Review: It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

 

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

Publication Date: February 3rd 2026 by Park Row & Harlequin Audio

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 2min

Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya, Brittany Pressley, Gary Tiedemann

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Courtney’s peaceful family vacation is shattered when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law murdered in the cottage next door. They discover her nephew asleep upstairs, but her seventeen-year-old niece is missing. Was it a stranger who came in or was it one of the family? They definitely weren’t getting along.

 

The story is told from Courtney’s present day POV and Reese’s POV starting from when the family arrives at the lake resort. I have to say I preferred Courtney’s POV since I liked her character more, even if she did pull some TSTL moves. It was difficult being in Reese’s head, since she was so difficult and her parts were a bit drawn out for me.

 

It's Not Her was a page-turner! There was no shortage of suspects here and I suspected just about everyone at one point or another. I was shocked to find out the killer’s identity by the end! The reason the events were put into motion... Yikes!!! And that last revelation, wow!

 

I alternated between the audio and e-copy and recommend either version. I enjoyed all the narrators, Jennifer Jill Araya, as Courtney, Brittany Pressley as Reese and I won’t say who Gary Tiedemann performed. All performed a variety of ages, male and female distinctly and well!

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

Two families vacationing at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime and mysterious disappearance in this twisty, unputdownable thriller

A stunning discovery…
Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece Reese is nowhere to be found, while her nephew Wyatt lies asleep upstairs, unharmed.

A shocking investigation…
As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney’s family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she’s the killer.

A truth no one could have imagined …
As Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, she realizes that everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see…

Mini Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

 

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Publication Date: May 18th 2021 by Harlequin Trade Publishing

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads | Books-A-Million 

Google Play | iBooks | Bookshop.org | Indiebound | Libro.fm

My Thoughts:

Shelby goes missing, and not long after Meredith and her six-year-old daughter go missing too. Are these disappearances connected? Eleven years later Delilah returns, and questions abound.

This mystery captured my attention from the first page trying to piece together what happened. The story takes us back and forth eleven years in the past, and now in the present with Delilah’s return. Alternate perspectives slowly reveal what happened, and I found the whole thing heartbreaking. Some people are truly evil, the actions they take out of pure selfishness without regard to how it shatters the lives of others. Yes, this is fiction, but sadly it could easily be a real-life account. All is revealed, justice carried out, but some things can’t be fixed by justice. I do enjoy a good twisty mystery, but I always feel a bit melancholy with a story like this.

3.5 Stars

About the Book:

People don't just disappear without a trace…
Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.
Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they'll find…
In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

About the Author:

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of six novels, including THE GOOD GIRL, PRETTY BABY, DON’T YOU CRY, EVERY LAST LIE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, and THE OTHER MRS. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children. Her last novel THE OTHER MRS. was an instant New York Times bestseller; is coming soon to Netflix; was a LibraryReads pick for February 2020; praised by the New York Times; and highly recommended by Entertainment Weekly, People, The Week, Marie Claire, Bustle, HelloGiggles, Goodreads, PopSugar, BookRiot, HuffingtonPost, First for Women, Woman’s World, and more. Mary’s novels have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller,” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control,” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (Los Angeles Times).  LOCAL WOMAN MISSING is her seventh novel. 

Connect with Mary Kubica:

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