Member Reviews
I loved the alternating perspectives in this book and the storyline kept me on my toes until the tail end. Overall, I loved the book! My only complaint was the way it wrapped up so neatly specifically with the company who was stalking the therapist. I found it far fetched to have it all be so connected. Other than that it was a great book and I really enjoyed the audiobook format!
The Golden Couple by Greek Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Pub day: 3.8.22
This is my first book by the duo and it kept my interested, but it never had that wow or shocking moment for me.
It felt predictable at times and there was also a hole left for me that didn’t make sense. There were hints for something that was going to take place and then nothing happened whatsoever with it so it was weird to me to even have it mentioned.
I never connected with any of the characters, which isn’t necessary for a thriller, but it helps me to care about what happens.
I’ve seen a lot of great reviews for this one though so don’t shy away from it just because it didn’t hit the mark for me! I tend to be harsher on thrillers than any other genre.
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this arc in exchange for my honest review!
This book was a wild ride! I loved it. I always have it in my head that I don’t like thrillers, but then I read a book like this and I am reminded that I do very much like thrillers!
This book is about a married couple and alllll of their issues. I love a good book about marriage. The perspective shifts between their pseudo marriage counselor and the wife. The counselor ends up playing detective in the couples’ life and has a bunch of her own drama playing out.
I could not stop listening to this because I wanted to know what would happen next!
This book is already floating around as a February 2022 BOTM pick, but it officially is published in March 2022. Definitely pick this one up next month.
Thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me the chance to listen to the audioARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All of the thoughts listed above are my own.
This is my first novel by this particular pair of popular thriller authors and I don’t think it will be my last.
The Golden Couple follows an ex-therapist, now counselor, Avery, who has an invasive 10 session method that is supposed to solve problems. Marissa Bishop is a client who brings her husband in to solve a huge problem that has arisen in their marriage. Avery usually breaks down the problems as she investigates their lives but in this case problems keep getting bigger and more sinister.
This started out really slow for me. I didn’t particularly connect to Avery or Marissa so the ‘establishing beginning’ felt rather dull. The characters were generally fine and likable in a simplistic way but never felt too deep. However, once we started getting deeper into the drama unfolding, I couldn’t stop listening. These authors have a great way of building up suspense in even minor ways that makes you want to know the next step.
I guessed the overall antagonist of the plot but I could not put together all the pieces in the correct order (humble brag) so I was totally intrigued until the end. The writing was sharp and engaging and other than the beginning never felt slow or meandering which you want in a thriller.
To use a phrase I heard recently though, this book felt too ‘tidy’ by the end. Like sure all those connections and things could conceivably happen but would they? Everything was wrapped up in too neat a bow for the chaos that unraveled for the entirety of the book. For these few reasons I couldn’t give this five stars but it was close!
The audiobook narrators did a wonderful job so thank you to Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland. I would fully recommend this as an audiobook.
Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!
Hendricks and Pekkanen have done it again! This one kept me guessing until the very end. I had suspicions that turned out to be correct, but I wasn't 100% sure and I just had to find out.
This was more of a 4-star not 5-star read for me due to a few challenges. I found the story slow at a few points. Also a number of characters outside of the core three (Avery, Marissa, and Matthew) didn't feel fully fleshed out, which was frustrating. I also would have liked if Avery and Marissa had different voices, their chapters read so similarly despite changing to their perspectives.
Overall, another win for Hendricks and Pekkanen.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
Expected Publication: March 8, 2022
Avery Chambers is not your average counselor. She has a new therapy that only requires 10 sessions to fix whatever your problem is; marital, personal or work related. In comes new clients Marissa and Matthew Bishop, Marissa needs to tell her husband about her infidelity and is afraid he will leave her unless Avery helps them as a couple.
Avery becomes a constant in their lives for a short period of time. She goes to Marissa's store that she owns, meets their friends and Matthew's dad. We learn about the summer Marissa and Matthew met when they were teenagers and Trip, their mutual friend.
Meanwhile, Avery is dealing with a pharmaceutical company hell-bent on finding out which of her clients gave her information about a potential drug of theirs. They will go to great lengths to get that name.
There are a lot of twists in the book, they mostly make sense, I think just a couple more hints throughout about the character (don't want to name this person) would make it more believable.
It was a good listen and I liked the narrator.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.
The Golden Couple" kept me guessing to the very end. It was full to twists and turns, offered wonderful character development, and engaged the reader through switching off perspectives between Avery and Marissa. You won't let yourself put this one down until the very end!
4.25⭐
This author duo knows how to keep you guessing with secrets, lies and twists and grips you from the start with their newest domestic thriller.
Avery is a therapist who has an unconventional method for helping people.
Marissa seeks out the help of Avery to repair her marriage to Matthew after she cheats.
Although I did see one part coming, I was taken by surprise a couple of times and that always thrills me.
I love that it was told in the dual perspective between Avery and Marissa and Karissa and Marin were spot on as narrators.
*Thanks to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and the authors for an advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
The Golden Couple, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was yet another absolute hit for me. All of this duos’ books are five-star reads for me and this latest release was no different. The two authors know how to write a compelling novel that immediately draws you in and keeps your attention throughout.
Avery Bishop is a highly successful therapist who has lost her license to practice, but successfully carries on anyway with her unorthodox methods. She claims she can fix any couple in 10 sessions, and then begins to infiltrate every area of their lives in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the people she’s helping and to achieve her goals.
Marissa loves her husband, Mathew, and their son, Bennet, and they seem to be the perfect, “golden” couple until Marissa lures Mathew into therapy on a pretense, and reveals an infidelity. After his initial burst of anger, Mathew seems eager to forgive and move forward, perhaps a bit too accommodating, and things look hopeful. After a few smooth and successful sessions, complications occur and the situation quickly morphs into something much more complex, heavy laden with secrets.
This is a multi-faceted, interesting story, full of twists and turns, but always easy to follow. There are many psychological layers unraveled and red herrings mixed in. It’s shocking, but also plausible, and far more emotional than I anticipated.
The Golden Couple is a thrilling ride and highly entertaining. I was wholly satisfied with the conclusion, but also sad to see it end.
I listened to the audio-version of this book, courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, and it made the story all the more captivating, as if I was living the plot right along with the characters. It’s narrated by Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland, and both captured the two main female leads to perfection. Though I’ve immensely enjoyed reading previous stories by these two authors the audio-version of this book was such a rewarding experience. .
I really enjoyed this! It kept me guessing until the end. It had a satisfying finale. The narrator who read Avery’s chapters wasn’t my favorite but I still really liked this.
Wow this was phenomenal. It had me so engrossed I didn’t want it to end. I really enjoyed it. I kept thinking I knew what happened but I didn’t. My least favorite character though... marissa. She just seemed like such a lame character. I really enjoyed Avery. I liked that she wasn’t just working as a therapist but also a detective. Very unique story.
I was a little reluctant to read this one, because I wasn't crazy about the authors' previous books. But then one weekend, I was looking for something that was just easy entertainment and grabbed this. While it does fit the bill, and I liked the idea of the somewhat uncouth therapist, the couple in question was just so boring! Nothing golden about them. The plot was pretty predictable and I saw the twists a mile away. That being said, the authors have a fluid writing style that made this a quick read. Overall, it was more or less what I wanted in the moment, but I do think it will fade quickly in my memory and meld with many other so-so novels of the genre, I'm afraid. I'm glad so many readers feel otherwise, though, and got a lot more satisfying entertainment from The Golden Couple than I did!
Avery may have lost her therapists' license for some unsavory maneuvers, but this doesn't stop her from continuing her practice under a new title and taking on new patients, promising them a bit of a cure all in just ten sessions. She may or may not be the target of multiple prior patients, among others she has crossed. The woman has boundless energy, but always seems to be looking over her shoulder. She also has a recently deceased husband, who was a good bit older than her, a grown stepdaughter, and maybe adds a rescue pup to the mix.
The Bishops are her newest clients. Outwardly, they appear to have it all - looks, success, money. A "Golden Couple" if you will. Marissa convinces Matthew to join her in the counseling, leading him to believe it has something to do with their son. The first of many lies and secrets that will be uncovered!
Many twists and turns and I was often guessing what was happening, only to be wrong (which I LOVE by the way!).
I switched between the ebook and the audio and could not wait to finish this twisty story of lies, secrets and betrayal. This author duo is quickly becoming a favorite!
A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hendricks and Pekkanen delivered another stunning page turner. The Golden Couple had everything fans have come to expect - beautiful writing, well developed characters, and an ending you won't see coming. Five big stars and possibly my favorite book of the season.
Marissa and Matthew Bishop seemingly have it all but, their marriage is not as it appears. Marissa is given an article about an unconventional therapist, Avery Chambers. She asks her husband to meet with Avery under false pretenses and then blindsides him with the bombshell that she has cheated on him. Marissa admits that is was a mistake and that she wants to save her marriage. Avery tells the couple that she can help them. Matthew reluctantly agrees to the unorthodox 10 session treatment that Avery proposes. The three of them are on a collision course to an unexpected finale.
The book unravels its secrets like a cheap sweater. With each thread that you pull you learn secrets that allow you to come to certain conclusions. Then all of a sudden another secret unravels and you are led to believe something completely different. A character that I really liked as I started reading turned out to be someone I detested, the character I couldn’t stand at the beginning turned into someone I liked and admired. The best books are those that are unexpected and this is one of those books.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Ok wow - I was such a huge fan of this novel. Although it wasn’t an extreme thriller/mystery, I was still on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down. This book centers around Matthew and Marissa Bishop, the golden couple. When Marissa cheats on her husband, they seek out counseling with Avery Chambers, whose therapeutic process is extreme and can fix any problem in 10 sessions. As things start to become unusual & people start to show up from their past, the Bishops are pushed to the limits to save their marriage.
I really loved that this was a duel POV with both Marissa and Avery being the lead characters telling the story. I thought it was a perfect way to throw the reader in one direction and drop clues in both character’s descriptions that led to the mystery being hard to guess. I didn’t really see the ending coming, and although I thought it was rushed - it surprised me and I wanted more.
I also really enjoyed the narration - I think both narrators did an amazing job bringing the characters to life in their own unique way - it definitely added so much to the character development, and I was able to really envision these characters as if they were in my own life. I would definitely recommend this book and audiobook to those who enjoy slow burn thrillers with excitement, betrayal, and some really good drama.
Avery Chambers won’t take you on as a client if she doesn't think she can "fix" your problem in 10 sessions. Her technique is unorthodox/controversial methods. She lost her license due to her methods but that hasn't stopped her helping her clients nor has it stopped people from seeking her out.
When she is approached by the "Golden Couple," Marissa and Mathew Bishop, she knows she can help them. Marissa cheated but wants to work on her marriage, it was a mistake, and she will do whatever it takes to make things right. There are secrets in this marriage. Secrets have a way of coming out. Session one is only the beginning....
This was an engrossing audio book. I enjoyed being able to read and listen to the book at the same time as I had a digital copy and the audiobook. I thought the narrators were fantastic! This book grabbed me right away and I loved how the book progressed. There is the main plot and a subplot involving Avery.
The authors did a good job casting doubt and parading around suspicious characters. I enjoyed how they teased things. Will you figure this book out or will you be shocked? Read it to find out.
I found this to be a fun, riveting and gripping read!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen was a wonderful domestic thriller. I listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. This book had everything you want from a thriller- suspense and lots of twists you don't see coming.
I listened to the digital version of this novel. The narrators were awesome. Really easy to listen to.
The story itself was well written. I am not familiar with these authors, but I really enjoyed the story and dialogue. I love the little mysteries and inconsistencies leading up to the big reveal at the end.
I love when a story ties all loose ends of characters that are introduced. I usually get fixated when I feel like a character didn't tie well with the ending. In this book, I felt like all loose ends were tied perfectly well. I did feel like the ending was rushed a little bit, but overall enjoyable.
I received the digital version from the the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Golden Couple was SO FUN and even more fun because I did not predict everything. Avery is a therapist who has lost her license due to her invasive ways of treatment, Marissa and Matthew seem like the perfect couple-until Marissa cheats and she wants to repair the damage she has done by taking her husband to therapy with Avery. What follows is a wild ride of secrets and lies.
It was such a quick listen and I was engaged the entire time during the story. I have listened to audiobooks read by Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland before, but each one of them seemed so perfectly suited to Avery and Marissa that I found myself thinking that they were the real people. It kept me on my toes as to what would happen next and I had a hard time taking any breaks from listening. Looking forward to more from Hendricks and Pekkanen.
This book and audiobook are so worth your time if you are into "women's fiction." By the way, I'm a guy and I loved it.
Thank you Net Galley, Greer Hendricks, Sarsh Pekkanen and Macmillan Audio from St. Martin's Press for the Audio-Arc copy of this fun book!