Whatever you think you know…You’re Wrong

“The Couple” by Sarah Mitchell is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Claire, an immigration lawyer, and her engagement to Angus. The story flips between present and five years ago to her college relationship with Daniel, and her obsession with him.

After a whirlwind relationship, Claire and Angus purchase a house from a man named Mark, who looks like an older version of Daniel. Claire begins to become infatuated with Mark which causes her to get involved in something she shouldn’t.

There were a couple of twists along the way, but the story felt disjointed at times with too much going on. I couldn’t understand why the author was focusing on Claire’s immigration cases although later on in the book it makes more sense. Going back and forth from present day to five years ago was also confusing. It just didn’t feel necessary to the story of Claire, Angus, and Mark even after figuring out the “big” twist.

I really love a good thriller, but this just wasn’t it for me. I wanted to like it and kept reading in hopes I would, but the author’s writing style just wasn’t for me. The "big" twist just made no sense because it changed the author's story in an unnecessary way.

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

There was a lot going on in this book, which made it hard to concentrate sometimes, but the twists and turns certainly kept me on my toes! If you are looking for a different, twisted thriller, this is for you!

A great story line with brilliant main characters.. I read this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.

This was a pretty good read for me , it kept me hooked and I read it in record time . I did feel myself getting cross at the sheer stupidity of Claire , but then remind myself its fiction . Claire is engaged to Angus an affluent hotel owner , when they go to view a house the owner reminds Claire of Daniel her first love . She can't deny the attraction and quickly gets in over her head . I felt she was pretty naïve and some of the things she does just didn't seem credible . That being said it was pacey , entertaining and a real page turner . A solid 4 stars from me . My only criticism is that the back story set in the past wrapped up a little too quickly with a few unanswered questions .Would recommend .

Good grief, I don't know what to start with here. There was just too much going on. It didn't help that the author jumped back to the present and then 5 years before every every chapter. We are following our main character Claire's current engagement to a man named Angus and then her university romance with a guy named Dan. If you wanted to know about either guy, there's not much there. We just know that Clarie is still obsessing over Dan and where things went wrong, apparently went into a funk after the relationship ended and seems to be ambivalent (at best) about Angus. Things go to the weird where quickly where Claire meets a man who reminds her of Dan. And then it's just Claire running to and fro looking into something that made a little bit of sense at the end of the book.

"The Couple" starts with Claire's engagement party to a man named Angus. Her family is pretty relieved that she has moved on from someone named Dan. FYI, it takes a while to even get to Dan and why Claire was so hung up on him. Claire works for the Home Office and deals with immigrant cases. We know she has a mother, stepfather, and brother, but she doesn't talk to them much, she is just telling you about them. Same with Angus. I didn't get a good sense of him via Claire. Same issue with Claire obsessing about the man she meets (Mark) and her former boyfriend (Dan). She just runs around and says, well this person reminds me of Dan and I am now going to just run around and force this person to be with me, when I am not hiding it from my fiancee and trying to make things work there. This book was confusing. At least Mitchell didn't do the unreliable narrator thing (which I loathe). I think the big issue is that Claire is written inconsistently in this book. I don't know what she really wanted in the end. And then all of a sudden we get some huge reveal about things and I maybe squawked plot hole a few dozen times and let it go.

The men were a mess in this book. We don't spend much time with anyone but the perfect Dan and good lord I didn't get it. You have to make him some big perfect love. Or something. Mitchell messes with his halo a bit, but then we don't get to see how things ended. We just get comments here and there and the rest is left to you to imagine.

The writing feels really disconnected at times. Claire works at the Home Office and apparently deals with immigrant cases. Anytime Mitchell goes into whatever case Claire is working on the book gets odd. You have the idea that maybe Claire looks down on these people at times, or she doesn't really care (which I still say she doesn't) and all these cases just hang in the book. The flow is impacted by going from the present to five years ago. I just ceased to give a crap about Dan. Claire's obsession with him and his dealing with his ex got old fast. She was just a mess as the ex was in my opinion. That opinion isn't helped by the fact that though Mitchell over explains everything in this book, she decides to keep what happened to Dan vague. I mean you can guess what happened, but I wish that the rest of the book was more like that in order for it to really hit you.

The book's setting is mostly Angus and Clarie's home with Claire occasionally going out to stalk Mark somewhere else.

The book ends in a whimper.

This is one of those books I almost can’t review for fear of giving anything away!

This book fooled me – it really got me good. The cover of the book says “Whatever you think you know… You’re Wrong”. NO KIDDING!

