- This was an interesting premise and certainly kept me on my toes. There were some twists I did not see coming and I found myself wanting to here what was next. While I did enjoy this thriller I felt that the writing fell a little flat. It was compared to Gone Girl and The Wife Before Me and I enjoyed those both more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start by saying that I am a counselling therapist myself. This book had absolutely zero understanding of the counselling field and how it works. The marriage counselling “sessions” that Adele ran from her home office seem more like psychic readings than any type of counselling sessions. “Reading the clients minds” is something she genuinely claims to do in her counselling. Adele even states she only went to college for one year before dropping out! To be a Psychologist (as Adele claims to be) you need at LEAST a 4 year undergraduate degree and a masters degree. This aspect of the book made things so irritating to me but I also felt like I needed to continue because I was convinced that Adele was a scam “Counsellor” and wanted to see how it played out. This was left unresolved so I am disappointed I finished the book.

The rest of the book was filled with unnecessary deaths that I still don’t really understand who did them at the end. I swear this reads like a first draft from a hobbies writer, but nope! This book was written by an author with a whole body of work. It’s like she forgot what she wrote in previous chapters before writing the next.

Do yourself a favour and skip this one. There is absolutely no pay off at the end.

What happens when a bunch of chaotic, messy people start telling lies to each other? This story is what happens. I wanted to enjoy each character’s involvement in the disappearance case, but I found them all insufferable. Maybe that was the goal…make them all possible suspects? About halfway through I had a sneaking suspicion about the actual culprit. I wish it would have kept me guessing longer.

There were also side plots that I felt were left with holes…or maybe I wasn’t paying attention well. I’d say less is more sometimes.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and author Dea Poirier for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, right from the start this book constantly kept me guessing and I didn’t know who to trust! There were many strands to the story that nicely came together and a couple of surprising twists that I didn’t see coming. I couldn’t put this book down and listened to it in one sitting, I haven’t listened to anything by this author before but I will certainly be on the look out for more of her work!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Dea Poirier for an ARC in return for an honest review.

'The Marriage Counsellor' had me on the edge of my seat - what a thrilling read.
This is a fast-paced book filled with twists and turns, it's a brilliant read!
I throughly recommend.

I had the pleasure of reading this thrilling novel and I have to say, it's a must-read! With so many twists, lies and unexpected scenarios, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. From the very first page, the pace was lightning-fast, and the intensity only escalated as I turned each page. This is a true page-turner, and I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I enjoyed the audiobook mainly because of the narrator. The narrator could capture the emotions the scene required . The book follows Adele who is a marriage counselor whose husband Patrick who disappears one day. While trying to find him she discovers more secrets about the man she fell for. This is an intriguing thriller about a missing husband and a marriage counselor .

Adele is a marriage counsellor, but when her husband does not turn up to work and the police turn up at her door, she realises the problems she helps other couples with may be a lot closer to home. Secrets will be uncovered and lies told.

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 thriller and one I would recommend.

Adele is a marriage counselor following in her famous parents footsteps. We open with Adele receiving a visit from the police (her ex boyfriend) notifying her that her husband did not show up at work that day. The strangest thing? His employers has no idea he was married. As Adel wonders where her husband might be, more and more of his secrets come to light.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fast paced, I like the narrator and also the overall length of the book.
There were twists and turns around every corner and at times it felt a little chaotic.
Most of the loose ends were tied up, but a few weren't and that took away some enjoyment for me at the end.
Overall a good read, 3.5-3.75 stars rounding up.

** ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the advanced listening copy!

Adele is used to other people's tragedies in her line of work. As a marriage counselor, she often finds herself picking apart the most tragic aspects of someone else's life and marriage. What she isn't used to, however, is betrayal on the home front. When Adele's husband, Patrick, goes missing, she is more irritated than concerned. She begins uncovering a number of big secrets Patrick was hiding from her, and opening up a wild can of worms that she could never have expected. Fortunately for Adele, Patrick wasn't the only person in this marriage keeping secrets...

