B.A. Paris does it again. This book kept me totally engaged. I loved the characters, the plot, the pace. I did not predict the ending for once. The end of the story seemed a bit rushed, but overall a great thriller.

Happy Pub Day: The Therapist by B.A. Paris

It's a whodunnit. I admit I guessed who the murderer was right away. I did however enjoy listening to the paranoid inner monologue of the protagonist Alice, (a small town English woman who moves with her fiance Leo into an exclusive neighborhood outside of London called "The Circle" ) as she suspects every single neighbor of murdering the former owner of her new home. It was entertaining for her suspicions to be activated every time she had an interaction with someone. Red herrings were thrown around quite liberally in this book.

There were times where I wanted to ring Alice's neck for being so dense about what was happening around her. I can't imagine staying in a house if you think someone has been breaking into it every night and lurking around. Yet she is determined to stay to solve the murder of the former owner of her home. She is the perfect TSTL heroine.

I didn't suspect the twist - (and neither will you) that is revealed later. That helped to illuminate Alice's state of mind. She clearly has issues that still plague her.

Overall The Therapist is a Mystery/Thriller that will have you thinking 🤔 Everyone in this neighborhood needs a therapist.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio
for the alc.

I wish I had read The Therapist instead of listening to it. I can only say that the reason is not just because of the narrator, whose voice did not work for me with the various characters. Moving on to the content-Alice is crazy. That is clear from the very beginning. She spends the entire book coming up with one crazy theory after another in her head. It was fun just to see what she’d come up with next. She didn’t seem to let anything actually happening in front of her get in the way of her fantasies either. Gotta love that. The rest of the characters were pretty thin and kind of melted together for me. That could have been because of the narration or not. Not knowing, I would have given this book a 4 if not for the end. Without spoilers, I can only say that there was something I questioned from page one that I would have questioned even more had I been reading this rather than listening. Between the “twist” and the misdirection, it just felt forced. I’d recommend reading it over listening.

B A Paris creates a chilling atmosphere and you sense Alice the main character sinking deeper and deeper into a paranoia not knowing who to trust, severing ties all around. Similar to Megan L Miranda’s release today “Such A Quiet Place” in the closed and isolated subdivision setting that basically only leaves a tight circle of neighbors as potential suspects …
I’ve been looking forward to listening to the audio for ‘The Therapist’ and it did not disappoint. It’s a well-written psychological thriller with a promising beginning, interesting characters and a chilling plot, I felt the middle of the story was a bit winded and dragged somewhat especially since save for a few flashbacks we only get Alice’s more and more paranoid point of view. But the ending more than compensated for any lengths I had perceived with a very exciting and gripping conclusion and a huge twist that I hadn’t expected.

I loved the audio for this one - the atmosphere evoked was quite chilling !
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillanAudio as well as St.Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

BA Paris is one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read/listen to this book.

Alice and Leo move into a new neighborhood, a quiet gated community. Everything seems idyllic until Alice uncovers some secrets about the house. What starts as a curiosity quickly turns to an obsession as Alice tries to get to the truth.

Nothing and no one is as they appear and Alice begins to unravel a bit.

There are some good twists, one I should have seen coming (I am the worst twist spotter) and one that was nearly impossible to predict.

This was an entertaining story that drew me in from page 1 and it was made even better in audio.


Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for my ALC

B.A. Paris is back!

The Therapist follows Alice and Leo, a couple who recently purchased a home in a gated community called The Circle. Once Alice finds out about the grisly fate of the therapist who lived there before, she digs into the truth behind the lies.

This audiobook was well-done with a lovely narrator who perfectly executed the story’s tone. The plot was quick and simple. Very entertaining!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Therapist by BA Paris - audiobook.
The narration in this book is very good, and that made this book better for me.
I loved the Dilemma and other books by Paris, however, I found this book slow and not as engaging as her others.
The book centers on Alice, who has just moved to a new housing development with her boyfriend Leo.
Alice discovers a dark secret about her new home and starts to investigate the past but is met with silence from this community. Alice delves into full investigative mode digging into what happened in her home two years ago and finds that nothing is as it seems.
The main character, Alice, was not real to me - and that made the story line a bit unbelievable and predicable.
3 stars.

