“I’m driven by need—a need to touch her, to taste her, to see if she feels for me what I feel for her—but it’s the way she settles into me, swaying slightly to the sound of the music, that calms me down.”

THIS. BOOK. YALL.

If I could describe this book in one word it would be cozy! It wraps you up like a warm hug and you just never want to let go🥰🍯 Madison’s writing style makes me want to get a warm mug of tea and a fluffy blanket and just snuggle up with my boo (or cam…)

Read if you like:
☕️ forced proximity
☕️ witty banter
☕️forbidden romance
☕️ slow burn (but the besssttt kind)
☕️ family drama
☕️ lots of sweet moments and beautiful writing

Read it for the:
• Instant connection trope
• hidden relationship
• Character growth

Steam: Sweet, Kissing only
Content: lite language
Final Rating: 4/5

This was my first read by Madison Wright, and I have to say I enjoyed it!

I will admit, it took me some time to get into it. I was put off by Ellie’s parents, or rather, her need to appease them at the expense of herself. It was an interesting relationship to watch, but it was difficult to watch Ellie isolate herself from friends, family, and even her love interest, Cam, due to her parent's need for her to be the perfect employee. But as the story progressed, I could understand where she was coming from. The final third of the book showcased her growth.

Ellie and Cam’s relationship was realistically paced and romantic. Honestly, I loved Cam and his patience with Ellie, his quiet romantic gestures, and his constant support. I also enjoyed the journey his character took, from being uncertain in his career and situation in life to finding his footing on his own. Both had good chemistry and their scenes together were the highlight for me.

This was a quick, sweet read and I would read more from Madison Wright.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

2.5 stars (rounded up).

"Just Between Us" by Madison Wright is the very low stakes, overly sweet, forbidden love, helps-her-when-she-is-sick, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, cinnamon roll hero, closed-door romantic follow-up to "Just Go With It." It can be read as a standalone, but the characters from the first book do appear in this one. book. I preferred "Just Go With It."

The mood here is cozy and the atmosphere is very late fall/early winter, which I love. I love how MMC Cam clearly adores FMC Ellie, going the extra mile to keep their relationship under wraps, as per her request. The part about the honey in the tea was adorable (though it gets repetitive as it is brought up many times). But honestly? They both needed way more backstory. I didn't really connect with them as a couple. This book is more pages than its predecessor but lacks the same detail and connection.

The chemistry between Lo and Wes in the first book was much more palpable and realistic than it was between Ellie and Cam. I hated how Ellie kept needing the approval of her parents despite them being absolute monster-people. The way they treat their daughter is abhorrent, and honestly, screw them! Why does she so desperately need to prove herself to them when they are going to hate her no matter what she does? She's a bit of a pushover, letting them threaten her into living a s**tty, existence life because...they don't connect with her as their kid?? WHAT?? She keeps overworking herself to the bone for them, for people who treat her like garbage and dismiss her without listening to her reasons or rationale. We don't know WHY they act this way with her (perhaps *not* her brothers), it's never explained more than "we don't connect with you." WHAT?? Again, could have done with some backstory. Ellie's miserable and gives up everything that makes her happy for....what, a blood bond? So freaking what?!! Their approval isn't worth the misery. At that point, BYE, you know?

The forbidden love isn't really *that* forbidden, just deeply frowned upon? There are virtually no stakes. It seems like it would have been a blessing for Ellie to get fired. Ellie lies about Cam and their relationship to everyone she cares about, potentially isolating herself even further for....what?! Silly, unnecessary reasons!

Ellie and Cam have pretty bad communication (and I loooooathe the miscommunication trope). When he wants to tell her he's decided that he's going to stay in Nashville, she won't even give him the time of day to tell her the truth. A little eye-rolly and grating.

I also found some parts of the book to be extremely repetitive. How many times do we need to know Ellie "sucked in her bottom lip"? It's seriously written about 10+ times. I can only read about eating soup and drinking tea and watching movies on the couch together so many times before I start to get bored.

I don't want to tell authors how to write their books, but come *on,* I am a red-blooded person, not a chaste teenager... it takes more than kissing and neck-canoodling for me to stick around. These books feel like they are written for Christian soccer moms who would blush to hear the words "Fifty Shades of Grey" used in a sentence. It doesn't have to be full-on smut, but a little more than kissing would have gone a long way toward making the audience feel more of Ellie and Cam's connection. It just feels so unnecessary pure and virginal...like it's not really for adults, but more for kids.

I'll still read the next book in the series, but I hope it's better than this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Madison Wright for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s closed door but I didn’t feel like it took away from the story at all. This is book 2 in the series but can be read as a stand-alone without being confused.

Loved the premise of the book and it definitely delivered it. The writing was enjoyable and the plot was quite interesting, I loved the character development and how they learned to stand up for themselves. The romance was also really good, definitely excited to read more of Madison’s work!

Just Between Us was a very cute, clean, fun contemporary romance. Ellie and Cam were very sweet characters. I really loved the tenderness Cam had for Ellie.

Ellie is the property manager at an apartment complex in Nashville. One night she meets Cam and they hit it off immediately. Until after their one chance meeting Ellie finds out that Cam is a short term resident at her apartments. The only problem with this is that Ellie’s parents own the property and fraternizing with residents is strictly forbidden.

This was such a quick read, I absolutely flew through it. I think I was expecting a little bit more to the romance, but after sitting with it I was okay with the amount it gave me. I did feel like there was always an awkward layer over everything Ellie did, but this could be because of how her parents treated her.

I enjoyed the writing, but found moments of confusion with a couple time jumps that were only a few days and I didn’t know where we were. I felt the characters and their lives were also very basic and for some people that’s okay, but for me it was boring. In the general over look of the story I did enjoy it, but breaking it down I found a lot of things that left me bored or needing more from the characters or just general plot,

3.5 stars

This was a super quick and sweet romance. It was very light and fluffy which was a breath of fresh air, I loved every second of it! Highly recommend!

I struggled to really connect with this book mostly because the main characters were insufferable.

The forbidden romance plotline grew pretty repetitive as well. Ellie and Camden lacked actual depth in their relationship which made it even harder for readers to connect with both characters. And Ellie's parents were downright the most horrible people I've ever read about.

Thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review

I read this SUPER quick. I had reservations but I loved everything about it and I felt like I needed to keep reading to know what happened between everyone.

thank you to the author and xpresso book tours for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

perfect fall romance book for me. their relationship formed in organic way and developed naturally, i’m thriving for more. this was a cute, enjoyable and quick read. elliecamden my meow meows!

I have been craving a good slow-burn novel and this was what I was waiting for. I thought it was a cute read. And that cover is just gorgeous. Would recommend!

Cute, fun, and clean read. Some parts felt a bit rushed, but overall, I enjoyed it!

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Review of “Just between us” by Madison Wright 🍁

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for a review. Just Between Us is out now for everyone to enjoy! 💘

This book was. so. cute. Soooo cute! 🥹

The main characters are Cam and Ellie. They meet at a concert and hit it off right away. Turns out, Cam is a new tenant in the building that Ellie manages, for a company run by her parents. They, however, are not very happy with Ellie being in touch with the tenants, so Ellie needs to cut it out. But, is it possible to forget about Cam?

A really nice, cute story that just gives you all the happy feels. It’s got some great quotes as well, which I just loved! Swoon. A perfect romance for everyone who loves slowburns (although the beginning may not give you slowburn vibes, it’s there, I promise), forbidden romance, stripey sweaters, tea and honey and just plain cuteness. It’s also not spicy, which I’ve been enjoying lately. A very cute romance.

This book was the second in a series, but, even though I hadn’t read the first book in the series, I understood the story from the beginning. I will definitely be looking forward to part three of this series, ‘cause I want more.

“You’re a striped sweater in a sea of black dresses.”

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great romance, If the word cozy cou,d be described by a book, this would be it.
An excellent read that I’d highly recommend for anyone after love story with a dash of a forbidden trope.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso book tours for allowing me to read this book. I love the main characters in this book! My heart hurts for Ellie every time her mother criticizes her even though Ellie does everything to please her parents. I’m glad In the end she was true to herself. I love the tension you feel between Ellie and cam! I love how Ellie’s brothers are a support system for her and Wes is for cam ! I loved how Lo was playing matchmaker. I seriously love the chemistry between Ellie and cam! This book gave me butterflies and made me feel so happy!

Fall vibes and romance? Say no more! If you’re into either of those things, I think you would enjoy this book! I sure did!

5★ + so cute 😩

This book was THE fall book that I didn’t know that I need to read this year! 😭✋🏼
Here we meet Camden and Ellie (or should I say Dave and Daisy?👀🤔). One kissed shared between strangers that begins a new love story. Passion. Desire. And it’s forbidden. Ellie can’t date any of the residents of the houses she works because of her parents rules. Camden is stuck between coming back do LA and his love for Ellie. It’s just a cute and cozy romance 🥹🙈. And the grand gesture? It was not made by the male person… Camden Lane? Freaking goals 🤌🏼😩 what the hell happened here?

Este livro foi O livro de outono que eu não sabia que precisava de ler. Aqui conhecemos a história de Camden e Ellie (ou será Dave e Daisy 🤔👀?). Um beijo entre desconhecidos, que se torna numa paixão, num desejo. Desejo proibido. Ellie tem uns pais complicados que proíbem qualquer tipo de relações com os residentes dos apartamentos onde trabalham. Camden vê a sua vida dividida. LA chama-o mas Ellie roubou o seu coração. Numa relação proibida surge um amor intenso. Um amor tão lindo e tão fofo. Camden Lane, que goals 🤌🏼😩. E este livro (apesar de não ter qualquer spice 🌶️) é tão fofinho e tão aconchegante… e temos provas de amor tão lindas. Para além disse, o famoso grand gesture, não foi feito pelo homem da relação… o que será que aconteceu?

Thank you so much @authormadisonwright for the opportunity to reading this book 😭😭

This book had perfect vibes! I just wanted to take my pillow and blanket and rest! This book was absolutely cute and warm, do not expect spicy moments and expect slow burn romance(sweet and light). The main characters are absolutely calm and adequate adults, they understand themselves and accept themselves. I love it, because it creates a peaceful atmosphere. This story is forbidden romance (one of my favorite tropes). This couple Cam and Ellie were sweet and cozy! And dual pov was perfect for this book. This book smells like a fall and has warm colors in it. I really want to find more books by this author.

I LOVE the vibes of this book!

A cute autumn read with a HEA. Mild forbidden romance as Ellie is the daughter of property owning parents so she is not allowed to date “residents”. It just so happens that a good looking man moves in and romance is ignited. The premise was a little strange and forced for me but the romance between Ellie and Cam is sweet. I really liked all the characters and I can relate to Ellie being scared of her parents reactions but I found her parents really awful and even at the end I couldn’t warm to them.

I do not often use quotes but this:
“You are an explosion of color in a dreary landscape. You’re a striped sweater in a crowd of black dresses. You, Ellie Bates, are the statement piece the whole house is designed around.”

Wow

Ellie works as a property manager of a apartment complex that her parents own.

She is sweet, connects with her residents, ...

But her parents have rules, one being no personal relationships.

It is forbidden.

She can't patronize with them.

The story starts with a one night kiss when LA transplant (and photographer) Camden meets Ellie.

They have an instant connection.

Imagine the surprise when Ellie finds out that Camden is her new resident.

Ellie is already on thin ice with her parents so she can not risk another mistake.

I love that Camden and Ellie are thrown together despite their intentions.

Camden creates butterflies and makes her feel seen like no other did.

Will Ellie risk her job for a relationship with Camden?