While I enjoy the occasional thriller, I often find them lacking much substance. I generally consider them to be fun beach reads, maybe, but not something I will think back on in the future. Nobody But Us offered more. It's hard to say much without giving away the plot. I'll just say that the book is very timely and forces you to think about accountability. Both characters are very well fleshed out, the language sparse and sometimes beautiful. And there's still plenty of plot twists, danger and surprises.

I read so many Thrillers that I have begun to be very picky about this genre. I have really high expectations for story lines and don't tolerate plot holes very well or simple storylines for Thrillers at all.

I had big hopes here but sadly, I was not a big fan of this story.

The first 20-30% of this story was completely lust focused. Yes, lust. All the time, everywhere. And since I listened to this on audiobook, it made me very squirmy. Overall, tons of sex is not something I really care to read about so this immediately put me back on my heels.

I find that it's hard to write an accurate review on this book without spoilers so I will say that I loved the overall concept or purpose of this story. I'm here for that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. A really important subject matter that I was happy the author took on and I actually really loved where she went with it. But I could sort of see the ending from the beginning and that was a bummer for me.

The delivery of the story, the writing style, the suspension of disbelief needed just felt a bit off. It was a longish story for what it covered and I found myself really wanting to skip through the story.
Also, major plot holes, all over the place. I'm not a fan of actions not lining up in Thrillers.

So, overall good concept but not executed well, in my opinion.

New readers to the Thriller genre, or readers that love interesting plot lines and can overlook some of the items mentioned above will probably really enjoy this one and should give it a go!

[SPOILERS ahead]. Nobody But Us starts out as a mystery and turns into a tale of sexual assault, trauma, and revenge. Grad student Ellie and her professor boyfriend Steven go off for a romantic weekend in a fancy mansion in the forest. Although the woods are eerie, there's no phone service, and a blizzard ramps up the sense of isolation, everything seems perfect-- until Ellie drugs Steven, duct tapes him to a wheelchair, and presents him with proof that he serially seduces and abandons underage women. Chapters from Ellie's point of view slowly reveal her motives, methods, and what she has planned for Steven (she believes she can drive him to commit suicide); chapters from Steven's point of view reveal his utter inability to see his own cruelty, or that he's guilty of statutory rape. Beginning with the popular trope of a snowbound murder mystery, the novel quickly turns into a drama about young women groomed and exploited by a man in authority, and one woman's attempt at vigilante justice. Frightening and well-written. Includes resources for victims of sexual assault and ex;ploitation. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Summary: Steven and Ellie go to a remote location without cell service for a weekend away. They're both keeping secrets that will soon come to a head.

Overall: 2/5 stars I went into this expecting a locked-room thriller, but it was more of a character study.

Detailed Review

Characters: 5/10 The characters were complex with good backstories. However, Ellie's motivation was questionable to me.
Uniqueness: 2/10
Plot: 2/10 The first and last 50 pages had good suspense but the 200 middle pages were hard to plow through.
Cover: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Knowledge: 8/10 I appreciated how the title was creatively mentioned throughout.
Enjoyment: 4/10

What a powerful psychological thriller! I could not put this one down. Very powerful message.

”Three days. Seventy-two hours, 4,320 minutes of us with nowhere to hide from each other.”

Steven and Ellie are going away together for a romantic weekend at a secluded spot on the Maryland shore. Only the two of them at a huge house on a weekend of a very strong snowstorm. The author grabbed me immediately with her wonderfully descriptive writing. The synopsis said only one of them would emerge from the weekend alive, but how was that going to happen?

Steven is a handsome, sophisticated professor of literature and much older than Ellie, a beautiful graduate student. Slowly we learn that Steven has left a trail of broken hearts and broken girls behind him. He is drawn to Ellie’s beauty, kindness and intellect. He sees her as an innocent.

Ellie has planned the entire weekend as a romantic getaway for her and Steven. Ellie is both alluring and innocent, and Steven seems ready to give up his immoral ways for Ellie.

“Apparently, you don’t really know someone until you’ve gone away with them. Where did I read that? What will I learn about Steven this weekend that I don’t already know?”

Steven has grown up in the shadow of his famous writer father and resents his success. They had a very difficult relationship, but Steven can also be very callous and controlling.

”Everything is coming together. Work, his reputation. The beautiful girl waiting for him downstairs. People who say you can’t have it all just don’t work at it hard enough.”

Some readers have complained about the slow plot development but I absolutely loved the gradual and deliberate way in which the characters were developed. I felt fully connected to them and completely invested in their actions. I also really liked the spice factor in the story!

This is a spoiler-free review so suffice it to say I adored the inventive plot and the very shocking conclusion. This highly addictive thriller would make a fabulous limited series and for my casting, I think David Gandy would make a perfect Steven and Daisy Edgar-Jones IS Ellie!

The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because of the tiny slip-ups with the use of British/European phrases. This book had a professional editor so there’s no excuse for that. Otherwise I highly recommend this one!

”People can develop a selective blindness to what they do not want to see, spinning stories to distract from what’s in front of them.”

Ellie and her boyfriend take a trip together to get to know each other. The trip starts out like a dream, but soon the secretes they hide turn deadly when they get snowed in and the possibility of only one of them will survive the secrets.
I liked the mood, and I loved the theme. The book was fast paced and was a quick read. I did not like the characters, and a big part of that is that the characters were extremely underdeveloped. The secretes the book referred in the description was obvious with the twist not being a surprise. I struggled to connect to this book because often it felt like any other locked room or stranded somewhere thriller. This book was not for me, but don’t let my review from keeping you from trying this one.

The hype for this book is misleading and the marketing I saw lead me to believe this was a thriller/suspense story..boy, was I wrong. Beautiful prose and the words were almost like a poem throughout....but, the plot was ridiculous and the characters were really unbearable and unlikeable. What started off as a closed door mystery ended completely unbelievably and weird. In my opinion, a #me too movement book that fails. That is my opinion. I certainly believe authors writing is very descriptive and flows smoothly throughout but the story just was not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and a chance to read and give my honest opinion.

A slow paced, dark sinister story. While I was able to see what was coming, the complex plot uncovers twists I didn’t expect. Nobody But Us is a disturbing thriller that may not be for everyone, there is a bit of gore and you may not like the secrets revealed but the story is well thought out and somewhat addicting.

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Laure Van Rensburg for the electronic ARC.
#NetGalley #NobodyButUs

Ellie, a NYU graduate student and Steven, a professor at a nearby prep school are excitedly celebrating their sixth month dating anniversary by taking their first three day weekend getaway. When the couple arrives at their destination, a luxurious and very secluded rental home in a scenic wooded area by the ocean they just want to take some time to get to know each other a little better. Ellie wants to express her true, hearfelt feelings to Steven while he also has a surprise in store since he decided that Ellie is "The One", so they now have three full days to just flourish in their newfound love. Shortly after arriving they both begin to hear strange and creepy noises that they can't really identify but then they shrug it off while sometimes wondering if someone is watching them and possibly hiding somewhere nearby or even in the house. The couple are having a blissful time while the snow is continuously falling down until sometime on day two when something unforseen occurs and since there is no cell reception or a landline available they haven't any way of contacting any outside help especially when they found their car was also inoperable. The couple will now be in a brutal and devastating fight for their lives while possibly not even staying alive to tell their story.

This book was crazy good although a little long-winded at times. The characters were believable yet unlikable while keeping horrible secrets from their pasts that will need to be revealed. The storytelling and the writing are excellent giving a complete inside view to who these two people really are although it takes a little too long to get to the down and dirty. There was a hint of the paranormal and I'm still puzzled whether that was really taking place or just hallucinations from their delusional fears that seemed to make the couple completely irrational and out of control but I appreciated this extra element of fear that the author included in this book. Another point that is a pet peeve of mine was this was an American couple living in New York but they constantly referred to their sweaters as "jumpers" and the car windshield as a "windscreen" which is the way of speaking in the UK not in the US. This may not be a problem for many readers but it bothers me since I love reading UK books and enjoy the many differences in their dialogue and being from the US, I know the words which we would normally be speaking although this didn't affect the enjoyment of the story, it was just something that always bothered me. This was a very dark and ugly at times slowburn of a thriller that could possibly be upsetting to certain people so readers should be aware of any trigger warnings may come across in any reviews. I also want to commend the author for including at the end of her book her personal reasons for writing this story and including several lists of resources for sexual and domestic abuse victims.

Trigger Warnings: Violence, sexual assault, statutory rape, domestic and sexual abuse, suicide


I want to thank the publisher "Grand Central Publishing" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this novel a rating of 3 1/2 DARK AND DISTURBING 🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

I was drawn in by the suspense-thriller premise of a couple alone in the woods in the middle of winter, and terror ensues. This book just didn't deliver any thrills or chills for me. I sensed from the overuse of gore in the opening that disappointment was on the horizon, and it was. The characters had zero complexity and the mystery of the alternating POVs was not compelling. This felt more like an outline for a book than an actual story.

When I saw Nobody by Us by Laure Van Rensburg described as part The Guest List, part The Girl Before, I knew I had to read it! There are two unlikeable characters here, Steven is a professor and Ellie is a grad student. They have headed to a secluded home for a romantic weekend away but each of them has an ulterior motive…

When Ellie and her boyfriend Steven take their first trip together, what starts as an idyllic weekend soon takes a darker turn, as it quickly becomes apparent that each of them harbors secrets—and that one of those secrets is deadly.

Ellie is an NYU grad student, timid but fiercely intelligent, and eager for the perfect weekend away with her boyfriend. Steven is a wealthy and privileged professor at Barnard College. His and Ellie’s relationship has stirred up envy among the teachers in his academic circle.

When they head out for their romantic break, they’re both excited to get to know each other better away from prying eyes. But when a snowstorm strands them in the house, they begin to realize that neither of them is quite who they say they are—and that one of them won’t escape the weekend alive.

