What if your biggest lie led to the straw that broke your marriage?
Dinah and Joe appear to have a happy, loving marriage. Both steadfast in their careers. But when a mother goes missing and Dinah is called to be the lead detective on the case, how does Joe’s newest psychiatrist patient connect all the dots? Furthermore, how does it involve their marriage?

3.5 stars

While I did enjoy this book, it felt like a mystery I have read before. Fun read but nothing too crazy and new.

This book had me all over the place….but first screw off Joe… yuck. THEN HIS WIFE…please. Don’t think so. I love books like this because it gets you thinking about people you think you trust. People are so messy and disgusting. The narrators did a pretty good job with this one. Overall, a good solid read that can be read in one sitting.

This was such a wild ride and if you love a domestic thriller filled with secrets and lies, I would 10/10 recommend listening to the audiobook! The narrator did a fantastic job.

This story had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the three different POV's and the whole thing just felt so unhinged in the best way possible.

However, after all was said and done, it just didn't give me that 5 or even 4-star feeling that I get from a lot of thrillers. I felt like there was so much build-up in this book that could have led to a super crazy twist, but the ending felt a bit anticlimactic for my tastes. I love A.R. Torre and will continue consuming each and every one of her books, but unfortunately, this one was not a favorite.

📚 Review: A Happy Marriage 💍
This was a crazy read, but I’m not surprised given it’s A. R. Torre. The last book I read by her, The Last Party, was so good and so unhinged, that I had such high expectations going into this one. I was hoping it was going to be just as crazy as that was. And although I really did enjoy this one, it wasn’t as wild as The Last Party, but I did however, like it as much as The Good Lie. That one was great too.
This is my third book that I’ve read from this author and the third I’ve loved. I am really trying to expand my knowledge of different authors this year. And I really do feel that I have discovered some really great authors, A. R. Torre being one of them for sure.

This book is about a married couple. You have Dinah and Joe Marino, a professional couple, each successful in their own right. They seem to have the perfect marriage. They both understand how important each other’s jobs are, however both are hiding some deep secrets, that if they were to get out, they could jeopardize everything. This was fun with the different POVs and I loved the twists. This was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @brillianceaudio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. There were three narrators and they all did a great job. Be sure to pick up a color of this went it comes out in a couple of weeks.

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

Have you read anything by A. R. Torre? Any favorite? So far, my favorite is The Last Party.

This was a crazy ride!! I'm still thinking about this one as it is not like anything I've read before. Just when I thought I had things figured out, bam another twist!

This was an enjoyable thriller. Dinah is a detective, and her husband Joe is a psychiatrist. Their marriage is unique, and each has trying jobs. Dinah is investigating a woman who is dead, and her daughter is missing. I will say I say some of this coming, which I wasn't too upset about. The relationships that are described are very interesting because of their abnormality. It was well paced and there were multiple POVs. There were some intense moments, especially when Jessica, the missing girl, wakes up in a hospital.

This one for me, although I was entertained while reading it, will be one of those books that won't stick with me or be memorable. I was interested in this book because of the author and the plot. Right away, I was hooked, but as things went on, the story kind of lost its way and became kind of messy. The other thing that really worked against this one for me was the character development, which was lacking.

I’m a sucker for a good psychological thriller. I love being able to fall into the story and lose myself in it. I love it when the author has me second-guessing myself. A.R. Torre did just that with this intense, all-consuming, and gripping psychological thriller.

The last book I read by this author, I’m not going to lie, wasn’t for me so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this however just because a book wasn’t for me, it doesn’t mean the author isn’t and it even means sometimes it doesn’t mean the book wasn’t either. Sometimes it’s me. Sometimes I’m the problem and I can’t seem to get into the story at that time. I’m so glad I took another chance with this author and honestly, I think I will go back and reread the other book now too.

This book had me in a chokehold from start to finish. I swear my jaw was on the floor 99% of the time. It had it all. Secrets, lies, betrayal, twists that I thought I had all figured out, only for the author to throw me through what felt like a tornado. I ended up staying up until 5am to finish it because I couldn’t stop listening. I was addicted.
If there’s one thriller book everyone should read this year. It’s this one!

