I can't even believe I'm saying this about a B.A. Paris novel, but, I didn't love it. I thought the story was very slow and kind of boring. I'm so used to being absolutely absorbed by the story that it was hard for me to come to terms with how not into this one that I was. I'll for sure read the next book but my expectations will be lowered based on this book.

SIGH. I wanted to love this. I really did. I wanted to fall in love and recommend it to everyone like I did (and still do!) with Behind Closed Doors.

Alas...this is no Behind Closed Doors. We are slowly but surely getting there. It's definitely closer than any others she's written, thank goodness. I was wary of even reading this one because I was so let down by The Dilemma (imagine expecting something a la Behind Closed Doors and instead getting The Dilemma...yikes) but I'm glad I did.

Definitely firmly in the thriller category, the story was enjoyable and a quick read. Had I not known the author also wrote BCD, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. Typical domestic thriller tropes - woman alone in a house, arguing/fighting with her significant other, weird things start happening, etc etc - all of which I love and can't get enough of.

Keep working, author. We're getting there!

3.5 stars

"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…"

I liked this book by B.A. Paris so much better than her last book, "The Dilemma". I wish more people who get advanced galleys would be more truthful in their review, so that we can get a follow-up book that is significantly better. This is what happened here. I felt bad giving a bad review for "The Dilemma", but it was possibly the worst book I had ever read. This is much better. Definitely a psychological thriller and kept my interest throughout the whole book until maybe the last couple of pages. The red herrings were great, and I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out if I was right with the whodunit. The ending was satisfying even though it was obvious as you progressed through the story. I had to suspend my belief a bit for the extra twist which I don't think enhanced the book any. This book has redeemed B.A. Paris for me and I look forward to her next book. Definitely recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced egalley!!

After a long distance relationship Leo & Alice buy a house in a gated community in London. All seems well until Alice discovers that one of the previous owners was murdered in the house. Leo being aware of it, didn't tell Alice & to find out the murdered woman's name was Nina......the same as Alice's deceased sister which is problematic, as the reader soon discovers.

This is the first book by B.A. Paris I've read. I will say it was very suspenseful. & quite a page turner. There are many twists & turns; and the author does a good job of making everyone a plausible suspect for the murderer at one time or another. For many, it may take until the end to figure it out. I was relatively sure who it was, simply based on the pattern the author was constructing; but was prepared for a last minute twist.

Honestly none of the characters are very likeable. The main protagonist, Alice is quite frankly, neurotic & dimwitted. I thought 25% into the book, she needed a therapist. Yet, I was hooked. It was like a train wreck that you just couldn't look away; or a Lifetime movie that you had to keep watching just so you knew the ending. First time read through is definitely exciting; but once you know the ending, a re-read won't provide the same thrill; and the characters will be more of an annoyance than entertaining. The characters & plot don't have the required layered complexity that subsequent readings need. Hence my lower rating.

Thanks to St. Martin's & NetGalley for a copy for an honest review

Alice is reluctant to move from her beautiful quiet cottage to an exclusive gated community, known as The Circle, with her boyfriend Leo but decides to make the best of it. When Alice discovers that her new home was the scene of a horrific crime involving the previous occupant Nina; she feels uncertain about staying in the home. Feeling a strong connection to Nina, Alice becomes obsessed with trying to find out what happened but the neighbors seem reluctant to discuss any details. Alice soon discovers that not everything is as perfect as it appears, everyone is keeping secrets, and if she's not careful she might just be the next victim.

The Therapist is a new domestic thriller by author B.A. Paris. I'm going to admit that although I do enjoy her books, they tend to be either a hit or miss for me. The Therapist was unfortunately the latter. One of the primary reasons this wasn't a good fit for me was because I didn't really like any of the characters. Alice is very naïve and comes across as quite desperate to make friends with her neighbors, primarily the women in the circle. She is drawn to the tragedy of the prior resident, Nina, due to the fact that she shares the same name as Alice's sister who was killed in a car accident. This information is provided multiple times as Alice informs everyone she knows/meets about how any tragedy associated with the name Nina compels her to be more consumed about the details of their story. That being said, I still enjoyed the novel, it's a quick and entertaining read, and I think many will still find it to be a very intriguing whodunit.

I have been waiting for such a long time to read The Therapist, and it did NOT disappoint. It was an absolute page turner, and I couldn’t put it down.

What I Liked🌿

✨The quick pace had me reading the entire book in almost one sitting.

✨The twists and turns that kept me guessing and some that I did not at all see coming.

✨The tension that at one point had me screaming with anticipation.

What I Struggled With🌿

✨The final twist was a bit far-fetched in my opinion, and the villain was perhaps a bit obvious – but this did not deter me from eagerly continuing.

All in all, The Therapist lived up to the hype and all of my expectations. I’m so excited I had the opportunity to read it early. I give it four stars and enjoyed it to the very last page.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be in stores on July 13, and you’re going to want to grab your own copy.

Alice has been dating her long distance boyfriend, Leo, for a while now and they want to take the leap and move in together. Leo goes and buys a house in a gated community in London that Alice cannot believe they can afford. He says the price was really low because it’s been on the market a long time. Alice decided to have a neighborhood party so that she and Leo can get to know their neighbors. A man shows up that Alice assumes is a neighbor, but realizes later that he is a stranger. He tells her that he is investigating a murder that took place in her house. Alice is shocked that Leo would buy this house without telling her what happened there. She quickly becomes obsessed with finding out more about the murder and helping this private investigator find out who really killed Nina.

This book was really similar to some others that I’ve read, but I still did not see that ending coming. I was constantly changing my mind about who the real killer was and I didn’t trust any of the characters, except Alice. The book was well written and fast paced. I couldn’t put it down! I am convinced that B. A. Paris can do no wrong when it comes to domestic suspense!

