Roisin Walters and Joe Powell have been a couple for about a decade and things have become somewhat stagnant and stale recently. Joe is rising in fame and has a debut for a new show, Hunter, which seems to be a form of art imitating life if Roisin analyzes it more critically. She sees some version of truth twisted out of her own personal experiences and considers it a breach of trust which forces her to look at her relationship with Joe using a different lens.

This is my first read by Mhairi McFarlane and I see a lot of raves for her books. I started this over three weeks ago and am just now finishing. Granted, life did get in the way quite a bit, but I found that I never had a problem with stopping and setting the book aside without any yearning to dive back in as soon as possible. And I didn’t always reach for the story to continue when time did permit.

Having said that, I did like Roisin. She’s a bit optimistic and wears blinders, but partly because she comes off so self assured and has little reason to doubt her faith in others. She is not a drama queen and seems level headed and classy. Her friends are a unique bunch. Joe actually comes off as the most boring amongst them with his perceived humbleness covering up a subtle jerk. There’s funny dialogue to help offset some of the more serious undertones, but I actually would’ve preferred more exploration of those deeper issues to delve further into the core of the characters and the past experiences that shaped them. The budding romance was not as slow burn as it appeared because of reasons, and I could’ve enjoyed more between Roisin and this other guy who is not Joe since they jived so well together and I needed that relationship development. However, the story does satisfy Roisin’s journey in seeing past the facade of others and what their true intentions are rather than assuming face value. While there’s some meaningful lessons and conversations in this, I am don’t think this particular style of writing is for me.

Things that hold true in Mhairi McFarlane’s books:
1. Friends are like family and can sustain some of the best relationships.
2. If something seems fishy, it probably is.
3. Women will win out, every time.
4. A happy ending or happy beginning is a guarantee.
I always know I’m bound for a wonderfully engaging story rife with modern cultural references, humor, (and of course some kind of trauma) when I pick up one of McFarlane’s novels. Between Us does not disappoint and is more of the tried and true storytelling I’ve come to love from this author. I love being dropped into McFarlane’s narrative where characters are so precisely fleshed out that I feel like I’ve known them for a long time. Definitely more of a story with a romantic subplot than a romance specifically, Between Us picks up with a friend group on a long weekend together hilariously called The Brian’s (you’ll have to read about it) who are several years post-coworkers at Waterstone’s (the UK’s version of B&N). The dynamics between this friend group are exactly what Between Us is about, specifically Roisin and Joe’s relationship. There is quite a lot to unpack from over the years of their dating (and the book blurb does an excellent job mentioning it), so when cracks start to appear because Joe’s TV drama script seems a little too close to reality, “detective” Roisin begins to wonder what is truth and what is fictional.
I loved this friend group as with all McFarlane novels (especially Gina’s tirade!)—there is witty banter and dialogue and so many Yes!!! fist pumping moments. Parents are complicated, and content warnings should be given for cheating, gaslighting, abortion, and sexual assault (both mentioned, not on page). If you like your books funny, yet a bit moody on the verge of dark, but believe good will always triumph, love will win, and revenge is a dish best served cold, then may I introduce you to your newest favorite novel? I received this book as an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
4.5 stars

Mhairi McFarlane is an author that I enjoyed previously, so I was excited to pick this one up. Unfortunately, it fell quite flat for me.

What I liked - the wonderful British world that she plops you in every time. While I can't actually know if it's realistic, it certainly feels that way! Her writing style is something I always enjoy, even if the story itself wasn't fully what I wanted. She also explores rather deep topics without feeling overwhelming - this book included toxic relationships, gaslighting, and complex family dynamics. I thought she handled it quite well alongside the growth of Rosie, the main character. I definitely was rooting for her to get her happy ending!

Ultimately though the pacing was very slow - it took 20% for me to really feel connected to the story at all. I also wanted way more with actual love interest and not the abusive current boyfriend we start the book with! There could have been so much more depth and complexity with the romance and I think that's the biggest thing this book is missing.

Overall, I did enjoy parts of this book and it didn't feel like I was trudging to the end at all! But I am hoping her next book picks up the pace and has a bit more romance!

Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

There are those stories that you read and you are sad when they end, and those you can't wait to finish so you can move on to another one. Unfortunately, this one fell in the latter category for me.

The main male character, Joe, was a manipulative jerk. I never really connected with his girlfriend, Roisin. Their long-term friend group was a mess. There wasn't a lot to like about any of the characters (primary or secondary). And I really had no idea who we were supposed to be "rooting for" as the story dragged on.

While I did finish the book, I can't really recommend it.

Thank you to Mhairi McFarlane, Avon and Harper, and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

This book fell flat for me. It was sold to me as something that it is not. It was winding and winding with no end in sight.

I did not connect with the plot and characters. For one, I felt it was too long. I kept waiting on something or anything to happen but nothing did.

I would have preferred the weekend scene was shorter. We did not need to go through that many chapters before the ’real’ story started.

It did piqued my interest towards the end but by then the damage had been done. I just wanted to finish the book and move on.

It wasn’t all gloomy as the 10E class made it a bit interesting when they feature. I especially like Amir. He is a basket case.

Nevertheless, I will still recommend if you enjoy women’s fiction with bits of romance.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley and the review is entirely mine.

I have to be honest and admit that I've had a bit of trouble getting through this novel (I'm still working through it). I think this one just isn't for me unfortunately. In looking at the cover and reading the description, this presents itself as a light-hearted rom com riddled with Hollywood shenanigans but in reality is much darker and snarkier. I'm halfway through and I'm not overly attached to any of the characters and I don't fully understand the European slang. It feels like I'm sitting a table away from a close group of friends overhearing their conversation, I'm lacking so much context and history that I just don't have.

Thank you for this ARC, I loved reading this book!!

As always, I loved the heroine. The conversations she has with her friend group reminded me of my own college friend group chat, and the chaos that ensues whenever we’re reunited. Roisin’s ability to be selfless in honor of her friends was something that isn’t often included in romance novels. At the same time, I am so glad she is the kind of character unafraid to be “emotional,” and stood up for herself over and over again.

The romance between Roisin and Matt was handled so seamlessly. Their summer spent together working a pub was like hanging out with friends, with a little added magic of the beginning of something.

I was a little skeptical about Gina/Matt/Roisin, because those plot lines make me soooo uncomfortable, but I think it was handled well.

I’ve said it many times, but Mhairi McFarlane is SO GOOD at what she does. She has such a distinctive voice that never fails to entertain. I could hardly stand to put it down 🧡

I loved this book - Matt is charming in an authentic way and Roisin is such a fun main character. I loved the character development and the group dynamic. They all brought something wonderful to the overall plot development. And Joe - man, I never liked him!

This book hits so many things - group dynamics where couples develop and separate, in fighting, wealth and class differences, etc.

Read this book in a day!

Mhairi McFarlane really excels at writing punchable ex-boyfriends. Believe it or not, that's a compliment - her writing makes it crystal clear who the villains are, and she does a great job writing female leads who you can't help but root for.

Roisin and Joe have been together for ten years. After supporting his aspiring writing career for more than half their relationship, Joe's career has taken off, with a smash hit TV show and another about to debut. Roisin has accepted the growing distance as he prioritizes his career, but when she sees elements of their relationship play out on screen in the new series, she's left questioning if she can still trust this man. She doesn't want to burden their mutual friends with her worries in case they're unfounded, but turns to Matt for help - the one friend pushed to the outskirts of their social group after an explosive weekend away.

Roisin's not perfect, which I appreciate. She's a flawed character and she's struggling with the end of one relationship while deciding whether it's okay to enter into a new one, and she questions if she's too quick to trust Matt as their connection grows. I enjoyed watching them work through their issues together.

𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘜𝘴 follows Roisin and her group of friends meeting up at a fancy manor where they'll all reevaluate what their friendship means and how you don't truly know the people you've known the longest.

- ~ -

Roisin and Joe used to be a couple in love or 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧?

As Roisin discovers the mystery of her decade long relationship with Joe and what all she never knew about the man she slept next to, she teams up with his frenemy - Matt.

Sweet, kind, caring Matt who's always had a thing for his mate's girl and never the courage to tell her...until now that is.

Overall a great book with an interesting plot that sorta kept me on my toes and all my love goes to Matt and Roisin.

- ~ -

3.95 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book. I'd heard really good things about her books from friends, so was excited to get a chance to read this as an ARC. Unfortunately, I have to admit I ended up not really liking it very much, and I'm not sure I'd go back and try another of her books to see if this was a fluke book or if I just don't mesh with McFarlane's writing.

The book revolves around Roisin, her partner Joe, and their group of friends. Roisin knows she and Joe have been off for a year or so but they've never dealt with it. He's always busy with his increasingly successful job as a screenwriter or he dismisses her feelings or says they'll talk about it later. So she questions whether it's just her or she's being too sensitive and ignores her feelings. Things finally come to a head with the premier of Joe's new mini-series where she sees things she told Joe in confidence play out on the screen. Now she's questioning not only what else will turn up on-screen, but their entire relationship. Was everything a lie? How much of what's in the story is real life?

If you want a book on emotional abuse and gaslighting relationships, this is a pretty good example. Even when she breaks up with Joe, Roisin seems to feel like she has to justify herself to both Joe and everyone else- even though they've agreed not to tell their friends the real story. I didn't find any of the characters especially likeable or highly developed, Roisin makes seriously questionable choices throughout the entire book (starting with choosing not to see Joe's vicious comments about their friends for what they are and call him on them at the time) and the emotions themselves seemed shallow. We spend half the book with one character's main trait that she's been in unrequited love with someone for ten years, then suddenly she isn't. Roisin might be in love with a new guy but is still completely fixated on finding out how much Joe lied to her and therefore how much of "her life" was a lie instead of accepting that he was horrible and toxic and moving on to something better.

The pacing was slow until the very end when lots of things happened and supposedly emotional revelations hit everyone on the head at once. I kept wondering when the point of the book would start, or at least sharpen into something I'd care about. In the end, it is less a second chance or rebound romance, or even a woman finding herself in the face of a relationship crash, and more about the toxic buildup that can happen either intentionally or accidentally between friends, family, and partners, and what happens when one person opens her eyes to see it all at the same time.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
Rating: 3 stars
Pub Date: 8/8

Roisin and her boyfriend Joe are spending a weekend with their closest friends. They’re celebrating a birthday, an engagement, and the premiere of Joe’s new tv show. Roisin has already started questioning whether her relationship with Joe will work out when it’s revealed that he has used some of the personal information that Roisin has shared with him for his show. After returning home with her life in shambles, she’s stuck trying to decipher what other parts of this tv show are based on real life.

This was my first book by Mhairi McFarlane, and I can see why so many people love her books! Her writing is humorous and smart, and I enjoyed many of the character interactions. Roisin’s mom is so funny, and I thought the romance was sweet.

Unfortunately, this was hard for me to get through. The pacing was slow initially, and the story didn’t pick up for me until the halfway point. In the beginning, I had a difficult time with a lot of British slang, and I think that took me out of the story and slowed things down considerably. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and I thought Joe was the worst. Because so much of the story was taken up by the breakup, it was more depressing than uplifting for me, and I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite, but there are a lot of five-star reviews for this one already! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a few of Mhairi McFarlane’s books and while I am a fan of her writing, this one wasn’t my favorite.

When I saw the cover of this book, I thought I was getting a swoony romance and while there is some of that, overall this is more of a women’s fiction read.
You meet Roisin and her boyfriend Joe, who have been together for ten years and have slowly grown apart. You also get to meet a cast of side characters that I would have LOVED to get to know more! Most of this read is about Roisin and while there were parts that were enjoyable, I found myself really wanting more. It was hard to connect to her character and the story dragged quite a bit for me.

While this wasn’t my favorite, I would highly recommend you read some of McFarlane’s other books, especially If I Never Met you. I would also check out some of the reviews on @goodreads as there are a TON of glowing reviews you should check out before you make up your mind!

Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for the early copy

3.75 stars!

This one is out 8/8!

I talked to a friend about Between Us and said "the start is slow. You have to get all of the pieces in order for it to come together". And not in a Love Actually way. You have to see all of the friend dynamics and the personalities of their group and all of the bits of history come together in order for Joe and R's relationship to come to be seen.

Roisin and Joe have been together for 10 years and remained a part of their super close friend group. But as he becomes more successful, things about their relationship feel less secure. As his new tv show is airing, scenes from the show mirror real life a little too much and questions are raised. Is their relationship what it seems? R's journey to discover the truth in their relationship and who she is is full of questions and changes and new relationships. The journey is definitely not fast, but the pay off is worth it.

✨ SPOILER ALERT ✨


Thank you HarperCollins and Avon Books for making this a spotlight romance on NetGalley 🥰

I’ve only read one Mhairi McFarlane romance prior to Between Us, and I’m realizing what a disservice I’ve done to myself by not already reading her entire back catalogue. Mhairi is one of the best writers in the romance game in terms of both creating a believable love story and also the journey it takes for the female MC to get to happily ever after(if single POV romance is not your jam, this book will not be for you).

I will say in the case of Between Us, it felt like more plot attention went toward breaking Roisin up from Joe believably than toward her getting together with Matt believably. That said, it is a testament to Mhairi McFarlane’s talent for crafting characters that I could only be so frustrated because the reality of balancing a friend group on the verge of destruction depending on 2-3 people’s romantic decisions was captured realistically and viscerally, therefore I had patience for these developments.

I also have to shout out Mhairi for being so unapologetically UK in her writing and not dumbing down the slang for Americans! While extraordinary things happened in this book, I never doubted that real northern English people were going through them.

While this is not a book I’ll recommend to the anti-slow burn romance crowd, I personally could not stop myself from reading and finding out how Roisin would be okay in the end. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ are in order 😁

Maybe it was just me but this book seemed too disjointed and all over the place. Some if the things Roisin does in the last half of the book make absolutely no sense. Also seems to have more characters than really need to be included in the Brian’s Club. I didn’t enjoy this as much as her earlier books.

