Alice and Leo have bought a house in The Circle, a gated community of close neighbors. Leo has had the second floor renovated and Alice is thrilled with her new home. Anxious to meet and make friends with her new neighbors, Alice organizes a drinks evening, but when a man she assumes is the one of the neighbors arrives, things take a twist. It turns out he is not one of the neighbors, but is a private investigator. What he tells her sets off a chain of events that changes everything.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It started off a little slow, but soon I was engaged in the story and the characters. I feel like maybe a few of the neighbors weren't necessary to the story but overall this worked well and Alice's background was intriguing.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator very easy to listen to and enjoyable. The pacing was mostly good, though there were a few times that it seemed to go a bit slowly.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Available July 23, 2021.

This was a 3.75 stars for me. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book!

I really enjoyed this book.
We have Alice and Leo who move into a house and everything seems to be great until Alice finds out that the previous owner was actually murdered there. And this is where everything starts, where suspicion creeps in and everyone becomes a suspect (neighbours, family, friends).

I was very puzzled by Alice decision to stay in the house even though she was very afraid and shocked by the murder that took place. Especially since weird things started to happen in the house.

All in all a good, fast read!

I think I’ve just read too many neighborhood dramas lately. They’ve all started to blur together. I had a hard time getting into The Therapist. As someone who lives in an old house, the notion of my home being a former murder site just doesn’t bother me. I found Alice’s reaction to this news to be totally dramatic and over the top. Alice kinda sucked, Leo was the absolute worst, and the neighborhood friends felt a bit underdeveloped. The last 50 pages saved this book for me. While a slightly predictable, the ending was suspenseful and well played out. I just felt it took too long for the action to happen.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Paris. Actually, I listened to the audiobook. The premise is interesting, and the story kept my interest, as I was curious to see who murdered the infamous Nina. Unfortunately, the main character, Alice was rather annoying, as she became focused on the murder that took place in the house that she and her boyfriend had moved in to. She was very angry with Leo, her boyfriend, because he had neglected to tell her that a murder had occurred there. For one thing, she and Leo barely seemed to know each other, and when the truth came out about the house, she was understandably upset, but she made him move out and she stayed in the house. This made no sense to me. She primarily spent all her waking hours focusing on the murder and suspected just about everyone that she came in contact with to be the murderer, except, of course, the true murderer. This was a mystery that was not difficult to solve, and I guess that the author basically leads the reader on so many wild goose chases with Alice, that the frustration builds up, and one really does want to find out whodunnit, mainly to see if they called it correctly. In my case, I had. Olivia Dowd is an excellent narrator, and I probably enjoyed the book more due to her narration. Thomas Judd, the other narrator has a very small part. I would recommend this book to fans of Ms. Paris, as I would imagine that her books appeal to her readers. I would say it is a quick beach read that doesn't take too much energy to follow, therefore may hit the spot for some readers. I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was just okay for me. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Alice and how she justified all her decisions. I definitely was guessing and didn’t see the ending coming, but the story as a whole was just a little flat.
I enjoyed the narration by Olivia Dowd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for an honest review.

Very clever!

I was involved from the first page and couldn't stop until I unraveled the mystery of Nina's murder. While I had moments where I suspected the identity of the killer I also suspected several others...I love a book with great misdirection and a pond full of red herrings.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy, it was my pleasure to write an honest review.

3.5

Decent, and mainly in keeping with standard BA Paris fare. With an identifiable main character, even though many of the twists are anticipated, it was still an enjoyable read.

I was excited to get copies of the ebook and audiobook ARCs. This one threw me for a loop. I thought that I had it figured out for about the first half of the book ... It seemed really obvious what the outcome was going to be. But there were a bit more twist and turns, and you don't quite end up where you think you will. I think anybody who enjoys thrillers and will be able to get through that beginning where it feels a little too obvious, will enjoy this.

A big thanks to the author, publisher, and that galley for the ARC.

The Therapist by B. A. Paris

Alice and her boyfriend Leo move into a gated community in London called The Circle. A perfect neighborhood of twelve houses. All the neighbors know each other. Alice wants to fit and and get to know her neighbors.

Alice soon finds out that a horrible murder happened in their new house. How did no one tell her?

Wait...her boyfriend knew when purchasing it! Why didn’t he tell her?

Alice becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened in the house. But no one seems to want to talk about it. What secrets are there?

A little slow for me, but kept my interest as I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Thank you B. A. Paris, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy to read in return for my honest review!

Most of the book isn't really a thriller but follows Alice in her day-to-day life as she struggles to piece together a mystery that happened in the house she and her boyfriend recently moved into. Even though these works aren't exactly chilling to read I did find them very interesting. I think it helped to add a lot to the suspense and add details into the story to help you figure out who did it. A lot of the chapters just follow Alice as she tries to make friends in the new community she's in and also later as she deals with a little bit of drama. All of these chapters do fit in with the mystery in the book, just not directly.

I did find some of it very mysterious and it had me on the edge of my seat but it took a little bit for this to happen. The book starts out pretty quickly leading us into the murder and mystery but then kind of pauses on this as the story develops. A lot of the beginning of the book is just setting up the world and giving us details on the people that will help lead us to the killer or draw us to the wrong conclusion. It continues we get that wanted psychological aspect and I definitely found myself wondering at some points what the heck was going on. I have to say I did not see the ending coming which now that I know I can't believe I didn't figure it out. Like with all psychological thrillers there was evidence throughout the book that pointed to the truth I just didn't happen to see it, which in my case I'm happy about because it made the book so much more interesting.

What made this book really unique was that there were chapters from the “past” which were very vague and each time they showed up it was re saying the same event in multiple ways. Each time different details were given and the story was changed slightly in what happened. These chapters definitely kept me on the edge of my seat wondering how they fit in with the rest of the book. They do come into place at the end of the book but I'm still not exactly sure how everything fit in. I think a lot of it was just to add to the confusion of what was taking place.

I think the setting also added a lot to the book. The setting was build up perfectly for a thriller like this, a gated community, secluded people who are reserve, and the mysterious past surrounding them. This makes it hard for Alice to integrate into the community which adds to the drama of the book because some people aren't so keen an Alice and her boyfriend's moving into the house one of their friends used to live in. I understand this did add to some of the backgrounds of the story but I think it made the book lean a little too much into the contemporary genre, but then again the book wouldn't it be the same without this.

Another reason I like this so book so much, even with some minor critiques, is because B.A. Paris is a wonderful writer that depicts characters with so much personality. I was drawn into their thinking and their worries. I felt my heart beating faster when Alice got into difficult situations. I could easily picture the worry and anxiety flooding into Alice’s life. The characters were easy to relate to and they were written in such a wonderful way that made it even more enjoyable. Like others are saying Alice is kind of naive and makes some pretty stupid decisions. But just like in horror movies when the main character goes into a shed with chainsaws hanging on the walls, Alice makes some of those types of decisions that add some tension and lead to some dangerous situations.

I personally really like the audio version of this book. There was nothing special included in the audiobook but I think the narrator instilled in her voice some of the anxiety that the character was feeling and helped to build the suspense more when suspenseful moments were taking place. I also really like the voice of the narrator, I feel like it fit the character very well so I had an easier time picturing the character and getting my mind wrapped around her and her situation. Unlike some other audiobooks, the narrator's voice is perfect for listening to and doesn’t change her voice in exaggerated ways for other characters.

Overall, I wouldn’t say this is anything special. I enjoyed reading it and I wasn’t bored during any part of the story. I didn’t see the ending coming and there were plenty of different subplots and people to keep the story going in a different direction. I am not interested in reading some of the other stories written by this author and will look for her next book to come.

Alice and Leo move into a new home in a very tight and cliquey community called 'The Circle'. While getting to know her new neighbours and community, she discovers a devastating secret that took place in her home a few years ago. Alice then becomes obsessed with discovering what went down in her new house. Should she leave? Or should she stay?

The beginning starts off strong. I was genuinely interested and curious about what was going on. I definitely had suspicions about every character in the book. This almost felt like a big old game of CLUE. That being said, the whole time I just wanted to give the main character, Alice, a shake. She was SO ditsy and oblivious that it completely took away from the story. Character development and connection is so key when it comes to a good book, but I really was rolling my eyes a lot through this story. Severely unrealistic, far-fetched, and underwhelming. I would say if you are planning to read this, just don't go in with high expectations. I'm overall just feeling "meh" about this story. Glad I read it, but could also live without it.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me with this advanced readers audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I am not normally an audiobook person but was impressed that the readers voice wasn't flat and was enough to keep me engaged and wanting to listen through.

At first, I was very confused by this book. However, after I went back to listen again, I found myself drawn in by it. I do think it could have been shortened a little bit but for the most part, this book was a decent read.

So it is honesty time. I have a weird relationship with BA Paris books. Some really work for me and others fall flat. I am never going to give them up though, because they are all super quick reads for me and when I like them, I really them. Even if they aren't my faves they are still solid 3 star reads.

I so enjoyed this one. I figured our bad guy out pretty quick ( maybe at the half way point) but I didn't know the why and how it all fit together. I really enjoyed the way it all played out. While I do believe the ending was a bit fantastical, I still read it and would recommend it to any of my thriller loving friends.

