Marriage, secrets and an ex therapist turned consultant with unorthodox methods that will stop at nothing to help her clients. ⁣
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Hendricks and Pekkanen are queens of deception! I love how they spun this domestic thriller filled with secrets. The characters were all residents of that murky grey area, where you don’t know who to trust because they are all hiding something. I love when a book keeps me guessing and second guessing everyone and everything and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 did just that. ⁣
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Marissa and Matthew Bishop are living what appears to be a “picture perfect” life. They are the golden couple, who seem to have it all, until they don’t. Can Avery Chambers save their marriage with her unorthodox and controversial methods in just ten sessions? ⁣
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I loved that the titles follow the order of the sessions and that each step in the process brought out more pieces of the puzzle. And friends, what a puzzle it was! There were quite a few twisty layers to this story and I was living for the next secret to be revealed and the truths uncovered. I guessed at some of the revelations but I did not have this all figured out which you know I loved! ⁣
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The audiobook has two narrators (yay!), one for each of the MCs - Avery and Marissa. Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland were both outstanding and kept me absolutely engrossed throughout.

I was in a bit of a reading rut lately, not eagerly coming home to read- but The Golden Couple cured me of that reading lethargy. I was reading it before leaving for work in the morning, and staying up late for just one more chapter at night. It was really good. You can read the description of the book, so I will focus on what I liked.

The maverick therapist Avery has a compelling storyline and background. I would love to see her turned into a series of books- her job is fascinating and would surely allow for a series. Marissa is an interesting character because you spend a lot of the story waiting for her to piece things together and ask more questions. She’s so bogged down by her guilt to actually question life around her. Her guilt tinges all her interactions and she can’t see what’s really around her.

I really wasn’t sure what was happening for sure throughout much of the story- the authors take the reader on the same journey as Avery and Marissa. Who is actually reliable? Who does the reader believe? This makes it all the more fun to keep reading past your bedtime- you just want to know!

Of course, most thrillers don’t have totally believable endings. Authors do wrap things up in a manner meant to satisfy the reader. In order to reflect real life, a book might have an ending that ties up nothing, and most readers wouldn’t like that. So suspend any sense of wanting things to be totally 100% realistic and enjoy this fun thriller. I surely did! Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

Favorite Quotes:

Time is a chameleon. It’s ever changing, cannily adapting to circumstances. It stretches out some tiny moments for an eternity. Then it shifts course and swallows up whole days, years even, as if they never existed. It’s as slippery and elusive as water running through the cracks in a tightly cupped hand.

Grief is a shape-shifter. It defies logic, sneaking up on you when you least expect it and leaving you empty-handed and hollowed out when you go searching for it.

My fierce-looking dog’s favorite new toy is a fluffy stuffed rabbit. Instead of chewing it, Romeo has taken to carrying it around tenderly and sleeping curled around it at night. Love is an eternal mystery, I guess.

Grief isn’t linear. It isn’t logical. There’s no structure or civility to it; it grabs you when you least expect it and digs in its nails until you succumb.

My Review:

What guile! I fell right into a smartly laid trap and was easily led astray by these wily wordsmiths. I was totally hoodwinked by their agile misdirection and had felt so smug in my theories. I was sooo very, very, wrong! A lot was going on at once with multiple storylines that were actively engaging while taut with tension and a steadily ratcheting sense of intrigue and impending peril. The characters were an odd assortment of personalities and backgrounds with traits that prickled, enticed, annoyed, and teased my curiosity while leaving me with a desire to know more about each. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are full of craft and combined are a synergetic and breath-stealing dynamic duo.

Things are not what they seem in this thrilling page turner. There’s just so much drama and so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The plot is very entertaining and the characters are well developed. This is a must read. *this honest review is based on a complimentary copy via NetGalley*

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Well, I didn't see THAT coming!!

There has been an undercurrent of problems in the marriage of Marissa and Matthew for a while. Both successful at their jobs, they have gotten so busy that they have neglected their marriage, and it is beginning to show. Then Marissa has a one-night fling and the guilt drives her to try to fix what is wrong. A friend recommends Avery, whose non-traditional style of therapy may be just what they need. When Marissa reveals the indiscretion at their first session, Matthew is devastated, but agrees to work with Avery and do whatever it takes to heal their marriage. But what the couple do not realize is that Avery's methods involve getting very involved in everything about their life, including spying on them and sometimes following them.

Avery has her own set of problems, though. A previous client revealed damning evidence that showed a drug company was hiding results from their trials in order to get the medicine on the market. Avery anonymously contacted the FDA and now that drug company is out to find out who the whistleblower was.

There are a lot of twists and turns, going back to the first summer Marissa and Matthew became a couple as teenagers, and there are other people who wouldn't mind if the marriage broke up. Sometimes following all the interwoven characters is a little involved, but the payoff is worth it.

I greatly enjoyed the majority of this book…I just didn’t like the ending. It felt too packaged up with a neat little bow on top. But the rest of the book kept me thinking, wondering when the next twist or reveal would show up. And it goes at a fairly quick pace, which I love. It’s about a therapist who lost her license but continues helping people using her own unconventional 10 step process and “The Golden Couple” who come to her to help save their marriage. It then becomes a “just how well do you know the people around you” kind of situation. I definitely recommend it.

This is the 2nd book I’ve read by these co-authors. “The Wife Between Us” was also a 4 star book for me so I guess you could say I think they make a good team.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy to read and provide an honest review.

A book about people I kinda wanna slap. HARD.

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: Marissa & Matthew are the Golden Couple - the one everyone wants to be. Until Marissa reveals infidelity and they seek out Avery, a 10-session highly -sought-after “therapist” to patch the marriage. Oh, then everything goes completely cray-cray.

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: I may be a bit (𝐀. 𝐋𝐎𝐓.) over the domestic poor-beautiful-rich-chick-with-problems-she-causes-herself-boo-hoo thriller books that I’m eye rolling this one hard. VERY. Hard.

I need to write a book where Karens get their comeuppance. Now THAT is a novel idea (ba-dum-dum-tssss!) Besides the eye rolling on the continuous descriptions of HOW BEAUTIFUL this couple is (and who cares?), my issue with the book is that the plot is utterly predictable. When left with two possible suspects on the “could be guilty” board, it’s not that hard.

Nah, I’m just getting sick of reading about “perfect life” people who (yawn) have pesky murders to deal with and oooh what time SHALL I check on my boutique? I can’t possibly relax for my massage today! Ugh… please stop. Maybe it’s my middle-class showing, but I’m over it. Don’t care about these people with their oh-so-(not)-tough lives suddenly realizing it’s all crap. Oh and there’s a murder thrown in.

The writing was adept, which salvaged a 2 star firmly putting this in the “just ok” bin for me.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆𝗠𝗮𝗴𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Domestic Thriller/Mystery

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: If this genre is your bag, this one is so mainstream you’ll j’adore it!

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Those so over the rich protagonist domestic thriller trope. Though please join me in cringing.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for my temper tantrum and still approving me for ARCs because I AM honest, right?

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC of this book. I have been a fan of this writer duo from the beginning, and I always look forward to their books. So far, this one has been my least favorite. One of my main complaints about thrillers or books in general is when they have an endless amount of characters. In The Golden Couple, there chapters alternate between Marissa and Avery, but within those chapters there are SO many characters: Matthew, Skip, Chris, Bennett, Lana, Greg, Natalie, Polly, Paul, Skylar, Cameron, the list goes on. I had to write everyone down because I kept getting bogged down with all the details of trying to remember who was who. This one was also a slow burn, and I'm used to their writing being much more fast-paced. The big twist at the end was more of a, "Yep, I knew it" rather than a big shock, which meant that there was little payoff for the tension leading up to the ending. You win some, you lose some- onto the next!

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, my favorite thriller writing duo, are back with a brand new domestic psychological thriller that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. The Golden Couple follows a married couple who turn to an unconventional therapist for help when they realize their marriage is in big trouble. They get more than they bargained for when the therapist decides to play detective and uncovers a treasure trove of secrets and lies, beneath the surface of what, to outsiders, seemed like the perfect marriage.

