Skip to main content

Member Reviews

I LOVED THIS FREAKING TWISTED BOOK!!!!

I was so ecstatic and NetGalley approved me for and ARC of this copy. And it's crazy, because this was my first John Marrs book, but I felt, while reading it, that I had jumped on this bandwagon ages ago.

Ok, this story was the craziest story I've read so far this year. Picture this, the first narrator was an older woman, and she started telling us about her days at home, her boring daily routine, and about her dinners with this other person who lives with her, Nina.
Nina was the perfect picture of a woman in her mid thirties, whose life was dedicated to her job at a public library. Nina also told us a bit of her living habits and how it was to live with Maggie, the older woman.

Normal, right? Not in the slightest.
Because Nina showed a total disregard for Maggie and soon we found out that Maggie each day, after dinner time, needed to go to the attic to be put in chains...

WTF????

Yes, that was me through this whole story. It was completely insane and in the most awesome, captivating and intriguing way ever. John Marrs was able to keep me hooked to this plot for the entire time, I simply couldn't put it down.

I was reading and then, out of a sudden, he was revealing such a crazy piece of information, that my brain would turn into mush. He didn't stop there though. When I was starting to get used to that piece of information, connecting with the story, he would go and BAAMMM, another crazy reveal to make me go insane.

I think it's correct for me to say that he is "The King of The Plot Twists", because he was not shy in that department and although all those revelations could've turned this story into a senseless one, that didn't happen in here.
John Marrs was so crafty when weaving all those reveals, making everything fall into place with the plot. My jaw literally dropped to the freakin floor with that ending.

Definitely a 5 star book for me and I simply cannot wait to read his other books... some I already got and I'm really excited to start.

Was this review helpful?

Wow wow wow... yet again John Marrs treats us to a fantastic thriller.. cannot recommend all of his books enough. What lies between us is a page turner that will have you reading until the small hours!

Was this review helpful?

5 star! I love John mars and his latest offering is no exception. A dark and very twisted tale about a mother and daughter relationship - there’s so many twists and turns in this book and if I discuss the plot I could easily give away a spoiler! Just read it - you won’t regret it! Due out may 2020. Thanks to John marrs and netgalley

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

For fans of Peter Swanson, make this your next read! If you've read Lisa Jewell but wished she'd go just a bit darker, this book is perfect for you.

Woah. This book so twisted and every chapter I had myself guessing who to trust. Twisted family relationships, decades-old secrets, and unreliable narrators made this book a wild ride. I enjoyed, but I bumped down a star because I thought it was wildly unrealistic (as almost every thriller is). Overall, this was a fantastic read that was hard to put down!

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars

No, I don’t know why I would read a book about a woman whose keeping her mother chained in the attic when I’m being on a quarantine for ten days now. Yes, I know, probably not my smartest move.

This was such an intense, dark, and disturbing book with two dysfunctional characters that completely messed with my mind. They drove me crazy when they start acting so chilly like nothing is wrong. Like “YOU GUYS ARE FREAKIN INSANE!” I loved how fast paced this book was and how it was filled with twists and turns. The book doesn’t give you a time to take a break. The storytelling is amazing. I loved the writing style and how it got my complete attention. It definitely got me glued to my seat nervous as hell while waiting for what’s going to happen next. It felt like you find out a new revelation by the end of each chapter. And while some things weren’t completely surprising to me for I’ve guessed it already, it surprisingly didn’t affect my enjoyment for this book. It was a good book. A really good book.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sharing this copy with me in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I was so surprised and excited when I got an early copy for this book

Was this review helpful?

What Lies Between Us is my first John Marrs book and he's made a huge fan out of me!
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Honestly? Wow. This is the story of Nina and her mother Maggie - a domestic cat and mouse tale, who is doing what to whom and why? Whose motivations are legitimate? We are told the story through three timelines and two narrators, and all reliability is up in the air!
I'm hesitant to say much about it as I went into reading this relatively blind and so glad I did. I was completely off-kilter throughout, which is really the point. It's twisty and tense and awesome. Just read it!
For release May 15, 2020.

Was this review helpful?

Rating: 4.5

SO this book started off really slow for me, and I wasn't really feeling it and then bam! It just hits you with a ton of bricks, throws you off a cliff, and drowns you in the ocean. This book has more twists and turns than any rollercoaster you will ever find. And you may think I'm exaggerating, but I just really wasn't expecting that.

The characters, throughout the book, just continue to grow depth, it was like you never really knew if any of what they were saying was truth or not. I don't know what else to say, I am quite speechless. All I can say is that it ended too soon for me, I would have loved to see the aftermath.

One of the best psychological thrillers I've read!

Was this review helpful?

My thanks to Netgalley and Amazon books for a copy of “ What lies between us “ for an honest review.

Another triumph by John Marrs. !
This is everything a psychological thriller should be .I couldn’t wait to get to the end , but was disappointed when it had finished.
Really well written and suspenseful. I shall definitely be recommending

Was this review helpful?

This has some Verity vibes, some SERIOUS V.C. Andrews vibes, and just general overall “Holy crap what the F” vibes. 

Lately some of those kinds of stories seem so over the top to me that I can’t even read them but this didn’t feel that way surprisingly. It wasn’t so totally over-dramatized with such completely implausible things happening you couldn’t even buy it. They were only *slightly* implausible and enough to make it readable and a perfect escape from the madness going on in real life at the moment.  I recognize, my perspective might be slightly skewed given the state of affairs, and if things were not so chaotic I may not have any tolerance for a crazy story.  But I really did think it was much more "realistic" than sooooo many others in the "Totally F***ed Up" sub-genre it falls into. 

Plus the way the characters’ internal dialogue was written was so subtly creepy that it added to it being a very unsettling read (in an entertaining way). Some serious tension-building which was awesome entertainment.  So many authors use outrageous and outlandish nonsense to create shock and awe, but this author just used slow and subtle creeping tension and it worked.  I'll definitely read more from John Marrs.

Was this review helpful?

This book is amazing. Perfect!!! Full of twists and turns with very interesting characters. Super recommended 👏👏👏

Was this review helpful?

I liked this story quite a bit. A mother chained in an attic, a daughter holding her there for revenge against the things she has done.... but does the mom really deserve to be punished for the sins the daughter feels she has committed or does the daughter have it all wrong. This story is told in blocks of time spanning 25 years from Maggie the mothers viewpoint and Nina the daughters opposing viewpoint. Things are definitely not as they originally seem. Twists and turns every chapter. Some things were somewhat predictable but it didn’t affect the overall suspense and the ending was one I did not see coming. Well done , this is one I will recommend to friends and family.

Was this review helpful?

John Marrs is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. In What Lies Between Us he writes a family mystery based on a mother and daughter that live in the same house, but one is being held prisoner. It is told from both their points of view and alternates between present day and the past. Marrs does a great job swaying the reader to one side and then revealing a nugget of information that makes you completely question what you were thinking. It goes back and forth like this throughout the book. It is really well done. It’s a crazy ride that you’ll enjoy! Thanks to #Netgalley and #Thomas&Mercer publishing for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

This book had me hooked from page one. I had to get accustomed to the narrator shift along with the time shifts. The storyline is unique along with the ending

Was this review helpful?

What Lies Between Us by @johnmarrs.author
4.5/5

Wow, what an awesome thriller! This book has one of the most unusual mother / daughter relationships I've ever witnessed. Maggie cannot live without her daughter Nina. Not because she's elderly, no, Nina keeps her mother chained up in the attic.

This dark, twisted tale is told from the perspective of both characters at different points in time as it's carefully revealed what series of events led Maggie to tear her daughter's life apart. 😮 There's no denying Nina has suffered but finding out what drove her to take such extreme measures to punish her mother will keep you up well into the early hours of the morning!

The characters are very well written - they're complex and deeply flawed. It's clear that the situation they find themselves in is a result of a communication breakdown and keeping deep rooted secrets from each other. 🔐 This creates so much tension knowing that one sentence from either of them has the ability to blow everything apart at any moment.

As well as being addictively thrilling and devilishly wicked, I loved Marrs' use of popular culture references - Early on we learn that Nina enjoys dancing to her ABBA record (a small mercy for Maggie that isn't not Tina Arena's Chains 😂). There are a whole host of fun references in here but I won't spoil them for you.

I highly recommend this book to all of you who love a good thriller - it's released on 15th May.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! I was excited to start this new book from John Marrs and I’m thrilled to say he didn’t disappoint!
I have raced through this gripping thriller, it is disturbing, creepy and the characters are downright deranged!!
There are a number of twists and for quite a while you are not really sure who is the real baddie - or maybe they are all as bad as each other!
It was brilliantly written and gradually escalated from ‘gripping’ to ‘sitting on the edge of your seat, absolutely gobsmacked by what is unfolding!’
Another fantastic offering from Mr Marrs which throughly deserves a strong 5⭐️ rating and I highly recommend you add it to your wish list.

Was this review helpful?

Another home run for John Marrs. This is my third book with the author and I have loved each one more than the last. The Passengers and The One ( soon to be a streaming movie) were more technology related and this one is more about family relationships, but just as engaging. I wondered if at first I would miss the tech theme, but this book is really a jewel. It is twisted and dark and each twist brought on even more thoughts to how it might end. I really had no idea where he was going to go, and I loved every minute of it.
This will not be my last John Marrs book, and I hope he has many more to come. I could not put this one down. The characters were so deceiving and at any one time I didn't like most of them as people, but that works brilliantly. Not knowing who to believe made this one hard book to guess about, and I loved it. Read this book if you love thrillers with twists and turns.

Was this review helpful?

Holy crap but this was an emotional thrill ride. John marrs is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors. The book kept me on edge the whole time, but in a good way. Yikes. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Was this review helpful?

Maggie (the mother) and Nina (daughter) are living under one roof and rely on each other to get by, but only does Maggie go to bed at night chained up in the attic by her daughter. What history has happened between them for it to be this way?

Jumping back and forth between characters, and from 25 years ago to present day, we hear both sides of mother and daughter. Many shocking betrayals and turns that are sinister, but it was predictable in the end. Regardless, it was still a good and in-depth thriller. The author may have some family issues though, it was pretty messed up!

Make sure you read the prologue. I really wish this was included in the chapters and not just the prologue, it answers and basically finishes the story! 

* Thank you Netgalley for allowing me an advanced readers copy before publishing date in return for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

4.5 I dont know how John Marrs does it, but he knows how to knock you out of the park with creepiness! This book is INTENSE, crazy, psycho, incomprehensible mother/daughter relationship. I don't even know where to begin. This is like Behind Closed Doors meets Psycho meets Flowers in the Attic! You hate each character equally, but weirdly enough you understand why they did what they did. I have so many thoughts going through my head I don't even know where to begin! You don't know who's lying or who's telling the truth or what is going on! This family was one messed up family. This book sucks you in with craziness and ends leaving your mouth agape and questioning everything you just read...an awesome read yet again by John Marrs! Psychological thriller at its best. #netgalley

Was this review helpful?

ehhhh I'm the odd one out here. I did not enjoy this book. I found it long, dragged out, and ultimately a chore to read.

Was this review helpful?