Married couple Dinah and Joe had a very close relationship...if you call toxic codependency close. She was a detective and he a psychiatrist, a deadly combination. They would do anything for each other, except divulge secrets.

This multiple point of view thriller is dark and disturbing, not to mention implausible. Most of the characters are despicable and easy to hate, though not in a good way, and they were superficially crafted. Greater characterization would have intrigued me. I enjoyed the writing and suspense now and then but not enough to keep me engrossed. There's just something about this novel which didn't connect with me. It didn't thrill me but it may scratch the itch of other readers.

I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced, had me interested from the start and kept my attention. The characters were written well and I overall really liked this authors writing.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This was so fast paced, twisty, and intriguing. I wanted to know what was going on so badly. I thought I had it figured out but I definitely did not. A.R. Torre is always a hit for me. I loved The Last Party so much and this one was just as good!

I really enjoyed having a bit of police procedural included in this one because I love a good detective case. I do wish that there was a little more clarification on the FMC and her work and why someone showed up out of no where. Like maybe a chapter with that person, for their point of view. I can't give anymore than that because I don't want to spoil it. But honestly it really doesn't take away from the story, I just need answers to everything.

This book could easily be finished in one sitting, especially if you are a quick reader. I am so happy to have received another book from A.R. Torre, how did I get so lucky! I cannot wait for her next one, these are such a fun treat to read and if you're in a reading slump, she will get you out!

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥.

And that my bookish friends is how this novel starts! With a bang!

Do you love domestic thrillers featuring completely unhinged characters? A Perfect Marriage takes the idea of “domestic bliss” to some pretty dark but entertaining places and I was wholeheartedly there for it.

Dinah is a homicide detective. Her husband Joe is a clinical therapist. They are committed to keep the fire in the marriage alive and they both work hard to make it perfect. Minus a few lies and secrets. And a few missing or dead people.

This was a wild, entertaining ride of a book with an intense but satisfying ending. Highly recommend this one if you want to lose yourself in a dark and twisted book! My @thrillerbookloversthepulse also can’t stop raving about this one.

A huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Being a fan of this author's previous work, I found myself not as impressed with this one. It didn't feel quite as polished and was a little over the top. The characters were very unlikable, which is fine. They just didn't make as big of an impression that I felt they should have given the nature of the story. The writing itself was still addictive and the story was intriguing, to say the least. I did like this. I just didn't love it. Three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer, for this ARC.

3.5-A.R. Torre is a must read author for me! This just felt a bit flat compared to her others. Joe and Dinah are married. He is a psychologist, she is a detective. She has several unsolved missing women cases and now is working a suicide where the daughter is missing. Dinah is hiding secrets, from her husband and from her police department, and she will do just about anything to keep them hidden. There are a few interesting plot twists, but my hatred for the characters made it hard to like this book more. I kept picturing them as Shakina and Sarper from 90 Day Fiancé and that did it in. I will forever be a fan even if this wasn’t one of my favs. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to @alessandratorre4 for providing me with a complimentary digital copy. All views expressed are my own.

Dinah and Joe Marino present themselves as a happy married couple who thrive on their drama-free lifestyle by adhering to the unconventional rules they've mutually established. Dinah is a police detective working on the recent disappearance of a young woman. Joe is a college professor and practicing psychologist. Their careers, thoughts, and actions add layers to their characters, and influence their interactions and decisions throughout the story.

The narrative kicks off with a gripping case: a mother has been murdered, and her adult daughter is missing. Dinah is on the case and a handsome new detective has been assigned to work with her. However, this case hits strangely close to home for Dinah and soon tensions begin to rise and threaten her job as well as the stability of her marriage.

MY THOUGHTS: I was immediately drawn into this story, which unfolds through multiple perspectives that definitely kept me guessing. The tension begins to build in the middle, and picks up dramatically towards the end, leading to an unexpected conclusion. I found the author’s writing style engaging; even though I did, feel that the premise was a bit far-fetched. This story explores themes centered around parental death, adoption, kidnapping, betrayal, murder, drug use, and trust, making it a thought-provoking read. Fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this one .

A terrifically weird and creepy suspense story that’s absolutely unbelievable, yet all too real! I really loved the bad guy pov in this book.

I was so excited to get this as I loved The Last Party. For me, I think I loved A Happy Marriage more. I mean…talk about a thriller that’s completely deranged & unhinged! There’s so much to unpack with this one & I was front & center for the entire drama from start to finish.

I absolutely LOVE an unreliable narrator & Torre hit the nail on the head with this one.

This is definitely a fast paced read with lots of jaw dropping twists that make it hard to put down.

After reading The Last Party, if A.R. Torre writes something, I’m reading it!

A Happy Marriage is just as twisted as the previous book, which was so satisfying for me. I was constantly questioning if things were really getting ready to go down the way I thought they were headed because WTF?! I loved the twists and the ending and was so happy that this was just as depraved, it lived up to the hype I planted in my head. I don’t want to say anything that gives any of it away, so I’ll leave it at this: if you loved The Last Party, you will love A Happy Marriage. Thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my eARC.

LA homicide detective Dinah and her psychiatrist husband, Joe each believe they have a wonderful marriage until they realize that they are each keeping secrets from one another. When a woman connected to a case Dinah is working becomes a patient of Joe's, they are driven further apart. A fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

A psychological mystery thriller, A Happy Marriage (2025) by A. R. Torre is an engaging, yet underlying menacing story. Dinah Marino is a Los Angeles homicide detective who is happily married to psychiatrist, Dr Joe Marino. Dinah is called to a Beverly Hills house, where a woman’s body is discovered by the postman. She is joined by Freddie, a trainee detective who suspects the woman’s missing daughter may be responsible. As Dinah investigates, Freddie gets caught up in the case and reveals the real reason for their pairing. Meantime, Joe works in a psychiatric facility with Jessica, a young woman who does not remember her name, or why she has been hospitalised. The narrative switches between these three characters, in a tension building tale with lots of secrets and surprise reveals. A tip-top psychological thriller with protagonists not being as they seem, makes for a four star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Thomas & Mercer and the author for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

I generally LOVE this author but this wasn't my favorite. I just wasn't invested in the characters and the pacing felt off to me. still one of my auto-buy authors though.

📜Quick Summary: Dinah is a successful Los Angeles homicide detective. She lives a happy life with her psychiatrist husband Joe. Even though she says trust is what makes her marriage so perfect…she’s harboring a secret so big, she can’t ever let it out of the bag. But Dr. Joe also has some secrets…especially when their “jobs” crossover and the cases intersect. Will tension and lies tear about their happy marriage? Or will they be able to walk that fine line and have smiles on their faces at the end of the day?

❣️Initial Feels: I was hooked from the first few lines that Joe opened with. What a madman! I hope this book keeps up the pace and is hard to put down!

👀Trigger Warnings: serial killer, murders

🌶️Spice Level: nada

📖Read if you want: unreliable narrator, a slew of unlikeable characters, quick binge read, changing point of view chapters, messy thriller

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: Ummm… maybe Jessica?

💡Final Sentiments: This one is hard to rate. Although none of it was extremely surprising in terms of reveals or revelations, I really liked the idea of the story line. I think it could have been executed in a more in depth manner, and really added meat to the story. I loved the fast paced chapters, that really made you say, “Just one more chapter,” but the story seemed sloppily put together and very outlandish. For a quick, binge read, this will get you hooked and digging in. For character development or plot development… this one isn’t it. It felt confusing at times, like it just needed a little more organization. I have seen other novels by this author with amazing reviews, so maybe this just didn’t hit the mark for me. I will try one of her other reads though!

🌟Overall Rating: 3 stars

🔉Special thanks to A.R. Torre, Thomas and Mercer, and NetGalley for this arc of A Happy Marriage!

📘Grab yourself a copy on June 24, 2025!

Wow! This book sucked me in from the get go! The variety of POVs made the plot thicken quickly! Around the middle things took a turn and I was really needing to suspend my beliefs. Joe (the MMC) was a doctor but, the things that went on made me question his ethics at first. The FMC was a police detective and I made certain assumptions. The story went right off the rails at the end with some twists and turns I could not believe that is why my rating is lower. I had a really hard time with the way it all played out, but understand that it is fiction of course.

Thank you Net Galley, A.R. Torre and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to preview this titles. The opinions shared are my own.
A Happy Marriage is expected to be released June 24, 2025.

A. R. Torre is back with another twisty thriller! Dinah and Joe are not your average couple. Dinah, a homicide detective, thinks she has the perfect life balance (even if it does include a secret), but when a woman attached to Dinah's latest homicide case ends up in her husband's clinic, everything flips upside down. I can't say much more, but this was a fun, fast read.

Detective Dinah Marino and her psychiatrist husband Joe appear to have the perfect relationship—until a missing woman connected to Dinah’s case ends up in Joe’s care. As secrets on both sides unravel, their once-stable marriage begins to crack under the weight of lies, professional boundaries, and deadly consequences.

Wow—what a wild, twisted ride! Trust me, the less you know going in, the better, so I’ll keep this spoiler-free and to the point. This thriller is packed with some of the most morally messy, deliciously terrible characters I’ve ever read—and I loved hating them. The plot is dark, unpredictable, and downright devious, with layer upon layer of secrets and tension that had me flipping pages late into the night. The short chapters keep the pace flying, and the multiple POVs crank up the suspense beautifully. Honestly, a more fitting title might’ve been “A 𝘍cked Up Marriage”, but hey, that’s part of the fun. 😂

Thank you Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Happy Marriage was a gripping and twisty psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. From the start, I was pulled into the story of Dinah and Joe, on the surface, a happy and loving couple, but both hiding major secrets. I really liked how the tension slowly built up, and just when I thought I knew what was happening, something new was revealed.
The characters were complicated and not always likable, which made things more unpredictable. I especially enjoyed the creepy, uneasy vibe throughout the book. The plot had some shocking moments, especially toward the end. That one last twist had me gasping and the mystery and suspense kept me hooked. If you like dark stories with unreliable characters, give this one a try!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Dinah and Joe definitely aren’t your typical married couple. Their careers intersect in some unexpected ways, and the suspense and plot twists are mind-boggling as you get to know them better.🤯I don’t want to give anything away, but if you like morally grey psychological thrillers, this one is amazing.

Thank you to AR Torres and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Dinah Marino is a detective with a complicated family life, but her husband Joe makes her feel safe and steady. She makes sure to cater to Joe’s every want so he is always happy. If the secret she was keeping from him came out though, that might change things. Likewise, Dr. Joe Marino loves his wife more than anything but he has his secrets too. When a woman from one of Dinah’s cases is admitted to Joe’s hospital, it makes things a little bit complicated…

After devouring AR Torres’ last book, I knew I would be in for a treat with this one! Part police procedural, this psychological thriller had me a the edge of my seat. Dinah was an intriguing character; at times she seemed codependent, but at other times she seemed in total control. And Joe was equally as intriguing. Dark and disturbing, this book required a little suspension of belief but my gosh I was here for ALL of it! With crazy twists that reminded me of Freida McFadden’s style, I really was surprised by not only those twists but the overall ending too. Another solid thriller that we are loving at The Pulse! And I can’t wait to see what AR Torre comes up with next!

“A Happy Marriage” releases June 24, 2025. This review will be sha6 to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)