i screamed (*internally) when i saw that i got approved for this e-arc because mcfarlane is someone who got me back into reading last year (i've read almost everything she's written since). i will say that after reading though, this one does feel a little less magical or triumphant than her other works. a lot of the mcfarlane staples are here like a strong friendship dynamic, a heroine who finds her self worth, and a kind love interest, but i wanted to feel more. i will still continue to read everything mcfarlane writes though as long as she releases a novel.

I accidentally read this book in one sitting. I kept trying to put it down, but then would tell myself "one more chapter" and all of a sudden I've finished and it's 4 am.

I've loved everything I've read by Mhairi McFarlane, and this book was no different. It had everything I've come to love in her books- the amazing FMC, the WIT, the nitwit bf with the audacity, a little bit of mystery, and a sweet romance.

I do wish that we had gotten more time with the friend group in their past years (in the form of flashbacks or memories), and I especially wish we learned more about Matt and Roisin's friendship over the years. The last 30% of the book had non stop action and events and I do wish more time was taken with this because it did seem a rush.

Overall I really enjoyed it, I devoured it, and I'll continue to read whatever Mhairi writes.

I recieved this ARC thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley.

This was a good book. I enjoyed this book a lot. This was a good one. i was hooked on this from the start. Must read stuff.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story is it! I have been in a serious rut until I started this book and just could not put it down. The suspense is unique in that it’s romantic but still a deep look at what it means to have childhood trauma, to have a long term adult relationship, and to reevaluate it all. Plus some amazing pop culture references that keep it feeling real and modern. I wont spoil it, except to show that I did not guess the ending correctly but it somehow felt just right. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to pre order this one for August!

I really wanted to enjoy this one, but struggled to get through it. There were multiple times that I wanted to call it a DNF, but resisted out of respect for NetGalley and the publisher/author. Overall, I had two main problems with this book. The first and most glaring was the pacing. It was difficult to get to the romance of the book when the first half of the book was set-up for it. I felt like if it had been marketed differently I would have been more receptive to it, but it was difficult diving into a group of friends that I knew nothing about and feeling invested in the charcters. I wish it would have given more time to get to knwo the charcters before showing their flaws or skipped ahead to the break up.

Secondly, (and this is slightly embarrassing, but I think fair) it was difficult to read because of the slang and locations. At times I felt like I was reading a rough translation to English. There was so much UK slang and locations that some paragraphs felt entirely unreadable. This may come from me being an American, but I felt lost on so much of it that it was difficult to be enaged in the setting.

I was nearly incandescent when NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager sent me the ARC for Mhairi McFarlane’s latest offering, “Between Us.” Having recently found this author and absolutely loving the intelligent, fully formed characters and great storylines of her previous books, I was overjoyed to read this one.

It took me longer than usual to get into “Between Us,” than it usually takes me to get into her stories (which is immediate). While I enjoyed the story and the characters, for some reason I could not connect with them like I have in her prior writing. Not to the degree I usually do, anyway.

Roishin and Joe (a real piece of work) have dated for 10 years and they are part of a group of friends called The Brian Group. These people have all been friends since they worked together during college. Nearly ten years into their relationship, Roishin feels disconnected from her boyfriend. He has reached a level of fame after years of her supporting him and doesn’t really see her in front of him anymore. Things happen, they break up (or do they?), she relies on her other friends, and finds herself back home tending bar for her mother. The mother-daughter relationship, is fraught with past hurts, secrets, and all the things that trickle down into her current life. In comes Matt, one of The Brian Group, to help out with the bar, and to become Roishin’s best friend. From there the romance begins.

There is nothing really wrong with this story. I think I had really high expectations based on her past novels and this one just missed the mark. It’s definitely worth a read if you don’t demand as much as I did. I am looking forward to reading the rest of her books. She is a fantastic writer and by the end of her books, I end up missing the friendships the main character has, and wish I could read more.

This is my first McFarlane book!! I absolutely loved it so now I have to go back and read her others. This is a good problem to have!

These characters jumped off the page. A full cast is no easy feat and she did it with ease! McFarlane did an excellent job at showing us how people slowly reveal themselves and how maybe they have always been that way and we didn’t want to see. The situation was so relatable.

Only critique is I want and need more Matt and Roisin scenes!!! I could have read more on their relationship blooming. But maybe another time you will be inspired to check in with the group.

Thank you for allowing me to read this Arc.

There were too many characters and a lack of perspective in this novel for me. I had a difficult time following the plot and had to restart from the beginning multiple times.

It look me a minute to get into this, but once I did, I really enjoyed it! The characters are flawed by likable (most of them) and I immediately wanted to see how their stories played out.

I wanted to love this and feel all feelings I typically do with a McFarlane book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

What I enjoyed:
-The diverse cast of characters
-The theme of healing after a toxic / unhappy relationship
-The text conversations
-The women’s ficiton romance blend

What wasn’t for me:
-The first half was extremely slow. It wasn’t until around the 60% mark before I was invested in any part of the story or connected with the main character.
-The new love interest seemed sudden and there was not a lot of depth into their feelings
-I thought there were questions left unanswered about some members of the friend group and no epilogue !!

Thank you Avon for the ARC! Pub date : 8/8

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. This isn’t my first Mhairi book, I enjoyed Just Last Night, but this has made me a life long fan.

Roisin was so incredibly well written. Her feelings and the way she processed things felt so real to me.
I feel like I’ve read a lot of stories with infidelity and emotionally abusive relationships where I was let down by the resolution or felt the main character taking the “high road” felt unrealistic. Roisin’s pursuit of the truth was so satisfying.