Avery Chambers, the therapist, is such an intriguing character. She’s actually not even a licensed therapist, well not anymore anyway. She had her license revoked due to some ethically questionable actions on her part and now she works as a consultant, picking and choosing her clients based on her unconventional 10 step therapy program. She’s a bit infamous, often referred to as a rogue therapist, but she gets results, which is why Marissa and Matthew Bishop turn to her for help. I really enjoyed following Avery throughout this story – she’s shrewd, resourceful, and definitely has a knack for seeing through people and getting to the truth of the matter. In addition to the work she does for the Bishops, Avery also has a personal crisis of her own that she is dealing with. She’s being stalked by a pharmaceutical corporation because she helped one of their employees blow the whistle on their unsavory business practices. They want a name and she refuses to give them one, so they are aggressively pursuing her. I loved the extra layer of suspense, drama, and the surprisingly creepy factor this pursuit added to the story.

Avery’s work with the Bishops is what takes center stage and I loved watching Avery peel back the layers of this couple’s relationship. As soon as she meets with them the first time, she manages to coax the confession out of Marissa that she has cheated on Matthew. But even as that explosive secret comes to light, it’s clear to Avery that not only are Matthew and Marissa keeping secrets from each other; they’re also not being forthright with her. The authors do a fabulous job of creating tension and suspense in each of these therapy sessions. I found myself eager for each appointment to see what tricks Avery would have up her sleeve as she pursued her unconventional route to saving the Bishop’s marriage.

There were also several very intriguing threads running through the story that kept me thoroughly engaged because I couldn’t wait to see how they fed into the main plot. One, the whole time Avery is working to reconcile Matthew and Marissa, there is someone out there sending Marissa flowers and leaving her notes, as if trying to derail their therapy. And two, there’s Marissa’s assistant, Polly, who is acting stranger and stranger by the day – dressing like Marissa, wearing the same perfume, and even mimicking some of her gestures. And why is she suddenly trying to make contact with Matthew, whom she barely knows?

The Golden Couple is a riveting psychological thriller that is about so much more than a marriage in trouble, as becomes clear when all of the pieces finally come together in an explosive and unpredictable conclusion. If you enjoy gripping reads filled with multi-layered characters, plenty of suspenseful twists and turns to keep you guessing, and a reveal that will shock you, this is the book for you.

I went into this one very excited because I have seen great reviews for thrillers by Hendricks and Pekkanen and I was not disappointed! This was suspenseful domestic thriller that is told in alternating POVs that kept me on my toes. I love that the reader is constantly given conflicting information that casts suspense on all of the characters. I definitely did not see the ending coming and I will be picking up more books by Hendricks and Pekkanen ASAP!

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an e-arc of The Golden Couple! This one is out now!

4.5 stars
I was intrigued from the first chapter, but once I got into the meat of the story, it really took off and I couldn't put the book down. I love this writing duo and the twists and turns they create. I thought there were more red herrings in this book compared to their others, and I always find those fun. I wasn't sure I was going to like Avery, the former licensed therapist, but as the story ended she was one of my favorite characters. I can't wait to see what this duo comes up with next.

This author Duo never fails me. They're writing style the plot the twist and turns everything make up for some of my favorite thrillers I've ever read. I know that may be an unpopular opinion but hey I like what I like!

These two just KNOW how to write a good mystery novel together. They just really never disappoint! The ending was jaw-dropping (as always). I literally could not put this book down for a second. This was written very much like their earlier novels, which I greatly appreciate it. They showed me that they aren't even close to running out of ideas and stumping the reader and I'm here for it!

The Golden Couple is a fantastic thriller that had so many false flags I was not sure who was doing what until the end. What a ride! My only complaint is that going from the first person in some chapters to the third person in others was odd. Anyway, the characters are all awful except the wife, so there were suspects galore. The end was absolutely crazy and unexpected. A great thrill ride.

First of all, I love this author duo so I went into this one knowing I’d love the writing style.

The Golden Couple is perfect for you if you love toxic couples and domestic thrillers. These characters are beyond flawed and deception is everywhere.

I love the therapy aspect of the plot. Psychological thrillers are my favorite so this added an extra element to the typical domestic thriller I was expecting. I enjoyed the deep dive into the mind of each character and discovering their true desires.

The twists at the end are explosive. I wasn’t expecting so much action, but I liked it.

Overall, a very solid domestic thriller you need on your list.

This is the first book I've read by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I'm not sure why I waited so long!

