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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really figured when I started reading this was 2 people who were just trying to live together and put their best foot forward. No, these people are terrible people doing terrible things. I didn’t care about their marriage or how perfect they both thought it was. The fact they both got arrested which just desserts for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I came in loyal. I came in hyped. I’ve read four of A.R. Torre’s books and not one dipped below 4 stars. But A Happy Marriage? It’s like she ghosted her own talent and left me with a soggy script and a Pinterest board of clichés.
Dinah Marino is a homicide detective with a secret she’d take to the grave. Her psychiatrist husband Joe is also hiding skeletons—literally and emotionally. When a missing woman tied to Dinah’s case ends up in Joe’s hospital, their “perfect” marriage starts unraveling faster than my patience. The setup screams psychological suspense, but the execution is more like psychological snooze.
The twists were telegraphed from chapter three. The pacing dragged like a bad therapy session. And the emotional stakes felt about as deep as a kiddie pool. I kept waiting for that signature Torre tension, the gasp-worthy reveals, the morally gray deliciousness, and instead got a Lifetime movie with a lobotomized script.
By the end, I wasn’t just disappointed. I was personally offended. This book had all the ingredients for a domestic thriller feast, but somehow served me cold toast and called it gourmet.
Dinah Marino is a homicide detective with a secret she’d take to the grave. Her psychiatrist husband Joe is also hiding skeletons—literally and emotionally. When a missing woman tied to Dinah’s case ends up in Joe’s hospital, their “perfect” marriage starts unraveling faster than my patience. The setup screams psychological suspense, but the execution is more like psychological snooze.
The twists were telegraphed from chapter three. The pacing dragged like a bad therapy session. And the emotional stakes felt about as deep as a kiddie pool. I kept waiting for that signature Torre tension, the gasp-worthy reveals, the morally gray deliciousness, and instead got a Lifetime movie with a lobotomized script.
By the end, I wasn’t just disappointed. I was personally offended. This book had all the ingredients for a domestic thriller feast, but somehow served me cold toast and called it gourmet.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes