Excellent psychological thriller 👌 I was hooked from the very beginning. A seemingly perfect family, stunning setting in France, unreliable characters and secrets from the past. Fast-paced chapters with past and present timelines. Multiple points of view added the tension and suspense. I couldn't guess the ending. The climax is superb. Highly recommended. Thanks a lot to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the eARC.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Just The Nicest Family’ written by Alison James in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Tim Cutler is in talks with Renee Weber, CEO of a Swiss company who’s hoping to buy out his veterinary practice, and has invited Tim and his wife Louise and their children to spend two weeks with herself and her other guests at the Villa in Le Mas des Flores. It should have been a relaxing break with the opportunity for Tim to sell his business but more than one of the guests are keeping secrets that could destroy lives.

‘Just The Nicest Family’ is a twisty psychological thriller with a storyline that spans from 2011 to the present time, with events in between that threaten to destroy the Cutlers who friends and family have always described as the nicest family. There’s a lot happening with the guests at the Villa who I thought at first were predictable but turned out to be anything but, and a husband and wife who’ve been keeping a secret from each other that if revealed could destroy their marriage. This novel has just the right amount of suspense and intrigue with a conclusion that’s a surprising twist to what I’d expected, and is such an easy read it’s perfect to take away on a beach holiday.

I love a good whodunnit thriller, and this one did not disappoint 👏🏻

A beautiful setting and very fast paced, I got hooked a few chapters in and couldn’t stop. I haven’t read any others from this author but I will definitely be seeking out her backlist.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy!

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “Just The Nicest Family”. This book has it all! Likable and unlikable characters, a beautiful setting and multiple POV’s. It had an action packed storyline and an ending that came out of nowhere.
This is my first book by Alison James but it won’t be my last. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#JustTheNicestFamily #AlisonJames #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

so this was a fast paced read with many twists and turns and a character who is completely bat shit crazy, call me crazy but te more twists and craziness the more i love a story and this one did just that. completely recommend.

Thank you Bookouture, as always and netgalley for allowing me to read this arc. all thoughts and opinions are my own 100%

I reallyyyy enjoyed this arc. Thank you to NetGalley and bookouture for giving me this opportunity.

This book had different POVs and not only from the main couples standpoint but also other characters which made it that much more entertaining/interesting to see more perspectives from the same timeline. I didn’t really feel much for any of the side characters though.

However the plot line and whodunnit twist were spott onnnn! I finished 60% of this is one sitting because I needed to know what the next person felt in their perspective.

A very entertaining read for sure and the ending had me like 🫨

Only my 3rd book by Alison James but yet again another great 5 star read!

To the outside world the Cutler family seem the perfect family. Melissa and Tom adore each other after meeting as students 20 years earlier, and have two lovely children, Harry and Elodie. When Tim comes back from his work, as a vet at an independent veterinary practice he owns, he has great news for Melissa, a big Swiss company, VCM, wants to buy Tim out, Tim is elated as it means that he will be able to concentrate on treating his animal patients rather than having to deal with all the everyday admin and issues that comes with owning a vet practice. The good news doesn’t end there either, the Cutlers have been invited to a villa in the South of France owned by VCM for a fortnight to discuss the deal with the CEO of VCM, Renée Weber. The family jump at the chance, especially when they see pictures of the heavenly villa. Both Tim and Melissa and the children are excited to spend 2 weeks relaxing and hopefully getting a good deal on selling the vet practice to VCM. When they arrive, they are introduced to the other couples that Rene has also asked to enjoy a holiday in the villa. Everyone is getting on well apart from a few minor irritations that happen when a group of strangers get together but Tim gets the deal signed off with Rene and the Cutlers are on cloud 9. However, this all changes the day after the contract is signed and 3 days before they are due to fly home when a dead body is found lying next to the villa pool. Nobody knows who the woman is, the local police begin to investigate, and it is quickly established that it was no accident, the woman was murdered. To Melissa’s horror Tim is arrested on suspicion of murder and her world crumbles as she starts to wonder whether he is guilty or not. Suddenly the Cutlers aren’t the perfect family everyone believes them to be and secrets and lies start spilling out rapidly. Will the Cutlers regret accepting the supposed idyllic holiday in France and will the police manage to find out, if not Tim, who the murderer actually is?!

Another absorbing and excellent read from Alison James. I love her writing style and it really draws the reader in. I really enjoyed the different characters POV telling the story, was quickly addicted by chapter 8 and was grabbing every spare minute to read. I really liked seeing Melissa’s character development and although I made the connection about a certain character quite early (sorry for the intrigue but this is a spoiler free review!), it didn’t ruin the story for me one bit! I have to admit I thought the murder was a little far fetched but you know what I LOVED it!! I don’t read fiction for realism I want an escape and this story definitely provided me with that! Then just when I thought everything was neatly tied up Alison James gives a fabulous twist in the epilogue- wowsers!! Definite 5 star read!!

Overall, completely and utterly deserves 5 stars and I would highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to read Alison James’s next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alison James and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out 19th June 2024.

Get lost in this summer read, set in a luxurious villa in the south of France.

Louise and her husband Tim are holidaying at the villa with some friends and a business associate of Tim’s. Tim owns a veterinary practice and has had some financial struggles so this holiday is to see his business joining forces with that of Renee, another one of our holidaymakers.

As always we’ve got secrets, some old, some new, and the ripples these are causing in the plot lead us steadily through the pages of this whodunit. There were also surprises at the end which i didn’t see coming which is always good.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my advanced copy

This book had too much going on and some unbelievable plots. A good pool read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212022887

I liked this book - the characters are flawed but likable, the plot overall was interesting, and I was frequently revising who I thought did what. However, there are a few issues I had as well - a minor one is that the title isn't really reflective of the story. A bigger issues was the ending - it felt rushed, missing details, and the final twist/chapter did not need to be a part of the story at all. It didn't add anything, and it seems like the "major twist" moment isn't there, but instead kind of loses the reader - it seems unlikely and like quite a leap for a simple payoff for the character.
These things were more small annoyances, and didn't detract from the story for the most part, so I still enjoyed the book.

I was hooked on this book. I found myself wondering when or if Tim will tell his wife. Then when Hannah was found deceased the twist that came was unexpected. I tried staying up all night just to find out. I loved all the characters except Shonda and the situation with her was crazy. That lady had some balls on her. I still don't know why Tim picked them an their extra guest. I did find that the About on this book to be misleading because his wife didn't find out about the money till a year before and we didn't find that out until the end. Then she really wasn't pretending to be the perfect family since she was oblivious to what her husband did. Over all I would rate this book 4.75.

I want to start off with thanking Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I felt like the twists were well done. Some of them I suspected, some of them blew my mind but the whole time I enjoyed it. I loved the author's beautiful writing about the places they were at. It made me feel like I was actually there. I did feel like the beginning was a bit slow, until about halfway when someone died.

Tim and Louise had an interesting relationship. They wanted to be perfect. and I can see why both of them did some of the stuff they did. I had a lot of empathy for them both. Tim went through a lot and made mistakes because of it, with the intention of not hurting the people he loved the most, which in turn caused more hurt than he wanted. Louise went through a lot because of Tim. Just shows that even when you have the best intentions, you can make things way worse. Louise may not have been the best character in the book, but it's understandable the feelings she was going through. She knew Tim was being dishonest and her trying to unravel everything that happened. I'm also a bit upset with her for blaming him for the victim's death.

I also really want to point out one of my biggest qualms with the book... Tim was raped. Point blank. It made me sick to my stomach about how everyone (including himself) treated Tim as if he was a cheater. Men get raped. Bodies and brains respond in wild ways to assault. There was no indication he actually wanted it except for the split second he noticed she was attractive. Thinking someone is nice looking doesn't equal wanting to jump their bones. Some of the things that were described by the author makes me think they were trying to prove a point about how it was rape, but a lot of people in the reviews seem to think it's another story based on a man not keeping it in his pants, when it reality it is much darker than that.

If I had known about the rape and how much of a plot point it would be throughout the book, I would've skipped it to be honest, but I am glad I read it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

So, there should be a trigger warning prior to cracking this one open: rape & violent sexual assault. If these are triggers for you, pass on this one.

I think the blurb fairly accurately summarizes the story so I won't reiterate that here. Needless to say, this is a domestic thriller with lots of infidelity and secrets, and some very shallow characters!

Overall, the writing is good with smooth transitions from the different character points of view and between the timelines. This is a fast paced read with short chapters and a foreseeable twist that was well done. The French Villa setting was to die for. The relationships between the characters was the churn in the story that kept you invested, like any good domestic thriller. Lots of secrets, betrayal and infidelity with of course, murder. All in all, a great summer read!

Wooooow this was a complex story with so many twisty turns. The first half of the book the author sets you up with the characters and slowly weaves them all in together. Then the second half….bam, let the games begin. I honestly couldn’t put the book down. The best part is you think you know but you don’t..
This was suppose to be a fun summer trip and a great time for the family to spend time together. It certainly started off that way but quickly the cracks in the pavement start showing. This strong family is confronted with lies that will threaten to tear them apart. How did things end up this way and can they make it through the summer?

I took some time to reflect on this book because I didn’t know how I felt about it! After my bad experience with The Last Mrs Parrish, I didn’t want to judge too harshly Just the nicest family, just because I read it right after my one-star read!

Just the Nicest Family is a fast-paced thriller, told through multiple POVs that alternate between present and past! I really like how the author structured the novel because the short chapters and the alternation of time and POV helped me fly through the book! I finished it in two settings!


In the novel, Tim Cutler is in talks with Renee Weber, the CEO of a Swiss business that wants to buy his veterinarian clinic. Renee has extended an invitation to Tim, his spouse Louise, and their kids to spend two weeks with her and other visitors at the Villa in Le Mas des Flores. Even though Tim had planned for this retreat to be a chance for him to sell his company and have some time to unwind, it soon becomes apparent that several of the visitors are harbouring secrets that can damage lives.

I loved the drama that unfolded between the other couples and the secrets we were let in on! The first half was really intriguing, however, early on, I guessed the plot twist, which made it hard to stay engaged in the drama! After the major disclosure, everything seemed a little drawn out, and I didn't think the twist at the end added anything to the book overall. Even more, some storylines felt unnecessary for the plot and its continuity!

One of my major issues was with Louise. Towards the end of the novel, I found myself becoming increasingly irate with Louise because I thought she was either miscommunicating with her husband or simply wasn't listening to him! My opinion of Louise is not widely shared; most reviews place more of the blame on the spouse than on Louise. But it's just my sentiments and opinion!

All in all, I think it's a fun read that a lot of people will definitely love! It seems like the ideal beach read for the summer!

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. If it sounds and looks too good to be true it most definitely is.
Both cliches can be applied to this bendy story.
Louise and Tim are the golden indestructible couple but the facade gets ripped apart with a once in a lifetime stay at a ritzy home in France.
For a couple who espoused no lying to each other it seems that’s ALL they did to each other.
James crafted an intricate story that had a natural crescendo until the conclusion.
We never really shed our pasts do we?

Another book tour and this was a quick read for this bookworm. Just the Nicest Family grabbed me from the first chapter but about halfway it lost steam for me. I found Tim to be quite annoying with how he was handling certain situations and his wife was no better. They really just needed to sit down and talk to each other would have saved the rest of the book. I also didn’t like how the mom was portrayed and wholesome and innocent but she also herself was very judgy I found especially with other women in the book. I found it made me not like her as much and I think you were supposed to side with her the most. With all that being said it was good and I’m glad I got to have a stop on the book tour! The ending was a bit of a twist I hadn’t expected. I like when those little twists get thrown in.

This is my third Alison James novel and my third 5-star review!

What would be worse than being on vacation in a foreign country and being arrested for a crime you may or may not have committed, but at the same time, you are definitely keeping secrets you don't want to come out?

That's the situation Tim Cutler finds himself in when he travels to France to meet and vacation with a potential buyer for his veterinary business. When he sees someone from his past, he opens the door to what happens next.

Told in alternating timelines and POVs, this was a fast read with a main character you don't know whether to root for, pity, or boo!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader's copy.

Do I think this book was original? No. Do I think I am going to remember what went on in this book years from now? Also no. But I still think you should read it because it is a solid read.

So, this was a fun read!

I love pretty much any kind of vacation thriller. I think the whole thought of being in a place you don’t know while the crime happens adds some sort of intrigue no matter the story!

This family goes to the south of France for a two week “working” vacation. They are not the only visitors to this beautiful house, though. They invite friends and the owner invites friends, so it becomes a little less than relaxing. And then… murder!

I thought the pacing and short chapters from different perspectives were fantastic. I loved the whole backstory of our main couple, and thought it added just enough soap opera drama to the whole situation.

I’m not sure I loved the way it was organized though. I loved the thought of the ending, but not how it was presented so much.