This is the first book I’ve read from this author. I tried to like it. But in the end, I feel it came up way short. The writing was a bit confusing. It was sometimes hard to tell what she was actually thinking and was she was saying out loud. And oh my gosh, all the inner monologue. Kinda drove me crazy. It was really hard for me to finish the book. After I read the final chapter, I sat there confused. Like ok this is how it ends? I may read another of this author’s books in the future and give it another shot.

Thank you NetGalley, Samantha Hayes, and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of “The Happy Couple.”
Jo and Will are a perfect match. Will said he would always be there for Jo, but it’s been a year since he drained his coffee, walked out the front door and vanished.
Did he leave Jo? Or did something terrible happen? She is scared someone finally found out about what happened on the drive home that night…
Jo lies awake at night trawling the internet for rental properties, desperate for an escape. Until she see’s her husband’s gorgeous face smiling back at her from a photograph on the fireplace in someone else’s home, and something inside of her snaps.
At the house, She finds no trace of him and the woman who lives there has no idea who Jo is. But Jo certain she’s hiding something behind the locked door upstairs.
You might think that what’s inside that room is the answer to all of Jo’s questions and the end of all her pain. But it’s only the beginning…
This is my second novel by Samantha Hayes and I can say she is becoming one of my favourites to read! I really enjoyed this book. Whenever I thought I had figured it out, something else would happen to keep me guessing all the way to the end! It is fast paced and a book that got me excited to read! The story is written in the present with flashback chapters to give you a sense of what Will and Jo were like when they were together. I liked the writing style and it made the story easy to follow and know what was going on. Hayes writes in a way where you really get inside of Jo’s head and understand all of her emotions and what she is feeling throughout the book. I felt satisfied at the end of the book and feel all my questions were answered and I wasn’t left confused or uncertain about anything. I definitely recommend this to any thriller and psychological fans out there! You won’t be disappointed.

I typically love Samantha Hayes books so I was super stoked to receive an e-ARC of The Happy Couple. I mean, did you read that synopsis? It sounds deliciously gripping! The story is told in third person, however, when we are taken back to the past as Jo remembers times with Will, it’s told in first person. This format worked for me, but it might be irksome or confusing to some. The story starts a little slow, but it has steady growth and had me turning pages faster as the story progressed. The end might not have been as shocking as it could have been, but there were still enough twists to keep me second guessing myself and that’s always fun!

I liked how I could relate to Jo and her absolute clumsiness. She talks to herself A LOT. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or not? I’m sure it will drive some readers absolutely nuts. For me, it just made her even more relatable since I am always talking to myself, and just as she did, I often blurt out things and don’t even realize it until my husband looks me with a seriously confused look on his face lol. I also liked Simon and Suzanne and, of course, the addition of animals is never a bad thing for me.

A few things that didn’t work so well for me and left me rating this at 3.5 stars, closer to 3 than 4: 1) Jo clearly has some mental health issues that were never addressed. I really wish they had been, even if just in the smallest way. 2) There were a few times that reminded me of horror films where the audience is thinking, “oh come on, no way the person is dumb enough to do that...” 3) The ending was just a little too fast and unbelievable. Overall, it was an enjoyable, quick read with some great characters. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a quick, suspenseful read, just go into remembering its entertainment and it's okay to have fun reading about the unbelievable. If you haven’t read any of her other books, I highly recommend you pick one up.

Jo Carter has been searching for her husband, Will, since his sudden disappearance almost a year ago. She still can’t believe he would leave her as they were perfect together and refuses to give up hope despite friends and family telling her it’s time to move on. When her best friend Louise suggests she take a holiday it is supposed to be a time of healing. Instead, it’s the start of a nightmare that begins when she sees her husband’s pictures on a strange woman’s mantlepiece…

Samantha Hayes has yet again written a book that is action-packed, masterfully plotted and utterly addictive. Dripping with suspense, desperation and menace, Hayes had me on the edge of my seat. The story is multilayered and was hard to predict and even when I thought I had it all figured out, I would be proven wrong with another shocking revelation.

I really liked Jo. She’s vulnerable and heartbroken and I was rooting for her to find closure regarding Will so she could be happy again. Still reeling from Will’s disappearance, she’s an unreliable narrator. She ‘sees’ Will everywhere and often blurts out things she thought she’d only said in her head, so when she says she’s seeing these pictures of Will we don’t actually know if that’s true. I love when the narrator of a book is unreliable like this, not knowing if what we’re being told is true and trying to figure that aspect out alongside what might be going on. Jo’s psyche affects the lens through which we see all the characters as she is our only narrator. That is most evident in Suzanne. It’s clear she has suffered major trauma and her PTSD is real but we can’t tell if she’s a victim or villain, a friend or foe. I loved the extra tension this added and the xx dynamic it created between her and Jo.

The Happy Couple is a story laced with tragedy, lies and secrets. A story that asks how well you really know the person who sleeps beside you every night and about finding the strength inside that you never knew you had when you’re at your lowest ebb.

Riveting, twisty, and completely unexpected, this spectacular thriller will keep you reading late into the night. This was my fourth time reading one of Ms Hayes’ books and the more I read, the more I am in awe of her talent. She writes about ordinary people living in extraordinary and frightening circumstances, and you really believe it. I highly recommend this book and her back catalogue.

5 stars for this intriguing (and much needed) thrilling escape! 🖤

Jo’s husband Will disappears without a trace, and after a year she’s still struggling with it. They had the perfect life and marriage, and were trying for a baby before he vanished. Her closest friend convinces her to take a vacation and use that time to relax. While looking at house-sitting jobs to use as a place to stay, she sees in one of the photo’s recent pictures of her husband on a fireplace mantle. Hmmm, interesting. How can his photos be in someone else’s home?

Jo jumps on it immediately - books the job, shows up, but the pictures are gone...she then second guesses herself as if they even existed at all. But then she finds one door in the house is kept locked, once again stirring up her curiosity. She’s thinking his personal items are in that room, or...maybe he is...
I enjoyed following along in this spellbinding mystery; I’m thinking where did he go? What happened to him?
Jo needs closure. She’s a mess, and is distracted as all get out...so much so, that’s she’s physically seeing him...or his ghost. I was hanging by the edge of my seat then BAM. Surprise! OMG what an ending!!! I loved loved loved it!
Appearances are definitely deceiving in this thriller! A must read for all mystery thriller fans.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, I want to thank Samantha Hayes, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me this book so I can bring you this review.

The Happy Couple is Samantha Hayes' best book that I have read of hers. You must read it! She showed us readers she is the queen of totally shocking moments and unbelievable storytelling. This is one book where you read it and when you are done you want to go back to certain parts of it. Why, you ask? Because some things that are revealed will make more sense. However, when you first read the sections you think nothing of it. It will blow your mind.

I was automatically drawn to the story right away! I needed to know what happened to Jo’s husband and why he left and disappeared. This was the theme for most of the book. Samantha gave us the backstory of how they met and their relationship. There was some interesting revelations in those parts.

The Happy Couple had so many secrets that were incredibly shocking when they were revealed. However, before that there were so many twists and turns to get to that point. I kept thinking as it was all playing out in my head-this needs to be made into a movie.

Out of all the characters Jo I felt the most empathy for all that she had been through. Will was not my favorite character.

I love domestic thrillers and this one showed a lot of promise.

Jo’s husband Will disappeared over a year ago but she’s still hopeful that he’ll walk through their door any minute now. Under her best friend’s suggestion, she considers house sitting as an inexpensive way to go on a vacation. She decides on a place by the coast that Will had suggested once. She’s perusing the ads and what does she she? A picture of Will on someone else’s mantle! She decides that she needs to investigate further and answers the ad.

Like all suspense/thrillers, this one has a twist. While it did make me go, “omg, are you kidding me?!”, it wasn’t in a good way. The conclusion was one big mess. Too many weird coincidences and explanations. It almost felt like things were just thrown in the story for shock value. I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t cut it for me. Per the reviews on Goodreads, others seems to really like this book so don’t let my review sway you.

Thanks @netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! The book is available now!

Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with this book. I was expecting it to be an excellent read as all this authors previous books have been for me. Sadly I struggled through this one and was left thinking was that it at the end.

This is an unputtdownable, roller coaster of ups and down emotions, thriller of a book! I love, LOVE LOVE Samantha Hayes' books and she hit it out of the park with The Happy Couple.

Wow , what a fantastic book , enjoyed every minute of it . Great story , full of suspense and couldn’t wait to get to the end to see if the husband was dead or alive . Absolutely love this author

Jo’s husband, Will, has been missing for a year. Did he just wake up one morning and vanish into thin air? Maybe there was an accident and he couldn’t remember his name? Could he be dead laying in a ditch somewhere never to be found? These are some of the unanswered questions Jo keeps asking herself every day since he has been gone. Unable to just move on, still grieving and having visions of Will everywhere she goes, Jo seems as if she is about to crack. Her best friend Louise suggests Jo takes a much needed vacation to help her relax. But, the vacation Jo takes becomes much more than she has bargained for. Will she finally be able to get the answers she has been looking for in regards to her husband, Will?

One thing that really stands out in the story is grief. I can understand the torment Jo is going through especially since she does not have any closure over her husband’s disappearance. How do you move on from something like that? I am sure we have all grieved over someone and had many questions left unanswered. So, I really think this part of the story was done really well. The thriller part of the story did have me jumping in a few parts and left me with a lot of questions, but Hayes does a really great job of leading you down a straight and easy path and then you come to these twisty roads and you are like “Oh crap! I certainly did not see that coming!”

I wouldn’t say I disliked Jo, but I am not sure I ever really warmed up to her either. Maybe because she whined a lot? Although, I did enjoy the craziness of her mind seeing and talking to Will everywhere. I think the whole present state of mind thing with Jo really skewed with the story too because at one point I was wondering if either Jo was guilty or if she was just imagining things which made her character pretty interesting at times.

All in all, I enjoyed The Happy Couple. It is an easy read and will keep you guessing until the end.

I really enjoyed the story and the authors way of writing . Entertaining and twisted , everything I love In a book !!I would like to read more by this author !!

It's been over a year since Jo's husband Will drank his morning coffee,walked out of their front door and never came home again.

Over a year that Jo has spent desperately searching for her beloved husband whilst dealing with her feelings of grief and anger, struggling to understand why he left her. She had thought that they had been happy, didn't he love her anymore or was his disappearance somehow connected to that terrible night when they had been returning home from a party?

Her best friend Louise is concerned about Jo so she sets a profile up for her on a house sitting website little realising that she is unintentionally going to cause her friend even more pain.. Because whilst she is browsing through the homes on the website Jo is shocked when she spots some pictures of Will on a manlepiece in one of the properties

Jo is determined to uncover what the hell is going on but when she gets to the isolated dwelling she can't find any sign that Will has been there and finds herself uncovering more questions than answers.

What is the truth?.Is Will alive or dead? In this gripping tale of lies and deception who can Jo trust and will she be able to cope when the shocking truth is revealed or will the revelations finally push her over the edge?

Our main character Jo definitely had a few issues even before Will disappeared and there was quite a few times when I wanted to reach into my kindle, give her a good shaking, tell her to open her eyes and not be such a damn doormat. I didn't like her very much for most of the book although she did redeem herself a little bit towards the end of the story. Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that slipped back in time and took the reader through the events leading up to Will's disappearance and gave you a insight into his character and the dynamics of his marriage to Jo. I didn't think that Will was a very likeable character for various reasons. The characters that I felt sympathy for were Archie and Suzanne but who were they and how did they fit into the story?.If you want to find out then you are just going to get yourself a copy of this brilliant thriller.

I love Samantha Hayes well written, tightly plotted, twisty thrillers and The Happy Couple was no exception. I was hooked on from the first page and the story held my attention throughout, the author's words drawing into her fictional but realistic world and making me more than happy to invest my time in her diverse characters lives. Samantha Hayes is a very talented author and I always look forward to reading her books. Very very highly recommended.

This book was captivating and intriguing from the beginning! I found the alternating perspectives very interesting! I will say though that I did predict a few of the twists near the end of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this domestic thriller!

OMG Samatha Hayes has done it again! How she consistently thinks up her gripping plot lines is beyond me as she always manages to pull the wool over my eyes! Just when you are patting yourself on the back and congratulating yourself on working out where her narrative is going…BAM! she hits you between the eyes with the most perfectly placed plot twist that had never even crossed your mind! You certainly won’t see where this one is going so just buckle up and enjoy the ride because it’s a wild one!

I used to work as an estate agent and have always had a thing for looking around other people’s houses. I find them fascinating as you give more away about yourself than you realise by how your home is presented. I still love looking on RightMove at houses for sale but have sadly never spotted anything suspect! But I loved the premise of a woman looking at photos of someone else’s home and seeing something that has absolutely no place being there-something that wouldn’t mean anything to anyone else but you.

I think most of us would agree that it’s the not knowing that hurts more than anything else so when Jo’s husband Will disappears, she struggles with not knowing why and whether he’s dead or alive. They were happy and trying for a baby so surely he wouldn’t have gone on his own accord but no trace of Will has been found since the night he left. Something bad has obviously happened in the past that I thought I’d guessed correctly but I wasn’t quite 100% in my prediction. Jo sees Will everywhere and I found this incredibly disturbing and confusing at times! Why did she get these visions? Her mental health was so delicate so why was she not being supported more by those around her? Watching this woman on the edge channel all her efforts into searching for clues was so heartbreaking but also disturbing. Travelling miles to house sit for a stranger just because she thought she saw photos of her husband in another woman’s living room…what was she thinking?! But a locked room may be hiding more secrets than Jo was expecting to find so was she right and what will she find when she eventually gets into that room? The answers will definitely NOT be what you are expecting!

The Happy Couple is a BRILLIANT page turner! It has an incredibly satisfying ending that sent shivers done my spine. AND an exquisite twist that made my heart sing! Loved, loved, LOVED it!

4.5 stars, a thrilling exciting story that flew by.

This book was intriguing from the start. I was immediately pulled into the story, wondering where Will, Jo's husband, was, why he disappeared and how can he be in pictures on a mantelpiece of somebody else's house. I was completely fascinated with the mystery and I couldn't wait to pick up the book to learn more.

This was a super fast read, with short chapters, which I prefer. I had multiple theories for what was occurring and although I was right to some degree, there was definitely a big surprise that I didn't see coming. There were times it was a bit far fetched, but I decided to go with it and enjoy the ride!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well this is definitely a roller coaster read! It pulls you in from the very beginning and leaves you guessing until the very last page. This was my first read by Hayes but she is an author that is now on my radar.

This story revolves around Jo, and her husband Will, who has been missing for a year. What would make a happily married man up and disappear? During the flashback chapters we are given more insight into their lives, and prove that everything is not as it seems.

You are immediately drawn to Jo's character. She is a very likeable character, that you can't help but feel sorry for. She is a bit out of sorts, imagining her missing husband, even speaking to him. There were many times I thought that the whole story was a figment of her imagination.

Then there is the ending! What an ending it is! When everything comes full circle, your jaw will drop.

I highly recommend The Happy Couple

Well, as soon as I read the blurb for this one I couldn’t resist! What an intriguing plot.

I read a previous book by this author, so I knew it would be good, but it was more than that, it was mind blowing!

There are so many pieces to the puzzle in this one, and I genuinely couldn’t figure out if Jo had lost her mind or not.

As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together the tension builds, and then there comes twist upon twist. This is a book that’s both truly addictive and truly jaw dropping.

I’m always loath to compare books to movies or TV, because I prefer books, but the plot and descriptions are so well drawn in this book that there really is an edge of your seat, movie-like quality to it. You don’t just read this book, you experience it.

Superb psychological thriller, highly recommended.

Jo adores Will, literally worships the ground he walks on, they are married, happy and trying for a baby
Well, they were until Will disappeared a year ago and Jo cannot move on not knowing what has happened to her true love
Her friend Louise encourages her to do some holiday house sitting and while she is on a site looking at various places she sees a home with pictures of her missing husband on display, you can guess her reaction as she is accepted as the house sitter and she begins to find out just what Will ( and others ) have been up to

The mystery is solved and with a surprising OHHHHHH moment the ‘twist’ reveals itself, literally

This was a book with fascinating premise but for me very weak and niggly needy irritating characters coupled with quite a few raised eyebrow moments but a readable story none the less
I look forward to the authors next book

6/10
3 Stars

This book just couldn't hold my interest. Started out way too slow with not much happening. I liked Date Night way better.