Wowsers this was a ride and a half. Really enjoyable though!

Abi and Jo have been best friends for years ever since their school days and have always been there for each other through thick and thin. Abi’s life hadn’t turned out the way she planned it when she got unexpectedly pregnant at 17 years old to the popular boy, Cal McFee, everyone fancied at school including Jo. However, her son, Rob, is her life and with Cal stepping up as a father (albeit more a co parent than an actual partner for Abi) and Jo by her side, raising Rob wasn’t as hard as she expected. Abi, Cal and Jo joined a tight friendship bond along with Cal’s friend Tom. Now Rob is leaving for university Abi worries about being an empty nester however on the night that Rob leaves when Abi is out for drinks with Jo to cheer herself up, she meets Noah who is certainly the man who can take her mind off Rob leaving, but is he too good to be true? Cal has been out of her life for a while drifting back in here and there but is Noah really her soulmate?! Jo has always loved Abi since the first time she met her, and Abi stood up to the class bully for Jo. Jo was upset when Abi managed to snag Cal but soon transferred her affections onto someone else, Tom and she has a plan to make him finally realise she is the woman for him. However, with both Abi and Jo hiding secrets from each other, can they really trust each other as best friends should?

This was such a good story and definitely had me gripped. I was hooked early on, and I felt an uncurrent of malice from Jo right from the beginning. I wasn’t really sure which characters I could trust which set a really good tone for the whole book. I thought it was a great exploration of when best friends aren’t who they seem and whom don’t have your back even despite the friendship being years old. It also explored deep obsessions and how far some people will go to get what they perceive is “rightly theres”. I think the phrase “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer” is just perfect for this book!

Another great offering from Nicola Marsh, her books are a gift, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Highly recommend this one, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicola Marsh and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

A great twisty read that keeps you guessing all the way through. A fascinating set of characters too. Really enjoyed it.

3.5 rounded up to 4⭐️

Jo & Abi have been best friends since highschool, except for one short period of time. Once Abi’s son moves away for school, she falls in love with a guy she met in a bar. Around the same time, both Abi & Jo start getting threatening messages at their houses. Someone is trying to scare them, but who is it and why are they doing it?

I would only consider the very end of this story to be a thriller, the rest is better described as women’s fiction. That isn’t a bad thing - it still kept me entertained. It was a really quick read, was engaging and had short chapters.

I really didn’t enjoy the premise of the background story. This isn’t really a spoiler because it’s mentioned at the beginning of the story - but multiple girls are fighting over a guy. It just kind of makes my eyes roll. But I understand it’s something that happens in real life.

Overall, I thought the book was decent! But I didn’t find the “thriller” portion to be anything special. If you’re anticipating a crazy physiological thriller, this one may not be for you. But the story is still good!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a twisted book! I kept second guessing everyone and everything. I did wish for a greater sense of urgency towards the middle of the book, though.

This is a good book, but a few things keep it from being one of the better ones by this author. Told from two different points of view, it unfolds in the past and the present. The setup is good, and I liked that I was kept guessing. My theories kept changing, and sometimes I was right when I thought I was wrong. However, I didn’t like that Abi and Jo seemed to be stuck in high school mode, even as they laughed at others who they think are. Jo repeats herself, although I like that she is not a reliable narrator. I also can’t stand it when an author doesn’t take the time to get the proper slang for the locations of the characters. That being said, it’s still a good psych thriller, and I still really like this author. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

Wow a brilliant book
Fantastic read
Some great twists
This book will have you hooked you won’t want to put it down
Thanks NetGalley

There was lots I liked about this book, the short snappy chapters and the multiple pov and the premise, but I found the plot hard to believe. For me a grudge being held from school to this degree just wasn't believable. It also felt like more women's fiction than a thriller. This one wasn't for me, but I will read more from this author as I have loved her previous books.
.

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining story, quite a rollercoaster of a ride full of lots of twisty turn. Slowly the tension builds with both characters Abi and Jo coming across both likable and unlikable while you try to woek out who is acting and who is not.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy of this book. Also thanks to my bookclub friends, Irena, Ani, Gaby and Julianna for agreeing to my choice of the November bookclub read.
This book is marketed as a thriller, which is my favourite genre but as I read through it became obvious to me that is much more women's fiction. And it seemed to be quite comparable in style to Jane Fallon's books. While this could be a good compliment, it would be more of a compliment if the book was categorised as women's fiction because I felt a little duped into reading what I was told would be thriller. I suppose the ending can be categorised as thriller, but to me it didn't seem to quite fit to the rest of the story.

2 friends Jo and Abi have been friends forever. Seemingly the best of friends as Jo is Godmother to Abi's son and is as much a part of their lives as humanly possible. Jo moved house to be close to them and help out in any way she could. But is all as it seems. This book is so full of toxic relations and hidden feelings about each other.

The title The Ex Between Us is very apt as Jo's ex Callan is the guy that every girl had a crush on in high school. Of course this includes Jo. Callan is still in all their lives, so the premise of the story is in the title.

I didn't find any of the characters likeable. But I don't find that a bad thing as I often say in my reviews, if the author can make us feel anything for a character then that is a good thing.

For me the end was a bit to crazy in comparison to the rest of the book. It was like it suddenly had to live up to the thriller category.

I did enjoy this book, and I would read the author again, I just would prefer more accurate categorisation.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The twist did take me by surprise,as I thought I had it figured out, but I didn't. The writing style was easy to read, and I liked the back and forth from past to present to help understand the characters and their actions and motivations.
I did feel this book moved more slowly than other thrillers I have read, I prefer a more fast paced story. At times, the story got repetitive. Several events are repeated a lot and I did stop to check that I hadn't gone back a few chapters accidentally on my kindle.
I rarely this book a solid 3 and would recommend it

All I can say is WOW! This had me glued to the pages from the start and it didn't let go, I was just waiting for the bomb to go off and when it did I was completely shocked. The ending was unpredictable and unexpected. A brilliant physcological thriller. I highly recommend reading this one. Thank you netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are solely my own.

The best of friends keep the deadliest secrets…
For as long as I can remember, Jo has been my best friend. From high school to adulthood, we have gone through everything together. Even when a foolish mistake led me to betray her in the worst way with her high school crush, she forgave me.
She’s godmother to my son and our lives are totally intertwined. I’ve always wanted the best for her and she for me. So when I introduce Jo to my new boyfriend Noah, I need to know that she approves. How could she not? Noah is kind, attentive and loves me for who I am.
Over a delicious dinner, Noah raises a toast to us and our future together. It should be a happy moment but against the flickering candlelight I see Jo’s face pale. She’s always been protective of me and as Noah clutches my hand, I force her reaction to the back of my mind.
But later Jo tells me that someone is threatening her and she fears for her life. And all too soon, the threats land at my door too. At first it’s small things: my precious roses destroyed, my mail sabotaged. But when I receive a note saying, “I want your life,” I’m terrified.
Someone wants to cause me harm. They’re prepared to take everything I love. But are they closer to me than I could have ever imagined?

#TheExBetweenUs#NetGalley
By: Nicola Marsh

A time slip book moving from the past to the present in the lives of the main characters. Two girls, one dysfunctional and skewered in her perception of normal life who harbors deep envy toward her more popular friend. The love/hate relationship continues into adult life when both become interested in the same boy/man.
The disturbed girl rationalizes her behavior which leads to murderous tendencies.
The book is well written. It is more of a dark story than a mystery since we follow both characters' motivations and thoughts.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. If it wasn't for the last 10percent of this book being good, I would have given it one star. I felt like I was reading a YA book and it was not a psychological thriller until the end. So much repetition in the book. The two main characters are women in their mid 30's who talk about guys like they are still in high school.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Ex Between Us by Nicola Marsh from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. OMG OMG OMG! This book was impossible for me to stop reading as it will absolutely draw you in and keep you up until late in the night. You will be shocked by the ending!
So darn good! Read this ASAP!

The Ex Between Us by Nicola Marsh was excellent and kept me gripped from the beginning and guessing till the end, This latest book by Nicola is full of great twists and turns that will have you gripped and sitting in the edge of your chair!!! So be warned its brilliant!! so no planing your day........You will be wanting to find out what happens next!

When Abigail and Jo who are best of friends and they have been best friends since their high school days. But, they have some deadliest secrets between them and these secrets have to stay hidden from everyone! They must never come out! they have so much to loose. WoW!

I highly recommend this book its brilliant!

Big Thank you to Nicola Marsh, NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Ex Between Us in exchange for an honest review.

This book explores friendship, mistakes, and what happens when grudges just never go away. Jo has a crush on Callan, but everything changes when Abi gets pregnant, by non other than Callan. Despite this, Jo stays friends with Abi and Cal, becoming their son’s godmother. But Jo’s crush on Cal never quite goes away, and the friendship is forever changed by this.

I found the book to be a bit predictable, but also entirely a fun read. I wish there had been more lead up, because it felt like a bullet train you knew would crash, but couldn’t stop watching. Overall it is a solid read with good dialogue and likable characters

Abi and Jo have been friends since school. Abi's life is set to change as her son goes off to college and Jo is ready to support her at this difficult time. But Jo has plans to move her own life forward and it involves Ali's ex making her love interest Tom jealous...
The Ex Between Us is a domestic drama and psychological thriller set in America. It centres around female friendship, unrequited love, and facing the future.
The two main characters Ali and Jo are firm friends but they have overcome issues that threatened their friendship in the past. In their teens, Jo was mad with unrequited love for Callan but Ali slept with him during a drunken party and became pregnant. Now they are a foursome of friends and Jo has set her sights on Tom so uses Callan to make him jealous. Meanwhile Ali has the chance of a new relationship.
In a separate plotline, Jo's property is being vandalised and Ali's work is being sabotaged. They feel threatened and anxious which was very easy to relate to. Two mean girls from the past are the main suspects but the friends need to find proof as the incidents escalate. There is plenty of mystery, and the drama and thriller elements are maintained until the end.
The book is mostly written from three alternating perspectives: Ali and Jo in the present day and Jo in the past. All are written in the first person so we experience their emotions directly. The final quarter of the book was packed with twists, some of which I anticipated and others that surprised me completely.
The Ex Between Us was thoroughly entertaining.

Wow this book keeps you guessing until the very last moment!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters were incredible. It’s extremely well written and the plot twist; I did not see coming at all.
Highly recommend and cannot want to read more.

4 Forgiveness Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
So The concept of forgiveness has been thought of, written about, and lived since the beginning of time. Does it really happen to those who were hurt...the ones who errored and did the hurt, can they ever forgive themselves and believe all is good...

These are only a few ideas that could torture those involved. The Ex Between Us by Nicola Marsh masterfully looks at this quandary and extends it to the max making it a compelling tale.

Ooh time goes by and if i don't write the review right away...sigh. I'm trying to be better. The best i can do right now is give a star count...