Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-arc!

Publisher: St Martin's Press
Pages: 304 pages
Genre: Thriller
Goodreads Rating: 3.81 ⭐️
My rating: I loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY:
Alice and Leo move into The Circle, a gated community with cookie cutter houses and a close knit community. Alice is unsure about the move, especially when she finds out the previous owner, Nina, was murdered and the killer's true identity is still debatable. Alice quickly becomes obsessed with murder and with Nina, questioning every person around her.

MY THOUGHTS:
👤 This book was so good! It was fast paced and kept me guessing. I consider myself a seasoned thriller reader, and can typically guess the ending, but I was way off with this book!
👤 The setting of The Circle was set so well, it felt creepy and unsettling. The neighbors always watching, knowing everything, and not knowing who was covering up and who to trust.
👤 It felt like a whole cast of characters in each of the homes and it was a little difficult to follow, but it didn't distract too much from the story because each of them is a suspect at one point.
👤 All throughout, I really didn't care for the therapist chapters, they didn't connect. I think I need to go back and reread them, now that I know the ending.

In B.A. Paris' latest book we find Alice and Leo moving into a new gated community. The plan is to keep Alice's cottage as a rental, sell Leo's home and move closer to his work. Alice was a bit apprehensive and when she finds out that the previous owner, Nina, was killed in her home and her husband commit suicide, she is ready to pack up and move out. When a private detective asks for her help in clearing the husband of suspicion (he was hired by his ill sister) she feels uncomfortable but can't resist passing on information she gleans from the neighbors. Eventually, Alice becomes obsessed in trying to solve this crime of who killed Nina, The Therapist.

This book has received mixed reviews, but I have to say I enjoyed it. I agree, it was not B.A. Paris' best book, but it was well-written, had me wanting to know what was happening and I did invested in Alice's story. Alice is a bit naive, paranoid that the murder victim has the same name as her sister, and needs to develop a bit of a backbone. She wants to fit in with her neighbors in this gated community with just 12 homes. The story is told from several POVs and there are some excerpts from the therapist (Nina). As Leo travels for business, Alice spends nights alone in the house. She has the eerie feeling that someone has been entering into the house at night. This story is relatively fast paced, but their are a few slower parts and some repetition. This is more of a mystery than a thriller, but it has some suspenseful moments and one huge twist at the end. With the idea of unreliable sources of information, and several suspects, this one kept me guessing right to the end. This was a nice bit of escapism, a popcorn book that I enjoyed.

The Therapist kept me guessing right up until the end. Just like the main character, I kept changing my opinion as to who should be trusted and who was the culprit. If you enjoy phycological thrillers, this is the book for you!

Alice and Leo move into their new home together, and they both begin to feel like they’re not alone. Alice learns of the grisly crime committed in their home, and that’s when the whodunnit really begins. Who’s responsible? The neighbors? Leo? Is Alice losing her mind? A decently paced leg turner that held my interest. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

“I want to check the street outside but the thought of seeing someone standing there, watching the house, watching me, is almost more terrifying than thinking they’re inside, so I keep the curtains closed.” 😫

Alice and Leo move into The Circle, an upscale gated community in London. They get the house for a steal, but only Leo knows why. Soon after, Alice is made aware that a murder/suicide occurred there and she quickly becomes obsessed with the crime. When she gets to know her neighbors better she realizes that lies abound in The Circle, and nothing is what it seems.

Oh Alice Alice Alice. I have very conflicting feelings about this book. The reviews I have seen are great. But there’s something about it that’s holding me back from giving it a glowing review. Maybe it’s how annoying I found Alice and her obsession with the murder that happens in her house. Or how she feels like she’s the only person on the planet that can solve the crime. There are actual police and private investigators involved here, dear Alice. Yet she fancies herself an amateur sleuth and stays in the house, alone, despite being convinced that someone is sneaking in at night. 🤔 Like hellooooo?! Why are you insisting on staying in that house 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 if you think someone is breaking in at night? 🤦🏼‍♀️

✋🏻‼️ REDEEMED 🙌🏻. Wow, the ending of this one guys! I did NOT see it coming. And mad respect to Alice for opening those doe eyes of hers and realizing what an asshat she can be.

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great suspense from B.A. Paris.

Alice has just found out her new home was the site of a horrific murder. She becomes fixated on the case and trying to find out which of her new neighbors could have been the killer.

Just like the books before it, The Therapist keeps you turning the pages. Not a single character is trust worthy, and I didn’t see the end coming! I will admit, I was not a fan of the main character. I found it hard to understand her motivations, but the plot made up for it.

Thank you for my advanced copy, I can’t wait for everyone else to read this Tuesday!!

What a twisted web B.A. Paris weaves ...

The Therapist was absolutely brilliant! I love a thriller that keeps me guessing and gives me that creepy, unsettled feeling. This book delivered! The extensive cast of characters was easy to follow and the storyline had me pointing a finger at almost all of them. I love myself some neighborhood drama! (Well, maybe not in my own.... haha!)

The Circle is a gated community of exclusive homes, and Alice & her boyfriend Leo are brand new to the neighborhood. As Alice begins to form a connection with her new neighbors she discovers a horrifying secret about the home she and Leo have just moved into. One that has her questioning absolutely everything.

Packed with obsession for the truth, interesting characters and a storyline that will keep you turning pages!

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my copy!

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!