First, to those that are giving this bad reviews, I am presuming that at least some of you didn’t catch the shift in the narrative at the end – the big clue that let you know what just happened. Because if you missed it the book will make absolutely zero sense to you. If you did catch the shift in the narrative… YEAH! You were rewarded with a stunning reveal and a big gasp and an appreciation of an awesome gotcha moment. I haven’t read a book with such an awesome “GOTCHA” moment in a long, long time. Brilliant! Seriously, don’t ignore this book just because others didn’t get it. I highly recommend you give it a chance.

This book was full of twists and turns and intrigue and a whole lot of HUH? Some of that “huh?” for me came in the absolutely mind-numbingly stupid decisions Claire was making. She’s newly engaged but slips immediately into an affair with Mark because he resembles an old boyfriend? Claire also does things for Mark that are completely insane, including some things that put her and/or her job at risk, and yet she never questions why he wants her to do these things. She was coming off as a ridiculously stupid character and I was getting super frustrated with her in general. But remember that gotcha moment I mentioned above?? All of this makes sense in the end.

The book is told in a dual timeline. The past narrative is the story of Claire’s ex-boyfriend Daniel and what happened between them. The present narrative is the story of Claire’s current life. The dual timeline narrative is what makes this book come together so brilliantly.

Full disclosure, I almost gave up reading this book after just the first few pages. The run-on sentences and excessive use of commas and semi-colons was distracting and almost unreadable. It is possible the editing wasn’t completed in the ARC I was reading, but goodness sakes some periods would have been prudent. However, I am unbelievably glad I plowed through because the writing started to flow much better as the story developed and it was so worth it!

Seriously, the psychology of Claire would be a great topic for a master thesis!

I highly recommend this book! Awesome psychological thriller that is worth the effort.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date February 5, 2019 by Bookouture.

NOTE: I've got a spoiler (hidden) included in my review posted on Goodreads. I couldn't figure out how to hide spoilers here so I am providing my Goodreads review link if you are interested:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2669893056?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Such a twisty roller coaster ride! That tag line - 'Whatever you think you know...' is spot on.

This book follows Claire, a immigration paralegal of sorts. We first meet Claire at her engagement party for her and her rich new fiance, Angus. We find out almost right away that Claire is hiding something. Something big enough to cause her family to treat her with kid gloves and big enough to keep quiet from her new man. We know this secret has something to do with a past love named Daniel. As the story progresses, we find out Claire isn't the only one with secrets.

This book was so well written. I have a uncontrollable urge to solve the mystery before it's revealed and this one threw me many curve balls along the way. I guessed some, was way off on others....but all in all, it was a great read.

Claire is struggling to get over her relationship with ex-boyfriend Daniel when she is introduced to Angus, They immediately hit it off and decide to marry. Angus suggests buying a house from someone named Mark. Claire goes to look at the house and she is immediately attracted to Mark because he resembles Daniel. He calls Clare back to the house on the ruse of buying an antique mirror and chest at which time he gives her a gun to hide. (Again, no explanation and Claire does not question it and she hides it where he tells her to). After they move in, one day Clare returns home and Mark is there in the house. (It seemed rather strange to me that she did not even question why he was in their home, ask for the key and/or call the locksmith). The story goes back and forth between the present and 5 years ago when Claire was in a relationship triangle with Daniel and Julia, someone he was supposedly trying to dump). Claire and Mark begin an affair and this complicates things. I enjoyed this book but everyone was very unlikable and Claire was just plain dumb. It was far-fetched at times and also very confusing at other times. It is a well-written book and overall it is a good read although I felt like there were some things that had not been explained very well and some loose ends left. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this very interesting book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super crazy, with tons of crazy, head spinning twists and turns. One that definitely grabs your attention from page one and doesn’t let go! Thrilling, chilling, disturbing, and shocking! Whose hiding what, read to find out, you will be surprised!
I will highly recommend, use in a challenge, and buzz it up in Chaptet Chatter Pub!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

I don't know what I was anticipating when I saw the cover of The Couple, but it definitely was not this. I am BLOWN away. I had no idea what the hell was coming. What riveting writing, an insane, movie-like story line, a bad-ass heroine. This was one wild ride and I devoured it all in one sitting. This was my first from Sarah Mitchell and it was so worth the read. It started strong, it stayed strong, and finished strong. I highly recommend this unputdownable thriller.

I found this book very frustrating. The story of her past made everything feel disjointed and only felt like it gave the ending a reason to feel a little plausible. I have no idea why she is with Angus, WHY?! They don’t ever seem to get along. How about Mark? They seem to hit it off but then don’t get along either. There is CLEARLY something else going on outside of the relationship and I wanted to yell at Claire to open her eyes and leave! If a guy you barely know gives you a GUN to hide. RUN AWAY FROM HIM! The the ending was too far fetched and overly convenient.

