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.

The first half of this book was a little slower for me but the second half was a bit more lively. It failed to capture my attention for a while and I struggled through it, but the ending did tie up nicely.

Lucy and her husband, Adam, have been best friends with Cora and Scott for years. Adam, Cora and Scott have been friends since college and now they do everything together from vacation to owing a rental house. When Lucy sees Sott with another woman on vacation in Maldives, she isn’t sure what to do.

Lucy is determined to protect Cora but when she learns the woman in the photo has gone missing, she keeps digging and uncovering secrets. When the woman ends up dead, she knows she can’t give up. The more Lucy digs, the more she is determined to uncover the truth, but what are the consequences?

This is one of those books where you know who the culprit is right from the beginning but you keep reading because you want to know all the details. I don’t really care that I figured this one out right away, I kept reading because the details seemed like a good read, and I wasn’t disappointed. I did pause around the 25% mark or so, and checked some reviews to see if the plot picked up as it was a little slow. Thankfully I found out that it did, and almost immediately after picking it back up things took off and didn’t stop until the end. I loved finding out all the pieces of this story and how they all fit into the puzzle. This was a really entertaining story, and I had a really good time with it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Penguin Group Putnam, and Netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great book. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Highly recommend!

Lucy and her husband, Adam, have been best friends with another couple, Cora and Scott, for years. The four are practically family at this point—they vacation together, co-own a beach cottage, and their young children are inseparable. So Lucy is devastated when, while looking at a colleague’s photos of a trip to the Maldives, she spots a picture of Scott, apparently on a luxurious holiday with another woman.
Lucy is determined to protect her best friend from her husband’s seeming infidelity, but when she learns that the woman in the photo has gone missing, she can’t help but fear that Scott was involved. As she searches for answers, she uncovers secrets about her friends and her own husband that could destroy the wonderful lives they have built…and she suspects that everybody around her knows much more about the missing woman than they are letting on. Is Lucy actually the one most in the dark? If so, what are the consequences of discovering the truth?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"The Couple In The Photo" by Helen Cooper was an addictive page turner with lots of twists & secrets.
It held my interest throughout the story.
I would definitely read another book by Ms. Cooper.

4.5. I was sucked into this book in the first chapter! It was such a great opening. A co-worker is showing honeymoon photos from the Maldives when Lucy believes she recognizes her husband’s best friend in a photo with a woman who is not his wife. Lucy is sure that the woman in the photo is the one that then goes missing. She tells her husband but he doesn’t believe any of it. These are their best friends so now Lucy tries to figure out if these people in the photo really is husband’s best friend or not. Sooooo good. Is she being gaslighted? Is she wrong? Who can she trust?

I really like Lucy’s character. The author portrayed her as a smart woman trying to figure out what the heck is going in between her husband and their best friends.

Preorder this book. Ask your library to order it. You’ll love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Cooper and G.P. Putnams Sons for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley.

Lucy and her husband, Adam, share a close friendship with another couple, Cora and Scott. These four friends are practically family, sharing vacations, co-owning a beach cottage, and watching their young children grow up together. However, Lucy's world is shattered when she comes across a photo of Scott on a luxurious trip with another woman, during a colleague's presentation on the Maldives.

Lucy is determined to shield her best friend, Cora, from the potential infidelity, but her concern deepens when she learns that the woman in the photograph has gone missing. This leads her to suspect Scott's involvement in the disappearance. As she embarks on a quest for answers, Lucy uncovers hidden truths about her friends and even her own husband, secrets that have the power to unravel the lives they've so carefully built.

Amid her investigation, Lucy begins to suspect that everyone around her holds knowledge about the missing woman, knowledge they are keeping hidden. The narrative raises questions about the consequences of unearthing the truth, and whether Lucy, the one seemingly in the dark, will pay a price for discovering the secrets that lie beneath the surface.

This book was an intriguing exploration of complex family dynamics and the way relationships can unravel under the weight of shocking revelations. I found myself questioning how I would react if I were in Lucy's shoes, faced with an overwhelming amount of information and difficult decisions. The author masterfully conveyed the initial closeness of the family, and it was fascinating to see how this bond slowly disintegrated as the story unfolded.

Scott was a character who left me on edge throughout the book. He exuded a sense of unpredictability and cagey behavior that kept me guessing about his true nature and what he might do next. In contrast, Cora seemed to have it together the most within the group. However, the character who intrigued me the most was Adam. His interactions with Lucy raised questions about the authenticity of their relationship right from the start, and I found myself constantly reevaluating their connection.

This was an entertaining, fast paced, but pretty predictable read. This was written in the third person, which at times was rather annoying and took away from the story at times. The friendship and overall dynamic between the two couples was interesting, but I found Lucy's obsessiveness to be creepy at times. This was intriguing, but did feel like a soap opera.

My thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me this arc.

A picture does not always represent what it may appear to. That's what Lucy Taylor finds out the hard way about her best friend Cora s husband Scott.

I DID like this book. It was a page turner with lots of twists and held my interest to keep reading. SO many secrets! My issues with this, I found Lucy a big annoying busy body. I found the end a bit messy not knowing what to believe. All in all not a bad book.

Thank you #NetGalley and # PENGUINGROUPPutnam and #G.P.Putnam'sSons for letting me read this book early.I was not on the edge of my seat but the story held my interest. Great plot twist that I was not expecting.

This was a super fun story full of twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole book and did not see the end coming. Great character build up and taut storytelling combined in a great mystery read for the Fall.
I can't say too much without giving away spoilers but I definitely recommend this thriller where everyone seemingly has a secret to hide from Lucy. Who should she trust?

I love Helen Cooper’s books! After reading the Neighbor Upstairs, I was excited to read this one! And reading this one has me looking for others by her, because I was hooked from the start. I was trying to figure out the mystery & put the pieces together before they were revealed. I cared about the characters and the storyline was different than many others in the genre. It’s definite top pick for readers who enjoy thrillers!