Kaira Rouda’s books are officially filed under twisty thrillers!!! Totally loved the characters - what a pair Jack and Jill were!!! It’s not what you are expecting, but I definitely enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Jill wants to reboot her marriage with Jack by taking a road trip to national parks. Jack wants out. He feels trapped. He agrees to the road trip so prove to Jill it’s time to move forward in separate directions. Jill has other plans for Jack.
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Kaira Rouda weaves an interesting story about a married couple whose relationship is on the verge of destruction. Jill the wife sees opportunity to save it while Jack sees opportunity to end it. As the road trip carries them further down the road Jill holds secrets hostage while Jack dreams of ways to beat Jill at her own game. Jack has always been the underdog while Jill has been the thriving hero rescuing Jack from himself.
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Kaira Rouda surprised with me her writing voice in Jill Is Not Happy. The fear Jack felt while in close proximity with his wife Jill was immensely powerful. Everything that was shared from the notebook helped lean into that fear. This cat and mouse game of Jack and Jill was quite thrilling in a creepy way. Love is a powerful tool in a marriage and Jill has an arsenal of tools at her disposal. As for Jack he had no idea the levels Jill would go to keep him.
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From start to finish this was a magnificent read. From the writing voice to the execution I was immersed into the world that Kara Rouda created. Bravo! To a smashing hit.

Kaira Rouda writes such good twisted characters and you know you're going to find someone crazy within the pages of her books.

In Jill Is Not Happy, Jill is the psychopath married to Jack, making his life miserable. Unfortunately for him, she has a careful record of a few things that could get him into deep trouble and she hovers this over him every chance she gets.

When she feels Jack slipping away, she launches a plan to make him stay- forever. Jill will do whatever it takes to keep her unhappy husband close.

As Jack tries to weasel out of Jill's clutches, she thwarts him at every turn, which makes for an amusing read.

Possible spoiler....

I really wanted Jack to man up and do something bold. I did not love the ending; I was thinking it would play out in a really satisfying way, but it didn't, darn!

That said, I still liked the story and will always read what this author writes. No one writes creepy characters like Kaira.

Thank you, NetGalley, Penzler Publishing and Kaira Rouda for this ARC.

Did not like Jill from the start. Don't want to give anything away, but she is so unlikeable and made this difficult for me to read. I was drawn in though and couldn't put it down. I would have given more stars but I hated the ending!! I do wonder if there will be a sequel.

Jack and Jill, college sweethearts, are now married with a college-aged daughter. Lately, Jack has envisioned a new beginning that doesn’t include Jill. Jill envisions reconnecting with her handsome husband on a road trip where they can rewrite their past in order to have a renewed future.

With a trail of deaths and crimes in their wake, both Jack and Jill have incriminating dirt on each other. Both are trying to one-up the other to get their way through scheming and plotting!

The twists and antics are jaw dropping in Kaira Rouda’s latest bingeable novel! This is a truly an entertaining and unhinged read! I enjoyed the multiple timelines and alternating perspectives! It’s hard to like any of the characters but I couldn’t peel my eyes away from them because each trick was dirtier than the previous one and I was anxious to see who prevailed!

Are you in the market for a dark, twisty, and toxic marital thriller? Jill Is Not Happy seems to be a battle of wits between two venomous spouses, set against the stunning backdrop of Utah’s national parks. With both Jill and Jack plotting against each other, the novel delivers suspense through alternating POVs, keeping readers on edge as secrets unravel. While the writing and tension hold strong, the ending seems to have frustrated some readers, feeling unresolved rather than cathartic. Fans of psychological thrillers with ruthless protagonists might still enjoy the ride—don’t expect a neatly tied-up conclusion

Absolutely crazy plot. There were moments I couldn't pur the book down, and others that Jill just annoyed me oh so very much.

Definitely love Kaira Rouda! In this one Jill is married to Jack. They go on a road trip. Jack is done with his wife if only she would get the hint. We learn about their past about a tragedy that happened with a friend and with his parents. Jack wants out of the marriage in fact he has a girlfriend already waiting back home. If only her could get through this trip. Lots of threats, intrigue, and juiciness pursue it’s a cat and mouse to the finish. Will they both survive the trip. Will Jack be able to get out alive. What happens if they get back home. Will Jill’s proof and sabotage and threats be able to keep him wrapped up in her web. And is Jack innocent. We learn that he too has his secrets. I enjoyed this one. It reminded me a lot of the best day ever which was a favorite of mine. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series. There is one… right?

Jill is a wackadoo.

This is a fun read. I mean...don't expect to like anyone much. Jill is nuts. Her husband is Mr. Milquetoast. Her daughter is...there sometimes? Her bestie is oblivious.

But the book moves along at a frantic pace with things getting more and more out of control. I did think it ended with a little bit of a whimper after all the ramp up, but I definitely enjoyed the read.

A definite popcorn read and I was all in.

Jack and Jill (yes, that's their names!) seem like a happy couple. But underneath, things aren't as rosy as they seem. When Jill decides a trip away is just what they need to reconnect, Jack agrees. But Jack has a different agenda and plans to tell Jill they're over, asking for a divorce. How Jill reacts is exactly why you need to read this book!

I always know this author will have me gasping in surprise. Her books are written so well that you're guaranteed to read them in one sitting, not wanting to put the book down. I loved Jill as a character, despite how conniving she was! This was another exceptional book by @kaira and now I can't help wondering, will we get a follow up to see how our couple are doing later?

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book was interesting at the beginning and then slowed down too much for me. I was hoping for a big twist at the end.

The old saying happy wife, happy life definitely applies to this book. Jill is not happy then no one is happy! Jill and Jack seem like the perfect couple and look like they did in college. Jack wants a divorce and Jill does not want to let him go. I loved the cat and mouse game and how unique Jill is. I loved this book! The characters are so unique and you never know what they will do next.

After being married for 21 years and now empty nesters, Jack and Jill embark on a roadtrip to repair their fractured relationship. A relationship held together by a deeply buried secret the couple shares. Yet while Jill is laser focused on keeping her marriage together, Jack wants out. But can he?
Oh this book is good. Delicious good. The kind you start late in the evening and stay up all night to enjoy that building up of all the things you already know are going to crash down hard. I devoured this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

God Jill why do you have to ruin everything. She just grates my nerves so dang bad. The ending killed me. Loved the book. Or maybe I hated it. Love hate for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers, and Scarlet for providing this book, with my honest review below.

If you loved Best Day Ever or a really well done suspense novel, Jill Is Not Happy is a welcome addition to your shelf. Everything seems perfect in Jack and Jill’s marriage (yes those are really their names), except for some hints that Jack isn’t really so perfect, and some unsettling turns in Jill’s thought process about how to get him back on track. The two were college sweethearts and are heading out on a road trip that Jill is sure will reinvigorate things, but what happens just before and during the trip make it abundantly clear that Jill is more than not happy, she’s also a little… well that would be a spoiler.

I’d encourage you to pick this up and find out for yourself, because the slow unveiling of what Jack and Jill’s relationship has seen over the years and how it’s all at play during present day was fantastic. I quite literally whizzed through, and while the final 1/3rd of the book was a little scattered and didn’t delve into some of the things unveiled along the way, I do believe it may be a setup for a sequel for us to look forward to. I’d Jill wasn’t happy in this book, I can’t wait to see which emotions she’s feeling in the next one, should it come to pass.

After twenty years together, Jill and Jack’s relationship is hanging by a thread. Jill has planned this road trip to rekindle their love, hoping the nostalgia of their college days will bring them closer again. But deep down, she knows something has changed—Jack is distant, distracted, and Jill suspects that he’s hiding more than just a wandering heart.

Jack, on the other hand, has made a decision. He’s finally going to leave Jill. For years, he’s felt trapped by a secret she holds over him—a dark truth that’s kept him tethered to her despite the slow unraveling of their marriage. But he’s done living in fear, and this trip is his chance to break free.

As they drive further from home, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense. Jack soon realizes he’s not the only one with a plan. Jill’s secret is more dangerous than he ever imagined, and she’s willing to go to extremes to ensure he stays. She’s set up a twisted game of cat and mouse, where every choice he makes brings him closer to the truth or closer to ruin.

As they battle for control, betrayal, and survival, both Jill and Jack learn that love isn’t the only thing keeping them together.
#Jillisnothappy
#CatandMouse
#WinnerWinnerDeadlyDinner
#NoTurningBack

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
What a wild ride!!!
Jill meets Jack at college and would stop at nothing to have him. She believes they are happy, wealthy and living the dream!
Jack wants out—but— he’s met his match with Jill — she loves him and won’t let him go —- and what Jill wants Jill gets!

Thanks Netgalley and Kaira Rouda and publishing for my free ARC! I was entertained by this novel and actually felt cringe for the situations endured. I remember thinking: Will this madness ever end.., there has to be a way! If it was myself in the protagonist’s position, I would have found numerous ways. I wanted to scream at the victim: Try this, or this,etc… I recommend this novel, full of Kaira Rouda’s signature dark humor and relationship turmoil.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝,
𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫,
𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫.
𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧,
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐧.

It was so refreshing to take a break from thrillers where the male is the monster. Jill zeroed in on Jack when they were in college, and she set out to win his heart. She did exactly that, and even though his parents didn't like her, Jack was so in love, none of that mattered.

Until now.

Jack realizes this is far more serious than being trapped in a loveless marriage. Jill has been holding him hostage all these years because she is the keeper of Jack's secret, the one that will ruin in. She documented the misdeed in a notebook, and she's been adding to it all these years; but even worse, she's been up to misdeeds of her own that she flaunts in front of Jack, who is powerless to do anything without ruining himself.

Darkly humorous with a glimpse into the life of a beautiful yet deeply unhappy and dysfunctional couple, JILL IS NOT HAPPY will have you thinking long and hard before saying "I do." I've seen comments about the ending not being satisfying, and I'll say that is if you like your endings wrapped up in a bow, be forewarned. However, I loved how it ended because it fit the themes in the book. Thank you to Scarlet Suspense, Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse, and MBC Publicity for the early copy. This book is expected to publish June 10, 2025.

I'm always buckled up and ready to go on a wild ride filled with twisted craziness and diabolical characters when I start a Kaira Rouda book. She did not disappoint with that in this one, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. It was a fast-paced page turner that switched between the POVs of Jack and Jill like a back-and-forth dueling match. An exciting, popcorn thriller that kept me on my toes, my anticipation continuously building up for the final showdown...and then, nothing. I did not like how this book ended at all. I understand why the author chose it for the characters, but it was a big letdown in my opinion. I needed and wanted more. I also would have liked some kind of closure with Jill's family. They played a small part without any resolution, so now I feel like I have been left hanging. With that being said, I didn't hate it. I am still a diehard Rouda fan and look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next. I just didn't love the ending. I would still recommend this book to others with a warning that they may not be satisfied with the conclusion.

Thank you to Penzler Publishers for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!