Just the Nicest Couple

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.ust 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.

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 show more hearing from him, she became worried. (I can’t believe it took her so long to realise 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 naïve 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.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading show less

Totally clever how Kubica lets the story evolve. I was SO sure I had it all figured out as the ending approached but I had at least three twists and turns hit me!! Very impressive. The characters are, unfortunately, pretty horrible in so many ways...hard to really LIKE them but...what a story!!

Just the Nicest Couple focuses on two couples living in Chicago suburb. Lily Scott is a high school algebra teacher and her husband, Christian, works as a market research analyst. Lily is pregnant and after three heartbreaking miscarriages, they are cautiously excited about the fact that she is nearing the end of the first trimester of the pregnancy, a milestone they did not previously reach. They have not told anyone that they are expecting again. They stretched their budget to purchase their dream home, set on the edge of a large forest with breathtaking views. Bestselling author Mary Kubica modeled the locale after Waterfall Glen, a preserve “where I’ve trained for marathons. It’s beautiful, densely wooded with a limestone path show more that weaves between forests and beside ponds, and is filled with wildlife.” In his first-person narrative, Christian reveals he is excited that their dream of becoming parents seems to be closer to coming true every day and remains deeply in love with the wife who is, to him, beautiful, petite, and delicate. His protectiveness of Lily leads him into a moral quagmire.

In contrast, the marriage of Jake Hayes, a highly successful neurosurgeon, and Nina, who teaches English at the same high school as Lily, has hit a rough patch. The story opens on the day after they had a particularly vicious argument and Jake stormed out of the house. He did not return and is not answering Nina’s calls or text messages. She is growing increasingly worried. She explains in her first-person narrative that the two have been at odds over the amount of time she has been spending assisting her mother. At just sixty-two years of age, her mother has been healthy and able to live independently until recently. Now, not only is she unable to drive because she is suffering from macular degeneration (the wet form which is resistant to treatment and ultimately leads to blindness), she recently discovered a mass in her breast which is being evaluated. Nina is an only child and her mother raised her alone after her parents divorced due to her father’s infidelity. In time, he also abandoned Nina, who has remained close to and feels an obligation to care for her mother She and Jake have argued numerous times over what she describes as Jake’s jealousy and resentment about the amount of time and attention Nina spends caring for her mother’s needs, which detracts from their time together as a couple.

Lily and Nina are good friends and tell each other everything, according to Nina. And the two couples have occasionally socialized together. But as Nina is worrying about Jake’s whereabouts and the state of their marriage, Lily confesses to Christian that she lost one of the earrings he gave her as a fifth wedding anniversary present. It must have become dislodged when she happened upon Jake as she was walking in Langley Woods, the forest preserve behind their house. Jake confided in her that he was troubled about being unable to save a few patients recently and having marital problems with Nina, and led her down an unmarked trail, looking for deer. “He tried to kiss me,” Lily tells Christian, and the situation escalated. Lily claims to be unsure about Jake’s fate, but she “might have hurt him.” And then she ran back to her car as fast as she could. She is covered with scrapes and bruises, and did not report the incident to the police or anyone else, explaining that she “couldn’t bring herself to tell Nina because she didn’t want to hurt her like that. Nine would have been devastated if she knew what Jake tried to do.” Hours later, Lily is “haunted by what happened” and concerned about Jake’s well-being.

Kubica is known for crafting compulsive, fast-paced domestic thrillers featuring fascinating, fully developed characters. In Just the Nicest Couple, her four main characters are complex and compelling. Christian and Lily do, in fact, seem like a quintessentially nice young couple. They are educated, have solidly established themselves in their careers, and have settled into a home they love. Lily’s current pregnancy seems, so far at least, on track to end joyfully. Their marriage is a happy one. But the incident with Jake upends their peaceful domesticity. Christian is earnest, likable, and devoted to Lily, who has never previously given him a reason to distrust her. He details why they opt not to belatedly report Jake’s assault on Lily to the police, their search for Jake back at Langley Woods, and the increasingly desperate measures – most of which are by his design -- they employ to ensure that if something untoward has happened to Jake, Lily will not be implicated. After all, Christian also must protect their unborn child.

In her alternating narrative, Nina details the tension in her marriage in the months leading up to Jake’s disappearance, her efforts to find him, and the unwavering support she receives from her mother. She also takes steps to protect her mother, who is vulnerable because of her visual impairment. Kubica thoughtfully explores Nina’s difficulty balancing the demands of her husband against her devotion to a parent who is growing older and facing health challenges. Despite their recent struggles, Nina fondly recalls and longs for happier days with Jake, still loves him, and is intent on learning whether he callously decided to leave her following their last argument . . . or is unable to come home to her. As she searches for answers, her suspicions grow. In addition to Nina’s mother, another supporting character also figures prominently in the tale. Ryan, a fellow teacher at the high school, is a devoted friend to Nina. But his behavior grows increasingly concerning and Kubica keeps readers guessing about his motivations. Does he want more than friendship from Nina? Is he somehow involved in Jake’s disappearance?

