The Therapist by B.A. Paris @StMartinsPress @NetGalley #baparis #mystery #suspense #fiction #bookbloggers

Susanne’s Review:

So, there was something about The Therapist by B.A. Paris that got my back up as soon as I started reading it. Something that didn’t sit quite right with me and unfortunately, it wasn’t the suspense of it all.

If I tell you, however, I’ll ruin it for those of you who haven’t read it.  Let’s just say that I guessed two things right off the bat and was right on the money. 

That aside, I enjoyed the mystery at first and was excited for what was to come.

Alice and Leo are partners, who move into The Circle, an exclusive neighborhood in London.  Shortly after moving in, however, Alice finds out that their beautiful new home was the scene of a brutal murder of a woman named Nina and Alice becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her.  

Shocking though it may seem, Strange things are afoot at The Circle. 

Though given fair warning, Alice can’t seem to mind her own business.  Soon, she begins suspecting all of her new friends and neighbors of being responsible for Nina’s death, and her thoughts range from mildly suspicious to wholly outlandish.  As a translator, who makes a good living, she could, of course, escape this whole business and leave The Circle and its inhabitants behind, but instead chooses to stay on, which truly boggles the mind.  Admittedly, her choices and suspicions had me shaking my head in disbelief.

A novel that started out fairly strong, but lost me along the way.   B.A. Paris is an author whose early novels I really enjoyed and whose later novels have been hit and miss for me.  This one was definitely a miss.  If you don’t mind suspending disbelief, you might enjoy this more than I did.

A buddy read with Ms. Kaceey.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc.  

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram for the arc. 

Kaceey’s Review:

Oh! I was so looking forward to this one!😩

Alice and Leo are ready to take their relationship to the next level. No…not marriage. Leo doesn’t believe in that. 🤨. Leo asks Alice to move in together. He even picks out the house, and with Alice only seeing pictures of it…he goes ahead with the purchase.  

Alice has an odd feeling about the house right from the beginning. It’s a tight-knit gated community and Alice is determined to win over all the neighbors.

But when Alice finds out about the history of the house she becomes all consumed to solve the mystery.

Alice’s actions were so frustrating. I just couldn’t understand her need to stay in that house. Personally, I would have packed my bags and hightailed it out of there.

Leo was no prize either. A very unlikable character. But, he was a saint to put up with Alice’s behavior.

What a pair!🤣

This book started off so well. 

I was all in and completely captivated. 

But by the halfway mark it started going downhill and never recovered.

Truthfully, it became a struggle to finish. But I persisted because I wanted to know about the therapist.  But the ending was just too outlandish.  

 A buddy read with Susanne.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.