THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR By Dea Poirier

Working as a marriage counselor I’m used to the tragedies that come out of nowhere. People trust me to help them through life’s big moments. The things that leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the person you love the most.
But I never thought trouble would land on my own doorstep.
As I start to piece together our last conversation desperate for any clues I can find, the cop standing in front of me reveals that my husband never told his co-workers he was married. He was seemingly living a double life right in front of me.

😊What i liked -

✔ Psychological Thriller/Mystery.
✔ I kind of liked the plot and the story.
✔ Few of the twists, especially the end, were surprising.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ Okay I did not like any of the characters.
✔ Even though I liked the story, it kind of lost its way.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
🕵Psychological Thriller Lovers


📈My Rating : 3/5


Thank you, Dea Poirier and Bookouture , for a copy.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
This is my first title by this author and will read more in the future.
I requested this book as i was drawn in by the cover and thought it looked interesting.
Will recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller.
This has been perfectly paced and filled with tension. This is a book that definitely didn’t disappoint. I have loved this from start to finish.
Thanks again for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars

Too many things going on at once, confusing and not in a good way, plot holes, and the marriage counselor part barely played any role despite being the name.

This book is every bit as gripping as I had hoped. This is incredible and completely shocking. I have been completely unable to predict where this May go.

I had no idea who was trustworthy as I read this one. I have been completely caught up in the pages of this one and unwilling to put this down.

I have been transported by the writing in this one. I have felt like I have been watching the events play out in front of me.

This has been perfectly paced and filled with tension. This is a book that definitely didn’t disappoint. I have loved this from start to finish.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb got me on this one, guys. I read it and thought it would be so good, but it fell flat and it definitely did not remind me of Freida McFadden. There was just too much going on and maybe it was my brain when I was reading it but I just felt like a jumbled up mess. I like when my thrillers/mysteries make my skin crawl and make me look over my shoulder, even if I'm lying down in my own bed at home. But this didn't make me feel anything and I was disappointed.

This book about a marriage counselor who's husband disappears really grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the novel didn't work for me. There is a knock on the door and Adele, the counselor, is greeted by her ex-boyfriend who is now a cop. He asks about her husband, who apparently hasn't shown up for work for the past 2 weeks. Adele is shocked. As the story goes on, she finds out he has been living what seems to be a dual life, and hasn't even acknowledged his marriage to her to many people, including his employer.

There are murders, espionage, and too many things in too many directions for me to find it an interesting novel. I feel it's all over the place with storylines, so it isn't my kind of book This is only my opinion.. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Adele's husband doesn't return from a vacation and when she starts poking around she finds he was keeping all sorts of secrets. Other women, maybe the arrival of a baby, etc. etc. Adele tries to figure out what is going on, but she herself has secrets and comes across as a strange duck. So what is going on here?!? Lots of twists and cray cray stuff happens. Implausible but very entertaining.

Pretty Good but nothing too great. Was a fine read. I was interested in the characters and how they met but otherwise, nothing struck me as particularly interesting

Though the plot of this story was very different, this book had a similar feel to The Holiday Home which I also listened to this week. Not too long of a story, but captivating and compelling of a listen. Adele realizes her husband is missing, but when she starts to investigate, she finds out that he hasn’t told any of his colleagues and friends about her. This story was so twisty and unexpected…I never quite knew what was going to happen next. And I absolutely did not guess the ending! This made for a great listen!

This book is said to be perfect for fans of the book The Perfect Marriage, so that could be why this wasn’t really for me because I wasn’t a massive fan of that book. I don’t have anything really bad to say about this, it just wasn’t a favourite for me and that’s okay, but I think this could be a favourite for others! If you like a lot of action and twists, this is a good one for you and I’d definitely recommend! I just found it hard to keep up with the plot of the story at times and I really didn’t like the main character, but it was still a decent thriller with some good twists.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first experience reading a novel by Dea. Holy cow this one was good. I was drawn in immediately, it’s a definite must read! I will be reading it again.

I was left guessing throughout this #psychologicalthriller with a jaw-dropping twist about halfway through I didn’t see coming!
I ‘m so glad I was provided the audiobook that’s narrated by #StephanieCannon to listen to!

Thank you, Dea Poirier, Bookouture, Bookouture Audio & Netgalley for my ecopy & #audiobook! All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book sounded pretty good, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. There was too much going on, a lot of things were left unexplained, and Adele was not a likable character.

The twist at the end could have been pretty good if it didn't contradict something that happened earlier in the book. I was left feeling a little confused about what actually did happen.

Thank you, @netgalley, and @bookouture
for the e-arc of this book!

2.5 stars rounded

What a wonderful wonderful read this is! Do not, whatever you do,miss this one. One of my top reads of 2023! Very highly recommended

Author Dea Poirier's second standalone novel, we meet marriage counselor Adele (Sutton) Johansen in this story. A lady used to being very in control when it comes to her work. When her husband Patrick goes missing her life starts to unravel and she discovers quite quickly that she never really knew the man she was married to at all.
Adele came across as quite a meek lady, very reliant on her husband, very controlled by him too.
Their marriage didn't seem to be a happy one. She seemed almost detached from the whole situation when dealing with the fact that he is missing. Almost robotic.
Add to that the fact that the accident that killed both her parents many years ago, may not now have been an accident and suddenly we see that everything might just be too much for Adele especially when she seems to be hiding something herself.
Her ex boyfriend Cameron is nearby for some support though.
I liked unravelling the character of Adele and seeing what she was really about.
A very enjoyable, page turning read.
Quite a few plot twists you may not guess, I certainly didn't.
Her characters are interesting, Adele the most intriguing.
Well worth your time.

Can you ever trust the one you have chosen to marry?
Adele was shocked when a policeman turns up on her doorstep questioning her husband”s movements - what had he been hiding?
Her life twists dramatically when her husband disappears and now she questions everything she knows about him
Enjoyed the style of writing.
So many twists, right till the very end.
So many secrets and lies.
The perfect thriller.
Thanks @deapoirierbooks @bookouture @netgalley for the eARC

This is a wild ride. I would definitely put it into the popcorn thriller genre along with Freida McFadden and Daniel Hurst. What goes along as so very normal for a while and turns into a twisty mess. You know the good kind. A trainwreck kind that you just can’t look away.

It moves along at a nice even pace, lulling you in. I had a hard time deciding what I thought about the characters. Peter, Adele’s husband, is missing at the start of the book. Then we have Adele and her circle of friends, coworkers and patients. There is quite the complicated storyline. There is some concern of Adele’s dead parents’ practice. Adele’s missing husband. Cameron an old lover who is part of the police presence investigating Peter’s disappearance. And patients and family of patients making claims into Adele’s practice. It seems less complicated than it is as you’re reading and I never had any trouble following along or keeping track of things.

Honestly, just go in blind. Sit back and enjoy the ride. I did suspend disbelief a little as I am not sure Adele was believable as a counselor, but it is fiction and I was entertained. I wanted to know what happened to Peter and ultimately what was going on.

I flipped back and forth between reading and listening to this one and found both entertaining. I didn’t have a preference and let my schedule dictate the version for that moment.

If you are fans of that quick entertaining, twisty novel, you will be entertained.

This was a new author for me and the book didn't disappoint I really liked it had some twists I will be looking for more books by this author!!!

I’ve been a fan of Dea’s for some time now. She write taut thrillers, and while this is different from her police investigation thrillers, it’s still a great book.

Adele has it all: the perfect life, a successful business, and a loving husband.

Or does she?

When her husband goes missing, her perfect life starts to unravel. As you read, you question who’s behind it all? Is her husband up to no good? Is it her bitchy assistant? The ex-patient who’s accused her of pushing a client to suicide? Or does it have to do with the mysterious death of her parents? And then there’s Adele, who isn’t the most reliable narrator.

If you’re looking for a nail-biter, the is the book for you. Enjoy!

I'm not too sure I'd want to see a counselor whose own husband has been leading a double life and has now gone missing, doesn't sound promising does it?

The plot concept is intriguing, but I found myself getting tangled up in the storyline on several occasions...I get confused easily.

Moderately paced, the book has several unexpected twists, some unlikeable characters that I couldn't invest in and an ending that I didn't see coming.

Poirier is definitely an author I want to read more from in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