I read and listened to this book all the way through, and it grabbed me from the start. The pacing was nonstop—fast and intense in a way that made it hard to put down. The dual timelines kept the story moving and added layers that made everything more interesting.

The characters felt real and complicated—flawed and human. I liked how their stories unfolded slowly, revealing parts of themselves over time in a way that felt honest and raw.

Experiencing the book both by reading and listening gave me a deeper connection. The audiobook added emotion and made the characters feel more alive, bringing the story to another level.

Some moments of suspense stretched believability, and that pulled me out of the story a little. But even then, I stayed hooked. The story had a harshness to it—sometimes cruel and shocking—but it wasn’t meaningless. Beneath the tough edges was something deep and real. It made me feel uneasy, but it also made me care.

This wasn’t an easy or light read, but it kept me engaged from beginning to end. I didn’t just follow the story—I felt it.

This story is completely unhinged!

Dinah Marino is a homicide detective in Los Angeles. Her beloved husband , Joe, is a clinical psychologist who teaches classes at the local college and also treats patients at his clinic. Their marriage is idyllic. They live in perfect harmony. Everyone is jealous of their ten year relationship that still contains a visible spark. But when Dinah’s newest murder case collides with Joe’s most recent psychiatric patient their marriage will be tested beyond its limits.

It really is best to just dive into this book without knowing too much and just enjoy the journey. Is it outlandish? Yes? But it is also fun, addictive, and full of anxiety inducing suspense. Readers who are looking for a novel with similar vibes to My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing or You by Caroline Kepnes may also enjoy this one. I love all of Torre’s thrillers and can’t wait for her next book!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 24, 2025

A.R. Torre delivers a darkly gripping exploration of the façade of marital bliss in A Happy Marriage. From the very first page, the narrative grabs the reader by the throat, opening with a chilling confession from a husband detailing his plans to murder his wife. This bold and unsettling beginning sets the tone for a story that masterfully blurs the lines between love, obsession, and deception.

Torre weaves a nonlinear structure that requires close attention, with the timeline shifting between past and present to reveal the complexities of the relationship at the heart of the novel. This technique enhances the tension and gradually unravels layers of secrets and motivations, keeping the reader in a state of constant unease.

A Happy Marriage is as compelling as it is disturbing—a psychological page-turner that challenges perceptions of truth within intimate relationships. Torre’s skillful storytelling and haunting premise make this a memorable and sharply crafted thriller that lingers long after the final chapter.

I enjoyed this author’s previous novel but, unfortunately, this one was not for me. The characters were really unlikeable and I couldn’t engage with them. The plot was too over the top and some of the characters’ actions didn’t make sense. The ending was okay.

Thanks to the publisher for this compelling copy. All opinions are my own.

A Happy Marriage by A.R. Torre is a fast paced page turning thriller. It is about a very happily married couple named Dinah and Joe. Dinah is a detective with LAPD and Joe is a psychiatrist. On the outside they appear to have a happy marriage however all of that changes once Dinah gets assigned a case that she has to investigate with a trainee that has been assigned to shadow her.
As the story progresses we learn more about the details of their marriage and it is definitely not what it seems. Dinah is hiding some secrets from her past and there is something off about Joe.
Overall the story was entertaining and I wanted to keep reading more and more to find out the truth behind the case that Dinah was assigned to investigate because it somehow got intertwined with her husband’s line of work. The ending was not what I was expecting but overall I enjoyed the book.
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer. All opinions are my own.

💍 A Happy Marriage by A.R. Torre 💔
Let me just say… that first twist? I did not see that coming. I had no idea what was about to happen—but it definitely wasn’t that. And the surprises don’t stop there. A.R. Torre serves twist after twist, and somehow each one hits harder than the last.

If you love a domestic thriller that keeps you second-guessing everything, this one’s for you. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for secrets, suspense, and some serious jaw-dropping moments.

A Happy Marriage by A.R. Torre ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, popcorn thriller, check this one out.

Unreliable narrators. Alternating POVs. Psychiatrist. Cops. Something’s not right vibes. This one had it all and kept me flipping pages to find out what would happen next.

It twisted and it turned, and I didn’t predict all of them. I enjoyed the fast pacing and set up for this one. If I thought about it too much, it was definitely unbelievable, but taken as a whole I was highly entertained.

Fans of books with lots of secrets, short, fast punchy reads, and unreliable characters will find much to enjoy here.

A Happy Marriage was a fast-paced page turner for me. Secrets and lies are the name of the game in A Happy Marriage. I flew through the pages, wanting to know more about this highly dysfunctional (that is putting it lightly) married couple.

Dinah Marino is a L.A. Homicide detective who is married to Dr. Joe Marino, a psychiatrist. They have been married for ten years; they love each other more than anything but both have been keeping things from their spouse! While Dinah is busy solving cases, her husband teaches and has his own clinic. When Dinah begins investigating a new case, tension begins to build....

