Sarah Pekkanen

Greer Hendricks

The Golden Couple is the next electrifying novel from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind You Are Not Alone, An Anonymous Girl, and The Wife Between Us...

A Novel

The Golden Couple

Aubrey Erskine

Macy Johnson

This duo has produced two of my favorite psychological thrillers, so I was super excited to find this one existed when shopping at a bookstore - but from the start, I was bored. The therapist had potential to be super interesting, but the "golden couple" (aka the Most Boring Counseling Couple Ever) literally never surprised me once. Wow, the wife cheated - that's never happened before! Look how unique you are, Marissa McBoring!

The whole entire book just dragged painfully and there was zero legitimate suspense - so I was assuming that maybe this book had come out before An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us? Like a first draft? But no. How is this at all Hendricks and Pekkanen level?????? I was so dismayed. AND IT WON AN AWARD???? Let's just say, I was shocked. Because this was not a thriller. It was a snooze-fest. The ending had no build-up and the connections between things were implausible at best; extremely bland and underdeveloped. So now I will have to question whether I'll read their fourth book or not... which is so depressing because their first two were incredible!! :'(

Sara Uribe

I received a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I can’t believe that I’m saying this but, this is my first time ever reading a book by these two authors and I’m very surprised! I haven't read a mystery/suspense/thriller in the LONGEST time and it felt so good to read one again. This book genuinely surprised me and kept me guessing the entire time. I loved the writing, characters and story. I thought the first half of the book was a little slow but the deeper and deeper you get into the book the harder it is to stop reading. I highly recommend going into this book without reading any reviews about it. I think, especially with thrillers, it's best to go in without knowing anything. I also had the pleasure of listening to this book on audio and it was such great narration. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️2

Marissa annoyed me to no end, so I have next to nothing pleasant to say about her. Throughout this book, I found myself not rooting for any character. I wasn't at all interested in whether Marissa and Matthew were able to rekindle their relationship and fix their marriage. In fact, I would have greatly appreciated it if they had divorced or decided to separate. This would have saved me a tremendous amount of time reading this book. 

I think Avery might have been the only character I cared about to some extent. Her perspective was much more intriguing to me than Marissa's. To the point where, I kinda wished the whole book was told from her POV, because at least she gave us new clues every chapter and constantly moved the plot along. Marissa, on the other hand, I found useless, whiny, overly panicky, and largely insufferable. Didn't feel any sympathy for her and simply couldn't stand her.

In all honesty, the only thing I liked about this book was the premise. However, it was poorly executed, as the number of loose ends in the last 100 pages was mind boggling. It honestly seemed like the book wouldn't tie them up, leaving us with an ambiguous ending or cliffhanger. Although I'm glad that didn't happen, 80% of the book was simply meh.

Another thing. The story has a lot of side characters. Most of them were either fillers or extremely irritating and dislikeable (I immediately thought of Skip, Polly and Natalie).

The twist at the end. Unsurprising, almost anticlimactic. I mean, all that build up for that? Yikes.

Overall, a plain book that is DNF-worthy. I'm honestly baffled by the 4.01 star rating.

I guessed the ending, so I could not give this higher than a 2.5 star

Kate Woodson

A very slow start up. It was interesting and definitely surprised me in the end but I just didn't enjoy how long it took for something interesting to happen. 

Haley Campbell 

Cheri Fuller

These authors have become a definite go-to for fun, well-written domestic thrillers. 

I had a great time reading The Golden Couple. There were plenty of twists and turns and I thought there was enough character development for the two main protagonists. I mean, some connections stretched my ability to suspend disbelief but it was still fun. 

Now I wait for the next one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for hooking me up with both the ebook and the audiobook. I used both depending on how much eyeball time I had. The audio was well done so if you like them, you should be fine with the narrators.

SO good. The characters were so well developed and everyone had things about them that you loved and hated. I loved how Avery kept hinting that Matthew was taking to therapy a little too well—it was such a good foreshadower in ways I didn’t even realize. I really enjoyed the twists and back and forth with who to trust and who not to trust. Was not expecting the ending at all! 

I definitely think that the book could have gone without the big pharma side plot. It felt distracting and took more away from the story than it added to it. Overall I really enjoyed this read though! 

Payten Bovat

SO good. The characters were so well developed and everyone had things about them that you loved and hated. I loved how Avery kept hinting that Matthew was taking to therapy a little too well—it was such a good foreshadower in ways I didn’t even realize. I really enjoyed the twists and back and forth with who to trust and who not to trust. Was not expecting the ending at all! 

I definitely think that the book could have gone without the big pharma side plot. It felt distracting and took more away from the story than it added to it. Overall I really enjoyed this read though! 

Erin Jensen

Honestly this book surprised me whereas I feel I. can usually predict the endings. Love a good psychological thriller

This one kept me on my toes. I was consistently reaching for this book, needing to know what happened next! Overall thoroughly enjoyed. The only piece that didn’t quite click for me was that the therapist slowly took on the role as a PI/trained assassin, which I found pretty implausible. 

Kaitlyn Wendler

The only reason this books ending is shocking is because it’s a lie. There’s no characterization for the ‘bad guy’ that’s why it’s shocking.

The therapy thing was interesting but it was not developed to a finish right. I liked this book until the end. 

Ilham Usman

The only reason this books ending is shocking is because it’s a lie. There’s no characterization for the ‘bad guy’ that’s why it’s shocking.

The therapy thing was interesting but it was not developed to a finish right. I liked this book until the end. 

Melyssa Tromberg 

Avery Chambers, a recently unlicensed therapist, guarantees to fix your problems in 10 unorthodox mannered sessions. 

Marissa and Matthew are the "Golden Couple" who seem to have it all- weath, promising careers and an adored son. But when Marissa admits to having an affair she will do anything to save her marriage. If anyone can help, Avery can. Are there more secrets?

This book is told in dual POV's between Avery and Marissa. The intertwining of these women was very effective in my opinion + not knowing who to root for or what to believe in made this book such a page turner.

The lies, reveals and suspicions kept me hooked and even though I partially predicted a twist, I was still pleasantly surprised with the ending. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a domestic thriller and a strong character driven book!

Mckenzie Tognarelli 

The book was good, but pretty slow. It wasn't a page turner but some parts had me wanting to keep reading or to pick it up and read. 
The last 30 pages were probably the best. 
Pretty good ending and some decent twists.

Shreya Punj

After reading a string of badly written 'thrillers', I was happy to discover that at least The Golden Couple kept my brain occupied—even if for a short while. The premise was good, the writing wasn't too bad, and the twist would definitely shock you if you're new to this genre. Read it if you, like me, are looking for books that make your life seem marginally better.

Jennifer mitchell

this was an extremely captivating thriller. it’s told from 2 perspectives which I love and each storyline interweaves with the other.

my one complaint is that I expected more from the plot twist. not that I really saw it coming (but I guess I did a little), but I was simply underwhelmed by it.

I did enjoy this book, but found it quite boring. Nothing was there to entice me. The twist was kind of predictable. This was my first book by this author, so I was a tad let down. Nothing special about this book. I could see this being a good book for beginner readers of thriller novels. 

Bookworm

Molly Morgan

** spoiler alert **
           This book fell flat for me. I was very interested in it, then was confused, then was annoyed, then was bored, then was thankful it was over. 

The entire subplot of big pharma stalking the therapist was absolutely ridiculous. The conclusion of that subplot felt forced and just.. unnecessary. I kept waiting for a tie-in that would be a juicy twist, but it never came.

I did enjoy Avery, her POV was intriguing and I enjoyed being in her thought process. She was unhinged, and read like someone who thought they knew everything and had all the answers.. but then would make really really dumb decisions. (the guy gave her bad vibes, but she let him in her home because he was good with her dog?)

The main plot twist was so predictable that I was bored. The way the plot was weaved together was like a first draft, not a final product. Best part of this book was the dog, 10/10 dog.

I had such high hopes for this book. But I feel like plot was predictable and honestly I was bored the whole time reading it? 

Allie Gallo 

McKenzie McWhorter

I really enjoyed the concept of Avery and her rogue therapy but I felt like the book as a whole fell flat. There was a ton going on trying to get you to look in different directions and by the end it just felt like chaos even after everything was revealed. I didn't care for the way it ended either, it felt predictable and forced.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A well-done, domestic thriller. I had to suspend belief a bit, but it was entertaining. I am grateful to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Kaitlyn Cortez

There was too much going on with this one. I really liked each individual storyline, which is why I gave it three stars, but really wish the authors had just chosen one to follow.

Kept me interested, lots of plot twists! Not something I would read again though. Some of the plot points and characters get a bit to intertwined and it’s hard to keep track of them. 

Autumn Hunsinger

Jayla Poindexter 

FIVE STARS JUST FOR THE ENDING OMFG.
I spent this whole book trying and failing to figure out what was happening. Trying to figure out what this comment meant or if this is too obvious. I didn’t trust anything anyone said and I was completely suspicious of EVERYONE! I loved Avery though. Anyways… THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD AND ALL THE COMMENTS AND LITTLE CLUES AND HINTS LEAD UP PERFECTLY TO THE ENDING!
GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

From Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of the top ten bestseller The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl, comes The Golden Couple - a propulsive page-turner that will keep you guessing to the very end. If Avery Chambers can't fix you in ten sessions, she won't take you on as a client. She helps people overcome everything, from domineering parents to assault. Her successes almost help her absorb the emptiness she feels since her husband's death. Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple, until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods. When the Bishops glide through Avery's door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it's no longer simply a marriage that's in danger.

Madhuri Sridhara

Wow! This was my first book by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen but it definitely won't be my last.

This was a slow burn mystery that is character driven. I loved the way the women were portrayed and was surprised by the emotions this book evoked in me. 

Looking forward to reading more from these authors and would highly recommend this book to fans of mysteries/domestic thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for the advance e-copy.

Savannah Muron

um, this book was INSANE. first of all, living in the dc area, it is crazy to know the amount of detail that was amassed in this book. i could picture the exact locations described with a very scary amount of accuracy. secondly, this book genuinely kept me guessing. it always felt like there were two avenues and i never picked the right one. even that last PAGE threw me for a loop but somehow tied up every loose end? i want to read it again just to gauge how much i missed for everything to fly over my head like it did. these authors are PHENOMENAL and so good at drawing you into what they want you to see about the plot vs. what’s really going on. my only complaint is that it started off a bit slow and all over the place, but i’m beginning to think that was on purpose….

cant wait to read their backlog now lol

The Golden Couple A Novel

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