This book kept me reading. At first it seemed like Big Little Lies, but then it thankfully carved it's own story. It was confusing at times with the 4 narrators but I liked all the women narrating. Someone on their blog mentioned that this book might have been good with 2 narrators, I agree. Heather and another person would have been best. I did get a bit confused with who had a past and who had a husband that traveled, but overall it was a good book that I am glad that I read it. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

I received a free ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This mystery thriller kept me on my toes and guessing throughout the novel. Once I thought I had figured out all the plot twists, something would change. This was a read that would keep me up at night because I didn't want to put it down!

Four women in their early thirties are close friends. They live in the same town and their kids attend the same school. At one of their coffee dates, One of the friends notices a handprint bruise on Heather's wrist. At a party, another friend witnesses Heather's husband, Viktor, helping her against her will and yelling at her. The three friends begin to talk about Heather and Viktor's relationship and plan an intervention to convince Heather to leave her abuse husband. Things quickly go south and suddenly the friends are left trying to evade the police. But do they even know what they are really covering up? How much will these women go to protect their friend?

Four mothers, friends with children in the same school, go beyond coffee dates and end up in something very sinister. When Alison notices bruises on Heather, she starts to wonder if Heather’s perfect marriage to Viktor and her life, are as good as it all seems. When there are more bruises and a torn apart kitchen on a play date, Julie, Sarah, and Alison confront Heather. The truth is revealed and this springs into a motion some devastating events that changes everyone and everything. What are friends for?

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot but there are twists and turns aplenty that will have you sitting there with your mouth open. The chapters are told in alternating characters so we get to see just what each person is thinking. Besides Heather’s life, we are drawn into the other three characters’ lives as well. I am usually very good at figuring out the twists of a novel but this one had me going until close to the end. It has a quick pace which will keep you involved and keep reading. I was very entertained on these past few cold evenings. I look forward to more books from Ms. Drake.

(Fully formatted review available @ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2240341467 )

3.5 Stars. How far would you go to protect a friend? Three women begin to suspect that the fourth member of their group is being abused by her husband. Keeping her safe becomes their number one priority. One late evening their worst fears come true, but not in the way they expect. They must deal with the fallout from that night and the subsequent strain on their families and their friendship.

I recently watched the first episode of Big Little Lies, so it was impossible not to make comparisons within the first few chapters: women whose children attend the same school become close, they frequently meet at a local coffee shop, and their wealthy, beautiful friend is possibly being abused. That's where the similarities end for me! The chapters alternate between four women with very different lives:
Sarah - Former lawyer, now a stay-at-home mom. Blunt and no-nonsense.
Julie  - Realtor. Type-A, effervescent, optimistic. Always wants to see the best in people.
Alison - At-home IT consultant. Pessimistic. There are parts of her past she'd rather keep hidden. Sarah and Julie were already friends when Alison came along.
Heather - (32) Former model. Now married to a well-known plastic surgeon. Generally appears relaxed, without a care in the world. She's the newest member of the group. They've known her for almost two years.


LIKES 
• The premise of several women working together to help a friend really appealed to me.
• The relationship dynamics - It's hard to imagine these women being friends if their kids didn't go to school together! The divisions between them start to widen when they're under pressure: different backgrounds and personality quirks, economic divisions, parenting differences, working vs. stay at home. Sarah and Julie were friends before they met Alison, so Alison often felt like a third wheel before Heather came along.
• The little insights tucked into the story: "I’ve often thought successful marriages are as much about couples knowing how to create space for each other’s moods as they are about togetherness and communication."
• I assumed the main twists before I even started reading, but I was wrong about everything else!
• The kid's conversations were adorable and hilarious. I appreciate when an author injects humor into otherwise dark subject matter!


DISLIKES 
• "She's talking to Alison? I thought I was in Alison's chapter already!" - Unless I was in Alison's chapters, I was alwayswrong about whose chapter I was in! The four women have clearly-defined personalities, but I had a hard time telling them apart. I kept having to stop and figure out whose brain I was inhabiting!
• I didn't buy the event that set the journey to self-preservation in motion because the relationships lacked longevity and depth.
• There comes a point of absurdity where I either shake my head in annoyance or just sit back and enjoy the ride. The women have mild personalities and the first half was standard domestic fiction, so it was hard for me to accept the shift in the middle. I need a side of theatricality with my ridiculous! I had the hardest time imagining Sarah being so agreeable to some of the events in the book (though she did have the hardest time dealing with it all). Their escalating antics in the second half reminded me of the first rule of improv: "Say yes."  Sure, one of them would occasionally pipe up with a few lines of dissent, but they quickly dived headfirst into whatever insane plan the other one had concocted.
• They started taking themselves too seriously and had an absurd conception of their abilities and expertise. Alison works in the technology field and her superior Googling skills are mentioned, but it was baffling to me when she seriously—albeit reluctantly—entertained the idea of hacking a government website.
• The husbands were way too clueless.

This book is about all the little choices along the way that lead us to unexpected places. Good people are capable of doing bad things. They may not even realize how far they've gone until they've already crossed a line. There's also a message about talking to your friends and being less polite. Early on, one of the characters muses about how her generation is more open than her parents' more polite generation. It turns out that the "openness" of the modern age is mostly superficial. At the end, she realizes how much she didn't know about her supposedly closest friends. There were so many missed opportunities to provide her friends a shoulder to lean on because she was too polite to pry. You never know what's going on behind closed doors, but sometimes all you have to do is ask.

I was actually smiling as I typed my dislikes! The second half was a lot of fun in a "What the heck are they going to do next!?" kind of way. It got a little too crazy for me, but I think readers of the genre will like this book. I enjoyed the writing and would read another book by this author.

If there was a 6/5 this would qualify.
Opening with a funeral of an undisclosed friend was a great lead into the story of four marriages as told by each of the four main characters; Alison, Julie, Sarah, Heather.
The plot led us along a trail of abuse and murder only to throw curveballs just when you think you've got everything figured out.
I loved the "I know - wait - okay, now I know - what?" plot. Any more detail would spoil the story.
This is the first book I have read by this author. I am going to find her previous ones now!

I was really intrigued when I read the synopsis but I also felt like I’ve heard this tale before but I was really curious and decided to give this read a chance. Let me start off by saying I really did want to like this read and in a way I did but there were some points of this novel that I just couldn’t buy into.

This is the tale of four friends who thinks one of them is being abused by their husband and as friends are they are extremely concerned and are protective of their friend. Everything comes to a halt with one late night phone call and their friendship is truly tested. Now, this is where my problems with this read went wrong. First of all, the things they did to help out their friend is way beyond anything I could ever do. Call me crazy but I wouldn’t put my family and life on the line and do all the things they did to help her out…sorry, no way. I found some parts far-fetched and kind of campy, but maybe that was just me. Secondly, I had a hard time distinguishing all the women in the beginning. It’s not like there were a ton of women it's like four but for some reason, there was never enough established in the beginning for me to make me remember who was who.

Though I did have a few problems with this read, there were some good parts. I could appreciate the concept and felt the secrets were good. I was really in the middle with this one. I felt that the storyline had so much more potential and just fell a little short for me. All in all, it was an okay read.

Well, this was a fast-paced read that was incredibly difficult to put down! I won't rehash the plot because the book synopsis sums up the first 12 chapters quite well. Narrated by four adult women this reminded me of shows like Pretty Little Liars and Desperate Housewives (the early seasons). What we do for our friends and their family secrets!

Now I am going to say something extremely annoying- I figured the end out early on. But Rebecca Drake's writing kept me intrigued enough to learn the motive.

You’ll know already that I’m a big fan of books with many characters (obviously only when done well, when they’re too confusing they send my head into a spin!), and thrillers that are page turners, but without too much violence in them and so this book was very much made for me. This is the story of a group of friends who know each other very well, but not as well as they’d thought. Like all groups there are some that get on better than others, some who secretly irritate the others, but they all meet up under the guise and go through the motions, a few glasses of wine, or a coffee and some banter.

Each of the characters lead very different lives which makes for great reading, there’s differences in personalities, attitudes to work and then there’s of course you see too whether a positive or negative attitude prevails (and experience the boom when they collide!) I knew each of the characters within minutes and loved learning of the secrets they were keeping.

As you can see there is a bruise spotted on Heather’s wrist and the group begins to realise that they don’t know anything about the seemingly perfect marriage between her and her plastic surgeon husband, Viktor. What happens next comes from the point of views of each of the women, as they muddle through with the largest secret they’ve ever had bearing down on them. The veering off of each of the characters into starting to look out for themselves, and turning against others is brilliantly done, with surprises popping up all over the place to throw you off course and have seeds of doubt coming into play as they realise that they may not be the only one who knows of the life changing night in question.

I really enjoyed this book and read it over two days, devouring it. Although the ending wasn’t totally for me, I found the settings and characters excellent and the surprises constant which was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a reading slump. I don’t think it will set lovers of fast paced thrillers on fire, but for me, it was a gem and I’ll definitely be looking out this author again. Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5

Just Between Us focuses on four suburban moms, the secrets they keep and the lengths they'll go for each other to keep those secrets hidden. But what happens when your secret comes out? How far would you go to help a friend? These are the questions that Rebecca Drake asks her readers in this new suspense read.

Readers will notice a strong Big Little Lies vibe which is enticing and smacks full of girl power. There are some twists and I thought it was a good read but could have been a lot better in terms of suspense and character development. Its appeal began to falter for me after that fateful phone call when many of their actions became too far-fetched to the point of being silly.

Each chapter is told by a different character, but these four friends were hard to differentiate from each other and I didn't feel the connection between them. When you add in remembering which husband, kids and career belong to each character, it became quite a task to remember who was who and that interrupted the building tension.

Overall, this was a decent read that focused on secrets and lies of four friends. While this wasn't a big hit with me, I can see this book being enjoyed by those who want a lighter suspense read set in a Desperate Housewives/Big Little Lies-type setting.

Disclaimer: This ARC was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Riveting, sophisticated, and well crafted!

Just Between Us is a character-driven, domestic thriller that delves into the intricate and dynamic bonds between friends and reminds us that everything is not always as it seems and you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.

The writing is precise and taut. The characters are complex, secretive, troubled, and believable. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, is bursting with suspense and tension as it quickly twists, turns, and unravels all the actions, motivations, personalities, and relationships within it.

Just Between Us at its core is a novel about friendship, secrets, manipulation, jealousy, obsession, abuse, and murder. It's deliciously dark, intriguing, and a real page-turner you won't want to miss.

Four suburban moms outside of Pittsburgh form a friendship while their children attend the same school. Alison, Sarah, Julie, and Heather often get together for coffee after dropping off their children. One morning Alison becomes concerned about Heather after noticing a bruise on her arm. Heather claims that she bumped into something in her home. The other women soon become concerned that Heather is being abused when they spot more bruises on her body.

At first, Heather denies any physical abuse by her husband. Weeks later a troubling situation occurs at her home that sparks the women’s concern. Heather is very upset and reveals physical encounters with her husband.
She confides that she cannot leave her marriage and is stuck due to financial reasons. The women continue to worry about her safety until one night when Heather calls for their help.

“Just Between Us” is about a rash decision testing the bonds of friendship. This was an entertaining, suspenseful book filled with twists and tension. This was the first novel that I read by Rebecca Drake.

Just Between Us is a story of four female friends told from each of their POVs. Each of them is married with children at the same school, and each has come to look forward to their 'girl time'. That is, until they suspect one of them is being abused by her husband. Then, they begin to wonder: is it really going on? why hasn't she said anything? should we get involved? how? what should we do? And then the call comes that each of them has dreaded...

There comes a point in our lives, (or several points) where hard questions are put to us, and how we respond to them can change our lives, and possibly the lives of others as well. This book is full of such questions. How well do we know any one, including those we hold most dear? What are we willing to do to help them? How far does our responsibility to help extend? What if you begin to doubt what you think is true? "Suspicion is insidious. Once that the seed has been planted, it grows like a weed, climbing and twisting and wrapping everything in its path." As things are uncovered in the book, the possibilities of different choices arise. Will the group of friends stay together, splinter, turn on each other?

Just Between Us is a quick read which will make a superb book club read - there is SO much fodder for discussion!

A sure best-seller, you won't want to miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an E-ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. All thoughts expressed in this review are strictly my own.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. In my opinion, it is a 4 star book. The author, Rebecca Drake, did a wonderful job of setting the scene and bringing the four characters to life. She shows how their friendships develop and little details of what makes the characters tick. This group of women is envied by others for their seemingly light-hearted friendship and tight little group. When three of them notice that the fourth member is abused by her husband, they encourage her to leave him. She doesn’t, and someone ends up dead.

Things aren’t always what they appear. Little secrets that they each kept from the each other come out as the book continues, and the story takes some unexpected turns. I’m not giving anything away that wasn’t in the initial description, so you really need to read this to see how it all plays out.

Sadly, the book does contain sex scenes and a small amount of swear words. Most of this is at the very end.

I really loved this book. From the start it pulled me in and it never let me go. Character development was amazing and the story flowed well. While I didn’t always think the story was realistic/believable; it was a fast enough read that I always wanted to pick it back up to find out how it ended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book.

Four friends, with nice families, or so it seems. Heather apparently is being abused and it sends all these friends into high alert, as it should. They are constantly on the look out for new bruises and new ways to help her get out of this abusive relationship. But, how far will they go to protect Heather?

The story starts off pretty well. I was reeled in nicely. I liked all the characters in the beginning, then there is a phone call. This is when I began a split between me and the characters. These ladies are smart but they proceed to do something so stupid and out of character. It was almost a deal breaker between me and the book.

However, I am glad I finished the novel. I did have most of it figured out, that is, until the very end. Did not see part of it coming. I do enjoy being surprised and the author surprised me pretty good with the final twist.

Like I said earlier, these characters frustrated the devil out of me. This did taint the book for me at the first. (I rolled my eyes plenty). But, this a quick read with plenty of action and lots of emotion. And if you can’t trust your friends, who can you trust?

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

I saw the blurb for this book and thought it sounded worth reading so “wished” for it through NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Griffin bequeathed me a copy. I wish I had known in advance the book was told in first person from the viewpoint of four women…that got confusing at times and I found I really could not connect with any of the women telling the story. I am not sure if it is because of their stories and how dissimilar they are to my own or if it is their age – much younger than my own – or if it is something else but I ended up skimming rather than reading in depth, got the gist of the story and had no desire to go deeper. It could be that this book is just one that does not appeal to me at this moment in time and perhaps it would at some point in the future BUT I doubt I will pick it up in the future to find out. I am sure that it will appeal to others and there are reviews that indicate that is so…just not for me.

This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

4 stars

Everyone has their own tight circle of friends. The ones you go to when you need to get something off your chest. The friends you turn to when something bad happens in your life and you need support. The ones you go to when your world turns upside down. This story us about 4 such friends - Heather, Julie, Sarah, and Alison. All four women lead different lives and have different socioeconomic statuses. They are all married with children and their bond is strengthened through playdates and coffee shop get togethers. Then one night everything changes with one phone call. How far would you be willing to go for your best friends? How much would you be willing to risk to help another person? Would you lie for them? Would you kill for them? Their friendship is put to the test in ways they never could have imagined.

I've been in a book lull. My recent books have been underwhelming and forgettable. This book looked intriguing and mysterious so I gave it a shot and I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put this book down and I'm glad I chose it to be my first book of 2018. I can't wait to read more by the author.

Well written suspense that finds new grist in a tale we've seen before. If you read or watched Big Little Lies, you know from the outset that this has echoes of that story. Each of these women have their own secrets and the event that pops all of them out is the murder of Viktor, who has been abusing his wife Heather. Allison, Julie, and Sarah all have their own issues and, in trying to help Heather, they might sink themselves. This is billed as a novel of suburbia- likely because these women are people who will be familiar. That said, they are carefully written and Drake parcels out the info slowly. I liked this more than I expected because there were unique twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a hard review because of spoilers but try it and you'll like it.

Rebecca Drake returns following Only Ever You with her latest twisty and intense domestic suspense/psychological thriller JUST BETWEEN US. In the theme of Big Little Lies, a story of four suburban mothers who become immersed in a deadly crime.

Friends and bystanders get more than they bargained for by helping out a friend in need.

“You never really know what happens in someone else’s marriage.”

Set in suburban, Pittsburgh, PA readers are introduced to four women: Alison, Julie, Sarah, and Heather. Between their children and husbands, and their busy lives, they love their favorite coffee shop on Friday mornings. Told from four different POVs.

Julie is a multi-million dollar producer–a successful real estate agent married to Brian a VP of business development for a significant medical device firm. She believes in staying positive. Very social, an extrovert and a great organizer. Red-hair and energic. Obsessed with fitness, yoga, and healthy diet.

Sarah is little harder to like (by Alison). A former lawyer, with other hidden issues. Prickly at times. Alison envied the relationship between Julie and Sarah. They had a friendship before she came along. Sarah is beautiful, biracial and wears lots of brightly colored scarves and jewelry. Sarah did not have the patience for whining. She is very can-do and opinionated. She is married to Eric, a teacher and they pinch pennies with a family of five.

Heather, a former model married to a famous plastic surgeon Viktor. Son Daniel. They have the glamorous life and a large home and staff. She now is a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom), like Sarah, with of course— a much more substantial household income.

Alison is an IT consultant, and the women think she has an overactive imagination. She is tall and introverted. (She is the most intriguing). My pick. She had little interest in the country-club life or team sports. She comes across a little desperate, lonely, and needy to the others. She and Michael had moved to Pittsburgh because of Michael’s job transfer. No one knew her unfortunate past. The women think she is negative at times. Often her personality rubs Sarah the wrong way.

Julie and Alison had kept their careers. Sarah and Heather had not. There was a big difference between the disposal income of course between Heather and Sarah.

Each of the women has their juicy dark secrets. (Heather, in particular).

Alison is the first to be suspicious of Heather and her bruises. When comforted, she brushes it off. The other women do not seem to suspect a problem with the handsome and charming doctor. Even the broken dishes in the house. Could it have been something sexual she does not want to discuss?

Should they mind their own business or try and help? Julie thought Alison was wrong. Is Alison too overly cautious due to her family history?

Even though Heather denies it at first; however, she ultimately confesses. (think Big Little Lies Celeste and Perry Wright). (things do not play out the same.) She pretends all is ok in their household. From the exterior, they looked like the perfect family.

The friends begin their own sleuthing and investigating into Viktor’s past. His former wife died. However, was it accidental? They slowly discover secrets Heather has not shared until it is too late. Things get complicated. The women fear for her safety and her young son.

“The strange thing about a secret is it longs to be told.” Suddenly that is all you can think about.

Then the call comes. Someone is dead.

Self-defense? A crime scene. How involved will they become? There are secrets in every marriage. This is "only" the beginning of the unraveling.

Nothing, or no one is as they appear.

“There are no monsters, just deeply flawed people, all of us given that power to choose, some of us making choices to damaging that they ruin the lives of those they claim to love.”

Drake cranks up the intensity and the adrenaline. She expertly weaves a web of deceit and lies and keeps the reader guessing what will come next.

You feel the fear and hysteria from each of the women. The mistrust. In the blink of an eye, things change, and everyone is making impulsive decisions which lead to consequences.

At 40-45% into the book, you wonder what could be coming next? Plenty! It is just getting started.

Someone is watching. Were they not careful enough? A letter. Photos. Blackmail. Video Things get very complicated.

Action-packed, the hidden secrets behind the façade of ordinary women, across social classes and moral lines. How far would you go to protect a friend? Friendships tested. Betrayal.

Had they been duped? Will they turn on one another? Who can be trusted? Excusing behaviors.

“Brushing way the inconsistencies in character. Finding plausibility in the implausible because we want to believe the person we love is incapable of ugliness.”

The lies we tell ourselves and others. Lines are not always clear between good and evil. Perpetrator and victim.

On a serious note, a peek inside of domestic abuse and violence. It is not always wrapped, in a clear package.

“We hurt those that we love; we make choices that we can’t undo, we throw ourselves headlong into battles in the name of rescuing people who never asked to be saved.”

With all this sleuthing, not sure how they could find the time for their families. However, I was dying to know what happens. Hooked from page one to the grand finale.

JUST BETWEEN US, will keep you reading past your bedtime to learn the secrets held close. I enjoyed the different POVs from the women. The drama was balanced nicely with suspense and humor. Some clever twists and turns you are not expecting. Unpredictable.

I am glad the author chose to end the book with Alison speaking. Very fitting. Underneath the drama, a cautionary tale. The novel is an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.

For fans of Desperate Housewives, and twisty domestic suspense thrillers. A few come to mind:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen, Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris, The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White, The Good Girl by Mary Kubica, and The Drowning Girls by Paula Treick DeBoard. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

A special thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

Blake’s Just Between Us entices from the very first page as the suspense continues unabated throughout the novel. Just when the reader believes that they have the mystery solved, those niggling doubts in the reader’s subconscious come to light in a most unanticipated conclusion.

In the Pittsburgh suburb of Sewickley, friends Alison, Julie, Heather, and Sarah seem to be enjoying their relatively carefree suburban lives. But when the women are gathering at a local coffee haunt, Alison notices that Heather has an unusual bruise and eventually convinces her friends that Heather may be suffering abuse at the hands of her plastic surgeon husband, Viktor.

Though Sarah, Julie, and Alison try to convince Heather to leave Viktor, she refuses. Yet Julie’s decision to provide Heather with a gun to protect herself starts a chain reaction of disturbing events of which none of the women could have anticipated months earlier.

Told in alternate points of view from each of the women, Blake’s latest is a complex mystery that is impossible to put down. Adding to the mystery is Blake’s expert character development as she gradually reveals secrets showing the cracks in each women’s seemingly perfect lives. Each woman’s imperfect personas and their desperation to maintain the facades of their utopic lives make it easier to believe how their fateful flawed decisions cascaded into the darkest moments of their lives.