I have heard great things about B.A. Paris and have others on my tbr, but this is my first experience with her writing and I can say it did not disappoint.

This book makes you question everyone. When Alice moves into a new place in a new city with her new boyfriend, she makes friends quickly and thinks she can be happy. But as time goes on she learns everything isn’t what it seems and when she learns something shocking about her new house she doesn’t know who to trust. Can she really trust her new neighbors, who she’s grown to like? What about their husbands? Is there something fishy about their realtor, or is there something wrong with her, is she so unstable that there’s really nothing wrong at all?

There is a lot of misdirection and red herrings, because while she questions everyone, the question is posed if she could even be trusted, and what if she’s made everything up and she’s just having a psychotic break or something? I felt like I had whiplash from my head being pulled every which way with so the accusations. You don’t know who to believe, and it was written really well.

That being said, I did, however figure out one part of the mystery, The main part, the “whodunnit” pretty quickly, and I ended up being right. I feel like I’m such a seasoned thriller reader at this point that even the typical tactics used to try to confuse readers in thrillers don’t throw me off. I had a theory, and even though the author tried to confuse me and did have me questioning if I was right on several occasions, I had a conviction to an answer that turned out to be right.

However, even though I did guess the main twist, there were some little ones that added to my enjoyment of the novel that I wasn’t able to predict.
Even when I can guess the outcome, I can still enjoy the book. In many cases, the book was really well written and good at what it did, which is creating red herrings and misdirection and the possibility of an unreliable narrator. That was the case with this book. I was able to predict, but she did everything right to throw us off, and that is not her fault.

This did have a bit of a slow start, but I did still find it enjoyable. It was suspenseful, interesting and some of the characters were just the right touch of unlikeable.

If you’re looking for a well written thriller with twists and turns, then you should pick this one up.

I had already reviewed the book and given it 3/5 stars. It was okay, with fun twists at the end, but I had a big problem with the main character. I wasn’t a fan of her, and I didn’t agree with a lot of the choices she made, even with her being so cautious about living in a sketchy neighborhood. She was missing red flags right under her nose and that annoyed me. The audiobook was okay. The narration didn’t have me hooked, but the story itself was easy enough to get through. I love me a good thriller, but this one missed a few marks.

Thank you NetGalley for an audio-ARC of The Therapist by B. A. Paris.
B. A. Paris creates a suspense-filled murder mystery that leaves the reader guessing until the very end. A murder mystery involving a gated community and secretive neighbors provides a believable backdrop for this story. Both narrators, Olivia Dowd and Thomas Judd, are perfect voices for the characters they represent.

B.A. Paris's new book hits shelves today so you know by the end of the week all your bookish friends are going to be talking about it. Domestic thrillers is one of my most favorite genres and I read a lot of authors in this genre. So I'm relatively new to Paris's books. I've actually only read one other book by her - Behind Closed Doors. I listened to the audiobook then too so I was excited to be able to get an early copy of the new audiobook because I imagine the waitlist will be weeks (months?) long at the digital library.

As I've only read one other novel, I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or typical of her books but from the start I had a strong sense of deja vu. The Therapist felt a lot like Behind Closed Doors. So much so, I had to double check that this was a new book and not a re-release or something. Once the story really got started, it is its own unique story but the tone remains the same (which makes sense as it is a winning style for the author).

I have noticed the last few weeks how suspicious I've become. (There was a workman of the side of the work digging a whole the other day. He had on a reflective vest and orange cones so I thought nothing of it until I noticed that the truck looked like a normal everyday truck and not truly a work truck - it didn't have any logos or other road or construction crew type markings. I thought that would be the perfect setup in a thriller.) So I was was immediately suspicious of all the characters in The Therapists. My mind kept going to all the shows and books I've read that take place in a small, gated community and the theories were flying through my head. I didn't want to put it down as I had to know what happened and who all were involved.

