Rating: 8/10
This is now my fourth B. A. Paris book that I’ve read. I seem to really like her books!
I was in the mood for a suspense/psychological thriller read and B.A. Paris always delivers on that genre, so I gave this read a go. Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a gifted advanced review copy of this thrilling read. The Therapist came out on July 13, 2021. I actually read it a while ago but I’m only just getting around to writing the review for it! Been a crazy busy few weeks for me. On to the plot!
The Plot:
The setting for this book was North London, UK - near Finsbury Park.
(I actually used to live near Finsbury park so this brought back a lot of memories for me)
We follow Alice and Leo, a new couple as they move into their new home in 'The Circle', a gated community of exclusive houses in North London. It’s everything they’ve dreamed. But appearances can be deceptive.
As Alice gets to know her neighbors, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.
Alice soon becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened in the house 2 years before. But none of her neighbors want to talk about it, she soon finds out that her neighbors are keeping secrets and they’re not as perfect as they all seem..
My Review:
I love a good B.A. Paris book! She always keeps you on your toes in every one of her reads. I do have to say that this particular read really creeped me out! Haha I’m one of those people who gets scared very easily and can definitely not handle scary movies so this read to me was her most frightful of all the books I’ve read by her. Haha by my standards anyways.
The plot itself was interesting. I liked this idea of living in a gated community where your neighbors seem so perfect and welcoming but deep down there’s a ton of eerie secrets that people don’t want to talk about. It definitely kept you on your toes with who to trust and what the heck happened in this house 2 years prior to Alice moving in.
I liked the setting of the book too because I used to live near Finsbury Park in London, so that brought back some fond memories. It had that sort of moody London feel to it which I liked.
The character development was really good, there weren’t a ton of characters in the book, maybe 5 or so , but mostly you follow the young couple, Alice & Leo. Alice definitely needed some therapy of her own, although, she was a relatable character and you felt for her in the book. I do have to say, she was a bit dumb at times, but that could just be the plot of the book I guess.
One of my favorite features about Paris’ books is that she always has really short and readable chapters. Her writing style is super easy and fun to read. I’ll always read her books because of that. So if you’re a lover of fast paced and domestic thriller books then definitely add this to your list.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Even though it creeped me out immensely, it was a good read. It’s one of those books that you can read whenever, it doesn’t require much effort or thinking. A straightforward past-paced read. All of Paris’ books seem to always get an 8/10 rating from me. I guess I always know what to expect with them and I’ll definitely read more from her in the future. Her books are addictive. This book was all about secrets, mourning, loss, moving on from difficult past events, and was an overall an addictive and fast paced read.
Song Pick:
For the song pick, I wanted a song that felt melancholy, and a song that deals with mental health. I personally like this song, it’s a beautiful song and the singer is mega talented. I also feel that Alice, the main character, would really relate to this song, wanting to punish herself, and needing to ask for help.
My song pick for The Therapist is ‘Breathe Me’ by Sia. Lovely tune...
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Mystery | Suspense | Domestic Thriller
Pages: 298 Pages
Publication Date: July 13, 2021
Publisher: St, Martin’s Press