Name: Lauren Dale's review of The Therapist by B.A. Paris
Item: The Therapist
Rating: 4
Author: Lauren Dale

B.A. Paris

TELL ME YOUR SECRETS... 'Tense and compulsive' Louise Candlish, bestselling author of The Other Passenger 'Suspicion, betrayal and dark secrets abound' TM Logan, bestselling author of The Catch 'A delicious web of lies' Jane Corry, bestselling author of I Made a Mistake

The Therapist

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist—a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive... As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem...

A Novel

Moira

I think time has no meaning when it comes to grief.

Keira 💫

Emma-Leigh Pedder

It definitely dragged at times but BA Paris always leaves you on the edge of your seat having zero clue what’s happening next. You and the main character spiral together, it’s called trauma bonding

Lauren Dale

loved everything about this. didn’t read the synopsis or reviews prior which made this even more mysterious for me but definitely enjoyed the good feel of quaint suburbia but with a chilling secret. this is a great book on the meaning of trust. 

Danielle Naurayan

TELL ME YOUR SECRETS... ‘Tense and compulsive’ Louise Candlish, bestselling author of The Other Passenger ‘Suspicion, betrayal and dark secrets abound’ TM Logan, bestselling author of The Catch ‘A delicious web of lies’ Jane Corry, bestselling author of I Made a Mistake

Jordan

this was a clever little thriller. the author does a good job of getting the reader to feel just as suspicious and paranoid as the main character is through red herrings and deceptive wordplay, which I really enjoyed. I developed numerous theories throughout the course of reading this book as to what I thought happened and none of them were correct! my only complaint was the ending - it was too open-ended for my liking, but that’s just a personal preference. I definitely recommend this one!

emily learmont

Kristin Boren

*audiobook* I should preface by saying I think my frustration with the main character had an effect on my enjoyment of the book overall. This book should be called for the love of God Alice Google people. The writing is as solid as every other B.A. Paris book. I really enjoy her thrillers in general. I just found the main character truly insufferable. Really good narrator on the audiobook.

jess larry

took me forever to finish, thats how i know a book isnt for me

alice was just too stupid, made too many dumb decisions. like why are putting your life at risk by involving yourself in something that NOTHING to do with you ???? why are you still interacting with a man you've only known for a year & who blatantly lied to you ???? why are you still in the house

this entire book was built on stupidity im sorry, if she was a normal person she'd have just moved out, fin de l'histoire

the plot twist was good tho, which is pissing me off because it would've been an AMAZING book if not for mc's questionable decisions

the dead sister's name being nina does NOT explain her crazy involvement in this shit

2.5

A really exciting thriller. Loved the more psychological aspect of this book. And the lead up to the climax was really page turning!

Hannah Williams

The NEW gripping psychological thriller from Sunday Times, million-copy, number one bestselling author of The Dilemma and Behind Closed Doors. ***Available to pre-order now!*** When Alice and Theo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated-community of twelve exclusive houses, their new home is everything they've dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive... Just as Alice is settling in and getting to know her new neighbours, she discovers a devastating, grisly secret. Her new house is infamous; the notorious site of a murder just eighteen months before, when the previous owner was found dead in her bath. Murder victim Nina was a therapist and Alice begins to feel a strong connection with the dead woman, having suffered a tragedy of her own. Alice becomes obsessed with the death of Nina and tries to find out what happened in her house, but no one wants to talk. Her neighbours are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem in The Circle... The international, million-copy Sunday Times bestseller B A Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in this utterly compelling tale of a house that holds a dark secret. Praise for B A Paris: 'A powerful, beautifully crafted story that ratchets up the tension with every page and packs a huge emotional punch' TM Logan 'A departure from B A Paris's previous psycho-thrillers, this emotional story is gripping' The Daily Mail 'A dark family drama ... builds a palpable wall of tension that leaves you desperate to find out what happens next' The Sunday Mirror 'B A Paris is a mistress at tapping into fears you didn't even know you had. This is a poignant, thoughtful family tale with a difference' Jane Corry 'Emotional, gripping... a truly compulsive read' K L Slater 'Twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre' The Guardian 'B A Paris has a unique ability to get inside your head and stay there!' HC Warner.

Would have been a five star if the ending didn't feel rushed and I hadn't worked out who the killer was.

Tjat being said this was a really good read had me wanting to keep turning that pages. It was well written and kept me interested from start to end.

Would definitely read more from this Author.

Samantha King

Would have been a five star if the ending didn't feel rushed and I hadn't worked out who the killer was.

Tjat being said this was a really good read had me wanting to keep turning that pages. It was well written and kept me interested from start to end.

Would definitely read more from this Author.

Lucy Marshall

** spoiler alert **
           Kicked myself at the twist at the end, was really good at keeping an intense feeling going throughout so you couldn’t put the book down. My first thriller and definitely won’t be my last.

Yvette

**2.5**

I just… I couldn’t. I stopped myself from telling Alice to mind her business because I get it, there wouldn’t be a story if she didn’t. This didn’t do it for me. I’m a therapist and can say most of the characters in this book need a therapist 😅 This is probably my 4th book from B.A. Paris and I keep waiting for anything comparable to how I felt with my first read of hers, Behind Closed Doors. This may be the end of the road for me with this author.

I have to give it to B A Paris, this is her second book whose plot I am absolutely enamored by. I wasn't a huge fan of the reasoning behind Alice's actions, I don't think I can still wrap my mind around it. It felt a bit wishy washy - Alice's whole personality. But the real culprit? The reasoning, the way it was all tied together? The way it played out in the end? The red herrings? Perfect. 

nuha ✨️

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to #NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of The Therapist.

Alice moves in with her boyfriend, Leo, in a house in an exclusive community in London called The Circle. Then she learns the former resident, Nina, was murdered there. And, strange things begin happening in the house.

I figured out whodunit fairly quickly, but still enjoyed the ride, twists, and atmosphere. B.A. Paris never disappoints.

courtney garrison

This was nothing like what I expected going in. I was guessing the whole time through. About the middle I had three theories, but that ending holy crap. The whole time reading this gave me the silent patient vibes with the writing. So if you loved that one, give this one a shot. 

Alice and Leo move into a gate circle community for a more secure home, but it mostly feels like a prison. 

Therapist is very face paced in my opinion so you are constantly guessing wondering who did what. Constantly moving to that next twist. This is not dark in anyway. I don’t consider it a thriller, but more of a psychological mystery. 

Overall I loved this one and finished it in two sittings. The beginning was slow, but the second half quickly picks up and your hooked. The ending though....I never saw coming. It never even dawned on me. 

Huge thank you to netgalley and Macmillan audio for a audiobook of this one. Fantastic book.

Kerry Kalinoski

Good but a little predictable. Also a lot of characters to keep track of so was confusing at times

Fellowes Cynthia

I have mixed feelings about this book. I have read everything by B.A. Paris and have enjoyed most of her books. There were aspects of this novel that were good and some that were bad:

Good:

It kept me guessing.
Interesting lead character.
It kept me turning the pages.

Bad:

A bit overdone in terms of some of the relationships - very surfacy, but needy friendships. Some of the peripheral characters were not fleshed out.

I didn't buy all of the relationships and the entire storyline and finale.

Still, I liked it and will always put her books at top of my TBR list.

Neisha Gabrysiak

*I was given an e-ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's press in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I have been a fan of B.A. Paris since I read Behind Closed Doors. That book held me in its grip until the end, and -honestly- I still think about how that book went down from time to time. I've also read many of her other books and enjoyed them - although I don't think I've enjoyed any as much as Behind Closed Doors.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The Therapist is a book about a woman named Alice who moves with her partner, Leo, to a gated neighborhood in London called The Circle. From the description, it sounds very much like a "stepford" community. The houses are laid out in a circle - hence the name of the neighborhood. Alice wants to meet the neighbors and make friends, but Leo is insistent on laying low and not drawing attention to themselves. Alice invites neighbors over for drinks one night while Leo is gone for work, and discovers the next day that one of the "neighbors" wasn't who he said he was. 

She asks around the neighborhood if anyone saw him or knew who he was, but everyone insisted that man had never been at the party. Then he turns up on her doorstep again and tells her he's a private investigator that was hired to uncover the truth about the murder that occurred in her house. Alice was stunned because she had no idea that her new home had been the scene of a horrific crime, and she embarks on a quest to learn the truth - a truth she feels compelled to uncover because the murder victim and her deceased sister shared a name - Nina. And along the way she makes some friends in The Circle, makes some enemies, and learns things she never knew about her partner, Leo.

_________________________________________________________________________________

I enjoyed *parts* of this book. I felt like there were many parts that could have been edited out - or just re-written in general. The whole "secrecy" surrounding Alice's reasoning for having an issue with Leo having spent time in prison, for example. I also had issues with how incredibly trusting Alice is when it comes to Thomas, yet she's super suspicious of each of her neighbors and her partner. Overall, she was not a very likable character. Another thing that I struggled with - Alice's reasoning for wanting justice for the victim. 

Stepping back from the little details and things that annoyed me about Alice, the plot as a whole was good. I enjoy a suspense that keeps me guessing through most of the book. At one point, I'm sure I'd suspected every one of her neighbors, just like Alice did - but I came to the conclusion of who the killer was before she did, so in that way it may have been a little predictable. 

I really like B.A. Paris' writing style, and while this wasn't my favorite book by her, I'll definitely keep reading her books.

I have to say, this book was fucking amazing. It had me on my toes, guessing who really is the killer. Obviously I did figure it out and turns out one of my original guesses was right, so I'm pretty proud of myself for that. 
Regardless, this book was good! However, I wasn't a fan of Alice nor Leo. I wasn't like crazy about a single character in this book if I'm being honest. I just honestly liked the plot. 
I would definitely recommend others to read this book because it was totally worth it. 

Lacey Feigl

Alice and her boyfriend Leo just bought a house in a quiet little gated neighborhood. Alice is excited to start her new life but isn’t too sure about her neighbors. They don’t see overly welcoming and aren’t particularly kind but Alice will do whatever she can to win them over. When she realizes her neighbors hesitancy upon her arrival is due to the murder that happened a year prior in her new home she is devastated. How could Leo not tell her about this. Now the murder is all she can think about and she knows she will be unable to rest until she figures out what exactly happened in her home.

The Therapist is 296 pages long and took me one day to read.

This book is so good! I’m giving it a 4 out of 5! It’s super creepy and makes you feel like you truly can’t trust any of the characters in the story. I enjoyed it so much!

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Michele G

The twists kept on twisting. Towards the end I HAD to finish it or I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Megan Oiler 

I DNF.

I tried so hard to get into it, I kept pushing but this book was making my reading slump longer.

Lauren Attaway

Alice moves with her partner Leo into a new home that has a horrible history, one that raises her suspicions of all her brand-new neighbors. I unquestionably appreciated The Therapist in that Sunday afternoon, read it as fast as you can way. The B.A. Paris mystery is laid out and the suspects are not improbable in that way that can be frustrating. It’s effortlessly consumed and very well-paced, and I appreciated the way Paris focused on Alice’s state of mind as she grew increasingly paranoid and desperate for answers. It’s a fun, read in one go, type of mystery. 
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Rebecca

Rainey Michelle

I don't think I've read a book quite like this one. I enjoyed the plot and how and it ended. It was a page-turner.

Ruth Parker 

BA Paris is awesome and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the twists and turns and while I saw the main twist coming, I still enjoyed the journey there. I will continue to read anything BA Paris releases.

Emma-Leigh Pedder &
The Therapist by B.A. Paris

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