The story of Avery, the marriage therapist, and her clients Marissa and Matthew is bone-chillingly good. Avery is practicing therapy in what she calls her ten-step plan and has been very successful at it. She is also hiding secrets about her past and dealing with some unscrupulous people who are determined to destroy her career if not her life. Marissa contacts Avery for help when she realizes that her marriage is going downhill fast and she wants to save it. The best thing that someone could have told me before I read this book is that all is not as it seems. There are layers of deception that are peeled away slowly and methodically. The plot is so well written that it immediately pulled me into Avery’s troubles as well as Marissa and Matthew’s. The characters were totally well-fleshed out and very complex. Just when I thought I knew them well, there was another revelation about their past. This was the kind of book that was entertaining as well as thought-provoking. I enjoyed the read, but it also made me think about how well we actually know someone. Polly, Marissa’s helper in her store, was irritating at first, then more irritating and ultimately understandable. There were a lot of nuances and red herrings throughout the book that made the ending mostly a surprise for me, something I really enjoy in books since I’m such a mystery buff. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy great plots, fantastic characterization and pondering what an outcome will be.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have written 2 other books together that I have read: An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us. My book group read both. The first was a little hard to believe. The second was more confusing because of the different narrators.
This book was also a little hard to believe. Matthew and Marissa are the golden couple. Why are the main characters always wealthy? Why is the husband always handsome?
Matthew is portrayed as both difficult and too good to be true. Yes, it's hard to believe. Marissa's narrative sometimes makes you think she is having a nervous breakdown.
There are many red herrings so that kept my interest.

Not bad enough for 3 stars, but not good enough for 5 stars.

I received this ebook from Netgalley.

I absolutely love this duo and this was a great one - kept me guessing throughout. I am a fan of any book I can’t quite figure out and this one definitely fit the bill! I love horrible characters too 😬

This one doesn't come out till March but when I got my hands on it, I had to read it now! These two authors are a fantastic pair and they keep you guessing.

This story takes us along on the therapy of the "golden couple", Marissa and Matthew Bishop. Marissa finds a therapist who has the most controversial type of therapy that I have ever read. Avery Bishop throws herself into your life. That includes following you, talking to others, going into your home and scoping things out. She may have lost her license but that doesn't stop her!

Marissa admits to having a one night stand and this starts the story but really is not the true beginning. You will see what I mean. Along the way, we find out about all three of the main characters' pasts with a side of suspicious other characters. The ending is quite fantastic!

You will never go wrong with a book by this golden couple, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. They have a great way with a twisty mystery/thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this wonderful book.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are such a dynamic duo, so I was thrilled to obtain an ARC of The Golden Couple. At its core, The Golden Couple is part-psychological thriller, part-love story that focuses on "the golden couple" Marissa and Matthew and their unconventional therapist Avery Chambers. Marissa brings Matthew to Avery after cheating on her husband in an effort to save her marriage.

Told primarily from the perspectives of Marissa and Avery, Hendricks and Pekkanen do an exceptional job of weaving together different plot lines and leaving "breadcrumbs" for a few large plot twists. They create such compelling characters that you simply MUST continue to read to know what happens. I could not get enough of The Golden Couple! A great read for 2021!!

Review : The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and reviewing for Netgalley. Wow! I have loved everything Ive read by this dynamic duo and this fantastic story is no exception .Fast paced,twisty,and a surprise ending.It will keep you turning pages far into the night! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5 stars.

We have a couple who go to a marriage counselor because the wife Marissa cheated on her husband of course he does not know that til therapy. They go a disgraced therapist Avery who is a good detective and gets them to talk and a lot of secrets are being divulged. We have 2 POV, thru out and they get you hooked on wanting to know what is going to happen. We have a lot, I mean a lot going on, a lot of characters, murders, mayhem and revenge, twist and turns. But truly entertaining

This was quite the ride! Another great novel by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I liked the multiple POV's and the character development was great. I didn't necessarily care for many of the characters but at the same time I was invested in Avery and Marissa and wanted to find out what happened. Every time I thought I knew what might be going in there was another twist or another character connection to consider. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The latest thriller from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen , features a rogue therapist. Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of novels featuring a therapist as a protagonist, but Avery Chambers is unconventional. She is more like a therapist cum PI.

She promises to bring solution to her clients in ten sessions. When Marissa and her husband Matthew , the seemingly Golden couple seek her help after an infidelity, Avery finds the couple holding back lots of secrets.

I’ve read other books by the duo and they’ve never disappointed. I loved this one as well. Written in alternative perspectives of Marissa and Avery , this book is definitely a page turner. Throughout the book, the authors keeps us guessing . Also the characters were written so well , so we feel invested in them.

One thing I didn’t like about this book is the ending. It felt a little convoluted. The authors have laid out a complex plot and they had to go out of the way to tie up and explain all the loose ends . So some of the coincidences in the book felt unreal. Regardless,I couldn’t put down the book at all.

Like their other books , it’s fast paced and entertaining.

4 stars !

Another fantastic novel by these two talented authors! The Golden Couple is a must read. Such an addicting thriller full of secrets and mysteries, this book will definitely keep you on edge from start to finish. Highly recommended!

While I am grateful for the chance to have read The Golden Couple (thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press), this book stretched credulity. The basic premise that a therapist has the freedom to use intrusive, unorthodox methods, even with the agreement of her clients is unsettling. So disturbing that plodding through the body of the story was tedious. While the story is well written and carefully plotted, I was left with the feeling that I was being fed a diet of cotton candy.
I probably should not be the one to ask about this book.

Not so thrilled with this thriller. I found it quite tedious. Not nearly as suspenseful as expected. I thought the writing was over written and petty and found myself skimming a lot. The characters were dull and I didn't care about them much. Sorry, but this book disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book. A strong 4.because it is a page turner and not a 5 because we have too many cliches, worn out themes and obvious situations, I strongly suspect that Avery would have been arrested and on house arrest long before she figured out anything if the authors didn’t ask us to suspend our belief system! This was great beach reading and just right to take my mind off world events. It lacks the intricacy of An Anonymous Girl, but was very enjoyable on its own merits.

Love this dynamic writing duo and they delivered another awesome novel! I read this on my cruise and it was the perfect book for a sea day read--all the twists and turns!

Nothing is more satisfying than a great mystery book and this one did not disappoint. I read late into the night not willing to give up the journey my reading was taking me into. Twists and turns, betrayals and humor, this book has it all. You won't want to miss it. The book has multiple plots that were masterfully interwoven. Avery was a successful therapist until she lost her license due to her controversial 10-step method of treatment. Oh, but what an interesting therapist she has now become! Without the regiment of rules, she can do things that others just have fantasies about doing. She is in hot demand after her story is published and makes her famous.

Marissa and Mathew, the titled Golden Couple, come to Avery after Marissa can't live with the guilt of her one night stand. Things get bumpy along the way though when betrayal, murder, several stalkers, and an abundance of lies are added to the mix.

The plot unfolds through first-person chapters, alternating between Avery and Marissa. I really liked Marissa's story. I thought her chapters were intense and her backstory complex, with several big plot twists interspersed.
The rich boy meets small town girl theme sounded like a traditional Hallmark movie but the truth was nothing anyone would imagine.

Avery's backstory was intended to make the reader fearful for her. Who could not love her rescue dog? In spite of all the bad things that followed her and disappointments she has learned to overcome, the dog was always there for her and the one constant she could trust and depend on no matter what. You can't beat dog love and humor.

You don't really know who to trust and what is the truth, but I still found myself rooting for both Avery and Marissa. I was satisfied with the ending which was very well executed and the book's saving grace. You won't want to miss this one. I plan to go back and read this authors" previous books as this was my first read.

A “Golden Couple”, good friends, betrayal, and many twist and turns to keep you guessing. This book will keep you guessing til the very end.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC. #Netgalley #thegoldencouple

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is one great thriller. So many mind games and wonderful characters. I love it when I can't figure things out. Avery is a character I would love to sed again. Highly recommend!

Marissa and Matthew were dubbed “The golden couple” by some as their relationship was Instagram perfect as far as everyone else could see. Marissa however, didn’t feel particularly connected to her husband of late and ended up cheating on him one night when he was away. After it’s done though, she feels terribly and realizes that she wants nothing more than to fix her marriage. Enter Avery, a therapist of sorts, who was a licensed practitioner until she loses her license for using some unorthodox methods to help her clients. However, Avery thinks those methods help, as do the clients who come to see her. Marissa got Avery’s information from a friend and believes that Avery is the one who can put their marriage back together. As the story unfolds, it weaves back and forth between Marissa’s perspective and life and that of Avery’s, with a complicated cast of characters and side stories. Somehow though, by the very unexpected end of the book, so many things have fallen into place for the reader, and everything makes sense.
Greer and Pekkenan did a great job of weaving this suspenseful tale. The main characters are likable and relatable. The characters who are not particularly likable, are written that way and we see them just the way we are supposed to see them. For this therapist, I was initially taken aback by the way Avery does her job, but after a time, I lost site of how it is “supposed to be” as I was so sucked into the story, that I suspended my disbelief and simply read with abandon to see how things continued to unfold. I would never take the same liberties in my clients life, but in fiction… you can play it however you like.
Worth the read for sure and I still love this writing duo. Looking forward to whatever they cook up next!

A fun, interesting read for fans of mystery/thrillers. Sometimes the threads of the story could seem a little all over the place, but generally well put together and intriguing.

The Golden Couple is an exciting and engaging thriller. The story is told through two alternating POVs - Avery and Marissa. Avery is a therapist who takes Marissa and her husband on as clients/patients. Throughout the book, there are multiple storylines that are interwoven rather than one main mystery/plot. The unreliable narrators and the various twists/storylines keep the reader guessing from the start to the finish. Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks are a great writing duo, and The Golden Couple will be a top selling thriller of 2022!