This novel was very fast-paced and told in first person narrative with twists I did not see coming. One issue with this novel is that I had a few questions as some things were left unanswered, but this was still a great story. If you’re looking for a delightful thriller, then I hope you grab yourself a copy of this one TODAY!

What an exciting sounding synopsis! Unfortunately, the actual book was a major letdown. The story was all over the place and really messy. There was way too much going on. I think it would have been a better story if the author focused on fewer things. It was overall confusing and repetitive.

The title also made no sense. Other than the main character being a therapist, the "marriage counsellor" aspect did not tie into the story at all. Very confused by this title choice. I think this is something that should have been caught during the edits. I think the entire book could use some major editing.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. A little hard to get into at first and it dragged in parts but overall a great book! I did not see the twist at the end coming at all!

Dea Poirier continues to amaze me with her ability to draw readers into to the characters in order to level up the emotional and physical dangers in her book. The Marriage Counselor is just another example of her stellar skill.

Reminded me of other marriage counseling books that are on the market at this time. This like some
Seem to be a similar topic. However the author did a good job executing hers in a lot of ways.

This one had me hooked from the beginning; I was dying from the suspense. I think all this could happen but partly it felt a bit out there. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the novel though.

A deadly obsession. A marriage counselor and I was completely addicted.
The characters have secrets and tell lies so you don't know what to believe.

Adele is a marriage counselor with famous parents. Usually she helps other couples but now her own marriage is in trouble. Her husband Patrick disappears, he never told his work that Adele existed and he has apparently been on vacation for the past two weeks. Where and why has he gone?
The Marriage Counselor is a psychological thriller set in America.
Adele knows her own marriage isn't perfect but nothing prepares her for the events that ensue when her husband goes missing. The police officer that comes to inform her of the disappearance is her first love but she isn't sure if she can trust him. She secretly starts to investigate her husband and makes some shocking discoveries: did she know him at all?! Meanwhile the press gets hold of allegations against her celebrity therapist parents leading Adele to reflect on secrets from the past.
There are a lot of threads to unpick in this book with personal and professional angles for Adele, Patrick and her parents. Events move quite quickly as the truth for these various aspects start to be revealed. I wanted to know the truth almost as much as Adele!
The book is written from Adele's first person perspective which allows us to understand her confusion and gradual realisation of the truth about her husband and relationship. Adele seems to be very much a victim at first as Patrick is portrayed as an awful man and she is blamed for her parents' actions. There are lotsof twists even on the final page...
The Marriage Counselor is an intriguing thriller about love and lies.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Marriage Counselor by Dea Poirier from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was hoping to love this book but found it to be a bit confusing and I had a hard time staying focused to see what was finally going to happen. I unfortunately didn't love this one.

A gripping read that gave me chills and left me on the edge of my seat. IU was kept guessing all the way through

This book jumps around so please make sure you are paying attention.

One would think a counselor/marriage counselor lives a great life. No issues because they are a therapist. WRONG

Adele's husband, Patrick, is missing. Her ex-boyfriend Cameron is on the case. Adele uncovers many things about Patrick and realizes he is living a double life. Lots of twists and turns in this book. Make sure you pay attention.

A domestic psych thriller that kept me invested but was a little on the dramatic side of the line. Readers who are okay with "over-the-top" thrillers and can suspend disbelief may enjoy this curvy mystery.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Unfortunately this book was a little too unrealistic for me. It was predictable and I like a book that I dont know whats going to happen.

This is told from the singke pov of marriage Counsellor Adele who start living hwr own tragedy when her husband Patrick goes missing.
Full of twists and turns and red herrings this take a while to get you hooked but hooked it does. The back story of adele is hinted at various points. I would like to have read more about her parents death. This was vitual to the plot but was just too matter of fact for me.
The unravel at tines was a bit far fetched for me but kept me hooked and the ending was spot on. Thanks to net gallery and publisher for arc This is a solid 4.5 so 4 . Good read definitely worth your time

This was an ok read for me! A little over the top in some scenarios, but I was a little intrigued to see what was going to happen at the end!

"YOU TRUST HER WITH YOUR DARKEST SECRETS. YOU SHOULDN'T"
...

Oh my gosh! My reading schedule could never be complete without a good psychological thriller on the horizon somewhere. However, there are psychological thrillers and then there are psychological thrillers like 'The Marriage Counselor', which held me in thrall from the very first page to that very final word, then still left me gripping the edge of my seat for dear life, even though I knew it was all over - well, for me at least, although I'm not quite sure about Adele's future!

Let me try and explain..
...

Adele is a marriage counselor, the daughter of a couple of very successful daytime television counselors (picture Jerry Springer meets Ricki Lake), but who were tragically killed in a car crash when Adele was a young child. She was moved away from her native Orlando, Florida, to be cared for by relatives across State in Naples. She has however, kept in touch with her best friend from school, Tara and there are no secrets between them! Now back living in Orlando, Adele has been married for seven years to Patrick, although relations between them have rather soured in recent times and Adele suspects that Patrick might be planning for a future without her.

When Patrick goes missing from work, his employer contacts the police, as they have no record of a next of kin on file and no idea that he was ever married. There are also some large amounts of company financial anomalies, which come to light at around the same time as his disappearance and which need investigating. Adele has no idea that Patrick hasn't been going to work, or that to all intents and purposes, out of the house, she doesn't exist in his world. The investigating officer is Cameron, Adele's long-term ex boyfriend, who never wanted their relationship to end, hasn't ever got over Adele and has never married or had a long-term relationship during the intervening years.

Adele finds it really difficult to be heartbroken and worried by Patrick's disappearance, when she discovers the full horrors of the financial mess he has left her in and about the many double lives, as a scheming philanderer, scammer and double-crossing business partner, he seems to have been living. Adele's problems only multiply exponentially, when the case hits the headline news and her own business also begins to suffer. Then, from out of the blue, allegations about the honesty and authenticity of her parents show and the way in which they had died, only adds fuel to the flames and she quickly finds her whole life crumbling around her. It appears that she can trust no one except Tara, but when she too is removed from the equation, where else and to whom, can she turn?

The only person she seems able to depend on to fight her corner and offer her a shoulder to cry on, is Cameron..

So far, so good! But now events take one strange turn after another and reality never returns again to what I had thought was going to be a straightforward storyline.

Just remember, "you can't con a conman!"
...

Wow! This creepy, multi-layered, well-paced storyline certainly packed a punch, with a body count I lost track of, so freely were they added. Nothing was quite as it seemed and there were more twists and turns than you could shake a stick at, which kept me on my toes from beginning to end, complicating the tangled web of lies and secrets which overlaid everything. And yes, whilst I might have worked out a couple of the many denouements for myself and one was revealed during the course of the story, the aura of apprehension and tension was still unbearable throughout, with the final gut-punch finale flooring me completely. Just don’t assume anything is over, until it’s over!

At times, it was difficult to tell who was the most controlling or coercive in the relationship between Patrick and Adele, as with their combined inherently cynical, duplicitous traits and many secrets, both had a veritable catalogue of disgruntled friends and colleagues who bore them ill will and held grudges against them. Although, as the story was only told from a single point of view, that of Adele herself, the narration by default was rather biased. In fact, they rather deserved one another in many respects and did Adele get her 'just desserts' in the end? I'll leave that one for you to decide, although I know how I feel about it.

Surprisingly and quite unusually, despite their being well defined and fleshed out, I couldn't name any single character with whom I felt any real empathy or connection. I found them simply too manipulative and malevolent to be in any way compelling or with any depth I could invest in. It was always the thought of which of them was least unlikable, but even that was a bit too much of a stretch for my imagination. Definitely never fall for a man in uniform (she says having been married to one for over forty years)!

As an avid 'armchair traveller', this storyline probably didn't quite tick all the boxes in the location stakes. However, there was enough general sense of time and place to keep me happy, with the fact that it was set in Orlando, Florida, a place I have visited on so many occasions, a real added bonus.

Given that one or two events seemed just a little too contrived to be viable and I rather needed to suspend belief to get past them, I believe that four stars is probably a fair assessment. Would I read this author again, you bet!

This book was really good from start to finish. It was filled with tension and was fast paced enough to keep up with. The storyline was a bit unbelievable but in a fun, insane way. That ending was definitely not one that I saw coming and was pleasantly surprised. First book from this author and will read more by her and recommend this to others.

THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR By Dea Poirier

Working as a marriage counselor I’m used to the tragedies that come out of nowhere. People trust me to help them through life’s big moments. The things that leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the person you love the most.
But I never thought trouble would land on my own doorstep.
As I start to piece together our last conversation desperate for any clues I can find, the cop standing in front of me reveals that my husband never told his co-workers he was married. He was seemingly living a double life right in front of me.

😊What i liked -

✔ Psychological Thriller/Mystery.
✔ I kind of liked the plot and the story.
✔ Few of the twists, especially the end, were surprising.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ Okay I did not like any of the characters.
✔ Even though I liked the story, it kind of lost its way.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
🕵Psychological Thriller Lovers


📈My Rating : 3/5


Thank you, Dea Poirier and Bookouture , for a copy.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
This is my first title by this author and will read more in the future.
I requested this book as i was drawn in by the cover and thought it looked interesting.
Will recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller.
This has been perfectly paced and filled with tension. This is a book that definitely didn’t disappoint. I have loved this from start to finish.
Thanks again for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars