This was deliciously unhinged in the very best way! If you’re looking for a fast-paced domestic suspense with unlikable characters doing deeply shady things—Jill’s Not Happy is calling your name!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—and no one knows that better than Jack. He met Jill in college and it was a match made in heaven… until it absolutely wasn’t.

Now, after nearly 20 years of marriage and a college-aged daughter, Maggie (who just so happens to be a total daddy’s girl), Jill is fed up. Feeling Jack is growing more and more distant, Jill decides a getaway is exactly what they need to “reconnect.”

But Jill isn’t just planning a romantic vacation—she has something much more permanent in mind. And what she doesn’t know is that Jack has been doing some scheming of his own.

Told from different POV’s and timelines, you won’t know who to trust, but you’ll be hooked watching it all unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kaira Rouda, Penzler Publishing, and HighBridge Audio for the opportunity to both read and listen to this four star, twisty domestic thriller.

Kaira Rouda is the QUEEN of unhinged woman-scorned characters and this book just solidifies that title! Jill is a first-class horror show and Jack is her somewhat hapless foil. The man was so weak-willed that I wanted to shock him into some sort of life multiple times. At the same time, he surprised me from time to time, so this book definitely gave me some mild whiplash.

I could not put this one down, and was racing to find out what on earth the resolution would be. The narration was excellent, and the pacing was really good. I enjoyed the dual viewpoints and thought the then/now timelines were done especially well.

While the ending left me feeling not quite satisfied, I rate this a solid 4 stars and am sure it will be a big hit with fans of Rouda’s work and those who love the thriller genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for this ARC.

Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jill Rouda knows how to write a vindictive, manipulative, controlling spouse and this time, it’s the wife!
Jack & Jill are high school sweethearts but behind the facade, Jack only stays due to a secret they both share. A secret that could change their entire lives. He begrudgingly agrees to a road trip, after all he has no choice but to do what his wife says.

I really enjoyed this (audio)book. My only comment is I wish there was a male narrator for the male POV.

This was a wild ride! Jill is delusional in her relationship with Jack. Jack wants out of this marriage and keeps getting trapped into staying by Jill's words and actions. The more the story goes on the more unhinged Jill becomes. A really good thriller I would recommend to people who read the genre.

I would like to note that I feel this book could of used another narrator, a man, for Jack's chapters, instead of Marnye Young reading both Jack and Jill's chapters.

This was my first read (listen?) by Kaira Rouda, and it won’t be my last! Jill is Not Happy is about married couple, Jack and Jill. If you ask Jill, she would tell you she and her college sweetheart, Jack, are living the dream in their Southern California home, wealthy, popular, newly empty nesters. Ask Jack, and…not so much. He only stays because there are secrets and he must find a way to leave Jill but still keep their secrets, and their daughter, safe.

This audiobook was very well done. The narrator was a good match for Kaira’s characters. Did we have an unreliable narrator? Was Jill truly a psychopath? I had to know. I couldn’t turn it off. Fans of Freida McFadden, Liz Nugent, and Kiersten Modglin’s Arrangement series will love this one! So, now I’m off to go find more books by Kaira Rouda. Thank you to NetGalley and to RBMedia for the opportunity to have an early listen to this audiobook, Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

🎧Song Pairing: Psycho Killer - Miley Cyrus

💭What I thought would happen:

Jill isn’t happy….let me guess there’s a man behind that anger…

I was actually wrong here I mean yes of course Jill is mad over a man but Jill’s problems are hers of her own making. Keep Jill far far away from me.

📖What actually happens:

💋Romantic getaway?
😈Dark past/trauma bonded
⚠️Cheating, murder, lying, deception
💁🏼‍♀️You can’t leave me

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

I am officially obsessed with anything @scarlet publishes. I will always be satisfied by their thrillers! 🫶🏼

The FMC is Jill and the MMC is Jack. If I was either of these persons I’d make sure I’d go my whole life avoiding dating someone with that name because Jack & Jill is nauseating😂

This is Gone Girl but you know Jill is absolutely batshit from the beginning. I rarely say this but dang poor guy 😂 on a roll with these unhinged female characters. Let’s keep that boulder rolling!

I now know when I’m having a day where I’m like I’m an awful mom I can reflect and know that I am Mother freaking Theresa compared to Jill💁🏼‍♀️

I guess I can give this a 3.5 but I’m still honestly undecided. Let me start by saying that this is an easy, binge-worthy read. It’s very simple. While I liked the banter between Jack & Jill, nothing was truly that surprising when it came to all of the secrets that were festering between them. This was an average thriller at best but quick and entertaining.

Jack and Jill are college sweethearts, but their marriage is starting to fizzle out, at least on Jack's end. Jill will go to any length to make Jack stay with her. Jack doesn't realize that Jill knows of his infidelity and promises to go on a trip with Jill. She thinks he is coming to his senses and will come back to her. Jack, however, intends to end it once and for all. There is no way Jill is going to let that happen.

This is a very fast-paced thriller that keeps your attention and is hard to put down. The twists keep coming, just when you think it can't get any worse on Jill's part, it does.

This was my first Kaira Rouda and I absolutely devoured it! It hooked me immediately and had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I won’t share any spoilers but will say that Jill is Not Happy is the perfect title! Jill is also a character I won’t soon forget! The dual perspectives and timelines worked really well and Marnye Young was spot on as the narrator for this twisty story.

This booked moved quickly thanks to short chapters. Dual timelines and POVs kept things interesting. And Jill’s psychotic behavior propelled the story forward. Jill is an unhinged character in the best possible way. You’ll love to hate her!

The ending definitely left open the possibility of a second book. I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a series.

Twisty, fun and entertaining. The perfect beach read!

3.8 rounded up to 4.

3.5🌟 (rounded up)

If loving Jack is wrong, Jill does not want to be right.

This was a fun, fast-paced thriller with serious cat-and-mouse energy. Jill is the wife who won’t let go. Jack is the husband desperate to get out. Toss in a road trip, some buried secrets, and you’ve got one wild ride full of manipulation, mind games, and power plays.

The structure is clever, broken into three nursery rhyme-inspired parts, and I loved how the Jack and Jill theme was woven throughout the story. It added just the right amount of twisted charm. In addition to the dual perspectives we also get dual timelines (now and then), which helped layer the tension.

The audiobook was a quick, easy listen, which I always appreciate. I liked the narrator’s voice, but I do wish there was dual narrators. Jack and Jill’s voices sounded too similar at times and occasionally blurred together.

While I was fully invested in the build-up, the ending didn’t land quite as hard for me. It felt a little rushed and repetitive, and I was hoping for more of a full-circle moment after all that tension. That said, the journey getting there was wildly entertaining. 👏🏽

The characters are completely unlikable, and that’s exactly what made it fun. If you like drama-filled, bingeable thrillers with unhinged energy and people behaving badly, this one’s a great time. It was my first Kaira Rouda book, and I’ve already borrowed another of her audiobooks: Best Day Ever.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio, NetGalley and Kaira Rouda for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s a yes for me. 🖤

DeAnn @deannsreadingriot

Jill is Not Happy - Kaira Rouda
Pub Date - 4/10/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Kaira Rouda, and Highbridge Audio for this gifted advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. Holy cow talk about unhinged toxic main female character! I ate this book up so fast because of Jill! There is something to be said about psychopaths and this author captured her perfectly. The narrator was also very perfectly chosen, was able to articulate Jill's voice without a hitch, and helped keep me engaged with the story. The ending.....is what made this rating lower for me. It felt....flat? Without giving too much away, I wish there was more that was done with specific details in the book. I felt like the author added some key things, but nothing was utilized and I found myself thinking.....that's it? Is there a sequel?

Otherwise, it was a wild ride! If you're a fan of the tv show/book YOU, you will devour this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penzler Publishing | Scarlett, Highbridge Audio , and MB Communications for gifting me a physical, digital and audiobook of the latest psychological thriller by a favorite, Kaira Rouda, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Marnye Young. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Jack and Jill seem to be the perfect couple - childhood sweethearts with a daughter just off to college. But Jill decides that a road trip would be the perfect way for them to reconnect. Jack may have other ideas.

Ooh boy, this is just a wickedly fun read - a cat-and-mouse adventure into a couple that is staying together for all the wrong reasons. There are some deep dark secrets preventing them from separating, and watch out when Jill is not happy! Kaira Rouda wrote one of my all-time favorite books, Best Day Ever, along with its sequels, so trust me when I say that she has this dark humor, twisted storyline down to an art. Go into it blindly and enjoy all of the craziness inside! The audiobook was wonderful and I couldn't stop listening!

Jill Tingley tells everyone that she and her husband Jack have the perfect marriage, the perfect life, everything is just perfect. They were college sweethearts, and now they live in Southern California....newly empty nesters, since their daughter Maggie just went off to college. However, lately Jill knows that they have grown apart and she plans to fix that. So she plans a road trip just for the two of them to reconnect. Jack has only stayed in this marriage because of two things: their daughter, and a secret he & Jill share that he doesn't ever want to get out. But Jack is finished with this charade of a marriage - he has found someone else, and he wants a chance at a happy life. So begins a cat-and-mouse road trip as a cunning wife and a reluctant husband match wits and drive each other to the edge. But everything will be fine. Jill still loves Jack and believes he’s the only one for her. She’ll do anything to keep him. Anything. She always has.

This author is a master at cat-and-mouse psychological novels. Normally I have a rule never to read a book where there are no likeable characters, but, how can you say no to someone so twisted as Jill? Jack was not that likeable either, but mostly it was when he was around Jill. When he was with his new girlfriend, or just away from Jill period, he was much more tolerable. Jill would go to any lengths to keep her man, and I do mean any lengths. The narrator did an excellent job bringing this audiobook to life. I highly recommend this one!

ALC 🎧&📖 Review: Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: June 10, 2025.

Such a great domestic thriller with multiple POVs! I loved the chaos and mess of this book, highly recommend this one!

Thank you @mbc_books and @kairarouda for the physical copy!

Thank you to @netgalley and @highbridgeaudio for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

👨🏻👩🏼

Some secrets keep a couple together.

If you ask Jill Tingley, she’ll tell you she and her husband Jack are college sweethearts living the dream in Southern California. Wealthy, popular and genetically blessed, theirs is an enviable life, though they’ve grown distant in recent years. Newly empty nesting with their daughter Maggie away at college, Jill suggests a road trip to reconnect.

Jill is a psychopath. I don’t like her or her weak husband. And it doesn’t get any better. The writing is good and at times suspenseful, but doesn’t actually go anywhere. It’s not that nothing happens. It’s that there is no real ending. As for the audiobook, it would have been much improved with two narrators. The voice actor is fine, but she doesn’t do a man’s voice and the two characters’ inner voices were similar enough that I didn’t always know who was speaking. It just wasn’t for me. 2.4 stars rounded down.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HighBridgeAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #JillIsnNotHappy for review purposes. Is it now available.

Kaira Rouda’s Jill Is Not Happy is a dark and twisty look at a marriage gone wrong and the extreme lengths that a woman scorned will go to for revenge. Jack and Jill (yes, just like the nursery rhyme) met in college and seemed like a perfect match….. at least, according to Jill. If anyone didn’t see it that way, they mysteriously disappeared- or worse. When Jack realizes that Jill is responsible for some of the most tragic experiences of his life, he tries to escape her clutches. Jill has other plans….

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook that I listened to in one sitting. The narration was excellent and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep without finishing this crazy, extremely entertaining roller coaster ride

I need this to be turned into a movie immediately! I really loved my time with this one. To be honest, neither character was overly likeable and even though at some points I wanted to feel bad for Jack I couldn’t completely paint him as a victim. Jill was indeed a horrible person and as more things were uncovered it just got worse. This took an obsession and “love” and turned it in a way that I haven’t experienced before. For the most part the pacing was great and I was hooked from the very beginning. There were some lulls and maybe information that could have been trimmed but overall a very twisty and entertaining book!

Kaira Rouda has done it again with Jill Is Not Happy—a gripping psychological thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the final, jaw-dropping twist. Jill is the kind of unreliable narrator you love to hate—sharp, self-aware, and spiraling in the most fascinating way. As her seemingly perfect life begins to unravel, you're pulled into a dark, suspenseful ride filled with secrets, manipulation, and deliciously wicked drama.

Jill is Not Happy is one of those twisty, fast-paced thrillers that had me shaking my head and flipping pages in equal measure. Jill is incredibly frustrating as a character—delusional, manipulative, and completely unhinged—but I kind of loved to hate her. She’s like the anti-hero of suburban suspense, and watching her slowly reveal her true nature on this road trip from hell was wild. I also have to admit that I almost got whiplash from how quickly I changed sides in the Jack vs. Jill fight.

The dynamic between Jill and Jack is toxic in the best thriller-y way, with secrets, power plays, and some seriously unhinged moments. Rouda leans into the cat-and-mouse tension, and while the plot occasionally (okay, kind of often) stretched believability, I was never bored. That said, it didn’t hit quite as hard for me as some of her earlier books, but it was still a juicy, unsettling ride. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.