Absolute confusion. Unexpected twists.

Nice read. The writing takes us along with the confusion that Lana has. Is Sandy telling the truth or is Mike telling the truth or this is all just a game? One thing I didn't get is why Lana and Sandy's POVs are in first person and then Mike's in third. It threw me off the hook sometimes. And I didn't get why there is so much context on Mike's life and past. I suspect there is still something to the story, seeing how the ending is left off.

One bonus point is how Lana and Sandy were connected in the past. Good read if you are into thrillers but might bore at times for others.

Wow! This book was filled with unpredictable twists! I felt like I got to know the characters and kind of suspected, about 3/4 through, what was going on. But there were still so many twists that I was surprised how it all ended. I really liked this book and could not put it down. The author really drew me into the story. I liked that there were only 4 main characters. The author did a great job of bringing the characters to life. Highly recommend this book!

When I first started reading it I was set on giving it a five star rating because it started strong. But then as it went on I got a little bored. I did enjoy the way it was written. It was easy to follow along on who was doing what and what was going on. I figured out the twist pretty early on and the ending just confirmed what I already knew. I think it gave me too much of "Gone Girl" vibes and I was disappointed. The character development was great though. I loved how each charcter came together. Lana was my favorite because I think she was someone that a lot of people can connect with since she went through a lot of bullying and that made her extremely self conscious as an adult. I think being a mother made her more confident than she wanted people to see. Overall I enjoyed the book but unfortunately I wasn't WOWD by how it all unraveled.

Thank you, NetGalley and Nicole Trope, for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Therapist.

The Therapist is a psychological thriller that explores themes of deep-rooted trauma, the human psyche, and a therapist’s quest for the truth.

While there were some intriguing twists, I found the pacing slow and, at times, unengaging. The heavy focus on internal dialogue and the extensive backstory didn’t feel warranted enough to justify the plot’s slow progression. Additionally, the exploration of the characters’ backgrounds and some of the twists felt disjointed. It also seemed as though parts of the backstory were designed to misdirect the reader, but I wasn’t fully convinced and had a sense of where the plot was headed, though I still enjoyed the reveals.

I also found myself questioning the credentials and decision-making of the main character, which added to the suspense and kept me reading to see how it would resolve.

Overall, a 2.5 star read for me. While the novel offers a unique perspective on the role of a therapist, gender dynamics, and complex relationships, I believe the story would benefit from tighter pacing and greater cohesion between character development and plot twists.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

There are so many twists! What initially seemed like it could be a fairly straightforward thriller turned into something much more clever and dark. An enjoyable and easy read. The ending was neatly done, piecing together the loose ends and the unsaid. What a terrifying woman Sandy is!!

What the h*ll did I just read?! What a wild ride!

Lana is a therapist and agrees to take on a client of her colleague. Sandy tells Lana all about her abusive marriage to "the husband." Lana questions the validity of the statements, the (maybe) black eye and begins to look deeper. What she finds, isn't what anyone expects. Especially the reader!

You think you have it figured out and maybe you're partially right. Or maybe not. The twists and turns until the end, and then wraps up nicely.

Nicole Trope is one of my favorite authors! Always quick reads with lots of twists and turns! This book definitely had me on my toes. You will have a hard time knowing who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy.. A quick read you don’t want to miss.

Two positives: it was a quick read, and had me interested for a good 50%. I did not enjoy the direction the story took. Seemed like it was all over the place. It was predictable, and the epilogue was unnecessary and basically just the author “telling instead of showing” what happens to the characters in a way that just felt odd. Also, author threw a twist in the epilogue that didn’t make sense at all, was so random. Unfortunately, wouldn’t recommend. I think there’s better books out there with a similar premise.

** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is amazing, it reminds me a lot of the movie Gone girl but so much better.
In this book we have Lana, a therapist that is struggling with her divorce and self esteem issues who meets Sandy, her new patient with a marriage in crisis due to domestic violence. The plot thickens when Lana meets Mike and doesn't know who to believe and right after that meeting Sandy disappears. In this story we have three side, Sandy's, Mike's and the truth.
This book keep me on the edge of my seat, i couldn't wait to understand what was really going on.
My favorite character was obviously Lana, even though she was struggling with her issues she still tried to help as many people as she could and she was super smart.
Another thing i really liked was the multiple povs, it was much more interesting.
This book is full of twist and turns but i was not prepared for the epilogue, that went from 0 to 100 in half a second. It made the book be even better.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Nicole Trope for the ARC. This is my honest review of the book.

