I had heard great things about this author's previous works, but I wasn't a fan of this writing style at all.

Mhairi MacFalane is always an automatic read author for me. While I throughly enjoyed this book I don’t know that it’s a top pick for me. I had a hard time getting into the friend group dynamics in the beginning, however once I did I flew through the remainder of the book as driven as the FMC was for the truth of the relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for sharing a digital copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is my first book by Mhairi McFarlane. I loved the concept, longtime couple Roisin and Joe seem to be drifting apart and Roisin is starting to wonder if she ever really knew Joe at all. Joe is a writer of a successful TV show, but Roisin is shocked when Joe seemingly starts using aspects of their life, and painful things she's told him in confidence, for plots in his show. Joe denies any of the storyline is in fact based in reality, gaslighting her into believing she's overreacting. This book could easily have evolved into a thriller which I would have loved, but uses Joe's betrayal as a catalyst for another romance for Roisin, which I wasn't invested in.

Mhairi's writing style is very British with lots of UK- based colloquialisms, which was kind of distracting for me. But in general this was a good read and I would consider reading another of her books. 3.5Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always scramble to download the newest Mhairi McFarlane novel and I have yet to be disappointed. I absolutely love her books for how f*cking funny they are, the character growth, the well-developed friendships and supporting characters, and the British regional accents. Between Us is another wonder. The humor is like Lorelai Gilmore meets Bill Nighy. And I liked that the plot formula was switched up a bit. It felt fresh.

Mhairi McFarlane's latest offering is both a generous ode to friendship and an excellent example of gaslighting in an intimate relationship. