The Golden Couple

by Greer Hendricks

• ISBN10: 125027320X
• ISBN13: 9781250273208
• Publish Date: 8 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[chymerra]

I am a huge Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen fan. I have read almost every book they have written, and I am always looking for their newest book. So when STP contacted me to read/review The Golden Couple, I jumped on it. This book was fantastic!! I am happy that I read it.

The Golden Couple had an exciting plotline. Avery is a controversial therapist who has lost her license. She has a ten-session program that she guarantees will change the lives of her clients. Marissa and Matthew Bishop are new clients whose marriage is in trouble. Marissa has cheated and wants to repair her marriage for the sake of their 8-year-old son. But there are more secrets in Marissa and Matthew’s marriage than Avery expected. Who will survive the secrets? And who is hiding the biggest secret of them all?

Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres to read. I love having my head messed with, and The Golden Couple delivers on that. There are so many twists and turns in the plotline that I almost had an issue keeping up. That made it so much more delicious to read.

Avery was a very unreliable narrator who operated in a morally gray area. She honestly wanted to help her clients (and did with resounding success), but her methods were unorthodox. I disagreed with how she gathered information on her clients, but hey, if it works, it works. There was a point where she seemed to be coming unraveled, but I loved how the author resolved that. It was perfect!!!

I didn’t care for Marissa at first. She blindsided her husband (and Avery) with the confession that she had cheated. She refused to name who she was cheating with and played victim every time Matthew got upset with her. But, as the book went on, I started to see that she had reason to be paranoid, and my opinion began to change. The only thing I even found fault with, after a while, was that she still refused to name the person she cheated with. At one point, I was like, “Girl, just tell THEM.”

Matthew was an enigma the entire book. I didn’t quite know what to think about him. His actions kept me a little off-center for the whole book. He seemed to love Marissa and was willing to do anything to fix their relationship. But then he would blow up at her. At first, I thought it was normal (he was mad), but it started to ring false to me as the book went on.

The mystery angle of The Golden Couple was terrific. I could not figure out who the mystery man was, but I was wrong about what was going on with Avery. The twists in the plotline took me by surprise. The major twist left me sitting there with my mouth hanging open (I am sure I looked like a fool) and an explosive “No EFFING Way!” coming out of my mouth. Side note: Don’t do that in the middle of the night. It wakes up grumpy husbands and 8-year-olds who don’t sleep very well.

The suspense angle of The Golden Couple was just as amazingly written. I was kept on the edge of my seat, wondering about all different things (some of which I can’t put here because of spoilers).

The end of The Golden Couple was very anti-climatic. There was a minor plot twist that involved Avery. Out of everything in this book, I did see that coming. Still, I liked that it ended on a good note instead of making me wonder “what if.”

I would recommend The Golden Couple to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and no sex.

[Kim Deister]

This book was so good! There were so many twists and turns, so many red herrings. It had everything I love in a good domestic thriller.

Marissa and Matthew really do seem as if they should be the Golden Couple… attractive, successful, and wealthy. But then Marissa has an affair, and everything changes when she confesses to her husband. Enter Avery, a therapist who has lost her license due to her nontradition, and rather controversial, clinical methodology. Over the course of the story, she becomes not just their therapist but an equal part bloodhound as she dives into their marriage to discover the truth of what’s between them.

For most of the book, I was never entirely sure who could be believed, who could be trusted, or just who was manipulating who. Just as soon as I thought I’d figured it all out, something would happen to change it all. I couldn’t put this book down!

[Jeff Sexton]

Conventional Story Of Unconventional Therapist. If you enjoy slow burn-ish domestic thrillers where the front half builds the intrigue and the back half (and particularly the last 15% or so) ramp up the thriller/ action side... you're going to love this book that is 100% within that mold. If that's not your thing... this is still a solid story, but not everyone likes everything. :)

The unconventional - and unlicensed because of it - therapist really stole the show for me. Mostly because of just how realistic (yet extreme) she is portrayed. Yes, she is invasive bordering on criminal, contract or not. But dadnabbit, she gets results as much as any Detective out there and for similar reasons. Which actually arguably gets to why I liked this so much - one can almost read this tale as a police procedural, with a profiler taking center stage in the tale. The side story with Big Pharma is all too realistic, and the web of lies turns out to be far larger than anything anyone - be it our therapist or the reader themselves- could have guessed.

But maybe I'm a bit of a sucker for unconventional yet conventional. You should read this for yourself and make up your own dang mind. *After* you *finish* the book. Very much recommended.

[Quirky Cat]

The Golden Couple is the latest novel from the dynamic writing duo – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. If you love thrillers with unique takes or overall writing style, this is a book worth snatching up. Personally, I'm grateful that BOTM included it as a February option, as I might have otherwise missed this read.

Avery Chambers is a counselor – of sorts. She makes a promise to all of her patients: she can fix their problems (and themselves) in ten sessions. Exactly ten sessions – no more, no less. She's made quite the name for herself through her unconventional means.

Her most recent clients are Marissa and Matthew Bishop. They come to Avery with a pretty common marriage issue; Marissa has been unfaithful, but she wants help saving her relationship with Matthew. Avery could handle this issue in her sleep...only things aren't what they seem. They are, in fact, much worse.

I'll be honest with you here: I didn't know what to expect from The Golden Couple. I've heard nothing but compliments from this writing duo (and, in fact, have several of their books on my TBR list), but that made it more challenging to set my expectations here.

So, what did I get from The Golden Couple? A whole lot of surprises, and that's an understatement. I can see why Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen work so well together now. Their writing is flawless, with no plot holes, tight descriptions, and many (shocking) twists. 

I love a thriller novel that manages to find a way to surprise me as I read while still having those twists make complete sense. Looking back at The Golden Couple, I can see all of the hints dropped along the way, leading me to the ultimate conclusion. It was brilliantly done.

As far as I'm concerned, what took The Golden Couple to a whole new level is how it had two strong plots woven together. There's the plot with the Bishops, who are fighting to save a crumbling marriage. And then there's the plot revolving around Avery herself. I think either would have kept me both anxious and invested, but together? It made for quite the page-turner.

Overall, I'd say that I was impressed with The Golden Couple. So impressed that it makes me want to read the other books by this pair (that are already on my TBR list, at least). Looking at my shelves, it seems like I already own An Anonymous Girl and You Are Not Alone. Time to get reading!

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks