The Golden Couple was hard to put down for me. It was so twisty and hard to predict what was coming next. It has a dual narrative and a quick pace which makes such a great suspense book, but it's not scary. I really liked this one and hope it will be very popular at release. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Everyone one has secrets in this novel that focuses on Avery a therapist, Marissa a wife who had an affair and Matthew the husband that is blindsided by his wife’s confession. Avery has a 10 step program that will hopefully will fix this marriage. There are a lot of webs of lies in this novel and you really don’t know who to trust and believe. As Marissa and Matthew navigate back to trusting each other and working on fixing their marriage they hit several bumps in the road. There are several shifty people who are in Matthew and Marissa’s lives that could be the sabotaging their marriage. Skip the long time friend, Natalie an ex of Matthew’s, and Polly,Marissa’s assistant and her boutique Coco. Such a page turner and keeps you on the edge of your seat til the end.

Matthew & Marissa seem to have it all, the beautiful couple. Until one night Marissa is unfaithful.
She tells her husband it will never happen again and it was someone from her gym.
Avery Chambers is a therapist with a 10 step program. Avery recently lost her license .

Marissa wants to "fix" her marriage and therefore she and Matthew enter into Avery's program.
Avery's program is unorthodox, she snoops into her client's lives while counselling them

Iniitially the only secret is that Marissa cheated , however as time goes on we learn there are secrets below the surface. We learn that Marissa didn't cheat with a guy from the gym, but rather with Matthew and her long time friend.

Avery knows this friend as she dated him, Avery has secrets as well.

It appears that Matthew has secrets and so does Skip.

These secrets erupt and threaten to not only destroy a marriage but turn deadly.

One person is not who he seems to be..

Will their lives ever be the same again?

The Golden Couple- as Matthew and Marissa are called. But what does that really mean? When they need to see a therapist, they couldn’t comprehend what exactly would transpire. Could this 10 step method really work for them? A bunch of twists and turns later with many parts I didn’t see coming made me love this book!

Another winner for Hendricks and Pekkanen

This book has multi-pov which I personally love. Lots of twists and turns along the way. It’s fast paced and easy to read. Some parts were fairly predictable but I dont mind that. Overall 4.25 stars

The Golden Couple was an interesting concept that could have been better executed. Some of the storylines were overly predictable, while others seemed to be dropped and reintroduced whenever the authors needed

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did but once I started reading I could not put it down. Well-developed characters and an unorthodox therapist kept the story interesting, and I did not see the twists and turns coming. Highly recommend for lovers of mystery or suspense. The female friendships at the end had a “Bad Moms” movie kind of feel, which I loved: Girl Power! I will be reading more by these authors. #NetGalley

Avery is a therapist building her practice with unconventional methods. Matthew and Marisa appear to have it all. A luxurious life, a beautiful little boy, a gorgeous home. Readers are quickly made aware of why Marissa has contacted Avery. I’ve devoured every book written by Hendricks and Pekkanen, and this was no different. 4 stars.

I'm usually a fan of St. Martin's books, but this one was just not it.

I couldn't get past 25% - the writing is so forced, basic, boring. It was a play by play of what was happening, nothing substantial. I also could not stand Avery right off the bat and I don't think I would've warmed up to her at all.

You can't win them all.

Walk down the street in Manhattan or any of those "it" cities and you will probably see lots of golden couples. Hand in hand, lovely to look at, with what seems like the world at their feet. However, looks are often deceiving and what you see is not always what you get.

Mathew and Marissa are the couple who have it all...gorgeous house, lovely child, going places and all set in their exclusive neighborhood, that affords them every luxury. They have a life so many aspire to and yet there are cracks in their veneer.

Enter Avery Chambers, a very out of the box therapist who Marissa calls upon to fix her distant relationship with Matthew. Avery agrees to take them on and along the way finds secrets about these two that set her off in directions more like a detective than a therapist. At first Matthew seems quite reluctant especially after learning Marissa's big secret, a one-night stand with a man from the gym she says. After a counseling session or two, he falls into line quite easily and quickly becomes the excellent husband, Marissa so wants. But there are ten steps to Avery's unconventional process and as she guides this couple through the process, she and we see that there is a lot not so golden about these two.

There are lots of turns as first we suspect the other characters besides Matthew and Melissa, and then finally, we are brought to the ultimate revelation.

Although I liked the story, I did feel it was not up to the standards of three of the other books of this team, I have read and enjoyed. It's a bit slow moving with some repetition, but overall, it does reinforce that "All that glitters is not gold." In this case the tarnish shows through and seems to be growing as each day passes.

Thank you to Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen, MacMillan & Co., and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out March 8, 2022.

Wow! This was such a great read! This story captivated me from the first chapter until the very end. The characters were so dynamic that I felt as if I knew them personally. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed thrillers. At first it seems like this book is just about a couple going to therapy for marital issues but you quickly realize that there is so much more at play.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Avery Chambers will clarify that she is not a therapist. She is a consultant in Washington D.C. and has developed her own ten step program to help solve your problems. You’d better tell her the truth from the beginning, as she has great tenacity and the nose of a bloodhound to sniff out a lie.

Marissa and Matthew Bishop have come for Avery’s help through a tough spot in their marriage. Other people and problems arise along the way in this well written, breezy style adventure which turns out to be mostly a mystery.

You’ll find that the authors have drawn you in immediately, and you may even miss these characters when the story is over. I even bet you’ll be caught off guard and will never see the satisfying conclusion coming, which is a nice way to end this delightful book.
#StMartinsPress#NetGalley

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkenan

Published: March 8, 2022
St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 336
Genre: Domestic Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily. This book was also my February 2022 BOTM selection.

Greer Hendricks is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl, You Are Not Alone, and The Golden Couple. Before becoming a novelist, she obtained her master’s degree in journalism at Columbia and spent two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Allure, Publishers Weekly, and other publications. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. 

Sarah Pekkenan is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of several novels, including The Wife Between Us, The Perfect Neighbors, and The Best of Us. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.

“But appearances are often misleading.”

Avery is a consultant, a reasonably recent title she’s claimed and is enjoying the bit of notoriety that her version of therapy offers her clients. Marissa and Matthew are the last couple she expects to walk into her office. By all appearances, they are a well-to-do, happy couple until the session begins.

I read this book in a matter of hours, I couldn’t put it down. I requested this title a while ago from Netgalley, was approved (thank you!), and added it to my arc list.

I was pretty excited when I saw that Book of the Month was offering it as a selection for February. I had to get it!

The story is told from alternating narrators, but the story runs together seamlessly. I found the characters extremely well researched and well developed.

Avery was such an interesting character. She is intelligent, and extremely invested in her clients, but also intense. I enjoyed her story arc and the way she processed things. I also loved that she adopted the sweet pit bull, Romeo. He’s a lover, not a fighter. And as I write this, my own pittie is currently snoring on his couch.

Marissa was cleverly put together. There were several instances when I wasn’t sure what her storyline was. But she was a very realistic and vulnerable character, devoted to her son and husband. Her growth throughout the novel was dynamic and very powerful.

Matthew was a hardworking, successful lawyer. He had it all, beautiful wife, intelligent son, a large home. He didn’t have a care or worry in the world. Until Marissa asked him to go to therapy with her.

This was a very diabolically twisted tale! And the way things explode, scramble, settle, then combust was so deliciously executed. I thought I had figured out the twists- boy was I wrong.

Avery’s unorthodox counseling methods resulted in her losing her therapist license, yet her special ten-step program gets results. Her new clients Marissa and Matthew may be considered the golden couple by others, but secrets along with Marissa’s infidelity threaten their marriage. Meanwhile, recent widow Avery has own her problems related to a former client.

The authors have crafted an intricate web of deceit and made sure to wrap up every thread in a satisfying ending. Romeo, Avery’s rescue helped make the book a doggone great read, and showed her soft side. The story is told in Avery’s first person perspective and Marissa’s third person perspective, leaving no doubt that Avery is the protagonist of this tale.

