I loved this one! I guessed the plot twist very early on but that didn't take away from how much I could not put this book down! So well written and will have you doubting everyone. Highly recommend!

“Could you ever know somebody absolutely? Did you just have to accept that you couldn’t and love them anyway?”

Cora + Scott and Lucy + Adam are best friends. Their kids are best friends. They own and are remodeling their vacation cottage together. For Lucy, life is perfect until one day she sees a photo of Scott on vacation with another woman.

Lucy launches into an obsession to find the truth about everyone and everything she thought she knew, lighting her relationships on fire and untangling a messy web of lies going back nearly two decades.

I’m glad I gave this book a chance. For the first half, the twist seemed so clear that I thought it was going to be a disappointment once I got to it. But about halfway through, I began to see the web this cast of characters had spun and were tangled up in. There were definitely intense moments of wondering what was going to happen, who was safe, and who wasn’t.

Within the first few pages we see Scott in the photo with another woman, so the story gets started right away. I wish there were a few chapters leading up to that developing the characters a bit more, specifically their relationships with one another. It was hard to buy into the whole they’re best friends thing when it starts the way it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy of The Couple in the Photo.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

This was SUCH a wild ride! It was churning on a bit slow in the beginning but once the pace picked up and things began coming to light, I was gripping my Kindle! My guess was so wrong, which was great because it definitely sat on not being predictable to me. I was rooting for Lucy the entire time, hoping she didn’t back down and she did down disappoint!

Overall, a great read and a page turner!

thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced copy

a great thriller, i couldn't put it down

This was an interesting plot - a wife's intuition about her friends is confirmed via a random social media image, where the said friend is captured in the background. I thought the premise was original - I always find myself ducking in the streets avoiding the lenses of strangers/tourists, but it is unavoidable not be in the background.

I enjoyed the premise, I found the wife to be a bit more naive in the end. However I enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading more from this author. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it was completely predictable. I guessed the entire storyline early on and was right about all of it. I’m not sure why the author made the female character so clueless. That was rather annoying actually. Female authors need to stop creating dumb female characters!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Fans of psychological thrillers will love this one! Lucy, Adam, Scott, and Cora are best friends. They’re children live each other, the own a beach house together and they are inseparable. But Lucy sees a photo of Scott with another woman seemingly on vacation with her. She wants to protect Cora from Scott’s infidelity, but then the woman turns up dead and everyone around Lucy starts to act a bit weird. Lucy begins to put the pieces together and realizes she may not know as much about her husband and friends as she thought. Twisty and turning, right up until the end!

How the secrets of the past influence and change the present. This was a light, twisted read, at times a little long winded. A fast read, at times a little unbelievable but also good escapist fiction 3.5 rounded up

A close knit friendship between two couples is strained when one of the women sees a picture of her friend's husband with another woman. Lucy's uneasiness about the photo is exasperated when she hears the other woman in the photo is found dead. She finds herself on a mission to discover the truth about not only her friend's husband, but also the secrets all of them including her own husband are keeping from her. The past comes back to haunt everyone involved and Lucy finds herself in a race against time to protect her family from the killer who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets from coming out. Told in alternating perspectives between Lucy and the culprit behind the murder, the story finishes with the ultimate climax where the truth comes pouring out.

This was almost a "Did Not Finish" for me as I struggled to get into the plot. The first part of the book is mostly character development and background as Lucy discovers her friend Scott in a photo taken on a colleague's honeymoon. The first few chapters moved slow and did not engage me as I read through them. By the middle of the book the plot picks up pace and suddenly becomes a page turner in every way. I had to keep reading to figure out who the culprit was. By the end of the book I was glad I decided not to DNF the book. Overall it was a solid story about the lengths people will go to cover up secrets from their past. This was a solid 4 star read for me. The characters were likable and the plot was mostly engaging once it picked up. The culprit was pretty predictable. I guessed who it was by the beginning, but I still enjoyed to see how the story played out.

I really enjoyed this paced thriller. Very plot driven and fast paced. I would recommend to friends and family.

This was on my list for a bit and then dove right in. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand it was a fairly basic, simple , starter level thriller read, but if you read a lot of thrillers you might find it predictable, repetitive, and filled with too much extra that was unnecessary and made it drag on.

Lucy and Adam are a married couple and best friends with another married couple, Cora and Scott. Well one day Lucy sees a photo of Scott on vacation with another woman and is told they go by different names. This immediately got her attention, rightfully so as she was trying to protect her friend, Cora. Things get even more tangled when the woman in the photo with Scott turns up missing. Lucy will stop at nothing and I mean NOTHING to find out the truth.

While I did appreciate a girl looking after her best friend… Lucy became annoying to me with this obsession and that was also due to how much this drug out. It was predictable in the end.

The fact in … marriages, friendships, and what you think you know can turn out to be not at all what you think you know and the dynamics of this friend group proves just that!

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G.P. Putnams Sons for this ARC.

This is my first book by Helen Cooper and I can't wait to read more of her titles. The author captured you from the beginning and you had to finish the book in one setting to see the end result.

I received an ARC of this book; all thoughts are my own. Many thanks

Helen Cooper's gripping novel, "The Couple in the Photo," is a suspenseful exploration of friendship, trust, and the dark secrets that can unravel even the strongest bonds. With a compelling narrative and a cast of characters whose lives are intricately intertwined, Cooper crafts a tale that delves into the complexities of human relationships and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

Lucy and Adam, along with their close friends Cora and Scott, have shared a deep bond for years, their lives intertwined in a tight-knit friendship that seems unbreakable. Their idyllic existence is shattered when Lucy stumbles upon a photograph of Scott seemingly enjoying a luxurious vacation with another woman. Stricken by the implications of Scott's apparent infidelity, Lucy embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and shield her best friend, Cora, from the painful reality.

As Lucy delves deeper into the mystery, she finds herself entangled in a web of secrets, half-truths, and hidden motives. The disappearance of the woman in the photograph casts a shadow of doubt over her friends and even her own husband, Adam. The more Lucy investigates, the more she realizes that the people she thought she knew best may be harboring shocking secrets of their own.

Cooper skillfully builds tension and suspense as Lucy races against time to unravel the truth. The narrative is fraught with twists and turns, leading Lucy down unexpected paths and forcing her to confront uncomfortable truths about the people she holds dear. Lucy's determination to uncover the reality behind the photograph thrusts her into a dangerous game of deception and betrayal, where the consequences of unearthing the truth could be devastating.

"The Couple in the Photo" is more than just a mystery—it's a thought-provoking exploration of human nature, vulnerability, and the intricate dynamics of friendship and marriage. Cooper delves into the psyche of her characters, revealing their fears, desires, and insecurities as they grapple with the consequences of their actions. As Lucy inches closer to the heart of the mystery, readers are drawn into a world of suspense, manipulation, and moral ambiguity.

With its engaging characters and skillful narrative pacing, "The Couple in the Photo" keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eager to unravel the layers of deception and uncover the truth that lies beneath. Helen Cooper's novel is a riveting examination of the lengths people will go to protect their loved ones, even if it means confronting uncomfortable truths and facing the consequences of their choices. As Lucy's search for answers intensifies, the boundaries between loyalty and self-preservation blur, leaving readers questioning how well they truly know those closest to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. I though it was a fun and fast paced read. I enjoyed the plot and suspense. I was easily sucked into the story but felt like it ended quickly. Would be a good beach read r to devour on a long flight.

Kept me guessing the whole time. I bounced from person to person suspecting someone new each chapter. Intense!

A solid but easily predictable mystery featuring long-held secrets, devious murders, and convoluted relationships. The Couple in the Photo was a quick read and good for easy entertainment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was a very interesting concept and full of gossip, which I love. I was able to predict the outcome relatively easily, but the way they got to the outcome was full of twists and turns so I didn’t mind!

A Couple in the Photo has an interesting plot and is engaging for the most part. It's another one where the good guys are really bad and the bad guys are just kind of bad. The ending is somewhat surprising. If you like mysteries that keep you guessing and friendship stories, you'll enjoy this book.

Lucy and her husband Adam are best friends with another couple, Cora and Scott. The four of them are tight as family. But have you ever wondered how well you really know the people in your life?

I enjoyed this read, and I applaud Lucy's quest for the truth. The story starts out a bit slow, but not uncomfortably so. The plot is pretty predictable, but it was still an enjoyable read. It really makes you wonder what the people in your life are hiding! 😂

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Helen Cooper is a new to me author. But wow am I excited to check out her back list. Lucy's search for the truth is very engaging.