The start of this book was really slow and hard-going for me, but between a third and half-way in I started to get interested and became more invested in what, until then, had been quite plain and disengaging characters, with the result that for the final third of the book I was hooked!

I think the main plot and idea of this book, namely how ambition and life and career paths can shape our personal lives if we let them, alongside the importance and development of family, was really engaging. However, the shift between time periods and flashbacks is initially quite disorientating, which is probably why it took me a while to get into the story. Nevertheless, if you stick with it, and become invested in the characters, the ending is really strong, emotional and thought-provoking!

Sweet romance with a clever frame. It’s the story of a Hollywood couple told from each POV chronologically backward (his) and forward (hers) in alternating chapters. The pace slows a bit in the middle, but, overall a solid read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and was very excited to read this book. I have read many of Allison Winn Scotch books and have enjoyed them all. This book was quite different because it was told in two separate and distinct points of view. The love story of Tatum and Ben starts in New York with Tatum, a bartender/student, and Ben, a promising screenwriter. Their story is told in alternate chapters, each by either Ben or Tatum, spanning time. The first half of the book jumps around a lot and I did have some difficulty keeping track of what was up with the characters. By the middle of the book, I had settled into the pattern and had no trouble following to the end. I really enjoyed this story of a not-so-perfect marriage which was very believable. Success does not always bring happiness but, I found myself rooting for the couple to beat the odds on their Hollywood marriage.

When Ben Livingston and Tatum Connelly meet, they are both dreaming of success in Hollywood--Ben as a scriptwriter and Tatum as an actress. It's Ben who hits it big first, becoming Hollywood's It Guy and a Sundance favorite. But over time, his star slowly fades while Tatum rises to a stardom neither could have ever fully imagined. Along the way, the two wed, have a son, and experience a variety of ups and downs in their marriage. This includes several losses in their personal lives and slowly drifting apart. They once were incredibly close and deeply in love; can their love sustain everything that life throws at them?

This was a really interesting book, starting with the format. The story is told from both Tatum and Ben's perspectives. No big deal, you think, right? Except Tatum's portions start at the beginning of their journey and go in chronological order, while Ben tells his part of the story backward, starting with how they've fallen apart and going back in time. It's an odd device and definitely takes some getting used to. It was hard to keep some of the dates and timelines straight; it was one of the times where I wished I had a hardcopy of the book so I could flip back and forth more easily.

It also seemed to make the story more repetitive--when you have two people telling the same stories, you're bound to get some repetition. But what was really strange was that it sometimes felt like each chapter was a mini story that needed to reintroduce everything all over again. I don't know why the author felt this was necessary, because it's an oddly compelling book on its own even when neither main character is really that likeable. But we heard over and over about Tatum and Ben's daddy issues, career issues, that he never wrote anything for her. And oh yeah, did we mention that Tatum's an actress and doesn't eat, etc.?

At the core, this isn't really a happy book, despite it being romantic at times. Both Tatum and Ben have a lot of petty issues, but also really serious issues relating to their parents. This is fine, except we hear about it (a lot) due to the repetitive way the story is told. There's a lot of mourning and grieving and there's a dark side that deals with addiction, too. The focus on that fact that Ben has never written a script for Tatum--while this does have a point in the end--this gets to be a little much, too. The problem with all the focus on these things is that I felt like I never really learn a lot about Tatum and Ben in this format. I was always yearning for more. Is the story of two people growing apart interesting? Am I invested in them? (I was.)

It's sad, because despite everything I have said, I found this book weirdly compelling. Maybe it's because Tatum is a famous actress and there's a Hollywood setting, even if it's not really fleshed out. I wanted to know more about Tatum and Ben. I wanted them to work out. I wanted to read the book, even with the odd format and rehashing of things. It's a little hard to describe. It's like watching a romantic comedy where you desperately want the two leads to get together, despite all the odds.

So, I'm still glad I read this one. It was engaging and different. I do wish I knew more about Ben and Tatum and their motivations and what led them together (and apart).

This is an easy book to read but a hard one to put down. It is about two people who meet, fall in love and get married. They both become very successful and have all the things most people dream of. However,along the way a lot of lines get blurred and they lose sight of what is most important. Although this is a subject that is often written about this author has made it all seem brand new. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Scotch but it won't be the last. If you enjoy beautiful prose this one is for you.

I have long been a fan of Winn Scotch which is why I was very excited to read Between Me and You. However, this one just didn’t “do” it for me the way her other books have.

I was pretty into the story until about the 45-50% mark and then it became repetitive and I found myself losing interest. The story is told in alternative POV and Ben is narrating the story backwards while Tatum is narrating forwards. I really liked this method of telling the story, but once the timelines intersected, I didn’t really care that much about the alternating point of view. It was like reading the same story again.

Then, the last 10-15% picked up a bit as the story progressed to present day and a solution. As others have mentioned, there is no big aha moment, but Women’s Fiction usually doesn’t have that big climatic moment, which is fine. That is not why I read books in this genre.

Overall, this book was not great, but not a total dud either. I found myself skim reading through much of the overlap. But I finished it, so that is saying something. I would say that this is not one of the better books that I have read by Winn Scotch, but I am a fan, so I will certainly be looking forward to the next book.

Allison Winn Scotch just gets better and better. This is my favorite book so far that she has written. She knows how to pick a pertinent topic in our society and play out the plot perfectly with lovable characters who are constantly reflecting inwardly. The vulnerable characters show a human side that is so raw and true that you feel like you are going on their journey with them. As Ben Livingston and Tatum Connelly meet and fall in love, unpredictable life changes occur to lead them down a complicated relationship. I would love to read a sequel!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All Opinions are my Own.

This was so fun and captivating. Should be made into a movie for sure! Winn did a great jog painting a vivid setting and exposing the characters' inner emotions on every page. Loved!

I actually didn't finish this book. The flip-flopping storyline made me crazy. Tatum's story was told going forward from when they met. Ben's was told going backward from the present day back through to when they met. So you'd read some of Tatum's and then some of Ben's. Each time there were that minute or two where I would have to reorient the timeline in my head and each time it was time for the characters to switch, I disliked it more.

There is a good story in this, I just don't think this was the way to tell it. At least not for me.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy.

My feelings for this book were all over the place. There were moments in this story about a faltering relationship that rang true and I was rooting for Ben and Tatum through their issues of infidelity, insecurity and jealousy. But I had some issues with how the story was told.

I give marks for the author using a creative way to tell her story - with Tatum's story being told forward and Ben's being told backwards in time. But I didn't feel that it worked well. There was a lot of time shifting and POV changes (causing some confusion) and when Tatum and Ben shared their sides of the story many situations are rehashed for the reader.

This was a quiet read about a couple in trouble but there was no big wow moment in the book. Ben and Tatum's 'thing' was saying 'I see you' to each other but I didn't feel like I got to see who they really were. I wanted to crawl inside their relationship and get to the deep, dark places, but it never felt like we got there.

Winn Scotch understands that love is messy, amazing, confusing and requires honesty, commitment, forgiveness and the safety to be able to feel vulnerable. This is what I liked about this book. I just wish there was more depth and that the story was told in a simpler format.

Disclaimer: This ARC was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not usually a fan of books that switch between time periods but the concept used by the author fit this story perfectly. Fans of hers should not miss this one!

Between Me and You is one those types of reads that makes you sit and think. Marriage isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, and this show us just that. Tatum and Ben fell in love, they marry and have this amazing life. But over time, the marriage seems to be one where two people just go through the motions everyday and they drift apart. Tatum was so vibrant and her love for Ben was never something I questioned. When her career took off, she got so caught up in it and everything else got pushed aside. Ben, was struggling with his career but not just that, he was struggling with Tatum’s success too. But his love for her was ever present too. These two had some major miscommunication issues, and those always lead to bigger problems.

The story is told is told both Tatum and Ben’s POV’s, from the past and the present. It does jump around a little a the beginning, and I didn’t get lost, and I believe this was done so that we get the whole picture of what happened. Basically, one POV was in reverse, and the other in order and it worked well. Toward the end, it does start to go in order, so no worries. This is the first time I’ve encountered a set up like this, but I think it really laid out their lives and marriage all out for us. Their ups and downs and struggles were ones that some couple can relate to, maybe not the whole being famous thing but you know what I mean, the drifting apart. It wasn’t hard to relate to them both, and get swept up in their story. And before I knew it, I was so emotionally involved with them, I just couldn’t stop reading, I had to know what happened with them. Would they find their back to each other? Would everything they’ve been through keep them apart? It was such an emotional roller coaster but so amazing too.

I want to tell you so many more things about this, and I could probably go and on, but I don’t want to give away anymore, it is one that you have to read and feel. Between Me and You takes us through an intimate look at love and marriage, and the betrayals and heartbreak that sometimes comes with it. It is one read that will stick with me for sure.

I liked the premise of how this was written. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the story itself. I had a hard time following it. It started out pretty good but lost momentum about a third of the way through.

I went into this book with trepidation, as I had read some positive and some negative reviews, but the positive far outweighed the negative, so I was excited to start reading.

My excitement lasted for about 30% of the book.

I have to agree with fellow reviewers who say the time jumps are just too confusing.

I love stories with different points of view. I do, really. But this one was just too confusing for me. Not only do the chapters time jump, it's a his/her point of view.

