Just the Nicest Couple

Product Information

Rich with detail and a mounting, almost suffocating sense of dread, Just the Nicest Couple is a dark and twisted exploration of loyalty, family, and how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love."—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here Don't miss Mary Kubica's chilling upcoming novel, She's Not Sorry, where an ICU nurse accidentally uncovers a patient's frightening past...

Mary Kubica is an author that I feel a lot of readers find a bit hit or miss, including myself. Just the Nicest Couple seems to be right down that alley with some loving it and some not so much but I found this one highly compelling with the set up of knowing something happened but waiting for the twist that I knew would come. The tension of what and when drew me in and had this one falling in at four and a half stars for me.I remember that Mary Kubica was a teacher before she became a writer, and as someone works in education, too, that added an extra layer of authenticity to this story from the very beginning. This is a story of a deep betrayal, and how far people will go to hide the truth. It’s also about how the people you thought were friends can turn on a dime and become your most bitter enemy. Some of you may think the book was easy to read with those short and simple sentences. It’s obvious the author tried something different. I wish it worked with me.

Lily and Christian broke up, but Lily asked if they could repair their relationship. They had a little girl that was definitely Christian’s. The Review: 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.

Need Help?

Mary Kubica’s Just the Nicest Couple is a masterfully written thriller about deception where we least expect it and the danger of a lie tumbling out of control. Taut and incredibly suspenseful, every moment is perfectly crafted to keep us wanting more. An engrossing, spine-tingling read!’ Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push 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.” And to me, that’s what makes these kind of stories entertaining! I thought the reveals were surprising but not too over the top (let’s face it, most thrillers do go in a bizarre direction with the reveals).

Book Genre: Adult, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, ThrillerThe next day, the body is positively identified as Jake. He died via a gunshot wound, though, not blunt force trauma. The Reveal: I enjoyed the two narrators and at first I thought I leaned more towards the performance for Nina. But, the storytelling for Christian’s narrative was what had me mesmerized as the story progressed. No matter, as both delivered fine performances. I had vowed to stop reading Kubica, but the premise sounded so good that I had to give this one a go. This book has all of the makings of a juicy thriller, but the flat characters and messy execution made for a boring read.

Honestly, this was a strange thriller. It seemed to be told from a weird simplistic writing style that often felt repetitive--yes, we know Lily is pregnant. Yes we know Christian would do anything to protect Lily. Yes Nina's mom is suffering from an illness, etc. It's hard to explain, but I felt like I was reading the same snippets over and over. Meanwhile, Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and fellow teacher, has been acting oddly around her husband, Christian. Nervous and distant, he finds her staring off into space when he gets home from work one evening. But she refuses to say anything about what has pushed her to the edge. Afraid to prod, he lets her be until the following day when Lily asks him to leave work early. Something is clearly wrong.First things first, even the blurb on this is B.S. Lily and Christian and Jake and Nina weren’t “close” friends. Lily and Nina were freaking work friends and every once in a while their husbands would be forced into mingling. So now that’s out of the way, the whole premise here is that Jake has gone missing and Lily thinks she might have done a bad bad thing. Also, one of the couples in the book was pathetic and irritating. (Who talks to each other like that?) Lily and Christian Scott are a happily married couple expecting their first child. She’s a high school algebra teacher and he’s a market research analyst, living comfortably but nervous about her high risk pregnancy. Their world gets turned upside down, though, when Lily shares a disturbing encounter with Jake Hayes, the husband of her friend and fellow teacher Nina. Lily was determined to put the incident behind her until she learned that day that Jake never returned home the night before. Nina thinks he’s still miffed about their own argument; Lily’s not so sure. When Jake fails to return after several days, she and Christian go down a perilous path in an effort to protect themselves.