I enjoyed the audiobook production but I did have trouble figuring out the characters as the voices aren't distinct enough. I especially had trouble when the story jumped to the therapist. I often spent a few minutes confused until the text indicated that we had jumped to Nina and away from Alice.

This audiobook did take quite a bit of concentration to follow the story so it would be best for quiet walks on the beach or sipping a glass of wine while rocking on the front porch.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, July 13 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/07/6-audiobooks-for-your-summer-listening.html

B.A. Paris always does a fantastic job of writing a psychological contemporary read. While I don’t always see her books as being a thriller or a mystery, I do often find myself questioning what is actually happening in the story.

Alice, a therapist, and her husband Leo think they strike a deal when they move into a house in a small community The Circle. As the story unfolds, you realize that somebody died in that house, and Alice quickly becomes obsessed with the truth about what happened. As she sits and toys with thoughts around different situations and scenarios, her paranoia seeps in as she starts to question everyone and everybody in their community.
While this wasn’t my favorite B.A. Paris book, as I am so loyal to The Breakdown, the suspense kept me engaged and guessing until the end. And the fourth star is awarded because of the ending man oh man this one is worth sticking it out until the turn of the last page. 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for this ARC in exchange for this honest reviews.

I enjoyed this book! I was glued to the story the entire time. All the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, yelling “who did it”! B.A Paris had me doubting every single character! In my head I was like “They did it! That’s it I’ve figured it out.”

I must admit, I wish the pace of the book was a little bit faster.

I loved the narration 🎧 I usually have a huge problem with narrators who have British accents but Olivia Dowd did an amazing job!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 was my first B.A. Paris novel, and now I’m curious if all her books have such flawed but layered characters - I enjoy these types of characters. While this dark mystery’s plot takes its time to unfold, it is a fascinating look into how we trust others - or don’t!

Alice and Leo have just moved into The Circle, a quiet gated community. As they settle in and meet their neighbors, Alice learns disturbing news of their home’s former owner, Nina and her husband.

Alice becomes fixated on what happened to Nina. She discovers that Nina was a therapist; Alice also feels a connection to Nina because of events in her own past.

Alice feels like someone is in the house at times, which gives off a creepy vibe, but she certainly doesn’t make the wisest choices throughout the book. Again, she is a flawed character - but who can she trust? That is the key in the narrative.

You may not be sitting on the edge of your seat, but this is indeed a solid murder mystery full of lies and deceit.

Thank you to @stmartinspress for this gifted book and the fun book package. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook via @netgalley Pub Date: July 13, 2021.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC audiobook of The Therapist. I was drawn to this title because I really enjoy B.A. Paris novels, and this one did not disappoint.

The beginning seemed kind of slow, but once the twist at the end happened, the first part of the book made complete sense. I enjoyed the characters and story line, there were things I definitely did not see coming, and the narrator for the audiobook did a wonderful job.

Olivia Dowd, narrator, has done an excellent job of maintaining the level of suspense that's intended by the author of The Therapist.. With clear diction and pacing, the audiobook is easily followed.
The Therapist is based on Alice's introduction to her new neighbors and home in the development that is called The Circle. Early on it's clear something is amiss among the neighbors and soon Alice learns shockingly that the former owners of her new home were involved in a murder and subsequent suicide. Alice whose sister shared the same name as the deceased tenant, Nina, is drawn to the mystery of the case. As she digs deeper she alienates some neighbors and tension arises between her and her partner over his lies of omission. Still she is undaunted in finding out what really happened to Nina.
The Therapist is an excellent who done it with lots of obstacles thrown in to deflect the reader.

I listened to the audio version of this one and it was only ok for me. Main characters Alice and Leo were...not my favorite. Alice was so naive and Leo was kind of a jerk. They move into a weird neghborhood, Alice not knowing Leo got the house for a steal after the last owner was murdered inside. I typically love a good domestic thriller but something about this one just fell flat for me. Overall I enjoy this author and will keep reading her books!

Reading Between the Wines book review #79/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Therapist
Author: B.A. Paris
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on July 13, 2021!!!
Recommended to readers who like a mystery.

Sipping thoughts: Decent read. There wasn’t a groundbreaking twist or reveal. I enjoyed the read but man the main protagonist, Alice, was SOOOO annoying. Because of her insecurities Alice suspects everyone which creates so many red herring for the reader. I enjoyed the spookiness and the mystery. The reveal isn’t hard to figure out BUT the background was very interesting and juicy. This is not one of my favorite B.A. Paris books but I enjoyed it enough.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @MacMillanAudio for an advanced copy of @TheTherapist

#TheTherapist #StMartinsPress #MacMillanAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

Alice and her significant other, Leo, move in to "The Circle" a small gated community after having a long distance relationship. Leo purchased the house on his own for a steal, and as such Alice has never seen it before they move in. They both start sensing a presence in the house, and things seem off from the get-go as their welcome to the neighborhood is a bit rough. As Alice digs in she finds out someone was murdered in the house (hence the good deal Leo got) and from then on she becomes obsessed with trying to solve the mystery of who really killed the previous resident.

I did not like Alice (the main narrator) and while I don't have to love the characters to enjoy a book, for this book it hampered my enjoyment. I felt the whole thing was just a bit much and she was so all over the place. Main characters who seem to have no common sense are one of my major pet peeves and Alice fit this category for me.

The plot did keep me guessing throughout. Each chapter had some piece of information that kept me guessing at what exactly was happening on The Circle and who was responsible. Unfortunately, even with this the book felt like it dragged on quite a bit to me and it while I thought the ending picked up I wish it had picked up sooner. I have seen mixed thoughts on the ending and wrap-up and for me that part was enjoyable and left me with a better taste than most of the book. For that reason I'm giving the book a 3.5 rounded up to a 4.

TW: Cheating, murder, gaslighting, lying, family abuse,

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: 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…
Release Date: July 13th, 2021
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

What I Liked:
• The story sounded like it could be interesting


What I Didn't Like:
• All the different characters got a bit confusing.
• The story didn't seem like one we haven't read before

Overall Thoughts: I was so excited about this book because of three reasons;
1) I'm moving at the moment so I could relate to the book as she is also in the middle of her move.
2) When I moved out of my old apartment a new girl moved in. She got some of my old mail and found me on social media. We ended up becoming friends while she was in my old apartment. Everyone told me how weird that was.
3) I love B. A. Paris

Alice has the biggest case of commitment phobia. She's convinced herself her boyfriend is a murderer so she can get out of being in a relationship with him. I love how fast Alice was to say because Leo bought a house that suddenly he's a cheater and a murderer. How very random to think that just because a neighbor mentions it now it's all she can think about. It's so ridiculous that Alice gets so obsessed with the murder of a woman because her name is the same as her sisters.

The neighbors talk to Alice as though they've known her years and are more than willing to help her solve the case. It's odd. Alm the neighbors are so cheery and open to her.

Alice is the dumbest character ever. She's like the person that screams in the woods for someone when a murderer is after her. The fact that she continued to tell ever single person who she thought was the killer and who she thought would have motive, even though she didn't know who was the killer with certainty.

The ending just wasn't great. It felt so flat and rushed. Like really rushed. We find out everything because murderers love to talk about their plans and boom he's dead. No struggle or anything just dead.

Final Thoughts: What would we ever do with thrillers if the women weren't dumb and do stupid things? I'm sure we wouldn't have all these okay thrillers that make you roll your eyes to.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.