Just The Nicest Couple: The nail-biting new thriller for 2023 from the New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

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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. I’ve done my research on pregnancy and childbirth. I’ve read that the fatigue women feel during the first trimester is maybe the most tired they’ll feel in their whole lives. Growing a human is exhausting. Caring for one is too, but we’re not there yet. In the end, the main reveal was interesting enough, but it didn’t make up for how bored I was during the rest of the book. Christian is blindly in love with his wife, Lily. His inner dialogue was painful to read--he is immature, and his thoughts are pretty basic. He can't string together a complex sentence and spends most of his time obsessing over Lily and watching her sleep. Lily is whiny and annoying. She could have had some of the most interesting chapters, but Kubica does not share her perspective. Both Lily and Christian speak and act like the high school students that Nina and Lily teach. 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?

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. Told in dual mostly alternating POVs, each narrator (Christian and Nina) caused me mild irritation. Despite both having very real motivations behind their deeds, some of their reactions and thoughts were uncomfortably melodramatic. Nina in her naivety and Christian with his pinballing emotional state. But, while I found them difficult to swallow, I have never been in either’s shoes with regards to what they were experiencing and so their thoughts and reactions could very well have been authentic and true-to-life. It just didn’t read like it was for me. 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. Jake Hayes is missing. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he’s taking a break after their huge fight from the night before. But days go by and Jake is no where to be found, Nina starts to worry. Where is Jake?Both performers voices were expressive, speaking with clarity and precision. Both narrators enhanced my listening experience.

You sure? I wouldn’t mind dinner in bed myself.” I had a long day too, but it doesn’t seem right to compare them when only one of us has another human growing inside of them. She says that she doesn’t know. Just something. We stand, quiet, listening. It’s silent at first, but then I hear the voices of kids rising up from somewhere outside. They’re laughing, and I know there are teenagers clowning around on the trail again. It wouldn’t be the first time. They never do anything too bad, though we’ve found cigarette butts and empty bottles of booze. I don’t get mad about it. I was a stupid teenager once. I did worse. Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife Nina thinks he is blowing off steam somewhere after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found. All that being said, I am a fan of Kubica and love to read thrillers written by fellow Chicagoans. I am looking forward to reading her next thriller and hope it will deliver a hit! 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.”In the warmth of the lamp’s glow, I see that Lily’s hair is wet. She wears maroon-colored joggers and a sweatshirt. She’s showered and changed since coming home, which is more than she usually does. Usually she falls flat on the couch and doesn’t leave until it’s time to go to bed. 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. Christian and Lily are expecting their first child. This pregnancy is met with stress after having three miscarriages. Christian is a doting and loving husband. He will do anything to make sure this pregnancy reaches full term. First of all, I am a big Mary Kubica fan but this is far from my favourite book of hers. I’m not keen on the way it’s written with very short, rather staccato sentences as it feels so basic from such a good author. There is irrelevant detail, repetition and some statements that frankly, make my eyes roll. Also, one of the couples in the book was pathetic and irritating. (Who talks to each other like that?)