feel like he felt real, and he was honestly one of the better fleshed out characters in this book, since we knew his job and what his likes and dislikes are, and we can pin point things to him, and not just guess about everything about him.

and also i think one of my biggest issues with this book was that alice was so stupid. like, she would do something and than talking to herself to try and also justify doing anything, like not moving out once she realizes someone died there or like how she still wants to be friends with the people that don't like her and the whispers that someone told her. and i honestly feel like it was so weird that she tried to justify it all and that they had all these dumb ass moments when someone told her something like trust no one, and instead she trusts every single person she comes in contact with.

and also that all she did was just that all he did was that she spent way to much time on trying to fit in and wondering what the other people in the neighbors thought out her and how she thought they didn't like it. which, was just so annoying and i really just did not care about the drama about how someone is hostile and how the other person is to nice and why someone else acts weird. and it honestly just annoyed me that she was so into her neighbors and her day to day life, it honestly annoyed the hell out of me and i really hated all the plot about how interesting the two of them are and also that she wanted to be in their little friend group so much it was honestly kind of pathetic.

but, also just her making terrible decisions after another and that in more than one part she put herself in danger and that she literally did not care about anything besides figuring out who actually killed nina. and also that all she did was that she would trust to many people and than get herself hurt and than in the end fuck everything up, which was just so annoying.

and she also tries to become this detective, that isn't a real detective, since all she does is bring up her neighbors trauma and press them way to hard and make them more upset and do all the crap. and i feel like she was spying on everyone and that she just was so annoying and if she wanted to really find out what happened anyway, i don't feel like asking the neighbors that don't want to bring it up is the right thing to do.

First book I've read by this author - won't be the last!!

This book had so many possible murderers - so many people not to trust!

Poor Alice - a very unwell young woman - taken with Leo - the man of her dreams or maybe her nightmares. All of her neighbors in the Circle - her friends, the realtor, the private detective. Who killed Nina and caused her husband to kill himself?

This book has everything you want in a good mystery and just when you think you know - you decide you really don't!!

Don't trust anyone!
I read this is two days, a fast paced psychological thrilling page turner that had me guessing until the very end.
Great characters and sub plots that all tied in together with the main protagonist.
Another great read from B.A. Paris.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press and the Author, B.A. Paris for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty decent book and the audio version had a great narrator. That being said the plot was not what I had thought it was going to be and I didn't love the one it was. I found the ending to be unbelievable, given the things the author emphasized. There were some pretty good twists and I did enjoy a fair amount of the book. Overall though its not my favorite read from this author.

I’ve been a long time fan of BA Paris but this book just fell flat for me. I couldn’t finish it as it didn’t hold my attention

B.A. Paris has become one of my favorite thriller authors. I was so engrossed in this story and this world, I completely lost track of time around me. This story was fast paced. It was suspenseful. It was intriguing and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait for more from this author.

I received an eARC of The Therapist by B.A. Paris from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
The Therapist is a quick read and kept my attention all the way through. B.A. Paris doesn't disappoint and is my go-to author. Fans of domestic thrillers may want to add this to their TBR pile. 4 stars!