As Tim Cutler and his family are extended an invitation to a villa in the picturesque South of France, the opportunity arises for them to bring along two additional guests. Tim, a veterinarian whose business is sought after by a prominent veterinary company, finds himself entangled in the repercussions of a past misjudgment. Through a narrative interwoven with past and present timelines, the intricate web of secrets, lies, and unforeseen twists unfolds, culminating in a climactic revelation that leaves no character unscathed.

This tale, presented in a dual chronology, delves into the depths of Tim's history while navigating the complexities of the present, where hidden truths reverberate through the idyllic holiday setting. With a diverse array of perspectives shaping the narrative, the characters, though intricately developed, reveal shades of imperfection. The captivating storytelling grips the reader from the outset, leading to a climactic twist that defies expectations, making this literary work a compelling and engaging exploration of deceit and suspense in a sun-soaked French retreat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Tim, a dedicated veterinarian, alongside his wife Louise, their two children, aims to finalize a promising deal with Renee's influential company in a luxurious French villa. But an unsettling discovery of a stranger's body in the villa's swimming pool disrupts everything, gradually uncovering a grave mistake Tim has desperately hidden.

An interesting psychological thriller Just The Nicest Family by Alison James is an entertaining beach read with a unique twist at the end. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars overall.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

This has a bit of a slow start, it took about 40% before it started to pick up. The twists weren’t very shocking and the reveals were a bit predictable. The ending felt like a forced last second thought to try and add one more twist. With all that being said, it doesn't mean I didn’t enjoy it. It had some great parts where it was hard to put down. If you want a book with multiple POVs, lots of lies, and jumping timelines between past and present then you’ll enjoy this one. I think this would be perfect for someone getting into thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book , it wasn’t until 25% in that I really got into it and then I was hooked . I loved the story , the characters and the lovely setting abroad . Lovely summer read around the pool . I definitely would recommend this book as I would all the books I’ve read by this author. 5 stars from me , can’t wait for more from this author .

Alison James, Just the Nicest Family, Bookouture, June 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Alison James has written a very readable psychological thriller, complete with a good twist. For me, a twist must be a logical outcome of the narrative, with signposts along the way. These must be subtle and ensure that the reader has had the opportunity to read the signs that lead to the twist – then ideally has not been able to do so. James achieves this in Just the Nicest Family, and for this I give her accolades. However, I was less impressed with the way in which one of her main characters dealt with an assertion that they knew would change their life but did little to investigate its validity.

Louise and Tim, parents of Harry and Elodie are the perfect family. Most apparent is the love between Louise and Tim, exhibited in all their interactions, private and public. Tim is a vet, Louise the deputy head at a girls’ high school. The family is invited to share a villa in France by the CEO of a Swiss company, Renee Weber, as a precursor to her buying Tim’s independent veterinary practice. He is keen to accept, and eventually he and the children join the villa residents while Lousie completes her responsibility at the school. She has already been thrown by Tim’s invitation to acquaintances, Shona and Kevin, before Louise could intervene to invite friends more to her taste. The villa visit becomes even more awkward when Shona decides that Renee’s partner would suit her better than her husband.

The narrative moves between the past and present, with clever characterisation of the main characters. There must be links somewhere, but where? Yes, the perfect family is gradually shown to have its weaknesses, but there clearly will be more to digest, more links with the past and more significant events that will lead to the last sentence in the prologue – the beautiful pool about which Harry and Elodie have rhapsodised is to become the location of a death.

James weaves her clues, characterisation and motivation into a narrative that intrigue and keeps the tension well. For me this was a novel that fulfils my criteria for a book with a good twist, and despite the issue that I believe is a flaw, makes a good beach read.

Tim Cutler has his own Veterinary business but it I currently struggling. He is offered a big business deal by Rene. So doing this she has invited him and his family to her villa on the south of France for a two-week holiday. Tim and his wife Louise have the perfect marriage or do they think. They also can bring some friends with them, so Louise wants to bring her cousins on holiday but instead Tim invites a couple Shona and Kevin who Louise has never met. She is not happy about it. Tim goes a head on the holiday and wife Louise arrives a few days later due to her job as a teacher. When she arrives all the other couples have already got there early and has already caught the summer sun.
When they wake up one morning they find a woman dead sitting beside pool. Who is she and what is she doing there? Even so Tim recognises the dead woman. Who is she and what has Tim been hiding from her? Even worse Tim gets arrested for her murder. Did he do it or one of the other guests in the frame?
‘The nicest family’ is not a family drama it is an interesting psychological thriller and a typical beach read. There is a lot of going on with each character and told in several points of view that at times struggled to connect with and I found the big reveal at the end a bit disappointing. 3 stars.

This was such a thrilling read, I was gripped right away and I didn't want to put it down until I knew the truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. A gripping read, just right for the season, light but kept my attention.

Ooh fabulous holiday read, pack it in your suitcase for your holls!
Great mixture of thriller and family drama.
Great plot and twists with great writing and fast flowing story telling

Thank you NetGalley and BookOuture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Just the Nicest Family by Alison James was the perfect mixture of thrill, family drama, and psychological plotlines that kept me interested throughout. One of the book's strong points is that the characters are written very realistically, and usually, like I find with domestic thrillers, a good chunk of the characters are very unlikable. But, without them, the family secrets being unveiled would lose their deepness.

Despite the complex and layered twists, there seems to be a bit of predictability in the story; however, James more than makes up for it with her strong, and fast-paced writing. Fans of psychological thrillers and family dramas will definitely enjoy this book! This book would be perfect as a vacation read - hopefully one without secrets and lies.

intensely enjoyable, with a great twist. Just The Nicest Family is a wonderful psychological thriller, and Alison James uses tight pacing, colorful characters & a summery, European vibe to bring the suspense alive. i had a really fun time reading this and piecing everything together. highly recommend as your next summer thriller!

thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I open the door to the beautiful French villa and my clever husband and adorable wide-eyed children follow me inside, taking in the breathtaking view. This should be a blissful summer break, filled with sun, swimming, and relaxation, but the truth is very different. Because my husband has just revealed the real reason we're here. When our friends staying at the sprawling villa greet us on the sun-soaked terrace, I smile brightly and attempt to calm my nerves. If you can just behave normally, everything will be fine. But if anyone of the people sitting around the clear, blue pool discovers the truth, my whole world could be shattered. So I have to pretend we're the perfect family, and I'm the perfect wife - all the while knowing that our lives could destroy us.

When Tim and his family are invited to a villa in the South of France, they were allowed to bring two guests with them. Tim Cutler is a veterinarian and a big veterinarian company wants to buy his business, so they are invited to France to discuss the finer details and go over the books. Tim had made a bad decision years ago, and now it might have come back to haunt him.

This story is told in the then and now format, letting us know exactly what happened in Tim's past and the present day, with secrets, lies and plenty of twists, this story kept me guessing, we get a good twist in the epilogue. Not all the holiday is idyllic. It's told from multiple points of view. The characters were well-developed, but not all of them are likeable. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.

Published 19th June 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #AlisonJames for my ARC of #JustTheNicestFamily in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGaley and the publishers for this ARC. The cover grabbed my attention and so did the plot. Unfortunately this was a def as it ended up not being what I normally enjoy.

Wow! How many twists and turns can one book have? I was sure I’d figured it out at many points in the book! But I was kept guessing until literally the last chapter. Such a good book!

Overall I enjoyed this book, and will recommend it to people in the future. The absolute highlight of this book is the setting. The French countryside in Summer felt so real and alive. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the villa and the activities that the different characters got up to, especially the cooking scenes. Reading this book while heading into Summer felt perfect.

I found the beginning a bit hard to get into and slow moving (the main reason for a four- instead of five-star review), and struggled to keep up with all the different characters, but once the dual timelines started, I couldn't put the book down. I really loved the characters of Guillaume and Louise. Louise felt very real and relatable. Tina and Tim weren't likeable characters, but were solidly written and important for the story.

I genuinely didn't see the twists coming, to the point that I went back and hunted for clues earlier in the text. I loved that the twists were integral to the plot, and not just a device to shock or confuse the reader. These twists, combined with the atmospheric setting, make me want to read more by this author.

Overall, this was a strong Summer mystery, perfect for reading on the beach or by the pool.

★★★☆☆Characters
★★★★☆ Character Development
☆☆☆☆☆ Spicy
★★★★☆Plot/Storyline
★★★★☆ Ending
★★☆☆☆ Writing


What Kept/Didn’t Keep Me Reading:
First off, I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Alison James for the opportunity to read this novel.
When I first began reading, I was immediately hit with a sense of dread and discomfort due to Tim's actions at the beginning of the story. This initial reaction made it challenging for me to want to continue, and it took me some time to push through those feelings and progress with the novel. Because of this, I strongly recommend potential readers to thoroughly review the trigger warnings associated with this book before diving in.
However, beyond this initial hurdle, the writing truly excelled in keeping me on the edge of my seat. Alison James has a remarkable talent for weaving suspense and intrigue throughout the narrative, ensuring that readers are constantly guessing about what will happen next. Each twist and turn kept me engaged and eager to find out more.
The Epilogue, in particular, was a standout element. It served as the perfect conclusion to this dramatic story, tying up loose ends and leaving a lasting impression. It was the icing on the cake, bringing the various threads of the plot together in a satisfying and impactful way.
Overall, despite my initial struggle, I found this novel to be a compelling read that successfully combines suspense, drama, and well-crafted storytelling. Alison James has delivered a memorable book that will stay with readers long after they have turned the final page.


What Would I Read Next from This Author:
The overall structure and font in this book were somewhat hard on my eyes, making the reading experience less enjoyable. The lack of sufficient marginal space contributed to a feeling of being overwhelmed. My willingness to read more from this author will depend on the content and how the formatting is presented in future works.

This is the perfect summer thriller and an ideal poolside read. I was engrossed from page 1 and I was quickly drawn into the intriguing characters and plot.
This is my first book by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last. I really enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it.

This book is the perfect summer read, the author was great at descripting the scenes and smells, I could almost imagine myself on holiday with them!

'Just The Nicest Family' follows the story of a family who outsiders think are absolutely perfect, they are literally the nicest family. Tim, his wife and two children are invited to a Villa in the south of France by the owner of a company who wants to buy out his Veterinary practice. They are allowed to invite friends and the friends Tim invites are questionable, to say the least...

When they arrive, things go from bad to worst with their invited guests, causing friction, tension and some serious eyebrow raising moments.

A body is found, but nobody knows who they are, and most of all, who is responsible.

This book highlights that not every family is perfect, that they all have secrets, and sometimes some huge devastating ones.

A really enjoyable summer read, I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Just The Nicest Family by Allison James, in the book we meet Louise she is married to Tim Cutler he is a veterinarian and a big chain veterinary company wants to buy his business so invites them to Cattanach France to discuss the terms. Years ago Tim was attending a veterinary get together and it was catered by the Greenleaf catering company where two girls Hannah and Tina were waitresses they had a game called 40 elephants where they put men in sexual situations and then demand money from them so they won’t tell. When Tim left the event he saw Tina at the bus stop in the pouring rain and offered her a ride home that’s all he intended to do but thanks to Tinas pushiness and coming on to him more happened and Tim regretted it but not as much as he’s going to. When the couple is invited to France it is years later and Tim believes the incident is behind him and that his wife will never have to find out but when past and present merge one person will be dead two marriages will be in trouble and it all makes for an awesome awesome thriller. Whenever I have an Allison James book in my library I find it almost impossible to wait and read it and that was definitely the case with this book and OMG this was a great read. I always base my rating on Weather the ending was great and if they had eye rolling moments in the book or not and this one did not. The narrative was plausible the plot move swiftly and Louise and Tim are characters you want to route four there’s even a handsome French private investigator who I liked so much. This is a great book in the great thriller I don’t think anyone who loves thrillers and read this book will be disappointed at all. I want to thank Bookoucher for my free Ark copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Suspenseful, entertaining and clearly belongs filed under "riveting thriller".
Tim and Louise take off with their kids for a villa vacation in the south of France.
Not so much just a vacation as Tim.. a vet,. is in the process of closing a deal with the owner
of the villa, to sell his company to her larger, and much wealthier corporation,
Joining others at the villa, they take off for what may be the vacay of a lifetime - at no cost to them.
Once there, mayhem begins with cheating spouses, lying friends and murder by the pool.
Pulled right in at the very beginning with fine characters, very well scripted and a plot that twists
and turns so quickly, it becomes a roller coaster of a story.
Good reading but just a little too much, too much.