I like this author's previous works and was happy to be invited to review it. In "The Therapist", we find Alice, and her Leo moving into a fancy, upscale house to do a lot of renovation work to make it their "dream home"... but they soon find out their house has a past, the previous owner - a therapist named Nina, was murdered in their home, eek! (I guess there is no website to check this prior to buying like in the states, or required disclosure?) The neighbors are all rather creepy and there are some plot twists toward the end, but it was a bit slow for me. However, I personally did relate to this one, as I have dealt with the housing market on the West Coast and know the pain of renovating very well. Overall, I recommend and will read the author again. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This review published on Amazon 6/17/21

Thank you to St. Martins and Netgalley for the gifted copy of The Therapist.

This book is why I love thrillers, its pure escapism and I had such a hard time putting this one down. This book read like a movie and I was throwing my popcorn at my kindle the whole time. I highly recommend this one, I was thoroughly entertained and though I did call some things, she still got me in the end!

Alice is our main character and her and her parter Leo move in to a new house in a prestigious neighborhood called The Circle. It’s gated and it’s fancy. However, after they start to meet their neighbors she learns a secret that taints her view of the whole neighborhood so much she has a hard time even staying there. Alice is now completely enthralled with trying to solve the mystery of this secret but none of her neighbors want to talk about it. She soon finds out that this perfect neighborhood isn’t so perfect after all.

B.A. Paris excels at building suspense and tension to keep readers turning pages until the end. She casts many characters under suspicion until you begin to doubt everyone’s innocence.

BOOK REVIEW: The Therapist by B.A. Paris

A favorite author does it again! Kept me guessing to the end.. And reading non-stop to get there!... ✨😎✨

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books, Lifestyle & Home Ideas for Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked this story. It was fast-paced and kept you guessing about the murderer, although maybe that was just me. Once the identity was revealed,I felt like I should have known who it was all along. But I didn’t.

This is the first book I’ve read by BA Paris but will definitely read more! Highly recommend!

Review of The Therapist by B.A. Paris:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alice and Leo move into a new home within a gated community that’s referred to as The Circle. As Alice begins getting to know all of her neighbors within this tiny community she learns of a devastating murder that happened in the house she just moved into. This sets her off on an obsessive hunt to find out more except everyone within The Circle seems to be keeping tight lipped only further instigating her search for the truth and Alice becoming suspicious of everyone around her. This rabbit hole she’s going down only leads to more secrets uncovered and Alice not knowing who to trust or what’s true.

The suspense in this one had me hooked. I had a hard time getting past the main character avoiding or not confronting some obvious red flags that would have me out the door in no time - it was honestly exhausting - but this was all overshadowed by the level of suspense. Not many reads have had me feeling like I need to go lock my doors or have me questioning every little sound in my house but this one did it for me. The psychological mind games in this was palpable and the red herrings had me questioning everyone. There are plenty of characters worthy of lying and Paris misdirects you left and right until the very end when the web of lies is satisfyingly untangled. If you enjoy page turning suspense and mind-f🅄ckery then this one is for you!

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Murder

Thank you @StMartinsPress [#partner] for gifting me with both a complimentary advanced readers and finished copy (and the chalk board with chalk board marker and coasters) in exchange for an independent and honest review! This book was released yesterday and you won’t want to miss it!

This was definitely a fast-paced thriller with a lot of drama in a gated community in London for Alice when she finds out the history of her house and about the murder that occurred very recently. It had interesting, well-spaced twists and turns causing readers to suspect every character we come across just like the way Alice suspects everyone due to her past experiences.

The way the author successfully managed to make us doubt all the neighbors and even the husband mainly was remarkable especially the way their secrets came out in the open. Definitely intriguing plotline even though many readers will be able to guess the killer but I had no clue how the killer managed to until I read the ending which I am always happy with a thriller.

