I really need to start reading the whole synopsis of a book before choosing it! This one has so much tension that I can barely stand to keep going -- it's the 'not quite truthful boyfriend, secrets big and small from multiple people, possibly mentally unstable people, and a nasty murder' type of tension. Yikes. Not sure if I can keep reading (at 28%) but if you love thrillers, you'll like this one.

The Therapist by B A Paris is a psychological thriller novel. The story takes place in London in a small gated community full of homes all built the same. The main character is Alice. She has just decided to move in together with her boyfriend Leo. Leo bought a new house in the “Circle”( small gated community full of homes). Alice wants to meet people and has invited everyone over for a drink to celebrate their moving into the Circle. Leo isn’t as happy about it but is making an effort.

Leo is gone four days a week working in another part of England. Alice is a translator who works from home. She has tragically lost her sister and her parents in a car accident and is -even though it has been years- still reeling from the situation.

Alice discovers that a strange man came to her house during the open house and is distraught about it, but she becomes even more upset when she discovers a woman named Nina was MURDERED in her house. And then she found out Leo knew all along. As the story continues there is more that happens and the mood of the story starts getting creepier.

Quite frankly, Alice as a character while pulling at your heartstrings over her loss and the secrets, is obsessive and needs therapy herself! I was concerned with her choices and mental health (which if that is what the author intended - it is well done). I have to admit I did not find Alice an easy character to like, but I was determined to solve the mysteries that she kept finding - which meant I had to keep reading. The mood of the story certainly ratched up as the book continued which made me read faster!!!

The Therapist by B A Paris is a psychological thriller that is both creepy and disconcerting at the same time. (BTW - make sure your doors are locked.)

B.A. Paris is becoming one of my new favorite authors.. It was a fast paced read for me because I didn't want to put it down! I kept guessing and then something else would happen and change my mind. One of the best thrillers of the year!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Therapist by B.A. Paris.

I really wanted to like The Therapist, and I don't know if it's because I didn't love the audiobook narrator or if my dislike for the main character Alice really made me dislike The Therapist so much.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

2.75/3 stars

We meet the protagonist, Alice, as her and her partner Leo are moving into a gated community in London, called the Circle. After moving, she finds out the former owner, a therapist named Nina, was brutally murdered in the home. She goes on the hunt to try to uncover the truth about Nina and her fellow neighbors.

To be honest, this reminded me a lot of the book The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and a few other books about elite neighborhood drama. I also really didn't enjoy Alice, to the point where I kept forgetting her name throughout the read. She came across as the not-so-bright stereotypical blonde girl next door which I found a bit annoying.

My biggest issue was the ending. I guessed it right from the beginning and the rest of the book felt like the author trying to cover up the fact that the reader's first guess was going to be right.

The Therapist, starts with Alice, a thirty something that is having a lot of life upheaval. She’s leaving the only home she’s ever known, to move in with boyfriend, Leo. She met Leo during a fender bender, and dated long distance for awhile before deciding to move to London, to an exclusive gated community, The Circle. After moving, Alice finds out that a murder happened in her new home. She feels really uncomfortable with this, and contemplates leaving The Circle. She’s begun to make friends there, so she’s torn. She also attempts to investigate what happened to the murder victim.

First of all, I have loved books by this author in the past. I had high hopes for this one. For some reason, I had trouble connecting with Alice. She just made a lot of seriously dumb decisions that lead her to where she ended up. I felt she was a little histrionic, especially with matters with her boyfriend. She made choices that put her life further in danger, at times. I just had a really hard time relating to some of her choices and reactions.

Overall, I thought the book was entertaining, but not one of this authors best, I didn’t guess the true culprit until the end, so in that way it really kept me guessing. I just felt like this “whodunnit” was a little redundant and pedestrian.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for and advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

B.A. Paris always delivers a solid, enjoyable thriller, IMHO. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as some of her earlier novels, but it was an engaging read.

B.A. Paris can be counted on to give you a thrill ride of a story! I have read all her work and she never disappoints. This story has well developed characters, several plot twists and a very scary climax. I especially appreciate how she ties everything up at the end. Clutch your pearls as this one is soooo good!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

When Alice and her boyfriend move to an exclusive gated community, Alice has a difficult time adjusting to life on a street where everyone knows everyone else but she gives it a go and hosts a drinks night where she plays host to her neighbors, giving them tours of their newly renovated house. It’s not until days later that Alice learns one of her guests was a gate crasher, a man who later identifies himself as a private detective looking into a murder that occurred in Alice’s house— a murder she knew nothing about. Alice gets swept up in the details of the murder and convinces herself that private detective is on to something: the husband didn’t do it.

I really wanted to like this book as the concept was great but it fell flat. There wasn’t nearly enough development of the therapist angle to make the shifts in perspective a solid part of the narrative. The deliberate red herrings were rather obvious and the “surprise twist” at the end wasn’t set up well enough to work. In all, this book fell flat for me.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: Another psychological thriller that could have been better .

BRIEF REVIEW: Alice Dawson is a freelance translator who recently moved from her quaint cottage to a gated community and home purchased by her boyfriend Leo Curtis. The couple had a distance, weekend relationship so this home was to enable them to spend more time together. Little does Alice know, until a private investigator appears at their door, the previous occupant Nina Maxwell, a "therapist" was murdered there. Her husband who was suspected of the murder later committed suicide. Leo, on the other hand, knew about the houses history but kept it from Alice. Once she finds out she doesn't want to live there yet, she can't resist finding out more about the decreased woman Nina (same first name as Alice's dead sister.) Leo does not want Alice getting too friendly with "The Circle" neighbors but, Alice is determined to find out more about the former occupants. He obsessiveness soon takes over her daily life and everyone including Leo seems to be a possible suspect of the murder.

Alice seemed like an easy person manipulate and quite foolish as well. I thought it seemed far-fetched that she'd get so obsessed about the previous residents of the house instead of just leaving Leo for covering up the murder and buying the place in the first place. The first 50-60% of this book moved very slowly and because Alice comes across as so dense, I found her annoying at times. Still I was very curious to see where the story was headed and how it would end. The story finally did pick up speed and gave me that unsettling feeling that I enjoy about psych thrillers. Don't read it before bed as at times it appears someone is hiding out in the home! Not bad overall if you don't mind the slow first half.

The audio book was read by Olivia Dowd and Thomas Judd - both did a good job.

RATING: 3.5/5

https://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/2021/07/106-2021-therapist-ba-paris.html

Another page-turning thriller by B.A. Paris. Fans of domestic thrillers may piece together one of the big mysteries fairly early on, but Paris builds suspense deftly and the twists and turns will keep you entertained regardless.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE THERAPIST By BA Paris
Thriller fiction
304 pages

In BA Paris's new book we meet Alice and Leo. A young couple who recently moved in to a gated community called The Circle.  Alice finds it hard to fit in and makes friends until she finds outs about the couple who lived there before. Nina and Oliver, a married couple whose marriage ended in a murder/suicide or did it???  Alice is determined to find out. Alienating everyone in her quest.  It will turn out to be the worst thing she ever did.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!  This book started out a little slow in my opinion but quickly picks up and doesn't slow down until the last page!!!!!!!!  I thought I might have it figured it out a few times but dang was I wrong!!!!!!! I have loved every one of BA Paris's books and this newest one was no exception.  It was filled with twists after twists that left you're head spinning.  I highly recommend this book.

The Therapist takes place in a gated community in London called the Circle. There’s 12 houses and everyone knows the neighbors. Leo and Alice are luck to get a deal on house #6, but at what cost? Both Alice and Leo think it feels like someone is in their house when they are sleeping. Alice also hears some interesting information about the former residents of her house and she begins to investigate what happened.

I love this style of not quite “locked door” mystery, but gated community mystery. I recently read and loved Such a Quiet Place which has the same basic concept. The killer must be one of the neighbors. I will say I did guess one of the twists, but I didn’t see the second one. At only 300 pages, this was a quick read and I thought the pacing was really good. I did really enjoy this book and I’m glad I was able to finish before the zoom last night with the author!

I was so excited to receive this incredible box from @stmartinspress with a finished copy of the Therapist by @baparis. I was actually just about to start an eGalley when the box arrived!

The Therapist takes place in a gated community in London called the Circle. There’s 12 houses and everyone knows the neighbors. Leo and Alice are luck to get a deal on house #6, but at what cost? Both Alice and Leo think it feels like someone is in their house when they are sleeping. Alice also hears some interesting information about the former residents of her house and she begins to investigate what happened.

