The Happy Couple
By: Samantha Hayes
Pub. Date: May 6, 2020

I read this book quickly, it was gripping and I needed to figure out the twist. I enjoyed Samantha Hayes writing style in The Reunion so I was thrilled when I received this copy through Netgally for review.

The Happy Couple is domestic suspense about a husband that suddenly disappears. The story takes place a year after his disappearance and his wife Jo is not handling it well. Her best friend Louise desperately wants her to move on and her parents agree. Jo doesn’t know if he left on purpose, was in an accident, or is terrified that he might be dead. She can’t come to grips with him just up and leaving….she thought they were a happy couple.

I read a lot of domestic suspense and this one was pretty good. My only complaint was that Jo’s conversations with her missing husband got annoying. I started thinking she really need a mental health evaluation.

This thriller didn’t disappoint! I did not fully guess the plot twists, and there were a few. I do wish that the action of the story was spaced out a little more. Otherwise I think if you are a fan of domestics, you will enjoy this one!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy for my honest review.

How long would you search for your husband if he disappeared?

This is the dilemma Jo is faced with in this thriller. Overall, I find that thrillers always pull me from a reading slump and this was no exception. I found myself opening this book whenever I had a quick minute because I needed to know what happens.

I'd never read Samantha Hayes before, but I'd read more by her as I loved her writing style and her ability to pull me in early on. I wished that all the action at the end might have been spaced out a bit more rather than saving it all for the end, but overall, it didn't distract from the book.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to read this before it's published! This is my honest opinion and written voluntarily.

If you are a fan of Samantha Haye's other novels then you will enjoy this novel. It was a great fast paced read that kept me wanting more. I was on the edge of my seat reading this. I felt everything was well paced and well written. If you love domestic thrillers about couples, pick this one up.

This was one of the rare occasions when I’ve read a book quickly but not really enjoyed it as much as i thought I would . When Jo’s husband vanishes without a trace she really struggles to get on with her life , still seeing him everywhere she goes and analysing their life trying to find answers . When her best friend Louise persuades her she needs a break she looks on a site for house sitters . Imagine her surprise when she finds a perfect house , with pictures of her missing husband on the mantle . It was a little slow to get going but was entertaining enough after the first third . Just wasn’t for me , I didn’t particularly warm to Jo or her friends and family and I think this was my main problem .

This is about a woman Jo Carter, whose husband Will went missing about a year ago. Jo is a seamstress and co-owns a business. Will was an actor/drama teacher before he disappeared from what Jo considered a happy marriage. Or what initially seemed to be a happy marriage. Jo’s support system consists of her best friend Louise whom she’s known since she was a child. Jo’s parents seem very unlikeable, however, early on in this novel, I was wondering how reliable of a narrator Jo was. Although Will has been gone a year, she “sees” him and “talks to” him frequently.

Louise is always trying to get Jo to move on and one night at a dinner party she keeps suggesting Jo go on vacation, which is ridiculous because Jo barely makes enough money to keep her head above water. But a man at dinner suggests these programs where you sign up to housesit and/or petsit for people in exchange for using their homes as a holiday. After Louise butts in and signs Jo up for the program, she starts scrolling the various homes in various locations and in one of the photos for a potential home, she sees pictures of Will on the mantle in a living room. Of course, she applies to housesit, which leads her to the home of a woman named Suzanne.

So, I will start by saying that the first 25-35% of this novel seemed to drag on forever. Jo was annoying and appeared to have some serious mental issues going on with her obsessing over Will, where he was, why he left – but then seeing him everywhere and having conversations with his conjured image all the time. Moreover, more often than not, if Jo was thinking something, it turned out she was actually saying out loud confusing the other characters in the story, as well as me. I struggled at times to keep up with what she was actually thinking versus what she was actually saying. As far as main characters go, she made me start to feel that I was as crazy as she was.

Luckily, things started to become more interested and bits of pieces of their story started to fall into place. We learn that something bad happened not long before Will disappears. We learn that Jo became suspicious of him and a co-star in a play. We learn that Suzanne was involved in a bad accident that has left her traumatized. Most importantly, we learn that there has been some serious dishonesty. All of the makings of a great thriller, right?

