Mary Kubica has done it again—but this time, she’s turned the volume all the way up with It’s Not Her. This book isn't just a thriller; it's a masterclass in suspense, deception, and character depth. I couldn’t stop reading. Every chapter peeled back another layer, and every reveal made me question everything I thought I knew.

This isn’t just a twisty thriller—it’s a psychological kaleidoscope. Every turn changes the picture.

Kubica crafts characters that feel like real people. Flawed, secretive, compelling. You’ll root for them, suspect them, love them, and hate them all at once. The emotional tension is razor-sharp, and the ending? I gasped. Out loud. Alone in my room.

1,000 stars. I’d give it the moon if I could.

The plot twists? Gold. The pacing? Gold. The characters? Solid. Freaking. Gold.

This isn’t just a book you read. It’s a book you experience. You live in the paranoia, in the whispers behind closed doors, in the flicker of doubt that maybe—just maybe—nothing is as it seems. Trust no one. Question everything. And keep the lights on.

It’s Not Her is everything I didn’t know I needed in a thriller. It wrecked me in the best way.

If you think you’ve read enough thrillers, think again. This one resets the bar. I am going to be in envy of anyone reading this one for the first time.

Thank you to my amazing partners Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row Books, HTP the Hive and the incrediblely talented Mary Kubica for the very early #eARC of It's Not Here publishing February 3rd 2026

WOW! WHAT THE WHAT! Mary Kubica has done it again and written an amazing story that had me reading from beginning to end. I took some time to eat, sleep and hang with my best friend of course but I'd always pick it back up and continue reading.

The blood curdling scream in the beginning had me scared as hell and I rushed to find out who, what and why that scream happened! I could NOT BELIEVE when action happened right in the beginning that set off a whirl of roller coaster sized emotional upheaval, fingernail biting tension and suspenseful moments that leave you gasping out loud. Mary is one of those authors I will buy whatever she writes without even having to read the synopsis because she is that DAMN GOOD of a writer.

The only reason I didn't finish this book in less than 24 hours is because we had company over this weekend. Mary Kubica delivered beyond my highest expectations for this book.

From the first chapter I was hooked in and on the edge of my seat! I loved the dual POV getting Courtney's view after stumbling upon the crime scene, to then getting the victim's POV leading up to the event. Mary did such an amazing job at putting so much doubt in each chapter and tying the history in with what was currently happening. The ending had me SHOOK, I never once had any thoughts of it going that way.

This book is the definition of thriller. I don't recommend reading in the dark, I was on edge all night after reading in bed.

Thank you so much to HTP Hive, HTP Books, and Mary Kubica for the advanced copy of this book!

Mary Kubica has done it again! Fast-paced and brimming with jaw-dropping twists, It's Not Her will easily become a favorite amongst new and seasoned thriller lovers. The dual POV and timelines are perfectly woven to give you just enough information in each chapter to keep you guessing and ravenous to find out what happens next. Each character has a definitive personality making them real and relatable. Everyone has their faults which makes them all suspicious but, even so, that ending is one you won't soon forget!
If Mary Kubica isn't on your auto-buy list by now, this book will solidify her spot on your list of must-read thriller authors.

I dropped everything I was doing to put this at the front of my TBR and let me tell you, This book was INCREDIBLE! No regrets. Hands down this book is in my top 3 favorite thrillers I’ve ever read! This book is super fast paced, nail biting, wild roller coaster of a ride !

In typical thriller fashion it’s a finger pointing mystery. But I literally accused pretty much every single character of something throughout this one. One thing I loved about this book was the authors writing style. The way this was written is to have you feeling accusatory to the characters but eventually she debunks those theories and throws curve ball after curve ball. It’s quite literally twist after twist this entire book. In the end, I was totally wrong with my prediction and that always makes for a great book! This is a must read that I recommend for every type of reader!

Thank you to @htp_hive , @htpbooks and @marykubica for allowing me to read this ARC!

⚠️Possible Trigger Warnings

Five star thriller alert! I just finished this in less than 24 hours because I literally could not put it down. I spent my entire day reading this page turning thriller. I have come here to say that this is Mary Kubica’s best book yet! I was hooked from the jump and was truly astonished until the very last page.

This thriller was so unique and well done there’s really nothing like it. Reading this actually made my heart pound at certain points because I was feeling the horror and anxiety right there with the characters.

A gripping thriller from the first word to last. I’m so sad it’s not coming out until February because I want to yell from the rooftops for everyone to read this book! I know this is going to be a 2026 thriller hit and I’m so excited to discuss with all of my fellow thriller lovers.

Two families vacationing at a lake resort are in for the shock and terror of their lives. What Courtney believed would be a calming week at the lake with her family quickly took a dangerous turn when she discovers that her brother and sister in law have been murdered and her teenage niece is missing. A brutal crime where everyone is a suspect. You will be suspicious of EVERYONE.

Outstanding!
What happens when two families go on a vacation to a lake resort that is secluded? To find out make sure to read this page turning read that will have you on the edge of your seat. This twisty crime thriller comes out in 2026 and you do not want to miss this one! The author did an amazing job writing this book and I can not wait to read more books from the author. All of the characters in this were so good and interesting. I loved the setting of this book a lot. The ending of this book was so well done and will have your jaw dropping. Thank you so very much to The Hive and NetGalley for this amazing read in exchange of my honest review of It's Not Her by Mary Kubica.

No one can blow your mind at the end of a thriller like Mary Kubica. If you think you know how this will end, you're wrong.

I am not ashamed to admit I abandoned my current read and cancelled my plans when I received my eARC. It's Not Her was my most anticipated read of the year, and it delivered. Oh boy did it deliver...

I cannot tell you the last time a thriller sank it's claws that deep into me. The action starts instantly. Aunt Courtney has an absolute MESS to deal with (quite literally). I suspected everyone at LEAST twice. For someone who takes great pride in figuring the ending out quickly, this one got me. Mary Kubica led me on a wild goose chase.

I loved the alternating chapters between Courtney and Reese. It's obvious Mary has perfected her craft, because she was able to flawlessly represent a 17 year old girl, as well an anxiety ridden aunt - making both characters extremely relatable. I wasn't as bold as Reese, but I certainly had an attitude.

The twists were delicious. The last half of this book had my head spinning. When I finally recovered and made sense of one twist, I was sucker punched by another. Can you see why this was impossible to put down?

This book will make you feel everything. There is tragedy, desperation, suspense, forgiveness, the longing to be loved, and the most mind boggling ending.

I just finished up It's Not Her by Mary Kubica, and this is all I'm going to be thinking about for a long time! This might be my favorite thriller... ever!

This book is quite simply about a family vacation that turns into a nightmare. But at the same time, it's more than that. It's unsettling, gut-wrenching, and absolutely riveting!

It's got a dual point of view and timeline, which I love, and follows Courtney in present-day, and her niece, Reese, from a week prior when they arrive at their secluded cottages in the Wisconsin Northwoods. The book starts off when Courtney wakes up to find her brother and sister-in-law dead in their cottage, and Reese is gone without a trace. From there, it gets even more ominous as Courtney tries to piece together what happened.

It gave me Dirty Dancing vibes with the quiet resort in the woods and a forbidden love, but add in some shocking plot twists, secrets that keep piling up, and a murder mystery that will leave you double-checking your locks at night.

Every time I thought I was getting closer to figuring it out, another twist had me gasping and flipping pages as fast as I could! I couldn't put it down and devoured it in less than a day. It's that good!

This book gets released on February 3rd (yes, of next year, but please be patient because it's amazing!) and is available for pre-order now!

A huge thank you to The Hive, NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book so far in advance! These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

Courtney Gray’s peaceful family vacation takes a horrifying turn when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law murdered in their lakeside cottage, with her niece Reese missing and her young nephew untouched. As police swarm the small resort town, Courtney is left shocked with the crime, the secrets her family kept, and the growing suspicion that Reese may not be a victim—she might be the one responsible. But as Courtney digs deeper, it becomes clear the town has dark secrets of its own, and nothing is as it seems.

WOW!! This book was unputdownable—twisty, chilling, heartbreaking, shocking and packed with all the emotion. I finished it in just a day and a half because I had to know what was going to happen- I could not put this down. Mary Kubica has truly outdone herself- this might be her best book yet. No slow burn here- the pacing was fast the entire time, and I loved the way it was written through multiple POVs—I trusted no one! Every time I thought I had it figured out- BAM another twist. I was hooked until the very last line, and honestly, so far, this has been my favorite book this year! All the stars!

Thank you to Netgalley, HTP The Hive, Park Row and Mary Kubica for a chance to have a very early read!!!

Pub Day: February 2026

✨Wow! This book reeled me in from the first sentence and kept me guessing until the last page was turned. The author doesn’t waste a single second in dropping the reader into an unnerving and absolutely unthinkable scenario then proceeds to systematically heighten the pressure and escalate the tension until one has no choice but to keep reading through the night. With the light on, of course.

✨If you like your thrillers to be layered with a deep sense of emotion, relentless pacing and a constant sense of dread, then this is your book.

✨Now, can we talk about the phenomenal character development? Each character is initially introduced as above suspicion. Then one by one the layers of innocence dissolve as the façade is stripped away, secrets are revealed, new truths emerge – and a suspect is born in our minds. Seriously, whodunnit?

✨This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in quite some time, and it’s going to be a huge hit when it comes out in February 2026. The easiest pre-order decision ever!

🌿Read if you like:
✨Psychological thrillers
✨Multiple points of view
✨Then and now timelines
✨Summertime lakeside cabin resort settings
✨Jaw-dropping reveals
✨Family drama
✨Wisconsin settings

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor! Mary Kubica is BACK with another incredible, impossible to put down page turner, full of twists and turns that will have you second guessing everything and everyone. Per usual, I was hooked in right from the very beginning and found it nearly impossible to put it down. I read this book in basically two sittings and every spare moment in between. IT’S NOT HER will have you furiously turning pages into the night, desperate to know what happens next. At one point I thought I had it all figured out, but I was wrong! With jaw dropping secrets and twists throughout, IT’S NOT HER will keep you on your toes and trying to figure out what’s going on. I did NOT see the ending coming at all and just absolutely loved this rollercoaster of a story! 5 easy stars from me. Kubica’s writing is top tier and there’s a reason why she remains as one of my absolute favorite authors. IT’S NOT HER is the best book I’ve read so far this year and will no doubt be a huge hit with thriller lovers and a bestseller when it hits shelves in February, 2026!

Thank you SO much to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, HTP Hive, NetGalley and of course the amazing author, Mary Kubica for my super early digital copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That was a wild ride! I don’t read thriller books often, but this book had me completely immersed and invested from page one. I started the book, finished reading in less than 8 hours, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This gripping story kept me guessing until the very last page.

This book does not release until 2026 and I was lucky enough to be chosen by HTP and the HIVE to read super early!

Right away I’m sucked into the story by the chaos that’s happening right off the bat! Then, even more so, by familiar surroundings, growing up in Illinois and vacationing in the woods of Wisconsin in the Summer… 🫣 could this have happened to me!?!!?!! This story gets very interesting as each layer becomes exposed, there’s more to each of the characters than you originally think! I was questioning who could be the killer, or where is Reese…??? Then, as you go you gather more questions than answers, an addicting thriller. This story threw me back into teenage delusions of literally everything being the end of the world. Looking back, everything seems so trivial and it’s so hard to remember how desperately I felt, when I was young, that every little inconvenience was the whole world being against me. Also, love the Spotted Cow mention IYKYK. Then BAM!!!! This story takes a freaking turn! Everything you were thinking, down the drain! Kubica ALWAYS manages to have me gasping, thinking WAIT WHAT!!!! What an ending! Loved this one as per usual! I can’t wait for everyone to read this amazing thriller!!!!

4.5 Stars

It's Not Her is a non-stop, edge of your seat thriller that keeps you guessing right until the very end! Kubica brings all of the chills and suspense, through dual points of view, that make everyone feel like a suspect.

The story is well-written and I thought the pacing worked perfectly, as the story unfolds from Courtney and Reese's POVs. Kubica balances the story really well, with the juxtaposition of the peaceful lake setting with the horror of what happens with Courtney's family. It brings an unsettling element to what should have been a fun family vacation, but turns into the family's worst nightmare.

Kubica also seamlessly blends complicated family relationships with the mystery of what happened in the family's cabin. Even with the story being told from only two POVs, each of the characters were very well developed and I felt a wide range of emotions for each one of them.

As the story wrapped up, I was sure I had everything figured out, but Kubica leaves you with a jaw-dropping twist!! I couldn't put this one down, and read it all in one sitting. If you love unputdownable thrillers with questionable characters, resort settings, secrets/lies, well-paced investigations, and sad and tragic consequences, then I would definitely recommend It's Not Her.

It’s Not Her
By Mary Kubica
Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row
Expected Publication: February 3, 2026

When I got the email for early access to It’s Not Her, I promised myself I’d finish my current read first. I did. Then I grabbed my coffee (okay, several), propped my cast up, and started reading—just one chapter, I told myself.

Spoiler: I didn’t stop.

I stayed up all night devouring this book. Doors locked. Deadbolts triple-checked. Lights blazing. And yes—I slept with the light on. Mary Kubica once again delivers a masterclass in psychological suspense—tense, addictive, and completely immersive.

The story opens at a peaceful lakeside resort where Courtney Gray is vacationing with her family. But tranquility turns into trauma when a scream echoes from the cottage next door. Inside, Courtney finds her brother and sister-in-law murdered. Their teenage daughter, Reese, is missing. Their young son Wyatt? Alive, unharmed, and asleep upstairs.

What follows is a chilling unraveling of truth, deception, and long-buried secrets. As the police begin their investigation, Courtney is forced to confront not just what happened—but why. And what starts as a tragedy quickly becomes something more sinister. Is Reese another victim… or something far more complicated?

Told in alternating timelines and dual POVs, It’s Not Her keeps you guessing. The “then” and “now” structure works flawlessly to layer suspense, emotion, and tension. Kubica builds dread with every chapter while carefully peeling back secrets that shift your entire perspective. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, she twists the knife.

Every character is nuanced, flawed, and suspicious in their own way. I questioned everyone—Courtney included. Kubica keeps the stakes high, the atmosphere taut, and the emotional weight fully grounded.

This isn’t a slow burn. It’s a full-blown what-just-happened thriller that had me racing through pages with cold coffee, elevated limbs, and zero chill. The pacing is relentless. The payoff? Absolutely worth the sleepless night.

It’s Not Her is unsettling, clever, and unshakable. One of those thrillers you keep thinking about after it ends—wondering what you missed, what you would’ve done, and how fast you can recommend it to someone else.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for the ARC. Preorder this one—you’ll want it locked and loaded before release day.

When I got the email to be able to read this one early, I screamed…and put every book to the side to start this right away.
Mary Kubica does it again. I devoured this in two sittings and honestly? I don’t know how I managed to put it down at all. This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter…the tension and suspense never let up.
What starts as two families on a peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when Courtney finds her brother and sister in law murdered and one of her niece’s missing. As the investigation unfolds, buried secrets come to the surface and Courtney finds herself questioning EVERYONE.
The two POVs and then and now timeline leading up the murders was perfection. There’s this constant feeling of unease that build with each page, with not just what’s happened but why and who you can actually trust. This is a thriller you will not want to miss!