Mhairi McFarlane never fails to disappoint. I have been a huge fan of McFarlane for a while and when I saw this new release, especially with this cover I practically RAN.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story and how we got to watch the two MC's lives and complex feelings for one another unfold. As someone in their early 30's reading a book that mirrored the joys of this milestone, was great.

The only hang up I have about the book is that I felt that some characters were more developed than others.

This is the first Mhairi McFarlane book that I have read but I’ll definitely be reading more of them now that I’ve started. Loved the friend group in this!

I love books that include fun friendship groups. This didn't disappoint. I loved the full circle aspect in differing relationships---one of which Roishin & Lorraine. I adored Matt from the get go and do wish we got more of them.

This book begins with a group of friends, called the Brian Club, celebrating an anniversary, an engagement, and a birthday. As it turns out, Roisin’s long term boyfriend Joe also has a huge cause to celebrate — the pilot of his new show is airing. He also gets a call with an exciting opportunity in Hollywood. He doesn’t share this with her before he tells the entire crew. Sure, they have been drifting apart for a while, but still … And Joe is awful. He is selfish and self-aggrandizing. He only thinks about himself. Not Roisin, not his friends, just himself. Then, the Brian Club watches Joe’s show, and yeah, I can’t say anything without spoilers. That isn’t the only thing that happens, but it ends with the group splintering a bit. Can anything be repaired? Can Roisin forgive Joe? Should she?

This is very much a Mhairi McFarlane book. If you’ve liked any of this authors work, you’ll definitely like this one. It is about friendship, personal growth, and romance.

The friendship group was hit and miss for me, probably because some of the characters were more developed than others. Gina was a piece of work, Meredith was just there, Joe was … Joe. Roisin and Matt were the life of this book. I felt for Matt from the first accidental embarrassing situation. The more I learned about him, the more I liked him. I really felt for both Matt and Roisin. They both truly deserve better than where they started in the book.

Now, this doesn’t read like a four star review yet … but that is because I’ve only really mentioned the beginning to avoid spoilers. There are so many joyful or funny scenes. Matt’s girlfriend reveal was amazing, every scene with a particular cat, Roisin’s investigation and especially its conclusion. There are some incredibly well written relationships and such character growth. Also, you just want to cheer out loud in places. This is, in no way, a light easy read, but it isn’t dark and dreary either. It is well rounded and kept my interest all the way through.

TW: gaslighting, so much gaslighting, as well as cheating.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an arc of this book.

This is the second book I've read by the author and I had a hard time connecting with it. It's well written and it kept me reading to the end, but a large part of the story is spent with the main character trying to find out some things about her boyfriend.
As for the romance, it's very slow burn.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I wanted to like this more, but it was just odd? I'm not sure how to describe it.

I will say, this is my first time reading a Mhairi McFarlene book and the slang really took me a minute to get used to (and understand) what was going on.

I felt like the story was written well, but there were some parts that seemed a bit slow that could have been either left out or developed more.

The romance between Matt and Roisin felt forced and out of place. Especially when she tells him that she's loved him all this time whereas we don't have any info regarding how they interacted when they were younger/throughout the years. I would have liked some more development with that.

Also, the preface when Roisin was younger really didn't flow well with the rest of the story - it felt out of place.

Mhairi McFarlane has been an auto-read author for me since 2016, and any of her upcoming books automatically make it to my most anticipated releases of the year list. To say I dropped everything once I got an ARC of this book is not an exaggeration. While Between Us isn’t my favorite of her books, I still really enjoyed it! Between Us follows a woman who discovers her long-term screenwriter boyfriend isn’t who she always thought he was, amidst the implosion of their tightly knit friend group.

Roisin has known her friend group since they all worked at Waterstones together ten years ago. They’re all gearing up for a weekend away to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, and the premiere of her boyfriend Joe‘s new show. Over the past year, Roisin has felt Joe pulling away from her and their relationship, but the breaking point comes when she realizes he’s used her painful secrets as a plot line in his show. Even worse, the show is centered around a serial cheater, leaving Roisin to wonder just how much truth he’s written into this show.

I really loved the characters! The friend group is a strange amalgamation of people tied together since they all worked together. There’s Dev, someone so likable that he won a reality show a couple years ago. Now, he’s struck it big and isn’t afraid to shower his friends with money, however uncomfortable they may be. Matt is a so-called playboy but not without a kind heart; Gina is the sweetest of all of them and has been in love with him for years. Meredith provides support to everyone and can be depended to give you the harsh, but necessary, truth. And then there’s Joe, Roisin’s screenwriter boyfriend whose career has taken off after a small show he wrote for became an international success.

