I have read all of the authors books and enjoyed almost all of them (I wasn’t a fan of When the Lights Go Out) but this one missed the mark for me. I think my biggest issue was the writing felt off, if I had read this without having any idea who wrote it I would have never guessed it was a MK book at all. Her style wasn’t the same, it felt staccato and abrupt. It was just very weird and I had a hard time settling into the story because of it. Maybe it’s going to go through another round of edits before it actually comes out and things felt off since I read such an early copy, I don’t even know. Besides that issue things were ok, I was invested enough in the plot and curious to see where things would go but for a book that felt a little slow at times the ending felt rushed and there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up. Overall not my fave from the author but of course I’ll still read her books because some of them have been really good.

Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found. Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.

Mary Kubica's previous novel, Local Woman Missing, was an enjoyable read, and when NetGalley kindly gave me the ARC, I was excited to read Just the Nicest Couple. Sadly, I did not finish this book. I found it to be poorly written, as if rushed. The bones of the story were very promising, but the overall prose was disappointing and thin. I will certainly read her next book, as she can produce greatness! Thank you for access to this copy.

Mary Kubica is one of those authors that just keep getting better and better. Every time read another one of her books, I fall more and more in love! Although I didn't believe the wife's story from the beginning, as her account sounded OFF, I 100% could NOT have predicted the actual killer... if there is a killer, of course. Just another amazing book by an extremely talented author. 10 out of 10!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Just the Nicest Couple.
This wasn't my favorite Kubica novel, and it was very middle-of-the-road for me. There were aspects that kept my attention; I did enjoy the premise of the story and the ending surprised me! I liked that the chapters were short, and the book was fast-paced. I felt there were several holes in the plot, and it was hard to root for any of the characters.

I totally love Mary Kubica and every book she writes. This book being unputdownable. I liked most of the Characters and it was a fast and suspenseful read!

I have read every book by Mary Kubica and enjoyed them, and was excited to see the newest release. The story of a husband gone missing, and his wife's best friend may have been the last one to see him alive.

This one started out good, but then it just fizzled out and felt slow and it was hard for me to focus, but I did finish the book. There were a few (predictable) twists, but it just took too long to get to them. I will still read more by this author, but this just wasn't my favorite. As others have stated the writing wasn't what it usually is.
I appreciate the opportunity for the advanced read, and will purchase this book for our library when it releases.

Another amazing novel from Mary Kubica! Just the Nicest Couple is definitely a page turner. With each new twist and reveal, I never wanted to put this book down. Her characters and their development throughout is top notch as always. You will be shocked by the ending!

Maru Kubica is one of my auto-buy authors. Her domestic trillers are usually dark and gripping. Unfortunately this is my least favorite book by her. It was too slow and predictable :(

When ordinary people do extraordinarily (bad) things. This book reads like a true crime novel. Sheesh!

I have been a Mary Kubica fan since randomly picking The Good Girl at Target in 2015 and reading it in basically one sitting. This book didn’t change that! In fact, the best review I can give it is that I was up until 4am on a work night because I had to finish it!

Page turning suspense that will keep you guessing until the end. The story is about two couples facing life's challenges just like all couples do, until the day one of them goes missing. Written in alternate point of view makes for a captivating read as you are able to get into each character's head and learn their thoughts. As the story unfolds, you begin to wonder how far someone will go to protect a loved one and whether their thoughts become actions.

Thank you to @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for this advanced copy of Mary Kubica’s latest thriller, which drops January 10, 2023.

This one was a little hit-or-miss for me, and I’ll break it down for you this way:

Hit:
-Short, fast-paced chapters.
-Some “thriller” moments where I was a little creeped out, reading this alone at night.
-Unreliable characters (love those).
-An overall good mystery.
-I absolutely wanted to keep reading to know where it ended.

Miss:
-The writing style didn’t feel like typical Kubica to me, it was more “juvenile.”
-The twist(s) weren’t all that surprising and I am okay with that if they are still done well. I don’t feel these were.
-Loose ends all over the place at the end.
-Unlikable, unrelatable characters.

This one started off stronger for me than it finished. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading it. It kept me entertained. It just wasn’t one of Kubica’s best, in my opinion. That said, I am still a fan of hers and will read others of hers in the future.

Gripping story that will have you riveted from the first page. I read this book in an afternoon and didn't want to put it down!

The story is centered around two couples that know each other and is told from the perspective three different people: Nina, Lily, and Lily's husband Christian. When Nina's husband Jake doesn't come home one night, Nina just thinks he's blowing off steam after a fight the two had the day before. Lily had seen him that day and she tells Christian a dark tale that may explain where Jake might be. And why it may not be a good thing if he's found...

Would def recommend this one of you like psychological thrillers. There were a couple of spots that felt disjointed and had me rereading a little bit to make sure I hadn't accidentally skipped a page or something but overall, I absolutely enjoyed this. Great beach read or even something to read in front of the fireplace in a rainy afternoon.

Mary Kubica always makes her readers believe they know "who dunit", but she also loves to lead them down the wrong path until the very bitter end! Kudos for another suspense. I did only give it 4 stars because there were parts that dragged on a bit too long - but otherwise great book.

A solid 4 stars. I really couldn't put this one down! I really enjoyed the multi POVs, it made the story more interesting to get into everyone's heads. I found it was well paced and interesting. I did predict one of the twists early on, and I found Lily irritating and immature at times (i.e. acting like a Karen at the flower shop) and I feel like the entire plot could have been averted if people were honest from the get go. But I guess that was part of the story was having unreliable narrators. Anyways a solid thriller and I am looking forward to reading her other novels!

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-Arc.

It starts as an innocent little lie. But when someone goes missing, maybe sooner than later, would have been the time to go to the authorities. Now more deceptive steps must be done to cover up the original lie.
Mary Kubica's, Just the Nicest Couple, is a masterfully written thriller about deception and how a simple lie can snowball quickly and dangerously out of control. Taut and incredibly suspenseful, she has written a thriller that keeps the reader wanting more., more, more!

The scenario involves two couples, two close friends, one missing husband. Jake Hayes is missing. Jake is a successful surgeon and loving husband, for the most part, even though his job keeps him away from home. Jake’s wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend's house after their heated argument the night before. He won’t respond to phone messages. Not unusual when someone is angry, but then a day goes by. Two days. Five… Jake is still nowhere to be found. Lily Scott, Nina's friend and coworker, both teachers at the same high school. You see, Christian and Lily have a BIG secret and the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake's disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won't stop until the truth is discovered.

Have you ever noticed or maybe experienced the factthat the deepest secrets, no matter the efforts you go to cover them, will always find a way to the surface.

Until I read nearly to the end, this was to be one of the best suspense novels ever. Them, boom! The book ends and I reread the last chapter and wonder what happened and if it were even plausible.

But, I really did enjoy devouring this novel. Try it, you will read long after the sun goes down.

This book was extremely predictable, boring, and not entertaining. I guessed the two big twists early on and it felt very snoozy! The writing was bland, extremely verbose, and I found myself skimming certain pages for redundancy. I have enjoyed the author's work previously but this one fell flat for me.

I honestly don't know how this book is getting published. The writing, by an acclaimed author, is absolutely horrendous. I feel like it should be used as "before" or "how to tell and not show" or "redundancy" examples.

I don't know if a better story could have saved this. The story as it is is okay. It's just nothing special. Paired with the writing, though? Just not good.

I absolutely loved Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, so I was very excited to receive The Nicest Couple from the publisher for an early review. I felt like this one started out strong and then fell off pace a little bit. I liked the storyline and the characters, but the middle did get a little slow for me. I also felt like the plot twist at the end was a little too predictable. Local Woman Missing really gave me a shock factor when it came to plot twists, so I was hoping this one would do the same, but I was a bit disappointed.

Overall, it was a solid thriller, but I did feel I was left at the end wanting more. I would give this one a 3.5 star rating.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book releases on January 10, 2023.