Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. I almost DNFed it at least. 3 times but I did finish it. Not my favorite.

I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with this book, it really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought that it was going to be more about Roisin watching her boyfriend’s television show and finding out that he used all of these secrets against her… but the tv show doesn’t even first come up or happen until 1/3 of the book is already done.

The book felt like it dragged on and on and went in way too many directions for me. First it was about Roisin and Joe and the tv snow, but also here’s a background and information about all of her group of friends, and hey maybe her one friend Dev has a new spending addiction rather than a drug/alcohol problem, oh but Roisin is convinced Joe doesn’t love her, but also here’s her mom and she needs to go back home for a while… it was all over. It felt like it was many half thought of or half finished books instead of one book all together. I had to force myself to finish it once I got to the 2/3 done mark.

[author:Mhairi McFarlane] is one of those authors for me. As close to a must-read as I get – among the top, if not <i>the</i> top romance writer. As someone who reads hundreds of romances, but actually owns very few, it says rather a lot that I ordered her last book shipped from the UK because I couldn’t bear to wait the extra six months it would take before it came out in the US.

To say my expectations for [book:Between Us] were high would be a mild understatement.

It’s probably not a surprise, then, that it didn’t manage to meet those sky-high hopes. In part, I think, because it turns up to eleven what makes McFarlane’s books stand out from the crowd: While so many romances, even great ones, feel like they’re hitting particular trope-y beats, McFarlane’s somehow manage not to, while still being undeniably romances. If [book:Between Us] didn’t exactly break the letter of the law of the rules of romance, it felt like it bent the spirit of the law pretty far.

That is to say: [book:Between Us] is about the ending of a relationship (Roisin and Joe) much more than it really is about two people falling in love (Roisin and Matt). The latter love story – even though it’s the HEA and Matt is great and Matt and Roisin are great together – just isn’t as interesting (nor does it get as much air time) as the dissolution of Roisin and Joe’s 10-year relationship.

And how could it? Joe is a gaslighting sociopath whose success blinds most of the friend group he shares with Roisin from seeing his rather substantial flaws. He’s the writer of a wildly successful television series, in which he shows a barely disguised version of their friendships, his relationship, and his infidelity up on screen and then boldly denies any of it comes from reality. Matt is hot, sweet, rich, and the worst that can be said about him is maybe he’s commitment phobic. How can anything that happens with him possibly hold a candle?

Interesting there are two different covers that seem to indicate this book’s split personality: The UK one seems to show Roisin and Matt; the US one seems to show Roisin with <i>Joe</i>.

Like we’ve come to expect with McFarlane, the main couple(s) have off-the-charts chemistry, a riotously funny group of ride-or-die besties, unusual family backstories that color the MCs’ motivations (without making them full-on neuroses), and sharp, snappy prose. Maybe the problem is one of pacing – we needed to see shades of feelings developing between Roisin and Matt earlier. Any reader of romances knew to be on the lookout for their love story to develop; it created an odd sense of tension that we had to wait till more than halfway through for it to start.

[book:Between Us] by [author:Mhairi McFarlane]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 3.5 stars rounded up
🌶️ Roisin’s mom flirts with more heat than we see between the MC
🕵🏻‍♀️ Lots of detectiving!
🐈 Once again, I would die for Meatball
👩🏼‍⚖️ Justice for Meredith, the only friend not getting any
🗝️ McFarlane comes up with a whole new way for parents to traumatize their kids

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Avon/HarperCollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Between Us is another great book from Mhairi McFarlane. When Roisin sees her fiance Joe's true colors following the premiere of the television show he wrote, she's faced with the difficult decision to either break things off or try and work it out with him. Her fear is that ending things with Joe will also alienate her from their mutual friend group. After she gets a call for help running the family business from her estranged mother, Roisin finds the strength she needs with help from another member of her friend group. She discovers that she can pick herself up and carry on without Joe, and that her friends will stick by her no matter what.

This book started off with promise, and I was looking forward to learning more about this group of 6 friends. It also seemed like there might be a bit of mystery to the plot. However, I was really disappointed in this book and it ended up taking me a long time to read, because I just wasn't interested.

Roisin is the main character, who starts to have doubts about her 10 year long relationship with Joe. During a weekend with their group of friends, they watch the premiere of his new show (he is a writer). Roisin notices far too many details from the episode that are similar to real life, including a family secret she only told Joe, and begins to wonder if the other details of the episode might be true too. Especially the part about the main character being in a long-term, committed relationship with his girlfriend, but is secretly a sex addict who has sex with strangers.

I really was curious at first about how it would all turn out, but honestly, I lost interest. I didn't really understand why Roisin and Joe had been together so long in the first place, and when she did finally discover he was cheating on her throughout their relationship, it felt kind of.....anticlimactic? And then suddenly, Roisin is in love with their friend Matt? And discovers he's had feelings for her for 10 years? It was just strange. And the whole story was pretty boring to me overall.

I gave this two stars because I really do like Mhairi McFarlane's writing, and I absolutely loved her book, If I Never Met You (a 5-star book for me). I will also still read more of McFarlane's books, but this one just didn't hold my interest and kind of fell flat.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
3 lukewarm stars
I like this author so I'm disappointed I can't give a better review. This was very slow at first, really didn't pick up until more than 55%. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, and Joe in particular was mean and patronizing. I hope there are trigger warnings on the final copy for gaslighting - wow, it was rampant. Without spoiling, what happens with Roisin and another character was so fast and out of the blue, it didn't sit well with me, however I did like the very end of the book. Parts of it were very funny and the friendship among the 3 women was great. She's a wonderful writer, this one just wasn't for me.

I love Mhairi McFarlane and this book is no exception. I loved exploring the friend dynamics and did enjoy the slow burn romance. I did find the relationship transition to be a little quick after suffering years of gaslighting and manipulation. It's not my favorite of McFarlane's books but I will still recommend it to her fans,

I loved this one! I think many women can relate to the feelings of the MC even if they don't have a counterpart who is famous. Books where the characters are going through emotional personal discoveries always touch my heartstrings and reading this one was exactly what I needed. I'm excited to read more from the author based on this one.

Roisin and Joe have been dating for ten years and have a close knit group of friends from when they all met working at a bookstore. Roisin is a teacher and Joe at first, a struggling writer and now, very successful and sought after. His new TV series airs while at a weekend away with all the friends from the bookstore. The first episode shows an uncanny similarity to real life events, which shocks Roisin to her core and she begins to question her relationship and wonder if fiction and reality are one and the same.

I would classify Between Us as less romance and more women’s fiction. I struggled through the first half and almost DNF but stuck it out (but honestly it took me a month to finish). The pace and the intrigue got better in the second half and I finished it quickly once I got to about 60%. Joe and Roisin’s relationship is incredibly toxic and full of lies and gaslighting - but she truly didn’t see it coming. The story is a journey of friendship, self love, and finding one’s confidence. Without giving away the story, I have to admit I struggled to connect early on with the characters and the toxicity was unnerving. The end of a long relationship and the beginning of something new (love interest) was too fast for me and lacked depth. I’m surprised the title is being marketed as romance as there was very little of it. I did enjoy the side plot with Roisin’s mother and their relationship. I also struggled with the writing language, as I didn’t “get” a lot of the verbiage due to cultural differences. I do think a lot of readers will enjoy, especially if they’re familiar with McFarlane as the plot is unique and interesting. This was my first read and I’ve heard a lot of good reviews for her other books.

Read if you like:
🍸dysfunctional family
🍸women’s fiction
🍸self discovery
🍸found family
🍸redemption

Thank you to @netgalley, Mhairi McFarlane, @harpervoyagerus, and @avonbooks for the eARC. I received a complimentary e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a classic Mhairi McFarlane story— real, down to earth people dealing with some heartbreaking, human-making moments. Rosie is deserving of so much more & better than Joe, & the story revolves mostly around her coming to terms with the unhealthy, toxic, manipulative ways of someone she thought would be her forever.

This story so heartbreakingly outlines gaslighting in all its tortuous ways. The toxic & manipulative ways people can be, disguising it as “love” is so clear in this story.

This was a bit hard of a story to get through, I wanted so much better for Rosie right from the start that I wanted her happiness/ release from Joe’s toxic ways to come sooner. But I understood & appreciated the long winding road that it takes for people to come to terms with the unhealthy toxic ways of people they thought they loved. And the romance part felt a bit rushed to me, especially since Rosie had a lot to cope with & overcome.

Overall, classic McFarlane heartbreaking storytelling while also telling a sweet romance.

Thank you for the ARC!!!

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for granting me access to an advance reader's copy of Between Us. I haven't had the opportunity of reading a Mhairi McFarlane novel yet, but I've been looking forward to it because I've heard great things. I thought this was an extremely cute story about romance, but more importantly, friendship.

The main character is 32-year-old Roisin, a teacher who has been dating Joe for 9 years. They are both part of a friend group and recently Joe has just made it big and gotten a TV show deal. During the showing of the first episode of the show Joe wrote to the friend group, Roisin realizes that things she's told him in private are now up on the screen for all to see. Not only that, but the show seems to mimic real life except that the show's main character has been consistently cheating on his long-time girlfriend. But that can't be true right?

Although this book is classified as a romance, I think it's more of a story about friendship. I adored the friend group in this book. Although they had their ups and downs, their good times and bad, it's clear that these friends truly care about one another and their happiness (with the exception of maybe one person, although I won't spoil who). Each character was so well written and had a well-developed backstory that made them seem so real. My favorite character is Matt. Although we don't know much about him at the beginning, as Roisin and Matt become closer she (and we readers) realize that there is more to him than meets the eye.

I did think that this book started off a bit slow. The first portion of the book takes place over a few days of time and it does kind of drag, but once things get moving it becomes a lot more interesting. There is some drama in this book but overall I feel that this is more of a feel-good book because it has a happy ending. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in a cute romance with some drama.

This was my first (and much anticipated) read by Mhairi McFarlane and I am grateful to Netgalley for providing the advance read in exchange for my review. The book is witty, quick, funny, and well-written, with plenty of feel-good moments as well as deeper, though provoking ones. It took me longer than I would have liked to get "into" the book and feel the grip of the characters. However, once I got through the book I found it to be enjoyable and would look forward to future reads from McFarlane.

I love Mhairi McFarlane.
I love the clever/witty way she writes and the character development in all of her books.
This one delve into some toxic relationships, gaslighting, cheating- Roisin is feeling neglected in her relationship as her boyfriend of ten years gets a writing job on a popular show when things in the show start to look like experiences she had with him.
I don’t know if this was just too dark for me at the moment because I just felt like I slogged through it a bit. Was pretty heavy. It was really tho. Well written and I love way characters relationships are explored. I would love to be apart of any friend group in a McFarlane book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for an eARC.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I have liked this author's work in the past but this book was confusing and, still, boring. Thank you for the opportunity.

Between Us was my first Mhairi McFarlane but it definitely won’t be the last.
The main character of the book is Roisin who’s been part of a group of friends (including her boyfriend) for years. I liked the dynamics between the friends and how we found more and more about (some of) them as the story progressed. Also liked Roisin and how she grew over the course of the book. One of the main plot points was how Joe used real-life experiences in his writing without asking for permission, which I thought was an interesting idea. And I was pleased to see Mhairi thanking several people for things she’d used in the book with their permission.
The romance didn’t get a real chance to blossom, but as Roisin explained, maybe we shouldn’t talk about HEAs but Happy Starts, which is an idea I absolutely love. This book definitely had that Happy Start.

Joe and Roisin have been the couple in their friend group for years but since Joe's writing career has taken off Roisin feels like they are drifting apart. At a weekend celebration with their friend's they watch the first episode of Joe's new show and Roisin is stunned to see a secret she told him as part of the plot. How can she stay in a relationship with someone that betrays her trust? As she tries to figure out what is next she starts to take a closer look at her relationship with Joe and wonder if any of it was true. The more she questions the more she sees not only about Joe but also about herself and their friends.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first 30% of this book is nearly pure exposition and very slow-paced. It picks up in the second half of the book, but it was a slow read for me.

We are introduced to a small cast of characters with some quirks, but overall could be a realistic friend group. I feel as though the summary for this book paints a picture of mystery and intrigue, but the plot is fairly realistic. Men lie to their partners, and their partners find out. This happens in fiction and real life regularly.

The most important part in this book to me is that no female character wants to hurt another female character. There is no girl on girl violence, only a deep understanding that women have a bond that runs deeper than men can often grasp.

I would recommend this book to readers who have felt lied to by close relations and wish they had closure.

I think the beginning of the book is too slow - we spend too much time on Joe and Roisin and not enough time on Roisin's growth and her move back home. The last 1/4th of the book is my favorite, but it needed to be explored further, it felt far too rushed.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me an arc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐/5

I had a fun time reading this book. I will say I feel like it was more of a literary fiction then a romance. That's totally fine and I still liked it but it's not what I expected. This book did make me feel a lot of feelings and I am looking forward to picking up more of this authors book.

Thank you again to Avon, Harper Voyager for sending me an arc on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sorry to write this review, but I did not enjoy this book. I didn’t connect with the characters and it took forever to realize what the plot was about. The first couple chapters there were so many characters I didn’t even know what was happening. I’m really surprised because I saw the other reviews, and everyone else couldn’t put the book down. I dreaded having to finish the book because I’m not a quitter. I actually like most everything I read and usually give positive reviews, but I can’t do it with Between Us.