Ever wish that a book had been longer? I know I have wished that some books would have been shorter, in some cases much shorter. With A Happy Marriage, I wanted just a little bit more. Why? There are certain things in this book that are not resolved and other things that I wished had been explored more such as how they met and knew they were the right match for each other because...

Having said that, this was a fun, entertaining, tense, OTT, and riveting read. I was all over the place with how I wanted to rate this book. I could not put it down, but I was left wanting more. I did enjoy the Epilogue but, again, wanted more. If you are looking for pure enjoyment in book form, this one may be for you. I enjoyed the inner thoughts of the characters, their interactions, and their happy marriage.

Loved the sharp, minimal writing—short chapters, fast pace, and unreliable narrators that kept me guessing. I was hooked for the first half, but the second half lost momentum. Twists felt rushed and underdeveloped, and the ending didn’t quite land.

Los Angeles homicide detective Dinah Marino and her psychiatrist husband, Joe, seem to have a perfect marriage. Dinah loves him and trusts him completely. However, what he doesn’t know is that there are secrets that she has been keeping from him throughout their ten-year marriage…and he does not like secrets! He seems to love Dinah, but when someone tied to one of her cases, ends up a patient of Joe’s, things start to unravel and even become deadly.
As Dinah tries to investigate the case while keeping her secrets from Joe, tensions between them increase and begin to threaten their seemingly picture perfect marriage.

This is one dark and twisty thriller! Told through multiple points of view, A.R. Torre delivered yet again another thriller that kept me turning pages. The short chapters kept me hooked and made it easy to keep reading “one more chapter.” I love a book that’s full of unreliable characters, and while I figured a few things out as I was reading, I never truly knew what would happen between these two crazy characters, whose toxic marriage was made up of lies and deceit. Thriller lovers, especially those who love darker themes, should definitely not miss this one!

I flew through A Happy Marriage—the short chapters, multiple POVs, and fast pacing totally held my attention the whole time. It’s definitely the kind of book that keeps you turning pages.

That said… it was unhinged in the most far-fetched way 😅 I can usually roll with that depending on the story, but this one pushed it a little too far for me.

Some readers will love the wild ride, but I personally needed just a bit more believability to stay grounded in the story. Still, entertaining overall!


thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review *

Wow! I never saw it coming! She’s a detective and he’s a psychiatrist, both doing work that’s meaningful. A deep secret is eating away at Dinah and until she can rid herself of it her marriage is at risk. Joe is smooth, intelligent, handsome but looks aren’t everything. Their story seems normal yet intense and loving, one wrong move and nothing is safe. There’s something about Torre’s writing that draws me in and, even when finished, I continue to think about the books. This will be one of those books. I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy, read it quickly, and wrote my voluntary review. The world needs to know this book.

This is only the second book I've read by A.R. Torre but she's quickly headed to my list of favorite authors. This was such a fun, unhinged thriller!

I prefer to read books with quick chapters and this one was full of them. Torre managed to keep them succint while never feeling like details or descriptions were skipped. With chapters written so well like that, I never wanted to put it down. However, near the end there were actually several times I had to set it down because I was feeling such anxiety from how things were playing out, which was a good thing! They don't call it a thriller for no reason.

I didn't completely love the ending, but I certainly didn't hate it either. Overall, this was an exciting story and I can't wait to read more from Torre!

A.R. does it again, folks. Torre always writes such amazing books with such depth and personality, I had the best time following this story. I can never recommend Torre enough.

This wasn't my favorite by AR Torre; however, I was hooked from the first page. The storyline kept me intrigued throughout the book and I honestly couldn't decide who was lying, who was telling the truth. The book is full of unreliable narrators, which I actually love! I did see a few of the 'little' twist coming, but one did surprise me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC

after being pretty disappointed in torre’s previous release, i was hesitant to start this one. i was hooked from the beginning, and while the plot was completely outrageous, it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. the twists were crazy. even though you think you have it figured out at the beginning, i can guarantee that you do not!

This is a very fast paced psychological thriller that will keep you turning pages. It’s hard to say much about the story without giving anything away. There’s no real deep character development, the main characters are really unlikable, and I found some of the chapter transitions a bit confusing (both because of the story and the multiple POVs). Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it left me a bit unsatisfied.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dinah is an LAPD detective and her latest case-the murder of a dying woman and disappearance of that woman's daughter Jessica- is about to blow a hole in her carefully constructed and curated marriage to Joe, a psychiatrist. They both have secrets, big ones that are about to come out. Classic domestic thriller territory but I liked that it's combined with a procedural of sorts. Oh and there's a rookie cop who is poking around in Dinah's cases, and , effectively her life. Dinah's secret wasn't really a surprise but Torre knows how to keep you reading even when you think you know the outcome. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A.R. Torre is good at writing psychological thrillers that go a little off the rails, and this is no exception, always going to the more bonkers route. This sometimes means that the character development in this one leaves a little to be desired, but the plot is propulsive and kept me reading.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy!
A little bummed on this one. Felt like this wasn’t as good as other books I’ve read by her. Story fell flat to me and the twists weren’t super mind blowing.