Snappy Suspense..
A new chapter for Abi also signals a new chapter for Jo - despite the ups and down along the way the two are steadfast friends. Aren’t they? Is something unexpected and unpleasant simmering between the two or is someone else trying to upset the applecart? A series of bizarre occurrences soon has everyone in their friendship group on edge. Short and snappy suspense which explores the potential for toxicity in relationships of any kind.

The Ex Between Us is a fast paced thriller. Abi and Jo were best friends since junior high. Every girl had a crush on Cal, who got Abi pregnant. Abi and Cal moved away to raise their son together and Jo as godmother follows them. Everything seems perfect with Abi and Jo’s friendship but we quickly see things have been simmering for awhile and things aren’t so perfect as at first glance. This one was a page turner as we try to unravel what’s going on and figure out exactly what was going on. I did figure out a few things early, and feel that the twists at the end could’ve packed a bigger punch as I didn’t feel completely satisfied with the ending but overall I enjoyed this one.

At first, this book drove me crazy how the main characters thought EVERYONE they knew was a suspect. Halfway through the book, Jo kinda drove me insane lol. Personally, I was not a big fan of the writing style. I felt there was a lot of over-explaining and a lot of thoughts being repeated over and over. I get it “Cal isn’t great for Jo” I understand it’s important but it was mentioned so many times and described so many times that it personally got annoying.
It took me a while to get through the first half of the book, the second half was much better but at this point, I didn't care much about the characters. I'm giving this book 3 stars, mainly because the second half got much more interesting.

*Mini SPOILER*

We get to the “twists” and the problem isn’t that I was able to predict the main twist from the start. The problem I found was that if I’m reading the POV of a certain character, why must that character lie to “the reader”??? It’s not my favorite thing in books.

I didn’t hate the ending I just didn’t love it either.

This book is described on the cover as a “totally gripping psychological thriller packed with suspense” but this felt anything but a thriller packed with suspense. Marsh made Jo so whiny and repetitive. If I was to cut out all the similar sentences and paragraphs, at least a fourth of the book would have been cut down, if not more. The book felt less about an “ex between” people, and more about jealousy between best friends. Jo seemed to have never grow up – she felt very immature for a person in their 30s. The prologue was well done, and it is a pretty easy, fast read, but I expected more from the book.

At first, this took a while to get started. Once things started happening the pace picked up moving steadily along. The last 30% or so was cool amped with suspenseful twists. The ending was totally unexpected. I liked everything about thus book except the pacing and writing style. A darn good thriller.

Wow, alot of twists and turns. I loved the story and the writing was top notch but sadly I didn't like the characters which turned me off from the story.

Thanks for the arc Bookouture and Netgalley. Love your books Bookouture as you know.

My thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Ex Between Us. Honestly it seemed like it was written for young adults. I stayed with this because I like the authors other books and I have to admit the ending was Crazy. Did NOT expect what happened to happen. If only the whole book was as tense as the last few chapters but all in all a fast read and I’m glad I stayed with it.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book. Will be looking for other work from this author

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an Advanced Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book will appeal to ladies who cringe a little bit when they remember the girl drama that occurred in high school. Maybe you felt it, maybe you saw it, but this book is a bit of a cautionary tale of what could happen if you don’t leave that girl drama back where it belonged.

In this story, we have two best friends who have stuck to each other since “mending their fences” at high school graduation. What were they fighting about in grade 12? A new boy arrived at school and everybody wanted him. Jo certainly did and she called dibs so she was obviously offended when Abigail slept with him. So why did they make up? Well Abigail’s night of lust / betrayal / curiosity resulted in a pregnancy and Abigail and everybody’s high school crush give birth to a baby boy on graduation day and Abi asked Jo to be godmother.

After high school, the young couple and their baby are gifted a house and move to the country to raise their boy. Jo tags along and the reader assumes that the 18 years went by smoothly (ish). I found this part very unbelievable but I remembered I was reading fiction and I just accepted this and moved on.

