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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Another well written thriller novel by the dynamic duo authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen who honestly just make a great team and I’ve read all their joint books since their first joint project The Wife Between Us, which actually made me gasp out loud and truthful that’s hard to get from books when you read so many mystery/suspense/thriller novels.
For me, The Golden Couple, kinda feel a little short compared to their previous works. The story follows a wealthy couple in Washington D.C. Marissa and Matthew who are adorned as “The Golden Couple” by their friends, neighbors, family as they seem to be that amazing couple that everyone aspires to have and whose life seems like a wonderful Instagram post. However, like all couples, appearances can be deceiving.
The book begins with Marissa and Matthew entering the office of Avery Chambers, a therapist who lost her professional license due to not adhering to the traditional rules of counseling practice but whose been crowned as a miracle worker for her clients now that she’s been unburdened by the ethical practices that many licensed therapists must obey.
What reason could Marissa and Matthew possible have to meet Avery, who herself seems to almost believe they are the perfect couple when they come into her home office. Well, it turns out Marissa has felt lonely in her marriage, with Matthew working so much and hardly being there for her if their 8 year old son, Bennett, that Marissa strayed one night and slept with another man, a mysterious man in her gym class, and she blurts out this confession to Matthew and their therapist , Avery for the very first time during their first session, desperate to fix the damage she has done and repair and rebuild their marriage and close the gap between them.
While the situation seems fairly cut and dry, infidelity, a drift between a husband and wife who’ve known each other since they were 15, Avery and the readers find this isn’t that simple, and Avery who refuses to have her clients hold anything back from her, discovers what Marissa and Matthew are both hiding.
Overall, without giving spoilers away, the book had an interesting take where it changed between the point of view of Marissa and their therapist Avery through the story to navigate the plot. I must say, thank goodness Avery was a main character because Marissa was simply not giving me any “main character vibes” through the story. Marissa just seemed so distant not just from her husband but to me as a reader. I get she loves her son, her husband, wants to rebuild their life but honestly I didn’t feel much from her perspective. While it was interesting learning about their past for the story, often I just found Marissa to be 1 dimensional and again not a character I really was connected too.
Avery, on the other hand, was the real star of this novel. She was almost like a bad ass detective and therapist rolled into one. She really went all in on all her clients lives and got inside information and used it to her advantage to catch both Marissa and Matthew off guard and truly find the truth of their issues, what drive them apart, and what else was lurking between them. They’re also was a side plot with Avery regarding another client and helped by reporting something on their behalf about their company and shielding her clients information despite that organization targeting Avery directly to get the name of that employee. Honestly, this was at times far more interesting to me than going back and forth with Marissa and Matthew who really into the end of the book, didn’t really pack a lot of substance to me as characters and unfortunately the “twist” ending really didn’t surprise me that much and felt a bit cookie cutter, like something I’ve seen on dozens of lifetime movies with my mom.
For me, The Golden Couple, kinda feel a little short compared to their previous works. The story follows a wealthy couple in Washington D.C. Marissa and Matthew who are adorned as “The Golden Couple” by their friends, neighbors, family as they seem to be that amazing couple that everyone aspires to have and whose life seems like a wonderful Instagram post. However, like all couples, appearances can be deceiving.
The book begins with Marissa and Matthew entering the office of Avery Chambers, a therapist who lost her professional license due to not adhering to the traditional rules of counseling practice but whose been crowned as a miracle worker for her clients now that she’s been unburdened by the ethical practices that many licensed therapists must obey.
What reason could Marissa and Matthew possible have to meet Avery, who herself seems to almost believe they are the perfect couple when they come into her home office. Well, it turns out Marissa has felt lonely in her marriage, with Matthew working so much and hardly being there for her if their 8 year old son, Bennett, that Marissa strayed one night and slept with another man, a mysterious man in her gym class, and she blurts out this confession to Matthew and their therapist , Avery for the very first time during their first session, desperate to fix the damage she has done and repair and rebuild their marriage and close the gap between them.
While the situation seems fairly cut and dry, infidelity, a drift between a husband and wife who’ve known each other since they were 15, Avery and the readers find this isn’t that simple, and Avery who refuses to have her clients hold anything back from her, discovers what Marissa and Matthew are both hiding.
Overall, without giving spoilers away, the book had an interesting take where it changed between the point of view of Marissa and their therapist Avery through the story to navigate the plot. I must say, thank goodness Avery was a main character because Marissa was simply not giving me any “main character vibes” through the story. Marissa just seemed so distant not just from her husband but to me as a reader. I get she loves her son, her husband, wants to rebuild their life but honestly I didn’t feel much from her perspective. While it was interesting learning about their past for the story, often I just found Marissa to be 1 dimensional and again not a character I really was connected too.
Avery, on the other hand, was the real star of this novel. She was almost like a bad ass detective and therapist rolled into one. She really went all in on all her clients lives and got inside information and used it to her advantage to catch both Marissa and Matthew off guard and truly find the truth of their issues, what drive them apart, and what else was lurking between them. They’re also was a side plot with Avery regarding another client and helped by reporting something on their behalf about their company and shielding her clients information despite that organization targeting Avery directly to get the name of that employee. Honestly, this was at times far more interesting to me than going back and forth with Marissa and Matthew who really into the end of the book, didn’t really pack a lot of substance to me as characters and unfortunately the “twist” ending really didn’t surprise me that much and felt a bit cookie cutter, like something I’ve seen on dozens of lifetime movies with my mom.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Golden Couple was well written with a good premise, but it was a bit slow moving for my tastes. I enjoyed the listen when I doubled the speed.
Had a slow start but wow, the last half of the book flew by. Marissa unknowingly changed her whole life the moment she slept with an old friend the night her husband was out of town. Avery, an unlicensed therapist saved her life in more ways than one.
Meh. It seems like their writing went downhill. As for the mystery in the past, it was so obvious.
Almost a 5 star. It was slow at some points but all and all 4.5
Easily my favorite book of 2022 so far!
Maybe it’s my strong connection with therapy and mental health or because I’m a thriller fanatic, but this book gave me everything I needed and then some. I love all the characters and different viewpoints. I love that you have to be truly invested in the story to keep track of everything. I was so sad when it was over. I definitely recommend The Golden Couple!
Maybe it’s my strong connection with therapy and mental health or because I’m a thriller fanatic, but this book gave me everything I needed and then some. I love all the characters and different viewpoints. I love that you have to be truly invested in the story to keep track of everything. I was so sad when it was over. I definitely recommend The Golden Couple!
This had a promising premise and started out OK, but some of the events were a tad far fetched, and the characters were mostly unlikeable people. Decent enough, but a little dramatic for my taste.