Day: December 5, 2020

Flat out, being honest, I almost gave up on this one. I’ll explain why in a minute.  

It would have been a shame, though, because the end was one of the absolute best endings to a book I’ve read recently.

So, I’ll put the end of the review here. Give this one a chance; the payoff is worth it.

Now for the rest of the review. As usual with this author’s books (see The Good Neighbor, The Good Mother, The Guest, and The Assistant), there is a unique beginning and a different approach.

The premise was good. I knew right from the start that there was “something” about Joe and Skye. It took a bit to figure out what the something was, but the reveal of their motivation was well-plotted.

Maggie and Brad were a different story. I didn’t think they were as well fleshed-out, for the most part. I did like how there was a little bit of role-reversal with them. It contributed to the plot in an important way.  

Brad writes a successful marriage blog, and a few of his posts are interspersed between chapters. This was effective because it gave insight to his character. Let’s pull no punches. Brad was a total hypocrite. Not saying more.

Less successful were Maggie’s continuous excuses for her behavior. While they may have been realistic, I didn’t feel that they were legitimate.

Again, I think role-reversal plays a huge part in this entire novel. There is a definite “gender-switch” in terms of motivations, actions, and attitudes.

In fact, the more that I think about it, the title even is ambiguous. Who exactly is “The Other Couple?”

Once you get to that ending, (and oh, that ending), you’ll be reflecting the same way I am right now.

So, again, give this one a chance. There are a lot of internal monologues and “deep thoughts” of the characters that bog it down periodically, but I promise you, the payoff is totally and completely worth it.

About Cathryn Grant:

Cathryn Grant writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and ghost stories. She’s the author of twenty-three novels. 

She’s loved crime fiction all her life and is endlessly fascinated by the twists and turns, and the dark corners of the human mind. 

When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats. 
Cathryn is the author of The Good Mother, The Assistant and other psychological thrillers. The Other Couple will be Cathryn’s fifth novel with Inkubator books. 

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