Highly recommend!


FIVE STARS
✰✰✰✰✰

Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Happy Marriage is another dark and disturbing thriller from A.R. Torre. A husband and wife are hiding terrible secrets from others and from each other. I flew through this book and could not stop reading all of the dark and twisted things A.R. Torre came up with. Very entertaining.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am usually a huge fan of A.R. Torre, so when I saw I was accepted for an ALC of A Happy Marriage, I was beyond ecstatic to dig my teeth into this story.

We follow Dinah, an LAPD detective and her psychiatrist husband Joe, who makes her feel safe, secure, happy, and totally head over heels in love. She may have a complicated relationship with her family, but Joe is everything to her. Joe loves his wife more than anything, but there are things' he's learned to keep close to his chest. When a missing woman tied to his wife's latest case is admitted to his hospital, doctor-patient confidentiality lands their marriage on some new and uneven ground. It's giving lies, obsession, m*rder, and twist after twist.

Well, I hate to say it, but this one didn't quite work for me. I enjoyed this a lot from the beginning, and I was truly stumped by some of the twists throughout the book, which I love. I love an unhinged FMC, a story revolving around obsession, and twists you don't see coming, but for some (or many) reasons, this one just did not land for me how I expected it to. The characters were highly unlikeable with essentially zero backstory, and the plot felt a little over the top for what actually takes place once you figure out what is going on at the end. I felt like there were a ton of plot holes as well, and I was left with too many questions. I just didn't love it unfortunately.

Either way, I think someone who loves a good thriller with a lot of twists will still eat this book up. It was just not for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Audio, and A. R. Torre for this ALC!

This was a thriller that had teeth to it and wasn't afraid to bite. I loved the narration and have to clap for the people who did the audiobook because they did such a great job making me feel engaged with the incredible voice actors. The story as a whole was interesting and kind of switched and slightly turned the idea of the bad guy being the husband when in reality in a marriage it's never truly one fully responsible for mostly anything. This book was disturbing at times and twisty constantly. The writing was engaging and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I more or less enhaled this book to find out how it would end the big twist I have to say I saw coming but it didn't take away from the greatness of it or the payoff of how well it worked for the novel and plot as a whole. Thus was a dark twisted thriller about marriage love deception and the price we pay to keep what we deem perfect and what cost we are willing to sacrifice. This was done really well and I really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend.

This book was so great! Lots of crazy twists thrown in there and I loved how the mystery unfolded in the different points of views. I love this authors books so much so I knew this one would be good! The narration was awesome too. 😊

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
Dinah Marino, an LA homicide detective, is working a case involving a murdered woman and her missing teenage daughter, Jessica. When Jessica turns up at her husband Joe’s psychiatric hospital, Dinah’s investigation hits uncomfortably close to home - and their marriage is suddenly on the line.

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
This was a pretty unhinged little ride. It’s easy to follow, fast-paced, and super readable - even when you don’t totally know what’s going on (which is part of the fun), the pieces click together as you go.

I’m a big fan of multi POV, and hearing from both Dinah, Joe and Jessica made this extra entertaining. I loved the full-cast audiobook - each character was brilliantly voiced, and the casting felt spot on. 10/10 recommend!

Joe and Dinah, our married couple were both pretty despicable and highly unlikable - but I found them really compelling and strangely charming. Meanwhile, Jessica’s a sweetie, so there’s something for everyone.

There were some solid reveals and twists along the way, and while a couple of things could’ve used a bit more depth by the end, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
You’ll need to suspend your disbelief, but if you’re after something light, totally entertaining, and a bit deranged - this is it!

