Just Between Us
Rebecca Drake
January 9, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Four close friends get into a heap of trouble based on ..well I can’t even go there without giving some of it away. Basically – everyone has secrets, things they are not proud of, and things they will never talk about. A true mark of their character is how they handle adversity – and each woman acts differently and the results are rather frightening.
What I loved: That plot twist was a shocker – not very expected and I really was racing through the climax to see how it all ended. It’s not what you think it is and that’s what makes a great suspense novel.

What I didn’t love: I would have loved a little more background on all of the women – something from Heather about life in West Virginia, why Sarah felt it was so important to be a SAHM, etc. Unfortunately, the husbands were so clueless in the book – is that how some marriages really are?

What I learned: And this is why I rarely trust.
Overall Grade: B

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Thank you NetGalley and Edelweiss for an e-Arc of this title. Psychological thrillers is the genre I'm loving right now. I'll read anything, but I find myself drawn into these. Some friends are "ride or die," but how far would you really go for your friends? If you suspected your friend was being abused, would you reach out? This is a tale of 4 friends, and I love that the narration alternates between all of them. We all think we know everything about our closest friends, but that's not always the case, and our own experiences color how we look at the world around us. This story has twists and turns, and I loved it.

If you liked Liane Moriarty's BIG LITTLE LIES, you will enjoy JUST BETWEEN US. It starts off much the same; three "friends" whose children attend the same school become concerned when they suspect that one of their own is being abused by her husband. But the similarities end their as we are led down the dark path these women follow. Full of unexpected twists, JUST BETWEEN US is a fun, fast-paced read. Great vacation book.

This book started out really strong, and the writing kept me interested throughout, even though the story dips a bit in the middle. I loved how well characterized Allison, Heather, Julie and Sarah were, although it did get irritating when Sarah's character devolved into a alcoholic in the middle of the book. There didn't seem to be much lead up into that at all, and then we never saw much else from her from there.

The story itself, like I said, started out really great, and when I found myself thinking, "oh, this is becoming that cliched story now," it actually surprised me by lurching into an entirely different direction. It did get a bit slow at one point, but Drake's strong writing kept me reading. I definitely recommend checking out this book, you'll find yourself thinking you know how it's going to end and being continuously surprised!

Riveting psychological suspense -- a good friend will do almost anything for you, right?

Julie, Alison, Heather and Sarah find out just how much they are willing to risk when one of them needs help getting out of an abusive relationship. These four women are mothers and wives --close friends in a small suburban community. Drawn into the drama when they see the bruises on Heather's body, the others have no clue that they are jeopardizing everything to help her.

The narrative is very fast-paced and draws the reader in immediately. Told in alternating points of view, the characters reveal bits of their own history as things become increasingly tense and all are under severe strain as events spiral out of control. Each comes to regret the decisions they made on one fateful night. But for different reasons.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller and will definitely look for more by this author. There were some not wholly unpredictable twists in the novel, but I liked the writing style and could easily identify with the women throughout most of the story. I read it in one sitting as I couldn't sleep without seeing how it all turned out.