The book hooked me at the start but it just became more unrealistic and once the demons and nuns became a thing, I gave up on it and DNF
I can see how others would enjoy this, but I did not,

4.25 stars

“I think man is a fucking monster no matter what environment you put him in.”

First off thank you so much NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the chance to read The Therapist! I really enjoyed the experience (as you can tell by the rating) and am really excited to see what else S.A. Falk has in the future!

“You can’t have truth in the absence of lies just as you can’t have good without evil.”

Wow. I did not see that coming. Throughout the entire book, I was trying to wrack my brain of who the killer is (no spoilers of course!). I won’t go too much into the twist (I mean there’s always a twist with these books so not technically a spoiler) because as I wrote, I don’t want to spoil anyone who reads this review before they read The Therapist.

“Evil is simply the consequence of human fragility when put under the pressure of extreme circumstances. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I liked the main character. I really felt for her and it was interesting to see her interactions with Trent Davis. He views things in a way I don’t believe a lot of people do, but a lot of what he says speaks to me in some way. I’m not sure if I remember them being really messed up or not but they did stick out to me. Stephanie is very good at what she does and it was interesting to see how she handled a man like Trent.

“Psychosis is the catalyst of my enlightenment.”

I’m going to admit, I saw the romance coming, but I was kinda disappointed. There really didn’t have to be a romance, but with the main character’s trauma, I guess I see why there kind of had to be. I don’t believe the romance fleshed out well. It was too sudden I believe. Like okay, it took me a while to understand that the love interest was indeed the love interest, but in the way I read it, it felt so random and thrown in. Like again I understand why there was a romance, but it really felt like the romance was thrown in as an afterthought. I don’t know, could be just me.

“I expect the worst from people and they always live up to that.”

There were a lot of things that I liked about The Therapist. The pacing was good! I can see how some people might see it as slow but I think the pacing was perfect for a story like this. I also really believe that S. A. Falk presented the characters the way they meant to. I mean obviously that is what every author strives for, but the feelings I had for each character? I believe the twist really got me. I did not see it coming. I will admit though that I’m still a little confused on how it was possible though.

“People would rather choke to death on a lie than digest the truth.”

All in all, I enjoyed reading The Therapist and really will recommend to everyone and anyone who reads this. You are in for a ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review! :) Super quick and easy domestic thriller that actually was a lot of fun to read! The MC could probably use a therapist though!!!

So, this was a really suspenseful book. It's definitely one that is a little on the darker side. The ending was rushed, and I would have liked more details of why it was who it was. I did guess the twist, but nowadays, it's hard not to guess the twist in any book. It's worth a read. This is the second book I've read by the same author, and I recommend both.
I did receive this as an ARC from Netgalley, but these opinions are my own.

Easy read overall straightforward and easy to follow. For a thriller read there was enough mystery and suspense without being overly convulded

I wasn’t hooked at the beginning but it did get more intriguing as it went on. Dr. Steph Fletcher is a psychiatrist in a hospital for the criminally insane and becomes obsessed with a patient, Trent Davis, known as the vampire killer. As she tries to get into his mind, she gets more and more involved with the murders and joins with a detective to find his copycat killer, who is now following in his footsteps.
A good psychological thriller with a great twist but I felt it had more to give and didn’t have me picking it up at every opportunity. Worth a read though. 4 ⭐️

Well I didn't see that coming I guessed all the other possible endings ! I even suspected her dead Therapist wasn't actually dead and was a serial Killer.

Well written suspenseful novel that kept me intrigued the entire time, very grateful to have received an ARC of this 😍

The Therapist by S.A. Falk was an amazing read. This was a real page turner. I was hooked from the very beginning. The Trent character was very creepy but necessary to build the story. The doctor was very compassionate and dedicated to helping a population that most misjudge and overlook. The chemistry between the doctor and the detective was unexpected and very nice. I sort of wished that there could have been more between them however with the plot twist that I absolutely never saw coming, I guess it made sense that nothing more came from their relationship. When it came to the end all I could say was “wow” . I had to read it twice. I normally can guess the ending of most books but not in this instance.This could/should become a movie. Very descriptive and truly well written. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC.

I love a book full of twists, especially ones I don't predict. Really found myself intrigued and invested in this book.

The Therapist kind of gave me Hannibal vibes! Great book with quite the surprising ending!!

Dr. Stephanie Fletcher works at a state psychiatric hospital, and has a new patient, Trent Davis. Trent has a dark mind and has some terrible crimes under his belt. Stephanie is trying to figure Trent out, and while doing so, there is a copycat killer that is now killing and mirroring some of the things that Trent Davis did. Who is this copycat killer? Stephanie starts to get involved with the police to attempt to help on the case. From there, things start turning. And what happens, will truly surprise you!

Im conflicted with this book. I enjoyed it but I didnt love it. We follow the story of a Therapist (shock!) who is treating a high profile serial killer and theres a few twists and turns along the way. I didnt see the big twist coming but then I never do so thats no shock. Like I say, I liked it but I didnt love it.

I just reviewed The Therapist by S. A. Falk. #TheTherapist #NetGalley

This is one of the darkest thrillers I have read in a long time, it had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn’t stop reading. The twists and turns in this story were constant and so shocking. When I reading the last few chapters I thought I knew what had happened but I was wrong. I think the ending was written perfectly because every reader can reach their own conclusion if it’s the truth or not.

Ok this was very gripping i didn't want too put it down the ending really shocked me i wasn't expecting it at all and i'm a ittle confused by it - it was definately an interesting read.

This was an interesting read focused on a psychiatrist named Steph who works for the Dept of Corrections and takes on a new inmate named Trent who is a famous singer turned serial killer. While Steph is trying to earn trust with Trent and determine if he is fit to stand trial, copycat murders start happening, amping up the need to figure out what Trent knows and how to get him to help.

The dynamic between Steph and Trent was interesting, though some of their conversations read as stilted (e.g., lack of contractions used in many sentences that made me wonder if the book had been translated from another language, though I investigated and it was not), which made the interactions seem somewhat unnatural. Though I liked the dynamic between Steph and the detective, I didn't see any way in real life that she would have been able to get that involved in the investigation (and even questioned if she would've been able to get the job she had based on mental health issues that were caused by childhood abuse). That being said, I enjoyed the cat and mouse game in trying to figure out who the copycat killer was and I appreciated that no one appeared to be off-limits as to who would be killed next. The twist was really well done- I had come up with that as a potential conclusion myself but it seemed so out there that I dismissed it, so was glad to see that's what ended up happening. The end of the book was abrupt and while I got what the author was going for, I wished for more.

Overall, I am fascinated by getting into the minds of serial killers and also trying to solve mysteries, so I did enjoy the book, though I had to suspend my disbelief at many of the situations depicted. I would give it 3.5 stars, rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dr Stephanie Fletcher is a psychiatrist who is assigned to work with Trent Davis, a rock star who has been deemed criminally insane after murdering several women in horrific ways.

Whilst Dr Fletcher is trying to help Trent to control his hallucinations, another woman is killed in very similar circumstances causing the Police to declare a copycat at large.
Dr Fletcher works with the Police to try and work out the identity of the copycat and prevent further murders but when it looks like she may be the next victim the copycat has their sights on she has to find them before they get to her.

I find anything about forensic psychology fascinating so loved the plot of this book, as well as trying the help Trent exercise his demons, the main character of Dr Fletcher is also trying to exercise her own. I love the inclusion of her backstory which adds to the overall plot. Trent is a very creepy killer so it adds an extra dimension to the usual serial killer story.

I enjoyed this book and would have given it 4 stars but I felt like it ended a bit abruptly and I was left wanting more, that was the only reason I have marked it down.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚝
𝚂. 𝙰. 𝙵𝚊𝚕𝚔
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟸𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m a therapist, so of course, the title of this book is what initially caught my eye! Dr. Fletcher, our main character is assigned a new patient, Trent Davis (and Larua), a serial killer. All is well until a copycat comes into the picture. Que the twists and turns. Dr. Fletcher and Detective Navarro must figure out who this copycat is before anyone else gets hurt. Who is this copycat and where are they hiding?! No spoilers here!

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲!

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵.

𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘴. 𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵…

I enjoyed this book, slow to start with a good twist however I did figure it out beforehand. I would recommend this as a quick easy read for a beginner in this genre.

Steph is a psychiatrist working in the penal system in California and is treating a serial killer who has committed cannibalistic crimes. He is a victim of child abuse. The book, told from the point of view of Steph, describes the cat and mouse nature of her therapy sessions with Trent, the killer as well as her own investigations into his background. There are also short chapters written by the current copycat killer. The book mostly documents mental illness. The crimes are quite sickening because of the cannibalistic element and I did start to predict the ending, rightly, as I progressed with the book.
Shortish chapters, not too much suspense, but a couple of twists in the plot . The book has left me with a dissatisfied feeling . I liked the exploration of abuse and the long lasting effect it can have on a person, Steph's obsession with Trent did not ring true from the off though and the middle of the book lost it's way a little for me.
An OK read, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I was immediately intrigued by the synopsis. This book gave me vibes from the Mindhunter show and the movies Seven and Silence of the Lambs. The story would make for a thrilling movie! ⁣
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It felt a little slow in the beginning but then it turned into fast paced thriller. I was hoping for some shocking plot twists but I figured out who the copycat killer was in the first quarter of the book so it was a little predictable for me. However, I was still excited to see how it turned out and why. This book had a lot of hard to digest, disturbing, and traumatic parts which added to the sinister ambiance. ⁣
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC that was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The Therapist by S. A. Falk is a psychological thriller that is wickedly good fun with a twist at the end that will leave you reeling!

. This story follows a psychiatrist and criminologist who, on their first day back at work after a period of grief, encounters a new patient whose case is far from ordinary. As the story unfolds, the protagonist is drawn into a complex web of deceit, manipulation, and psychological warfare that challenges their professional acumen and personal boundaries.

Falk’s writing is sharp and incisive, crafting a world where every character is meticulously developed, and each interaction is loaded with potential significance. The pacing of the novel is masterful, with Falk knowing precisely when to ratchet up the tension and when to give the reader room to breathe and reflect.

The twist in The Therapist is deeply rooted in the characters’ psyches and the novel’s thematic concerns. It’s a twist that recontextualizes everything that has come before it, forcing the reader to reconsider their assumptions and the clues sprinkled throughout the narrative.

What sets this book apart is its exploration of the human mind. Falk delves into the complexities of mental health, trauma, and the ethical dilemmas faced by those in the psychiatric field. The book doesn’t just entertain; it also poses profound questions about the nature of therapy, the boundaries of professional relationships, and the capacity for change within individuals.

The Therapist is a standout addition to the thriller genre.