Thriller

Just the Nicest Couple

Just the Nicest Couple

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-09 11:21:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mary Kubica
  • ISBN：B0B8K4HKRQ
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Summary

Two couples， two close friends， one missing husband…

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。

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Reviews

Heather Hazleton ，

Oh， Mary Kubica。 You have just done it again。 I thought I knew。。。。them nope。 I thought I knew again。。。。well， I don't have to say it。 But the answer is nope。 You continue to craft brilliant， intelligent， well-crafted domestic suspense that keeps me guessing right up to the end。 This was just so well done， so meticulously thought out。 Kubica is without question one of my favorite thriller authors who will always be an auto buy for me。 Exceptional！ Oh， Mary Kubica。 You have just done it again。 I thought I knew。。。。them nope。 I thought I knew again。。。。well， I don't have to say it。 But the answer is nope。 You continue to craft brilliant， intelligent， well-crafted domestic suspense that keeps me guessing right up to the end。 This was just so well done， so meticulously thought out。 Kubica is without question one of my favorite thriller authors who will always be an auto buy for me。 Exceptional！ 。。。more

Justine S ，

2。5⭐️ rounded up

Elle G。 Reads ，

Just the Nicest Couple is Mary Kubica’s latest domestic thriller and it’s a good one！ This is a story about two couples: one who knows more than they lead others to believe， and the other a wife and her missing husband。 The story revolves around the missing husband and is told in dual POVs from the wives’ perspective。 We know SOMETHING happened to him， but we aren’t quite sure what。 And as the story progresses and the search continues readers are given tidbits of information leading up to the fi Just the Nicest Couple is Mary Kubica’s latest domestic thriller and it’s a good one！ This is a story about two couples: one who knows more than they lead others to believe， and the other a wife and her missing husband。 The story revolves around the missing husband and is told in dual POVs from the wives’ perspective。 We know SOMETHING happened to him， but we aren’t quite sure what。 And as the story progresses and the search continues readers are given tidbits of information leading up to the final twist！ I love Mary’s thrillers; they have become comfort reads for me。 Her characters are easily relatable， and she continuously surprises me with the twists。 In this one， I had a hunch about what really happened and even though my hunch was correct watching it be revealed in the way it was felt exciting！ The ending is a little choppy and sort of gives you rapid information about what happens next， but it worked for me。 I thoroughly enjoyed this one！ If you’ve enjoyed the authors previous novels， then you won’t want to miss this one。 It’s a quick novel and I was able to binge it in one sitting！𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:• Domestic Thrillers and Suspense• Mysteries • The authors previous novels𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more

Pam VanOoyen ，

Not exactly her best book。 But it was a quick and easy read and a decent storyline。 Just not full of excitement。 Lily and Christian are a nice young couple trying to have a baby and their friends Nina and Jake are wealthy and happy， or so they appear。 One day after an argument， Jake doesn’t come home。 He doesn’t go to work and Nina is worried。 Lily was one of the last people to see him alive， but doesn’t want to tell anyone as it will make her look guilty of something。 What happened to Jake？ Did Not exactly her best book。 But it was a quick and easy read and a decent storyline。 Just not full of excitement。 Lily and Christian are a nice young couple trying to have a baby and their friends Nina and Jake are wealthy and happy， or so they appear。 One day after an argument， Jake doesn’t come home。 He doesn’t go to work and Nina is worried。 Lily was one of the last people to see him alive， but doesn’t want to tell anyone as it will make her look guilty of something。 What happened to Jake？ Did he disappear？ Did something terrible happen to him？ And who is responsible？ 。。。more

BUT FIRST BOOKS ，

f you want 10 levels of crazy， well I give you “Just the Nicest Couple” featuring Lily & Christian Scott and Jacob & Nina Hayes。Jacob is missing。Lily and Nina are coworkers and friends。Told from the point of view of Christian and Nina， the story will lead the reader down one designated path for most of the book。As a page-turner， the story kept me on edge。 But not for the obvious reason。 I was nervous to see how far Christian will go to protect Lily。 He is very committed while going to extremes。 f you want 10 levels of crazy， well I give you “Just the Nicest Couple” featuring Lily & Christian Scott and Jacob & Nina Hayes。Jacob is missing。Lily and Nina are coworkers and friends。Told from the point of view of Christian and Nina， the story will lead the reader down one designated path for most of the book。As a page-turner， the story kept me on edge。 But not for the obvious reason。 I was nervous to see how far Christian will go to protect Lily。 He is very committed while going to extremes。 This is where crazy enters the chat。 Their voices and thoughts seem like they belong to people who are slowly becoming unhinged。The pace was fast with the normal and expected red herring。 The tension ramps up as Nina continues to investigate Jacob’s disappearance。 About 2/3 of the way， I had strong suspicions， but it didn’t stop me from turning pages。 And I was right！！！ But even better I was also wrong。This is my first Mary Kubica novel and after reading this one I must wonder why I have waited so long to try her writing。 I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys domestic thrillers with predictable endings OR not。 I just dabble so it is very understandable I have more “WTF Just Happen” experiences。I think it’s time for me to read THE OTHER MRS。 especially since it has been optioned as a movie by Netflix。 #Netgalley #JustTheNicestCouple #Review first appeared on But First， Books blog at https://milehighkinkbookclub。com/2023。。。 。。。more

Marielle ，

Kubica always knows how to pull her readers into a story- the first chapters leave them wanting more， and her latest novel about two couples and how their lives intersect is no different。 The first few chapters absolutely sucked me in。You know when you are literally screaming at characters to make better choices？ This was me the whole dang book。 The stupid ideas。 The lies。 The paranoia。 Bad for the characters but really good for a creepy， keep you guessing whodunnit。Unfortunately， I felt that th Kubica always knows how to pull her readers into a story- the first chapters leave them wanting more， and her latest novel about two couples and how their lives intersect is no different。 The first few chapters absolutely sucked me in。You know when you are literally screaming at characters to make better choices？ This was me the whole dang book。 The stupid ideas。 The lies。 The paranoia。 Bad for the characters but really good for a creepy， keep you guessing whodunnit。Unfortunately， I felt that the beginning started like fire and then the story kind of went nowhere。 The twist and payoff at the end just didn't do it for me either。 I have come to love Kubica for her recent releases such as Local Woman Missing or The Other Mrs。 but this didn't live up to the hype for me。 。。。more

Cassidy bookswithmybulldog ，

LOVED IT！ Any book that is un-put-downable is almost always going to be a 5 star review for me。 Mary Kubica is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors。 I was flying through this one just wanting to know what was going to happen！Reviewing thrillers is hard because I don’t want to give anything away， but this is definitely one to add to your 2023 list。Pub Date: Jan 10 2023

Claire Sneddon ，

Reviewed as an advanced copy from Netgally， I did ultimately enjoy this book， however it started off quite slow and and took me a while to get into it， the story was from Nina and Christians perspective， Nina being a friend and colleague of Christians wife Lily， I would say once I got to about 30% in I really enjoyed the story and I did finish the book fairly quickly as I couldn't put it down， big twists at the very end， however I felt the ending could have been elaborated a bit more and I felt Reviewed as an advanced copy from Netgally， I did ultimately enjoy this book， however it started off quite slow and and took me a while to get into it， the story was from Nina and Christians perspective， Nina being a friend and colleague of Christians wife Lily， I would say once I got to about 30% in I really enjoyed the story and I did finish the book fairly quickly as I couldn't put it down， big twists at the very end， however I felt the ending could have been elaborated a bit more and I felt a few chapters from Lily's perspective would have been useful。I would recommend this book as it was a good story that was enjoyable once it got going。 。。。more

Jessica McSweeney ，

DNF around 27% — this is just a bummer considering how much I love the author！ The writing is very choppy and abrupt in a way I’m not used to from her， and while I thought maybe the plot would become interesting even though the synopsis didn’t intrigue me as much as some other books， it has not （close to 100 pages in。） Super， super bummed！

Steph Carr （LiteraryHypeWoman） ，

I got an ARC of this book， and I'm hoping some of my issues will be fixed in the final version。 There are some pretty repetitive words in this that annoyed me。 Like "underpants" and "conscientious" and "infinitesimal"。 Butt especially underpants from the man's perspective。 The story itself was a quick read， albeit predictable。 I didn't hate it。 I got an ARC of this book， and I'm hoping some of my issues will be fixed in the final version。 There are some pretty repetitive words in this that annoyed me。 Like "underpants" and "conscientious" and "infinitesimal"。 Butt especially underpants from the man's perspective。 The story itself was a quick read， albeit predictable。 I didn't hate it。 。。。more

Lauren R。 ，

Yikes。 The writing in this was truly bad。 The characters were so incredibly bland and one-dimensional。 Red herrings went absolutely nowhere （meaning there was zero resolution to things that the author brought up as sketchy or whatever）。 The ending was semi-surprising and I was intrigued in the second half， but overall… not good。

Janilyn Kocher ，

I was reading each chapter， going along with the story and cringing as characters tried to cover their tracks， when Nina brings up something she found and I thought Bingo！ There it is， the proverbial smoking gun。 I also surmised another angle to the story shortly after as well。I was a little confused about one scene that seems to happen， but then the next negated it。 It was clear that it was something Christian conjured in his mind。It’s a definite who done it book。Thanks to NetGalley Park Row an I was reading each chapter， going along with the story and cringing as characters tried to cover their tracks， when Nina brings up something she found and I thought Bingo！ There it is， the proverbial smoking gun。 I also surmised another angle to the story shortly after as well。I was a little confused about one scene that seems to happen， but then the next negated it。 It was clear that it was something Christian conjured in his mind。It’s a definite who done it book。Thanks to NetGalley Park Row and HTP for the advance read。 。。。more

Ashley Gillan ，

There’s a reason Mary Kubica’s books are bestsellers and can be found in book stores everywhere- they’re just that good。 And this book isn’t an an exception， I’m happy to report。 Like her other thrillers， “Just the Nicest Couple” set up an incredibly tense atmosphere from the beginning pages and didn’t let you put the book down until the very end。 And I mean the VERY end， because anything can happen in these books and you don’t want to miss a minute of it。 I mean， I was completely floored as str There’s a reason Mary Kubica’s books are bestsellers and can be found in book stores everywhere- they’re just that good。 And this book isn’t an an exception， I’m happy to report。 Like her other thrillers， “Just the Nicest Couple” set up an incredibly tense atmosphere from the beginning pages and didn’t let you put the book down until the very end。 And I mean the VERY end， because anything can happen in these books and you don’t want to miss a minute of it。 I mean， I was completely floored as strike after strike just kept coming。 I don’t want to say too much because it’s best to go into these books with a completely open mind and just see where the story goes。 Because once it takes off， you’ll be happy to let it just carry you away。 And this one is one that will make you really look at those around you a beat longer， even those closest to you。 Trust me， it’s that good。Pick this one up if you’re looking for a great domestic thriller。 。。。more

Julia ，

Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica is a marvellous psychological suspense that totally consumed me。The action is set in suburbia and seen through two different points of view， one on either side of the situation。 The reader is completely immersed in the action。 We believe what we are being told but as time goes on， we start to question as events seem more and more unbelievable。There is a search for the truth by both the reader and characters。 The deeper into the novel we go， the deeper the tr Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica is a marvellous psychological suspense that totally consumed me。The action is set in suburbia and seen through two different points of view， one on either side of the situation。 The reader is completely immersed in the action。 We believe what we are being told but as time goes on， we start to question as events seem more and more unbelievable。There is a search for the truth by both the reader and characters。 The deeper into the novel we go， the deeper the truth seems to be buried。 This is mirrored by the location of Langley Woods – the deeper you walk in， the darker the atmosphere。How well do we really know someone？ Characters hide their true selves even from their nearest and dearest。 We think we really know a person， only to be blown out of the water， with jaw-dropping revelations。Suburbia – safe， secure， uneventful。 Let go of all your pre-conceived ideas as you enter the world of Mary Kubica’s Just The Nicest Couple。Mary Kubica is skillful at manipulating the reader’s emotional responses to her characters， as we witness the weak become strong， and the strong become weak。Lives intertwined soon morph into lives manipulated in this marvellous book。I really enjoyed Just The Nicest Couple as I tried to separate the truth from the lies and work out what really happened in Langley Woods。 This was a superb read。I received a free copy from the publishers for a blog tour。 A favourable review was not required。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Kelly Fredericks ，

I am embarrassed to say that Just The Nicest Couple is my FIRST Mary Kubica book。 She hit the nail on the head with her latest domestic thriller， which leaves me deeply wondering。。。Why on earth haven't I read her before？ All I need you to know is that Kubica's book is the perfect ending to a long week。 It's unpredictable， highly entertaining， and doesn't require a lot of work from the reader。 I zipped along the twisty path she paved， casually tripping on the strategically placed obstacles along I am embarrassed to say that Just The Nicest Couple is my FIRST Mary Kubica book。 She hit the nail on the head with her latest domestic thriller， which leaves me deeply wondering。。。Why on earth haven't I read her before？ All I need you to know is that Kubica's book is the perfect ending to a long week。 It's unpredictable， highly entertaining， and doesn't require a lot of work from the reader。 I zipped along the twisty path she paved， casually tripping on the strategically placed obstacles along the way。 I am a big fan of her characters and， of course， fell for their polished exteriors while squealing with glee as they， bit by bit， began to unravel。 I happily soaked up the buried secrets， feelings of guilt， and layered lies as they seeped from the pages。 I loved how Kubica rejuvenated the typical "unaccounted" for female character with a missing husband for a pleasant change （Hallelujah）。 All in all， Kubica's tale is a yummy popcorn thriller that I devoured with great delight。 It relieved me from a tiresome reading slump and has me eager to conquer her entire backlist。 。。。more

Erika ，

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Lily and Christian are friends with Jake and Nina。 When Jake goes missing， Lily confesses to Christian that she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing and they set out to cover her tracks so that she doesn’t wind up under suspicion。This book was boring， I have really liked some of this author’s books and wanted to throw my kindle at the wall after reading some。 After this one， I am just lamenti Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Lily and Christian are friends with Jake and Nina。 When Jake goes missing， Lily confesses to Christian that she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing and they set out to cover her tracks so that she doesn’t wind up under suspicion。This book was boring， I have really liked some of this author’s books and wanted to throw my kindle at the wall after reading some。 After this one， I am just lamenting the time wasted。 I read the marginal reviews and put this one off for awhile。 It is as dull as the reviews indicate。 None of the characters are interesting。 Christian’s infatuation with Lily’s greatness is over the top and ridiculous。 Lily is a whiner。 The writing is bland and even though the sentences are short， I felt like we were told the same mundane detail three different ways before we could move on to the next mundane detail。 Basically it was slow and almost nothing happened until the big reveal at the end and that wasn’t that interesting。 I would say that’s despite this， I look forward to this author’s next work but I am not so sure anymore。 With the books I previously didn’t care for， it was because the ending was bad。 This whole book was bad。 。。。more

Jessica ，

I've seen some mixed reviews on this one， but I liked it！ It was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time I picked it up。 I wanted a fast paced thriller that would keep me entertained and be a quick read and that's exactly what I got。Was it perfect？ No。 I felt like the ending could have been better。 But the book read very fast and I was very intrigued throughout。 There were a few shady characters that kept me guessing and while it was mildly predictable at times， it definitely still made m I've seen some mixed reviews on this one， but I liked it！ It was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time I picked it up。 I wanted a fast paced thriller that would keep me entertained and be a quick read and that's exactly what I got。Was it perfect？ No。 I felt like the ending could have been better。 But the book read very fast and I was very intrigued throughout。 There were a few shady characters that kept me guessing and while it was mildly predictable at times， it definitely still made me think。 It had one twist in particular （no spoilers） that I actually didnt see coming， so that was cool！ I like the multiple perspectives that alternated between a couple of the main characters。I've been a fan of many of Mary Kubica's books and I liked this one too。 If you're looking for something super fast paced that you can read in a couple of sittings， I'd pick this one up。 。。。more

Jill （chill_jilland_read） ，

Mary Kubica can spin a thrilling tale。Her latest novel， Just the Nicest Couple follows a set of married characters who are entangled in murder and secrets。 There are two coworkers at the local high school: one with a missing husband and the other one is pretty sure she knows where he is。 This is a story about lies and destruction in the simple lives of married life。Kubica's traditionally fast writing kept me flying through the pages。 I read this novel in two sittings because I had to see how the Mary Kubica can spin a thrilling tale。Her latest novel， Just the Nicest Couple follows a set of married characters who are entangled in murder and secrets。 There are two coworkers at the local high school: one with a missing husband and the other one is pretty sure she knows where he is。 This is a story about lies and destruction in the simple lives of married life。Kubica's traditionally fast writing kept me flying through the pages。 I read this novel in two sittings because I had to see how the action unfolded。 None of the characters are particularly likable but there were nuances to them all that felt familiar。 The events just kept coming in quick succession making the pace of this novel never seem to drag。 While it was a bit predictable， I was fascinated by the lives of these people。 I will be checking out more from this author in the future。Thank you Park Row Books and Netgalley for my copy。 。。。more

Lisa Wetzel ，

Mary Kubica is a must read author for me and she did not disappoint with her latest Just the Nicest Couple。 This is a suspenseful thriller you do not want to miss out on。 Told in multiple point of views， I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish。 This one is filled with mystery， lies， deception， infidelity， murder and suspense。 Ms。 Kubica throws a lot of curve balls in this one， she left me curious to find out what was going to happen next。 The pages turned very quickly for me！ You will Mary Kubica is a must read author for me and she did not disappoint with her latest Just the Nicest Couple。 This is a suspenseful thriller you do not want to miss out on。 Told in multiple point of views， I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish。 This one is filled with mystery， lies， deception， infidelity， murder and suspense。 Ms。 Kubica throws a lot of curve balls in this one， she left me curious to find out what was going to happen next。 The pages turned very quickly for me！ You will not believe what she has in store， especially that very surprising ending， boy did I get it all wrong。 If you like thrillers and Mary Kubica， and how could you not， this is one you don’t want to miss。Thank you NetGalley， Park Row， Harlequin Trade Publishing and Mary Kubica for an advanced copy of this mind blowing book to read and review。 The opinions expressed are my own。#netgalley #parkrow #harlequintradepublishing。 #HTPinfluencer #marykubica #arc#justthenicestcouple。 。。。more

Nikki ，

Christian and Lily are the nicest couple。 They are friends with Nina and Jake。 However， when Jake goes missing and Lily figures out she is the last person to have seen Jake， she and Christian decide not to come forward with what they know。 Can you see where this is going？ I had the entire thing figured out until the very end。 One little twist you really may not see coming。 *Special thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for this e-arc。*

Melissa （LifeFullyBooked） ，

I'm not off to a very good start this year。。。This book has a lot of issues and it was just not good。 Kubica's books are most often misses for me， but every once in a while I am impressed which keeps me coming back for more。 Next time I think I'll wait for a library copy。The main premise is that of two couples: Christian and Lily， and Lily's teacher co-worker Nina and her surgeon husband Jake。 Jake doesn't come home the morning after a fight， and Nina assumes he's mad at her and has possibly left I'm not off to a very good start this year。。。This book has a lot of issues and it was just not good。 Kubica's books are most often misses for me， but every once in a while I am impressed which keeps me coming back for more。 Next time I think I'll wait for a library copy。The main premise is that of two couples: Christian and Lily， and Lily's teacher co-worker Nina and her surgeon husband Jake。 Jake doesn't come home the morning after a fight， and Nina assumes he's mad at her and has possibly left her。 Yet as the days go by and he doesn't even show up for work， she starts to wonder if something has happened to him。 Lily confesses to her husband that as she was out walking in the forest preserve， Jake tried to attack her and she hit him with a rock。 Did Lily unintentionally kill him？ As the days pass and there's no sign of Jake， everyone starts to panic and wonder where he is。The writing is very short and simplistic。 The characters make dumb decision after dumb decision and jump to conclusions that are ridiculous。 The pacing is slow to develop and I was left wondering if anything was ever going to happen， and then bam， things happen very quickly。 And then at the end， everything happens off of the page， so we just get to read about the aftermath。 So much setup for very little payoff。 I do have to say that I was surprised by one of the ending twists， even with as unrealistic and OTT as it was。 I know that lots of people have really liked this one， but if you like logic and characters that behave rationally， then this is not the book for you。I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book， all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Debrafleming ，

I was eager to read this book， having enjoyed other novels by Kubica。 While I did enjoy this one， it is not one of my favourites。 I didn't really connect with any of the characters and it felt just a little too long and had some elements I felt were distracting。 That being said， I can see this being popular for book club readings。 There is a lot to talk about with this one。 ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2， rounded to 4 for GoodReadsThanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review。 All op I was eager to read this book， having enjoyed other novels by Kubica。 While I did enjoy this one， it is not one of my favourites。 I didn't really connect with any of the characters and it felt just a little too long and had some elements I felt were distracting。 That being said， I can see this being popular for book club readings。 There is a lot to talk about with this one。 ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2， rounded to 4 for GoodReadsThanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 Publication date: January 10， 2023 #readingmoms #readingnow#bookreviews #bookstagram #bookreview #books #bookstagrammer #bookworm #booklover #booksofinstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookish #bibliophile #reading #bookreviewer #bookblogger #book #bookaddict #bookcommunity #booklovers #bookshelf #bookaholic #review #bookrecommendation #bookclub #reviews 。。。more

Stephanie ，

When Nina’s husband， Jake， goes missing， her friends Lily and Christian know more than would appear to the outside world， and they want to keep it that way。 This was a slower burn as the story unfolded about what had really happened to Jake。 I found that the alternating narrators and short chapter contributed to revealing just enough to give you another piece of the puzzle。 I think Kubica did a good job with how the story unfolded and throwing in red herrings that made me question if I was on th When Nina’s husband， Jake， goes missing， her friends Lily and Christian know more than would appear to the outside world， and they want to keep it that way。 This was a slower burn as the story unfolded about what had really happened to Jake。 I found that the alternating narrators and short chapter contributed to revealing just enough to give you another piece of the puzzle。 I think Kubica did a good job with how the story unfolded and throwing in red herrings that made me question if I was on the right track of figuring out the truth。 My only quip was with the characters themselves， they were a little one dimensional and could have used a bit more character development。 If you have liked Kubicas books in the past， I think readers will enjoy this one as well！ 。。。more

Claire Bailey ，

Let me start by saying that I didn’t/couldn’t finish this book。What sounded like and started as a really engaging thriller very quickly dried up and became very bland。I’m so incredibly disappointed that I can’t bear to make it to the end but i find myself skimming the chapters seeking out plot and narrative。 There’s seemingly endless pages of ‘fluff’ in this book and im getting annoyed with the story and thinking ‘just get on with it！！’ For example， Nina believes there’s an intruder in her home Let me start by saying that I didn’t/couldn’t finish this book。What sounded like and started as a really engaging thriller very quickly dried up and became very bland。I’m so incredibly disappointed that I can’t bear to make it to the end but i find myself skimming the chapters seeking out plot and narrative。 There’s seemingly endless pages of ‘fluff’ in this book and im getting annoyed with the story and thinking ‘just get on with it！！’ For example， Nina believes there’s an intruder in her home so she ventures downstairs in the dark to investigate。 Just as the plot gets tense Mary decides this is the perfect time to describe Nina’s two favourite rooms in the house （that are incidentally at the top of the stairs） and how they are furnished…。 Wtf！ There is so much of this deliberate plot misdirection that im actually wondering if there’s any plot to be had？The ‘twists’ are predictable and I honestly don’t know how the characters don’t see them before the words appear。 The narrative is slant at best and the backstory repetitive。All in all… not what I expected from this author and such a let down from the excitement of receiving an advance copy。 Sorry Mary， this is just not your finest work so im skipping this one in wait for your next。Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Jessica Williams ，

This started as a very bingeable story but then the writing became repetitive and the pacing slowed down。 I also had issues with the unnecessary descriptions in certain parts of story， for example， the FMC would be in a tense scene and all of a sudden start describing the room with an arrogant tone， whether speaking about her own “luxurious” home or the less appealing homeof her own mother。 It was distracting and averted the focus from the plot and finding her missing husband。 At about the 70% m This started as a very bingeable story but then the writing became repetitive and the pacing slowed down。 I also had issues with the unnecessary descriptions in certain parts of story， for example， the FMC would be in a tense scene and all of a sudden start describing the room with an arrogant tone， whether speaking about her own “luxurious” home or the less appealing homeof her own mother。 It was distracting and averted the focus from the plot and finding her missing husband。 At about the 70% mark， I predicted the twist （which is fine） but what really irritated me was how abrupt the ending was。 We don’t get a conclusion until the very last few pages and even then it’s set with a pretty little bow and then boom， done。 I really enjoyed Local Woman Missing and while Just the Nicest Couple started off strong， it really missed the mark for me。 。。。more

Susan ，

Last night Nina had a heated argument with her husband and before he went to work it was the silent treatment。 When she hears nothing all day and then returns to an empty house she is not surprised but when he still doesn't come home maybe he is more stubborn than she realized。Christian is on tenterhooks with his wife but because they are pregnant yet again and that never ends well。 Maybe this time they will have a healthy baby but then Lily has something to tell him。Just the Nicest Couple is a Last night Nina had a heated argument with her husband and before he went to work it was the silent treatment。 When she hears nothing all day and then returns to an empty house she is not surprised but when he still doesn't come home maybe he is more stubborn than she realized。Christian is on tenterhooks with his wife but because they are pregnant yet again and that never ends well。 Maybe this time they will have a healthy baby but then Lily has something to tell him。Just the Nicest Couple is a slow burn domestic thriller which focuses on the nuances of marriage and what goes on behind closed doors。 When the worst happens the cracks quickly show and it can make or break the closest of relationships。 In Kubica's book very few characters are likeable but they make for the most compelling。 For most of the book we know what has happened but there are gaps and any curious reader will be more than happy to fill them rightly or wrongly but then that is what is so fun！ A story that at first seems simple is strangely addicting and becomes a lot more entangled the further you progress。 Husbands and wives are rarely criminal masterminds so mistakes are made which equals a tense read。 。。。more

Jessica Pollack ，

When Nina Hayes’s husband doesn’t come home one night， she quickly assumes that he has left her。 After several months of distance and one final blowout， Nina knows Jake’s abandonment of their relationship isn’t out of the question。 However， as the days pass， Nina learns that he isn’t just avoiding her - he hasn’t been seen by anyone。 Nina’s friend and coworker Lily has been supportive and kind during this tumultuous time; but little does Nina know that Lily may have been one of the last people t When Nina Hayes’s husband doesn’t come home one night， she quickly assumes that he has left her。 After several months of distance and one final blowout， Nina knows Jake’s abandonment of their relationship isn’t out of the question。 However， as the days pass， Nina learns that he isn’t just avoiding her - he hasn’t been seen by anyone。 Nina’s friend and coworker Lily has been supportive and kind during this tumultuous time; but little does Nina know that Lily may have been one of the last people to run into Jake Hayes before he was never seen again。 This book was honestly frustrating at times。 The couples kept doing things that made me genuinely enraged and the narrators droned on， detailing things that weren’t necessary。 While the anticipation of finding out what really happened made it fast-paced， not much happened for most of the book。 That being said， the twist was pretty good。 Not 100% shocking， but had some layers of surprise。 。。。more

Gail ，

This is a very ordinary mystery— lots of domestic drama— with characters I didn’t really care about。 Nothing wrong with it， really， but forgettable。

Vanessa ，

This book fell flat for me。。 I felt like I knew who what where and why。。 didn’t connect with any of the characters。。 juts was happy it was an easy and quick read。 I think I read to many thrillers and just need a bit more when it comes to thrillers。。 a few more twist and turns。 I’m sure many will enjoy and I hope you do。 Just didn’t do it for me。 Happy Reading 📖

Darla ，

What a bunch of selfish， unlikable， unwise people in this book！ I was frustrated enough at one point to yell at one of the characters。 "Don't do it！" I insisted。 Fortunately， he/she was just imagining a course of action rather than carrying it out。 So， as noted in the blurb there are two couples。 Our narrators are Christian （husband to Lily） and Nina （wife to Jake）。 There paths cross in unexpected ways giving more interesting reading in the second half than the first。 I do admit to almost comple What a bunch of selfish， unlikable， unwise people in this book！ I was frustrated enough at one point to yell at one of the characters。 "Don't do it！" I insisted。 Fortunately， he/she was just imagining a course of action rather than carrying it out。 So， as noted in the blurb there are two couples。 Our narrators are Christian （husband to Lily） and Nina （wife to Jake）。 There paths cross in unexpected ways giving more interesting reading in the second half than the first。 I do admit to almost completely blindsided by the final reveal， so am giving this book a "really liked it" rating despite the uneven pacing。 Not Mary Kubica's best work， in my opinion。 I liked The Good Girl and Local Woman Missing better。Thank you to Park Row and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Just the Nicest Couple

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Just the Nicest Couple&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Just the Nicest Couple&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0