I've read almost everything by B.A. Paris and haven't been disappointed yet. After a short long distance relationship, Alice and Leo move into their first home together but she starts to discover not everything is as it seems. Leo, the home, the neighborhood - all are a little too perfect. Although Alice could use the help of a good therapist herself, it didn't take away from the unraveling of the mystery at the heart of the novel. This one is worth seeing through to the end.

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

I've enjoyed every one of BA Paris' books and this is no exception. The writing was descriptive, without being overly so and the characters were perfectly written. Some you love, and others you love to hate.

I was guessing almost to the very end, but there were still twists that shocked me!

“The Therapist” delves into the intricacies of relationships, murder, secrets, lies, suspicion. A big take away from this psychological thriller is don’t trust anyone. It’s a slow burn that churns and veers it’s way through the gated community of the Circle, enough twists and turns to keep your interest.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

B A Paris never disappoints! Another edge of your seat thrill! I loved how I didn’t know til the very end who they killer was! I am always shocked! Just when I think I’m on a roll to figuring it out….nope totally wrong! That’s how I like my books! Always throwing me for a loop! Mind games I loved the mind games and this sure lived up to it!

I've read other books by B.A. Paris and have really enjoyed them. This one did not disappoint!
This is a book that continues to build up the suspense from page one and you can't stop reading!

Alice and Nina are interesting characters that I enjoyed getting to know. I highly recommend this to someone looking for a good summer read.

Oh my goodness!!! I love this book. When the last part of the book unfolds, I gasped so many times I couldn't hold it in! B.A. Paris has done it again, given us a book that can keep you guessing.
I liked Alice and was curious about her boyfriend Leo. The house he wants to buy is wonderful, but priced below what is market value and one has to be curious as to why. Sure enough a woman was murdered there, and her husband committed suicide, and the police sort of just assumed he did it even if it didn't add up. When Alice learned about the murder she's angry with Leo for keeping it a secret, and she becomes obsessed with learning about Nina and Oliver who lived there before them. Alice tries to endear herself to the neighbors and wants to make friends and also dig into their knowledge of what happened. I did feel Alice was chasing after wild theories, but on and on it went. Her naiveté at being in a larger city like London, and meeting new people stand out. She's perhaps too trusting.
I figured out a few things in this book, but not the ultimate who done it, or why or how until it was revealed near the end.
The writing and atmosphere set was spot on, I could imagine the intimate neighborhood of the circle, a bit of privilege and snobbery. The smaller characters played an integral part in this book, it was interesting to meet the neighbors, so to speak. Having just moved into a new home myself three months ago, I can relate to how Alice felt, well minus the previous murder in my home.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the both the advanced readers copy and the advanced audio copy of this book.

I had high expectations for this book. Could it possibly be as good as the author's previous books? Could I possibly like it as much? No worries. It's just as good and I liked it just as much. It's another page-turner that keeps the reader guessing to the end.

Even as the book began, it felt creepy for some reason - maybe I was just expecting what was to come - - and that was plenty of creepiness!!! I found myself suspecting everyone of the murder; and make no mistake, EVERYONE is a viable suspect!! I did start to suspect the right person but hoped I wasn't right - and couldn't figure out how he could possibly be the one!

Paris ties everything up in a breathtaking, horrifying moment and = sad to say - certainly not a happy ending for everyone. Except for this reader who was happy to have read another great thriller.

Who’s ready for a ghost story? Not a violent demonic possession like the latest Conjuring movie. No, a quiet and refined little story of a spirit who just won’t leave her perfect house. In The Therapist, the ghost is determined to run the new owners straight out of HER house. Now.

Alice and Leo are just moving in together after eighteen months of long-distance dating. They have found the perfect house in a small, gated community in London. The price is incredibly low, and they are enchanted. But one night, soon after moving in, everything changes. Leo feels someone watching them while they sleep. But after searching the house, and finding no one, he has to admit he may have imagined it. But the experience impacts Alice more deeply.

