Mary Kubica is always an author you can count on for a thriller that will keep you guessing. She takes the typical missing wife storyline and turns it upside down. You won’t want to put this down!

Mary Kubica's writing can be hit or miss for me, but this book really took me for a ride. I think because the character struggled with fertility- possibly because the main characters are teachers. I felt connected with the characters in many ways. I think this was my favorite Kubica to date!

Just the Nicest Couple by one of my favorite authors, Mary Kubica, is the book for you! This 5-star read takes you on a suspenseful journey with two couples, two close friends, and one missing husband.

From the beginning, the story hooks you - Jake Hayes has vanished into thin air. Poof! Gone! At first, his wife, Nina, hopes he's just taking some time away after their heated argument, but anxiety sets in as the days tick by. Where could Jake be?

Enter Lily Scott, Nina's friend, and coworker, who may hold a crucial clue to Jake's disappearance. However, Lily has her own secret, and together with her husband, Christian, they decide to keep it hidden from Nina at all costs. Meanwhile, Nina is on a desperate mission to find her husband, and she won't rest until she uncovers the truth.

Mary Kubica weaves an intricate web of deception, lies, and betrayal that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This thrilling read is an addictive mix of mystery and suspense that'll have you guessing at every turn.
Kubica's writing is captivating and draws you effortlessly into the characters' lives and the tangled mess of their secrets. You'll become deeply invested in the characters, experiencing their emotions and fears as if they were your own. Each twist and revelation is carefully crafted, ensuring surprises until the end.

As the plot unfolds, Kubica keeps you guessing, never letting up on the tension. When you think you've figured it out, she throws another unexpected twist that will leave you reeling. The suspense builds to a mind-blowing ending.

Just the Nicest Couple is a rollercoaster ride of intrigue and emotions. Mary Kubica once again proves her mastery in the genre, delivering a heart-pounding thriller that will leave you breathless. So grab your favorite reading spot and get ready to engage yourself in this unputdownable book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Mary Kubica's and have been for many years. Unfortunately, however, JUST THE NICEST COUPLE left me slightly underwhelmed. Although it was a quick read (which I love), the lackluster plot, predictable twists and unlikeable characters did not make this an engaging or memorable book for me.
Overall, it felt a little too rushed and a little less polished than her previous work.

That being said, I know Kubica is an extremely talented author and I will continue to read more from her in the future.

Kubica is one of my favorite authors and this book was no less amazing than her others. I loved the in depth characters and how she created twists and turns. Great book!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I have been a fan of Mary Kubica since her debut, but Just The Nicest Couple is not her best work.

Mary generally has no problem with her characters being dirty, secretive, and sometimes no redeeming qualities. And there is some of that in this book. But there is also parts to characters that made me cringe. Christian is a bit too obsessed with Lily for my liking. I can’t remember the book I read in the last few months where the main character acted a bit too much in love with his wife or girlfriend, but there were similar vibes and it’s just “Ehh, we get it. You are SO IN LOVE with this person.”

What I Liked:

The cover. It def made me want to check the book out.

A twist that I did not see coming.



Bottom line: For me, it was ok. I read it and liked it for the most part. But I know that her books have the potential (and actually have been better).



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

This novel follows two couples Nina & Jake and Lily & Christian. Jake goes missing after arguing with Nina and she is frantically trying to find him, so she can apologize. Lily is wrought with anxiety as she realizes she may have been the last to see Jake alive. So begins the race to find him. Lies & truths are uncovered and evidence is tucked away. Where did Jake go, and when will the pieces fit together to find him? While I had a hunch about 2/3 through the book, I wasn’t prepared for the final revelation.
Thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Synopsis:

Jake Hayes is missing. First, his wife thinks he's blowing off steam at a friend's house after their heated fight the night before. But 5 days later, he's still nowhere to be found. Lily Scott, Nina's friend and coworker thinks she may have been the last to see Jake and confesses this to her husband, Christian. They decide 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.

Review:

This suspenseful read is true to Mary Kubica's engaging style. Her books are 100% the definition of a page turner - there are usually some unlikeable and untrustworthy characters, who keep you hooked. I will say, this time I started getting a feeling of how it was going to end and I was right! I loved the concept because how often does a couple seem like they're so perfect- whether in person, or even online these days and then you find out they have issues like everyone else.

Thank you to HTP Books for the eGalley!

Well this certainly wouldn’t have been a novel if Lily made the smart decision to go to the police the day of the incident lol

Even though the characters made dumb decisions, I still thought the novel was readable. The pace was good and the ending was unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

SO many secrets and so much betrayal in this one.

After Jake and Nina have a fight - Jake goes missing. She thinks he left to simmer down after their argument but it's been too long now. Something is definitely amiss.

Nina's friend and coworker believes she may be the last person to see Jake alive, but together with her husband Christian, they decide it's best to keep this to themselves.

I definitely enjoyed this one and the twists were super fun. It wasn't my favorite of hers but for fans - it's worth reading for sure - the secrets and twists and drama make it a riveting page-turner.

Just the Nicest Couple is the second book written by Mary Kubica. I’ve read with Local Girl Missing being the first. I picked up Just the Nicest Couple expecting an interesting read. However, the mixed reviews, with the majority being on the negative side, gave me pause. So, armed with a twinge of doubt, I took the plunge. The experience wasn’t so bad after all.

The story tells of two couples, two friends and a missing husband. Jake has gone missing. Initially, his wife, Nina, believed he was avoiding her after their fight the night before. However, after several days has passed and with no one hearing from him, she became worried. (I can’t believe it took her so long to realise something was wrong).

Nina’s coworker and friend believes she was the last person to see Jake before his mysterious disappearance. She confesses to her husband Chris, who then decides that they needed to cover up the fact that Lily was the last person to see Jake prior to him gone missing.

Lily was a liar and a cheat. Chris was blinded by love to the point of stupidity while Nina was just plain naïve and self absorbed. As for Jake, based on how the story described him, Nina was better off without him.

A word of warning: do not go into this book expecting a fast-paced edge of your seat thriller. This one leaned more on the side of a slow burn domestic thriller. Despite the slow pacing, the events piqued my curiosity. As a result found myself glued to the pages. I had to know the outcome. The story was predictable, but then it took a turn and brought me down a path I never saw coming.

Lies, deceit and betrayal drove the story. It shows how far down the rabbit hole one willingly goes to protect one’s secret.

Brittany Pressley and Gary Tiedemann, with their impressive narration, brought life to the story. Pressley, I’ve listened to before but this is my first time listening to Tiedemann. They both did a wonderful job in nailing the voices of the characters. Their tones were perfect. I thought their interpretation of the characters to be spot on.

This is my second book by Mary Kubica. I enjoy your novels as they are thrillers with twists and turns that make them enjoyable to try to figure out, but what sets her novels apart for me are a sense of tenseness and creepiness that she is so successful in introducing into the books. You are just reading along and before you know it, you feel you have to get up and make sure the doors are locked and turn your lights on because you don’t know who to trust. Well done.. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.

On a positive note, this book is a quick read. Unfortunately, Just the Nicest Couple, was not the book for me. I struggled with just about every aspect of it and that's disappointing because I have enjoyed other books by Mary Kubica.

I'll just cut to the chase and say the plot revolves around a missing husband. It reads like a first draft in that the potential is here for a good story but needed more work before publication. The writing was off, the characters were dumb, and by the time I got to the ending, which was average at best, I was pretty much checked out at that point.

Local Woman Missing and The Good Girl are better showcases of the writer's talent in my opinion.

TW: pregnancy, domestic violence, cancer, miscarriages, sick parent, sexual assault, cheating, gaslighting, toxic relationships, toxic friendships

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 320
Rating:⭐

What I Liked:
1. The plot seemed interesting
2. I like the cover of the book

What I Didn't Like:
1. The way the author talked about miscarriages was messed up
2. Christian talking to Lily
3. Paint by numbers thriller

Overall Thoughts:
Why is it feel like every domestic thriller has miscarriages and pregnancies??

How big is this rock that this tiny handed woman hit Jake with?? There's pools of blood and a trail of it.

Ahhhhhh why is this couple up Jake's disappearance??? White people escalate everything!

I want to rip out my eyes out. Lilly is so weak and delicate. God, I'm so annoyed at Christian and how he describes her. I think its so telling how Lilly is so different when she is talking to she's a normal person and talking as a sáně person but when she's around Christian she's a mumbling idiot that just acts so weak.

It's hilarious that the police don't take it serious that Jake is missing. His car is sitting on the side of the forest for 2 days and NO ONE thought it weird that an expensive BMW is just there. I can't see how the police haven't made one pass and reported the car.

This book is brutal toward miscarriages. Just continously talking about dead babies and Lily losing her children.

Final Thoughts:
I dnfed at 60% and skimmed to the ending. The writing was dull. I was tired of Christian babying Lily. Kinda already knew that Lily and Jack were sleeping together... Blah blah blah.

Recommend For:
• Domestic thrillers
• Slow burns
• Easy to follow thrillers

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I generally enjoy this author’s work but I had trouble getting into this one.. I didn’t really connect with the characters and I thought the story moved pretty slowly. I did end up finishing it and there was a pretty good twist at the end.

Nina's husband Jake is missing. She's convinced he'll only be gone for the night after they had a huge fight, but after several days he still hasn't returned and when she learns that he's not been to work, she really begins to panic. Christian's pregnant wife Lily is a shell of herself. Christian is worried that she's suffered another miscarriage but she confesses that she thinks she might be the last person to have seen Jake before his disappearance. Christian decides he would do anything to protect his wife and their unborn child, but her confession sets him on a path that isn't one he would have planned for himself.

Told in alternating perspectives by Nina and Christian, Kubica builds tension throughout the novel. The resolution is satisfying, but at least part of it was easy to predict. Kubica is great at world-building and this story has an anonymity to it that makes it adaptable to almost any town or city. The characters are realistic and flawed.

4.5 rounded up to 5. I LOVED this one! I will admit I was worried because I had seen a lot of negative reviews that caused me to drop this way down on my TBR. I received an e copy from the publisher, but I ended up getting an audio copy so I could review this one sooner rather than later and I loved it! I think maybe it worked better as audio instead of reading it? I saw some reviews saying they didn't like the writing, that it was choppy or that it was script like and I think all of those work so much better in audio than written. I think it is also possible that the final version had been polished up based on some of the negative reviews on the writing. But I'm not sure. I loved the story it was a very easy listen to this one I sped right through this story wanting to find out what happened. I have read Mary Kubica's last 3 books and I have loved them. I think it is time I read some of her earlier ones, and I am really excited I have those to look forward to while I eagerly await her next one.

This was a roller coaster ride of a book. She had lots of twists and turns and creepy characters. I enjoyed this book.

When her husband Jake doesn’t come home, Nina assumes he’s left her. But as time goes by and his coworkers reach out, she realizes he is actually a missing person. Nina turns to her friend and coworker, Lily, for help.

Meanwhile, Lily confides to her husband, Christian, that Jake attacked her right before he went missing. Christian decides to help Lily keep this secret, no matter the cost.

The narration alternates between Nina and Christian’s points of view, which allows readers to uncover the secrets of both couples. At times the narrators feel unreliable, making the reader question what’s real. Kubica throws in a surprise twist at the end, though I would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit more.

Two couples with an interwoven history test the bounds of marriage in this novel of suspense. Who killed Jake? So many suspects, so little time. This novel really did a great job presenting a motive for each character and I enjoyed the guessing game. I can't say I guessed the actual killer, and I'm glad for that, though the logic behind who it was did not completely work for me.

Overall, an engaging and fast-paced read.