Mhairi McFarlane has done it again! She has such a talent for drawing interesting and realistic-seeming characters. She also depicts groups of friends the sort that we all wish that we could have. In this novel we see Roisin doubting her relationship with her boyfriend of 10 years. As they gather together with their group of friends, she starts to realize that he isn’t who she thought he was. And maybe the other guy to spare in their group, the handsome Matt is the one who is really worth pairing up with.

I love the dialogue among the friends. I don’t know anyone from Manchester, but they all come across as authentic and interesting.

Every book I’ve read by McFarlane has been a total delight and this continues her streak.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

DNF at 21%

I'm not sure what it was, but this one just couldn't grab me. I think so many characters were introduced at once, and I couldn't tell the difference between them, and I couldn't figure out where the story was going. I read a few more chapters before deciding to drop this one, and I just think the writing style just isn't for me. I'm sad because I do think this premise is really interesting, and someone else is probably going to really enjoy this! I'm rating this full stars, because I feel like I didn't get enough into it to fairly rate it a 1 star, and I don't want it to tank its overall ranking drastically.

Between Us is full of entertaining drama - drama with friends, drama in old relationships and drama in new relationships - definitely recommend! I loved the premise of Roisin investigating things further as she suspects that her boyfriend Joe's new drama series is art imitating life. I would have liked to see more with Roisin and Matt - there was so much focus on the negativity of Roisin's relationship with Joe and the additional fallout as she discovers more things he kept from her - that it was more difficult to fully invest in her new try at a relationship with Matt. But I am definitely excited to read more from Mhairi McFarlane - I loved her writing. Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

don't think this was for me. couldn't get into it as much as i tried, sadly. i read one other book by mcfarlane and enjoyed it. think this was just too slow and didn't get into the plot as quickly as i had wanted it to. lost my interest in continuing very early on.

I am struggling with how to write this review. I enjoy the writings of Mhairi McFarlane, but unfortunately I did DNF this. The relationships portrayed were toxic, manipulative and unhealthy. The miscommunication trope and drama was just too much for me. I felt like I wasn’t getting the escape I desired and ultimately decided to stop reading. Best of wishes to this author. I look forward to reading the next novel.

Many thanks to Netgalley, and Harper Collins publishing for the advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for review.

After watching her screenwriter boyfriend’s new hit show, Roisin’s life feels like it’s unraveling as she realizes the man she thought she knew wasn’t him at all and is surprised to find love in unexpected places in Mhairi McFarlane’s Between Us. I have mixed feelings for this book. I felt like it was really hard to connected to these characters. The drama of Rousin and Joe’s breakup was good and it was a constant question of what actually happened between them that I was really invested in, but in that same vein, it went on so long I didn’t feel the right connection when it came to how fast Roisin moves in to her new love interest. I did find Roisin’s mom and Roisin’s friend Matt to be really genuine and fun and I loved Roisin’s moments at her childhood home and her mom’s pub. I thought the ending was good, I just wish there had been more time over all for it.

3.3.5⭐


Roisin is a relatable and likeable character and by the end of the book, I was really rooting for her. It just took so long to get there! I think this was a case of wrong reader for the book. I don't like reading about cheating and the meat of this book revolves around it and was too much for me.

Pros:
I loved Lorraine and Roisin and would have liked more of a focus on them working out their shit.
The chemistry between the characters was fun to read and once things were rolling past the halfway point, I started to enjoy it more.

Cons:
It took a long time for me to really grasp what was happening and who all the characters were. I also HATED one of the main characters and found him super stressful. (Which is totally intentional). But if you don't like to read gaslighting, you might not enjoy it.

Overall, if the book had shortened the negative part and made more out of the mother daughter relationship, I would have loved it. I realize not all romance novels have likeable characters, but this wasn't my fave from Mhairi McFarlane.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Mhairi McFarlane just truly never misses. This concept is just so clever and honestly I think it brings to light topics that are in quite nature normally a bit heavier. I think that this bordered more almost on women's fiction with a subplot of romance, so it was a bit different than I originally thought it was going to be, but overall I had a really enjoyable experience reading it.

In true McFarlane style, she has taken some heavy issues and brought them to the surface for the reader to consider. - themes of infidelity, betrayal, trust, friendship, relationships & love, both past & present. While focus is on Roisin & Joe - Matt, Gina, Meredith, Dev & Anita - all play their significant roles in supporting the timeline of events & friendship.

Furthermore, she infuses small amounts of humor to ensure that the writing is not too seen as too heavy all the time. Also, she weaves in a story of romance & love. She keeps it moving forward slowly which manages to keep the reader wanting more even knowing the most likely outcome. I could not wait for the finish and it was worth the wait!

Tropes
* love to hate
* trust to betrayal & even infidelity
* A friendship bond that was once strong begin to test its limits
* Secrets between friends & lovers created over time
* friendship to love

I strongly recommend this book!!

*************

BLURB (credit NetGalleycom)
When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it’s a triple celebration—a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe’s shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she realizes that the private things she told him—which should have stayed between them—are right there on the screen.
With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family’s pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family and the looming question: what other parts of her now-ex’s show are inspired by real events? Lies? Infidelity? Every week, as a new episode airs, she wonders what other secrets will be revealed.
Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed…

I liked this book even more than I thought I would after reading the premise. There is so much to dig into past the romance of the book. I loved the character journey that many of us go through after college with your group of friends. Wanting to hold on to the good times of the past while growing as a person.

This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book and I really enjoyed it. It took me a bit to get into it as the first part, I really had no idea where this was going to go. A group trip with friends sets up the rest of the story and explains the complexities of group friendships.

Once you get into the story you cannot put it down trying to figure out if Roisin’s instincts are correct or if they have been mixed up in the world of TV make-believe. I don’t want to spoil any of it for you, so you can find out for yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 17%

The synopsis of this book made it sound full of excitement and drama. A subconscious cinematic tell-all of the main character’s struggling relationship? Sign me up.

Except what I signed up for is not at all what I got. At 17%, I wasn’t even close to that event happening. Instead, there were far too many characters thrown at me way too quickly with far too complicated backstories to keep track of and way, way too much talking. To put it bluntly (and I don’t use these words lightly because I know how much effort it takes to write a book), the pacing was extremely slow, making every word a slog to read. Because I couldn’t understand why I was supposed to care about these characters when they barely seemed to care about each other. Supposedly they’d all been friends for years, but I didn’t feel that, and the conversations they would have with each other made very little sense. There was no hook to draw the reader in and as a result, I couldn’t figure out what the purpose of this story was.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

As a preface, this could easily be a 4-star book. The writing style didn't mesh with me, and it took too long to get into the story so I dropped the extra star.

I assumed this story would pick up around the time Roisin and co. watch Joe's show, but it takes a while to get to that part. Looking back, how Mhairi beings Between Us is vital to meet Roisin and see how the dynamic of the friend group works. But during my first read, I was just waiting for the drama to begin. Plus, the group disappears not long after they watch the show's first episode, so maybe the dynamic wasn't necessarily needed, since we don't see much of those other characters anyway.

I did like the approach Mhairi took with Roisin and Matt. They felt very natural and never forced [although saying you love someone and realized it a couple of days ago but it "felt like it was there all along" was weird considering she just got out of a 10-year relationship] and I was HERE for the drama around Joe to unfold. But while Roisin and Matt's friendship felt natural, the second-chance romance came out of left field. I mean, I saw it coming, but it was on the heels of the fallout of a 10-year relationship, and Roisin was still hung up on Joe's lies. This all happened within several weeks, I believe, so that was what tripped me up on the romance aspect.

While it didn't hook me until halfway through, I was invested by the end. And even though a (small) part of me was telling Roisin to let Joe's lies go, considering they were done and it wouldn't change anything, I was mostly rooting for her to sniff out the lies and then hunt him down. Again, I was here for the drama.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

I had high hopes for this book after reading others from this author but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me… The story focused a bit too much on the “previous” relationship instead of the new relationship that most focus on. Moreover, I feel like that took time away from allowing the reader to really form a connection with the new couple and really root for them. While I enjoyed this romance, it was definitely a different storyline than I was used to.

This was my first book by Mhairi McFarlane and I enjoyed it. The cast of characters are all interesting and how they are growing, changing, and moving on. There is a little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, and a little bit of family redemption all occurring over the summer. The story was engaging from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Mhairi McFarlane for the eARC.

This book was sadly not for me.

2/5

Roisin and Joe have been together for about 10 years and for the last year things have been a little rocky. Joe's screenwriting career has taken off and he has a new show premiering. When they go to watch the first episode with their group of friends Roisin realizes Joe has used private things about her life in the show. This causes her to go down a rabbit hole of ending the relationship that was already on thin ice. 

This entire book is about dysfunctional relationships, and cheating. I am not a fan of this type of thing and I don't really enjoy reading about cheating. I know this is totally my opinion, but thats how I feel. 

I also felt like this book was incredibly slow. The main happening didn't even occur until like 45% of the way in. It dragged so much. I felt like the book could have been way shorter since we spent the whole thing figuring out what was happening to Rosisin and Joe's relationship.

Roisin was a great character and the cast was very diverse, but sadly I don't have a lot of other good things to say.

Roisin's life unravels when her boyfriend uses their relationship as material for his new TV show. As tensions emerge among their friends during a weekend getaway, Roisin questions her own relationship and discovers that her private confessions are being broadcasted. Seeking refuge, she returns home to manage her family's pub, but drama follows as she navigates her dysfunctional family and the secrets revealed in each episode. Unexpectedly, she finds solace in Matt, a charismatic friend who supports her in ways she never expected.

This book was so, so very English and I certainly enjoyed Matt, but Roisin and some of the other side characters were so very frustrating. I don't want to spoil too much, but Roisin being absolutely hell bent for closure and snooping on her gaslighting ass of an ex was exhausting at times to read.

I was captivated and surprised by this book that I assumed would be a typical rom com, but which turned out to be something different and deeper and yet still so charmingly romantic. It's about the unravelling of a long-term group of friends, and how that changes the dynamics of how everyone in the groups relates to the others, especially Roisin and her boyfriend Joe. Every character is colorfully unique, and fully three-dimensional, and the plot they find themselves in is both believable and extraordinary. Witty, compelling, and utterly delightful.

This book was not what i expected but it made for a wonderful read. It is a great take on how friendship group dynamics can change in10 years. I could not put it down because I became really engaged with all these characters. It also has an arc that is unexpected but beautifully made in this group of friendships. I loved the character development and all the explorations of how much we can change in 10 years. It is not predictable and that always gets mayor points in my book. As someone who still chats on a daily basis with their college friends, this book hit close to home. This might be the perfect book club read for a group of friends.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane.

While I enjoyed this book, I am quickly learning that MM is a hit or miss author for me. This book was not quite a miss, but it wasn't a homerun either. The storyline about Roisin, her boyfriend, and their friend group just didn't do it for me. I wasn't super investing, and I didn't really like any of the characters...so that makes it hard to enjoy the book IMO! This book is different than the other MM books I've read, but I don't think that influenced my opinion. I don't mind when an author takes a different path if the story is good, and I just found this story to be lukewarm.

I was about halfway in before the story hooked me, and that is way too long. I think readers who are more prone to DNFing would have given up before that hook happened. I never DNF, so there's that, but I'm not the norm. That being said, I did like the ending and was satisfied with the outcome...but the ending was not really worth the journey for me.

I gave this one a generous 3⭐️ because I think the book has merit. I'm just disappointed that this is the second MM new release in a row I haven't vibed with.

Rating: 3⭐️

Enjoyed the way the settings were written in this book, I felt like I could envision each location written. The author did a great job weaving the friendship dynamic into the plot.