I tend to be a fan of Mhairi McFarlane's writing. Some people may not like her books since it’s not really romance that she writes. It’s more of a women's fiction genre than romance. If you keep that in mind while reading any of her books, then you are truly going to enjoy them.
Her newest release, Between Us, will bring the drama and the messy era in full force. It will keep you entertained from page one. Between Us centers around Roisin's changing life as she begins her new journey after ending her long-term relationship. It won’t be easy for Roisin to end their relationship since they both belong to the same friend group. However, things change when Roisin realizes how much she loves her relationship. She doesn’t feel appreciated or heard for a while, so it takes a toll on her. And I admire her for realizing how unhappy she is in her relationship and how much it will take to break it up.
While I admire her strengths in bettering herself, I also love her messiness when she starts unraveling her former ex's secrets. It's a bit messy to read, but it’s realistic to read as well. When you break off a long-term relationship, you start to realize how much you gave and never gained back. And you will also realize the few details you haven’t noticed, especially devastating secrets. It’s something Roisin will discover as she forms herself again. It's been a long time coming.
Whenever you pick up any of Mhairi McFarlane's books, you will realize that she writes women's fiction best. Keep that in mind, and you won’t be disappointed. It’s not a romance book; it’s more women's fiction.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is the second book I’ve read by Mhairi McFarlane and I thought it was okay. For me, it was a very slow read until the last chapters. The characters were okay and what I thought was going to be primarily more romance driven turned a bit suspenseful toward the end. I did have to look up a few of the British slang words because I hadn't heard them before. Overall, I would say that it was just okay.

I was absolutely sucked in to 'Between Us' and could barely put it down. This is the first book I have read by this author and I was delighted by her writing style and touch in dealing with real-life problems. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but the villain in this book is really, really a great and twisted villain. Supposed villains are lovingly forgiven and lifted. I just completely enjoyed this book and highly recommend to all.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is the first book I've read by this author. The story appealed to me initially because it was labeled as a romance, but the romantic part of it didn't start until 3/4 of the way through, so I was disappointed in that aspect.

This is a friend group who all have their own problems and quirks and manage to keep wanting to be together even though some of them should bow out.

The main characters of Roisen and Joe are two people who should not be together. I could tell that from chapter one and it took until almost the end for her to realize it. Joe is simply awful. If I met this man in real life I'd probably slap his face.

Overall, the story was a bit unsatisfying, although well written, technically.
3.4 stars and thanks to Netgally for a sneak peek.

Roisin, she said to herself sternly. In the words of Lorraine, A grip should be fucking gotten.

Between Us is a Mhairi McFarlane novel about a long-term couple heading toward splitsville.

At this point I’ve read so many of this author’s books, I can’t remember the individual plot of each, but with love, her formula is often the following:

Longtime couple - break up + hot other man slut

Now, I’ve read nearly every novel she’s written (I think I’ve read them all but would be delighted to be wrong about that). I am not saying anything bad about this formula but this book most certainly follows the formula.

“MPs who ran the parliamentary session down with pointless, aimless debate were ‘filibustering’; online arguments which involved repeated requests for evidence, made with faux-sincerity and excessive civility, was an exhaustion tactic called ‘sealioning.’”

Roisin Walters is a teacher whose students delight in knowing her longtime boyfriend/partner is the writer/creator of a new show with a lot of sex. Roisin is not as fond of the show, not because she’s sick of the attention it gets her at school (though she is), but because it is clearly based on their friend group and her boyfriend’s character is repeatedly cheating on her character.

As in most of the other McFarlane books, the jerk boyfriend, Joe, is eventually found out to be not as he seemed. And the swoon-worthy male womanizer turns out to be much more nuanced than a hot, vapid pinup.

“Amelia simply stared at him, like he’d farted.”

My final no-context quote from the book is a small example of the humor in this novel. It’s happy and sad. There are a lot of laughs that cannot be explained to your significant other when you lol sitting on the couch winding down before bed.

If you like Mhairi’s other novels, you will like this one. However, it’s a bit messier than other novels. It’s more real, but there are some parts that make you cringe a bit. Nothing too bad. But it is slightly less comfortable than other books she’s written and I’ve checked out of the library several times a year and reread dozens of times by now.