I’m a fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books, she writes fun romcoms that I really enjoy. This book is a little more serious, because the FMC named Roisin is being gaslighted by her 9 year boyfriend Joe, who uses embarrassing situations from her real life in his popular TV show.

It’s his first success, and as he gets more well known his behavior towards her gets even worse. Roisin realizes that the tough, uncaring persona of his TV show is based more on Joe’s personality than she had realized.

Fortunately she has a group of longtime friends to support her, and after Joe is out of her life she acknowledges the attraction between herself and another member of the group, Matt.

I liked the way the toxic relationship was addressed in the book, it will be familiar to anyone who has been in a similar situation. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars

Between Us is another heartfelt romance from Mhairi McFarlane. It follows Roisin, a woman whose life unravels after her boyfriend uses their relationship as material in his new show. She flees the chaos and returns home to help run her family’s pub. Things do not settle down as her dysfunctional family creates more drama and Roisin is left with questions about how much truth is in her ex’s show. However, an old friend may provide some comfort.

This was a very character-driven story and I loved Roisin. I wanted a bit more romance, but I loved the chaos and drama of the story. McFarlane always has a sharp wit that helps with the heartbreak of her stories. Another great story from a reliable author.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Between Us is Mhairi McFarlane’s newest stand-alone Women’s Fiction/Romance novel. It’s a relationship-ending and new beginnings type of story featuring a six-member friends’ group.

The story opens with precocious 12-year-old Roison Walters spying on her parents during one of their parties and discovering that they are swingers. She overhears her mother’s best friends discussing her accidental pregnancy from a liaison and subsequent abortion. Roison is devastated by what she learns.

Fast forward 20 years later and Roison is a tenth-year English teacher struggling to reign in her students at the end of the school term. She is attempting to lecture on Great Expectations while her students want to discuss her “husband’s” new TV show. Roison has been with her writer boyfriend, Joe Powell, for nine years and he has just found success within the past three years as a TV screenwriter.

Roison and Joe’s friend group, the Brian Club, was established 10 years ago when they all worked at a bookstore and were harassed by a deranged co-worker named Brian. Dev Dosh was the bookstore manager but later found fame and wealth as a reality TV star; now he owns a successful media consultancy business and wants to pay for the group’s travel adventures. He is engaged to Anita, who is a make-up artist for Asians. Gina does public relations for a university and has had unrequited feelings for Matt which prevent her from pursuing any other relationships. Meredith is Gina’s lesbian housemate and is the calming influence of the group; she provides really good advice to the others. Matt McKenzie is the wealthy, handsome charmer of the group who works in sales for a wine merchant. Joe has always resented Matt and constantly makes derogatory remarks about him and his bachelor lifestyle.

Dev hosts the Brian Club at an English country estate named Benbarrow Hall to celebrate his and Anita’s engagement, Gina’s birthday, and the debut of Joe’s new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. When they watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she is devastated to recognize a scene from her childhood being acted out on-screen. She told Joe things in confidence and feels betrayed by him. Matt accidentally walks in on Gina naked, and winds up leaving the castle early and cutting off contact from the other members of the Brian Club.

When Joe returns to Hollywood to work on the show, Roison talks to Gina and Meredith about Joe’s betrayal and her fear that the lead character is based on Joe’s past actions and/or fantasies. Roisin’s mom guilt-trips her into coming home to work in her pub while she is off for summer break. Roison is scared to watch more episodes of Joe’s drama, and she wrestles over whether she should break up with him. Matt winds up helping Roison by playing detective and working at her mom’s pub after he gets let go from his job.

Between Us is really not a romance, more of a women’s fiction tale. I was disappointed because I thought Between Us would be a romantic comedy when it was more of a relationship drama. As long as the reader understands its genre, it will be enjoyed due to the excellent writing and plot. The female characters are very engaging and I found myself engrossed in the mystery of whether or not Joe was gaslighting Roison. The other characters in the book really admired and respected Roison but she seemed to me to be a doormat. There were times where I really wanted to slap her and say, “stand up for yourself!” and “take his money, you dummy!”.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What would you do if the person who is supposed to love you most, not only treats you and everyone around you with disdain, but actually reveals extremely personal emotional trauma to the world? This book is about relationships, specifically how they change and grow over the years. Is what you wanted in your early 20's still relevant in your 30's? An intriguing look at how friends grow and merge together or apart. The author did a good job of bringing these relationships to life and looking at them closely then evaluating what worked and what doesn't. It's a good read, but does drag a bit in parts and you will definitely either love the characters or hate them, sometimes both at the same time. Kudos to the author for dragging strong emotional response to the characters out of the reader and making you engage with the characters and events unfolding on the page.