Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read

This book was incredibly slow to pick up the pace and was a little hard to make it through. However about 3/4 of the way through the book it really picked up and I couldn’t put it down. There were some really crazy plot twists and a nice gotcha moment that were completely unexpected in the book which I really enjoyed I just wish there was more from the beginning to keep you going rather than an account of her day to day activities that dragged on

I find it difficult to review this psychological thriller. Yes, there are twists and turns, yes there is stuff to think about, yes there is action.

But the characters were shallow and unlikeable. The choices they make ridiculous. Their relationships made little to no sense, why would they be "a couple"? Love was professed, but not shown. For me, other than accepting one or more (all?) Were crazy. it just doesn't gel.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Bookoutour in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was somewhat disappointed by The Couple. It was billed as a psychological thriller with a stunning twist, yet I found it to be fairly lacklustre. With each page I was anticipating great things but it left me feeling rather indifferent. Sorry but this book wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Wow! This ending really surprised me. I didn't see that coming. Is totally into the book. Thought that I saw where this was going and then - BAM! Loved it. Great character development. Some characters were definitely easier to like than others. The storyline was a good one. It dragged in a few places but was a good, injecting read. I totally recommend it as a solid psychological thriller.

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story alternates between two timelines, the present with Claire, Angus and Mark, and five years earlier with Claire, Daniel and Julia. I found the transition from present to past and back again to flow smoothly with no issues.

I mistakenly thought that this was just another love triangle/betrayal/infidelity but there is soooo much more which made this an enjoyable, absorbing read. Sarah Mitchell creates characters, no matter how unlikable, that compel you to finish the book just to verify their fates.

The only complaint that I have is that I found the ending a little too unbelievable and the loose ends tied together way too easily. I do see this adapted into a movie quite well though.

📖I received an uncorrected advanced review copy from Netgalley, Sarah Mitchell and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.📚

#TheCouple #NetGalley

In the deep ocean that is currently this genre, The Couple treads water but doesn’t ever make it to shore. The characters being unlikeable is tertiary to the flatness of their personas, the bumbling and confusing plot, and so many unnecessary and meandering paths along the way. Neither the Daniel side story nor the present Angus/Mark drama is well done, and the expose at the end is weak at best. There is one twist at the end that does make the reader pause, but it’s not redemptive enough to carry this novel. Overall, I’d peg it at a library loan to read if you’ve exhausted your pile of books to be read. Unfortunate, because the writing itself is more sophisticated than many I’ve read.

This was just plain twisted! I liked the story but, honestly, I did not like one single character. Is that what Ms Mitchell was going for? Because of that, I have just changed my rating from 2 to 3 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy.

It took me forever to finish this book. All I can say is...what? This seems like a mashup of three stories, none written specifically well. I think the author got lost in what she was trying to do and just made it overly complicated.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a psychological thriller that was very interesting and I should have seen the twist at the end but I didn't so for me that is good. It revolves around a couple, Claire and Angus who met 4 months ago and quickly got engaged. While house hunting they find one house but then change their minds when they find another house owned by a man named Mark who resembles someone Claire was in love with five years ago named Daniel. The book goes back and forth from five years ago to Claire's relationship with Daniel and his ex girlfriend who continues to stalk him. Other things transpire in this well written novel but the end was terrific with a twist I never saw coming. I want to thank net galley for this ARC I received for an honest review.

Awesome book!! Fast paced thriller! Very intriguing and keeps you guessing to the shocking end! I will definitely pick up other books written by this Author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to preview this title. However, if I read one more book promotion that says “a psychological thriller with a stunning twist,” I will scream. Come on publicists, say something different. Get a thesaurus.

Rant over. Claire, a lawyer, and Angus, who owns a chain of small hotels, fall in love and get engaged. Before marriage they find the house of their dreams. It belongs to Mark, who looks very much like an old love of Claire’s. Something that Claire can’t get out of her mind. On the road to wedding planning and with Claire’s immigration job, the road is very rocky. Claire does things she’s not proud of. And I’ll leave you there.

The first part of the book was very slow and if it had not been a Netgalley title, I would have given up on it. I also didn’t find much of a stunning twist. All the male characters seem shady from the get-go. If you enjoy tales set in England, you may enjoy this. But I fit right along with the average reviewer on Goodreads with three stars. I did like it that Claire smartened up near the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Claire and Angus are engaged after four months together.  They are successful and happy.  While looking at houses, Claire sees a man that reminds her of her past love.  She finds herself drawn to him.

This book is bad.  The story is a mess.  It is hard to follow.  Claire and Angus (and mystery man) are all unlikable  and do horrible things.  I finished it, so there's that.

Very fast paced and interesting read. Definitely a thriller I would recommend. There were some parts that were unbelievable but overall the book is different then a lot of the unreliable narrator reads currently out there. I don't find the protagonist Claire very likeable but compared to most of the other people featured in the book aside from Claire's family and Agatha the rest of the cast of characters are downright despicable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I received a ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. Thank you! Honestly, this book was almost a DNF. I had a hard time relating to the characters and getting into the story. Confusing was a key word for me when describing this book. Wasn’t really a fan.

SO creepy but good!! I instantly was hooked when I started reading this novel. I love these type of story lines and the characters came to life on the pages! I cannot wait to read more from Sarah Mitchell. Go ahead and read this one ASAP!

Thank you #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the ARC

Claire has never gotten over her ex boyfriend Daniel. She meets Angus, he runs a chain of boutique hotels, Claire works for the government in the immigration department. They are sort of an odd match but get engaged rather quickly.

They buy a house from a man named Mark who just so happens to have a huge resemblance to Claire's ex boyfriend Daniel. Claire finds herself very attracted to Mark, let the trouble and twists and turns begin. I was shocked as some of the secrets of the characters were revealed. A definite page turner.

Both the blurb and title which intrigued me are misleading. It is called 'The Couple', what couple? We learn very little about Angus and Claire seems to know very little about him too. 'Claire, a lawyer,'says the blurb but she admits herself that she is not.
Although I soon discovered that the novel didn't reflect the cover, blurb or title, I finished it. It was heavy going at times, partly because of the unlikeable characters, the unlikely plot and an unreliable narrator but also the repetitive language . Overuse of certain words grated and took me out of the story - in the space of this novel, the author used 'brackish' to describe coffee, a hallway and lips. The office and court sections were dull to read and the whole thing could do with a good edit
It's not often that I have to re-read sections of a book but the twist in 'The Couple' is so obscurely signposted that I felt I had missed something. It turns out that I hadn't. It was just an unsubtle twist that of course the reader wouldn't see coming and,because it was badly executed, it felt a bit patronising. No spoiler but this 'fooled you, Babe!' revelation almost put me off finishing.

It took me a while to get into this book as there was a lot going on but when I did I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book.

Whatever you think you know...you are wrong. This is what the book cover says and that is the truth! I’m very conflicted about this book. I think the plot has a couple of surprising twists at the end but unfortunately I do not think they are executed very well. Instead of surprising you they confuse you, make you re-read and wonder if you misunderstood. Chapter 24 conflicts everything we’ve read before. I don’t know if it’s a mistake or a twist to be honest. What makes me believe that it’s a twist is that it has been alluded a couple of times in the book that Claire maybe uncomfortable with her brother’s wife’s pregnancy. Why would that be the case if Chapter 24 is a mistake and not a twist? Also the ending, where we read what Claire thinks when she sees Jamie makes me feel like chapter 24 is the twist. However, the conversation in chapter 8 contradicts the twist in chapter 24 or maybe this is a smokescreen to confuse the reader. I think the conversation in chapter 8 or Claire’s interactions with her family could have been written so as to not conflict with the twist- the execution of the twist made me rate the book lower than I would have otherwise.
In terms of writing style, there are too many unnecessary adjectives that don’t really help build a better picture. The character development is not great. We don’t really know if Angus is a bad guy or not. He seems controlling but there isn’t enough about Angus’ character for the reader to make up their mind about him. Their whirlwind romance is not well described. Mark is shady from the start. I don’t understand why Claire has to lie to Angus when she goes to meet Mark to buy the antique mirror (another unexplained gap). Claire’s character too is all gray, you don’t know if she’s reliable or not. Some information about her cases keep dropping in but they do not add much to the plot, they don’t even help the reader build a better image of Claire.
Overall the characters of this plot are not likeable, in fact they are easily forgettable. When I stopped reading for a few hours and returned to this book it took me a few mins to recollect and relate to the characters agin. Picking up where I left off from was not easy because I did not feel very involved in the book.
My final gripe is with the title- nothing in this book focuses on one couple, it’s Claire’s story with 3 different men in her life so I don’t think the title is apt.
I’ve truly struggled with rating this book. I like the twist but when I think back it does nothing for the plot. Is it surprising- yes, but does it change anything - Nope!
I’ve been generous with my rating because the concept was a good one, there was a lot of potential in it but it certainly needed better execution. When I started this book I was hopeful and I’d love to rate it higher but after a lot of consideration I do not think that I could justify it if I rated this any higher than a 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley, #TheCouple

Also shared on: https://romasharma.blogspot.com