Just the Nicest Couple is the second book written by Mary Kubica I’ve read, with Local Girl Missing being the first. I picked up Just the Nicest Couple expecting an interesting read. However, the mixed reviews, with the majority being on the negative side, gave me pause. So, armed with a twinge of doubt, I took the plunge. The experience wasn’t so bad after all.
A husband’s disappearance links two couples in this twisty thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: Just the Nicest Couple
Author(s): Mary Kubica
Narrator(s): Brittany Pressley, Gary Tiedemann
Published by Harlequin Audio on January 10, 2023
Pages: 369
Length: 10 hrs 32mins
Genre(s): Domestic Thriller, Mystery
Source: Netgalley, Scribd
Format: Audiobook 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: 
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.
The story tells of two couples, two friends and a missing husband. Jake has gone missing. Initially, his wife, Nina, believed he was avoiding her after their fight the night before. However, after several days has passed and with no one hearing from him, she became worried. (I can’t believe it took her so long to realize something was wrong).
Nina’s coworker and friend believes she was the last person to see Jake before his mysterious disappearance. She confesses to her husband Chris, who then decides that they needed to cover up the fact that Lily was the last person to see Jake prior to him gone missing.
Lily was a liar and a cheat. Chris was blinded by love to the point of stupidity while Nina was just plain naĂŻve and self absorbed. As for Jake, based on how the story described him, Nina was better off without him.
A word of warning: do not go into this book expecting a fast-paced edge of your seat thriller. This one leaned more on the side of a slow burn domestic thriller. Despite the slow pacing, the events piqued my curiosity. As a result found myself glued to the pages. I had to know the outcome. The story was predictable, but then it took a turn and brought me down a path I never saw coming.
Lies, deceit and betrayal drove the story. It shows how far down the rabbit hole one willingly goes to protect one’s secret.
Brittany Pressley and Gary Tiedemann, with their impressive narration, brought life to the story. Pressley, I’ve listened to before but this is my first time listening to Tiedemann. They both did a wonderful job in nailing the voices of the characters. Their tones were perfect. I thought their interpretation of the characters to be spot on.Â
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About Mary Kubica
Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of six novels, including THE GOOD GIRL, PRETTY BABY, DON’T YOU CRY, EVERY LAST LIE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, and THE OTHER MRS. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children. Her last novel THE OTHER MRS. was an instant New York Times bestseller; is coming soon to Netflix; was a LibraryReads pick for February 2020; praised by the New York Times; and highly recommended by Entertainment Weekly, People, The Week, Marie Claire, Bustle, HelloGiggles, Goodreads, PopSugar, BookRiot, HuffingtonPost, First for Women, Woman’s World, and more. Mary’s novels have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller,” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control,” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (Los Angeles Times). LOCAL WOMAN MISSING is her seventh novel.Â
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