The Golden Couple

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Avery Chambers has lost her license due to her creative, way outside of the lines and unethical practices. But she doesn't care, she's going to do things she thinks need to be done, in the way that gets the results she is looking for. Now she works out of her home, with her rescue dog, Romeo, as her constant companion. Avery cares about animals and people and she's good at reading both. But she's having doubts about her eccentric ten step program working with her new clients, Marissa and Mathew. Unless they are honest with her, she can't help them and these people are hiding a lot of secrets. Here it comes, The Confession. Marissa starts the confession and says to Matthew "I slept with someone , just once. Avery Chambers is a therapist with a unique strategy for "fixing" her patients problems. Despite losing her license, due to her controversial methods, her success rate is phenomenal but she won't take you on if she isn't certain she can fix you with her ten-step program. Marissa and Mathew Bishop, on the surface, appear to be the "Golden Couple" but Marissa confesses her infidelity in hopes that Avery can save her marriage but the biggest secrets are yet to be revealed...a dangerous web of deceits.

Avery opens the door and Marissa and Mathew Bishop walks in. She starts the session the way she always does and asks the 'What brings you here tonight. She then takes three of the plastic cups out of her water cooler and fills each with a generous shot of tequila. First off, I am BEYOND happy I gave this writing duo another shot, and I can't stress that enough. I had VERY strong feelings about The Wife Between Us, and they were not positive feelings. I remember almost tossing my e-reader in frustration at the time because things were so OTT in that book, at least for me, and I was pretty sure they weren't the writers for me. The pause he doesn’t rush to fill means he’s considering what to say next. Which might also mean he’s debating whether to answer honestly. My favorite kind of thriller: a guessing game filled with characters you care about and twists you don't see coming. The Golden Couple takes a deep dive into a marriage, where what you see on the surface is not necessarily the truth, and the results are mesmerizing. Add to this a therapist who doesn't play by the rules and you have an utterly compelling, spellbinding read." (Lisa Jewell, author of Then She Was Gone and Invisible Girl)If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal–she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault–and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death. Although angered, Matthew takes it surprisingly well, all things considered. He even agrees to commit to Avery's therapy to repair their relationship.

Grief isn’t linear. It isn’t logical. There’s no structure or civility to it; it grabs you when you least expect it and digs in its nails until you succumb. One of PopSugar’s 66 Thrillers That Will Give You Goosebumps, Best New Books of 2022 So Far, and 35 If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal—she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault—and almost absorbs the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.

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Mr & Mrs Clown are... well, boring and pathetic. I can't get into their relationship without giving too much away, but Marissa is the classic PTA mom fueled by white wine and xanax, and her husband is a blonde white guy who makes a lot of money doing god knows what. Yawn. I find this writing duo LOVES the Boston white rich couple trope... I don't think I've encountered any POC characters in their books. It’s a character-driven story, with two POVs. Avery Chambers is an unorthodox therapist who recently lost her professional license after being reported to the governing ethics committee for using unsanctioned methods. Nonetheless, she has excellent results and thereby many clients. She begins the story, introducing the reader to Marissa Bishop. Marissa has hired her because she is fearing the state of her marriage, after cheating on her husband, Matthew. Marissa and Matthew are known as the golden couple in that they appear to be perfect in every way. Perfection is always fodder for a great story. Marissa Bishop has seen the WaPo story about Avery. She signs up herself and her husband, Matthew, after she cheats. My thanks to the authors and St. Martins Press for the gifted copy to review. The Golden Couple is now available. There was also a perfect balance between the past and present, as well as between both story lines and how well they intertwined...not sure if this was due to the joint writing effort from two authors, but it just worked. I also loved that even though Marissa and Matthew were supposed to be sort of a 'posh' couple, in many ways they felt down to earth and accessible and there was GENUINE emotion tied in when the authors detailed their marital strife. I love when a thriller can also tug at my heart strings a bit, and this one certainly did!