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jordanc810's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was good but I didn't love it. I can't exactly put my finger on why, but this didn't feel as good as some of Hendricks & Pekkanen's book. It kind of fell flat.
I think expecting something to happen the whole book...I wasn't surprised at all when it did happen. Maybe too much of the book was given away by the title and synopsis. I'm not sure...but it just didn't work well.
I think expecting something to happen the whole book...I wasn't surprised at all when it did happen. Maybe too much of the book was given away by the title and synopsis. I'm not sure...but it just didn't work well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Stalking
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
So this book is about a therapist who's lost her license and now she treats her patients with out-of-the-box methods, because she can, and somehow no one steps in to question her ethics. Literally, not a single person in this entire book stops for one second to say, "this isn't ethical." Right off the bat, it's asking me to suspend a little too much of my disbelief.
So much of this book hinges on you being patient with mediocre writing, hollow characters, twists that make absolutely no sense with very little evidence throughout the book to support it, and for you to keep track of a bunch of side characters that add little to the story as a whole. Not to mention, by the time I was less than halfway through, I was already so tired of reading about these privileged WASPs - literally characters with lineage dating back to the Mayflower. I just stopped caring, but I *did* want to know if my theories were correct, because I am a freak who is obsessed with being right.
I can't say this is a complete dud - the book did have its moments that were genuinely creepy, and where I thought that Avery, the therapist, was sort of interesting. I enjoyed her chapters because at least they didn't feel as hollow as the chapters that followed Marissa, her client and one half of "the golden couple" in question. I also enjoyed her dog, he was adorable. I also thought that one of the scenes toward the end was very chilling, but it quickly became cringey and far-fetched, so it didn't really amount to much. Though I did enjoy Avery at times, it became increasingly hard to believe that she is as smart as these authors want to pretend she is.
All of this said, for once, I didn't call the ending of a thriller, which I enjoy, usually...except...I only didn't guess this ending because it made no sense in any realm.
So much of this book hinges on you being patient with mediocre writing, hollow characters, twists that make absolutely no sense with very little evidence throughout the book to support it, and for you to keep track of a bunch of side characters that add little to the story as a whole. Not to mention, by the time I was less than halfway through, I was already so tired of reading about these privileged WASPs - literally characters with lineage dating back to the Mayflower. I just stopped caring, but I *did* want to know if my theories were correct, because I am a freak who is obsessed with being right.
I can't say this is a complete dud - the book did have its moments that were genuinely creepy, and where I thought that Avery, the therapist, was sort of interesting. I enjoyed her chapters because at least they didn't feel as hollow as the chapters that followed Marissa, her client and one half of "the golden couple" in question. I also enjoyed her dog, he was adorable. I also thought that one of the scenes toward the end was very chilling, but it quickly became cringey and far-fetched, so it didn't really amount to much. Though I did enjoy Avery at times, it became increasingly hard to believe that she is as smart as these authors want to pretend she is.
All of this said, for once, I didn't call the ending of a thriller, which I enjoy, usually...except...I only didn't guess this ending because it made no sense in any realm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is my first Hendricks/Pekkanen book and it was a pretty solid domestic thriller!
The writing was gripping and the short chapters helped moved the story along, even when I found some parts of the plot dragging a little. I did like the dual POVs switching between the two main female characters of the novel, the unorthodox therapist and the unfaithful wife. Overall, the web of lies and deception played out well, bringing in several minor characters to make you second guess things.
Still, the final moments and twists of the book kinda threw me off of the intrigue. It didn’t quite add up, perhaps feeling a little rushed and tired, in terms of the genre. I guess I was disappointed in the end results, but I wouldn’t say that made it a bad book. I just hoped for something else to happen.
This one was definitely all about perfect appearances, and people not being who they seem to be on the surface. Perfection often precedes secrecy.
The writing was gripping and the short chapters helped moved the story along, even when I found some parts of the plot dragging a little. I did like the dual POVs switching between the two main female characters of the novel, the unorthodox therapist and the unfaithful wife. Overall, the web of lies and deception played out well, bringing in several minor characters to make you second guess things.
Still, the final moments and twists of the book kinda threw me off of the intrigue. It didn’t quite add up, perhaps feeling a little rushed and tired, in terms of the genre. I guess I was disappointed in the end results, but I wouldn’t say that made it a bad book. I just hoped for something else to happen.
This one was definitely all about perfect appearances, and people not being who they seem to be on the surface. Perfection often precedes secrecy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
Avery Chambers practices a unique form of therapy—she only accepts clients whose problems she can fix over the course of ten well-planned sessions. When Marissa and Matthew Bishop begin seeing her to work through Marissa’s infidelity, Avery quickly realizes that the apparently golden couple may be hiding some much bigger secrets…
This was my February Book of the Month pick, and since it was my first read from the writing duo of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, I went in with no specific expectations, though I had heard good things. Happily, all the good things I heard were true, because I really enjoyed this one!
The Golden Couple is fairly fast-paced, with just the right amount of drama and action mixed in with necessary character and plot development. The characters are very well-written—I personally found each of them slightly unlikable in their own ways, but this works so well for the story that I consider it a strength, not a weakness—and the main plot twist was perfectly teased without being obvious. I guessed at some aspects of the final reveals around halfway through, but other details remained a mystery right up until the end, which is the balance I’m always hoping for from a thriller!
In short, this was a really fun read, and while it was my first Hendricks/Pekkanen novel, it definitely won’t be my last.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: domestic thrillers; complex marriages; books about therapy.
CW: Death/murder; sexual assault (implied + not described or depicted); infidelity; terminal illness; infertility.
Avery Chambers practices a unique form of therapy—she only accepts clients whose problems she can fix over the course of ten well-planned sessions. When Marissa and Matthew Bishop begin seeing her to work through Marissa’s infidelity, Avery quickly realizes that the apparently golden couple may be hiding some much bigger secrets…
This was my February Book of the Month pick, and since it was my first read from the writing duo of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, I went in with no specific expectations, though I had heard good things. Happily, all the good things I heard were true, because I really enjoyed this one!
The Golden Couple is fairly fast-paced, with just the right amount of drama and action mixed in with necessary character and plot development. The characters are very well-written—I personally found each of them slightly unlikable in their own ways, but this works so well for the story that I consider it a strength, not a weakness—and the main plot twist was perfectly teased without being obvious. I guessed at some aspects of the final reveals around halfway through, but other details remained a mystery right up until the end, which is the balance I’m always hoping for from a thriller!
In short, this was a really fun read, and while it was my first Hendricks/Pekkanen novel, it definitely won’t be my last.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: domestic thrillers; complex marriages; books about therapy.
CW: Death/murder; sexual assault (implied + not described or depicted); infidelity; terminal illness; infertility.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
kimveach's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I love psychological thrillers and this did not disappoint.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
writtenbydnicole's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, and Pregnancy