“TELL ME YOUR SECRETS…

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, an exclusive gated community, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened. But no one wants to talk about it. And her neighbours are hiding something…

The million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author B A Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in this powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Therapist by B.A. Paris. The Therapist was published by HQ in paperback format on 22nd July 2021 and is also available in hardcover, audio and digital formats. I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Therapist which has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Sian at HQ for sending me a finished copy.

I’m embarrassed to admit that this is only the second book I’ve read by B.A. Paris. The first being the stunning Behind Closed Doors which I adored. However, after reading The Therapist, I am now more determined than ever to catch up on the author’s backlist because I’ve obviously been missing out on some really cracking reads! Reading The Therapist has confirmed what I already knew. B.A. Paris is a skilled writer and should be on everyone’s ‘must read’ list.

Alice has reluctantly moved out of the cottage she’s lived in all her life to The Circle, a secure gated community in the heart of London. It was a tough decision but the desire to move in with boyfriend, Leo, was the driving force. Plus, thanks to Leo’s careful negotiations and the sale of his own house, there’s no need for Alice to sell the cottage immediately. Alice doesn’t love the house in the Circle but she’s prepared to give it a go for the sake of their relationship. That is until she makes a devastating discovery. Alice becomes obsessed with finding out the details. She feels something is amiss with the house and the original investigation. Her neighbours refuse to discuss what happened. Why are they being so secretive? What horrors is The Circle hiding…?

The Therapist is a cleverly written tale of obsession and dark secrets. It’s packed full of tension and a delicious sense of impending doom, which I lapped up. Alice is a fascinating character who evoked many emotions within me throughout the course of the book. I will say that I found her to be quite frustrating at points and it was only towards the end of the book that I found myself rooting for her. But, and I’ve said this time and time again, I don’t have to like a character to enjoy the book. I want a character to evoke some sort of emotion within me (positive OR negative) and Alice did just that. The best characters are the ones who make you feel strongly in some way about them. I felt strongly about Alice and as a result I very much appreciated the author’s skilled writing.

The plot is well paced throughout and I was always intrigued about where the author was going to take Alice’s story next. B.A. Paris is well known for her killer twists and The Therapist has a cracking ending which escalates beautifully, becoming very dark very quickly which I, of course, appreciated.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Therapist is a well-written novel, full of delicious suspense which I enjoyed. Great characters as I’ve now come to expect from this author. The house in The Circle was, in parts, almost a character in itself which made a nice change as the creepy old house is usually exactly that. Old. And gothic. But this modern, refurbished abode made for an interesting setting. All in all, an enjoyable read which I recommend.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Therapist. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Therapist by B.A. Paris was published in the UK by HQ on 22nd July 2021 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | Book Depository | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop |

B.A. Paris is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back, The Dilemma and The Therapist. Having sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide, she is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller as well as a number one bestseller on Amazon and iBooks. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages, and Film and TV rights to Behind Closed Doors have been optioned. She is currently based in the UK.