Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for being able to read this in exchange for honest feedback.

Between Us is the first book that I have read by Mhairi McFarlane. I wanted to love this book. But I really struggled with it from the start., I almost had to mark this as a DNF through the first half. However, the second half way so much more entertaining.

The story follows Roisin while she is working through the end of a decade long relationship with Joe. The characters have all been friends for that long and it’s interesting to see how their relationship have changed along the way. Like in any group of friends, the dynamic changes over time, and I liked that this book shows that. The character development of Roisin is wonderful to read. I did enjoy the second half and the romance and happy ending of the story. Overall, I’d give this one 2.5 stars but I rounded up because the ending really did redeem part of the book.

Mhairi McFarlane is very likely my favorite contemporary author and getting a review copy and pre-ordering the UK version is just how I roll, thank you @harpercollins for the review copy!

BETWEEN US by Mhairi McFarlane has token Mhairi components including emotional catharsis. After Roison sees a painful moment of her past play out on screen in the newest detective show from writer boyfriend, Joe, she questions everything she ever told him…including her feelings about him. This breach of trust sets off a detective moment for Roison as she tries to discover if her boyfriend of a decade is closer to the narcissistic cheater portrayed in Joe’s newest show.

While the betrayal during a long term relationship felt a little monotonous and similar to other books, I didn’t hate it because it’s honestly more true to life than we’d like to admit because, say it with me, men are trash pandas. McFarlane builds a fantastic friend group with nuances and deep love for one another which has become part of her token charm as a writer; I always love the friends in her books.

What I loved most about this book is that I think it struck a perfect balance of true to life situations—men are terrible, trust no one—and beautifully fictional comeuppance and understanding from different characters. You get great dialogue in difficult situations which I loved even if that part felt a bit more fictional than factual to life.

I love Mhairi. I will always love Mhairi. The worst part about finishing is waiting a year for the next one.

Book publishes in US Aug 8!

Roisin's life starts unraveling when she discovers her long-term boyfriend has used parts of her life as key elements in the plot of his new hit TV series. His dismissal of it being a breach of their private life leads to a breakup.

As a teacher, she's on summer break and trying to pick-up the pieces of her life while she helps her over-the-top mom save her pub. An unexpected long-time friend becomes her confidante.

Matt is between jobs and joins her helping out at the pub. As they work together to create ambience at the pub for a big event in town toward gaining new customers, Roisin learns Matt is not the playboy he's allowed their group of friends to think he is.

A mysterious woman is key to Roisin sorting the lies with her ex, and she's on the trail. As the pieces of the puzzle fit together, Matt is there to support her. There's a spark between them, but is it worth risking their friendship?

This slow burn friends-to-love romance is a great read set in England.

received a netgalley from the publisher

This was a great book. Entertaining and well-written, it grabbed my attention and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this book and will continue to be on the lookout for books by this author.

Mhairi always manages to write a unique and page-turning story.
I've read all of her books and have been a huge fan of her writing, and I always want to be friends with her clever, witty characters.

This story is no different.
I won't rehash the blurb or give any spoilers, but I enjoyed how the story unfolded and how it had me wondering, along with Roison (pronounced rho-sheen), how much of Joe's TV show was fiction.

I couldn't stop reading and had to know how it would end.
I bought the audiobook and enjoyed listening to the story again in a British accent.

I can't wait to see what her talented brain will write for us next.

Mhairi McFarlanes novel Between Us is a story about listening to and believing your own voice. Main character Roisin is a capable and likable schoolteacher who resides with her longtime writer boyfriend Joe. As his career takes off and his TV shows reflect heavily on incidents that seem a little too close to their lives Roisin takes a hard look at their relationship. The Brian club, their group of friends and the couples families round out the cast of characters.
This story spends a great deal of time on Roisins toxic relationship with Joe and his ability to influence the way she looks at things. Only when she breaks free does she get to see the wonderful people around her. I would have liked a little more time spent on the handsome and kind Matt and less on our mean boy Joe. Still kudos to a story that has a woman break out of a gaslighting situation and come out stronger. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the preview read.

After a weekend with her friends leads to not only a falling out among a few of her friends, but also a breakup with her boyfriend, it’s safe to say Roisin’s life is a bit messy. As she returns to her hometown to stay with her mom for a bit, Roisin can’t help but wonder what other secrets will unfold about her relationship, and she is surprised to see which friend shows up for her in an unexpected way.

Mhairi McFarlance writes some of the best characters - they are complex with many layers and feel so real. This book was no different, from Roisin to the side characters, there were so many pieces and twists to uncover about their lives. They were flawed and relatable and I loved seeing how this story played out.

Thanks to Avon Books for the gifted copy.

I really wanted to get into this one, but something wasn't clicking for me. It felt slow and I couldn't really connect with any of the characters in the way I wanted to. There was real potential for me to enjoy this author, so I will definitely check out McFarlane's other books.

It's entirely possible this book deserves more than the 3.5 stars I'm giving it, but I am so over stories where the seemingly smart and capable female lead refuses to see what's in front of her and act, simply because she's afraid of disturbing the status quo.
Roisin and Joe have been together for years. She stood by and supported him while he started his screenwriting career. Now, Joe is known as the creator of one of the biggest hits on BBC with a new, much-hyped show coming. The thing is that in the last year, since the fame and the pressures of following it up, has seen them get farther and farther apart, even if Joe won't admit it. It takes spending a weekend with their longtime friends and seeing things told in secret displayed for the world in Joe's drama to force Joe into accepting that things might truly be over.
It touches on some good points about emotional trauma from the past affecting adult decisions. It also shows growth and healing when one takes the giant step of moving on. These are all points I really enjoyed, but I could never get over how wishy-washy the heroine is. Roisin is always described as the bold and brave one, but she's always doubting and afraid to do things. I understand it's a big part of character growth and showing that you don't always have to be the strong one, it just annoyed me. Especially because it's clear as day the kind of guy Joe is from the very beginning.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the early read!

As a fan of the author, I was excited to dive into this one. Sadly, this did not live up to her previous work for me. That being said, I will still be waiting patiently for her next book to be released because I am still a fan of her writing. This just wasn’t for me but I’m sure it will be for loads of others. I miss her typical wry humor and love stories. This was gaslighting and breakups and cheating and toxicity. Not what I go to Mhairi for.
Rosie and Joe meet while working at a bookstore years ago and begin dating. Then Rosie goes on to being working as a teacher and supports Joe as he struggles to pursue his dream of being a writer. He finally gets his big break when his screenplay gets made into a Netflix series and it changes their lives immediately. They have a party to watch the pilot and celebrate their friends engagement but as they watch the show, Rosie realizes that he has written about their most private parts of their lives without her permission. And there’s a bomb thrown in her face as well-the main character is a liar and a cheater-if everything else is based on their life, does that mean that he is based on Joe as well and Joe is a liar and a cheat?
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Mhairi McFarlene is truly one of my top 5 favorite authors. The way she writes you just know you are in for a good time. You’ll laugh, cry, gasp, and in the end want more. Not to mention the way she handles difficult situations or topics is *chef’s kiss* Her newest book is once again amazing and I was so invested in the story and it’s perfect ending.

Today is pub day so go get a copy!!! Thank you Mhairi, Avon Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity of an advanced copy.

My first Mhairi McFarlane book and I just could not connect with Rosin. I was excited to read a book by this author. It was a little too slow paced for me, as I was reading I felt like kept missing information. I ended up skimming through the 75% of the book. Maybe it was the British slang that had me stumped.

Between Us was a fun mix of friendship, love, and a little mystery. I fully expected to go further in depth with the show (not just 3 episodes) and did find some of the history with the friend group lacking. The end was a little too insta-love and forgiveness for me but it was an enjoyable read. The setting of her mother's pub and the time spent there was my favorite.

“Between Us” shares a different perspective than most other romantic fiction books I’ve read before because it focus on the difficult ending of the protagonist’s relationship with her long term boyfriend. While getting to know Roisin, we are also getting to know the life and boyfriend where she’s felt stuck which is an interesting way to begin a book. I enjoyed this book overall and loved getting to know her friends, especially her next love interest. I empathized with Roisin as she discovered horrible things about her ex-boyfriend. This part of the story had a feeling of “Bridget Jones Diary” which I was initially annoyed with but ended up being mostly charming and made you root for Roisin. I appreciated getting to read this book.

I am an avid fan and reader of Mhairi McFarlane. This wasn’t my favorite, although I did like it in the end. Opening scene finds us at a mansion with the central group of the story, and I found myself wondering if I was embarking on a murder mystery venture due to the lack of direction. It was a slow-moving story that lacked a central plot. Yet, I’d still read her next book.

It is quintessentially British. This wasn't my first book by Mhairi Mcfarlane and it won't be my last. She writes the perfect cozy, British, rainy day, 'snuggle up with cat' book.

Rosin's boyfriend has new tv show airing and she can't help but pull parallels from their life to the show on screen. Joe decided to air alllill her dirty laundry and our girl isn't happy one bit.

Without spoilers, I like the mystery aspect of he is/isn't he. The found family friend group was also a nice touch. They were real broken people who were loved deeply anyways.

Read if you like:
Love actually
British humor
Love triangles
Friends to lovers
Found family
Forced Proximity
He falls first
Fat cats

Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for my arc in exchange for my honest review

4.5 Stars

Not your typical romance! When viewing Mhairi McFarlane’s book covers, I always think they are going to be light fluffy romances, but they are always so much more than that. There IS romance, but there’s also complex friendships, deep emotions, dysfunctional families – drama!

The story is told from Roisin’s POV – Roisin and her long-term boyfriend, Joe, go away for the weekend with their friends of 10 years to celebrate a birthday, an engagement, and Joe’s new TV show. The weekend brings tension, revelations, and awkwardness. After the weekend, Roisin goes back to her hometown to help her mother during her teaching break, and starts to reflect and question a lot of things in her life.

I loved this story - the different characters, the mystery, and Roisin finally figuring out exactly who she is and what she wants. There were some girl power moments, and playing detective had my attention immediately. I think the added mystery made me enjoy this book even more, I couldn't put it down!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for this ARC!

First first, HAPPY RELEASE DAY 😘. This book was definitely interesting and the writing style was great! This book does have TW such as gaslighting, drama like stressful ones, etc. The book dives deep of the toxic relationship Roisin was in as well as her character growth (the way the author wrote Roisin's growth was great)! The book also talks about change in the friendship dynamic because Roisin's friend group is also Joe's as well and that trip legit changed everything. This book has more of a focus on FMC and the ex rather than FMC and the love interest if that makes sense and thats because the love interest didn't seem like the main focus of this book? I love how Mhairi's writing takes us on a ride as she uncovers the truth about her relationship with Joe and she realizes the man she was in love with isn't the man she once loved or did she even love him in the first place? The gaslighting and the stress that I felt throughout this book had my jaw dropped! Also Joe and Roisin relationship was 10 years yall like 10 years! I definitely recommend this book!
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🎬 Appreciation 🎬
Thank you Netgalley, Avon and Harper, Mhairi McFarlane, and Tess for this finished copy in exchange for a honest review!

I have like this author's books in the past, but Between Us just didn't work for me.

I struggled to like or relate to any if the characters and there are a lot of side characters. Too many side characters for my taste.

And maybe it was the over abundance of characters that slowed this book down, because the pacing was so slow that I eventually put it down.

Roisin and Joe’s relationship has been rocky for a while. When she finds out he has been using stories for her personal life as plot lines for the new TV show he is writing for, that proves to be the last straw. Roisin soon begins to question whether their whole relationship was built on lies and starts seeking out the truth with the help of one of their mutual friends.

Between Us is contemporary fiction. While there is the element of second-chance romance, the book focuses more on Roisin and her personal journey. Content/Trigger Warnings - there are several points throughout the storyline where abortion is discussed.

In spite of being generally humorous, this author’s books always have at least one sad twist. Mhairi McFarlane has been a favorite of mine since I first found her books. The depth and background she pours into all of her main characters always makes her books stand out. Her sense of humor can be seen throughout the storyline of Between Us. She also never shies away from what could be considered a more difficult topic. I appreciate the sensitivity and realism that goes into writing plots with more controversial subjects.

I look forward to seeing what Mhairi McFarlane has next for her readers!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon!