Mary Kubica

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JUST THE NICEST COUPLE by Mary Kubica

Synopsis from the Publisher:

A husband’s disappearance links two couples in this twisty thriller from master of suspense Mary Kubica.

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.

Publisher: Park Row
Publication Date: January 10, 2023
Source: Borrowed from the Library
Rating: 3.25 Stars

Quick Thoughts:

I’ve read all but one of Mary Kubica’s thrillers, so needless to say, I’m a fan. Her latest, JUST THE NICEST COUPLE, was good, but not my favorite. The story centers around a curious dilemma — a woman (Nina) is trying to locate her missing husband (Jake), while her friend (Lily) and her friend’s husband (Christian) try to hide what really happened to him.

“People say kind things about Christian and Lily all the time. Everyone thinks they’re just the nicest couple.” (…or are they?)

This book was a quick read that kept me guessing, and wraps up with a surprising twist. It was an interesting change of pace that the husband was missing this time. I did think the characters were a bit flat (dull?). Writing wise, the sentences were mostly short and choppy, and the ending was too abrupt. I’m left with questions regarding the ending twist, and where the story picks up eight months later. Not her best work, but I’m still a fan.

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LOCAL WOMAN MISSING by Mary Kubica


Publisher: Park Row
Release Date: May 18, 2021

I love Mary Kubica’s thrillers. She’s an auto-buy author for me, and her latest LOCAL WOMAN MISSING is one crazy ride! The prologue and first chapter were amazing, definitely hooked me immediately. The prologue sets up some fabulous ominous tension about what’s to come. And the first chapter that follows! Wow, it was one of the scariest, most nail-biting things I’ve read in a long time. My anxiety was on high alert (but in a good way)!

Overall, I thought the book was suspenseful and entertaining, however I had some issues with it. The premise is that three people have gone missing. First, it’s new mom Shelby Tebow. Then soon after, Meredith Dickey and young daughter, Delilah disappear. What happened to them? Over a decade passes, and suddenly Delilah reappears with a grim story to tell about her missing years, which reignites interest in the cold cases of the other two women.

My main gripe was that I did not buy the motivation behind the whole situation, I guess? The ending was so far out there, you must be able to suspend disbelief. Meredith’s character was particularly frustrating. Some of the things she hid from people or things she did/didn’t do were unbelievable. She’s a doula, after all, hired to advocate for people, but she couldn’t do that for herself??

Even with my quibbles, I’m glad I read it. Looking forward to her next book. (Purchased the Nook book.) — 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓪

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What I’ve Been Reading Lately 📚

Hello! First of all, I hope everyone is doing well in this uncertain time. It’s coming up on two months since my family and I have been sheltering in place. I’m a special education teacher’s aide, and with our schools closed, we’ve mainly been hanging out at home.

I haven’t been very active in the book blogging community lately, but I have been doing a lot of reading anyway. I’m not as inspired to review everything I read these days. Sometimes I just want to appreciate reading the book, admire the lovely cover, log it on Goodreads, and just move on to the next.

I’m trying to get a variety of reading material from a variety of places, like indie bookstores for paper books, the library for digital downloads, and Barnes & Noble for my Nook books. Of course, I still have many review books from NetGalley and Edelweiss, which I am so grateful for! I’ve just started reading Ruth Ware’s upcoming September release, ONE BY ONE, from Edelweiss. (I’ve also pre-ordered the signed hardcover from B&N, because I love Ruth Ware!!!)

For now, I will (probably) only be writing reviews for books I get from NetGalley, Edelweiss, or publishers. The rest I will include in a reading wrap-up post like this one, though I will only highlight books I gave 3 stars or higher.

So…here’s a look at what I’ve been reading lately (and didn’t review)! ♥ Take care.

CONJURE WOMEN
by Afia Atakora
★★★★★
(historical fiction, magical realism, american civil war)

This was the B&N Book Club’s April selection! I absolutely loved it. You can view the book club discussion with Afia Atakora on B&N’s Instagram HERE, though you should read the book first to avoid any spoilers. ♥

THE OTHER MRS.
by Mary Kubica
★★★★
(domestic suspense, psychological thriller, mystery)

This one was very close to being as good as THE GOOD GIRL (my favorite of Mary Kubica’s books). When I figured out the twist toward the end, I was a little nervous as to how it would be handled, but it was all good.

MURDER AT THE TAFFY SHOP
by Maddie Day
★★★★
(cozy mystery)

Belle (the parrot) is my all-time favorite cozy mystery pet. She’s hilarious! ♥

THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR
by Rebecca James
★★★★
(gothic suspense, historical fiction, dual time periods)

HILL WOMEN
by Cassie Chambers
★★★¾
(nonfiction, southern women, appalachia)

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EVERY LAST LIE by Mary Kubica


Publisher: Park Row Books
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: ★★★¾

New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL Mary Kubica is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow’s pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche.

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon.

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date — one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

I do love Mary Kubica’s writing, and in EVERY LAST LIE she presents an engrossing tale of a young mother named Clara facing her husband Nick’s secrets and deceit just days after he dies in a car accident.

There was one witness to the crash, the couple’s 4-year old daughter Maisie, who was strapped in her car seat and luckily unhurt. Clara begins to doubt the wreck was simply an accident when Maisie starts having nightmares about a “bad man” being after them. As she digs for clues, Clara finds that Nick was hiding some unsettling secrets, but were they enough to get him killed?

The story is told in alternating perspectives – Nick, in the weeks leading up to the crash, and Clara, in the weeks after Nick’s death. I liked that readers got to hear both POVs, which added to the suspense of what Nick might reveal and what Clara might discover. Not only is Clara dealing with her husband’s suspicious death, she’s also now the sole caregiver of Maisie and newborn Felix. So many anxiety-inducing elements in this story! Clara made some very questionable choices throughout, and I’m sure teetering on the edge of sanity didn’t help.

I guess I have two niggling complaints with the book. First, there were some loose ends and questions that I wanted answers to, and secondly, I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. I read another mystery that had a similar ending, and while it worked there, it didn’t so much with EVERY LITTLE LIE. Nevertheless, I still think this was an intriguing and well-written book, as much a character study in grief as a novel of suspense.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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DON’T YOU CRY by Mary Kubica

Don't You Cry
DON’T YOU CRY by Mary Kubica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary Kubica is an auto-read author for me, I don’t even have to read the blurb. DON’T YOU CRY is her third psychological thriller, and though it was a bit different than the first two books, I really enjoyed it.

In Chicago, Quinn searches for her missing roommate, Esther, and discovers many shocking secrets as she searches for her whereabouts. Meanwhile in Michigan, Alex becomes fixated on a mysterious young woman who shows up in his bleak lakefront town.

The big question, of course, is how are the two story-lines connected? Up until the end, it was hard to tell where things were going. Quinn and Alex’s stories were interesting, though maybe not as suspenseful as I was expecting, BUT the ending totally took me by surprise! BAM! I love being caught off guard. Highly recommended to fans of dark and twisty tales.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.