This is a very tense and atmospheric read! Out now so go read it!

I’m so surprised this is a debut. I really enjoyed it and will definitely read more books by this author.

This is a psychological thriller and contains the requisite eerie and atmospheric setting, and I think if you enjoy a locked room thriller with a dark side, you should pick this one up.

My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a bit of a slow burn, but I enjoyed it. There were a few twists I did not see coming and that kept me interested in the story.

Ellie is a graduate student at NYU. Steven is a professor. Naturally, they meet and fall hard for each other. As they embark on a romantic three day getaway, we realize that not all is as ideally as it seems. Both our main characters are keeping secrets. BIG secrets. It is difficult to tell too much without giving away spoilers. But, I will tell you that this is a fast-paced, beautifully written thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC.

The kind of book you can’t put down but also want to last forever. This was so well written. I was hooked from the first page!

I am usually a big fan of locked in mysteries and slow burn mysteries but when paired together I don’t know if it’s the best combo. When there are so few characters in the locked in portion of it, the plot and conversations feel repetitive and in the end get a little boring. I do like the message the author was trying to get across and hidden secrets of dark academia, but overall it was just ok!

I like the idea of this book, but wish it was written differently. I found the writing to be too descriptive and there was not enough character development. Both main characters were really unlikable and overall the book was just too long for me. I enjoyed the creepy, middle of nowhere and trapped in the middle of winter vibes. The “me too” dedication was an important touch to the whole book as well.

Read this if you like:
▪️ Unreliable narrators
▪️ Trapped and no way out thrillers
▪️ Winter
▪️ Revenge books

“Nobody But Us” is a book I was very excited to dive into. From the cover to the description I had high hopes for it being a deeply suspenseful read. Unfortunately, it had/has such high potential to be a spine chilling story, but it didn’t ever get ‘there’.

The writing itself is impeccable…….the length and the meandering is far too much to get through though. At about 60% I started skimming a little. At about 70% something I started reading only diologue. At about 82 percent I skipped full pages and at about 95% I wanted to see the conclusion. I did read the conclusion and this book is wonderful…….if much of the middle is taken out.

Highly atmospheric and written so well you can see everything so vividly. Unfortunately, it’s not just a slow burn, it’s just too long winded (for lack of a better word at the moment) and you starting getting antsy.

If the story had been gutted in the middle it would be one which I’d undoubtedly be recommending to everyone everywhere. As it is now, I can recommend it to anyone who likes a lot of descriptions and doesn’t mind a slow read. Even after reading most of it and being disappointed in the extraneous pages, I’m thrilled I had a chance to read it and this author is easily on my look out list.

Thank you very much to @NetGalley @GrandCentralPub and the author Laure Van Rensburg, for the opportunity to read this book. I hope this author sees much success because it would be very well deserved. The writing quality screams the the authors incredible is talent…..Beautiful and that cover…..love it!

#2022BookReleases #2022ThrillerInFiction #NobodyButUs

3.5-4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cut out areas between 60% to 82%, imho, and it’s easily a 5 star rating.

The writing was both delicious and long winded. Writers in any suspense genre must cut out their purple prose as it bogs down the story and slide the plot. It this was achingly slow. Although I dig a good deal of skimming, I still managed to get entertained. This will be a good locked room thriller/mystery when an editor goes through and cuts out the poetry.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg is a revenge thriller masquerading as a domestic thriller. The story revolves around Ellie and Steven, who are on a romantic couple's retreat together, but they soon discover secrets about each other. This may sound like the beginning of a domestic thriller, but it's really not. Ellie is a college student, and Steven is a literature professor at Barnard. I would definitely read the trigger warnings if I were you, especially if you're triggered by things like age gaps, statutory offenses, or sexual assault.

Here is a dark excerpt from the Prologue:

"The house will tell them what happened. Everything here tells a story. The truth will set you free, they say.
They’re wrong.
It begins with the silent heartbeat of blue lights pulsing through the windows, before the outside world invades the space with thuds and footsteps. Through the open front door cold sneaks in and rushes up the stairs. The house shudders and comes to life.
It spreads with voices, which shatter the silence further. Gradually, a few words rise through the pandemonium of noises—victim, unresponsive,,, But this? This is what animals do to each other—and in the bowels of the forest, not in some fancy house. What’s happened here stains the carpet and the walls with red and reeks. He closes his eyes, but the images cling to him, trapped behind his lids. They follow him as he heads back downstairs. All around, the house unfolds like a scene in a Penny Dreadful."

Overall, Nobody But Us is a revenge thriller that will appeal to fans of the movies Promising Young Woman or Final Girl. When I read the description, I thought that this book would be about a couple discovering dark secrets about each other. I had no idea how dark this book would be - to the point of making me feel dirty while reading. There are plenty of sexual references and violent scenes. Although I understand the point that the author was trying to make about a real-life issue that deserves more attention, this was really not what enjoy reading about when I'm reading a book. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of really dark thrillers, then you can check out this book, which is available now.