I didn’t care for the authors style of writing and didn’t finish the book.thank you publisher and Netgalley

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC copy of Between Us. So I've read at least two other Mhairi MvFarlane books and I keep coming back to them. Each time I leave feeling conflicted but a better version of myself. Pros include: clean romance, deep relationships, great character builds, emotional heart string tugging, totally relatable, her ability to help me understand different perspectives Cons: the happy endings always feel a bit meh, I'm not sure I feel satisfied when I finish, and there is not enough happy to offset the emotional highs and loes I've been on. If those three read pretty similar it is because they are, but it feels very important. I like everything about her books, buy always need at least ten more epages of feel good content.

Roisin and Joe have been a couple for ten years. They reach a breaking point while spending a celebratory weekend with a mutual group of friends. Is Roisin overreacting to coincidental similarities in Joe's new tv drama or did Joe betray what she confided in him? Is Joe engaging in the same extracurricular activities as the main character in his show or is Roisin being paranoid? Roisin begins to recall past instances that mirror details in Joe's premiere episode. This is the beginning of Roisin questioning their relationship.
The idea of The Brian Club as a whole is cute. It's great if we can hang out with our core group of friends, especially for extended weekends under the same roof. Relaxing with friends is great. Making comments in fun at each other's expense is expected. Mean-spirited, bitter, or just plain rude comments are not helpful. The idea of one member having a crush on another member is a bit farfetched, but it made for a good plot device. This helped to make Matt seem awkward and unsympathetic. I was not sure how he would come into play as he decided to take a break from The Brian Club. I am still not sure how a romance grew out of the antics of these

This book was not a favorite of mine. I felt so conflicted reading this story. I wanted Roisin to just tell Joe to kick rocks and be done with him. She kept investigating to prove he was not worth her time. Perhaps that is the point. You have to do what works for you.

I was provided an e-arc by NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager in exchange for an unbiased review.

This will be a short and easy review because even though I wanted to DNF this book so badly due to me not connecting with the characters in general, this made me not want to like them as a group of friends like they weren't right at all. I was waiting for something interesting to happen throughout the book, it wasn't until I got to about 70-80% of the book that I started to get invested, the ending was cute, but the beginning to about halfway or so was not necessary, it was what I felt dragging the story on and on to get nowhere but the end of the book. This is just my opinion and my honest review when I received this ARC. I would suggest for anyone to read as these were my thoughts and I don't want anyone to feel discourage to read this. This is based off my preference on any books I read.

3.5 Humorous but a bit slow to get going

Between Us will tickle your funny bone as you watch a woman learn her husband's hit television show is based on their life...and their life has been a lie. With the help of friends, family, and a little know crush, our heroine learns that when you hit rock bottom, the only place you have left to go is up.

I couldn't focus on this book at all. I lived in Manchester, England and I struggled with the writing because Northern English is very different. I couldn't get into the characters- Joe is too cocky, Roshi is just annoying because of her low self-confidence, Gina needs to move on and Dev/Anita are just immature. What type of friend group is this? They all keep secrets from each other and all hate/envy the others. My friends successes are celebrated and all 7 of them were doing was trying to ruin the mood or bring up negatives.

It just wasn't my book and maybe the cultural barriers made it harder. I considered not finishing the book because of the first chapter alone because it was too much all at once and the English was too British.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I thought the story had a good premise. However, the protagonist moved on way too fast at the end and it didn’t keep my attention the whole time.

This was a quick read. The romance was sweet, but I felt that there could have been even more character development. I enjoyed the plot and.just overall wonderful.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane read and I really wanted to love it, but I don't think her writing style is for me.

4.5 stars.

I wouldn't necessarily call this a romance. Yes, there is a bit of it but it's absolutely secondary to the journey Roisin goes through as she struggles to find out the truth of her nearly ten year relationship. Nor is this a fast-paced, quirky rom-com. It's a slow burn - both in terms of pacing and plot. We learn things as Roisin learns them which can be frustrating, but it allows the reader to feel the same anger and uncertainty and confusion that she does. What's true? Is she overreacting? Is she not reacting enough? Does she trust her feelings, or what she's being told?

I don't want to say too much more because spoilers, but I really enjoyed the slower pace. It felt natural and real. Life doesn't always give us an answer right away and Between Us doesn't either.

This was my first book by Mhairi McFarlane and, after seeing reviews from long-time fans of hers saying they were let down by this one, I am very much looking forward to reading more because I loved it.

Content warnings: mention of abortion, mention of possible sexual abuse ("off screen" and not to or by one of the main characters)

*ARC Review*

This is my first Mhairi McFarlane novel and I really wanted to be in love with it, but I think it just wasn't my style. This rom-com had many more twists and turns then a usually fluffy rom-com. We are introduced to Roisin who is a member of the friend group "The Brians". They have all been friends for years and Roisin has been dating fellow member Joe for a while. Joe and Roisin's relationship is on the rocks and intimate stories of her past have started to appear in Joe's new show he wrote. Trust is lost, relationships falter, and the wild rollercoaster begins. While mourning the relationship with Joe, a fellow Brians member comes into the light as her new love.

I enjoyed the story and the mysterious quality to it, but just felt it was a little jumbled. It felt like an everything but the kitchen sink story but not in a good way. I wanted to get to know Matt even more then we did, as it felt the relationship between Roisin and Matt was a very small part of the story (which stinks because it is what I came for). Lots going on, which somehow left me wanting more.

*3.75 rounded up

This is a fun contemporary romcom, though it's pretty light on the romance. When it's there, it's good, but it's thin on the ground. Perhaps because of the TV writer link, I'm finding it easier to think of movie and TV comps than books - things in the vein of Friends from College, The Big Chill, St. Elmo's Fire.

I appreciated Macfarlane's attention to the gaslighting that Roisin experiences in her relationship, but the length of time it takes for them to break up and for Roisin to feel confident in her sense that things were not right steals focus from the new relationship she's embarking on. I enjoyed it overall, but the pacing was muddied by this.

This was definitely not your average fluffy rom-com this had some romance in it but the focus was on Roisin and the deterioration of her relationship with her BF of 10 yrs. Joe and her friend group which is entwined with her relationship. It was about how friends grow together or apart and how to navigate different socio economic brackets while still maintaining your friendship. Joe and Roisin have been drifting apart while he has been working on his new 3 part limited series. While they are away celebrating 10 years of being friends with Matt, Gina, Meredith, Dev and his fiancée Anita and during the screening the first episode of Joes new series that she realizes that she doesn’t want to be with him anymore especially once she sees that he used something she told him in confidence in his new show. Which makes her wonder what else might be true in his show and starts her investigating Joe and figuring out what is truth and what is fiction. There is a side romance which is mostly during the last ¾ of the book and some family drama with Roisin’s Mom but that is kept in the background for the most part. This was a good fast read.
Thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is my second Mhairi McFarlane book. I received BETWEEN US as an ARC from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review so here goes. The cover(s) teases a rom-com but don't be fooled. The long term relationship between teacher Roisin and screenwriter Joe cooled over the last year as his career took off. Their group of friends reunites for a house party to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, and the viewing of Joe's new TV series. As Roisin decides whether she wants to stay in the relationship or not, the group watches the pilot episode of Joe's sexually graphic show. Roisin is unpleasantly surprised by content of the show that solves her dilemma and causes her to not trust their entire relationship. Other members of the group deal with unrequited love, money disparity issues, wedding planning drama, and growing apart. While the book does has some excellent qualities with strong, female friendships, cohesive writing, and (ultimately at the very end) a happily ever after, the tone throughout the majority of the book is stressful and anxious as Roisin understands herself better and untangles herself from toxic/untruthful/manipulative relationships with her family, friends, and lovers. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I knew I was getting women's fiction and not the romantic comedy suggested by the cover?

My favorite thing about any book by Mhairi McFarlane is without a doubt her writing style. For that reason alone I vouch for picking up any of her titles.

Between Us is another amazingly well-written book filled with strong characters and a fascinating story. I have so many lines and passages highlighted in this one for being relevant, witty, and hilarious. The start was slower this time around and it took me a while to get into the groove of this story but once I had, it was hard to put down.

It doesn't fit the typical mold of a romance novel and leans more on the contemporary side than the romance side. My main drawback was that I could have done with more pages at the end!

I received an ARC from Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.