The other characters were lively and added to the overall tone of the book. If there is one piece of criticism I could offer it is that the nude photo incident seemed out of left field and unnecessary, I think any other conflict between Gina and Matt could have had the same “three strikes” plot device.

I can’t wait to buy the hard copy of this when it’s released later this year.

Thanks to Avon for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

My first experience with Mhairi McFarlane was a hit, but ever since, each book has been a little less great. This is no exception unfortunately. It felt a bit dragged on, and it seemed like too much time was spent describing the music and food the characters were consumed and not enough on developing the story forward. I was glad I finished it, and I didn’t hate it, but it was a tad too boring.

I love Mhairi McFarlane. I thought this was going to be a little predictable but I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't my favorite of her books but I would definitely recommend it.

In McFarlane’s books you’ll find the most authentic of human emotions. This isn’t trauma or spice, just normal life drama and hope. Her writing flows so well and you’re wrapped up before you know it; her books are near impossible to put down. Spoilers: I loved this circle of friends who are growing into cool adults. I was thankful the friendship between Roisin and Gina wasn’t demolished—I took a huge sigh of relief. And sweet Matt—so lovable. Very pleased to have received an ARC from NetGalley.

It took me a little while to get into this (I think the dynamics of all the friends being immediately introduced tripped me up a bit?) but once I did I was fascinated. This group of friends all have these preconceived ideas of each other that they’ve just stuck with all this time even as they’ve all changed, and it takes one tipping point being reached to topple the whole house of cards. I was impressed with Roisin’s ability to not run Joe over with her car, because I was not the one in a relationship with him and the only thing stopping me was the fact that he is not real 😌

The friendship between Roisin and Matt was SO sweet and genuine, and I liked that they both admitted to the ideas they’d had about each other despite being friends for so long. Matt is giving golden retriever energy in an unexpected way and I loved it.

"Between Us" by Mhairi McFarlane is a captivating novel that takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The story follows Roisin, who finds her life unraveling after her screenwriter boyfriend uses their relationship as inspiration for his new TV show. Roisin's private life is exposed for the whole world to see, and she is left to deal with the consequences.

The book is a cleverly written exploration of modern relationships and the blurred lines between private and public life. McFarlane weaves a complex web of characters that feel real and relatable. Roisin is a flawed but endearing protagonist, and the supporting cast adds depth and nuance to the story.

The author's sharp wit and humor add a lightness to the heavy subject matter, and the pacing of the novel is excellent, with just the right amount of tension and intrigue to keep the reader engaged throughout. The romance subplot is sweet and satisfying, and the friendship dynamics are authentic and heartwarming.

Overall, "Between Us" is a fantastic novel that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction. McFarlane's writing is smart, insightful, and thoroughly entertaining, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for a page-turner with heart.

This was my first book by Mahairi McFarlane, therefore, I'm unsure what her other books are like but I had a good enough time reading this one that I'd consider reading more.

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of 3rd POV – unless it's like intense epic fantasy – which made getting into the story and connecting with these characters somewhat hard. It took me almost 3 times coming back to this book for me to really get into it but once the plot picked up I did enjoy it enough to finish. The characters were likable but no one really stood out to me so most of them feel at arm's length (again, this could be the 3rd POV). This was most evident when points of the tension began boiling over, especially (SPOILER) when Roisin broke up with Joe during which time things felt less emotional than I'd have thought. Don't get me wrong, I was rooting for her to cut this man off but I didn't feel as in it as I thought I would have.

Overall, I enjoyed it enough that it was more of a 3.5 read than a 3!

I had a hard time connecting with this book. The characters just weren’t what I really wanted them to be. I just couldn’t get into the story because of this. I’ve been joyed a bunch of her other books, and this one just left me disappointed.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm a huge fan of Mhairi McFarlane, so I was really grateful to receive an ARC of this book.

There's a lot to unpack in this novel which is themed about "between us" -- secrets that friends and lovers keep from each other and how they impact one another in sometimes very destructive ways. This is the story of seven friends who are known as the Brian Club (an inside joke). As the friends share a weekend to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, their ten year friendshipversary, and the debut of one of the friend's new tv series, tensions arise. Money and class play a part in the group tensions as some friends have endless money and others work normal jobs. As the weekend plays out, some secrets are revealed -- who in the group has had long term crushes on each other, as well as cracks in the foundations of solid relationships. The real focus is on Roisin and Joe who seem to have everything they should ever want, that is until Joe's new show begins to make Roisin doubt how well she really knows her partner and whether art might be closer to imitating real life than she would have thought.

This story started out a little slow for me, but being a fan I trusted the author and powered through and several chapters in I was genuinely hooked. There was recurring a theme of "It was slow but fast at the end." The way people die, the ends of relationships, the beginning of new ones. I really loved the way this theme kept popping up throughout.

SPOILER ALERTS: While the writing was engaging and I couldn't stop reading, there were times that I thought it was little drawn out and long. Roisin could have been a bit more emotional at the break up with Joe (she did end a ten year relationship and even if he was a total pathological idiot there must have been a reason that she fell in love with him -- even if it was based on manipulation -- and I didn't really feel any emotion or grieving from her walking away). I also felt the feelings for Matt were rather sudden but I bought into the whole theme of it was slow but fast at the end. There was a really well developed tension that always existed between Joe and Matt which worked well and fed into this idea that Matt always secretly loved her.

I genuinely enjoyed reading this novel.