I love this style of not quite “locked door” mystery, but gated community mystery. I recently read and loved Such a Quiet Place which has the same basic concept. The killer must be one of the neighbors. I will say I did guess one of the twists, but I didn’t see the second one. At only 300 pages, this was a quick read and I thought the pacing was really good. I did really enjoy this book and I’m glad I was able to finish before the zoom last night with the author!

Whoa!!! This book threw me for a massive loop! The best part is that Paris grabbed me from the very first page and I couldn’t stop until I finished the book! I absolutely love her writing style and how she’s able to engage me with every single page. Every character is a suspect. I didn’t trust anyone! I love the first person perspective. It makes me feel more connected to the characters.
I’ve heard that this is more of a drama than a thriller and I think it’s actually both and I’m here for it! Toward the end, my husband asked me if I was okay and I realized that my hand was over my mouth as I was reading. That’s always the best sign of a great book!

Another great read from BA Paris! All of her books give me a feeling of suspense, and this one was no different. I stayed up late into the night because I needed answers, and those are the kinds of books I recommend the most when someone needs an escape.

This book was an ok read though I feel it could have been more riveting.

PROS...The narration was fairly filled with suspense ,the twist in the end was a surprise.

CONS... lagged a bit half way, very unbelievable about how a person can con and even commit murder without anybody noticing him/her for a long time..THESE DAYS THERE ARE SECURITY CAMERAS EVERYWHERE.WHY AN UPSCALE GATED COMMUNITY DIDN'T HAVE ONE?NO CAMERAS INSIDE THE HOUSE TOO..

The first book I have read where there are no police characters in a story involving crime .?

Still it was quite an engrossing read .

THE THERAPIST is a slowly building psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing. Alice has decided to buy a house with her boyfriend, Leo, and while she was on holiday, he found one in a gated community at a steal - so much so that he was able to buy it by himself. They have moved in, and Alice is excited to meet the neighbors, but it seems everyone already dislikes them.

When Alice learns why the house was so discounted, she begins to investigate what happened, not satisfied with the conclusions everyone else has made. As she looks into it more and more, she finds herself heading down a rabbit hole of guessing which of her neighbors or others that she meets could have been behind it all.

This was a really delicious mystery/thriller. The book did not feel too thrilleresque until the end, but I was definitely there for all the guessing. The writing sweeps the reader away into Alice's theories, and it is hard not to guess the same things she does about who was behind it all. I did not see the ending coming, and I loved the way it shocked and thrilled. For readers who enjoy guessing with unexpected twists, this is a really fantastic pick. I'd rate it among Paris's best.

There were a couple plot threads that I wanted more closure on, but overall, I was satisfied with the way everything happened.

THE THERAPIST is a delightful summer thriller that sweeps the reader away into this other-world of a gated community where everyone seems to know everything and nothing all at once. Highly recommend for fans of BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, THE GIRL BEFORE, and AN ANONYMOUS GIRL.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I'm thrilled that I was able to read this digital ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Alice & Leo are the newbies in The Circle, a private gated little community in London. When Alice finds out one of the former residents was murdered in the house, she begins to wonder and question everyone who lives in The Circle, her own boyfriend and pretty much every one else who is connected in any way to The Circle.

This definitely gave me Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives vibes. The women of The Circle get together for weekly yoga and afternoon tea, in addition to coffee out or at one of their houses, jogging, shopping, etc. They come across as very gossipy and caddy, but when Alice asks questions about the murder victim, they all seem to be tight-lipped.

Alice, with the help of private investigator, Thomas Grainger, begins to speculate many different theories about the murder and who the murderer may have been.

What a wild ride! I kept trying to guess along the way, but I was thrown off time and again! I finished it in two days because I couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend reading this one!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader’s copy in return for an honest review.

What was supposed to be a happy time for Leo and Alice, turned out not to be so much fun. Have you ever had a feeling for a house that you love and then you find out something horrible happened in that house? Would you stay or would you leave?

The story was supposed to be a suspenseful, thriller. But I had a hard time getting through this book. It stared out well, but then it got mundane and repeated conversations over and over. I felt Alice had too many hang ups. She could not let go of the past, and she could not let go of the lies Leo told her.

The plot twist is when Thomas comes into the picture. You really do not know who he is. He sounds like a nice person. You believe what he tells you. It just took a little bit longer to get to the truth.

The last 30% was good where things started happening. False clues and twists had me feeling happy that the book could be salvaged. Overall, an okay read.