Plenty of suspects add fuel to the suspense, while her client’s troubles grow. I liked the focus on Avery’s specially developed therapy methods and the questionable ethics around what she does to ensure success in no more than ten sessions. The couples young tenderhearted son Bennett not only raised the stakes, he made a sympathetic side character.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve read from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Enjoyment (stars): 4
Total rating (stars): 4.14

In the Golden Couple, we follow Avery, a former therapist who takes on a client she believes will benefit her own method. If she can't help them in 10 sessions, she won't take you.

The book starts as she takes on her most recent clients - Matthew and Marissa, who have marital problems. They have some pretty big secrets, and all three of their lives will be deeply impacted by this partnership.

This is my first Hendricks and Pekkanen book, and I really enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised at how cohesive the book is. It reads as if written by one author and that in itself deserves praise.

The Golden Couple is one of those fast-paced, addictive reads that you can't put down until you know how it ends. The authors mainly played fair, except for one subplot, but I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't branched out into a subplot. That is a personal preference. It didn't impact the book at all, and to be fair, everything came together at the end.

I will seek more books by the authors. This was 100% entertaining.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Golden Couple.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Hendricks and Pekkanen once again do not disappoint. This book is full of many twists, and will keep you guessig until the very end. Matthew and Marissa attend marriage counseling with an unconventional therapist after Marissa has an affair. Shortly after, Marissa begins to receive strange letters, and uraveling the mystery will have you on the edge of your seat. I could not put this book down!

An experienced therapist/consultant goes in deep for her clients in Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s latest collaboration, The Golden Couple. Due to her unconventional methods, Avery Chambers has lost her therapist’s license, but still takes on selected clients. Her approach is completely immersive and guaranteed to resolve any issue in ten sessions. She has a great track record, and she relies on word-of-mouth for referrals. Her skills are tested when a couple comes in, one member looking to confess infidelity to their partner. Avery performs her usual service, which includes deep background checks, surveillance, and even provocation. What she discovers is many layers of secrets and deceit that are far more involved than she had first thought. Things get personally dangerous as she researches the couple’s lives, ultimately becoming completely enmeshed in the situation. The narration is alternately provided by Avery and Marissa, the woman who may have initiated the therapy with questionable motives. None of the male characters have a voice in the novel, which allows the authors to execute a surprising twist. The story is nicely paced and suspenseful, and it is no wonder that The Golden Couple has already been optioned for tv/film. The Hendricks/Pekkanen duo proves once again how co-authorship can benefit greatly from the contributions of two talented writers.

Thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

These two are just the best! I can always finish their books in a day and this was no exception!

I really liked this concept of therapy that Avery comes up with as it's not traditional. You know going in that Matthew and Marissa (our "Golden Couple") are probably not all they seem to be. But I love that most of the book, you root for them. Marissa seems to be genuine in wanting to fix their marriage. Though Matthew is reluctant at first, he comes around.

This book just utterly captivated my attention! I really liked getting to hear from both the POV of both Avery and Marissa without the interference of other POVs. I liked most of the people in the story until a few clues started poking in and changing my mind on some. One big thing in the end surprised me and I love that

Secrets, twists, and drama. I could not put this down!

This story is told from alternating perspectives from Avery, the therapist, and Marissa, the patient. At the beginning of the story, I wasn't sure how I felt about Avery as a character. Her unconventional therapy treatments had me skeptical, but she quickly grew on me, and I warmed up to her. The characters of Avery and Marissa were well written, and I found myself equally invested in both storylines.

Comparing this book to the author's past books, I felt the pacing was much slower. The first half spent ample time developing the characters and their issues. The second half definitely picked up speed and unveiled secrets and twists that I did not see coming.

While this may not be my favorite book by Hendricks and Pekkanen, I was thoroughly entertained and satisfied with the ending. I cannot wait to read what this duo writes next!

I think this was actually my favorite book by this duo! I was so curious what was happening and where the story was going to go. I didn’t know how all the dots connected and it was quite the tale. I thought it was going to be a simple story but the further in, the more twisted it got. It was definitely more intricately woven. This is one that had me wanting to get back to it so i could find out how it ended. . A lot of twists and turns at the end there that i didn’t see coming! Always refreshing when i don’t have the story pegged! I wouldn’t say it was a huge reveal but it was a surprising twist or two and i thoroughly enjoyed this one.