Easy reading as Aisha and Lucy meet at ante-natal classes and steer their way through pregnancy, both facing worries of how they will cope with motherhood with the additional strain of the ups and downs of their relationships with their partners. Ostensibly good friends, all is not quite as straighforward as it seems as Lucy's guilty secret is slowly revealed.

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting with this book, I thought it would be a hot bed of gossip and twists and turns, but in actual fact it felt like a book of two halves.

The first half felt like a cosy, friendly story of mums-to-be meeting for the first time at an antenatal baby group, sharing concerns about their pregnancies, following the births and their relationships, in particular of the two main characters, Lucy and Aisha. in fact it was a lovely reminder of those days gone by and my own NCT group. I laughed out loud at some parts - particularly 'VAGINA'!

However, all is not quite as it seems and as we delve into the second half we find a deeper story about relationships, past loves and a woman's desire to have a baby at any cost.

I enjoyed the premise of it, although I did guess the twist relatively early on, and felt that at times the second half of the story dragged on a little too much. It also wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end, and all I can say without any spoilers is that I am not sure I could have been as forgiving as perhaps some of the characters ultimately were.

That said, it was enjoyable escapism and if relationship dramas are your thing, it's worth a read.

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

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ stories for the ARC of this novel.

This book kept me guessing for so long!

A group of women, all pregnant, due around the same time, attend a baby group together.

Friendships are formed and they get to learn all about the finer details of birthing a baby.

All sounds normal enough right.

But with friendship comes secrets and lies and we all know that it only takes one lie for things to spiral out of control.

Told from two points of view.

We hear from Aisha and Lucy. Both on the older side of thirty, worried about how things will go with their pregnancies and also fretting over their own relationships with their significant others.

It's almost like their lives are mirroring each other.

Throughout the story there is an electric current running through the pages.

Suspicions never quite confirmed.

Every time I thought that I had it all worked out, there was new twist, a different clue to make me doubt what I was reading.

Devious.

Who knew that a book about pregnant women could be so utterly compelling.

I marked the book down by one star because the ending lost the edge that the rest of the tale had. I wanted a bit more of a dramatic ending, not such a happily ever after.

This is a fantastic read. Everything in this book is just perfect! Great characters and the storyline itself is just so relatable to many. It is so easy to read, honestly you will get so attached to this that you will not be able to put this down. This is a real feel good book so definitely give this a read it will be sure to cheer you up and put a smile on your face.

Aisha Moore is eight months pregnant. She’s thrilled, and a little scared. Not least because her husband Jason hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact. Lucy is having her first child too. She has finally got her wish – although the circumstances aren’t quite what she had hoped. Oscar will be a great dad though, won’t he? When the two women join the same baby group, they quickly become friends and before long they’re confiding in each other. Only there’s one thing Lucy hasn’t told Aisha. And while a baby may turn your life upside-down, a secret this big will change everything.

So this is an okay read albeit a very obvious one. From the beginning, in fact from the plot description I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen but Nixon really labours the reveal, no pun intended. I think the twist could have been revealed earlier as we all know what is coming and the consequences are more interesting. Having said that, Nixon does explore the consequences well in this book as it is.

The strength of this read lies in the characters, Aisha and Lucy are two great characters whom I connected to and found likeable. I enjoyed getting to know them and their personal story as well as seeing their friendship blossom. The other members of the baby group are interesting shall we say, Nixon has put together an eclectic mix that is for sure! For the most part they are all likeable, one thing they definitely are is realistic. I could envisage all of them and I particularly liked that all their circumstances are different.

'Just Between Friends' is an okay read but one that is very obvious and mushy and I did get bored with it. The characters are the saving point.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy.

This book is about pregnancy, childbirth and being the mother of a young baby/child. It loosely follows a group of pregnant women who are attending a childbirth group . Later in the book it becomes apparent that two of the women are connected outside the group too, though , as Aisha (one of these women) , as the reader , you also gradually become aware of this.
The descriptions of the classes, pregnancy and the period with a young baby are very well written and sometimes very funny. All are first time mothers (and/or fathers) and I do not think I am giving too much away when I say that their pregnancies and births do not always follow their expectations . You feel the fog that they live in as new mother with too little sleep and the heightened emotions that are part of this phase in their lives.
As the book moves on, we come aware that there is an elephant in the room between two of the women. This too is handled very well and the discussion around it well written and realistic . There could have been a tendency to explain much more, but I thought that the author had exactly the right approach in this part of the book.
Definitely a book which gets you thinking, both about past loves/lives and decisions and how to move forward.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Two mums meet up @ a baby group, and make friends with other mums and each other! However is one only there to do something sinister, A good read

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last.

Aisha and Lucy, both heavily pregnant, meet up at a baby group and become friends. But one of them isn’t all she seems and a secret she holds will tear the other one’s life apart.

A good book with an interesting storyline which was an entertaining read.

Lucy and Aisha meet at a baby group when they are pregnant. Both want to make new friends. But does Lucy have another reason for wanting to be Aisha’s friend.? A really enjoyble read.

I loved this book. I could never predict where it was going next. I could not put it down and would highly recommend.

This is the 1st Book That I have read of Rosies and I really enjoyed this book.

This book tells the story of 2 strangers who meet a Baby to be group and become friends and what’s happens turning pregnancy and beyond , secrets get told friendships get broken .

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars

With thanks to Netgalley & HQ for the ARC of this book for this honest review .

#JustBetweenFriends #RosieNixon #NetGalley
Two pregnant girls meet up at a baby class and become “friends” but one has an ulterior motive. After the first couple of chapters I had sussed out the story and that was it - no surprises, no twists, no suspense. If I’m honest in my review I found it all a bit dull. As a fan of thrillers I was probably expecting too much from this - if you like a romantic story and an easy read which plods along and doesn’t leave your emotions in tatters then maybe this is more up your street.

#JustBetweenFriends #NetGalley
A mind blowing read.
Aisha Moore is eight months pregnant. She’s thrilled, and a little scared. Not least because her husband Jason hasn’t quite wrapped his head around the fact.
Lucy is having her first child too. She has finally got her wish – although the circumstances aren’t quite what she had hoped. Oscar will be a great dad though, won’t he?
I loved it's characters and narration.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.