Mhairi McFarlane's 'Between Us' takes readers on a journey through the vibrant streets of Manchester, adding a touch of familiarity for those who love the city. With memorable scenes set at Deansgate Waterstones, the characters find themselves entangled in a web of relationships and personal growth. Roisin and Matt's dynamic brings an enjoyable depth to the story, and their individual journeys reveal both entertaining and caring sides. While there were some characters that felt privileged and annoying, the book navigates important themes of self-discovery and the consequences of holding onto past relationships. It may take some time to fully engage with the story, but the pages fly by when Roisin and Matt take center stage. 'Between Us' is a satisfying and unexpected tale that explores the complexities of love and personal growth."

* Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I had a hard time with this one, I didn’t really enjoy or side with any of the characters. It was hard to understand and empathize with them when I had a hard time even liking them.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. I did not enjoy this. I get there was lack of character development and I got 15% in and could not find a plot.

I always find it helpful to be reminded that Mhairi’s books aren’t romances in the traditional sense (most notably that the love story isn’t the main plot line here). That being said, her stories, Between Us included, sure packs a punch but I wish so badly that her main character didn’t always spell things out so literally (and I would pay money for no character to ever have the dialogue “hahaha” again)

3.5 stars.

Mhairi McFarlane's "Between Us" was a mixed bag for me. It took until the halfway mark for me to get invested in the story, and even then, it's not the best book I've ever read. I usually DNF books like this, but something compelled me to finish it. The premise is very drama-heavy, so if you don't like that, avoid this book. Joe and Roisin and four of their college buddies, Meredith, Gina, Matt, and Dev, have gotten together for an evening to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, and a new job. Joe and Roisin have been together for nearly a decade. He has recently gotten hired to write a television show, so their friends have gathered to watch the debut episode. When the show starts, Roisin finds that several of the private things she told Joe in confidence made it into his script without her acknowledgment or approval. Roisin basically has to decide whether she wants to confront Joe or let it go. When her mom needs her in the middle of all of this relationship and friendship drama, Roisin travels back to her hometown to help work in the family pub and finds an unexpected companion in Matt, who has drifted away from the group as of late. As they become closer and closer, Roisin wants to find out the truth about some of the other things in the show Joe wrote.

This book is, at its core, about relationships, romantic or otherwise. Joe and Roisin have been together a decade but hardly know one another. Roisin's mom has lived her life in denial. Matt doesn't tell anyone his deepest, darkest secrets. Everyone is hiding *something,* and Roisin wants to know, specifically, what Joe has been up to on his work trips away. These aspects of the story really worked for me. There is drama, intrigue, gaslighting, lies, secrets, family trauma... all of the ingredients for one explosive stew. This story unfolds almost like a mystery novel, and I kept itching to know the answers. Unfortunately, this book is dreadfully slow, even with all of the right elements at play. While there are comedic parts here, just be aware THIS IS NOT A ROMANTIC COMEDY. Though there are romantic factors here, the "romance" isn't really the point. It's about the uncovering of information, and trust me, there is A LOT of stuff going on here. I feel like "Between Us" is so, so close to being a 4-star novel... it's just too slowly paced to nudge it over the edge. Some of it is gripping, but a lot of it feels like filler. I will still read Mhairi McFarlane's other novels, but I am tepid at best about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mhairi McFarlane, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Buckle up, friends: this one subverts traditional romance expectations.

This is probably the best place to start. I wouldn’t call this a fluffy read, but McFarlane gives us everything we’d want in a romance in the most nuanced way. She delicately balances readers between humor and heartache to create a story that carries the emotional weight realistically. The characters are well-developed and we see the absoulte affects of gaslighting, broken trust, and building new relationships based on mutual understandings. However, we’re not just focused on one type of love; we’re given a host of different kinds of relationships to navigate and their value because no one type is inherently better than any other.

Her characracters were relateable with the quirkiest sense of humor. A humor that fantastically offest heavier aspects of the events and effects of Roisin’s struggles and breakup without trying too hard or coming off as cringe. These people also stopped to think and overthink about everything, too. Instead of getting over the top situations with people barreling on obliviouly, there were real consequences to actions and reactions. The situations, thoughts, and feelings were real, and McFarlane never shied away from discussing gaslighting, gossip, cheating ,and difficult relationships with family, friends, and lovers. However, this isn’t a sad book even though there were several times it felt like my heart was breaking for Roisin. I loved reading because it was so bittersweet to be confronted with making the right choice and the easy choice, then watching her grow beyond the fear to finally achieve a satisfying resolution to the problem overall.

And… I just really liked how it ended because it was a healthy relationship with an adorable evolution that just made sense in many different ways. Sometimes, I’m a simple being.

McFarlane’s writing was easy to follow and really get into. Honestly, I binged this book in like two days. It’s a definite recommend for me, and she’d easily be an auto-buy author.

I’m a fan of Mhairi McFarlane and while
It’s not a favorite it is still a good time. Well written and thoughtful as always, but some of the plot was not believable for me. It’s a lot of obsessions for one group. Still the characters were complex and held my attention. It is on trend this summer that the story revolves around a long term group of friends facing a reckoning but I’m here for it! Thank you NetGalley for this arc I’m exchange for my honest review.

After discovering that at least one scene in her boyfriend's new TV show is based on reality--a story she told him in confidence--Roisin starts to question what other real-life events may have inspired the rest of the show. Unable to trust him, Roisin calls off their decade-long relationship and returns home to help out at her family's pub where she reconnects with a friend.

I requested this on NetGalley because it was in the romance section, but I would say this is not your typical romance (at least it was not what I had been expecting at all). From the beginning, this gave me dark, sinister vibes and that really kept me intrigued all the way through. Joe's duplicity takes a front seat to the romance and it honestly felt like I was reading a mystery/thriller or psychological drama at some points. Along with the interesting plot, we also get a great cast of characters and a sweet romance. This is my first book by Mhairi McFarlane, but will not be the last! 4.5/5

I’ve read other books by this author and enjoyed them but this book just wasn’t good. Roisin wasn’t a bad FMC but I didn’t connect with her and she felt pretty flat. Her personality was that she didn’t trust her boyfriend after he did something to break her trust. I liked the use of a screenwriter, but a show about a psychopath named Justin (written by Joe) who speaks directly to the audience isn’t exactly original. The entire plot felt like it was trying to figure more out about Joe and then threw in some lifelong best friends, a weird mom, and a carefree man and wrapped it up. The ending was well done but the entire middle took too long and had way too many unnecessary conversations and details. Technically it’s well-written overall, but just not enjoyable to read. 3⭐️, 0.5🌶

Roisin and Joe have been dating for years. Now, Joe's stardom is rising with the new show he wrote. But when Roisin watches the story of a cheating PI and sees that Joe took some things from her life to write into the show, she wonders if all of it may be true.

This was a good one that just started out slow for me. The real plot doesn't get started until about a tired of the way in. Before that you get a lot of background on the friend group. I wasn't sure all of that was needed to tell this story.

I liked Roisin and Matt a lot and found myself wanting to really only read more about them. The way they come together was very natural. I also disliked Joe, which was good since he was the villain of the story. There was one storyline that I was a little iffy on but by the end, I was somewhat okay with...

Overall, interesting characters, just a bit slow at times but the pay off was worth it.

Character driven view of relationships between friends and lovers.

Roisin and Joe and their quirky friends spend a weekend at a rental house to celebrate lots of things - birthday, engagement and Joe's new TV show.

Roisin and Joe are on the rocks but haven't told their friends and the dynamic between all of the friends is so well explored. There's crushes, animosity & love between all of them.

Joe is a screenwriter whose new show is airing while they are at the house, and Roisin notices so many similarities to things she has shared with him - in private! This is her last straw and they break up. It opens her eyes to everything in the past 10 years.

Roisin returns to the pub/house she grew up in and helps her mother run the place. She watches the show, helps her mom through some health struggles and Matt is there through it all.


So very British which I loved!

Synopsis: Roisin and Joe's relationship has grown stale. When Joe's latest TV show unsettles Roisin, she has to get to the truth of the man she has dated for the last decade.

Favorite quote: "Hopefully one day Gina will find herself indifferent to his WASPy erotic power and we can have him back."

My take: Mhairi McFarlane is such a fab writer. This book veered more into women's fiction than contemporary romance, similar to my last read from her, Mad About You (which I also loved). I don't want to say too much about the plot. It took me a while to get into the book, but I was invested by the 33% mark. From the 50% mark forward, I was utterly hooked and ripped through the rest of the story. It was easy to root for Roisin - she was witty and kind and feeling lost. Her doubt about her partner was relatable; we have all been in a situation where we wonder whether we have misjudged someone. Pick this one up if you love romance and complicated relationship dynamics - both romantic and platonic.

Roisin, her boyfriend Joe, and their tight-knit group of friends head to the countryside for a weekend of merriment, culminating in the premier of Joe's new television show. A few mishaps arise, causing tension in the group, but things really come to a head when Roisin discovers that Joe used secrets she shared with him in confidence as inspiration for his TV script. She begins to question the nature of their relationship just in time for her mother to call her back home to help with the family pub. The space from Joe feels necessary as Roisin tries to discern what other details in Joe's show might also be reality. At home, Roisin tries to reconnect with her dysfunctional family but the unexpected help she receives from an old friend might just be the answer to all her woes.

This was my first foray into Mhairi McFarlane's work and I was delighted by the keen wit of her writing. While the beginning started off a tad slow, I was fully invested once the drama picked up. The short chapters and their engaging cliffhangers had me feverishly flipping pages to see what was going to happen next. Being inside Roisin's head as she overanalyzed her relationships evoked some truly laugh out loud moments. The friend group (affectionally nicknamed The Brian Club) at the center of the novel was full of robust characters who I could envision clearly. There were also really great moments of women supporting women (one in particular towards the end that was beautifully handled) and I loved seeing how these complex characters navigated difficult conversations.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have never picked up a book and known I would like it within the first ten pages, but this had me hooked!

Roisin (pronounced Row-Sheen, I had to look it up), the MC of this book, was SO relatable to me. She’s in her 30s and unsure about her relationship, has moments of doubt in her job, and comes from a fractured home. I really appreciate books that talk about how characters grew up, especially if it’s not “typical” as I think it adds depth and realness to the story.

This had a bit of a mystery aspect to it and I think that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed reading it so much. I also love the friend group and how they handled conflict – it just seemed so real to me and I hugely enjoy that. Meatball the cat was also a star character. If you enjoy Emily Henry, you should definitely pick up this read!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Roisin Water is a school teacher and has been with current boyfriend Joe for over ten years. He is a script writer and they gather with friends to watch his latest tv detective show. She is dismayed to see cheating and gaslighting of the main character on screen but things come to head when he is using her personal drama and secrets for scripts. It causes her to question Joe’s own fidelity and faithfulness. This veers into women’s fiction as the focus is on failure of a relationship.

I love some of the clever lines and the very Britishness of the writing but at times this was slow going. The friend group of the Brain Club feels realistic and adds a lot to the story. They all worked together years before but now seem to be drifting apart. It is hard to call this a romance when a lot of the book is about a failed relationship. But enter Matt who finally gives you a reason to hope for a HEA. I also loved her wacky mother although not sure how realistic she is.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving an honest review. (3.5 Stars)

I enjoyed how this book explored healing after toxic relationship and family issues. This book is so much more than a romcom! The character development was really good! I was so invested in their relationship and I was so emotional during certain parts that I won't get into because of spoilers. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author!

4..5 ⭐️’s

So appreciative of the ARC of Mhairi McFarlane’s new book, Between Us. It’s more than just.a romance with a HEA, it’s also a story of understanding yourself; trusting your gut; valuing what true friendship is; and appreciating your family for who they are.

Mhairi writes such real characters - where you truly feel everything that they are going through and this book was done so wonderfully. Life can be complicated and sometimes when you’re in the heart of it - you really can’t see the whole picture - Mhairi conveys this so well.

What I love best - the eloquence in her writing and the true humor in which she writes - I want to be friends with her characters - their sense of humor, their friendship bonds, it’s so real and just my favorite type of read.

Chef’s kiss!

Love it!!!
Mhairi McFarlane writes amazing book!!

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

When her TV writer partner’s new show airs, Roisin notices scenes that seem familiar. Scenes that seem based on stories that she told him in confidence. As Roisin questions more and more about this person who has been a staple in her life for so long, she begins to learn that not everything is as is appears.

Let’s talk about Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane. These characters are insufferable in the best of ways. We begin the story and as these characters are spending time together, you kind of begin to hate them. Everyone comes off as self absorbed, but as the story progresses and more is revealed, the characters, their personalities, and their motivations all make sense to the point you just love them. While the story has a fairly slow pace, I could not put it down and just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. I think it also helped that the chapters were fairly short. The best part of this book is seeing a new relationship begin to develop in a way that’s so natural until is just hits you like a brick and you can’t help but say to yourself “how did I not see this?!”

The writing was engaging, but I think the only tough part was for me, as an American, there were some references and phrasing that I was not familiar with and had to look up. In the end, I did not have trouble understanding this story. This book was such a fun read and is great if you are looking for a lighthearted mystery with some cute romance,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Between Us comes out August 8th!

Thank you to netgalley and Avon

DNF @ 15%

I'm to the point where I don't want to force myself through books if I'm just not clicking with them or enjoying them. There was nothing extremely wrong with this book but I was 15% into a romance and there was no hint of romance or even a spark between the FMC and Love interest but she was still with her boyfriend she doesn't end up with. I just didn't feel like continuing it when I wasn't enjoying it. I'm not into super slow romances as someone who reads mainly romance.