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Marissa and Matthew seem like a perfect couple, but appearances can be deceiving. Marissa enlists the help of Avery, who has developed an intense 10-step program with her clients (even though Avery no longer has her license to practice therapy). Behind every turn, they each continue to discover secrets and lies that the others are keeping.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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The Golden Couple is a psychological, suspenseful mystery where the layers are pulled back at a pace that keeps the reader wanting more. Marissa and Matthew, a successful, very attractive couple in DC are at a crossroads in their marriage. Desperate to atone for her mistake Marissa seeks out the help of a well-known but somewhat controversial former therapist, Avery. Avery has developed her own process for treatment, causing her to lose her therapist's license, but allowing her to work outside the normal confines of traditional therapy. When the three begin working together it is clear everyone is keeping secrets which may lead to deadly consequences.

This is Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's best book since The Wife Between Us! I l love this duo and could not put down this book. The pacing, character development and unreliable narrators will keep readers engaged. There are several layers to this story and it all comes together amidsts twists and turns. This is one you do not want to miss!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Avery Chambers has hit upon a successful method to fix her clients without years of long, drawn out traditional psychotherapy. Avery’s methods caused her to lose a professional license; however, she has never felt freer or more fulfilled with this unusual style of treatment. Avery has her own emotional well being to deal with after the loss of her husband, so integrating herself into the lives of people desperate for help suits her just fine.

Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem to have it all in a high pressure, high style Washington D.C.life: two outwardly beautiful people with individual thriving businesses, an adored young son in an exclusive school, and a perfect on paper marriage until Marissa betrays those wedding vows. Marissa is desperate to put her marriage back together even if Avery’s methods seem somewhat out of the norm and even invasive. Mathew initially seems outraged but gets on board surprisingly quickly with Avery’s unorthodox program to stave off divorce.

This story is told from Marissa and Avery’s POV’s so readers get both sides of the story of not only Marissa’s marital problems, but a difficult issue Avery is dealing with as well which resulted from helping one of her clients out of a serious situation. Marissa seems constantly under pressure from trying to be the perfect wife, at least on the outside, running a boutique with a problematic employee, and having a husband who is rarely home due to his work as a lawyer. Avery has strong feelings that this couple has quite a few hidden secrets between them which is determined to ferret out.

Avery is in parts therapist, confessor, and detective as she essentially stalks her clients to see what they really are up to giving them specific assignments to accomplish for each of the ten seasons. Secrets and lies abound in this psychological thriller where truths that are uncovered could turn deadly for all involved. This one definitely kept me turning the pages trying to guess, other than the obvious marital crisis, what is really going on and who is to blame. The old adage looks can be deceiving fits this cleverly wrought, very intense story quite well.

My favorite writing duo has returned and have done it again.

Avery is a therapist who lost her license after trying to help a patient by using some unconventional methods. Five months later we find Avery living with her rescue dog Romeo and has now immersed herself into this unorthodox way of treatment. She is now a "consultant" and she is in hot demand. She promises that after her 10 session program, she can turn your life around.

In comes Marissa......

Marissa and Matthew Bishop are married and have a 8 year old son named Bennett. On the outside they seem successful, beautiful and happy. They are the quintessential golden couple.

Or are they?

Marissa brings Matthew to see Avery because she wants to work through some problems. Mainly the fact she had a one night stand and wants to tell him and work through it hopefully. Avery unaware of what Marissa is up to, senses Marissa is not being honest on the details and this leads her to taking them on as clients.

The story weaves in and out of Avery and Marissa's POV's. Giving the reader just enough of the pieces to start putting together the puzzle. While some of what happens is a little unbelievable and predictable. I must say I really enjoyed The Golden Couple. This book was a captivating read, that is well paced. I did find it little on thrills but there was plenty of intrigue. I quite enjoyed the slow burn of the story, coupled with good character development. I found I couldn't put my kindle down.

Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted e-copy provided through NetGalley.
Available March 8, 2022.

These ladies have become some of my favorite authors from their first book! This is a brilliant, smart and page turning psychological thriller. It's not your typical mystery, no dead body or crime to solve but it does make you want to keep reading to see how it's going to end. I always highly recommend their books and this is no different! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

This was my first book by this writing duo. I have their others but have never actually picked them up to read. Well, now I will!

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I really didn’t think I’d like the writing style at first, but the story in itself gripped me by the 3rd or 4th chapter. The story started off slow and a bit over the top, but i slowly became fully invested in Matthew and Marissa’s marriage and concerned for Avery’s safety. Dislikeable characters, enough drama to keep you asking for more, a bit of mystery - this novel has it all. If you like slow-burn domestic thrillers, with pops of action, obviously this is one for your book collection.

The cover is stunning and the story is gripping. A solid 4+ stars.

Years ago, a friend introduced me to the writing team of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Since then, I've become a big fan and reviewed all of their joint efforts on this blog. The Golden Couple isn't my favorite book of theirs, but it's still a worthwhile read (for the most part).

Avery Chambers is a therapist with unconventional methods, who lost her license because of these methods. But she still takes on "The Golden Couple" of the book, Marissa and Matthew Bishop, as clients. Marissa has been unfaithful to Matthew but desperately wants to save their marriage. Throughout the book, seemingly shady characters are introduced to tell the story of Avery, Marissa, and Matthew. Of course, the reader isn't quite sure if they should trust them.

I think if The Golden Couple stayed on course with this "triangle", it would have been more successful. But there is an extra, unbelievable plotline revolving a pharmaceutical company that really takes the air out of the book sometimes. Also, I'm all for a great twist, but it has to make sense and come from somewhere. To me, it didn't. However, The Golden Couple still has the great writing that Hendricks and Pekkanen are known for, so it isn't time wasted.

MY RATING - 3

Another winner from an amazing author duo!! Anytime I see a book by these authors, I know I will be reading a new favorite. Every single book by them has well written characters, intricate details, an interesting plot with twist after twist and a perfectly tied together ending. I listened to the audio version and the narrators are the best! The only downside is I have to wait for another book to come out!!

The Golden Couple
By Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

An Intense and Gripping Psychological Thriller

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SUMMARY
Avery Chambers boldly states that she can fix just about any relationship problem with just ten visits. Her methods are unconventional and controversial, and as a result, she lost her therapist license seven months ago. Now she calls herself a “consultant” and charges an enormous fee. Each session has a specific topic, and Avery demands attendance, punctuality, and honestly.

Marissa and Matthew Bishop are the golden couple...glamorous, affluent, and enviable. But now Marissa has a secret, and the golden couple is sitting on Avery Chambers's couch. Marissa blindsides Matthew with a confession. She had slept with someone else, and she now wants his forgiveness. But Matthew is angry, and forgiveness may not come easy.

In addition to accepting the Bishops as a client, Avery has a secret all her own. She has angered a large pharmaceutical company by filing an anonymous misconduct complaint with the FDA regarding a faulty drug trial. The company will stop at nothing to find out who gave Avery her information.

REVIEW
THE GOLDEN COUPLE is an intense and gripping psychological thriller. Avery’s unconventional therapy is intriguing as she puts on her sleuthing hat and delves deep, very deep into the Bishop’s marriage and finds much more than she bargained for.

All the characters in the story are exceptionally well-developed. Avery and Marissa’s characters, however, serve as the two main pillars of the story. The story is written from each woman’s point of view.

The writing of authors Greer Henricks and Sarah Pekkanen is meticulous. They weave a riveting tale with several distinct threads that all intertwine at the end. This duo has authored several other engaging books together, including The Wife Between Us (2018), An Anonymous Girl (2019), and You are Not Alone (2020).

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published March 8, 2022
Narrated Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland
Review BlueStockingReviews

Marissa and Matthew are "The Golden Couple." They have a good marriage until Marissa cheats. She wants to save her marriage and calls Avery, a therapist who has lost her license. Avery has a practice of only seeing patients for ten sessions. If she can't fix your problem in ten sessions, she releases you. Avery uses some questionable methods and becomes extremely involved in her patients lives. In fact, she seems a little too involved. Then a childhood friend of Marissa and Matthew appears who also has a connection to Avery. Throw in Marissa's assistant Polly and it is hard to determine just what is going on. But there is a lot going on--especially lies.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen co-authored this book, as they have several others. This is a thriller along the same lines as the other books they have wrote together. If you enjoyed their other thrillers, you will like this one too. I received an ARC of The Golden Couple in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, wow, wow is all I can say about this book! The best one yet to be written by this pair, I was sucked in from page one. The book starts out as many others do, providing the backstory of the protagonist and her line of work. One patient changed everything and set her on the unconventional 10 session course to success. Things change when she takes on the golden couple, who are trying to survive an affair and are holding onto more secrets than their Instagram perfect life suggests. I LOVED the protagonist and the other main character, the wife, and how the storytelling alternated between the two. The subplots in the book all tired in together in the end and I was reeling when the authors finally let me in on what what happening. This in one book you do not want to miss! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for this ARC. It was truly incredible!

Avery Chambers is an unconventional therapist with a promise to cure your woes in just 10-sessions. Hearing about Chambers from a friend, Marissa Bishop seeks Avery's help to aide in repairing her damaged relationship with her husband, Matthew.

Marissa had one night of infidelity. She doesn't dare tell Matthew on her own, therefore, Marissa saves her confession for their first session with Avery. From all appearances, Marissa and Matthew are a golden couple, perfect in every way. They intrigue Avery and she is anxious to see how Matthew will react to Marissa's secret.

Although angered, Matthew takes it surprisingly well and agrees to commit to Avery's therapy to repair their relationship. Thus, Avery's treatment begins.

Alternating between Avery and Marissa's perspectives, this novel pieces together the truth behind Marissa and Matthew's marriage, while also providing a background for Avery's character as well. I enjoyed my time learning about all of these characters. They were all interesting and provided plenty of drama to keep my head spinning.

Overall, I would say this is a pretty straight-forward story, as far as Psychological Thrillers go, but that doesn't make it any less fun. If you enjoy some rich people Domestic Drama, you should absolutely give this one a go. Personally, I've had great success with this author duo and I look forward to picking up anything else they may choose to write together.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity!

When the air gets a bit chilly and the skies start to turn dark earlier than usual, you know it’s time. Time for something a little twisty, a little mysterious, a little dark. Or maybe it’s actually still quite sunny and warm where you are usually because you live in a nearly season-less state but you just enjoy a good thriller with your night time tea. For the past few years, whenever there is a new Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekannen book out, I am absolutely on a mission to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I was certainly very lucky last year to get an advanced copy of The Golden Couple and devoured it quickly.

The Golden Couple once again focuses on female main cast members, this time we are introduced to Avery Chambers and Marissa Bishop. Unlike the previous novels by Hendricks and Pekannen, we get a fun little change up with two protagonists and a little (kind of) team up between the two. It was interesting to see the relationship and stories of the two main women begin to grow and entwine as we progressed through the book. Even better that their personalities are so different and the way they handle situations thrown at them differ quite a bit as well. One more sneaky and bold, the other more careful and hesitant. This definitely added some flavor to the story as we could see the cause and effect of the actions they would take on each other and that would push the story forward. Plus, it was just fun to watch Avery essentially watch Marissa and her family. If you like that kind of character psychoanalysis, which Hendricks and Pekkanen’s books offer lots of opportunity for, The Golden Couple will definitely fit nicely.

As you meet the cast of characters, you know that some of these people are definitely hiding more than they are revealing but you can’t quite put a finger on which ones are the real villains of the story. I enjoyed that upon meeting some of the people, you immediately had a sense of potential danger or some suspicion tickling your spider senses but nothing is fully clear to you. The pieces of the puzzle are all around but take a while to put together. What’s a thriller and mystery without some thrills and mysteries? Nothing takes the fun out of a book like this than all the secrets and puzzles before laid out too early and too obviously. The Golden Couple does take care to not drop too many hints too early or be too heavy handed with the nudges.

Despite enjoying this book however, I kept feeling like something was missing to really push this into top thriller reads for me. Overall, the plot line was interesting. It is a departure from the generally adversarial positions that past books have their leading ladies in. The twist wasn’t overly telegraphed and some things you just don’t quite see coming, which is a plus. However, maybe that was actually part of the problem here at times. While it didn’t completely detract from the novel and I found myself coming back for more chapter upon chapter, things didn’t seem to fully gel. Some of the small twists felt a little last minute. A bit too out of the blue. The ending sought to neatly put it all together, which it more or less achieved, but it didn’t really wow me nor did it feel really fully told or convincing. It was acceptable but not fully satisfying.

On top of that, I felt like I had a difficult time understanding or connecting with some of the characters. While I found them somewhat interesting, there wasn’t a whole lot to go off of to make me care about the Bishops or about the cast around them. Avery was probably my favorite character of the lot and she had a lot of spunk plus a dash of dubious professional decision making, but that didn’t feel explored enough. The emotional component of her life was also only briefly touched on and that felt like it could have made for a bigger impact in the story. In general, it just felt like we were so close to getting more from them but the shovel didn’t dig quite far enough.

I would still recommend this to friends who are fans of The Wife Between Us and You Are Not Alone and I had a good time reading The Golden Couple. There are a lot of good things about their latest novel. It’ll definitely still keep you on your toes and that big moment was nicely choreographed (got me nervous that’s for sure) so for anyone interested, I would say yes go for it. But it just didn’t quite grip me as much as past works, making it one where I waffled between 3 and 4 stars, despite it being an enjoyable thriller.

3.5 stars. Ultimately this story, as a whole, was not that insisting to me. Matthew and Marissa were kind of a boring couple, and Avery's supposedly ground-breaking ten-step method wasn't fleshed out as much as it felt line it could have been, though we did get a look at her non-traditional methods. But in any case, despite the story feeling like a bit of a letdown at the end, these two authors have a knack for writing a highly addictive story--even though I can look back and feel a bit, "is that all there is?" I couldn't stop flying through the chapters while I was reading them. Good book to get you out of a reading slump!

Holy plot twist. So many characters, so many suspicions, and so many ways this story could turn out. And in the end, I was blown away and definitely fooled.
Marissa and Matthew Bishop are the golden couple. High profile careers, a lavish lifestyle full of exotic vacations, private school functions, and an eight year old son who completes their perfect life. That is until Marissa's impulsive late night indiscretion flips their lives upside down and lands them in the office of Avery Chambers.
Avery Chambers. A former therapist, who although lost her license, is still helping clients fix their lives in ten short sessions. Guaranteed. Avery is a recent widow who despite helping others with their problems has no shortage of her own.
This story is told in duel perspectives and has a whole slew of minor characters. At one point it feels like a lot to keep up with. Twists and turns and characters who seem important then suddenly disappear and are never heard from again. I get that certain aspects are needed to tie it all together but the big pharma subplot was unexpected and a bit out of place for me.
Cheating, therapy, a murder from the past, blackmail, stalking, family drama. This book packs a punch!!
I enjoyed the digital book as well as audio version. Great narrators. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for advanced versions in exchange for my honest review.
4 didn't-see-that-coming wowed stars.

Wow! This book is impossible to put down! These two authors write amazing books together! This book is filled with suspense and not knowing what is real. The ending is something I didn’t see coming at all.

I love this book because the characters are complex and hiding so many secrets. They are up front in the book about holding secrets but the reader does not know what they are. It is a wonderfully written book that will keep you engaged from the very first chapter!

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekannen are a power couple when it comes to telling a tale. This is my third book from the two of them, and I will seek out their titles time and time again. They have mastered the art of the twist, which always comes at the end of part two, and it’s never a twist I see coming. Never.

Told from two perspectives, this title covers Avery’s point of view, told in the first person, and Marissa’s point of view, told in the third. We meet some of Avery’s clients, learn enough about her past to understand why she lost her license, as well as follow some challenges she has with a whistleblower incident. From Marissa’s perspective, there are private school committees, snobby mothers, and a huge secret she’s keeping about the cheating incident. Marissa sought out Avery because of a magazine article, but that’s not the only reason she and Matthew end up at Avery’s office in particular.

I don’t want to give anything away. As I said, Hendricks and Pekannen have perfected the twist. This is the third time with them that I reached the end of part two and literally dropped my mouth open and said, “No!” out loud. 😮 There are enough secondary characters in this story that pretty much anything can happen. Let’s just say that Avery’s life and the Bishops’ life collide in a spectacular way, and part three is where all hell breaks loose.

Trust me on this…you don’t want to skip this one. It’s available now for pre-order…so go…go now…pre-order now. You’ll be happy that you did.

Avery is an unlicensed, unethical counselor that is hired by Marissa and Matthew. Marissa and Matthew are experiencing marriage issues after Marissa was unfaithful to her husband. From the outside world, Marissa and Matthew have an amazingly strong marriage and have it all, but that is so far from the truth! While Avery attempts to help them find their way back together there are so many secrets that prevent this. All of the main characters are connected in some way, which leads to more mystery and secrets! There are so many twists that will leave your head spinning near the end.

NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS! If they look in a mirror, there is only a façade looking back, the kind of “look” people put out on social media. There is so many secrets, deceit, coverups, you will just keep devouring the book to find out the truth.

While I have almost every book by Hendricks and Pekkanen’s on my bookshelf, this was my first that I have read by them and it won’t be my last! I loved the different points of view as it adds to the mystery. If you love domestic thriller this is a book you will devour!

***** A huge thanks to St. Martins Press, Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. It has been provided to in turn for my honest opinion.

Greer Hendricks is one of my new favorite authors! This book was incredible! I devoured it in one sitting! I loved the twists and turns as I was being pulled along on this crazy ride! Avery is an “unconventional” therapist with a past… who has a proven successful 10 step program to “fix” your issues, guaranteed! Enter the Bishops! I never knew who to trust or what was true!
I don’t want to spoil anything because I picked this up blindly and was blown away by the story. Having no preconceived ideas or any idea of the plot, made this all the more enjoyable. What can I say, I love to be fooled!

There is something about Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s books that feel really comfortable. I just sort of melt into the story and enjoy the journey so I was pleased to be offered a chance to read an ARC of The Golden Couple and even more pleased slip back into their written world. Overall I really enjoyed this mystery and liked finding out about the lives of our characters as seen through alternating perspectives of Avery Chambers and Marissa Bishop. There were a lot of moving parts and I can imagine that some might find it a bit too over the top but for me it worked even if there was some suspension of belief.

Funny enough one of the things I was most annoyed by was how Marissa treated her employee and that made me kind of dislike her and not trust her. I don't think it was on purpose or that it added to the reading experience.

As I mentioned there was a lot going on and it makes me wonder if mystery/thriller writers feel pressure to have a certain number of shocking twists. I kind of felt that the layers came together well but at the same time perhaps got in the way as the story unfolded and made it less exciting.

Anyway all this is to say I enjoyed The Golden Couple, the writing works for me. I don’t know that everyone will be as pleased as the mystery/thriller part seemed a little less exciting then I would expect from these fabulous ladies.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the ARC!