The slowest of slow burns, but when things FINALLY started happening, I was here for it!

“The Couple’s Secret” was a tale of two halves for me. The second half? Easily a 4-star read! The first half? I spent most of it wondering where the thriller was hiding and whether anything was EVER going to happen. Unfortunately, that painfully slow start brought my overall rating down.

Once things got moving, I really enjoyed how everything unfolded. Did it go exactly where I expected? Yep! But the execution was satisfying, even without any major surprises.

My biggest frustration was the lack of character depth. These people make some pretty extreme decisions, and while we get a surface-level explanation of WHY, I needed so much more oomph to actually believe it. Ingrid was supposedly a main character, yet she felt almost irrelevant for much of the story. And Lorna? GIRL. I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into her! Her behavior felt more like a lovesick teenager than a grown woman.

Dan, however, was fascinating! I loved getting glimpses of his true character through what he was willing to do for his brother’s family and Lorna’s mother. Even his relationship with his ex-wife revealed so much about him. I just wish the other characters had received that same attention.

Elizabeth Bower’s narration was a pleasant way to experience the story, although the pacing of the first half made it difficult to stay fully invested. Once the plot gained momentum, I found myself much more engaged in the audiobook.

Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it! The payoff was worth the wait, but this one requires some SERIOUS patience. If you enjoy character-driven domestic suspense and don’t mind a thriller that takes its sweet time getting to the good stuff, give this one a shot!

📖 The Couple’s Secret
✍️ Joy Wood
🎙️ Elizabeth Bower
🎁 Simon & Schuster & NetGalley
📅 10/29/26
⭐️⭐️⭐️