Review: The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor

         

Print Length: 452 pages

Publisher:  Avon Books UK (June 23, 2022)

From Goodreads.com: Five years ago, Olivia Sutherland was wrongfully convicted of plotting to murder her husband.

Now she's finally free, Olivia has three goals: repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, clear her name, and bring down her husband – the man who framed her.

Just how far is she willing to go to get what she wants? And how far will her husband go to stop her? Because his lies run deeper than Olivia could ever have imagined – and this time it’s not her freedom that’s in jeopardy, but her life…

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My Rating: 2 stars out of 5

I really wish that publishers would STOP adding buzz words like "nail-biting", "full of twists and turns, "unputdownable", "totally gripping", and "edge of your seat" to the end of their titles. It always (for me at least), ends in a letdown. 

Sadly, this one was no different. It started off strong, with Olivia first being sentenced to jail for a crime she claims she didn't commit, and then giving us a glimpse of how she handled those five years (being smart and strong).  But then she gets out and she just goes... stupid. 

Time and again she takes risks to try "and prove her innocence", but each time she only ends up proving why she should be in jail. She violates the terms of her probation on a monumental scale (more than once), but no one cares. That might be because the only cop we ever see in this novel is not only doing everything but actual police work (honesty name me one cop who has the time to moonlight as a personal trainer or spend hours spying on people). Of course, Dani is also more corrupt than Olivia, not only sleeping with Olivia's ex-husband, but helping him to frame her in the first place. 

The story itself moves on at a fast pace. but any reader with half a brain could see the twists. turns and surprises a mile away (including the reason why Jack went so long without contacting Olivia, and who was actually responsible for certain things). Added to that, none of the characters were even remotely likable except maybe Smithy, but even she was so one-dimensional that I didn't really care what happened to her. 

I tried to like this story, but my lord. Between the glaring plot holes, and all of the characters acting completely OUT OF CHARACTER (Dani and Olivia I'm looking at you two specifically), this one just wasn't for me.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                                            The Guilty Couple is available on Amazon.com