Helen Cooper's "The Couple in the Photo" is an emotionally charged story that tugs at the heartstrings. As the secrets of a mysterious photograph unravel, it explores love, loss, and the enduring power of human connections. With beautifully crafted characters and an evocative narrative, it's a poignant tale of love transcending time, leaving readers deeply moved and thoughtful long after the last page is turned. Couldn't put it down.

Good book. I loved the premise and the book kept me engaged most of the time. I would read books by Helen Cooper again!

This is one messed up story. Lucy never would have guessed that seeing a coworkers honeymoon photos would upend her and her closest friends lives but it’s a catalyst that puts a wild story in motion. As you get into the story more history of the characters unravels showing new deceits, old secrets, and and the culprits at the center of it. I went into this story completely blind and loved every twist and turn that came with it up until the final chapters. Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group, Putnam and Helen Cooper for this ARC.

I thought this book was really good and I was left in suspense for much of the time. It centers on Lucy, who sees a picture of one of her best friends with a woman that isn’t his wife. This leads her to questioning everything she took for granted about her close relationships.

Lucy originally got on my nerves because she was like a dog with a bone, even when others told her to back off. Once it became apparent that there was more to the story, I appreciated her approach more. There were some great twists in the story that I didn’t see coming. The end seemed like it wrapped things up awfully quickly after many other parts of the book were more of a slow burn, but I still felt satisfied with the way it all came together.

Overall, this was a good book with a unique storyline that kept me guessing. I’d recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this story entertaining. I gave it a 3.5. It was a little slow at first but once I picked up I was hooked to find out what happened!

Lucy and her husband, Adam, have been best friends Cora and Scott for years. They own a beach cottage together and are currently remodeling it. Their children are best friends and they are a family. At work, Lucy is looking at a coworker's honeymoon photo and sees Scott in a photo with another woman. She begins her own investigation and then realizes the woman in the photo with Scott is not missing. She thinks Scott is involved. She begins trying to figure out what is going on. Her Husband, Cora and Scott have known each other longer and it seems they are hiding a few things from Lucy.

I enjoyed Cooper's writing style and pace. It is a great quick read.

Two couples who are best friends with a past going back to college days, start to receive threatening emails about a secret they have tried to forget …. This book has suspense and intrigue and I did enjoy. I found it a bit hard to follow at times , but all in all it was a great 3.5 star read for me. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Penguin group Putnam for the arc read in exchange for a fair review!

Rounding up to 3.5 ⭐️

The Couple In The Photo follows two couples who have known each other since college. When a woman from their past disappears and is later found murdered, the group falls apart. The main character Lucy starts an investigation of her own to get to the bottom of what her friends know and what they’re hiding. While I enjoyed the story and was definitely not expecting some of the twists it did end up being a tad predictable. I did find the ending to be a bit long winded/drawn out. Overall, an enjoyable & cozy mystery.

THANK YOU to the author, Netgalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in return for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (3.5/5)
I’ll be honest when I started this book I had no idea where it was going to go. I thought this was going to be an island paradise murder mystery but it turned out to be a much deeper thriller about the power of friendship, past and unrequited love.

I’d say this is a fast read, and it reminds me of a book I’d pick up spontaneously on vacation and binge read on the beach. It took me awhile to catch on to the twist. Not because it was overly shocking, but because the plot of this book is very complex and takes awhile to unravel.

The POV of this book switches from the main character Lucy who is also trying to figure out her friends and husbands past secrets and the “bad guy” which is interesting but somewhat confusing at times.

This book makes you not trust the characters which I always enjoy. I like to be suspicious of everyone. The way the plot finalized, I wasn’t completely on track with who the actual culprit was but once it started unraveling it made sense and was sort of sad for the main character.

It’s not my favorite thriller I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed it and think it would be a great vacation read.

I will post this one online on the pub date to my instagram @readitwithtay

I was super excited for this book. I think it lacked the fast paced thrill but the writing was good.

You feel for Lucy in this novel— I felt like I was right there with her. I was stressed, desperate for the truth, and not trusting anyone. It was such a fun read. It was a bit wandering but I enjoy that type of inner monologue to the degree it was done in this book!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this but I feel like it took me a little while to fully get invested in it. (This seems to be a common occurrence for me lately so maybe it's just me)

I liked the main character Lucy I feel like she's one of the only characters I've seen in one of these books be like "I'm going to the cops".

I also felt like there wasn't a huge twist in this book but I actually kind of liked that. This book mostly felt like all of the mysteries slowly unfolding and I enjoyed it.

Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publishing: December 5, 2023
Series: Standalone
Pages: 368

I have read another book by Helen Cooper last year and thought it was a very enjoyable thriller. Unfortunately, “The Couple in the Photo” was way too slow for me for a thriller. At times, I caught myself skimming further along the pages to get to interesting parts. It was not until mid-third the way that it picked up. Also, the writing in third person which was a bit annoying as it took away from the story. I DNF as it became uninteresting and could not continue to capture my attention. I rarely want to give 2-stars for novels I read, but it was bit boring with unrealistic twists.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A match made in double date heaven (or so they thought), couples Lucy and Adam, and Cora and Scott, have been friends for years and are practically family. When the Lucy finds a picture of Scott with another woman on a vacation, she is devastated. Of course, Lucy's first instinct is to protect her best friend, Cora, but when the woman with Scott in the picture turns up missing, she wonders if Scott is somehow connected.

You know that saying about don't ask questions that you don't want answers for? Lucy should have thought that one through, because through her digging, she finds secrets that will upend ALL of their lives that they've worked to build.

The book started off a little but slow for me, but picked up as I kept reading. It certainly wasn't a DNF slow. I was able to predict the outcome, but with some twists along the way that I couldn't have seen coming! Once you get into it, you won't want to put it down!

Two couples, the best of friends, and a photo that could undo it all.

A tension filled, almost claustrophobic thriller that kept me turning the pages. As someone who keeps a photographic journal, the photography themes were very well done. Candid versus heavily curated photos can tell a story both fictional and nonfiction.

Though I’d figure out the twist early, watching it unfold still felt very satisfying.

This was a really enjoyable read. Not the absolute best I've ever read, but it definitely got better as a went. A solid 3.5 star read for me, but I'll round it up to a 4!

Loved it! Didn't suspect the twist. Liked the diary type sequences. Looking forward to more from this author

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. This book was so slow that I found myself skimming the pages as early at 15% and I only lasted until 40% so It's a no-go for me. I just couldn't figure out where this story was going nor did I care. This wasn't for me but other thriller lovers may love it just fine.

I received an ARC of this book from Pengiun Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

There are some chapters sprinkled in that are written from the POV of the culprit, and I did figure out who that was during in one of those first chapters. However, towards the end there were some more twists that I didn't see coming. During the book, I was definitely interested and entertained, though I think it could have been a little shorter and wrapped up sooner.

The main character Lucy is a bit annoying with her doggedness, and I found a few aspects unbelievable. But overall, it was a solid thriller and I hadn't seen this exact premise before.

The Couple In The Photo, by Helen Cooper, tells the twisted story of how quickly happy lives can fall apart. Lucy and Adam are best friends with Scott and Cora. Both couples seem to have it all, loving marriages, healthy kids, happy lives. Then just a quick look at a co-worker’s honeymoon pictures threats to destroy everything.

It starts out a little slow but the pace does pick up as the story unravels. This fast, easy read is entertaining if a bit predictable. I was able to identify the culprit early on, but was still interested in finding out how all the pieces of the puzzle would fit together. Definitely worth the read.