The Marriage Counselor by Dea Poirier

Published: April 24, 2023
Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 270
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Author Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts, and the bestselling thriller FIND ME IN THE DARK. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp.

“Someone is messing with me.”

Adele is the only child of two successful television counselors, who died tragically. She’s always had a bit of fame helping her throughout her career. When her husband disappears, Adele starts learning a lot of truth. Some she was prepared for, and some the leaves her speechless.

OH. MY. STARS. This was a fast pace thriller that hit the ground running. The intensity starts at an eight and only escalates as you turn the pages.

I had conflicting feelings regarding Adele. I wanted to like her; she’s intelligent, capable, and strong. But she is also secretive and not always very friendly.

The way this plot fell apart, came together, collapsed, then imploded was brilliant—very Gone Girl. The twists will smack you in the face and leave you speechless.

The last half of this book gave me whiplash, but the final chapter- wow! There was no predicting anything within this novel. The ride is wild! All I’ll say is this: hold on tight.

Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
The Marriage Counselor
Author: Dea Poirier
Pub date: 4/24/2023
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers/Gen. Fiction Adult

Adele is a thriving psychologist specializing in marriage counseling just like her deceased parents were. Her parents died tragically when she was a teenager. Her own marriage isn’t going so well. Then her husband, Patrick, goes missing and the detective is none other than her ex boyfriend, Cameron.

There’s many plot twists and turns, some of which were a bit confusing with all of the characters involved. Adele’s best friend, Patrick’s ex business partner, and her assistant are all tied into this intricate story.

I will say the ending was a bit abrupt for me and different than I’d hoped. Overall, the writing was good with a lot of detail. I wanted to like Adele and a few others but by the end there were no redeeming qualities. I will read another book by this author.

Thank you
@netgalley @bookouture and @deapoirier for an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#bookouture #mystery #thriller #fiction #generaladultfiction
#netgalley
#reviewer #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer

Firstly, thank you for NetGalley for a free copy in return for my honest review.


I had such high hopes but unfortunately The Marriage Counselor was a let down. Not only did I feel that the story was quite convoluted but then there was the addition of an unnecessary storyline.

The idea of the book is great however it just wasn’t executed very well. Surprisingly, the best part of the book was the epilogue. The plot was all over the place and some of the plot points were not need, didn’t make sense or were never explained.

I am sure others will enjoy this book but it wasn’t for me.

My jaw is still on the floor from all of the twists and turns in this book. From the first page this book had me hooked. It was non stop, I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what happened next. There may have been some expletives spoken aloud while reading this too. It’s nuts. Such a great psychological thriller, probably the best I’ve read in a while.

Thank you NetGalley, Dea Poirier, and Bookouture for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Marriage Counselor.

The description sounded intriguing, but the plot was way too all over the place to truly enjoy it. The main character was hard to like. Plot points were thrown in that either didn't make sense or were never resolved. There were also a few typos.

This book had me gripped throughout and I was eager for the big reveal at the end. I spent the entire story struggling to figure out how all the subplots would come together and I really enjoyed this. Unfortunately, the ending was disappointing as it felt rushed and I felt let down. I was left with many questions unanswered and I couldn't see the reasons behind many major parts of the book. It felt like random characters were suddenly introduced, with little reason behind them. I have given this book two stars as I did enjoy the style of writing and I was intrigued throughout. I am sure others will enjoy but for me, the outcome of the book was a huge let down and felt forced.

"A good lie can change the world, a life, someone's fate."

I feel like I predicted the first twist of the book quickly. I loved how fast paced the first part of the book was. It started to get confusing though from the middle to end. The last twist surprised me a little, but almost also seemed obvious? I did have fun reading it, but it was just okay for me.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for review!**

I thought this book started a little slow, but once the twists started I couldn't put it down. I thought I had it all figured out (with all the twists) until the end. I did not see that coming!! Such a good ending!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the copy to review.

I honestly don't know where to start with my review. The book had such high hopes from the blurb. The book follows Adele the main character as she discovers her husband Patrick is missing and all the lies he's hidden from her.

What then happens is nothing short of a car crash. I honestly don't have a clue what happened most of the way through the story. Lots of characters and killings but no real explanation or linking to the story. It had the potential to be so great but I think it was lacking in detail.

That said it was a very easy and quick read. If you want something easy with lots happening and aren't too fussed about details this could be for you.

(4.5 stars)

Adele is a marriage counselor, a career she learned from her own parents. One day after a session, a police officer is at her door to tell her that her husband may be missing. His coworkers say he never came back from his two week vacation, but they didn’t know he was married and Adele has seen him leave the house every morning. Soon she finds out money is missing, and nothing about their marriage is as it seemed. Can she find her husband and get answers before the police find him?

There were so many plot twists and turns in this book, and although not all of them were explained or resolved, I still found myself frantically turning the pages to find out what happened. I read this whole book on the Kindle app on my phone because I kept wanting to read more. It reminded me of a Freida McFadden novel in the best way.

This was my first ARC (Advanced Reader Copy)! The Marriage Counselor comes out on 4/24. Thanks to @netgalley and @bookouture for the copy!

Well this sounds like fun!

A marriage counselor with problems of her own…including a missing husband!

Ok! I’m in!🙋🏻‍♀

A knock on the door will change Adele’s life forever. Her ex-boyfriend Cameron, now a policeman, is doing a welfare check on a man named Patrick. Cameron is stunned to find Adel at the home, unaware Patrick was married and apparently keeping Adele a secret from everyone in his life. Huh?

