I really enjoyed the book, it was a great summer read. Although I saw the big twist coming, it didn't detract from the overall enjoyment. I could have done without the epilogue, though.
I'm definitely interested in reading more thrillers by this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Just the Nicest Family is a quick reading thriller with many twists and turns. Don't miss this book!

Thank you Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The perfect family on the outside but what happens behind closed doors is an eye opener……
Secrets, lies, betrayal, deception, deceit and revenge is only the beginning…..
Just The Nicest Family is a compelling page turner.
Tim and Louise Cutler and their kids are invited to a villa in the South of France, from his work as a veterinarian, to close a business opportunity.
Suggested to them from the host, Renee, is they can bring friends, an another couple and their child.
Besides them and the host, there’s also a husband and wife, close friends of Renee.
Not long into the vacation, a body is found dead in the swimming pool and this tragic incident will changes their lives forever……
A twisty narrative as the story unravels from its tangled web of theatricals.
I did not guess this one at all, I had some slight suspicions but boy was I completely wrong.
It’s shrewd and sly, this well written plot with many devious characters against the backdrop of an exotic setting.
Gripping, addictive, thrilling and explosive from cover to cover.
I’m a fan of Alison’s books and look forward to her next endeavour.

The book, which is told from multiple points of view, initially had a slow start for me. However, as we were introduced to the different characters within a stunning setting, the story picked up. The descriptions of the sea, the ambience, the smell, and the feeling it evoked during night walks took me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminding me of past vacations. The simplicity of the line stirred up a lot of emotions within me.

In the story, Tim Cutler is negotiating with Renee Weber, the CEO of a Swiss company looking to acquire his veterinary practice. Renee has invited Tim, his wife Louise, and their children to spend two weeks at the Villa in Le Mas des Flores with herself and other guests. While this getaway was supposed to be a relaxing break and an opportunity for Tim to sell his business, it becomes clear that more than one of the guests is keeping secrets that could potentially destroy lives.

The narrative is quite compelling, and it effectively conveys the main character's intense horror and desperation in response to the unfolding events.


#SuspensefulNarrative #ThrillingPlotTwists #IntriguingCharacters #VividDescriptions #EmotionalJourney

This book is definitely an interesting psychological thriller although it wasn’t family drama oriented like I expected it to be.

With its multiple characters and POVs this thriller was fun and easy to read. despite the many twists and turns and dramatic events in the second and last parts, I did figure out who was the killer and the rest of the plot pretty early on.

This is the perfect vacation/beach read.

Thank you Alison James, Bookouture and Netgalley for a digital ARC copy.

"Just the Nicest Family" provided a fantastic reading experience, filled with an abundance of twists, turns, secrets, and lies that kept me riveted until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my arc.

Just the Nicest Family is one of those books you just cannot put down! Tim and Louise seem to have the perfect family. Both in good jobs with a son and a daughter after fertility issues. They are invited to a villa in the South of France to discuss the acquisition of Tim's veterinary practice, a sale that has more pressure than he lets on to his wife. After a naked woman turns up murdered, Louise begins to question how well she really knows her husband as secrets from his past come to light. I loved getting to know these characters and would definitely pick up another Alison James novel again!

A compelling although somewhat predictable read. Lots of secrets. Lots of lies. A great vacation read.

Well that was one hell of a juicy read, an absolute corker of a story, entertaining from start to finish and really well written. If it wasn’t for work / life getting in the way, I could easily have read this in one sitting, that’s how good it was.

There was quite a few characters to keep track of throughout the story, and it does switch from past to current, so you have essentially got two storylines running at same time which then link up together come the end. But I feel that the author did it really well, as at no point was ai confused and was easy to keep track of the story.

I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and trying to figure out how it would all end . I didn’t much like the character of Tim, thought he was a bit of a wet blanked, not much of a man in my option, but then I guess that was the authors intention.

So all in all, an absolutely amazing story, and well done to author Alison on another excellent book.

Alison James does it again! This psychological thriller is memorable and gripping in all the right places!. This is story telling at its very finest.

Two distinct timelines that initially seem a million worlds apart converge in this utterly brilliant work of fiction.

A super tight couple, Vet, Tim, and Louise, a high flyer in the world of teaching, score a complimentary luxury break in the Côte d'Azur courtesy of a rich businesswoman who hopes to broker a deal with Tim for the purchase of his Veterinary practice. From the very start this break seems destined to disaster as the mix of people holidaying at the luxury villa is far from harmonious....

In the second timeline we learn of 2 young women who, discontent with their waitressing wages, seek to take advantage of the wealthy men attending their functions with an agenda of sexual favours and blackmail attempts.

While initially I was wondering how these 2 timelines could possibly converge, I was not kept in suspense for long, as this novel reveals all in spectacular detail in a novel that has it all: blackmail, deceit, even (dare I say) murder!

This is such a good novel, and so well written, I absolutely couldn't countenance giving this any less than 5 stars. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this novel in exchange for an advance review copy.

A tense and shocking thriller with lots of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down! Brilliant and loved the ending!

There is often more to a situation than meets the eye and this killer plot is a perfect example!

Veterinary surgeon Tim Cutler’s business is being sold and he and his family have been invited to a villa in France to spend time with the buyer of the business and some other families. When a body is discovered by the pool, Tim’s past collides with his present with far reaching consequences. Tim made a mistake years ago, when his good intentions led him to betray his wife.

There were some unlikeable characters in this, which meant that I suspected everyone at some point, but I could never have predicted the full story and when the truth came out, I was absolutely stunned!

Alison James is a master thriller writer, her plots are incredibly detailed and well thought out, with twists that feel like a physical punch in the gut.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Alison James and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A perfectly enjoyable read, some bits were a little bit unbelievable but not enough to put me off, all in all a decent summer read.

This book was great! Very fast paced and kept me turning pages, making it hard to put down. The plot was interesting and well written! Looking forward to other books by this author.

The perfect family? Or one full of secrets? I really enjoyed this novel. It’s billed as an unputdownable psychological thriller and it certainly lived up to that. Fast paced and gripping with plenty of twists, I was hooked from the start. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

As Tim Cutler and his family are extended an invitation to a villa in the picturesque South of France, the opportunity arises for them to bring along two additional guests. Tim, a veterinarian whose business is sought after by a prominent veterinary company, finds himself entangled in the repercussions of a past misjudgment. Through a narrative interwoven with past and present timelines, the intricate web of secrets, lies, and unforeseen twists unfolds, culminating in a climactic revelation that leaves no character unscathed.

This tale, presented in a dual chronology, delves into the depths of Tim's history while navigating the complexities of the present, where hidden truths reverberate through the idyllic holiday setting. With a diverse array of perspectives shaping the narrative, the characters, though intricately developed, reveal shades of imperfection. The captivating storytelling grips the reader from the outset, leading to a climactic twist that defies expectations, making this literary work a compelling and engaging exploration of deceit and suspense in a sun-soaked French retreat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tim, a dedicated veterinarian, alongside his wife Louise, their two children, aims to finalize a promising deal with Renee's influential company in a luxurious French villa. But an unsettling discovery of a stranger's body in the villa's swimming pool disrupts everything, gradually uncovering a grave mistake Tim has desperately hidden.

An interesting psychological thriller Just The Nicest Family by Alison James is an entertaining beach read with a unique twist at the end. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars overall.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

This has a bit of a slow start, it took about 40% before it started to pick up. The twists weren’t very shocking and the reveals were a bit predictable. The ending felt like a forced last second thought to try and add one more twist. With all that being said, it doesn't mean I didn’t enjoy it. It had some great parts where it was hard to put down. If you want a book with multiple POVs, lots of lies, and jumping timelines between past and present then you’ll enjoy this one. I think this would be perfect for someone getting into thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book , it wasn’t until 25% in that I really got into it and then I was hooked . I loved the story , the characters and the lovely setting abroad . Lovely summer read around the pool . I definitely would recommend this book as I would all the books I’ve read by this author. 5 stars from me , can’t wait for more from this author .

Alison James, Just the Nicest Family, Bookouture, June 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Alison James has written a very readable psychological thriller, complete with a good twist. For me, a twist must be a logical outcome of the narrative, with signposts along the way. These must be subtle and ensure that the reader has had the opportunity to read the signs that lead to the twist – then ideally has not been able to do so. James achieves this in Just the Nicest Family, and for this I give her accolades. However, I was less impressed with the way in which one of her main characters dealt with an assertion that they knew would change their life but did little to investigate its validity.

Louise and Tim, parents of Harry and Elodie are the perfect family. Most apparent is the love between Louise and Tim, exhibited in all their interactions, private and public. Tim is a vet, Louise the deputy head at a girls’ high school. The family is invited to share a villa in France by the CEO of a Swiss company, Renee Weber, as a precursor to her buying Tim’s independent veterinary practice. He is keen to accept, and eventually he and the children join the villa residents while Lousie completes her responsibility at the school. She has already been thrown by Tim’s invitation to acquaintances, Shona and Kevin, before Louise could intervene to invite friends more to her taste. The villa visit becomes even more awkward when Shona decides that Renee’s partner would suit her better than her husband.

The narrative moves between the past and present, with clever characterisation of the main characters. There must be links somewhere, but where? Yes, the perfect family is gradually shown to have its weaknesses, but there clearly will be more to digest, more links with the past and more significant events that will lead to the last sentence in the prologue – the beautiful pool about which Harry and Elodie have rhapsodised is to become the location of a death.

James weaves her clues, characterisation and motivation into a narrative that intrigue and keeps the tension well. For me this was a novel that fulfils my criteria for a book with a good twist, and despite the issue that I believe is a flaw, makes a good beach read.