The writing in this story was engaging and the story was great. I loved the conclusion. I was able to sort some of it out, but there were enough moving pieces to make you question what was going on and how some people were involved. If you don't read much in the genre, you may be completely surprised.

Be prepared, if you are a stickler for professionals sticking to their professions you may have some issues with this one. The main character is a therapist who has lost her license due to her unorthodox treatment plans. She often acts more like a private investigator trying to sort out the truth behind what her clients tell her. She is not above snooping, spying, and questioning other people not involved in the therapy sessions. I was able to suspend my disbelief and accept this part of the story for what it was.

Other than that bit, I completely enjoyed this story. It was a fun ride and I look forward to reading more of Hendricks and Pekkanen's writing.

How involved is "too involved" for your therapist to be in your life? Avery Chambers definitely pushes the limits on that in The Golden Couple.

On the outside, Marissa and Matthew Bishop's marriage seems perfect, the "golden couple" by all typical standards; but the reality is there are some pretty serious problems in their relationship. So Marissa reaches out to the unlicensed and controversial ex-therapist Avery for help. Avery has a unique ten-session approach to helping her clients, and Marissa thinks it may be just what they need. While she decides to take them on as clients, Avery knows the Bishop's have more secrets than they're putting on the table, and she vows to uncover all of them. All the while, Avery has some pretty serious life issues to deal with herself that have her looking over her shoulder everywhere she goes.

This story starts more like contemporary fiction and is a bit of a slow burn; it suddenly turns into a fast-paced psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down. Every chapter, I had new theories of who was up to what and never felt 100% confident in my suspicions. None of these characters are 100% likeable, most of the characters in this book are a bit unscrupulous in their ways, but you can't help but root for them all.

Happy Pub Week to Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen! The Golden Couple is out in the world, and fans of twisty thrillers, unreliable narrators and psychological suspense will love this one. I’ve read every one of Hendricks and Pekkanen’s books, and this is one of my favorites. It has overtones of Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient, as we follow the main characters through a series of therapy appointments, eventually learning that everyone is lying and has something to hide, but whose secret is the worst?
After a cheating incident, married couple Matthew and Marissa seek out the services of Avery, a therapist with unconventional methods (she has to think she can fix you in 10 sessions or she won’t take you on as a patient). The POV shifts from Avery’s first-person to Marissa’s third-person, which means we can learn about each character from an outsider’s view. I read a lot of thrillers, and the characters and plots tend to run together (“The Husband of the Girl in the Window of the Train in the Snowstorm” kind of thing), so the fact that I remember this plot months later is telling for me.
I almost knocked off a star because of some clunky language: at one point Avery thinks, “They must not know this about me: I’ve never liked bullies.” I mean, who does? At another point: “Do what you do best. Make the problem go away.” Are we cribbing dialogue from The Sopranos here? But I went with five stars because in today’s ocean of suspense novels, Hendricks and Pekkanen’s clever work stands out.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Go read this book! The twists and turns make this mystery a must. Nobody is who or what they seem to be, or are they?

The character development is perfect, and the way the story switches from one POV to another, it makes the twists twistier (yes that’s the perfect way to describe it!). Seriously, as I went through I kept changing my mind about what would happen and why… seriously, we all know that all that glitters and all, but WTAF 😱

Conventional Story Of Unconventional Therapist. If you enjoy slow burn-ish domestic thrillers where the front half builds the intrigue and the back half (and particularly the last 15% or so) ramp up the thriller/ action side... you're going to love this book that is 100% within that mold. If that's not your thing... this is still a solid story, but not everyone likes everything. :)

The unconventional - and unlicensed because of it - therapist really stole the show for me. Mostly because of just how realistic (yet extreme) she is portrayed. Yes, she is invasive bordering on criminal, contract or not. But dadnabbit, she gets results as much as any Detective out there and for similar reasons. Which actually arguably gets to why I liked this so much - one can almost read this tale as a police procedural, with a profiler taking center stage in the tale. The side story with Big Pharma is all too realistic, and the web of lies turns out to be far larger than anything anyone - be it our therapist or the reader themselves- could have guessed.

But maybe I'm a bit of a sucker for unconventional yet conventional. You should read this for yourself and make up your own dang mind. *After* you *finish* the book. Very much recommended.