This story did not go the way I thought it would! I am sometimes at fault for thinking I can predict the ending and I was happy to be wrong in the case of Mhairi McFarlane’s BETWEEN US. Mhairi did a wonderful job reflecting the realities of friendships that are years in, how people change and our tendency to try to keep our relationships from growing even as we ourselves evolve. The backdrop of TV show through which secrets are revealed was a great narrative device as well.

This book is so interesting to me! On its own the romantic arc isn’t super convincing but since this book is mainly about Roison, & I would characterize it as women’s fiction, I accepted it as icing on a very well-written cake.

This book is about so much—the ending to a 9-year-old relationship & also the beginning of something else, as Roisin says.

She & Joe have been together forever. While watching the first episode of a show he’s written, she feels betrayed by how he’s incorporated her past without consent & worries that he has a secret real life, that of a philanderer, which has served as inspo for his writing.

Roison unpacks a lot in this book & I love how that journey is written. She is a lead that I really rooted for: I love her self-awareness & her willingness to see where she has messed up. Her growth is substantial.

I’ve heard great things about Mhairi McFarlane’s books & I can see why. Definitely looking forward to reading more!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Mhairi McFarlane for allowing me to read and review this book.

I absolutely adored this book. There are twists and turns, romance, struggles, and finding yourself.

The main character has been in a relationship for a very long time; however, she is potentially learning things about her boyfriend that would shock anyone to their core. And she is finding these things out by watching his newest TV show along with the entire world.

Secrets, scandals, and a secret admirer. This book is amazing all the way through. I could not put this book down because I just had to know what would happen next. You get to figure out what is real and who is lying along with the main character. There is also an amazing romance, of course.

The one that got away, what-ifs, and fighting for love are also big parts of this story. Along with strong friendships, heartbreak, and fear of losing the people you love. This book is such an emotional rollercoaster that you will want to keep reading until it is over.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet one that almost got away romance with scandals, mysteries, and true friends.

This is such a cute romcom. Mhairi really knows how to write them. Love the main characters and they're like-ability as well as chemistry.

Fans of McFarlane will enjoy her next book. Roisin and Joe fell a little flat for me, but overall it was okay.

Opening is a bit pretentious, so I continued with trepidation. I was then pleasantly surprised how much I wound up liking the story, the human dynamic, and plot developments. McFarlene does an effective job at weaving the layers of the main character, Roisin, with her supporting cast of friends. There are on occasion British terms I was less familiar with, but that didn’t take away from understanding what was happening.

Between Us is a tale of a group of friends who face trials and tribulations in their early 30’s. Having met in college, they have formed and normed over the years, with their friendship evolving over time. As the friends negotiate some revelations after Roisin’s boyfriend used elements of their life in a screenplay he wrote for a new show, they have to decide their loyalties as well as what comes next. Overall, I found it satisfying, right up till the end.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and have written an objective review.

this was so boring to me. this author loves womens fiction and usually I don't mind but the romance wasn't present and it was quite depressing.

I am so happy I found this author! I can't wait to read more of McFarlane's books! I have been hearing how great these books are, but I had not gotten around to reading them. But now I NEED to read them! I couldn't put this one down!

Between us by Mhairi McFarlane is sold as a second chance romance and while that piece is there this novel may be best sold as chick lit, a break up novel, a fictional hot to survive gaslighting and lying boyfriend. But alas there is a happy ending, romance and good friends so this is a beautiful novel despite the romance title. As my first intro to this author it was a bit surprising as a romance but I am told she has more traditional romances which are equally brilliant and more romance focused.

Roisin has been dating Joe for a number of years and has had the same friend group for roughly 10 years so it's not a surprise that she chooses to celebrate her birthday with that friend group while they also celebrate an engagement and her boyfriends new TV show. Joe has written a new show featuring a couple and friend group that is a bit dark.

Roisin finds the TV show to be more true than she likes as it shares a deep secret that she has only shared with Joe. He is horrible to her about the show, the secret and the show ends up causing issues amongst them and the friend group for numerous reasons. Needless to say Roisin and Joe do no survive Joes success and thankfully the friends support Roisin.

Matt, a friend is exceptionally and unexpectedly supportive in this situation as he is the friend group playboy. With Roisins support group she is able to get back to dating and eventually finds a new romance.

Whilst this novel heavily focused on the breakup, Joe's disrespect, gaslighting and frankly his dislike for Roisin and their friends, it ends with a quick romance. Believable? Not quite sure but it happened. Still a wonderful read.

This is the first book in ages where I have so many thoughts/feelings but also don't know how to feel at the end. 🤣😫 the earlier titles by this author I didn't love, but last few were SO great, I had high hopes for this one. Bear with me, a thinking out loud review is ahead!

Roisin (a teacher) and Joe (screen writer) have been together for 10 years, they have an amazing friend group (affectionately called Brian club) and the book starts with an elaborate weekend celebration for an engagement, birthday and the premiere of Joe's new show.

I love the found family trope. Love it. Eat it right up. Based on the first couple chapters, I was hopeful to see that here. And whoa the drama. Not the happy family I thought we'd find. ***Partial spoiler ahead***. I picked this up based on liking the author, not reading the summary and Joe at the beginning really just rubbed me the wrong way. I liked Matt from the beginning, there was just something there. But finding out one of Roisin's besties had been in love with him for as long as she had I immediately retreated with an oh never mind because they would never. As the group watches the first episode of Joe's show, Roisin is presented with a lot of familiarity and starts to have some questions. Turns out Joe took some real life creative liberties. Thus begins Roisin's quest to unravel the web of lies and formally ending things with Joe. She enlists Matt's help on the investigation as he had unexpectedly found himself unemployed and working at her family's pub. As Roisin begins to uncover the secrets behind what is actually a biopic on Joe's infidelity. As her and Matt obviously get closer, come to find out he's been pining after her for a decade. (Granted Gina was the one who told her about said feelings and was shockingly okay with them getting together, rooting for them even). The book had soooo much going on, that the ending felt really rushed and loose ends weren't entirely tied up. But at the end of the day I think I did actually enjoy it? It was different. Definitely not the romcom I had in mind, more of a, I guess happy thriller that was mostly drama? A thriller through a chick lit lense if you will!

Thank you Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this arc! This is the first time reading anything by Mhairi McFarlane and it was a joy to be introduced to a new author.

This book was heavy with the feels. Rosie has been with Joe for years, helping him through his career as a writer for television. At the premier of his new show, Rosie realizes how everything seems oddly familiar. Similar characters. Similar situations. Unknown cheating??

Enter the gaslighting from Mr. Joe. He could be the poster child for narcissism and gaslighting. Seriously.

This man took up way too much of the book. That is the only reason I gave it three stars.
I adored Rosie and cheered for her every step of the way through this book and her healing.

I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the elements that were addressed such as gaslighting. This was a realistic story and engaged me from the beginning.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was really looking forward to this one but unfortunately it was a little boring. It didn't exactly feel like a romance, so I guess it's contemporary fiction with romantic elements. It did have some sweet moments, and I liked the ending. I just found myself not really caring about any of the characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was really cute and funny! I really related to Roisin and the struggles with her relationship and how old friendships evolve. There wasn't any like shocking reveal, at least to me, but I enjoyed the ride and laughed a lot. I will definitely be checking out more from this author. I received an advance review copy for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

This book definitely falls more into the women's fiction category than romance. The focus is Raisin's journey of self discovery and healing after her boyfriend essentially creates a tv show about her life. There is a romance, don't get me wrong, but it is not the driving factor of this book as it isn't started until about the half way mark. I'm not going to lie, I struggled with this one and it's taken me months to finally finish it. I enjoyed Mhairi's previous book but something with this one just didn't click as well with me.

Between Us is not the romantic comedy or the love story you've been expecting. I would classify it more as a life story with an element of love included. Rosie was the focus and her relationships took center stage - and not just the romantic type. Themes of platonic friendships and support from them were included over and over. Definitely not the most emotional MM book I've read, but still a very compelling story. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had higher expectations for this book as a devoted fan of Mhairi McFarlane, but don't get me wrong, I still devoured it and enjoyed her brilliant writing style. This book delves into gaslighting, exploring dysfunctional and manipulative relationship patterns that blend into emotionally consuming family dynamics.

The only thing that bugged me was that most of the book revolves around the unhealthy relationship of the heroine, who finds herself deceived by the illusion of their love life, leaving little time for her second chance romance. Indeed, her blooming romance with another man after getting rid of her toxic ex is too instant for my liking.

This one started off so slow In all honestly I wasnt sure if I was going to finish this one or not. It isnt til about 2/3 rds of the way in that this one gets kinda interesting. It was also hard to really connect with the main character or any of the other characters.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I put this book down about a month ago and haven't reached for it again. I didn't get very far and realized quickly that it wasn't holding my attention the way I wanted. Maybe I'll pick it up again one day, but I'm not sure.

I only read about 10% of the book, and in that small percentage, not a lot happened that pulled me in or made me want to continue.