3.5 stars

The Golden Couple is a fun and engaging domestic thriller told from a dual POV: Marissa, married to Matthew and currently in a marriage that's ready to fall apart, and Avery, a therapist whose 10-session approach is outlandish enough to make her lose her license, but successful enough that she's turning away clients. While this was a quick read, there was a lot happening throughout the book to make multiple people look like suspects for various crimes. There's an unsettling feeling looming from the start, and it's quickly revealed that no one is quite who they seem to be on the surface.

While this was a fun thriller, I didn't really think the pharmaceutical storyline was necessary... you'd essentially be left with the same story if that was removed. But this is a great one to throw in a bag for a flight or weekend getaway! Also loved the audio - the narrators were spectactular and brought life into their characters.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the copy of this ALC!

What would you do to save your marriage? After Marissa cheats on her husband she takes him to see a controversial therapist. She thinks they are working toward the same goal. Little does she know that her husband has something else completely in mind.
Good story. The build up is well done though I did figure out the twist fairly early.
Likeable, characters.

Mathew and Marissa Bishop have it all…a nice home in the D.C. suburbs, good jobs, a son, and plenty of money and prestige. They are the golden couple on the surface. However, underneath this facade there are secrets and not just the one that Marissa decides to reveal to her husband during their first therapy session.

Avery is a therapist who has lost her license due to her rather unconventional ways. She guarantees that she can fix anyone’s problem in 10 sessions, but requires to be very involved in the client’s life during that time. She almost plays a private investigator role to uncover and additional lies being told by her clients.

I liked the plot of this story, however I found it very predictable. I was able to figure out the big twist fairly quickly which made the story seem rather anticlimactic to me. This is a very fast paced read, and I still enjoyed how character driven it was. I loved getting to know Avery and Marissa although Marissa tended to get on my nerves and seemed a bit naive and entitled to me. Also, the side plot with Avery vs. big pharma seemed a bit unnecessary to the story and a bit forced at the end.

Overall, I would suggest this to anyone who enjoys domestic thrillers. It was exciting and easy to listen to in audiobook format!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC for an honest review!

In The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, we meet the Bishops. They aren’t a “golden couple” as at the start of the book we see them going to a counselor. Avery Chambers (D.C.’s Maverick Therapist) claims she fixes you in 10 sessions. I loved her methods of seeing how her clients acted out in the real world. I liked how she took actions including being a whistleblower to the FDA for one of her clients who worked at a pharmaceutical company. So when Marissa and Mathew Bishop go to Avery you’re not very sympathetic to them with their amazing careers ( a lawyer and boutique owner), beautiful house, and 8-year-old son. Marissa has cheated on Matthew though. Marissa’s past isn’t that dramatic but she does have weaknesses. It turns out her best friend growing up, Tina, was killed. She is also spooked by Polly, Marissa's assistant, who is a bit obsessed. Polly creeped me out. Several other characters creeped me out too. I won’t spoil the story but Skip, Chris, and Natalie were more than just characters I loved to hate. So we gave two heroines, Avery and Marissa, whose storylines are more connected than they realize. Due to the yellow roses getting sent to Marissa, I predicted the end early on. Yellow roses don’t mean friendship, historically in Eastern culture, they had a different meaning. I was rooting for Avery the entire time. The end wrapped up everything but not exactly the way I wanted. Avery’s character is perfect for her story to continue in a series or at least a sequel.

“Maverick Therapist” Avery Chambers has a ten session plan - she will fix her clients’ issues with ten well-developed sessions. She agrees to work with Matthew and Marissa Bishop, a couple with a seemingly perfect life, aside from a big problem in their marriage. Marissa has cheated on Matthew, and they are looking to repair their marriage. At the same time, Avery is trying to untangle the web surrounding an interaction with a previous client that led to a scary group of people seeking to get information from Avery through any means possible. As Avery gets to know Matthew and Marissa and their marriage better, and as she tries to protect her former client, worlds collide. And are Matthew and Marissa really who they say they are?

I liked this audiobook a lot. Each chapter alternated between Marissa and Avery’s perspectives, with a different narrator for each character. The narrators did a great job of portraying the intricacies of the characters and gave life to each of them. The pace of the v book was very fast, with lots of twists, turns, action and adventure. There were many details presented, some critical to the story others not as much but it’s the readers job to sort through to figure out what’s really going on. I thought I had a handle on it, and then I realized I didn’t know what the heck was going on, and who was the bad guy and who was the good guy. The end ties everything together neatly, which I can really appreciate at times. Because these characters were well thought out and well written, I began to get a sense of them as people and really felt drawn into the story.

This book was quite good. There was action but the reader also has to think and try to figure out what’s really going on by reading between the lines. Thanks, NetGalley, for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you MacMillan Audio, Netgalley, and Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. If you loved The Wife Between Us, you’ll love the Golden Couple. The narration was very well done. The twist at the end is shocking. I loved how the story drew you in and never let you go until the very end. A definite must read/listen for 2022. I would have to say that this was their best yet. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars on this one!

