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.

I have definitely been looking forward to this book. B. A. Paris has become a favorite author of mine. This one was a murder mystery that takes place in a gated community. There is a wide variety of characters. The MC doesn't know who to trust or believe. There are lots of theories and twists and turns. It is a quick read that I recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by B.A. Paris - 4 stars for a book that will have you turning the pages quickly to figure out the mystery!

Alice and Leo move into a gated community, The Circle, finally being able to spend time together after a long-distance relationship of sorts. Alice is anxious to fit in with her neighbors and make new friends, especially since Leo still travels frequently for business. When Alice learns a disturbing secret about her new home, she becomes obsessed with Nina, a therapist, who lived there before Alice. But no one living in The Circle wants to talk about Nina and Alice starts questioning everyone.

Even though this is one of those books that has you screaming at the protagonist to mind her own business, B.A. Paris is so skilled at drawing you into the story that you must find out all the secrets. There is a big cast of characters and I think I questioned all of them at some point. A fast-paced thriller that includes some "past" chapters to further muddy the waters - be sure to pick this one up for your beach read!

3.5 stars for this interesting read. The book had several twists and turns and an ending I didn't see coming, but the heroine is unimpressive. From the beginning, her relationship with Leo seems toxic and not a good thing. A lot of red flags she seemingly ignores. Not to mention her unhealthy fascination with anyone named Nina which of course embroils her in questioning what actually happened to the previous occupant of her and Leo's new house.

Overall, I enjoyed this read, just wished the characters had been stronger and the book had given me someone to root for at the end.

I received a copy of this book to voluntarily read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did Oliver really murder Nina and then commit suicide? That's the question Alice becomes obsessed with when she and her partner Leo move into their house. They are now part of the Circle, an upscale group of homes filled with people who have secrets. Alice believes she should get to the truth of what happened in her house- she's convinced Oliver didn't do it. This leads her to make some bad decisions but that's what this sort of novel is all about. She's not the best protagonist (there's a certain clumsiness) but I still found myself turning the pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This would make a good travel or beach book- just enough twists to keep you guessing.

BA Paris can always be counted on to keep you guessing! This book takes you on a wild ride that is a total blast. I loved the story, the characters were so intriguing, pulling you in and not letting you go. This was an excellent read.

When Alice Dawson’s boyfriend Leo purchased a house in an elite neighborhood called The Circle, she reluctantly agreed to move in with him. While the gated community of twelve identical houses seemed almost too good to be true, Alice still had reservations. She didn’t feel entirely comfortable in the house, and after learning that Leo had not disclosed all details about the purchase, she found herself questioning his motives. After several lies surfaced, Alice became disenchanted with Leo and the house, and began to suspect foul play. Soon, the small confines of the exclusive community began to close in on Alice, and she found that her potential list of suspects was growing exponentially as each day passed. Was Alice truly in danger, or was it her vivid imagination working overtime? Paris has written a compelling thriller, complete with twists, turns and secrets that keep the reader guessing until the thrilling ending.

B.A. Paris has done it again! The Therapist is a compelling mystery with countless thrilling twists and turns in the plot.

The novel is told primarily from Alice’s point of view. She and her boyfriend, Leo, have just moved into a gated estate, called The Circle, which is comprised of twelve houses situated around a picturesque square. The beginning of the book is very slow, and I’m not going to lie, I was bored at first. However, the story gradually gets more and more interesting, and by the first twist in the plot, I was hooked.

The novel also has a past timeline, told from the point of view of a therapist. These scenes are, honestly, quite boring at first, but as the novel progresses, their purpose becomes much clearer, and by the end I was revelling in how clever they were. Despite their apparent boringness, they were brief and few and far between, which made them not distract from the rest of the narrative.

Every single one of Alice’s new neighbours is a suspect. They all have secrets, even the man she loves, who she’s moved in with. Every interaction that she has with other characters has a little hint at the fact that something isn’t quite right in The Circle. It’s clear right away that there’s more to Nina’s murder than meets the eye, but nobody is being forthcoming about what they know.


Alice and her past plays a key role in the story and what she does when she finds out that there was once a brutal murder in the seemingly idyllic home she’s moved into. Her sister and her parents died suddenly in a car crash when she was only nineteen, and she has never recovered, despite nearly twenty years having passed. Her sister’s name was Nina, and she’s always felt an irrational kinship and responsibility to anyone with that name. And, of course, what was the name of the woman murdered in her home? Alice feels compelled to solve her murder, as she doesn’t think that the victim’s husband was really the one to have killed her.

Paris’s writing style is quite phenomenal, and tension practically drips off the pages. The plot is well crafted, and I found myself constantly questioning each character’s innocence and their motives for every single thing that they were saying and doing. There are some fabulous twists in the storyline–some that are more predictable than others–and by the end reveal, everything snapped perfectly into place without any loose threads that I could identify.

This book is recommended to mystery and thriller lovers who want a novel that might be slow to start, but becomes impossible to put down.

The Therapist
by B.A. Paris
Pub Date: July 13, 2021

I am a B.A. Paris fan so when I got the chance to read the ARC before the publishing date I was quite excited. In our library, another staff member or I frequently recommend this author if someone wants a thriller.
I found this book to be a one-day read for me. It kept me guessing. There were plenty of liars and things that kept me guessing. Yes! REad this!! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

5 star

This was a quick read. Alice moves to a fancy new house in a gated community with her (dumb) boyfriend, Leo, and soon learns there was a murder in her house (husband killing his wife) that no one wants to talk about. All of the neighbors are cliquish and weird and seem like they have something to hide -- I hate this whole neighborhood. It sounds like a nightmare to live here, murders or not. Alice gets increasingly freaked out by the house and is unconvinced that the husband actually did it and starts investigating. The twisty bit was really predictable, but overall this was an enjoyable domestic thriller.

Very engaging, kept me guessing all the way through.. Cosistent with authors previous books and will continue to read this author.

Gripping psychological thriller that you will not want to put down. Well written, evenly paced, this thrill ride will keep you up at night and having you guessing until the very end.

I switched between the book and audiobook for this one and loved both. If I had to pick a favourite it would be the audiobook because the narration was great. This book was so well-written, suspenseful and a true page-turner! I liked the setting, a circle of friends / neighbours. The characters weren’t really likeable but it worked with the story. The author did a great job misdirecting the reader to have multiple suspects and I actually didn’t figure out the whole ending (which doesn’t happen often). Overall, this is a great domestic thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you to the publishers and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided a free copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was yet another disappointment by Paris. I have read much better, but the preview pulled me in. Hoping Paris can reclaim some glory on the next novel.