This was a great read! There were so many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn’t put it down!

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. I love. Nicole’s books and have read most of them but this one just didn’t flow for me. I didn’t really feel Lana either.

I will automatically read anything by this author and this book reminded me why. I had plenty of questions about the unlikeable characters and by the end they were all answered. I really didn't know if she was being abused or like the husband said was she the abuser? It keeps you on your toes and I didn't know who to trust. The plot is not for the feint hearted.

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in 2 (late!) nights of reading.
I found all of the characters quite unlikeable in different ways; Lana is infuriating, Sandy unpleasant; Mike questionable. However I enjoyed them despite not necessarily liking them! Fans of the domestic thriller style of unreliable narrator will love this - I was anticipating a twist, but didn’t work this out despite trying to guess who could be trusted in their tale. The end feels slightly rushed, but neatly ties up the lose ends of ensuring those who deserve it get their comeuppance

Thank you to the publishers and author and netgalley for the advance read, I look forward to seeking out more from this author.

This was a great twisty suspenseful story. Did I yell constantly at Lana for making terrible choices? Yes. But ending was worth it.
Is Sandy an abused wife or a manipulative monster? Does Mike have anger issues? Is Lana good at her job? Who is Ben? I had all of these questions about these very unlikeable characters. The story does make up for the unlikeable characters.
Overall I enjoyed the book. And this author is starting to be an auto read for me.

As a therapist Lana, is supposed to help her clients. Her colleague Ben works with her and he asks Lana to take on a patient he is reluctant and wondering why? Sandy is the client and she has her own reasons for seeing a therapist. Sandy claims things about her husband and the twists start happening.

Lana starts to wonder if Sandy’s claims about her husband are correct and she talks with him. Oh, a wicked tale is woven.
Deceptive, twist, motives, and finding how each character has their own motives and might not be who they claim to be was fun to discover.

Trope always delivers a fun psychological thriller.

If you love a good edge of your seat thriller you can't go wrong with Nicole Trope.
Lana who is a therapist has her own issue's but she is doing her best.
In my head i begged her not to get involved with Sandy, silly really as there would have been no story.
I did have an inkling about the villains but it didn't all pan out as i thought.
Two sunny afternoons in the garden and i had finished! A really enjoyable read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Nicole Trope’s The Therapist is a compelling domestic thriller that delves into the psychological intricacies of trust, deception, and identity. Known for her emotionally charged and psychologically layered narratives, Trope delivers yet again with this fast-paced, character-driven novel.
The story centres on Lana, a therapist who reluctantly agrees to treat a new patient, Sandy, at the request of a colleague. What unfolds is a tense psychological drama in which Lana becomes caught in a web of conflicting narratives between Sandy and her husband, unsure of who is telling the truth. The novel uses multiple perspectives to build suspense. However, I didn’t like any of the characters. I found Lana annoying and the focus on Sandy’s looks a bit odd.
I did guess the set up very early on and while some plot elements felt predictable and the final twist somewhat rushed, the emotionally resonant themes did compensate. Trope’s distinctive writing style—accessible, intimate, and emotionally astute—adds richness to a familiar setup.
Fans of domestic thrillers, particularly those who appreciate unreliable narrators, will find much to enjoy.

This is one of those books that you are either reading or you’re thinking about it. You want to find out what happens at the end but you don’t want to finish the book.

This is an amazing psychological thriller due to the characters, the plot and the twists but bonus points that it was set in Australia. I loved every minute of it and I look forward to reading more by Nicole Trope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Synopsis: Therapist, Lana, takes on a new patient named Sandy, who is having marriage problems and wonders if she is being honest with her. Sandy's husband, Mike disputes her claims. Who is telling the truth?

Review: I really enjoyed this thriller. It is told from three different POV's which keeps the story moving. I liked being surprised and this one kept me on my toes.

When therapist Lana’s office partner, Ben, asks her to take on one of his clients who has fallen in love with him, she has a bad feeling about it. Lana starts to question the reliability of the clients story. She doesn’t know what to believe. When the client goes missing, Lana knows she has to figure out what happened.

This book was decent. It was fast paced enough after a slow start to keep me engaged and there were plenty of twists but the main villain was pretty obvious to me at the beginning and it kept me from loving this book.

Read if you like:
➡️ domestic thrillers
➡️ twists and turns until the end
➡️ thrillers set in Australia
➡️ narcissists getting their due

Thank you Bookouture, Nicole Trope and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.