My big positives from this novel are that the author managed to plant so many different seeds of doubt that I lost count (which I love about Samantha Hayes). I would think one thing, but then realize I was completely off-base. I also loved that once things really started to get interesting, it was a wildly fast, hands-in-the-air roller coaster ride that didn’t slow down until the end. I was confused, frustrated, and surprised over and over, making this a fun and addictive read. But again, this was once things started to pick up because the beginning was so slow.

What I didn’t like, other than the cumbersome beginning, was basically the last few paragraphs of the novel. I loved the way things were wrapped up until the end. I felt that it was silly, absurd, and almost just thrown in as an after-thought. Those last paragraphs almost made this a 3-star read for me, but other parts were so good, it’s 4 stars for me. I’m a huge fan of this author overall and will always read her work when given the opportunity. This woman throws in a twist like no other.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have read this authors other books and loved them but I struggled with this one. I found the inner dialogue annoying and the whole story struggled to keep my attention. It was a good ending though.

The Happy Couple was just not the book for me unfortunately. I struggled with getting through the first half and then a big twist happens but it wasn't my favorite thing. This was about a married couple and the husband has been missing for a year. The wife is not sold on leaving him behind and thinks there's more to the story when she applies to housesit at a home where she sees pictures of her husband on display. Is the wife ready to know the truth of what happens? I was very intrigued by reading the premise, but I think this overall landed a little flat for my tastes. I think it would definitely be a great book for someone else who enjoys thrillers.

4.5 stars - I absolutely loved The Liar’s Wife by Samantha Hayes, so I had to read this one and I wasn’t disappointed!

Even though I really enjoyed this book, I had a couple problems with it. First, I was getting very annoyed at the main character and her obsession with her husband, Will. In my eyes, she became a very weak character and I had trouble sympathizing.

Secondly, in the first 25% of the book, nothing really happens, and I was getting a bit bored. However, afterward, the book picks up and I was happily surprised at how the story unfolded! There were multiple unpredictable twists and turns!

This was totally a gripping story with a great ending! If you want an entertaining, quick and easy read, this one is for you!

Will and Jo, Louise and Archie.....best friends and both trying for a baby. Suddenly Jo's life is turned upside down by the disappearance of her husband. Still struggling a year later, financially hindered and facing her pregnant best friend Lou, Jo accepts the challenge of a house sitting job, earning herself both a bit of money and some time away.
However the surprise return of the house occupant Suzanne proves to be both a dangerous time for Jo as well as a time of discovery of many hidden secrets.
Have always loved Samanthas books and although I initially found it quite slow to get into, the middle and end made up for this. Love a twist at the end that I wouldn't have guessed.

I’ve been on a thriller kick in 2020, especially the past month or so, as I have found that getting lost in a good thriller is the perfect way to take me out of my anxiety riddled mind and make the world around me disappear. Thriller novels are my form of therapy of sorts while in quarantine. So when I stumbled upon The Happy Couple on Netgalley and read through the synopsis, I felt it would be a great distraction and an excellent anti-anxiety remedy, not requiring a pill, (who needs xanax when thrillers exist?) to lose myself in. I am always intrigued by missing husband/wife thrillers and the like, so naturally, this book was right up my alley.

The Happy Couple is like a twisted take on the movie The Holiday, only more screwed up and sinister, and with many of the elements of a twisted, ominous thriller instead of a romantic feel good movie. (Fun Fact: the movie The Holiday was mentioned in the book so perhaps I’m onto something. Maybe Samantha Hayes was watching it one night and got inspired?)

All of the ingredients needed for an engrossing, compelling thriller are present in this novel making for a fun and intriguing read: a wife distraught over her missing husband. a best friend (a very annoying friend) who has secrets and problems of her own and also plays a vital role in setting certain events in motion. A mysterious woman who may or may not be the mistress of the missing husband and may also know more to the story in regards to his perplexing disappearance, as she seems to be harboring dark secrets of her own.

Before picking up The Happy Couple I had never read any of Samantha Hayes’ previous novels. Although I will pick up a book by her again at some point in the future, I have to say that this one in particular was just an okay read overall. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it wasn’t fantastic either, and while it kept me entertained, it won’t be making it onto my list of favorite thrillers of 2020. Still, even with that being said, I did enjoy this book, as it was a quick and engaging read, filled with suspense and questions that keep you thinking and wanting to turn the pages with eager anticipation while reading so that you may reach the conclusion that much faster.

From the very start of the book, you are thrust right smack into the middle of what is going on, making you eager to know what exactly it is that is going on, what will happen next, and how it will all play out. All before the first chapter has even come to a finish!

The book is narrated through first person POV, through the mind of the main character and lead female protagonist, Jo Carter. Jo is not at all in a good, stable frame of mind, and her angst and tormented state is made very clear from the onset of the opening chapters. Her husband, Will, has disappeared, and has been missing for a year. Whether he is dead or simply vanished but alive (and out there somewhere due to his own choosing or against his will) is unclear, and this further adds to her inner turmoil and unstable state of mind, as she struggles to both cope with his absence and is frantic to find out what happened to him and the reasons behind his disappearance.

Jo not only spends her time reminiscing about the past (as the book sometimes flashes back to past memories in chapters, which has relevence to the storyline the more the story unfolds), but she speaks to him as if he is still there with her, perhaps as a means of comforting herself and a coping method of sorts. And sometimes, without even realizing she’s doing it, she says the things that she’s thinking out loud in her head, even while speaking to other people. Even more alarming and chilling, she actually sees hallucinations of Will on numerous occasions, and speaks to him.

Both her mother (who has never been quite approving of Will) and her pregnant best friend Louise (who I found to be quite annoying from the start. Anyone else feel this way? No? Maybe its just me?) continuously urge her to move on with her life and at the beginning of the book I found this to be rather irksome and insensitive. More so on Lousie’s part than Jo’s mother’s, perhaps because she plays a much bigger role and therefore is mentioned more.

Jo is not only grieving and out of her mind (quite literally), but she literally has no idea idea what happened to her husband. No answers whatsoever. Is he dead? Is he alive? Is he lying in a ditch somewhere? Buried in the woods in a shallow grave? Relaxing and sunning himself on a beach on an island far away with a fruity cocktail in hand? Had he been having an affair prior to his disappearance and decided to up and leave his wife and start a merry new life with his mistress? The questions and possibilities were endless as far as Jo was concerned, because she didn’t know, hence her state of mind, and its beyond understandable why she was so overcome with anxiety and unable to move on with her life. Plus, when it comes down to it, Will was still her husband, and she was still a married woman! Plus, it had only been a year since his disappearance! The way that her supposed best friend was acting, you would think that years had gone by! For goodness sake woman, have some compassion! She even attempts to set Jo up on a date because you know, that is exactly what she is in need of. *eye roll*

All of that aside, Louise suggests that perhaps a change of scenery would do Jo some good and that maybe a holiday of some kind is in order (finally a helpful suggestion!). As Jo is a bit strapped for cash, Louise encourages her to sign up on a website for house sitters and that is when all of the ominous happenings begin to start happening.

A lovely cottage near a village called Hastings catches Jo’s eye, and while the cottage is charming and seemingly perfect and suited to just what she’s looking for at first glance, she’s shocked by what she sees in one of the pictures being advertised on the site. She’s astounded to see that in one of the photos showcasing the living room are pictures of Will on display. Is it an eerie coincidence? Surely not. Does Will live there? If so, why? Does he live there with someone else? Another woman? If not, why are there pictures of him displayed in that cottage and what does it all mean? What is the connection? And who is the person that lives in the cottage and what is their connection to Will? Desperately needing to know the answers to these questions, and needing to see for herself if Will is in fact living at the cottage, Jo sends in a requests for the house sitter position, and once she is approved, makes her way there.

Although Jo does not discover Will at the cottage, she learns that it is owned and lived in by a woman named Suzanne, who does have a connection to Will as we later learn.

As the novel progresses, a captivatingly dark story filled with secrets, deception, and all kinds of madness come to play and unravel into a plot that keeps you flipping the pages in anticipation of what’s going to happen next.

I thoroughly enjoyed a good chunk of this novel, but admittedly, I started to lose interest after the twists were revealed. It became a bit dull even. It was fun peeling back the hidden layers of the characters and discovering what they had been hiding, and Jo’s unstable state of mind was a compelling factor when it was all relevant, but this book just dragged on and on a bit unnecessarily.

Another issue I had with this book: the fact that Jo’s mental health issues weren’t properly address. While her psychiatric issues were vital to the storyline, its a bit concerning that no one seemed to think anything of her behavior and the way in which she would act. I know this isn’t a book about mental health, but still. Just something that stuck out to me and bothered me a bit.