I also had the lovely privilege of listening to this one as well. I got to flip back and forth between reading and listening. Audio was on point and very well done. The narrator kept me on the edge of my seat during the crazy times. I could almost feel my heart racing as I was listening. That my audio loving friends is the sign of a great narrator.

4.5 stars from me and I do think, if you are a thriller lover, give this a go. You won't be disappointed.

Man, BA Paris is so good at writing such sad stories! This is my third BA Paris and I really enjoyed this story. I loved the setting of the gated community and the suburbia vibe, The characters felt full and interesting. Some reveals were predictable to me, but they made sense with how the story was coming together so that did not ruin anything for me. I loved the use of the mysterious therapist chapters. The two narrators were perfect!!

2.5 stars, rounded up.

As a rule, I enjoy domestic thrillers. I also thoroughly enjoyed B.A Paris’ other books. Unfortunately, this book is not one I enjoyed. Our main character is so stupid that it’s frustrating. This thriller includes an “OTT” (over-the-top twist), which I usually enjoy. This twist though was so unsurprising, that I just laughed when it was officially revealed.
The story is fast-paced and interesting until about 50% in. At that point, things started to drag, and I found myself caring less and less. BA Paris may be an author I have to put down for a while, as this simply wasn’t good.

Full review will be on my blog on August 27th, 2021.

Ahhh, this was an eyeroller. I hear previous works by this author are great but this one is a disappointment. The main character is too dense to be believable. There are lots of lies among the various characters and nearly everyone is set up to be the killer at some point. It's never a good sign when the big reveal comes and elicits a groan from the reader/listener. On a better note, the narrator is fantastic and definitely helped the book. It's not the worst thriller I've read, but it's not one I'll be recommending to anyone either.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance audio of this book for review provided by NetGalley.

Audiobooks have been saving grace for getting my “reading” in. There are a few things that makes an audio enjoyable for me. First is the narrator, they need to caption my attention immediately and secondly the story has to be good to keep my attention since I’m not physically reading. The audio received was in a computer voice of the narrators and even with that short coming (for myself) I still found the audio enjoyable, mostly because the story was interesting and had my attention.

I love a good domestic murder/ mystery. Especially when there are so many secrets and suspects.The Threapist delivers in those aspects. This is definitely a good book to grab for the beach. It’s easy and quick to get through. Especially with its July 13 release date

Overall I gave this 3.5⭐️

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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…

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook edition of The Therapist by B.A. Paris.

First, the narration was great! And I love it when they use narration to add intrigue and spin to the text. It makes it feel more like your listening to a show instead of a book.

But now the book. It's interesting, and readable. There are hooks that get you right at the beginning. But OHMYGERSH, it's an eye roller. This main character, someone tackle her for me! I can't go into detail lest I spoil, but there were so many just brain itching inconsistencies, it hurt. The story stayed interesting until the end, but I just could not get over how silly and OTT it was.

Thanks NetGalley, author B.A. Paris, and Macmillan Audio for giving me a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars
Would you live in the house where a murder took place? Who are the people that live in the circle? This book answers those questions and more.
Alice and Leo move to The Circle, an exclusive gated community. The house is in a wonderful neighborhood and the people within the community, but all is not what it seems. Alice comes to find out Nina, a woman who previously lived in their house, was murdered. This causes Alice to become obsessed with wanting to find out not only who murdered Nina, but also why. The book takes off from there. The audio narrator had such a great voice. I loved the pacing of the story as well as how the author was able to create threads that connected the evidence that led to the identity of the killer and a whole lot more! I was a little confused by the actions of Alice at times, because of her own kept secrets made her act out of guilt rather than rational thought. The ending was well wrapped up! Overall, another great domestic psychological thriller that will keep you reading until the very end!

When Alice and Leo move into a beautiful home in a gated community they immediately dive right into the social circle. But when Alice learns about the tragic end to the last homeowners she begins to question everything. 
When I saw this available on netgalley, I had to push all my other books to the side and start this one. I am big B.A. Paris fan and have loved all of her previous novels.

Ok so B.A. Paris just gave us another great twisty mystery. There is just something about her writing- it is crisp, it is believable, and it will keep you guessing. This is mostly a straight forward thriller- with one storyline with only a few "past" flashbacks throughout. 

This one was so hard to put down and I found myself doing extra chores so I could keep listening to the audiobook. The suspense was high on this one and I made some wild guesses to who the villain truly was. But wow was the twist satisfying...

The narration was very well done. It was easy to follow and rich with a British accent for the London setting.

Highly Recommend.