My biggest disappointment with this book is the use of the word Albino. Google: Is it okay to call someone Albino? To find out why this bothered me. Also the fact that the person following Claire aka the bad guy is referred to as The Albino over and over. I believe it is said 21 times. To villainize those with albinism with is a stigma we should be moving away from.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Full of twists and turns! Kept me guessing, and reading.. Very enjoyable and engaging, I definitely was surprised. Well written and excellent characters. Loved it!

This was my first read by Sarah Mitchell. It was quick and enjoyable, but not the best the genre has to offer. It's actually two stories woven together, of the same woman. One takes place in the present, the other approximately 8 years ago. While it was intriguing, the biggest mystery for me was trying to figure out the main character. She appeared awfully eager to jump into bed with someone other than her fiance, just because the dude looked like an old, dead boyfriend. If you need a quick, fun thriller, this will do the trick.

I’ve just finished reading The Couple by Sarah Mitchell. It’s a psychological thriller with the tagline, “whatever you think you know, you’re wrong”.

Claire works for the immigration service in the UK and is engaged to Angus who owns a chain of “boutique” hotels. Claire and Angus haven’t known each other for very long and it soon becomes apparent that Claire still holds on to a previous relationship she had with Daniel five years earlier. Wanting to buy a house to start their future together, Claire goes to a viewing of a house where the owner, Mark bears a striking resemblance to Daniel. Angus and Claire buy the house, and Claire suddenly finds herself in a tangled web of lies and deceit. The book alternates between the present day and 5 years earlier when Claire was with Daniel.

This was a good book that was a welcome break from the domestic thrillers I’ve read of late - as much as I love a good domestic thriller, I needed something different; and The Couple was. It was evident from the beginning that things are not quite what they seem. I didn’t find Claire (or Angus, Mark or Daniel for that matter particularly likeable) but I found the parts about Claire’s job interesting! I would have loved to see Agatha’s character developed a bit more and perhaps a bit more about the Claire/Daniel/Julia storyline. A quick and engaging read!

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture and Sarah Mitchell for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Very different from the standard suspense mystery novels that are out there. At times a bit humorous, overall riveting with a lot of suspense. Surprise ending with twist I didn't see coming. Highly recommend this one.

The Couple is a dark fascinating read of deceit! Once I got started I couldn't stop, I was dying to know how all the pieces fit together and the ending did not disappoint. I'm a sucker for books full of terrible characters and this one was a pleasure to read. 5/5 would highly recommend!

I tried to read this book twice. On my second try I got through 65% of it. I really did not care what happened to Claire, Angus, or Mark. If there was a single plot in this book, I was unable to follow it. I cannot remember the last time I struggled through a book that was actually published as much as I did this one. Although I have never read this author before, certainly she is not someone I would Recommend. In fact I cared so little about this book I did not even bother to go to the last few pages to find out how it all ended up. In spite of that I want to thank you for this advanced copy, and I have to say of all the books you sent me this is the very worst. In fact most of them have been four stars are better.

I received an ARC from NetGalley of this new psychological thriller.
The couple in this story are a woman who works for the immigration office in the UK and her fiance, who owns and manages a group of "boutique" hotels. This is a whirlwind romance. The character of both members of this couple is more than highly suspect. Neither seems up to any good.
The protagonist in this story is the woman (Claire). The author frequently flashes back 5 years to go over a previous Claire romantic interest. As a reader, it is hard to figure out where that aspect of the book is going.
In the present day, Claire never seems able to get out of her own way. She is both naive and dumb. As unlikable as Claire is, there are really no other characters that are appealing. It is odd when you, as a reader, are hoping that every character in a book gets their comeuppance, but that's how I felt reading this one.
Credit to the author for her descriptive writing and for expertly creating suspense. But this is offset by characters you grow to despise and a plot that becomes too far fetched.

The Couple wasn't my cup of tea.
I tried reading it twice and couldn't finish it.

I did not like the jumping back and forth timeline, and over describing scenes.

Following a whirlwind four-month romance, lawyer Claire and hotel entrepreneur Angus are engaged to be married. Happy and successful, and ready to start their new life together, Claire and Angus find what they believe to be the perfect home.

But when Claire meets Mark, the man selling them the house, he looks eerily familiar. He looks exactly like the man she loved five years ago, the man she couldn’t bear to lose.
As Claire finds herself irresistibly drawn to Mark and crosses lines she never thought she’d cross, Angus’ behaviour becomes increasingly suspicious. Soon Claire doesn’t know whether she can trust Mark, Angus… or even herself.

I love a good psychological thriller and this one did not disappoint! I was so back and forth with deciding on who to believe or what to think. Excellent book with a great storyline.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheCouple
Pub Date: 05 Feb 2019