It’s Not Her, Mary Kubica (Review by Taylor J. Bridgeforth)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
In a nutshell: Courtney wakes up to her brother and sister-in-law murd3r3d and her niece, Reese, is missing; and everyone–family included, is a suspect. One of the first things I loved about this book was how it was written. The POV’s were between Courtney’s present and Reese’s past.
Reese, bless her, is a 17-year-old high schooler with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s just lost her best friend due to her rage outbursts, is being bullied online, not being noticed by the guys at school, and constantly on the outs with her mom–who is presently d3ad.

As a reader, and play detective, like myself, Kubica did an amazing job to keep me unawares for 300 hundred pages. But like some of the blurbs said–It’s Not Her is a book you can’t put down. And if you do you’re itching to get back as soon as possible because every page leaves you
wanting more–while Kubica gives you nothing, and that’s kudos!

There are a few content warnings I feel like readers should be aware of: su!cidal ideation, manipulation, domestic conflict, and abuse allegations.
Considering this book comes out right before Valentine’s Day next year (2026), to get through the story–a buddy read with a rom-com could help; but I think by the end you’ll be okay. Of all the living relatives by the end of this book, EVERYONE will need extensive infinite hours of therapy.

Happy reading!