The main theme of Just the Nicest Couple is the moral dilemma that Christian faces. Kubica asks readers to consider how far they would go to protect a loved one from the consequences of his/her poor decision-making, especially with potential criminal liability looming. Christian must choose between his own sense of right and wrong, and the preservation of the life he has built with Lily. Kubica propels the story forward as Christian confronts what – and who – he is willing to sacrifice to safeguard his wife so that they can raise their child together.

Kubica’s approach to telling the story is inventive and provocative. As noted, readers get to know Christian and Nina, and are privy to their thoughts and emotional struggles via their alternating first-person narratives. However, she does not include narratives from either Jake or Lily. Rather, readers get acquainted with them only through the recollections, observations, and impressions of their partners and friends. Thus, Christian and Nina are inherently unreliable narrators. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Lily’s stated version of her interactions with Jake may not have been fully accurate and truthful. Meanwhile, Christian’s questionable decision-making escalates, heightening the danger in which he and Lily find themselves. Nina, meanwhile, gradually discovers that her perceptions of her relationships with those most important to her were severely flawed, and her life will never play out the way she once thought it would.

Kubica says she strives to create characters with whom her readers will connect, hoping readers will relate to them and step into their shoes as “they make really stupid decisions.” In Just the Nicest Couple Kubica takes readers on a turbulent emotional journey with Christian and Nina, and their spouses, injecting clues, revelations about the characters’ marriages, and plenty of red herrings along the way, as the pace of the action escalates and the story careens to a shocking climax. She says it is also important to her that once all the surprising plot twists are revealed, readers remain interested to see what ultimately happens to her characters. Indeed, she provides an emotionally satisfying conclusion to an absorbing, entertaining, and thought-provoking story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book. show less

I've enjoyed previous books from Mary Kubica, but I think her latest - Just the Nicest Couple is hands down my favorite!

Lily loves walking in a certain park. A chance encounter with a coworker's husband, (Jake) at the park is the catalyst for what follows.

Jake's wife Nina confides in Lily at school the next day. She and Jake had a serious argument and he didn't come home the night before. Lily goes home and tells her husband Christian of the encounter with Jake - and what happened. Christian is madly in love with his wife and would do anything for her...

I am being deliberately obtuse here. Why? Because how this plot plays out is so darkly delicious, making for simply addicting reading.

As Christian and Lily think they've dealt with one show more thing, another issue pops up, compounding the mess this has become. And with every day that passes without a word from Jake, Nina doesn't know what to think.

As readers, we are privy to what is happening on both sides of the fence as Christian and Nina each have a point of view. Kubica gives us lots of twists and turns, along with some red herrings on the way to the final 'ah ha" moment. (nicely done!) There's one last chapter that ties everything up. I'm not sure I liked all of the resolutions, but that's a minor thing and didn't detract from my enjoyment. show less

Lily has a secret. She was the last to see Jake alive. As a matter of fact, she thinks she is the one who killed him. She and her husband have an elaborate plan to cover all of this up. But it all starts to fall apart and Jake’s wife, Nina, knows something is not right and she is not going to give up!

I hate it when a story has stupid characters. I felt Lily and her husband, Christian were extremely dumb. Trying to cover up a “supposed” murder. This just did not sit well with me…but as the story unfolded, it all became clear. And I come back to my favorite saying… “what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”

I absolutely loved Local Woman Missing. And this book started out and was just ok. However, the show more ending is what made the whole book for me! I may talk about stupid characters…but I was a bit surprised. You need to read this to find out.

There are places where the author is redundant. She repeats the same phrase a couple of pages over. Now, this is an ARC. So, the final edits may not have been finished yet. It is just something I noticed.

Need a story with a wicked twist…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less

3.25 Stars — 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 show more 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. show less

Quick psychological thriller, told from the perspective of one husband and one wife - 2 separate couples. Lily and Christian Scott are expecting their first child after several miscarriages. Jake and Nina Hayes have just had a fight and Jake hasn't come home.
When Lily tells Christian that she saw Jake in the woods and hit him with a rock, he helps Lily hide some evidence. But, Nina is increasingly concerned about her missing husband.
Not until the last few chapters did I have a suspicion as to what was really happening! Plenty of red herrings to push you in alternate directions. Well done!