Overall, a thought-provoking, fast paced, fun and engaging read! While not my favorite, I still very much enjoyed it, and will be on the lookout for future releases by this author, as well as going back and reading some of her previous novels.

This book flew past! I was intrigued from the very start and before I knew it I was at 40% and desperate to find time to read on. Jo is a strong lead character, facing adversity with inner strength and determination & more courage, at times, than I feel I would have in her situation. The other lead characters: Louise and Suzie also portray convincing and very real people, Suzie in particular with hidden back stories that are intriguing and addictive. Simon is an added bonus to the story and brings with him more twists, doubts and theories -which way next? The story, as I have come to expect from Samantha Hayes, is compulsive reading putting clear pictures in your mind, whilst also twisting and turning, slowly revealing clues to keep you hooked. The tension building is well-written and I found myself mentally willing Jo towards decisions, gritting my teeth as I faced the situations alongside her! The fabulous descriptive writing brings the settings simply and clearly to life placing images firmly in your mind, particularly the cottage. The subplots which appear are intriguing and constantly keep the reader involved trying to work out where the story is going. A fabulous read - gutted to have finished! Totally recommend!

Joe is devastated when her husband Will goes missing.
She can’t get on with her life and is determined to find him.
A slow moving story that failed to keep my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

oh what a story once i started did not want to stop .JO is married to will who is an actor and drama teacher one day he never came home i year later Jo still wants answers her best friend Louise is there for her and her sewing business is helping her to take her mind off it Louise tells her to take a break and tells her to go on net and look for a house sit holiday she spots a photo of her husband in one of the houses am saying no more how story unfolds is just brilliant i cried is a must read

I went back and forth between 2-3 stars on this one but if I’m being honest, this one just didn’t do it for me. I found most of the book to be really slow without much action but I pushed on because I really wanted to see what happened to Will.

Once the “twist” was revealed I was kind of disappointed. It all seemed really convoluted to me and seemed like the author just threw in a bunch of different twists to see which one stuck.

So this book was about Jo and her husband will. You see Will just walked out of the door and never came back. So through persuasion from a friend she goes on holiday in Sussex and Bam she sees pictures of Will and so begins the quest for answers. It is a slow burn but quite a good read. Thank you bookouture for my copy.

A year has passed since Will her husband disappeared and Jo is still struggling, she cannot accept not knowing if he is dead or if he just left her.
On the advice of a good friend Jo decides to apply for a housesitting job, while she is looking at ads she spots pictures of Will on the mantelpiece of another woman's home. Determined to find out what happened, she applies for the job, and her application is accepted. But is she ready for the truth?

I was a little disappointed with the slow start as I thought from the synopsis that this would be a gripping thriller which is the reason I requested it. It is, however, a quick, enjoyable read, full of twists and turns, love and lies.
I thank NetGalley, Samantha Hays and the publishers for allowing me to read and review pre-publication in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Bookouture and Net Galley for an early copy of The Happy Couple. I’m not sure why the title is what it is, doesn’t make sense with the book. This was an ok read. Many twists in it, the ending was not what I expected. I am glad I stayed reading this but it did not grip me. Definitely a fast read.

I love a Samantha Hayes book, and this was no different - one I read quickly in a matter of a couple of days.

Other reviewers have noted that it is slow to get started, and I would definitely agree - however it is more than worth pursuing as the story builds depth.

Very highly recommended.

To be honest, I had a really hard time getting through the first part of this book - The story was really confusing at first and I had problems really connecting to any of the characters.

However, the book slowly started to come together in the second half - and it gradually became perfect literary popcorn. A fun read with several great twists!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me have the chance to read this one!

The Happy Couple by Samantha Hayes is another solid read from an author who has really caught my attention as of late. I must say, though, that this one took a little longer to pull me in, and felt rather drawn out, at least over the opening chapters.

Jo Carter's husband, Will, has disappeared and a year later friends are actively encouraging her to move forward. Jo decides to research a housesitting position that will provide for a cheap holiday, and allow her to finally put everything out of mind. But while perusing potential homes, Jo is stunned to see her husband's picture placed prominently on the mantle of a woman who is seeking housesitting services. Jo knows that she must find a way into this stranger's home and life if she is ever to find answers to Will's mysterious disappearance.

This is a compelling read that will keep you guessing until the end. For me, however, this one lacked that certain je ne sais quoi that has previously had me hanging on this author's every word.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.