Sure, at the end they join, and the author explains within the story WHY this method is used (kinda), but for me, it just didn't work. I also wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters. I didn't feel that instant connection to them, which I am sure didn't help matters any.

But just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you.

BETWEEN ME AND YOU by Allison Winn Scotch follows a couple through twenty years of their relationship. It captures the chaos of young love, the mess of lifetime love, and all the emotions in between. It's very relatable. It also shows you what happens when everyone is watching but no one is paying the right kind of attention. I really liked that the characters were in show business so that you could really see the impact fame has on them as individuals and as parents. I thought the dialog was strong and the character development was as well.

I'm a big fan of Allison's novels so here is where I get torn. I did finish it and I did like it. However, the narration style was difficult for me through the first half of the book. I actually like stories that rotate narration between lead characters and this one is told between Ben and Tatum. What got me was that the chapters are all different months and different years. It jumps all over their 20 year timeline and that made the first third of the book really hard for me to follow. Once I realized who the characters were, it really started to click and I enjoyed the rest of the book and read it quickly. By the end of the book, you can tell why it was told this way. Thus, torn on what I would rate this book but encourage you to read the book yourself to form your own opinions.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting book. It's written from two different points of view, Tatum's and Ben's, and just like in their life, they don't ever seem to be in the same place at the same time.

When they start off, Ben is the successful one and Tatum is struggling professionally. But they are both struggling personally with families that are dealing with death and addiction on both sides.

Tatum is definitely the driver of the relationship and Ben is dragged along for quite a while, into a dog he didn't want, and then a baby he wasn't sure he was ready for. But you can only push someone so far before they will start to chafe and rebel in ways you may not even be aware of.

The marriage falls apart, and you are getting both a fast forward and a rear view of how it happened. But neither of them seem to be very outcome with the outcome.

A portrait of a marriage with all it's ups and downs, which doesn't seem to be that different even with career success and Hollywood fame.

Current Goodreads Rating 4.45

It’s December 1999. Ben and Tatum begin a whirlwind romance right out of a movie. Literally. They are both in grad school in NYC; Ben as a writer and Tatum, an actress. She stars in his Indie short film that shoots him to Hollywood notoriety. They become inseparable and their careers soar with limitless possibility. But as the years go on, their marriage is struggling. Mistakes, secrets, pain and losses can no longer be ignored. All the dreams they once had are hampered by the reality that is Hollywood. The gossip, long hours and trajectory of fame is relentless and unforgiving. The memories that Ben carries of his Dad’s expectations smother every bit of his success. Regret and jealousy become too heavy to manage. The story is narrated through the eyes of Ben and Tatum and alternates between their meeting in 1999, the present and every year in between. Although the timeline can seem confusing at times and must be followed very closely, the clear honest voices of these characters easily pulls the reader into their hearts and lives. Don’t miss this enjoyable read, especially if you’d like a peek at the movie star world we all devour in the tabloids!

How can a story be told while flip-flopping between the past and present so flawlessly that you simply can not put the book down? Allison Winn Scotch manages without a hitch. I am a huge fan of her work so was thrilled to receive an early copy for my honest review and I will say this was my most favorite of her books- and I have loved them all. This story was so raw with emotion and the characters were so well developed, while you start to favor one over the other, the next chapter you change your mind again. This book is more than a love story...it's about forgiveness, loss, betrayal, and letting go. I could not stop reading this book- make this a must-read on your list!

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself falling in and out of love along with Ben and Tatum and wondering, along with them, how everything that once was so right could go so wrong. At first it was a little hard keeping track of the timeline - we see their relationship alternately from Ben's and from Tatum's point of view, sometimes moving forward and sometimes looking back. Eventually, I just stopped trying to keep track of the exact WHEN and just jumped in for the ride, and what a ride it was. I found myself crossing my fingers that they'd figure it all out by the end and full out crying by that same end.

So good, I'd definitely recommend this book. Thank you so much for the advance copy.

What a fantastic book! I just finished it and loved every minute of reading it. The book begins in New York when Ben, a screenwriter trying to get his big break, meets Tatum, a struggling actress working in a bar. They fall in love and marry and move to LA where their lives begin to take different paths. Tatum becomes a well known actress and Ben is no longer a golden boy in Hollywood. As they struggle in different areas, the distance between them grows. Can their love and their family survive their current life and is there any way to bring them back together again?

This book is unique because it's told in alternating chapters by Ben and Tatum AND told in different time periods. Ben's chapter may be about present day and then Tatum's chapter is about when they first met. It's a bit confusing at first but once you get into the rhythm of the story, it's a fantastic way of giving the reader both sides of what's going on in their lives and their marriage. It's also a good way to get to know both characters good points and their flaws.

This was another fantastic book by Allison Winn Scotch. Thanks to the Great Thoughts Ninja Review Team for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.