I am back to being a B.A. Paris superfan. The Therapist had everything I love in a good novel of suspense- an intriguing premise, reveals that make sense, and a growing sense of dread that crept up while you were reading. Alice falls in love with Leo rather quickly, and they buy a beautiful home together in a exclusive gated neighborhood in London called The Circle. All of the townhomes face each other and while the set up is nontraditional, Alice grows used to it and starts to make friends with the other women in the neighborhood. She gets the feeling that they're not exactly being truthful with her and finds out that something dreadful happened in her new home- and that Leo more than likely knew this and was keeping it from her. This was a quiet thriller and most of the violence happens off the page- I liked second guessing all of the characters motives and while I had my suspicions and was for the most part correct- that did nothing to diminish my enjoyment. Recommended from me!

If you are an author or publisher seeking a review/blurb from me, please note I only provide those on the books I thoroughly enjoy and read cover-to-cover. If I don't give you one (as is the case here), it doesn't mean there was a problem with the book, it simply means the book wasn't for me or it may not resonate with my fan-base. I will, however, give you five-stars because I know EXACTLY how much work went into getting this particular title here and I'm not about to drag down your overall score just because it didn't hit for me. I wish you nothing but the best.
jd

I really enjoyed this novel from B.A. Paris. I didn't feel particularly invested in the characters, but the suspense and twists were strong. The use of flashbacks was well-done and not confusing, you could feel the anxiety and stress of the protagonist, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the exclusive estate added to the desperation. I think this will be a popular summer read, with good reason. This was my favourite of Paris' books so far.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance digital copy to review. All opinions are my own.

This was the first book I've read by B.A. Paris and it wasn't a bad book. It was just your typical cul-de-sac-type mystery with a not too bright protagonist. Alice and Leo are new to the neighborhood and after they move in, Alice learns some disturbing secrets about the house they've just bought, in this gated community known as The Circle. Alice makes a lot of stupid decisions throughout this novel and it made it hard to sympathize with her. The murderer was fairly obvious, but I still think fans of this genre will enjoy this book, as it was a fast-paced and a quick read. If you like Shari Lapena, or similar authors then I think you'd enjoy this. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

I liked this book as it was intriguing and sucked you in the story. I didn’t want to put it down. I got attached to the characters. It’s a great thriller and for those who want to solve a who done it case.

I always enjoy B.A. Paris' books and this one was no different. It had a surprising twist not knowing who the Therapist was until the end. It was a fast read and would recommend it.

The Therapist
by
B.A. Paris

Now why did I think that this book would be laced with creepy therapy sessions?! This was not the case but only by the end do we understand the title more completely!
Alice and Leo, finally coming together to live in a common home, have bought a house at a suspiciously reduced price in a private gated circle community where everyone seems to know each others business, yet…. not really. Secrets abound and Alice soon learns that there are more mysteries to unravel. She becomes obsessed with unraveling a past crime, of which her neighbours are not forthcoming.
Though I heavily suspected a key player early on, there was always doubt threading through the many lies that were told. I wanted to shake Alice to see what I saw! I am sure B.A Paris wanted that exact visceral reaction from her readers. Well done! An intriguing page-turner for me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Overall a fun read! Several interesting twists but not too many. Would recommend of you like a good domestic thriller.

I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t get into it. I read it to the end. It was hard to follow it at times. I felt like the main character was annoying and not very bright.

At one point, I suspected everyone was involved in the murder of Nina.

This book had a lot of twists and red herrings in it. I sort of had the person figured out (suspected in the back of my head), but really did not see the end coming like it did. I felt like Alice's obsession was a little strange and the one murder (in France, I believe) seemed very far-fetched to relate to Nina's murder. Overall, I love this author and felt it was a good, suspenseful mystery.

An ingeniously plotted thriller which puts the heroine in the driving seat for a change.

Leo and Alice have been looking for a house to buy together in London: he’ll sell his flat and she’ll sell her cottage in Sussex. So when Leo finds a perfect house at an unbelievably good price, which means Alice can keep her cottage, she jumps at the chance even though she hasn’t seen it herself.

The house is in a gated community of a dozen houses in North London. Alice tries hard to make friends but there seems to be some resistance to her among the other women though they gradually warm up. But when a private detective reveals that she’s living in a house in which a woman was recently murdered and, the detective believes, the wrong man was convicted, the tensions start piling up.

Meanwhile, there are woven in vignettes from a therapist’s notes, though there is clearly something very off about the therapist.

There are, of course, a plethora of suspects both possible and eyebrow quirking as Alice starts digging into the neighbors’ potential motives. What I really appreciated was that Alice is not in any way trapped or forced to do unlikely things - she has friends and financial independence, she has another place where she could live - but her choices are what drives the mystery. Though her family and sister were killed in a car accident when she was 19, she seems stable if a little prone to imagining spiritual visits from the dead. The setting itself is also nicely normal - there’s plenty of people around and it’s in a busy metropolitan neighborhood. It’s almost as if the author has set herself a challenge to create a psychological thriller without any of the usual elements (which she herself has employed in her previous novels) - and succeeds!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

What a terrific book! B. A. Paris is the queen of neighborhood suspense--of bitter secrets, gaslighting spouses, manipulative neighbors and twisted motivations. I was turning the pages so fast, I had to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the confident clever writing--and Paris's super skills at plotting and depth. Sinister and suspenseful, a with a surprise around every corner--this book of secrets and lies and wonderfully unreliable characters will captivate you! Loved it.

A real who done it. You keep thinking you know who did it, One of those books you read in two days because you need to know if you are right about your guess