When you see that writing duo Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen have a new suspense novel out, you know that it is going to be a book that everyone who is a fan of the genre will be reading & talking about. This is the fourth time the authors have teamed up to write a compelling domestic thriller, so if you are new to their novels, you have a backlist of impressively twisty titles to enjoy after you finish their latest!

The Golden Couple is about an affluent husband and wife with an enviable relationship who begin to experience cracks in their life's perfect veneer when the wife, Marissa, cheats on husband Matthew. Determined to put their relationship back on course, they hire a therapist who is known for her unconventional methods. Avery doesn't just get to know you in an office setting ... she takes her practice beyond the four walls to discover what you're really hiding. What will she find when she looks into Marissa & Matthew's past? Is all that glitters truly gold?

Once again, Hendricks and Pekkanen have crafted a gripping suspense thriller, which will have you suspicious of every single character on its pages. In fact, trust no one & sleep with one eye open is a good piece of advice when reading a Hendricks and Pekkanen novel because their books are filled with deliciously despicable characters & nothing ever is as it seems. Multi-layered & absorbing, The Golden Couple highlights the dark side of domestic relationships & shows how dangerous things can become when you play with fire.

With that being said, I did find The Golden Couple to be one of Hendricks & Pekkanen's weaker novels, although it was certainly still entertaining. While I enjoyed the twists, they weren't shocking, and almost every character we were introduced to served some purpose, making this book a bit less suspenseful than it could have been otherwise.

I listened to an audiobook production of The Golden Couple, narrated by Karissa Vacker & Marin Ireland. Marin Ireland is one of my favorite narrators so I was excited to see that she lent her dynamic voice to this work! Ireland is able to ease you into a story, making you forget that you are reading a book & not actually hearing the character speak, and she also believably portrays the voices of men ... she's an awesome all around narrator!

Recommended to fans of Liv Constantine.

Giving this one a 3.5. I was so hyped for this book. I kept seeing it everywhere and it sounded like it was going to be amazing.

Though I did enjoy the story, it wasn't up there where I was hoping it would be. I was honestly a bit bored with the story. I didn't really enjoy the couple at all, lol. I mostly enjoyed the therapist, but even that went in some weird directions.

This story is great for someone who hasn't read a ton of domestic thrillers. It has some little twists throughout and the therapist adds a unique spin to what a therapist usually does.

The writing was good too, and I will check out some other works by these authors, but this one just fell a bit short of expectation.

In The Golden Couple, we have Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen once again doing what they do best - telling a dark and twisty story about people who aren't what they seem. In this instance, the "golden couple" is Marissa and Matthew Bishop, who seem to have it all, at least by social media standards. In real life, however, things aren't quite so shiny, and when Marissa admits to infidelity, an angry Matthew agrees to see an unconventional couples' counselor who claims she can fix their issues with 10 sessions, as long as they're willing to follow her instructions.
Avery Chambers is that counselor, and (of course) she has her own issues. When these three collide, secrets from the past begin to surface, and we aren't quite sure whom to believe when stories don't quite add up, or where we'll end up when it's all over.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland was outstanding.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This one was pretty decent overall. I think if you've enjoyed their previous books you would probably like this one as well. They are very solid mysteries/thrillers, just nothing super different or mind-blowing about them. Would recommend for a fun summer mystery.

This was a random choice that I decided on to get something outside of my normal reading realm. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by this pick. Hendricks weaves a fantastic tale of secrets and betrayals that culminates in a clash of lives that you just can’t see from the starting line. The characters are well drawn out in both their sessions and in between lives. As we get closer to revealing all the secrets and discovering each party’s true faults, the story gradually ramps up with twists and turns in a wonderful whirlwind to figure out how it has all come to be.
Although there are a few pieces of the ending that just don’t sit completely right with me, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and recommend to readers looking for a mystery/thriller packed with drama and feeling that you can enjoy anytime.

This wasn't my favorite of their's, but it was still lots of fun! It's something I'd still recommend.

Wow wow wow!!! I just finished listening to this book and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I loved it so much upon finishing it I recommended it to my thriller-loving friends. I fell in love with all of the characters and was chronically left wondering what would happen next. The twists and turns left me itching to listen to more of the story. I hope Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen write another novel together, if they do I won't want to miss it.

This book was not as suspenseful as I would have liked. I felt like it dragged in a lot of places and at times I was close to not finishing it, but the twist with the lover kept me listening. In the end I found this book to have kept me guessing and I thoroughly enjoyed it because it the narration and the excellent writing of the characters.

liked
- the beginning & set up
- the concept of a therapist gone rogue
- the twist
disliked
- SO boring

Another winner from Hendricks and Pekkanen. The pacing is fantastic, the twists keep coming, and the switching points of view from Avery and Marissa are perfect for this thriller. The two narrators for the main characters were great and made listening to the story enjoyable experience. Pick up this book and move it to the top of your list!

I listened to the audio of this book. This was a 4 star read for me. I have enjoyed the other 2 books I have read from this author duo as well. They are able to really get in the heads of couples, and all their drama. The couple on this book were so messed up, but the psychologist had her own issues as well. I will be picking up my own physical copy very soon. I look forward to the next book from these brilliant ladies.

4.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed this book. This is my second read from this duo author and I can gladly say I will be picking up more from them. I really enjoyed the way this story was structured and the route it took. Although the ending can be predictable, I personally didn’t see it coming. These two authors are absolutely talented and I can’t wait to see what they come out with next!

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Golden Couple. At first I wasn't sure about the character Avery and her counseling methods but I warmed up to her as the story progressed. I liked how the story slowly unfolded in layers and you found out about the characters little by little. The ending was very satisfying.

What a ride! This book is unputdownable and I would have finished it in a day if I hadn't been traveling. Thank goodness I was so I could devote more time into reading the book. The story had me guessing from the beginning and took me on journey that I did not expect. I expected a deep dive into marriage and that dynamic but never guessed all of what happened next. And talk about the "therapist" who was unconventional and had her own story and things to hide. Please write more of these!

I also have to say that I enjoyed the narrators who also contributed to my enjoyment of the story. Kudos to you!

Thanks to #MacmillanAudio and the authors for a copy of this book for reviewing purposes and #netgalley for providing the copy

This is my favorite psychological thriller of 2022. I love the characters, the plot twist, and the unexpected ending. I’m recommending this one to everyone. Thank you for my advance reader copy of this book.

Love this! The readers voice is perfect for the book and was very fast paced and intriguing. The writing style is great and keeps you hooked. The characters are well developed and easy to relate to.

Matthew and Marissa are deemed “The Golden Couple” because they seem to have it all — until Marissa hires a therapist to reveal a secret she’s been keeping. This was a great read for someone looking for a quick thriller fix with great narration. It was very well written and compelling, with lots of secrets to progress the story. I haven’t read many books with a therapist plot point — but that aspect ended up really working for me.

This ended up being a great middle of the road thriller. Even though some of it was predictable, I never knew what direction the authors were going to take which made it exciting

This was an average story for me. I enjoyed it and would recommend to those who like a good suspense, but not to someone who wants shock with every turn. I didn't feel too surprised by the conclusion.

⭐️⭐️ The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Plot:
From the outside, Matthew and Alyssa look to be the golden couple. They have the perfect house, the perfect jobs, and the perfect life. But then Marissa cheats.

To help overcome the indiscretion, Marissa finds a therapist. But Avery’s therapeutic methods aren’t conventional.

Thoughts:
I listened to the audiobook version of The Golden Couple. It was narrated by two different women, one Marissa’s point of view and the other Avery’s. Both narrators do a good job, except for when they deepen their voices to resemble the male characters. The male voices sound very bizarre, especially the child’s voice.

As far as the storyline goes, there were so many little things that just rubbed me wrong. Were they important to the story? Probably not, but these things bugged me continuously throughout the story. Here are some examples: 40/10000 is not 1% or 4% (I couldn’t tell which number the narrator said) and she said it a few times; I’ve never known AAA to have such a quick response that you could have all four tires aired up and arrive at your destination in under an hour; the phrase “nice to meet you” was suspicious because two characters said them only a day apart.

I will say that even with the ridiculous incidents, I did want to find out what the big “twist” was going to be. And I had it wrong, so that’s a plus for the plot. But the book wasn’t over, and it just kept going, and going, and going, and another “surprise” hit but it had to do with a background story that could easily have been left out and probably made the book a bit better (and shorter).

Overall, the characters were unlovable and the story was mediocre but it did keep me wanting to know how it ended. So for that it gets 2 stars.

Recommendation:
Did I like this book? Not really.

Rating:
2/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this title for review.

I admit, I am super picky with thrillers. I think this was a solid 3.5⭐️ read. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book—some things just didn’t land for me personally.

What I enjoyed
-the premise was so good!
-I enjoyed reading these messy characters and about their marriage.
-unethical therapy happening which was a trip to read!
-super quick listen / read
-audiobook was great!

What didn’t land
-the “twist” at the end
-one of the plots revolving the therapist not really going anywhere