“For a moment, the silence is absolute and my mind flicks to the thought of someone here; a stranger watching us as we slept. It’s only as I stand there, shrouded in perfect stillness that a thought slams into my head. I don’t like this house.“

The Therapist is a slow-building tale. Alice is of the old fashioned had-I-but-known school of heroines. By which I mean, she’s definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed. Her observation skills could use some work too. A boyfriend who wants you to himself is clearly a warning sign in a psychological thriller. Yet Alice doesn’t see it. Perhaps noisily investigating a previously solved murder in your house is not the best long-term survival plan either. Even if that is the only way to silence your ghost. Sometimes, moving away from danger is the right answer.

While Alice’s behavior is challenging (and requires frequently yelling at her in my mind), I still enjoyed reading this ghost story and domestic suspense thriller mash-up. Perhaps you will too. 4 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy the twists and turns of B.A. Paris' writing. The Therapist was one such novel and I liked it the most of her works thus far. Perhaps it was because I listened to it as an audiobook (which really enhanced the experience) or maybe it was the overall premise of the story. Either way, I wasn't totally sure of my "whodunit" guess until about 80% through. The title of the book was a bit misleading and the character of Nina, the therapist who was murdered, wasn't really developed. And although Alice appeared to be all over the place in her assumptions and characterizations of others, Paris did a good job in providing enough of a backstory and internal dialogue to explain her character flaws.

The Therapist by B.A. Paris is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin’s Press (and in particular Kejana Ayala for sending me a widget), 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)
Alice and Leo are starting a new life together.  They move into a gated community of exclusive houses, and Alice wants to get to know the neighbours.

Apparently it isn't as easy as it seems.  Furthermore, no one wants to talk about the therapist who lived in their new home before they moved in.  Alice becomes obsessed with the secrets that everyone seems to be keeping.  She is determined to find out more, even if Leo isn't interested.

Her paranoia and obsession may become the death of her.


My Opinions:   
I found this to have a rather slow start, but as the suspense started building, so did my interest.  By the end I didn't want to put it down.  The plot was wonderful, the premise very sound.  If given the same circumstances, I, too, would have been interested in learning more about the previous owner of my house.  Hopefully I would not have become quite so obsessed.

The book is about trust, and lies, and deceit, and secrets.  It is also about fear, anxiety, paranoia and obsession.

Some of the characters were easy to like, others just as easy to hate.  I really felt sorry for Alice, as she was a very likable character, but definitely needed a therapist of her own!  Her mind was always going in a million different directions, and when Tamsin called her a "fantasist", I think she  was close.

Although I had an idea as to the perpetrator, there were many things that eluded me.  There were some major twists which I did not see coming.

Overall, this was a very entertaining read, and I will continue to watch for more books by this author!

BA Paris has done it again. She has created an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you guessing and enthralled until the very end. As with her other books, The Therapist grabbed me from the very first chapter and kept me in it's clutches until the very last page. I am never disappointed in her stories.

This is a book full of relationships, most of them strained and troubled. Alice has to work hard to try to find the good ones and to try to figure out who she can trust—who is on her side and who isn't? And then there are all the secrets. What aren't her neighbors telling her?

I totally loved the mystery, suspense, and secrets of this story. The Therapist is a spell-binding thriller that I know you will love as well.

I really enjoyed this book! Every time I thought I had it figured out something else happened that made me change my mind! I appreciate a book with twists and turns that has me stumped. I really enjoyed Alice's character - strong, independent, and not willing to settle. She had her suspicions, and she was not going to stop until she had it figured out. I love B.A. Paris and I highly recommend this book along with her other titles.

This thriller was very fast-paced and intense… It kept me turning the pages! It also definitely had a creepiness factor, and made me imagine someone was watching me inside my house. While I could see how others could predict the ending, I did not. I was a little disappointed by the twist, but this seems to happen a lot lately so maybe I just have my expectations too high. Overall, a great read!