Roisin lives in fear of all of them growing apart, especially since all of their lives have gone in such different paths. She particularly thinks her and Joe’s relationship would only contribute to this, so she’s been mostly ignoring the fact that he doesn’t seem to like her, or Matt, anymore. However, after she watches Joe’s new show, she can’t help but realize that this is the end for her.

The book really centers around the end of their relationship, albeit just in Roisin’s head at first. A lot of the beginning is her considering whether or not it’s right to end things, given the new revelations. It’s no small thing to break up with someone she’s built a life with, and she wants to consider all her options. I liked that while she turns to Gina and Meredith for advice, and then to Matt for help, they all support her while also maintaining a realistic tone. By that, I mean it’s easy for Roisin to spiral in this situation but the three of them keep her on a more sane path.

Amidst all this, Roisin returns to her childhood home to help her mother out. She’s always had a tense relationship with her, especially since she’s very toxic and more obviously favors Roisin’s emotionally unavailable younger brother. I liked that she does realize over time that, despite their differences, there’s love there. Their relationship might not be perfect, but they can hold this complex love at least, something important when Roisin’s just lost a long-term relationship with now tainted memories.

The romance is a bit leaner in this book than I expected, but that was honestly for the best. I love how Mhairi McFarlane always slowly builds up the couple’s rapport in her books, and this one was no exception. Reading this book made me want to go back and reread all of her books now! Something about her writing just clicks with me. I ended up speeding through this book because I couldn’t put it down.

Between Us documents the slow, and then fast, decline of a long-term relationship and how that affects a mutual friend group. It had all the heart and wit of McFarlane’s other works, and I really liked the story and characters. If you’re a fan of this author’s previous books or are looking for a woman’s fiction/romance title, I would definitely recommend Between Us!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of "Between Us" in exchange for my honest review. This novel follows a close knit group of friends in their early 30s. They all met years ago at a local book store and this novel now follows their complex relationships ten years later. Our two main characters Rosin and Joe are a teacher and writer who share both an inillectual bond and a long time friendship. Their friends come together to celebrate the release of Joe's show. Throughout the book Roisin and Joe unravel their complicated feelings for eachother. I thought this was a super fun and quick read! I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a friends to lover troupe.

this book is a new author for me! this book def made me feel all the feels and take my time! I totally related to the main character and would recommend this book for anyone looking for something new

I love a story about a friend group. The ending here was semi predictable and I’m glad the hinted at twist wasn’t as embarrassing as it seemed from the book’s blurb. 2.5/5

Like any Mhairi McFarlane book, this story was of two minds. The first half is about the deconstruction of one thing, while the second half is about the building of another. If you’re someone who finds yourself wishing romances had more subplots, and literary fiction had more romance, Mhairi McFarlane is the author for you.

In this story, Roisin and her boyfriend Joe, go away for the weekend with their friend group (The Brain Trust) to celebrate a few of each other’s achievements. The most notable being, Joe’s new TV pilot crime drama HUNTER that the group gathers together to watch. But when the main character’s bad behavior mimics many of Joe’s characteristics, Roisin finds herself wondering if she really knows the man she’s been with for the last 10 years.

Like all of her previous books I found myself utterly smitten with the writing and banter. The characters felt real, the plot was engaging and the story propelled itself forward at a nice pace. I liked Roisin a lot, and the friend group was well developed.

I do think the beginning could have been cut down a little more, as the book really finds its footing in the second half. Despite this, I still really enjoyed Between Us, and am already planning on a reread.

Not as good as Just Last Night, but will anything ever be?

**Thank you NetGalley for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was so cute... I loved the main character, Roisin and going with her on her journey through her transitions in her life. I think all of the characters with well developed. I especially loved Roisin's relationship with Matt. All in all I loved this book!

I’m a big fan of Mhairi McFarlane and really enjoyed #BetweenUs, even though it’s different than many of her previous boo. I’d classify this story more as women’s fiction, than a standard romance because Roisin and her ultimate partner don’t spend much time alone together (and even less romantically).

This story is about the shifting relationships among a group of friends in their 30s, five of whom met 10 years ago while working together in a bookstore. It focuses on Roisin and Joe who have been together for the past decade. Roisin is a teacher and Joe is a writer, who is on the brink of being incredibly successful, thanks to the launch of his second TV series.

The group gathers for a celebration of an engagement, a birthday and the first episode of Joe’s new series. After watching the show with the group, Roisin feels betrayed when she realizes that Joe has incorporated a painful episode from her family life into the show without her permission or knowledge. This leads her to begin questioning what else in the series is based on real life, and what the truth actually is about her 10-year relationship with Joe. In addition, she is concerned about her friend group splitting up because of everyone’s changing circumstances, including a growing financial gap.

I found the story of Roisin's journey to learn the truth well written and engaging and kept turning the pages to see how everything worked out.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for the ARC.

Some angel at Avon Books granted me access to Mhairi McFarlane’s novel, and I dropped everything I was reading and raced through it in 12 hours! It was delightful to experience McFarlane’s narrative voice again, which is always kind, psychologically astute, and funny as hell.

Between Us has an excellent set up— it asks, what if your long term boyfriend has become a wildly successful screenwriter and, just as your relationship becomes rocky, releases a new series that appears to be based on your relationship and friend group, but portrays your life in a disturbing light?

Roisin knows that Joe’s police procedural television show is not exactly a documentary. To start with, Joe isn’t a detective. However, when she spots one personal scene taken straight out of her own life, she can’t help but suspect more of the show has been lifted from reality.

Like most of McFarlane’s novels, Between Us deals with complicated family ties, an endearing crew of friends, and includes a romance you can root for. Compared to past novels, McFarlane’s latest focuses less on romance. I didn’t mind since I found the psychological drama fascinating and really well executed.

If you enjoy reading about relationships—both romantic and platonic, I highly recommend this delightful interpersonal drama! Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. Between Us releases on August 8th.

I had a good time with this! I found it extremely relatable as a 28 YO female.

Pros: I felt like the FMC was incredibly relatable, and portrayed an adult that has spent a lot of time in a relationship that she now realizes was a waste of time & struggles with what to do next. As she realizes who she is and what she wants in life throughout the book, I am so happy for her. I felt like while ending may be somewhat predictable, the final twist was not something I really saw coming.

Cons: I do feel like the lies went on a tad long. It was a very very long first act break up.

All in all, I would definitely recommend to someone who wants a relatable contemporary romance with a good plot, a friends themed friend group, and a HEA.

*many thanks to the publisher for my ARC*

This was my first exposure to this author, and I found the story engaging and entertaining.

The protagonist, Roisin, has been in a relationship with Joe, a screenwriter, for almost ten years, although things have been cooling off for months. Both are part of a group of friends who met working in a bookstore in their early twenties and call themselves The Brian Club. As the story begins, the group has gathered to celebrate an engagement and to view the premier of Joe’s new television series.

As you might imagine, in the decade since the group formed, there have been many changes in circumstances – shifting relationships, career developments and financial disparities – that leave the group less cohesive. The opening episode of Joe’s new show reveals an event that Roisin had shared in confidence; his use of the graphic scene without telling her has left her feeling shocked and betrayed. It plants the seed that leads Roisin to begin to question if she really knows Joe and what he is capable of doing. In other words, how much of his writing stems from creative imagination and how much may be based on deceitful reality?

Over the next few weeks, Roisin becomes a bit of a sleuth, begins to heal her estranged relationship with her mother and begins to realize she has feelings for a long-time friend. While I found the storyline engaging, I felt the character development was uneven among the members of The Brian Club. The descriptions of Roisin’s interactions with her students added a touch of levity to an otherwise serious novel.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I was super excited to receive this book via netgalley. I continue to really enjoy Mhairi McFarlane's books - they're consistently charming, witty, comforting to read- but this one felt slightly underbaked. I felt like this could've been edited more, the pacing was odd, and things really dragged with Joe. Weirdly short chapters? All that said this was still a lovely read for a day when I was sick as a dog and just needed something light and fluffy.

this was an interesting book about a group of friends who have become something more 10 years later. Roisen has been with joe and their relationship after 10 years isn't so good. He is writer for a tv show that ends up putting secrets into his show. Roisen starts questioning things and goes back home and takes a leave from her job to figure out life. she ends up breaking things up with joe and finding a new relationship. She even gets back at joe Good romance but it happened to late for the it and the fact that she was too focused on Joe and getting back at him.

I LOVED this book! Mhairi McFarlane has been on my radar but this was my first book of hers that I've read and now I can't wait to dive into her backlist.

Roisin and The Brian Club were all such fun characters that I felt a deep connection with. Roisin's internal battles were so relatable and I loved how all of the relationships in this book developed.

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyage and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

I’ve read all the other books by Mhairi McFarlane and loved them all so, so much. With BETWEEN US, I did find that I had a hard time connecting and being invested in the characters and the story.

I’m glad to see people enjoying the book, even though it wasn’t for me. I was just hoping for a little more depth and intensity. But as always, I will read anything this author writes.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the digital ARC.