The story really takes place 18 years later. Baby boy is all grown up and is off to university. Abi and the hottie have basically given up their relationship (coparenting with benefits), Jo is flirting dangerously with same hottie and somebody is sabotaging Abi’s home and career and tagging Jo’s house with threats. Two more girls from high school happen to be in town and Abi finds love again on her first trip to the bar and it is anybody’s guess who is to blame and is their motivation revenge sex, or lust for more?

All in all, I found this book fast paced and enjoyable and liked the extra push for character development at the end. I rate this book a 4 and think there is enough teenage angst remaining in these 30 somethings that most ladies will relate or remember.

I would like to report that recently that I celebrated my 30 year high school reunion- once with the ladies that were my best friends and another time with an expanded group of ladies that we liked to mix it up with in high school. We have utmost respect for each other and admire the strong willed girls we were and the badass bosses we became. Take this as a grain of wisdom - what happens in high school should stay in high school!

Congratulations to the author as this book will publish August 12, 2022 and who’s! Look at her published works - she has written just a massive amount of books! I think this is book #89!

So much went down in this story! Abi and Jo have been "best friends" since they were kids. Jo is the Godmother to Abi and Cal's son. Jo is also immature and stuck in the past. And honestly, Abi isn't much better.

The Ex Between Us is told from both their perspectives, both now and in the past. Both ladies are terrible people. I have loved all of Nicola Marsh's thrillers but found this one disappointing. It was a quick and easy read and the story idea was a good one, but it felt messy - so much going on between the two main characters.

One other note is I know Nicola Marsh is Australian. This is the first book of hers that I felt was out of place being set in California but did not feel like it was California, or even really American?. Hard to describe it! There was some wording that I remember thinking "that is not something an American would say".

I'm going to give this one 3 stars and keep my eyes peeled for Nicolas next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot going on in this book right from the beginning. What I found a little distracting however, was the changing points of view and time periods all at the same moment. I liked parts of it though because it gave the reader more insight on our main characters' inner thoughts. The writing style also gave the reader glimpses of our main characters' (Abi and her best friend Jo's) relationship as it laid out the secrets that once tore them apart. The book is all about the girls friendship and how close they are. However when a dangerous secret comes back from their past to haunt the friends once more as adults their actions become more devious, and long hidden resentment in the women lead to terrible intentions. While there was a lot going on in this book I enjoyed ever moment and couldn't wait to find out all the twists. I loved how well written both Abi and Jo's characters were. As a reader you really felt invested in their friendship and their little flaws made them human. Both of the main characters were so very different but both written so well that you couldn't help but love both of them even if you didn't love their actions. With so many twists in this book I couldn't put it down, however that was to be expected with Nicola Marsh. This amazing thriller writer can do no wrong in my eyes and this book goes to prove it yet again. Clear your schedule with this book because once the pages start turning you will never want this book to end. Great read, (as expected) and I cannot wait to read her next one.

Fantastic read as we follow the friendship of dual timelines of Jo and Abi as we navigate the timeline of past and present. Right away, you can tell something is off with Jo as she holds a deep resentment of Abi and some of Abi's past choices, yet Jo seems to be the devoted friend.

The book goes back in time and you see how Jo becomes how she is, however this does not excuse her behavior, but you can see life has not always been easy for her.

There are many twists and turns in the book, one I saw coming, however many I did not see. I am a huge fan of Nicola Marsh and this one seals the deal.

Disaster Movie That Spins On Its Head To Leave You Breathless. This tale starts like a disaster movie - people living their normal, complicated lives. Slowly the tension builds, with small weird or disturbing events that seem off but not particularly dangerous. Marsh eventually elevates the danger, and this is when the more suspense/ thriller part kicks in. In the end, the reader is left breathless and yet still questioning of certain things... which this particular reader always enjoys. An excellent tale excellently crafted and told. Very much recommended.

This book is very well written. It had alot of twist and turns in it. I just didn't gel with it as much as I had hoped as I would. Because on paper it really did sound like it would be right up my street. However I just never got into it. But I do wish the author much luck with it.

Well that was fun! We are following the friendship between Jo and Abi. They are best friends since the beginning of junior high. Abi gets pregnant at 17 and her life doesn’t fall apart. Jo’s life has been less adventurous. She has basically followed Abi around for most of it. Then Abi meets a guy and weird things start to happen to her and Jo. Is it the new fella? Is it someone from the past? Or is it someone closer to them? I did finally figure out what was happening but it was later in the book and I appreciated the other surprises! I enjoyed the ride! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

It appears I am in the minority on this novel; had it not been an ARC, I would not have finished it.

I disliked the characters. Abigal came across as insipid and Cal's doormat for 18 years. Jo had such paranoia and insecurity - how has she hidden this for 18 plus years? How did she manage to hold a grudge for 18 years?

The plot line stretched credulity in my mind - the actions of the characters were unrealistic (ie: Abi sleeps with Noah, knowing he is in cahoots with Jo. Really?) And to suddenly spring on the reader that Abi knew all along because she purchased hidden cameras. Simply made me roll my eyes.

The best thing about the plot: Overall characters paid for their dastardly deeds.

As this remains unpublished/new release, I won't post to Goodreads/Amazon or my Facebook groups.

"A helping hand can support just as easily as shove you off the edge of a cliff. I trust my friends. I think they have my back. Instead, they stick a knife in it."

The Ex Between Us is a page-turning psychological thriller focused on a set of best friends, Abi and Jo, and the mysterious threats that come upon them both. The story is set in present day California and told from both the main characters POV with various chapters going back in time to give us a glimpse of the characters back stories and the evolution of their friendship over time.

The book starts off a bit slow and repetitious, but once the author finds her footing - the story absolutely takes off. The reader is one edge and left guessing who to trust through out the entire story and hit with multiple plot twists that have you second guessing everything you believed. I loved the character development throughout the book and how everything came together seamlessly in the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to anyone who is a lover of psychological thrillers!

Thank you to Net Galley, Bookouture and Nicola Marsh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture, and Nicola Marsh for the ARC of The Ex Between Us. Best friends: one who seems to have it all, looks, friendly, great family, popular, guys, sweet, & everyone loves her. One who doesn’t have it all, black sheep, not many friends, & not popular. They become best friends when Abi helps Jo when someone is picking on her! Inseparable until Abi gets pregnant by Jo’s crush by mistake. They make up when the baby is born & Abi asks Jo to be his godmother but Abi doesn’t know that Jo still has feelings for Cal. Alternate chapters take us back to their school days around the time Abi got pregnant and present day narrated by each of the main characters. This is one of those reads that you begin quite comfortably with and as the pages turn the suspense and tension build. Both Jo and Abi have their nuances, as do we all, and look at life slightly differently to each other. There's that something you can't quite put your finger on which keeps the pages easily turning. A sense of something wrong, something perhaps buried deep. The plot is fast-paced with many twists, and it was fun trying to figure them out. The end was perfect and unexpected. I am so glad that I discovered Nicola Marsh and I cannot wait to read more of her books.

From the beginning I was invested in the characters. I couldn’t put this down and thought about it when I wasn’t ready. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and didn’t see many of the events coming. Exactly what a thriller/mystery is all about!

I absolutely love a domestic thriller that is dramatic and maybe even a little over the top in a soap opera kind of way and this one delivered on all fronts! There was lots of unreliability, seriously as it flipped back and forth between Jo and Abi’s perspective I had no idea who was telling the truth or lying. Maybe both? Such a mindfuck in the best way. I sped through this really fast because I couldn’t stop reading, give me all the drama and I’m entertained. It was juicy and surprising and while I did figure out one twist only right before it happened it didn’t bother me in the slightest because this was the best popcorn thriller I’ve read in awhile! Definitely would be ideal to read by the pool this summer.