I DEVOURED this book. I finished with my mouth hanging wide open. What did I just read? There were so many twists that you just couldn't even keep up at times. It was a thrilling rollercoaster ride, and albeit some of it was a bit far-fetched, I still found it too entertaining to put down and read it entirely in one sitting. I had a few issues with some unrealistic elements, but ultimately the fact that I just couldn't stop reading means I recommend this book, definitely.

Thank you to Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't wow me. It was a good story, with a definite surprise ending that I never would've predicted. Jo's character was a bit meh, and her inner monologues and little blurt outs was kind of annoying. I did enjoy the ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was so intrigued by the plot line I finished this book in a day and a half. This is my first Samantha Hayes book and it certainly won’t be the. I enjoyed all of the plot twists and turns and honestly it kept me guessing the entire time. I never saw the ending coming and I love how it tied up any loose ends. Overall the protagonist for me in the beginning was a bit too much and I felt like there were parts that dragged on. Overall I would give this book 4.5 stars! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this early read. I will definitely be recommending this to friends!

This book was a quick read and entertaining. I figured out most of the plot twists but it was still exciting to read and see if I was right. I would definitely read more by this author and recommend this book as a quick escapist read.

Thank you to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this ARC copy of THE HAPPY COUPLE.

I really enjoyed this book. As someone who struggled with infertility, I can relate to the struggle and strain it causes within a marriage. I felt this topic was described just enough to add salt to the story and not overpower it. I enjoyed Jo as the POV and how the characters interacted with one another. I did pick up on the clues about ending, but not completely. There were still a few surprises held back for the final pages.

When Will goes missing, Jo doesn't know how to pick up her life and move on. Even after a year, she struggles with how to reconcile the fact that so much time has gone by without any word from him. Secluding himself for a couple days might be the normal, but he'd never left for this long. It doesn't help that she sees him everywhere, a figment of her imagination and someone she still holds conversations with. When she decides to get away for a couple of weeks, she chooses to house sit for a home with pictures of her missing husband on the mantel. Uncovering the truth behind those becomes her sole purpose in life, but can she put the pieces together in time?

I always get excited when a new Samantha Hayes book gets released, and in these extraordinary times, it was just what was needed!

I raced through this book in two days and completed escaped the strange world we live in and was left feeling exhausted but satisfied. Although I had figured things out, i still really enjoyed it!

As recommended as ever!

Jo's husband, Will has disappeared without trace. He's now been missing for a year. Shes always expected him to return home. Talking her friend Louise's advice, Jo decides to go on a house sit holiday. But when she's searching on the internet, she spots a photo of her husband in one of the houses. The story has you questioning whether Jo really knew her husband at all.

This is a other slow burner. Jo's conversations with her missing husband started to irritate me. I did guess part of the story ut other parts were a surprise. It's also a bit far fetched. The story is told form Jo's point of view and looks back to the time when she met Will their ensuing relationship and the current events. The second part of the book was much better. The ending was worth sticking with the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Samantha Hayes for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the chance of reading this book.
I found it slow going to start with and a little bit boring / predictable I felt like I had read it somewhere before but I persevered and was very glad that I did.
The book changes dramatically and the ending was not what I expected at all. Well worth the read but I am not sure it is the right title for the book.

This is my 5th book by Hayes. I love her. She is a solid writer with fun interesting topics that I read quickly and they hold my interest and always have a fun twist. Jo was a character I could get behind and root for. She was struggling honestly not always lucid. I wasn't sure part way through if she killed her husband and simply didn't remember.😳 She had no idea where her husband vanished off to... and yet she kept seeing him and talking to him. Then she meets Simon and she definitely has feelings for him. You want her to be brave enough to move on. I didn't figure this one out completely. There were definitely parts I put together early, but the book took a few fun twists. I will continue to look for all of Hayes' books!

What I liked about this book? All of the questions and loose ends were answered by the end., I was so frustrated with the MC, though, that I almost stopped reading several times. I understand that she has no closure, but the first half of book is way too depressing. Jo was just so unlikable. The constant clumsiness, the blurting (her word) her thoughts aloud without meaning to and then getting stuck in a conversation with someone who says, 'What did you mean when you said that?' over and over. We've all seen stories that are THEN and NOW as you are reading. It can be done very well, but not this time. Much too confusing. At least it started out that the chapters were actually marked so you knew when/where it was happening but several times, the then/now were within the very same chapter, with no warning that you're going back and forth.. Way too confusing for me. And switching from first POV to third and back again. It made my head hurt but I really wanted to hang in there and see how it would all be 'sorted' out. There were a few surprises, but most (and the biggest), I guessed. I can't recommend this book, sorry. To sum up--- depressing and confusing. Should be called One half of an Unhappy Couple.

Thanks #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved reading this book. It was gripping with lots of twists and turns, the biggest and totally unexpected one at the end. The characters were well written and believable. I loved reading this book. It was gripping with lots of twists and turns, the biggest and totally unexpected one at the end. It’s about a wife who’s husband disappeared without a trace. He left everything behind and was just gone. A year later, his wife is looking at an online house sitting site so she can get a cheap week away. She looks at the online pictures of the house and rooms and to her surprise she sees pictures of her husband on the mantelpiece. She must go the house to see what’s been happening and to find her estranged husband.
I would highly recommend this book. Also posted on Facebook group books and booze 🥂

A domestic drama around a missing husband. The beginning is slow but picks up after about 35% and has a few twists along, some predictable some not. The conclusion is satisfactory. I liked The Reunion better. 3.5 stars

Honestly I’ve been in a funk with reading lately. Every book I’ve picked up has been okay but lately my love for reading has diminished.

The Happy Couple has changed that! Full of tension, betrayal and pain....exactly what’s needed from a thriller!
Jo felt real because of her pain, her character is flawed but I fell in love with her and just wanted good things!

I had my suspicions about the ending and I was correct but it’s done fantastically. This is a must read!

Wanted to love this book. Really liked the premise, which is right up my alley. The book was slow to start, and the reveal did not really provide a dramatic twist from what you were expecting. (Or maybe I was just not invested enough.) The book was a little long on the previous relationship and short on the current suspense, for me, and I somehow did not really get to the point of caring enough about Jo to be invested. I think the problem is that I like books with kickass heroines who, if their husband ran off to live with another family, would definitely (1) ignore him and find a better guy or (2) make a plan for revenge rather than constantly worry and attempt to psychoanalyze the relationship. It was also kind of hard for me to invest in finding a guy who went missing before and seemed like a jerk who wasn't really worth finding . I think the constant fretting of the main character over an obvious cad never really seemed justified so I could not really get invested. Also not really a surprise that a guy like this might disappear, or do any of the other things he seemed to have done, so there was not a lot of suspense for me. By the end, there was also a little too much going on at once - things got a little ridiculous. when all I had wanted was for Jo give up on this guy by about page 50.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Happy Couple by Samantha Hayes
I give this book 3.5 stars
Jo's husband Will suddenly vanishes, without a trace,a year later while looking at house sits after deciding to get away from everything Jo spots pictures of Will on someone elses fireplace. What unfolds when Jo arrives at the property is shocking and has you questioning who Suzanne is and whether jo' really knew her husband at all.
A good domestic suspense story with a few twists and turns thrown in.An easy read,would recommend
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishers

It is nearly a year now since Jo’s husband disappeared. After all this time she still believes he will turn up. He left the school where he taught without his wallet and car and house keys. His body has never been found. Surely that must mean he’s still alive.
The scene is set for a story, told between past and present. On the surface it appears Jo and Will had a perfect marriage, their only disappointment being Jo’s inability to conceive. Now her best friend lawyer Louise is pregnant, reminding her that she has suffered two losses in her life. As dressmaker Jo cannot afford a holiday Louise suggests she apply as a house sitter. She remembers a place on the south coast where Will suggested they holiday once and finding a house sitting website checks out properties in the area. During the course of her browsing, the photos of one particular property come as a total shock. Needing to find out more she applies to cover the ten day house sitting the owner is looking for.
There was a little ‘suspend belief’ in the story line but once I got into it, I was wanting to see what Jo would discover. Everyone she came into contact with could be friend or foe. It was never clear, but what happened right at the end was a total and unexpected twist that I never saw coming.
A slow starter but once the story gathers pace it definitely pulls you in.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. The first pages grabbed my attention and never let it go. I read this in one sitting .

"People go missing... and what you have to remember is that sometimes they just don't want to be found."

Jo's husband, Will, has disappeared without a trace. His wallet, phone, keys, and car are left undisturbed at his workplace. Jo contacts the police, but one year later, there are still no leads or clues to Will's whereabouts.

Searching for Will is driving Jo to the brink, so much so that she sees him everywhere, has conversations with him... though it is all in her head.

After taking advice from a friend, Jo decides she needs a vacation, but due to low funds, she decides to look for a house sit near the sea. She discovers a listing for a house that sounds promising, and as she is looking through the pictures, one in particular catches her eye. In the living room, on the fireplace mantel, she sees photographs of her husband's face. Jo applies for the house sit, and the twists begin!

If you enjoy twisty reads, you will enjoy this one. The beginning of the book is a bit slow, but once the pace picks up, you'll find yourself trying to put the pieces together.

For me, there were just a few too many twists, I appreciate what the author was trying to do. I would have enjoyed the book more if the pace had been a little even throughout the book, and the twisty bits toned down just a tad.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for allowing me the opportunity to review The Happy Couple!

2.5 stars/5

This was a very interesting and compelling book. You honestly cannot wait to see what happens next and even though the lead in is quite long you're amazed that so many pages have already been read and you're still not sure how it all fits together. The theme is wonderfully original. How has someone not thought of this before, but in this digital age and with air bnb around every street corner, who knows, maybe it has happened to some poor abandoned soul. The complexities are deep, you keep learning more and more but not the final question of why Will's photo was in that house. It was another brilliant read by Samantha, she never lets us down. I was only sad that Will turned out to be the worst kind of rotter.

This was an easy read thriller. I’d say a little slow at the beginning, probably the first third of so and then it got better. Plenty of lies and deceit for good measure with a couple of nice twists. A good book if you don’t want to have something where too much concentration is required.