A suspense. Thriller involving couples in relationships. Quite a thrill ride, with lots of surprises. I like how the relationships intertwine in the book. Another fantastic, keeping your interest and guessing throughout by Mary Kubica.

This is not my first book by Mary Kubica.

Jake, Nina Lily and Christian are all unique characters. I really didn't know who to like, dislike or trust.

The writing is atmospheric and sent shivers up my spine . Great attention to detail. I was constantly wanting to know what was going to happen and it made me feel uneasy but in a good way, like out of curiosity. I was spurred on by the writing. It's really immersive.

I posted an extract for my blog tour post for this title.

Thanks to Mary Kubica and Park Row Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4.5 stars

Disappointing for a Mary Kubica. I thought the plot was tiresome and really overdone. Was hoping for a larger twist with this one.

Yet again I’m struck by the fact that I was completely wrong about “who done it”?!? Mary Kubica always makes me question who you can trust and who is a good person. This story I didn’t like anyone but I was shocked by the ending. Another strong book.

One of those books where you don’t know if you like or hate the characters. You can trust no one. I thought I’d give this book 2.5 stars until that ending. Whatttt?!! I loved that I didn’t predict the “who done it” until the end.
Overall I absolutely hated every single character in this book but that surprise ending was the saving grace for me. Not my favorite by any means but decent.

I have a hard time with this author and thrillers in general. I should personally take a break from the genre because it never satisfies me and I just get angry at all the characters and the predictable endings

DNF @ 18%. The writing is just very choppy and bad. It sounds like something a middle schooler might write. I was going to power through this but I just can’t waste my time.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Mary Kubica keeps the suspense high in her latest thriller about two couples that are linked by the disappearance of a husband. This is a fast and wildly-twisted read!

At first, Nina thinks Jake is taking time to himself after another disagreement about Nina spending too much time with her ailing mother. When she finds out he hasn’t been showing up to work either, she knows something has happened and reports him as missing.

We hear two variations of the story from two main characters. Nina tells us her version but, of course, she didn’t know Jake’s secrets.

Additionally, Christian tells another version of the story. Christian is married to Lily. Nina and Lily are teachers at the same school and good friends. The couples have spent time together but Christian and Jake don’t have a lot in common. Jake is a wealthy and successful neurosurgeon who drives an expensive sports car and has a large ego. Christian is an all-around great guy, makes a modest living, and dotes on Lily.

Christian and Lily have their secrets, also. They are hiding things from Nina AND each other…very interesting! We have all these puzzle pieces to connect and the author did a wonderful job of adding twists and clues that kept me from getting them connected until close to the end!

Sincere thanks to HTP Books and Mary Kubica for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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Wow, Mary Kubica does it again. I have to say I really enjoyed this story. I was engaged the entire time. I really didn't want to put the book down. This book starts you off with having an idea of what has happened but you really don't know the full details or if it's even true. I know this book has some mixed reviews but I found it really enjoyable. I will be continuing to read Mary Kubica books and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Not my favorite Mary Kubica book. This is story about friends and are they your true friends when it is the worst time in your like- such as your husband is missing. Also how far would your go covering a murder for your spouse? Don't jump to any conclusions unless you have all the facts

Wow this was bad. There’s a difference when reading a thriller and not knowing how it’s going to turn out and reading a “thriller” and just waiting for the shoe to drop. This was the latter. The entire premise rests on an unbeliavable idea. Then it just gets worse? Ugh. Skimmed the last half and was so annoyed by the ending. Skip.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for giving me an ARC through NetGalley.

This was my first read by local author Lisa Kubica, but I'll be back for more! Domestic thrillers are a hard category to review without giving too much away but this one had an ending I wasn't expecting. I've read this sub-thriller genre in the past, and unfortunately they can be very similar, but this one was well-written and twisty.

"Jake Hayes is missing. 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 days go by 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."

Thrilling and Engaging, this was a good Regional thriller!

4 stars Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I thought this was a very good mystery.

A husband goes missing and friends of the couple believe they are to blame. One story changes with time, growing more unstable as it grows. Could one death lead to another? Could one person cover up a crime for anther? When do you stop believing? And who is really to blame?

I really enjoy Mary Kubica's stories. She is in the category of Ruth Ware and Alice Feeney in my book. Always with a twisty turning mysterious tale to tell. Engaging, well built characters. page turning novels. Most enjoyable.

This story premise sounded great! Usually in domestic thrillers the wife goes missing, but in this novel, Jake, Nina’s husband, is missing. They had yet another fight, and she’s worried he’s finally given up on their marriage and decided to not come home. Meanwhile, her friend and coworker Lily, confides in her husband Christian that she might know why Jake never came home to Nina.

The writing was really strange, with short, obvious sentences, and just didn’t seem like the other Kubica novel I’d read last year. It made it difficult to enjoy reading. None of the characters were likeable either, and I just didn’t get into this one as I’d hoped I would!

Thank you to the author, Park Row Books, and NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica.
Another book that I was excited to read, that left me disappointed. The plot of this book was just too shallow! The wife possibly kills a man, lies to her husband, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her out of jail. What man would do this, accepting everything he's told as truth. The extreme levels he is willing to go to save his wife is unrealistic. The characters are two-dimensional and difficult to like. There is the extra suspicious man thrown in to create a diversion, and the victim's wife who is just too much. Sorry to fans of this book, but it did not work for me.

The Review

This was a gripping and captivating domestic thriller. The author does an incredible job of layering this story with intrigue from the beginning, from Lily’s shocked demeanor and her husband’s desperation to protect her to Nina’s fear and determination to find answers to all her questions. The pacing of the novel was incredible as it allowed the mystery to unravel slowly and keep the reader engaged with the narrative as the motivations and suspects in this case grow larger and larger.

Character development was the heart of this narrative, as each of the four main characters in this narrative held a depth to them that captivated readers from the start. The use of both Christian and Nina’s perspectives for the majority of the story allowed both of their unique viewpoints and shocking revelations to hold their own weight in the story, and the mystery surrounding those they love and what they are capable of to grow until the explosive final chapters.

The Verdict

Memorable, shocking, and entertaining, author Mary Kubica’s “Just the Nicest Couple” is a must-read domestic thriller of 2023. The twists and turns in the narrative and the shocking revelations that come to light in the disappearance of Jake Hayes will keep fans of the genre hanging onto the author’s every word. The adrenaline-fueled suspense read will stay with readers and connect both psychologically and emotionally.

I’ll be honest this isn’t the best Mary Kubica, but it’s still a thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages. I’d recommend it for fans of the author or thrillers in general - it may not blow you away but not every book needs to.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica: a good edition to the suspense novels of 2023. Jake Hayes is missing, and his wife Nina thinks maybe he left her. But their friends, Lily and Christian, may have had something to do with it. Lily was the last to see him alive, but Nina doesn’t know that. A suspenseful tale of two marriages.

I always enjoy Mary Kubica's thrillers. This one did not disappoint. It was a little less of a thriller and more a drama unfolding between two women who are friends and their respective husbands. I liked the neighborhood drama. This story also is about two teachers, as an educator myself, I found that perspective unique and relatable. There were a couple unexpected surprises in the story. I would say this is not my favorite of Kubica's books, but it is not to be missed!

I don’t know what it is lately about fantastic writers dropping the ball on the pacing of their beginning. Again, another great author who totally lost me because the storyline was boring. Just no.