What gripped me most was the emotional sleight of hand: each chapter a mirror reflecting uncertainty, fear, and the fragility of belief.

When a therapist named Lana agrees to take on a new client, she expects the usual sessions. Some trauma, a few secrets, perhaps a breakthrough or two. But Sandy with her polished appearance and eerie calm is anything but typical. Sandy insists her husband Mike is controlling and abusive. She shares stories that leave Lana unsettled but something just doesn't feel right. The details don't add up and the tears definitely feel forced. And then Sandy vanishes. Now, Lana is caught between her professional ethics and doubt. Why did Sandy seem threatened by her husband? And why does Sandy's husband seem terrified, not for his wife's safety, but of what Sandy might have said? As Lana digs deeper, she unravels a web of lies, and manipulation. Someone is lying. And the truth might destroy them all.

Nicole Trope is another auto buy author for me! As always, Trope delivers another gripping psychological thriller that had me questioning everything, and everyone, until the last page. As the story unfolds, Trope expertly explores themes of gaslighting, emotional trauma, and the slipperyness of truth. Her ability to create tension through the little moments is beautiful. Pauses that feel loaded, and dialogue that reveals just as much as it conceals. The alternating POVs keep the pace steady and I was constantly flip-flopping on who to believe or root for. Character development is definitely a highlight. Lana as our main character is flawed, vulnerable but also strong. And then Sandy is just a whole puzzle in human form. This is definitely a book that plays with perception. Just when you think you know everything, Trope twists the narrative. Overall, The Therapist is an addictive read where no one is quite what they seem. Definitely a worthy addition to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Trope, and Bookouture for this ARC! Publication date was July 31st 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun psychological thriller. Lana, who is a therapist based in Australia, ends up being transferred a client, Sandy. Sandy ends up sharing details that has Lana fearing for her safety.

There's twists, turns, and tension throughout this book. I did think it was a little slow and took a bit to pick up, but it was a short and quick read that had my interest.

I liked the multi-POVs that continued to have me questioning who was telling the truth and who to trust. I am now interested in reading more from this author.

📆 single/dual/multi, linear/non-linear timeline
👀 multi POV.
🐢 -🐇 fast- paced

Wow, what a twisty turny thriller this was. I have to admit that I had my suspicions about who was guilty pretty early on, and I was right. But that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all. I just could not put it down as I had to know if my guess was correct. And there were some smaller twists that I didn't see coming at all.

I thought the story was well paced, and the multi POV narrative worked really well. There were definitely times when I questioned who was telling the truth and who wasn't.

I don't think I've read anything by this author before, but I'll definitely be looking out for more of her work in future.

Hooked from the start in this psychological thriller. An intriguing read featuring a narcissist character, Sandy. What was her game, was she telling the truth or merely manipulating her therapist , Lana. I raced through this book to discover the answers

I really enjoyed this book. I personally have never been to see a therapist or have any knowledge of the work environment or rules. This novel pulled me in immediately. I felt like I was watching a Lifetime movie. The amount of knowledge I learned about therapists was amazing. The patient clearly needed more help than she thought she needed. The twist of roles was daunting and I enjoyed reading each characters point of view! I will definitely be recommending this book!

I always love a good twisty thriller which is exactly what Nicole writes. Always guessing until the end and always ending with a final twist you didn’t see coming. I have come to regard Nicole’s books as must read. Perfectly paced and highly enjoyable read.

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s dark, fast-paced, and packed with an insane number of twists and turns that will leave your head spinning (in the best way). Suspense drips from every chapter, and just when you think you’ve figured it out—bam! Another curveball.

Big thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the ARC!

Lana, 36, is a therapist in Australia. She is divorced and has a young son, Iggy. When a co-worker asks Lana to take over a patient for him as the woman is declaring her attraction to him, she reluctantly agrees.

Sandy is a pretty woman married to Mike and the mother of two. Sandy does not work and Mike’s company is facing some difficult times. Sandy spends lots of time every day making sure she shows no signs of aging. She and Mike drink too much and end up arguing a lot.

Sandy meets with Lana and complains about Mike scaring her and even shows up with a black eye. Lana keeps telling her that if she is being abused, she needs to go to the police, but she refuses. When Sandy fails to show up for an appointment, against her better judgment, Lana goes to her home only to see Mike there with the children. He said that Sandy needs to get away for a while and rest. Lana thinks he’s lying so she goes to the police who note her concern but wonder why she is getting in the middle of this domestic situation. Lana is now afraid that Mike may hurt her so her co-worker insists that she take a gun filled with blanks for a type of protection should he show up.

Wow! Hope I haven’t given out too many spoilers. I just wanted to whet your appetite for this awesome book. As every page turns, more and more is revealed which shows this author has written a very twisty and addictive book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a great read with wonderful characters. It kept me up late reading because I wanted to know what surprise was coming next. And there were surprises and lots of twists. Lana, the therapist inherits a patient from her co-therapist and wow - she's in for a wild ride. Her new patient implies physical abuse and that has Lana worried. Then she meets Mike, the husband and he tells Lana his wife is lying. It's a case of he said she said and it's hard to figure if anyone is being truthful. Wonderful twisted ending and something I never saw coming. I recommend this book.

I love the psychologist/patient trope, so this one was right up my alley! The Therapist was such a wild ride... there’s this constant tension that kept me super invested the whole time. I really enjoyed the twists (even if a few were kind of easy to see coming), and I thought the number of characters was perfect and the plot idea was really well thought out. My only small complaints were the repetition in some parts, the way certain scenes felt a bit too explained (like, I could tell the twist was coming just because they were setting it up too much) and near the half way, the story started feeling a bit rushed and messy, like it lost some of its grip. But either way, I totally recommend it if you're looking for an emotional rollercoaster, because I had such a good time with this one.

Holy Moly, Nicole Trope hit it out of the park AGAIN! I absolutely loved this page turner.

We bounced between the perspective of the therapist, the patient and the patients husband. What happens when a patient makes the therapist doubt what is real and what’s made up? Where is the line drawn?

It was truly a rollercoaster that I wasn’t sure where we’d go next. I’m not joking when I say I devoured this book in a day, it was worth losing sleep over.

I really enjoyed this book. The amount of twists and turns that were involved just kept getting higher and higher.
It’s told from different POVs, the therapist, her patient sandy and then sandys husband. Sandy feels she deserves a life better than her husband and her kids and starts plotting to get a better life. She draws her therapist in to her web of lies and starts to plant the seeds about what she plans to do.
As i was reading it, I kinda had a feeling about who was involved and what the outcome would be, but as always there’s always a twist you don’t see coming.
Overall such a good book and I couldn’t put it down

Wowza! I almost got whiplash from one of the shocking twists in this book! Whew! Talk about a gripping, shocking, thrilling and hard to put down book! I had no idea what I was getting into when I began reading but Nicole Trope pulled out all the stops and delivered a wild, chilling, addictive, and twist filled roller coaster ride of a book!!!!!

Lana is a therapist who loves her job. One day she is transferred Sandy, a client, from another therapist in her practice. Sandy is married to a Mike and turns to therapy to work through some issues in her life. When Sandy doesn't come home one day, her husband is worried. While trying to figure out where his wife may be, there is a knock on the front door and in walks, Lana, his wife's therapist!

The Therapist is a riveting and entertaining mystery thriller which had me turning the pages at warp speed. Just when I thought I had things figured out, Nicole Trope threw in another twist and shocking reveal! I enjoyed the tension and the sense of unease in this book. I also enjoyed how Trope had me questioning the characters, their motivations, and judgement calls. I often found myself wondering who was telling the truth, who is being unreliable, and who has something to hide. I enjoyed being a silent observer as the characters began to tiptoe on the flat line between secrets and lies. Plus, who saw that ending coming??????? Not me!

If you have not read a book by Nicole Trope before you are in for a treat! Coming in at less than 300 pages, this is a fast and captivating read!

Nicole Trope really knows how to wrote stories that mess with a reader’s mind!
One character was absolutely horrid from the beginning, I laughed at that character periodically because they thought they were being so smart but yet were double crossed royally and still couldn’t process it.
Admittedly I suspected everyone before little bits and pieces clicked together.
I suspected one other character because they seemed very fishy.
I loved the ending and what one of the characters had planned for the person who thought they got away Scot free.
Think again!!

This was a very twisty and turvy thriller which had me all over the place. Until about 80% in I didn't know what was happening and then things started to click together when you get the excerpts of the newspaper articles. Once I clicked onto what was going on then things started to click together and i had the AHA moment. This is an author that I will be looking into some of the previous works of.

The Therapist by Nicole Trope is a gripping read full of secrets, lies, and unreliable characters. Told from the alternating perspectives of Lana (the therapist), Sandy (the patient), and Mike (the husband), this story is packed with secrets, manipulation, and plenty of tensio where nobody is as they seem.

I flew through the short chapters, always trying to figure out who was telling the truth. There’s a steady build-up of tension, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist dropped.

While I found some parts a little predictable, the final reveals were satisfying and worth sticking around for. If you enjoy psychological thrillers where you can’t trust anyone, this one’s for you!

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

This is a twisty story full of manipulation and bullying that had me guessing about what is true and what is a lie. The story starts slow as characters are introduced but by midway the pace picks up and I had so many questions that my head was spinning. Lana is a therapist who after a childhood as an outcast has created a life for herself where she can help others. When Ben, the other therapist in her office, comes to her with a problem and asks for her help with a client Lana makes time and steps in. Sandy, the client, tells a story that makes Lana wonder but she is compelled to help. When Sandy disappears Lana crosses a professional line in order to help but could it ruin Lana’s life. And what about Mike, Sandy’s husband, his story is different from Sandy’s but is it true? As the story races to a conclusion I wondered who is telling the truth and can Lana figure it out before it turns deadly? Full of unlikeable and unreliable characters the story had me wondering and trying to figure it out (I was wrong). I recommend it to readers that enjoy stories that leave you wondering who to trust and if the truth was ever revealed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review – The Therapist by Nicole Trope

Wow—what a ride!

For the first 75% of this book, I kept thinking it had strong Gone Girl vibes: tense, layered, and perfectly paced. Then the last quarter hit… and I could not put it down.

Nicole Trope delivers an incredible psychological thriller full of twists and turns. Every time I thought I’d figured it all out, she surprised me with another direction I didn’t see coming.

I also loved that the story is set in Australia, with an Australian author’s voice coming through—it added an extra layer of connection for me.

An absolutely addictive read that will keep you guessing until the very end. Highly recommended for fans of twisty psychological thrillers.

📅 Publication Date: 31 July

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Nicole Trope for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Therapist by Nicole Trope is a fast-paced, twisty thriller full of secrets, lies, and characters you can't trust. Told from multiple POVs, it keeps you guessing until the final reveal. A quick, suspenseful read!

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review