Thanks to @Brilliance Publishing and @Netgalley for access to this advance readers copy

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. 😂

I absolutely loved this audiobook, and the use of three narrators made the experience even more immersive. Paige Reisenfeld, Charlotte Lobdell, and Jonathan Davis were perfectly cast, each delivering a performance that truly brought their characters to life with depth and nuance. Their voices captured the emotional complexity, tension, and shifting dynamics of the story so well, it felt like I was right there with them. The layered performances added a richness that elevated the entire narrative, and I highly recommend giving this one a listen!

Thank you Thomas and Mercer and Brilliance Publishing for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
LAPD homicide detective Dinah Marino may have a strained relationship with her family, but her psychiatrist husband, Joe, has always been her anchor loving, loyal, and someone she can trust completely. Still, Dinah has been hiding a secret from him for their entire ten-year marriage—one she swore he would never know.
Joe Marino adores his wife, but he, too, has his own guarded truths. When a missing woman connected to Dinah’s latest investigation shows up at his hospital, doctor-patient confidentiality puts their marriage in a precarious position.
As Dinah unravels the mystery, growing tension begins to seep into their once-stable home. The lies they've both carefully kept are no longer just cracks in their relationship they’re potential triggers for something far more dangerous.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
A.R. Torre delivers another incredibly engaging domestic thriller. I listened to it in a single day. The pacing is quick, the plot is wild, and the chaos is just the right amount of fun. I thought I had a good sense of where Dinah’s story was headed, but it took some seriously twisted turns I didn’t see coming. I found myself completely drawn in, eager to see how everything would unfold. The story leans into the outrageous at times, with a plot that’s far from realistic but that exaggerated, over-the-top vibe is exactly what makes it so entertaining. The storyline is refreshingly different, the characters are messy in the best way, and overall, it was just a blast to listen to. Huge credit to the narrators too, they did a fantastic job bringing every character to life and really elevated the experience.
Thank You @Netgalley and @ Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for allowing me to review to this ALC.

A Happy Marriage💍
By A.R. Torre⚡️

Review📖

This is a top-tier thriller! I believe the couple in this novel is among the weirdest characters I've encountered. A detective and a doctor appear normal, yet they are insane. 🤣 The story was both good and unsettling, and I was fascinated by every page. It had several fantastic twists that had me absolutely surprised. Just when I thought I'd figured everything out, something else happened. If you appreciate disturbing books, give this a try!

Thriller🔪
Mystery⁉️
Suspense🫣
Plot twists🌀

5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fast paced quick thriller that is hard to put down. This was a one sitting read for me. I listened on audio thanks to an advanced copy from NetGalley + Brilliance publishing.

I didn’t catch all the twists which I loved. There are 3 POVs which makes it super interesting the whole time and the epilogue was packed!! If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that’s easy to digest this one is good. I felt like there could have been a bit more to the twists because a couple pieces I felt were left with no resolution. But overall good.

The narrator’s were good and very engaged which I like, very easy to feel the emotions and the change in characters which is always appreciative on audio.

This releases June 24th.

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

Way to make me snap to attention with the opening sentence!

What a wonderfully dark, twisted, demented and unpredictable ride. I devoured this book on audio and will be adding a hard copy to my library. As a seasoned reader of thrillers, I can be a bit of a tough customer. This book was exactly what I crave when I want to escape - super fast-paced, lots of messy characters who do terrible things and twists galore. The motives of the characters weren't apparent for a good while and I was left on the edge of my seat trying to guess what might come next. I was completely blindsided by some of the twists and didn't even care when the plot evolved into some "jump the shark" territory because the author somehow made it all work.

I highly recommend you read this one as blind as possible for the best impact.

If I had to nitpick, I'd rather have read an e-book or physical copy than listened to it because there are a lot of characters and multiple POVs that took me a little time to suss out. The narration was very well done though and the actor voicing the MMC did a superb job of bringing that character to life. I also didn't think the epilogue was necessary and didn't add much to the book. Those are minor quibbles to a standout thriller that I simply didn't want to put down and kept me reading late into the night.

Thanks so much to the publisher for providing this fabulous book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Great book! Had me guessing til the end. You won't see the twist coming. Would recommend if you enjoy a suspense.