If you haven't been exposed to the power duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen yet, where have you been and what are you waiting for?! This powerhouse duo bring us their latest work, The Golden Couple. And in true powerhouse form, these two blow you away! Once again, I was found reading every second I could spare and reading late into the night.
Avery Chambers is a rouge therapist, who lost her license, but continues to help others. She guarantees to fix your problem or she won't take you on as a client. That's how good she is. Enter the Bishop's, Matthew and Marrisa. They have the perfect marriage, dated since they were teenagers and have a young son both parents love. Picture perfect until, Marissa signs them up for a session with Avery and she drops the bomb........She cheated on Matthew. And here we go! That is all I am giving away, I don't want to spoil the novel for anyone!
I would love to know how Hendricks and Pekkanen work their magic! Who comes up with these crazy ideas and the twist and turns their novels take. These women know how to keep you engrossed, intrigued, and thinking about their characters for days! The Golden Couple is a wonderful, easy-flowing read. Chapters are the perfect length, so you can practically squeeze one in anywhere you are. I will always be on the look-out for Hendricks and Pekkanen's work and will always recommend their work to others! Special thanks to NetGalley, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars for me!
#NetGalleyI

I was so pumped to be approved for this! This book is told between two POVs: Marissa & Avery. Marissa is a highly polished wife and mom seeking therapy with her husband to work through her infidelity. Avery was a therapist and now is a consultant who has her own ways of working with her clients through a 10 session approach. With a not so traditional approach. I used to be a therapist and boy do I wish I could have done or said some of the things she did.
This was so fun to read. I was trying to guess how all of these people were connected, the twists, the betrayal and what the hell is up with Polly?? I loved it. I was completely shocked by the big twist at the end. And everything wrapped up nicely and not too "perfectly". I think the only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the focus on the pharmaceutical company and Avery. Not sure what that brought to the story....other than the involvement with Marissa's father in law. That was a bit hard to believe.
I will be suggesting this to others!

One of the things I love best about Greer Hendricks. and Sarah Pekkanen's books is the slow reveal. I love that there's not a single gasp worthy moment, but a trickle of mystery and seeds of doubt that are planted along the way. I'm constantly guessing then second guessing who the is the victim and who is the perpetrator...

Avery is an unorthodox therapist... or "ex-therapist".... specializing in her self-created "10 session" method which she stumbled upon after losing her therapy license. Her method seems so effective that clients still want to work with her despite the fact that she is no longer a licensed therapist.

Marissa and Matthew Bishop walk into Avery's office with the intentions of addressing Marissa's infidelity and hopefully saving their marriage. The couple appears to be the "golden couple" having looks, charm, money, and the perfect instagram-worthy lives. But looks can be deceiving. As they delve deeper into their work with Avery and begin to involve their friends/family, deeply buried secrets begin to surface. As we find out - everyone has secrets. Even those who seemingly have nothing to hide.

A page turning, gripping, thriller - The Golden Couple held up to Hendricks and Pekkanen's reputation - it did not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*netgalley copy*
Another explosive read by this duo!! I absolutely loved the twisty-ness of the story & how interesting it was to see the story from two perspectives the whole time. I kept thinking I knew what was happening and who was behind the different aspects of the story but kept finding myself blindsided which I loved!! I’ll definitely be recommending this one!!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I love a good psychological thriller and this book had lots of twists in it. I don't think any character in the book, aside from the eight year old son, did not have "shady" character written all over them. I can't say I liked any of the characters in particular, so felt no dismay in finding out who the "bad" character was. However, I have to say, it did keep me engaged and wanting to read more. This is not slated to be published till 2022, keep an eye out for it!

This was just, honestly, annoying. Too many subplots, too many false directions.

Review copy provided by publisher.

I am always grateful for the gift of a book, and this one did not disappoint. I found it enjoyable and hard to put down. A twist here, a turn there, and this one delivers a bit of surprise here and there. THUMBS UP, folks!!!

First, I would like to thank Net Galley for the arc of this book!

The following opinion is solely my own. Upon learning this author has a new book coming out I immediately rushed to read it. However, I wasn't impressed.

We follow Avery who meets the " golden couple". Avery tells the couple they have 10 sessions with her. What follows is alternate chapters between Avery and her client Marissa. Honestly, this book was ALL over the place, pretty slow in parts, way too much background on the characters, and I figured out the ending relatively quickly.

I do love the author's other books but this one did miss the mark for me. I'm sorry! don't come at me book community lol!

I am a fan of Greer and Sarah and i so look forward to their newest releases- I was thrilled to be allowed to read an arc of this book!
Quick summary-Avery is a maverick therapist- having Lost her license due to her refusal to break confidentiality, she has embarked In a new ten session therapeutic practice. She takes on Marissa and Matthew and begins treating the couple whose marriage is near its demise due to infidelity on Marissa’s part. While her treatment tactics are wildly non traditional, I hope Avery returns again with more adventures!
❤️❤️❤️ characters are well written and fleshed out; Romeo is A fantastic sidekick! Great ending and twists are not predictable!
🙄🙄🙄 marissa is just a ‘bit’ guillible; ‘mom can I just be with you if you and dad get divorced?’ Could there be a bigger red flag????
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let’s go with 4

I enjoyed this book a lot. It sucked me in from the first page and I did not see the ending coming. The characters were well written and not annoying. Avery was an interesting "therapist" and the story was a different kind of thriller.

This is a hard review to write because there was so much promise in the book. I kept waiting for the BIG Reveal....it never came. It seemed incredible to me that 1. a therapist would have the time and energy to spy on her patients and 2. the murderer lies DORMANT for 30 years only to kill again?! WHAT?!
I thought that the authors tried so hard to paint everyone as villains without giving them good backgrounds. Everything was so disjointed, it was hard to really like ANY of the characters.
Then to have the therapist have her own "stalkers'...Really?!
Too much story to put into a small group of characters.
The middle began to drag,....especially the school stuff.
Further, the relationship between Skip and Chris was never fully developed, the affair never fully addressed, the relationship between Skip and Matthew never fully developed.
This had great potential that fell absolutely FLAT.

First a big thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. Having read and enjoyed a few of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen I was honoured to be given a first look at the The Golden Couple.

A brief synopsis: Avery, a registered psychologist who is now running a business as a consultant for client’s with her quick and successful 10 step program to resolving their issues. Based on some other client’s including the Golden Couple, Marissa and Matthew Bishop her work seems to involve difficult I’m sure, but surface level problems that 10 steps ought to cure most anyone with problems of the nature described in the book. Except in the Golden Couple what starts off as an infidelity issue and how we get the marriage back on track with a whole lot of added drama. Yes, I know it’s a novel but the whole concept here didn’t work for me.

Without giving too much away, it is not the guilty husband whose had the affair but Marissa. Marissa receives an anonymous news write up about therapist, Avery’s phenomenal 10 step program and right away books an appointment for both Matthew and herself to receive some counseling. Matthew doesn’t immediately know why they are meeting up with Avery, but it first becomes very clear after Step One. Expecting and preparing for the worst, Marissa is over joyed that Matthew although upset does not want to lose his marriage nor divorce and see all they have including young son Benett come to an end over one night of poor judgement. Besides, Marissa is punishing herself the most. Which is why Matthew’s understanding comes as such a relief.

Until unexplained things begin to happen after the affair. Flower deliveries with no card, a menacing note slipped under the door of Marissa’s store. And other things that are upsetting that are set up so as to cause more issues for the couple reconciling. Except Matthew is taking all of this in stride. He’s handling things remarkably well. One might say to well. And this is where therapist Avery can’t put her finger on why half of the Golden Couple is not more upset.

And so ensues so digging around and not everything seems to be adding up deepening the mystery and trying to separate the lies from the truth.

In theory, this storyline should have been intriguing, yet sadly, I found the novel to be formulaic and it just didn’t work for me. There was only a couple of aha! moments but even that wasn’t too shocking. Perhaps it was my mound, but I found myself not looking forward to each new chapter or wanting to race to finish it.

Again, thank you so much for my ARC but this one just didn’t do it for me. However, early reviews look strong and this novel will still do well.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Avery is an unorthodox counselor aka therapist. If she is unable to help clients in 10 sessions, they can't be helped according to her. This book is told by her and one of her clients, Marissa. By all accounts to their friends, Marissa and her small family are the perfect family. However, secrets quickly begin to unravel. The beginning and middle of the plot was fast and mysterious. The end appeared to be rushed. I really liked Avery and would be fun to read another installment.

Thanks to St. Martin Press and Net Galley for sending me this ARC - very unexpected and appreciated!

3.5

This is a good book. It’s one of those books that will definitely suck you in and keep you hanging on because you just need to know how it all ends.
Avery Chambers is what you might call a fixer. She has a 10 session method in which she has succeeded in helping people overcome things like assault to controlling parents and spouses. She has an excellent success rate. Of course, she won’t take a client if she doesn’t think she can help them.
One day she gets new clients Marissa and Mathew Bishop. These two are what one might refer to as the “Golden Couple”. Perfect in most every way. That is, until Marissa admits that she cheated. She wants to try to work things out with her husband for her sake and her sons. She loves Mathew and her life and deeply regrets what she’s done. So, she called Avery.
As Avery gets deeper into the lives of the Bishops she begins to realize that the infidelity is just the beginning of the secrets surrounding her new case. Things just may not be as they seem.
Now on a side note, Avery is having her own person issues because of something she did as well. She blew the whistle on a certain pharmaceutical company and they weren’t very happy about it and they are letting her know about it.
There’s a lot that happens in this book but I’m not going to tell you about it because, well, that’d be silly to tell you all of it and ruin it for you! The story sort of trickles down the thriller stuff as it goes so I didn’t want to accidentally slip and spoil you.
I enjoyed this story. I didn’t love the pharmaceutical story. I didn’t like it from start to finish but it did have a start and finish so there’s that. I just didn’t personally enjoy any part of that story line. It was written well enough, it just wasn’t for me. The rest of the book was good. It’s one of those books that probably isn’t going to be remembered as time goes by but parts of it will definitely sneak back in my mind when I least expect it. It’s very well written from the characters and the situations they’ve been put in or put themselves in to the little thriller bits here and there that get you when you least expect it.
I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of these authors, is a thriller fan, is just looking for a quick fun thrill, or anyone just curious about how this book turns out in the end. It’s worth reading. It’s a good time.


***Thank you so much to the authors, the publisher, Netgalley, and anyone else I may have left off for the ARC copy for review. I can't thank you enough!***

This book is a psychological thriller that kept me anxiously racing to the end! From the very first page I was hooked. An unconventional therapist who lost her license along with a couple seeking relationship advice is the main focus of this novel. The authors did a tremendous job ramping up the tension with unreliable characters. Everyone is holding secrets and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. The therapist would also make a great private eye and I loved all her insights into the characters. I predict this will be clamoring to get their hands on this novel in the coming year. #TheGoldenCouple #GreerHendricks #SarahPekkanen #NetGalley

Another twisty hit by these authors! While, it took me a bit to get into it, I think it was my mood, because once it grabbed me it didn’t let go! Chilling to the bone! One that will definitely get you in the right way, at least for thriller lovers! Now want another to see how things will eventually play out, as I truly became attached to the characters! Highly, highly recommend this twisted book!

Will buzz around and use my top Amazon reviewer number on release!

This was a terrific thriller. I loved the multiple POV so we as a reader often had more information than the main characters. This one kept me on the edge of my seat.

Boasting a unique and intriguing premise, “The Golden Couple” pulled me in straight out of the gate. As the story progressed, it veered off into a different direction than I had originally anticipated, but it continued to hold me in its grip, despite certain portions of the story that tended to drag. There are twists and turns along the way, but I can’t honestly say that they came as much of a surprise. Still, I found this book to be an enjoyable read, even though I’ve enjoyed these authors’ prior books a great deal more.

I am someone who would read anything written by GH& SP. I have read all their other books and I was so excited to read this psychological thriller. I absolutely loved the book and am eagerly looking forward to its release.

"Maverick" therapist Avery Chambers lost her license to practice, but that only means she's free to create her own methods of helping people heal. She's developed a ten session plan and only takes on clients she thinks she can fix.

When Marissa Bishop walks through the door with her husband, Matthew, they seem like the titular "golden couple:" rich, successful, driven, beautiful. But Marissa unloads a secret: she cheated on her husband.

She wants to repair her marriage especially for the sake of her son, but she's still hiding things and the consequences put everyone in the room in danger.

I've read every Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen book and so far this one is my favorite. It's a quick read, and even though the excitement really doesn't happen until the last quarter of the book, they build this excellent sense of dread from the first page. You're expecting a thriller and just waiting for the shoe to drop and you'll feel Marissa's anxiety until the deadly end.

I liked Avery as well--she sort of reminded me of Nikki Griffin from S.A. Lelchuk's books, and she's got the sweetest rescue dog in tow. Usually I don't care either way for the addition of an animal, but Romeo was the perfect side character.

Highly recommended for fans of the authors and domestic thrillers.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for making this advance copy available for me for review.