finished reading

I would definitely call this a slow-burn thriller.  It had so many red herrings!  I didn't know who to believe.  I didn't put it down.  The shifting narrative worked to create an ominous feel.  Matthew and Marissa are the titular golden couple until they aren't.  They are well-written characters with secrets and deceptions hidden from each other.  It did seem questionable that they would seek out an unlicensed, controversial therapist.  But Avery is a compelling character who makes an interesting case for her methods even if she makes light of losing her credentials. 

My complaint about the book is a subplot that I thought was unnecessary and too neatly wrapped up at the end.  Otherwise, this is well-written and unnerving.  

From the publisher:

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all—until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.

When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.