Wow, what a wild ride this was!

Once again, I am impressed with John Marrs’ talent to write suspenseful thrillers. He never ceases to amaze me with his original ideas and truly addictive plots. What Lies Between Us is a twisted, dark, and sinister read, that kept me glued to this book’s pages (or rather to my Kindle’s screen) till the end.

It is a tale of mother-daughter relationship; however, this relationship has more drama and problems than any other “normal’ mother-daughter bond. Nina and Maggie live in the same house and they share many secrets. What happens in their house and between these two complicated characters is shocking, disturbing and quite chilling.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to all thriller/suspense lovers. This book has it ALL and it is a guaranteed entertainment for all thrill seeking readers.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What is going on in this house of horrors???

PLOT SUMMARY:
Maggie and Nina have lived together for many years....but not happily. Maggie is Nina’s mother, and something has gone horribly wrong in their relationship...because otherwise why would Nina be locking her mother up in the attic in CHAINS??? Maggie has obviously done something to displease Nina, but what?? What could possibly be worth this reaction?

PROS and CONS:
Oh, this one is twisted...discovering in the first chapter that Maggie is locked in her attic room every night in chains sets the scene for some seriously creepy chapters. This takes dysfunctional relationships to a whole new level. The reader instantly sides with Maggie because, uh...she’s the one locked up?? By why would seemingly normal Nina do this? And how does she keep this a secret?

As the historical chapters pile up, you soon learn what Maggie has done and why Nina has reacted so forcefully...perhaps...neither character is likable, and it’s very hard to imagine that anything could justify this.

You’ll be glued to the pages while you wait to see who the innocent victim is, and who the monster is, and the details of all the events that lead to this disastrous situation. The ending is unexpected, explosive and actually perfect for this twisted book.

YES or NO:
It’s a YES - this is not a book that makes you feel good while you’re reading it...in fact I felt quite disturbed the entire time. But it is definitely one that you won’t soon forget.

4 Stars

I am a huge fan of John Marrs, having devoured THE ONE and PASSENGERs each at an exhilarating pace, so when I saw Marrs's next book was out I was eager to grab a copy.

WHAT LIES BETWEEN US is a dark and twisting psychological suspense that introduces us to Maggie and Nina whose mother–daughter relationship is strained at best. In a narrative that is superbly crafted, moving backwards and forwards in time as we discover the chain of events that led Maggie and Nina to their current situation. Or so we think. Deception, cruelty, maternal love, lies and truth all twist together into something a little different. Rather than asking us, "What if?", Marrs asks, "Why?"

An engaging and gripping read, perfect for those nights in – because you won't want to put it down.

Whoooooaaa what the hell? John Marrs you really do have a deliciously dark, twisted mind!

The book is the story of a grown up daughter who is keeping her elderly mother chained up in the attic to punish her for things that happened in the past. I can't say much more without giving away the plot.

This book really is dark and disturbing and hooks you from the first page. As you read there are shocking revelations which really do ensure that you have to read just one more chapter.... then another.... and another! Who is the villain and who is the victim? I changed my mind so often I was dizzy! I did guess some of the twists, but that didn't make them any less shocking. And then there's that chilling ending.

This is one if my favourite books of 2020 so far. Can't wait to see what Mr Marrs cones up with next!

Powerful, suspenseful, dark and utterly brilliant! I just could not put this book down. This has just become my new favourite book by this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

This is a fabulous but crazy five star read. Full of mystery and intrigue. Mother and daughter relationship which is not as it seems. Amazing twist at the end. This book kept me captivated from the beginning to the end. This is the first book by John Marrs that I have read but it definitey won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the ultimate crazy mother daughter story you need to read! I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything! I read this book in an afternoon because I couldn't put it down. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

What Lies Between Us was my first novel by John Marrs, and it's crazy that I haven't ready anything by him yet! Will certainly be reading other titles by him. All I have to say is "OMG!"

While reading this book, I continued to feel like all of the plot twists and turns had been revealed, but alas, there was still more to come up until the last chapter!

The novel goes between two perspectives, Nina Simmonds, and her mother, Maggie. From the first chapter, you find out that Nina's mother is locked up in their attic, but you don't know why. As the novel progresses, and you continue to read about events that happened twenty-five years ago, the reader feels like they've connected the dots, but BAM! Plot twist!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I needed a edge-on-your-seat kind of novel after my last few reads. What Lies Between Us was the perfect kind of messed-up psychological thriller that I didn't even know I needed.

I'm already recommending this novel to all of my suspense/thriller bookworms, and look forward to Marrs' publication date!

I have read several books by this author and I really enjoy his writing style. This was not my favorite book of his, but I really enjoyed it. Great premise, but I was left wanting more. Extremely unlikable characters. Will definitely read more books by this author.

If you are a thriller lover, put this one on your list! If you are a fan of reading about dysfunctional families, put this one on the TOP of your list! The publishing date is May 15th, 2020. John Marrs has written a fascinating novel about the demise of a British family with all sorts of dark and sordid details.

Maggie is kept as a prisoner (literally) under lock and key by her daughter, Nina. Trapped and confined in her own home, she laments about what went wrong with their relationship. Nina has decided to keep her prisoner to make her pay for all the ways she wronged Nina during her childhood, meaning her “sentence” is supposed to last for 19 years or until she dies. Maggie is desperate to escape and live the rest of her life out of captivity as she is already sixty-eight years old. What happened to Nina’s father and Maggie’s husband? Why does Nina have her locked up? Will Maggie escape from her daughter? Read and find out.

I just got immediately sucked in through Maggie and Nina’s narratives. The story flips back and forth between the two women and past and present. The plot interweaves the timelines and strings the reader along as Marrs explains bit by bit where things went wrong between mother and daughter. The characterization was excellent as you can FEEL what Nina and Maggie are experiencing as you read. Some of the twists were a bit predictable for me, but Marrs makes sure to drop little facts that make you second guess yourself. Thank you @netgalley, @amazonpublishing and @johnmarrs.author for this wild ride!

Where do I even start with this one?! Honestly, this was a mind-blowing read. I am a huge thriller fan and this is up there with one of the best I have read!

The story is told from dual perspectives - There's Nina Simmonds, a librarian in her late thirties who lives in her childhood home and then there is her mother, Maggie, who Nina keeps locked in the attic and whose life is completely under her daughter's control...

I really can't say too much about this book without giving a lot away but lord, it is a rollercoaster! I love the way Marrs completely toyed with my emotions and made me feel sorry for one character and loathe the other and then completely flip it on it's head in the next chapter.

The twists are twisty and although at times predictable, I didn't mind because I felt almost vindicated in my guessing instead of feeling annoyed that I guessed right!

Yes, its far-fetched but you have to suspend your belief while reading the book because it is well worth it.

I would love to go in to an in depth review but I really don't want to take the enjoyment away from others who are beginning to read this book. It is a disturbing and dark book that explores the depths people will go to to protect the ones they love...

Thank you to Netgalley & Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic! Unreliable narrators (my sympathy switched between them many, many times) the slowly drip-fed facts and a dark, twisted tale of toxic relationships; guilt, hatred and where protecting those you love can lead to disaster - what's not to love?

John Marrs proves once again why he is one of my go-to authors - waiting impatiently for the next release from this 'evil genius' mind!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this corker of a book 4.5-5 stars

Interesting way of taking you through the story using the alternating voices of Maggie and Nina, while also going backwards in time and then back to the present. Nice pace to the book and the reveals of key parts of the tale throughout the book kept the story moving and wanting to keep going to find out what happened. I will certainly be looking out for more books by John Marrs in future..

Plenty of twists and turns to.keep you guessing
It's so fast paced you won't get bored nor will you want to put it down
It's an unique storyline, which is chilling and completely captivating
You'll definitely be reading long into the night
A must read

Thank you Netgalley, John Marrs and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read and review this book

This book just didn’t do it for me. I had such high expectations after seeing it all over the web and enjoying “The One” but this one fell flat for me.

It was the true definition of a slow burn, but any twists and revelations were few and far between. It is so long and drawn out and I felt like I could of gone without some plot points completely. I tried to like either of the characters and could not. They were both damaged individuals who acted poorly and made poor decisions.

I know I may have the unpopular opinion when it comes to this book but it just wasn’t there for me. Too slow, with poor characters and unbelievable plot.

This review is posted on my goodreads account.

I so expected to love this book, but I can't help but feel a little disappointing with it.

I've read two John Marr's books previously - The One and The Passengers - both of which i've loved so I was already excited when I heard he had a new one coming, and then that synopsis! This definitely sounded like it was going to be the perfect read for me but unfortunately it just wasn't.

The plot is definitely dark and twisted with two extremely unlikable characters, however, the problem for me stemmed from the fact that I kept waiting for some big twist that just never came. It was a lot more predictable than i'd expected and would've liked.

An entertaining and well-written read but not up to the same standard as previous books i've read by this author.

Nina and Maggie share the same house, but they live very separate lives. Nina goes to work and lives an otherwise normal life, but she comes home every day to her captive. Because Maggie has done things that cannot be forgiven. Maggie has done things that she needs to be punished for. But Nina doesn't know the why behind Maggie's deceit and lies, and Maggie is willing to die to keep it that way.

John Marrs does it again - another 5 star read! I don't know about you guys, but I love me a messed up book, and that is exactly what this is. I love to be able to see the good in the "bad" characters and the bad in the "good" characters, and this gave me all of that and more. The official synopsis of the book doesn't give much away, and I'd like to keep my review in a similar vein, to keep the twists and turns... twists and turns, but this would be a great book to read and discuss. So read it & let's discuss! I will follow John Marrs to any depths he chooses to go at this point. That's how impressed I am with his writing.

John marrs is by far one of my favourite authors and this book was absolutely fantastic. It was gripping, shocking definitely not for the faint hearted! Very twisted but throughly enjoyable 10/10

I would like to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and author John Marrs for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

I have never read John Marrs, but I can see what all the hype is about. This was an absolute experience that I so enjoyed. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. These are dark and messed up characters that I enjoyed watching develop throughout the reading process. I felt like I was a part of this story, and I didn’t want it to end.

Thank you to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

Really a great read! Creepy and lots of twists I didn't see coming. All of the characters are compelling, and I found myself reading faster and faster, trying to get to the end. Definitely recommended.