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.

I always seek out new work from Mhairi McFarlane, and her books never disappoint. Between Us got off to a rocky start. The epilogue and first few chapters were less focused than her usual. I felt that I had to sort of bushwhack my way through to the plot. Once I got there, though, this book was as enjoyable as expected. If not for the prologue I would have given this my usual five stars, but this one ranks a little lower.

Another great story from Mhairi McFarlane. From the very beginning of this one it's clear that the main character and her boyfriend are going to break up, and he was terrible, so about 50% of the pleasure of reading this book was wrapped up in watching her find out more things about what a crap man he was. The other 50% of the pleasure of reading this book was all the things at which Mhairi McFarlane excels in creating: a lovely cast of supporting characters that make up the main character's friend group, complex family relationships, a crush-worthy love interest, and a main character who knows their worth instead of being a sad sack. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one early!

This took a bit longer to get really involved with - based around a FMC and her group of friends, there's lots of names and history to sort through at the beginning of the story. I felt like there were lots of slower moments throughout, where there were lots of granular looks into her thought process surrounding her relationship with Joe. The story itself was interesting, I just felt like it was a little long and then too fast with her second chance romance.

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favorite authors. She always delivers novels with smart, witty dialog, humor, great characters (including supportive friends), a slow-ish burn romance and meaningful insight into human relationships. Between Us did not disappoint. Upon discovering that her television script writer boyfriend has been using private things from her life in his shows, Roisin starts questioning all the relationships in her life: family, friends, work and most definitely, the one with her gaslighting boyfriend. This story of discovery was both compelling and satisfying. Recommend!

Mhairi McFarlane has a fantastic writing style. I was expecting this book to be more lighthearted but it wasn't. It explores a lot of emotional topics including gaslighting, manipulative relationships, toxic relationships and emotionally family dynamics. Since there are some deep topics the book focuses a lot on character healing. I feel like it was well done, but more emotional that I was expecting.

4 ⭐️ I enjoyed this latest book from Mhairi McFarlane, one of my favorite authors. It was a little different than her others, with less focus on romance and more on themes of trust and friendship. I would definitely recommend, but gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I probably won’t reread it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

You know from the jump that Joe and Roisin are going to break up, so the majority of the story centers around discovering if Joe is just lowkey crappy or a full POS. Roisin does have to look at her role in the relationship, the trauma she carries from her childhood, and the complicated dynamics of an old friend group, but it feels like it happens so quickly and thoroughly that it doesn't feel as earned as a similar storyline has in other romance books. The romances we're meant to be rooting for seem secondary to the need for everyone to get therapy and find a secure foundation for themselves to simply be people in the world. There were a few laugh-out-loud moments that I enjoyed, especially in the banter between the girls in the friend group.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC! Mhairi McFarlane's latest romance follows teacher Roisin as she and her boyfriend of several years, Joe, travel for a friend's group vacation. Their relationship has been struggling recent;y as Joe has been garnering success as a screenwriter and neglecting Roisin. This trip could be a make or break for the couple and when Joe's new series seems too much of a parallel to their lives (and the lives of their friends) Roisin is leaning more toward the break. Has Joe been unfaithful? Much of the book follows Roisin's quest for the truth and while the love interest is charming and it makes for a sweet reconnection or fulfillment of what could be, it does take a back seat to much of the toxic relationship drama. This is still an excellent book from Mhairi McFarlane with authentic characters and an engaging plot.

I was thoroughly enthralled with this book. I stayed awake half the night so I could finish it. I love Roisin. I feel for her. I’m glad she got her happy start. I love her group of friends, they are the best, especially Matt. I wish I could reach into the book and smack Joe around some though. He was truly despicable.

“Yes, a happy start. Or. In one word. ‘Hope,’” Roisin said, smiling.

“‘I have been bent and broken but—I hope—into a better shape . . .’”

If you haven’t been able to tell, I loved everything about this book.



Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~