I was caught by the cover and description of this book but unfortunately, it didn't deliver as I had hoped. The premise of a therapist trying to unravel a mystery of her husband not arriving on a scheduled vacation seems exciting, but it really fell flat. Not much "thrill" in this thriller, and the plot twist was obvious. I wouldn't recommend this book for thriller readers, and I'm not sure I'll read anything else by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this arc.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A husband who failed to turn up to a boys trip at the cabin? His therapist wife back at home slowly unravelling. I definitely enjoyed the premise of the book although I’m slightly more inclined towards scandalous domestic suspense than Scandi-style crime thriller. However I couldn’t resist the cover and thought the therapist aspect would be intriguing. Ultimately I did feel the unfolding events didn’t capture my interest as much as I’d hoped. There wasn’t perhaps as enough progression in the storyline or twists to keep my attention. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a real disappointment. Sara, the narrator, was an unlikeable character whose actions often made no sense. She spent the entire novel feeling really down and scared, and recalled episodes from her past which were equally depressing. Everyone apart from her sister was horrible to her, and she was horrible to every one she met. The police treated her with overt suspicion and told her less than nothing about the case until the very end. The conclusion was staggered and lost whatever momentum the plot had gathered (which wasn't much). It wasn't a particularly satisfying conclusion in either of its two phases.

First let me say the things I did like was that the way westerners deem as “European emotion” was not lost in the translating of the book. Without spoiling, there was one intriguing character that I wish more time would have been spent on, but..
I was expecting something different going into The Therapist mostly because it’s written by a psychologist.
The story is told by Sara’s perspective and she had a bland way of thinking. The action scenes were few and far between and although I was wrong about a bit of the reveal, the hints were not very subtle.
If I were to recommend this book, it would be to someone looking for a criminal mystery but not a thriller.

I don't know if it's the translation or something but I found <i>The Therapist</i> to be incredibly boring. The writing seemed a little stilted and a lot of time was spent analyzing and describing events and places unnecessarily. Not really much of a thriller for me unfortunately.

The plot of this book had me hooked before I even opened the cover. It sounded right up my alley, a suspense novel where our main character finds out her husband has never arrived to a getaway he was planning on going on. Trying to figure out what really happened to Siguard leads Sara down a dark path questioning even her own sanity. I really liked how our main character was a therapist because it shows how even if you read about certain disorder etc it is always a lot harder to diagnose in yourself and the ones closest to you. I found this book very easy to read and the characters were all very interesting. I found I had a very hard time putting it down because I had to find out what really happened to Siguard and what was going on with Sara. Very good read and I'm so glad that I got the chance to check out this book. What surprised me the most about this book was the fact that it was originally written in Norwegian, most of the time when I read books translated from another language the beauty of the story gets lots however this one was almost like it was originally written in English. Another thing that I found interesting about this book was it only really had two characters, Sara and Siguard. I found that to be very interesting because you don't really see that happen to often anymore and it gives the reader a much stronger connection to them.

Dark and maddening. A quick read full of twists and a woman questioning her own sanity. Who killed her husband and what do they want with her? And a policeman who questions it all. A creepy entertaining story.
3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for this arc

The Therapist by Helene Flood is Nordic noir at its very best. I was immediately pulled into the dark, internal monologue of a narrator whose reliability becomes questionable from the very outset as she struggles to find the truth behund the disappearance of her missing husband.

Sara is a psychologist who, we quickly establish, spends a great deal of time in her own head. When her husband Sigurd plans a weekend away with a few friends but fails to turn up, Sara's world is turned inside out. Mysterious happenings add to the inexplicability of Sigurd's disappearance and Sara, whose perspective is our only insight into what is transpiring, begins to question her own history with Sigurd, and wonders if events have become distorted within her own mind.

This is a compulsive read that held me captive from the very start. I can highly recommend it, and look forward to reading much more from this author. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc. for an ARC.

Wow what can I say? This book was super dark, obsessive and richly complex and diverse. Helene Flood is a wonderful storyteller and The Therapist kept me guessing till the final, surprising twists!

Great summer read, definitely go and pick up a copy as soon as you can!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I wish to thank NetGalley and The House of Ansai Press for an early copy of The Therapist by Helene Flood in return for an honest review. This domestic psychological thriller was originally written in Norwegian by a psychologist and has been translated into English. There are preparations for a movie version. Its title may cause some confusion, as both this book and The Therapist by B.A. Paris is due to be published in July. I chose to read this one as I usually enjoy Nordic Noir.

The premise was clever and suspenseful, with some surprising twists and a satisfactory conclusion. I did find the story overly long and drawn out, with some unnecessary fillers and repetitions.

Sara, a psychologist, was an unreliable narrator. I found her an unstable woman with emotional problems. I should have been more engaged and sympathetic but thought she was an unlikeable protagonist. I wondered how effective her therapy sessions were with her young clients with all her sadness. She and her husband, Sigurd, have inherited an old home. Sigmund, an architect, drew up plans to renovate it. The couple has drifted apart, and he has become cold and detached from her. He is frequently away from home on business. When he returns, he lacks the interest or energy to devote to house repairs. He is unhappy to settle for employment that was less than he expected. He urges Sara to take on more clients in her therapy sessions as they require extra income. She has no inclination to do so.

She nags Sigurd about starting the much-needed renovations and about his frequent absences from home. There are descriptions of her profound loneliness and her misery during evenings spent crying, drinking, and watching TV. She often complains about taking showers in the cold, unfinished bathroom and feeling tired. She desperately wants people she can confide in and depend on but has drifted away from her former friends. Sara describes herself as socially awkward.

One morning, her husband says he is heading to a wilderness cabin to spend time with two male friends. Later in the day, she learns he never showed up. When she tries to report him missing to the police, they say it is too early to begin an investigation. Sara begging to feel uneasy alone in the house. Random objects have mysteriously disappeared or have been moved from their places at night. She feels she is being watched.

After several days, Sigurd's body is found. He was shot to death in an area different from his stated destination. The police are now actively involved in the murder case. The terrified Sara hears an intruder wandering inside the home at night, and more objects have been rearranged. The police regard her fears as being the result of a disturbed and confused mind following the murder of her husband. Sara admits she is unsure of what she remembers or has seen.

Increasingly frantic in her desire to learn the truth about her marriage and her sanity, Sara is confronted at gunpoint. The solution to the mystery is more elusive than first believed but is resolved satisfactorily.