[ARC Review] Group Therapy by B.B. Easton
Lou has spent her adulthood running from the spiritual, tree-hugging life of her mother. Now, with a doctorate behind her and just one letter or recommendation standing between her and a therapy practice, Lou can practically taste victory. Then Thomas O'Reardon walks through the door. Thomas is a famous author - Lou's favorite author, to be exact - who has been sent to therapy to cure his writer's block. If both are going to succeed in the next step in their careers, Thomas and Lou are going to have to ignore the growing attraction between therapist and client. Or are they?
There was so much chemistry and fantastic give and take between Lou and Thomas, I'm not sure where to start. I thoroughly enjoyed every character Easton created for this story. Lou is such a relatable character; she is chasing her future in hopes of escaping her past, and so many of her early actions are a direct result of trying to avoid what she sees as her parents' mistakes. I really enjoyed watching her slowly come into her own, even as she felt she reach bottom to rise to her best self. Likewise, Thomas spent much of the story denying himself what he really wanted for fear of being hurt. These two characters could be any number of people, but Easton gave them such a spark that even their stubbornness to see the path ahead was endearing. And as much as I loved every chemistry-oozing scene between Lou and Thomas, I couldn't wait to see who Lou was going to meet with next. Literally every single one of her clients was fantastic and unique; it's hard to pick whose outrageous and/or out there issue made for the best client. Easton truly gave even the smallest role a tremendous amount of personality, and both the main and secondary characters came together for a truly delightful (and steamy) read.
While there definitely was steam and plenty of smolder between Lou and Thomas, readers who are familiar with Easton's 44 Chapters should know going into Group Therapy that this novel does not include the same level of spice as Easton's previous writing. But although there might be less on-page action, I loved the scenes that we do get between Thomas and Lou and I thought the build-up and chemistry made the wait well worth it.
Overall, I loved the message of Group Therapy - this idea that if we let go of our fears (and our fears of the past), we can truly come into our own. Both Lou and Thomas had to be pushed to the edge to find their right path, but success and love waited for them on the other side. Easton's writing was easy to read and get lost in; I often had a hard time putting this one down, wanting more of Lou and Thomas' story.
With a great message, fantastic characters, and the perfect amount of spice and chemistry, Group Therapy is definitely a recommended read from me.
A huge thank you to the author for providing a review copy of Group Therapy via Social Butterfly PR.
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Release date: 2/1/22
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: Social Butterfly PR
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