Unfortunately, this book didn't really work for me. Even though I appreciated the author tackling certain issues in the story, I never warmed to any of the characters. I started out really hating a lot of them, but then that superficial hate melted away into indifference, which is where all the characters ended up. On top of that, the dialogues felt forced at times, like the characters knew they were talking to the reader and needed to overexplain their situations or something?

An ok book
Not one of my favourite Sinead reads
But I read it and if you just wanted an easy read this is for you
Thanks NetGalley

I liked how the three stories are connected with each other. However, the characters were not interesting and they lack depth. The stories were actually interesting at first but as it went on it just lost the spark on me. I found myself just wanting the book to end. Overall, although I didn't loved the book and didn't reach my expectations I thought that the message the author wanted to make with these three stories was felt throughout the book.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as I'd hoped to. While I liked the fact the author addressed genuine issues that are so often unspoken about, the story itself just felt flat and bland. There was no hook that made me want to keep reading. I most resonated and connected with the character Alice, getting a strong insight to who she is and what makes her tick. However the other characters felt very cliche and the dialogue unrealistic. It was as if the author was over explaining everything through the conversations between characters and it was clunky. This was most evident with the way the children spoke. I appreciated the chance to read and review this book and I hate to be negative about someone's work, but this one was a miss for me.

From the first line of this book, I was hooked. I had just read another book which was far more descriptive but the plot wasn't as good. This is an easy read; exactly what can be needed in a pandemic. The themes of the book really hit home and I loved the way the author explored some sexual themes which you don't always find in main stream commercial fiction. It may resonate for many women in their 60s who feel lost when their children are gone and they wonder what life is about. As I read it, I found myself wondering what life is about. I also cringed at some of the family gathering scenes, which is a good thing as I connected with the characters and the Irish family very much resonated. What I really liked about this book was how easy it was to read. It is not the most literary in the world but each evening I looked forward to reading it and that, to me, is a sign of a great book.

A slight comment, rather than a criticism, is that towards the end the pace gathered towards a happy ending and characters seemed to overcome their difficulties quite quickly and while I understand this is very much often what a reader wants, I would have liked a slower pace here because life is not all roses. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have recommended to many. I will definitely check out the author's other books. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book made my laugh and cry, I really enjoyed this so much. I have already told so many friends to read it!! Full of a great variety of characters and in a multitude of couple dramas. Overall a really nice read.

I just have to give this 4*.
I love this authors work and she’s fast becoming an auto purchase for me. Her style in which she writes just is a marriage made in heaven between author and reader.

Two different couples. One person with trying to form an “active” loving relationship.
All unknown to each other.
Different age groups and timelines in they’re marriages/life.


The couples.


Each have lost that “loving” feeling in their marriage.
One couple with husband focused on bettering himself in the workforce so that he can provide his family with a better future. That means longer hours. Leaving wife raising four children.

Another couple in their mid life. Children flown the next. Hubby soon to retire.


Then a young Teacher who needs a therapist as she has a problem and it’s interfering in any relationship she has. Making her feel a freak.


What I loved was the dialogue.
The different couples relating to each other in front of the therapist and outside of it when “homework” was provided.

There’s one scene that I related to when my kids were young. It was hilarious as I’d be thinking the same thing!
If you read this or have read this, I’m talking about the oil and the sheets!

This book does make you think though, even with the older couple (that’s where we are now, but our grown children remain at home, but definitely similarities)
Do we make time for each other?
Have you grown apart?

Could you be brave like this young girl who had to reveal some embarrassing topic?

I actually loved it. Started it last night, finished it today.

If you like realistic problems.
If you enjoy looking out your window peeking at neighbors, you’ll love this! It’s an inside seat!

Thiis a first book by this author for me.

There are three storylines in ABOUT US. The first invokes Orla, a 20 something teacher. The second Involves Alice and Niall (and their 1000 children - well 4 children but there’s so darn many of them it’s overwhelming). And the third involves Ann and Ken, a couple in their sixties. Each storyline focuses on the trials and challenges of each person/couple and their eventual decision to seek therapy, interestingly with the same therapist Maggie. What follows is their insights, decisions and.outcomes specific to their situation.

The start of the book was a little lengthy but ensures the reader has a sound foundation for where each person/couple sits, their thoughts, motivations etc There were some humorous parts and some emotional parts - particularly around loss and grief, feelings about self, and identity (particularly around stereotypes and attitudes towards parenting).. There was an absence of glamorisation in terms of the parenting role and recognition that different stages presents different challenges. This book also tackles a character who does not wish to have their own child and also difficult subjects such as those discussed above, as well as issues with intimacy, and sexual dysfunction. An interesting book bringing these vastly different characters together through Maggie.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s been our since mid-July.

I loved every single character in this book, I could relate to every story, every problem. What a fabulous idea, to learn of the characters through their therapist, and how it heals us as readers reading our own story unfolding on the pages before us.

This is such a beautiful book. A must read in 2021

At first it seems as though this is going to be three short stories rather than an actual novel but you soon realise that each one is cleverly interwoven through the others. I loved that the characters weren't all glamorous twenty somethings with fantastic careers and that the antics of the children added a lightheartedness and humour to some serious themes. A really enjoyable read well worth 5 stars

A lovely book of domestic dramas. Wonderful characters to follow. A read which will have you smile and cry.

I really enjoyed this, Moriarty has three different couples to focus on and it was very enjoyable to get to know them, learn about their problems and follow them as they seek help. All their stories are different but I found all of them to be moving and realistic, plus they all gave me something to think about. My only negative is it ended abruptly.
Overall a very enjoyable, moving read full of wonderful characters.

I love Sinead moriarty’s books and this is no exception. Sinead always writes about heart felt moments and situations to make you think. Three couples in different stages of their life. Alice and Niall used to be everything to each other, now their not sure who they are,Older couple Ann and Ken, Ann has questions and she wants answers. Orla is falling in love but something from her past is stopping her from letting herself go. They all see see someone they don’t know, and tell their deepest darkest feelings. This was very well done. I liked the alternating chapters, it flowed well. And I loved almost all the characters but over time I loved them all. The reason I have gave it a 3 is it was slow going and don’t think them talking to a stranger helped them.

I have a few more of Sinead’s books on my tbr and will have to bump them up.

Thanks goes to the author, publisher and net galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in Dublin and follows the journey of 3 different women and their life struggles.

Ann is an older woman, her 2 kids have left the nest, her husband is due to retire and she feels like her life is lacking. She feels like she is at the age where if she doesn't make a change now this is her life forever.

Alice is a stay at home mum with 4 young kids, her husband is a lawyer who working his way up the ladder, leaving little time to help Alice with the kids. She feels like shes a failure and that she can never do enough please everyone.

Orla is a young teacher with her life ahead of her but a traumatic past that wont seem to let her go. She is single and meets a guy she likes but with her history she feels like she is doomed.

What ties these women all together is Maggie, a therapist.

What I liked about this book is all the issues that it covered. There was such a varied amount ranging from your typical relationship problems to more rare issues.

At first I thought the amount of characters in it was a bit overwhelming and that I would never catch on to who was who and how everyone was tied together but I quickly linked it all together,

I found some of it very relatable and other parts not so much but still interesting in a way I learned some things that other people go through, which I enjoyed.

I think all the characters were very realistic in the fact that sometimes they were very likeable and at other times they were annoying and repetitive. Just like a normal person!

All in all I found it a really enjoyable book and look forward to picking up more by this author in the future.

I normally enjoy sinead’s books but i was disappointed with this one., i found it to be a bit sexist and the writing a bit meh!!

I found parts of this to be enjoyable and I like the fact that the author has tackled some rarely spoken of issues. But I didn't warm to the characters at all and found them rather annoying, especially the children who were possibly meant to be funny but were in my opinion rude and strangely speaking like adults. When the therapist was speaking to the couples I just felt like I was reading a non fiction book. Sorry to be so negative (I seem to be in the minority with this one) but I just wanted to get to the end.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

'About us' by Sinead Moriarty follows Alice and Niall, Ann and Ken, and Orla as they attempt to navigate relationships, sex and their hopes for the future, with the help of Maggie Purcell, a psychotherapist.

Prior to this, I had not read a Moriarty before. She tackles some really interesting themes, and her use of discussions with the psychotherapist added a lot of interest. Working in the field my self, I felt her depictions were believable. However, I found this novel too slow moving and wanted the characters to have more depth and there to be a stronger sense of location. Ultimately it didn't really hold my interest, although I suspect fans of Moriarty will get a lot out of it.

I found this novel a little bit slow, and the characterisation of the three main women in the story stereotyped. There is Ann, the dissatisfied empty nester, Alice, the exhausted unfulfilled stay at home mother, and Orla the unhappy young country girl with a debilitating problem. All three visit the same psychologist to discuss their problems. I found their stories okay, but I cringed a little at some of the situations, especially in the stories around Alice and her out of control children and her thoroughly unlikeable husband and his sleazy friend. I have liked other novels by this author much better than this one.

About Us is a book about ordinary people. Two couples and a single gal, who have some issues they need to figure out. Alice and Nial are married with four kids, and their sex life is non-existent. Ken and Ann are retired but their marriage feels boring and empty. Orla is a teacher who has deep-rooted issues from the past and is yearning for love. But she suffers from a condition that disables her from having sex.

All of them visit a therapist and we get to sit in on their sessions and dive into their issues.

This was actually a very quick read. I was definitely invested in their stories, and keen on finding out what's going to happen. I would totally understand one of the characters at one point, then I'd get mad at them the next... But the more you read, the more you begin to understand each and every one of them.

I was the most invested in Alice's and Niall's story line, and even though I honestly completely detested Niall in the beginning because he felt like a condescending ass hat, I grew to like them both. I realised life isn't just about taking her or his side...

They were both flawed, and their relationship was complicated. Their lives, desires and mental struggles were different, and they lacked communication, so at first I was trying to decipher who is in the right and who is in the wrong, but the truth is...nobody is right or wrong, and I think that's the moral of the story here. Or at least, one thing to learn from it.

People are complicated, relationships take hard work. There is no single person who's at fault if a marriage breaks up, or your sex life isn't working. People make mistakes, they don't always do right, and even with the best intentions people don't seem to do the right thing.

What this story taught me is that we have to have a lot more sympathy for each other - even though we might experience life differently, and we might not understand each other's reasons for doing things a certain way, we have to be able to sympathise and be willing to listen. Another important lesson is communication and honesty. I loved how much importance was placed on that, and it was clear to see through all three perspectives that HONESTY is KEY. Judging others doesn't help. It's pointless and worthless. I loved how these characters, learnt to accept their flaws in the end, and had a breakthrough.

This was an enjoyable read, and perfect for all readers who love to dive in a bit deeper into ordinary lives. Just people who are ike you and me, who have don't have an idea what they're doing. I mean, I don't, definitely not all the time.

It's a relatable book and these people feel realistic. Maybe you'll find yourself in one of these characters, and maybe you won't. Maybe you won't get them at all. Maybe you will even find their problems unreal or easily solvable, but the fact is, these characters are modeled after people in real life. These kinds of people, lives and issues that go along with those lives really do exist in the real world...which is why this was a great and eye-opening read.

Told in three different perspectives, this is a novel about assessing your life and seeking out the help you need.

Ann is not looking forward to her husbands imminent retirement, their relationship has been suffering since their grown up children left home and now they have nothing to talk about.

Alice is a stay at home mum of four children, her husband works long hours and she is exhausted. Physically and emotionally.

Orla has a deep seeded fear and believes she will never be able to become intimate with anyone. When she meets Paul she wishes for this to change.

All these women find themselves on the couch at a therapists office. Here they learn how to heal.