The premise of this book looked just as inviting as the Scandi Noir genre on TV, with its dark, psychological theme. Sara, the therapist, is the narrator and also the one who the devastating events happen to. As the story unfolds from its mystifying start with her missing husband, Sigurd, it does so through the lens of her thoughts. We observe all that is happening to her, within her, and around her.

The seemingly happily married couple’s back stories are shared in tandem with current events. Sara’s day job brings her into contact with troubled souls who she is able to help. But she feels quite helpless when her life spins out of control and she desperately seeks answers to why Sigurd appears to have vanished overnight without a trace, yet she has the distinct impression that she is not alone in the family home they are slowly renovating.

As the mysteries deepen, and her life gets completely shaken up, Sara finds it impossible to carry on as normal, although she tries to stay in the house or in her office and continue with her client therapy where possible. Eventually, she crumbles under the weight. There is too much at stake, the police appear to be indifferent, and she needs to find out where Sigurd is and why he might have left her without a word. So she does her own investigating, with seriously threatening results.

As a psychologist herself, the author writes authoritatively about her subject. She excels at drawing out Sara’s conclusions, while providing the reader with enough insight to keep abreast of what is happening in her thought life and beyond. I enjoyed the slower paced, reflective parts as a counterpoint to the actual events and their culmination to come. This is a haunting thriller with rich characterisation and a chilling atmosphere. A creditable debut novel. Grateful thanks to NetGalley, QuercusBooks and MacLehose Press for the ARC.

Started slow, gained interest midway then unfortunately predictable ending
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
I started reading this and struggled a bit to get into it, maybe due to the translation from Norwegian. i finally got into the story and engaged but started to ponder the ending and thought that it couldn't possibly be that simple....
unfortunately when I got near the end even though there was a bit of a twist I had also guessed that. Disappointing as it could have been so much better.
#TheTherapist #NetGalley

The Therapist was a good read, I enjoyed the journey Sara took over the course of the story and I liked the back story of Sara’s relationship which was told in between what was happening in the present. I marked the story down as I didn’t really feel the ending was as good as the rest of the story, it felt a bit of a let down.

Enjoyed reading this book, the characters grew as the book progressed, will definitely look out for other titles by Helene. Have added her to my author watch list.

The plot revolves around Sara a therapist and her husband Sigurd. Sara works from home and becomes worried when Sigurd does not actually meet up with friends as he said he had, in fact he goes missing. Slightly drawn out in places, but non the less I enjoyed it.

As it often happens with “hyped” novels, your expectations are not always met. Unfortunately with “The therapist” , I was left wanting for more. Even though the writing is pleasant, it is very slow paced and the story without being obvious is not the most original. I do not know if I would have liked it more or maybe even read it if it had not benefited from a strong media presence. It is a perfectly decent read but not one I will remember as brilliant.

A slow book for me,I did not find Sara easy to like nor empathise with,way more of a marriage/ relationship book rather than a ‘thriller’

A nice easy read psychological thriller with several twists that help to hold your attention. Overall I enjoyed this read, i was sucked in and wanted to know what was going to happen! I thought I’d figured the ending out and was completely wrong, the ending was definitely unexpected!

I wanted to really love this book because the synopsis sounds amazing, however this book just fell a bit flat. Don't get me wrong, this book was interesting and the premise is amazing, I just don't feel like it was executed in a way I liked and felt that the story really dragged at points.

Sara was a hard character for me to connect to and at times I wish this book had been told from an outsiders view so that the story could have adapted more, with us seeing more of the police investigation for example. Sara was at times reckless and stupid decisions for a woman as intelligent as she was.

Whilst I found the twist interesting, it really did come out of nowhere and although I'm happy that it was all wrapped up and questions were answered, I felt like it was just a tad bit anticlimactic.

I know it doesn't seem it, but I did somewhat enjoy this book. I ended up reading it quite quickly but it just isn't one that is going to stick with me. I feel like if it had been told from a different perspective the story would have been more flushed out and it would haven't left me feeling slightly disappointed.

Thank you so much to MacLehose Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been super hyped up for a while so I was excited to read this for myself.
I hadn't realise initially that it was a translated book - originally in Norwegian. I have struggled with some translated crime books in the past as I feel that the pacing can sometimes get lost in translation. Unfortunately I felt that this book fell into that category.
The pacing felt all wrong for a crime/thriller book. It started off really well, and really pacy but the more it went on, the slower it became. I even found the climax to be very slow paced - not usually something you get with this genre.
It felt really ploddy with not a lot happening. It wasn't the page turning/gripping read I hoped for, or that was promised.

The plot wasn't original either - I felt it had all been told before... husband goes missing... blah blah... I expected something new and original here with twists galore (with the way the book has been hyped) but it just wasn't that at all.

it was OK but definitely not a thrilling thriller!

This was a slow burner for me and I was close to giving up but pleased I didn't. Sara's husband, Sigurd, goes missing and then is found murdered. The ending surprised me but it took a while to get there

I was a bit disappointed by this book unfortunately, mostly because it was very slow moving. Nothing at all of note happened for a very long time, and the twists that occurred - while unexpected - were not surprising or shocking to me. I didn’t find myself particularly relating to (or even feeling like I really knew or understood) any of the characters, and the story just fell a bit flat for my tastes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you Quercus Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy.
I liked it and I didn't like it if that makes sense! I found it to be a rather strange book, and although I enjoyed parts I got very bored at times. I didn't find the characters that interesting, and found it very slow at times. I think there has been too much hype around this book and that is why I was expecting more - although I wasn't expecting that ending. I have mixed feelings about the book that is why I have only given it 3 stars.

Unfortunately I did not find this book very gripping. The plot sounded great but never really got off the ground. Parts were a bit of a slog to be honest. However, I didn't see the ending coming!

Having started three books recently, and had to stop mid-way because they were not pulling me in, I started The Therapist was straight in. I loved the calm, perhaps mundane attitude of Sara, and the description of her life and relationship with Sigurd. We learn of her short childhood with a mother suffering from early onset Alzheimers, deep bond with her sister Annika, and how her father’s dark and radical views had made her (and Annika’s) teenage and college years difficult to manoeuvre.
As a therapist working from home, Sara is quite isolated, and she has little daily contact with old friends who now live far away. In truth she spends most of her time with clients and has a remote relationship with her sister and father. When her husband seemingly ‘disappears’ and is found dead, Sara is a suspect.
I read this book in less than 24 hours. I stayed up late and woke up ready to finish it.
The plot is well paced and excellently translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An interesting, mysterious and clever thriller about a therapist and her thoughts about her patients and her husband who goes missing. Good translation from Norwegian debut writer who actually is a therapist so she should know. Very atmospheric writing, creating a really good head movie.

I found this book interesting, but hard to get into. The characters never really come alive, and everything seems very drawn-out. It was quite obvious what had happened so there was very little dramatic tension. Rather disappointing I'm afraid.

This was a rather peculiar book , I enjoyed it but at the same time I was a bit bored . I wasn’t really invested in the Therapist or her family . It was well written though so I kept on reading . Nothing unusual about the story but I wasn’t really expecting the end . I do have mixed feelings about the book but it was worth a three star rating

To say that I loved this book would be not only an understatement but it would simply not credit Helene Flood with the appreciation and acknowledgement she deserves.

The Therapist had me gripped from start to finish, partly because I have an interest in psychology and therapies for mental health etc, but also because Helene reeled me in from the very first page.

I simply needed to know what or who was behind the scenes in this book and that led to a consistent page turning to get to the end.

This was phenomenally written and I will without a doubt read anything and everything by this author in the future. In my opinion it was and is an award winning novel written by an award winning author.

Congratulations on such a wonderful piece of literature Helene!

I found this to be a bit slow going and it took me a while to get into it, partly because the main character, Sara, is rather unlikeable and difficult to engage with. Sara undertakes her own investigation into her husband’s disappearance when he fails to turn up on a boy’s skiing weekend. The mystery is revealed slowly and then gathers pace towards the end. Very intense and atmospheric, but difficult to engage with.