Meanwhile, someone is out to trash Adele's reputation and that of her parents who were celebrity therapists from the 90’s.🤪

Never mind! I’m out!🤦🏻‍♀️

I honestly don’t know what to say. This book was all over the place. My brain hurts. Felt like I was herding cats trying to piece it all together. Bodies piling up at breakneck speed! My only thought was at this rate this story has to end soon as there won’t be any characters left! I’m still a bit baffled by it all.

Wasn’t a good fit for me. I hope you have better luck🤞

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture

When Adele told her husband didn’t show up for work and that he’s missing and oh yes his work also thought he been on vacation for two weeks, she is appalled and disappointed and worried about how this will affect her own job as a marriage counselor but little does Adele know she has lots more to worry about. Years ago her parents died in a fiery car crash that may not of been the accident they want thought. They were popular TV show hosts it is now coming out that they may have lied about DNA test and other life-changing events that caused negative things to happen in the week but why is all this coming out right after her husband goes missing? Adele is at her wits end and to top it all off her ex-boyfriend is the policeman who told her about it to make things even more complicated he believes she is the one who got away and when she turns to him for help he assumes they’re back together. her husband‘s ex business partner Lucas is also hounding her for money her assistant blames her for her face and name Bing or TV one of Adele‘s clients went home and killed his self and the wife is also blaming Adele it seems like the people with a growing dislike for Adele only grow. As if that’s not bad enough she’s also waking up thinking she has blood on her hands Kennerdell find out who is behind all of this and why her husband left and what he did with all the money he stole and what will she do about Cameron her love Lauren X? I found this book so very interesting and although I didn’t think it was executed the best way it could’ve been as I found many mistakes in the book I still wanted to see how it ended I listen to the audiobook and although I found the narrator had a great voice sometimes instead of reading it as a thriller it almost sounded like she was trying to sound sexy which threw me off but for the most part I think she did an OK job. I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it as I said there’s a couple of things better contradictory but they are small things like she had her cell phone but then they found the cell phone on the nightstand with the note on top of it so it’s not things that skew the plot in anyway and it’s such a great plot! I received this book from NetGalley and Bookoucher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Review: The marriage counsellor by Dea Poirier ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book to read and review.

Publish date: 24th April
Genre: psychological thriller

Marriage counsellor, Adele’s husband goes missing and his secret life unravels. But does Adele know more than she is letting on about his disappearance? People around Adele are murdered… there is a stalker… her ex boyfriend is one of the policemen involved in the investigations… her family secrets resurface…

And quite frankly, I have no idea what really happened or why! This book left me really confused! It didn’t really feel like a psychological thriller to me and I couldn’t figure out what was happening. Even at the end, I am not sure I know who killed some of the characters or why. I don’t understand a lot of the storyline yet the big twist at the end felt obvious. The characters were quite emotionless and I didn’t like any of them.

I guess it kept me reading on so there was some suspense. But unfortunately I don’t think this was the book for me. Maybe I will read it again sometime to see if I missed something!

*review to be shared on instragram Thursday 13th

This book had a strong start for me. Sadly, it began dragging in the middle and never recovered. The twists were just okay. Rounding down to 2.5. Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC of this

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

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. 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. Days later, as I search through our home, I discover a hidden box of baby clothes that suggest my husband was starting to build the perfect life without me.

This book does not make any sense to me. The timeline, the decisions, all the conclusions everyone is jumping to. Why do all of the characters go to the extreme? There doesn’t seem to be any rational reasoning in their thinking or behavior. The author has a weird way of repeating in different words what was said in the previous sentence a lot. Repetition is not the way to make a book longer. Adele does a lot of ramping down her frustrations and not really saying anything. Her ex-boyfriend is randomly the lead on the case after not seeing him for 15 years and now she is trying to manipulate him with her therapy training to get him on her side. This book held no appeal for me whatsoever.

I was pulled in from the beginning of the book. But then it didn’t keep my interest. There are some plot twists but I feel they were very predictable.

I was so excited to read this book based on the description. It did grab me at the beginning because I was curious to read and figure what had happened to Patrick. Why would he not want anyone at work to know that he had been married for seven years?!?! I found it to be good, but at times very predictable and similar to other story lines that I have read in the past. I think that it would have been a good audio book.

I found this book disappointing on several levels. I just couldn’t get a handle on the main character Adele, She didn’t seem like a good marriage counsellor or likeable human. The plot initially revolves around the disappearance of Adeles’s husband, whom we are told is a scammer by various people, but then the story kind of careens off in an unbelievable tangent. I’ve enjoyed this author before, but this didn’t work for me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq5PuQCLaxt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

⭐️⭐️⭐️. 3/5. This book was one of those books that threw a lot of spins at you but only answered some of the questions. I feel some of the side plots could have had a little more explanation but it also made the book a quick read. Overall I enjoyed it, it definitely kept my attention and I was excited to pick it up again. The cover and title are kind of deceptive. Yes, it’s about a marriage counselor but it’s based on the issues in her life. There are mentions of her patients but it’s definitely not the main premise of the story. Thank you @netgalley for this ARC!

I really loved this book, and the ending twist was perfect. Kept me guessing until literally the last page. I love a classic domestic thriller. Though the premise of a husband going missing and the wife being involved is not new, this was done in a novel way. Loved it!!