This psychological suspense kept me guessing with so many twists and turns.
Avery, a therapist, is helping Marissa and Matthew with their marriage after Marissa confesses her infidelity. Everybody has secrets.
I highly recommend The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This book was full of characters. They all had there own set of secrets. I was kept on my toes , and guessing
what was going on. Love this writing duo. Thanks Netgalley for the audio arc. and Thanks Goodreads for
the arc copy. Also thanks to St. Martin's Press.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen do it again! I was very impressed by the intrigue and twists that this book brought to the table, without being too over the top. I found it easy to empathize with both of the main characters, and the side characters left me wondering just who could be trusted. The narrators of the audiobook did a great job of giving both Marissa and Avery a unique voice.

The Golden Couple
By Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

An Intense and Gripping Psychological Thriller

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Avery Chambers boldly states that she can fix just about any relationship problem with just ten visits. Her methods are unconventional and controversial, and as a result, she lost her therapist license seven months ago. Now she calls herself a “consultant” and charges an enormous fee. Each session has a specific topic, and Avery demands attendance, punctuality, and honestly.

Marissa and Matthew Bishop are the golden couple...glamorous, affluent, and enviable. But now Marissa has a secret, and the golden couple is sitting on Avery Chambers's couch. Marissa blindsides Matthew with a confession. She had slept with someone else, and she now wants his forgiveness. But Matthew is angry, and forgiveness may not come easy.

In addition to accepting the Bishops as a client, Avery has a secret all her own. She has angered a large pharmaceutical company by filing an anonymous misconduct complaint with the FDA regarding a faulty drug trial. The company will stop at nothing to find out who gave Avery her information.

REVIEW
THE GOLDEN COUPLE is an intense and gripping psychological thriller. Avery’s unconventional therapy is intriguing as she puts on her sleuthing hat and delves deep, very deep into the Bishop’s marriage and finds much more than she bargained for.

All the characters in the story are exceptionally well-developed. Avery and Marissa’s characters, however, serve as the two main pillars of the story. The story is written from each woman’s point of view.

The writing of authors Greer Henricks and Sarah Pekkanen is meticulous. They weave a riveting tale with several distinct threads that all intertwine at the end. This duo has authored several other engaging books together, including The Wife Between Us (2018), An Anonymous Girl (2019), and You are Not Alone (2020).

The audiobook was performed with dual narrators. Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland's performances brilliantly brought the story to life. Their voices aligned with the story, and the pacing was perfect. Their delivery keeps listeners engaged. Highly recommend listening to this delightful performance.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review


Publisher Macmillan Audio
Published March 8, 2022
Narrated Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland
Review BlueStockingReviews

Fantastic audiobook, great narration. This story lends itself well to that format. I was intrigued the whole way through. My full review can be found below:

Avery Chambers is an unconventional therapist with a promise to cure your woes in just 10-sessions. Hearing about Chambers from a friend, Marissa Bishop seeks Avery's help to aide in repairing her damaged relationship with her husband, Matthew.

Marissa had one night of infidelity. She doesn't dare tell Matthew on her own, therefore, Marissa saves her confession for their first session with Avery. From all appearances, Marissa and Matthew are a golden couple, perfect in every way. They intrigue Avery and she is anxious to see how Matthew will react to Marissa's secret.

Although angered, Matthew takes it surprisingly well and agrees to commit to Avery's therapy to repair their relationship. Thus, Avery's treatment begins.

Alternating between Avery and Marissa's perspectives, this novel pieces together the truth behind Marissa and Matthew's marriage, while also providing a background for Avery's character as well. I enjoyed my time learning about all of these characters. They were all interesting and provided plenty of drama to keep my head spinning.

Overall, I would say this is a pretty straight-forward story, as far as Psychological Thrillers go, but that doesn't make it any less fun. If you enjoy some rich people Domestic Drama, you should absolutely give this one a go. Personally, I've had great success with this author duo and I look forward to picking up anything else they may choose to write together.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity!

Another winner from an amazing author duo!! Anytime I see a book by these authors, I know I will be reading a new favorite. Every single book by them has well written characters, intricate details, an interesting plot with twist after twist and a perfectly tied together ending. I listened to the audio version and the narrators are the best! The only downside is I have to wait for another book to come out!!

Holy plot twist. So many characters, so many suspicions, and so many ways this story could turn out. And in the end, I was blown away and definitely fooled.
Marissa and Matthew Bishop are the golden couple. High profile careers, a lavish lifestyle full of exotic vacations, private school functions, and an eight year old son who completes their perfect life. That is until Marissa's impulsive late night indiscretion flips their lives upside down and lands them in the office of Avery Chambers.
Avery Chambers. A former therapist, who although lost her license, is still helping clients fix their lives in ten short sessions. Guaranteed. Avery is a recent widow who despite helping others with their problems has no shortage of her own.
This story is told in duel perspectives and has a whole slew of minor characters. At one point it feels like a lot to keep up with. Twists and turns and characters who seem important then suddenly disappear and are never heard from again. I get that certain aspects are needed to tie it all together but the big pharma subplot was unexpected and a bit out of place for me.
Cheating, therapy, a murder from the past, blackmail, stalking, family drama. This book packs a punch!!
I enjoyed the digital book as well as audio version. Great narrators. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for advanced versions in exchange for my honest review.
4 didn't-see-that-coming wowed stars.

These authors are hit or miss for me but overall enjoyable, so I will always give their books a try. The premise of this story is great and it started out strong, but an unnecessary side plot detracted from the mystery and conclusion.

The players:
--Marissa and Matthew, The Golden Couple. A seemingly perfect match rocked by infidelity. Parents to Bennett
--Avery, The "Therapist". She has lost her license but is still sought after due to her unconventional methods always getting results
--Polly, Marissa's assistant
--Natalie, a fellow mom and old "friend"
--Skip, an old friend of Marissa and Matthew
--Chris, Matthew's father

From the beginning, it is clear that everyone is holding something back. The story is narrated by Marissa and Avery. Marissa seeks Avery's help for her marriage because she has cheated on her husband. Avery uses 10 sessions of therapy to help her clients salvage their relationship. Marissa regrets her infidelity and wants to save their marriage. Matthew is also on board. But is she being completely honest? We learn that she has not told the truth about who she slept with. Unfortunately, her one time lover is not giving up easily--sending flowers, notes, etc. She absolutely cannot have Matthew find out his real identity.

Avery suspects this immediately and seems to not only be a therapist, but a private investigator (I guess this is part of her unconventional method) and she basically uses any means necessary to find out the truth. When their lives unexpectedly intersect, Avery begins to wonder exactly what is going on. What follows is a slow burn of a domestic thriller as Marissa begins to wonder if she really knows her husband and if she actually wants her marriage saved while Avery tries to piece together how Marissa and Matthew ended up seeking her services.

The big pharma sideline and Avery's drama could have been left out in my opinion and it would not have changed the ultimate outcome. Overall an okay read. 3 stars.

I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Golden Couple is the story of Marissa and Mathew who seem like the golden couple that has everything, until one day Marissa cheats. Marissa wants to repair her marriage for the sake of their 8 year old son, so they decide to go to this hot shot therapist who has discovered some 10 step program to fix anyone.

Avery is the hot shot therapist, who is dealing with many problems of her own. She seems to absorb the feelings of her clients ever since the passing of her own husband.

Now I gave this book 3 stars because for the majority of the time I was bored by this story. It was told in alternating perspective and usually I like that but both perspectives were pretty boring. The characters just fell flat for me. However the reason this isn’t one star is because the last about 20% really got a little interesting, although it felt a little rushed and unbelievable. There were also a couple of good twists, which is why I started to enjoy it and I could push through to finish it.

“The first taste of morning coffee and the first one of evening wine has to rank up there with the world’s greatest pleasures.”

This is my third book by the dynamic duo and my favorite of the three. I enjoyed the slower pace and the unraveling of secrets. The story was a bit predictable but the narration was so great that I dropped the speed to 1.25x just so it would last longer.

To me this felt more like a psychological suspense than a thriller. There were really only a few very intense moments while the rest was build up. This won’t be a hit for everyone because of that, but I really liked it!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

(Will post an Instagram review closer to March 8 pub day)

The dynamic author duo has done it again! This is the second book by this stellar duo that I have listened to and they always seem to never disappoint me!

Set in Washington, D.C. Avery is hired to help The Golden Couple with their marriage troubles. I loved all the twists and turns in this one! It's just crazy how everything in life came be interconnected. Trying to figure this one out shocked me at the end! I never saw this ending coming!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for the advanced copy from the publisher. I was right away drawn into these intertwined characters stories. About midway through I got some foreshadowing of who the villain really was. Great story though!

I will always be first in line to read anything from this writing duo! They always do such an amazing job with these psychological thriller/mysteries so I was so excited to be able to listen to this one. The Golden Couple follows an unconventional therapist, Avery, and a young couple who are trying to recover after infidelity in their marriage.

We get multiple POVs which adds to the mystery of what secrets everyone could be hiding. This story was all-consuming, especially in the last few chapters. I had no idea how it all was going to play out. There was so much drama and suspense throughout.

I loved the rich and interesting characters that all were interwoven into each others lives. Each of them leaves you with a feeling of unease like there could be so much more under the surface that you don’t know. As the chapters go on, all the pieces seem to come together. There were multiple narrators in the audio of this book which really added to the pace and thrill of a plot like this.

Matthew and Marissa Bishop are a golden couple. Rich, good looking, successful, they seem to have it all. When Marissa cheats, she contacts Avery Chambers, a therapist with controversial methods, to fix their marriage. All of the characters harbor secrets and the authors do an excellent job of slowly revealing them, There were many twists and turns. The audio format worked well for this book. The narration was quite engaging. I highly recommend it as a quick, semi-thriller.. I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC.