Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s “The Golden Couple” Will Have You Up Until 3am
They look like they have it all: high-powered jobs, wealth, a beautiful Washington D.C. home, a cute little son, and the perfect marriage. Think again.
The Plot
Avery Chambers is an unconventional therapist with unconventional methods and no license. If she can’t fix your issues in ten perfectly crafted sessions, no one can, says her clients.
Marissa and Matthew Bishop have it all until Marissa cheats. A friend recommends that Marissa involve Avery in her confession. Marissa does just that – she brings Matthew to Avery to confess her infidelity and to begin recovering their marriage in Avery’s ten step program.
As Avery works with the Bishops to make their marriage work, dark twists begin popping up. Is Marissa being stalked? By whom? Who did Marissa cheat on her husband with? Avery begins uncovering the dark underbelly of a seemingly simple therapy case.
The Verdict
Hendricks and Pekkanen’s novels have always garnered the attention of the general public’s readership. Their other three novels were smash hits, just as The Golden Couple is set to be. The turning spire of a plot that the novel boasts will keep readers enthralled late into the night, as it did for me.
Just as you feel that as a reader you have a grasp on the characters, their motivations, and their place in the amalgamation of a broken marriage, the game changes. It’s as if the floor slips out from under you over and over again, making you question your own sanity and loyalties. The final twist will all but knock you out.
I found this novel to be a fun mystery leading me to a thrilling conclusion that holds back not at all. Releasing tomorrow, March 8, 2022, this should definitely be your next read. You can check it out at MacMillan’s website here.
This novel is recommended for fans of novels like The Hunting Wives by May Cobb, a domestic thriller that traverses dangerous waters.
Want to read The Golden Couple? Click it down below!
(4.5 / 5)
The Plot
“A brilliantly genre-bending, mind-twisting answer to the question How far would you go to save your child?” — Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Jen watches her son murder a stranger. Stab him to death. She and her husband, Kelly, watch as their son Todd is taken into custody.
The next morning, Jen wakes up and it’s yesterday. Jen knows that at the end of the night, her son kills someone. She is determined to stop it.
Jen goes further and further back in time trying to discover why Todd murdered a stranger and how to stop it.
The Verdict
This book is twisty. Right when you think you know the ending, something else is there to prove that the story is more multifaceted than that. While the premise of the novel is simple, Gillian McAllister elevates a simple concept with deep, dark twists.
It is best that you don’t know too much going into this one. For fans of Blake Crouch, this is such a good thriller with time travelling vibes.
(4 / 5)
“That doesn’t invalidate it,” Angel said. “There’s no statute of limitations on pain.”
The Plot
Angel is a man who knows pain: physical, mental, sexual. The story begins with Angel visiting Room 6 at the Lonely Motel and ordering a plus-size sex worker to his room. What comes next is Angel’s retellings of painful stories while performing sexual acts on the sex worker, Shyla.
The novel reads as a book of short stories, as Angel relays stories to Shyla and she tells him stories back. This is a novel of pain and disgust. Angel’s stories are so dark and traumatic that Shyla can’t believe they are true. As Angel bares his soul, we see a side of him that is melancholy and unable to process hurt in a natural way.
The Verdict
This novel is full of disgusting visuals and isn’t afraid to get dirty. This truly is an extreme horror novel. As a warning, there is discussion of feces, blood, rape, sex, and body horror. This novel is not for the faint of heart. You’ll close this short novel feeling dirty. Angel is a character that begs for sympathy while his stories narrate that he may not be as innocent as he perceives.
When the subtitle says this novel is extreme horror, believe it. Only the strong will survive Duncan Ralston’s Woom. It is more splatterpunk than anything, but true literary quality lies beneath the filth.
(4 / 5)
Read it yourself by clicking below!
One year ago, Isabelle’s life crumbled when her baby was abducted from her home. Her marriage to her husband, Ben, is destroyed as they try to navigate the fallout.
The Plot
Even one year after the abduction, Isabelle seeks answers. She is still doing appearances at true crime expos to get information on the attendees, thinking the abductor will be there one day. Abductors usually revisit their crime and Isabelle swaps her appearances for the event guest list, never taking any money for her talks.
Some think that Isabelle killed her own baby as evidence from the case says the perpetrator came from inside the house. Isabelle hasn’t slept – not fully – since Mason was abducted. Her therapist is worried that she may be having hallucinations. Is Isabelle the killer or is she on a quest for true justice?
The Verdict
I absolutely loved the complication of not knowing whether Isabelle was a reliable or unreliable narrator. This was my favorite aspect of the novel. It made me question everything that Isabelle had to say and the actions she executed.
Isabelle is a character that, as a mother, I really felt for. I wanted to believe that Isabelle was innocent, but I was hanging on the edge of my seat waiting to find out. Stacy Willingham is the master of a story that winds all around, waiting for you to find the truth.
If you are interested in reading Willingham’s first novel, A Flicker in the Dark, check out my review here.
(4.5 / 5)
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