This one was so close to being good, and just didn't quite get there for me. The pros: fast-paced, likeable main character, excellent narration. The cons: confusing and sometimes seemed like it jumped around, plot holes and too many almost-important characters. I listened to this one really fast and, while I enjoyed it, I had a lot of moments where I wasn't really sure what was going on. There were some definite plot holes an aspects that didn't line up that I think could have been easily avoided. Overall, not a terrible book but not going to leave a lasting impression.

I finished this on Sunday. I really enjoyed listening to this book.📕 I was hooked from the first chapter, and the narrator was amazing. I had no idea how this was going to end, and I could of never guessed. I never saw the twists and turns coming, and then that ending. 🤯 Not once did I imagine that was how the last 5 minutes would go. This in an author I will be picking up again! I gave this book 5⭐️‘s.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Marriage Counselor' by Dea Poirier.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Dea Poirier, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 24th April 2023.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Girls In The Fire' which I highly recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally addictive psychological thriller about deadly obsession and twisted lies perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Perfect Marriage, The Wife Before Me, and anything by Freida McFadden.' I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' and Freida McFadden so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Dea and if this is half as good as 'The Girls In The Fire' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Orlando, Florida, USA.

This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonist is Adele Sutton-Johansen. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.



WHAT did I just read!!!! WOW!!! I mean seriously Wow!! I was NOT expecting that lot fair play!!! This has GOT to start with a MASSIVE WELL DONE DEA!!!! Ooopps sorry, yes, needed a minute to get over that but I've just left you hanging there... Sorry.... Let me tell you more...


Firstly let's start off with the writing style, etc!! This book is an extremely well written book by this amazing author which had me hook line and sinker!!! It is so smoothly and beautifully written with vivid descriptions I completely forgot I was even reading a book a few times. The blurb, title and cover really fit the storyline. to create an absolutely explosive and addictive storyline that had me hooked from the gripping first chapter to the absolutely shocking ending!!!

Adele is a marriage counselor and is married to Patrick. They seem like the perfect couple but when Patrick goes missing Adele discovers he isn't the person she thought he was. While this is happening Adele is being questioned and abused left right and centre when complaints of what problems her parents caused as counselors start coming out of the woodwork. There's also the question of their disappearance. This is one of those books where you have absolutely no idea who is telling the truth and who can be trusted and the ending was an absolute explosive bombshell of a twist!! I found the storyline to be realistic, very fast paced and I read/listened to it in just several hours!!! I loved the setting and atmosphere and just well... Everything!!! Twists after shocks after turns!!! Its so hard to NOT say anything about them as it will give too much away and spoil it for future readers but it definitely left me speechless over and over!!! I have read hundreds of psychological books and it gets harder and harder to keep my interest and to shock me but these fantastic authors managed it hook, line and sinker Just brilliant fair play and all links in and wraps up perfectly!!! Dea weaves the storylines together perfectly and leading the readers up to some extremely explosive twists that I woiuld never have seen coming. I cannot remember the last time I flew through a book so quickly. Each and every time I went to put it down to do something my fingers were itching to pick it back up as I just HAD to know what happened next!! Dea's evocative writing skills ensure you are sucked deep into the storyline seeing everything that is happening and feeling the tension, stress and suspense that Adele is going through. My heart was in my throat throughout reading this fast paced, gripping and gritty psychological thriller! It is ram packed with lies, twists, tension, stress, suspense and everything you could ask for in a psychological thriller. It really does make you wonder who you can trust, if anyone, both in the book and reality!! I can't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers so if you want to know you'll have to grab yourself a copy!! You won't regret it!!

This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Stephanie Cannon who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Stephanie did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Dea but also to listening to more books narrated by Stephanie! I have also listened to 'The Ex Wives' by Jenna Kernan and 'My Big Fake Wedding' 1005 on audiobooks which were also narrated by Stephanie. These are both fantastic reads and Stephanie does an amazing job narrating them as well as this book so I would highly recommend any books narrated by her!


Just like with the storyline the characters come to life with Theo's fantastic writing skills. They are well rounded, realistic and strong making them all the more believable. Adele's life falls apart as she discovers that she knows nothing about her husband, is accused of abusing her patients trust, is attacked for things her parents did and so much more!! I did feel for Adele but I can't say that I trusted her 100%. However, it must be heartbreaking to find out that you have been living with someone that you know nothing about. This is one of those books that is I won't go into more details in regards to the characters as I don't want to risk giving anything away but Dea really has done an amazing job constructing an addictive and explosive psychological thriller with fantastic and varied characters that you just won't be able to put down!!


Congratulations Dea on another explosive success!!! This is exactly why you are in my favourite author club!! Here's to many more successes 🥂!!!


Clear your schedules before picking this up as you will not be able to put it down!!! "


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first two chapter of Dea's 'Find Me In The Dark' which looks just as addictive as this one and one I'm looking forward to reading myself!

Overall an absolutely page turning, addictive, gripping and explosive must read that will keep you addicted from the very start to the fantastic ending!!!


Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Women's Crime Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Domestic Thriller, Hard-Boiled Mystery, Crime, Domestic Suspense, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Crime Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Literary Fiction, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Women's Psychological Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors ,Gone Girl, The Perfect Marriage, The Wife Before Me, Freida McFadden. Miranda Smith, Sheryl Browne, Sue Watson, K.L. Slater. Nina Manning, Shalini Boland, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn and anyone looking for an explosive page turner!!!


327 pages/ 7 hours 42 minutes


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited, £7.99 in paperback and £16 for the audiobook at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews


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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you NetGalley, bookouture, and the author for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adele, a marriage counselor, that discovers her husband is missing and no one can reach him, she called to check with his friends but they never knew before that he is married, but that was the beginning. The more time passes on his disappearance the more she discovers about his lies and secrets. Adele starts questioning if she ever knew her husband well.

When I read the synopsis I was intrigued and immediately wanted to read this and I was so excited when I got the audiobook and the ebook of this. I was in my own world while reading and listening to the book at the same time. I was intrigued throughout the whole book because I wanted to know what was happening.

Adele was an unlikeable character, I actually wanted to like her but it didn’t work. And Emma, omg! She was sooo frustrating, I don’t recall a time I hated a character when they started talking as much as I did with Emma(Adele’s assistant). Actually, none of the characters were likable

It was an enjoyable and interesting read but towards the end I felt everything was rushed and I got confused a little that I had to reread few parts.

But the twist! It was actually a surprise for me and I really enjoyed it I just wished for more. I wanted more clarification to what ACTUALLY happened. But that didn’t keep me from enjoying the plot and the audiobook narrator, Stephanie Cannon, was so good she actually helped me enjoy the book even more.

This was a very interesting listen. The story seemed quite "normal" at first, but then the twists started and it became more and more interesting. The narrator was really good too.
Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this ARC.

Where is Adele’s husband Patrick? Just as she discovers that is he missing, it appears that he has erased her from his life. The past two weeks especially have been a lie, making Adele wonder if everything about her life has been a lie. The detective handling this case is none other than Adele’s ex-boyfriend, Cameron. He is determined to find her husband.

As this story begins to unravel, it becomes clear that Patrick has had secrets. Even more, Adele may have had at least one of her own. As Adele lost her parents when she was a child, there are things about their deaths that are coming to light now. There is also a murder case, and it is curious to the police whether or not it is in any way connected to Patrick’s disappearance.

This fast-paced story was quite intriguing. The past kept colliding with the present. Everything came together in the end as the dots were connected. As I listened to this as an audiobook, I was drawn into the drama as things unfolded. This latest book by Dea Poirier had some exciting twists, none of which I saw coming.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Plot: 3.5
Ending: 3.5
Overall: 3.90

Audio: 4.0

Story: The story itself had the potential to be better. A psychiatrist who has personal issues with herself and her husband is missing. Count me in. It did have a few twists that I did not see coming, but the ending was not mind-blowing or jaw-dropping. It had initially started off strong; There were some parts I did not care for in the story that felt like it dragged. I had high hopes for this book because of the beginning. From Mid-book to the ending was okay. It didn't have enough intensity for me for my thriller liking.


Audio: I did enjoy the audio. If I had to read the book physically, I would have DNF, but the audio was better. The audio made up for the parts I did not enjoy. I listened at 1.80x perfectly fine. I am a thriller audio junkie and enjoy listening to thriller audio. This audio was better than the book itself. Recommend hearing the audio of this book.


Overall the book was decent; It was entertaining but did not have a jaw-dropping ending.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dea Poirer, and Bookouture Audio, for the audio!

Oh I really wanted to like the book. The blurb had so much promise with a really original premise; a marriage counsellor whose husband hasn’t told anyone they are married.

It started off well and it was entertaining to begin with. However, somewhere along the way it really began to grate on me because so much of it seemed implausible. I felt like Adele’s character was all over the place - at times she was shrewd and manipulative and at other times she is so naive and oblivious. Her friendships with the women in her life are strange and lack depth, as does her relationship with Cameron. There’s almost too much going on with the plot and at times it feels confusing and over complicated rather than complex and clever. I was tempted to abandon the book several times.There’s all the twists you’ll be craving from a thriller but I saw the main one at the end a mile off.

The only good think about the audiobook is the narrator who injects real life into the book with their performance.

I am sorry, I don’t feel I can recommend this book because there are so many better books in the genre, but I do appreciate the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book.

I received an advanced listening copy of The Marriage Counselor by Dea Poirier through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and here it is.
•
☆☆
•
Adele is a marriage counselor, and her husband is missing. While looking into his disappearance, she discovers that he has been lying to her, keeping things from her and stealing from her. Did he run off with a potential mistress, or did something more sinister happen?
•
This story is good, but I didn't love it. A couple of the twists did catch me off guard, but the rest of the story was quite predictable. I didn't click with the main character, and it lacked character depth that keeps me invested. I was so intrigued by this concept, but it unfortunately fell flat for me.
•
Thanks to Bookouture Audio, NetGalley, and author Dea Poirier for this ALC to honestly review.

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, missing husband, murder, infidelity

Knock knock ~ who's there? Oh it's my ex~boyfriend and cop, Cameron, looking for my husband, Patrick.
Adele doesn't seem too broken up with the news that Patrick is missing. But wait, no one knew Patrick was even married to Adele, so what other secrets might he be hiding?

People close to Adele and Patrick are turning up dead and Adele is convinced Patrick is to blame.
All of the characters were unlikable ~ especially Emma, Adele's assistant. She was super annoying and demanding ~ the narrator did a great job of giving her an annoying tone. I thought there was too much talk about Adele's famous dead parents, but it correlated fine with the story.

Overall, this was a fine, quick read/listen, but pretty predictable and not really memorable.

Narration:
Stephanie Cannon ~ 7 hours 42 minutes ~ a fine job

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"I wonder if you weigh them who would win, love or lies?"

Honestly, in the crazy psychological thriller The Marriage Counselor by twisty thriller author Dea Poitier no one really wins...well maybe the one who gets the literal last word.

Adele is a marriage counselor following in her parents footsteps who were famous TV psychologists before the car accident that took their lives. She tries to live a quiet life with her husband Patrick and private practice. Imagine her shock when ex boyfriend Cameron shows up, now a policeman, and he is just as shocked to see her. He tells her he is conducting a wellness check for Patrick. Seems he hasn't been to work and isn't answering his phone. Adele is confused why didn't his firm call her. Well it seems they didn't know he was married. What?!

As things come to light it's obvious Patrick is missing. Did he runaway or is something else at play? Why would he not tell anyone he is married? Is he a con artist or a victim...or both? No matter, Adele quickly realizes that she can't have a successful marriage counseling career if she could, "be so easily fooled by someone (she) loves?"

I figured out a lot of what was going on but narrator Stephanie Cannon had me doubting myself with her often innocent inflections for some not so innocent characters. She was as sneaky as the author!

I have to say the very end of the book was a "WTF" moment that made me smile as a lover of psychological thrillers. This is definitely a Lifetime Movies throw everything at us and see how much counseling will need afterwards. I wouldn't mind 20 minutes with Adele. If nothing else we could commiserate about ex husbands and women scorned by them.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Bookouture Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.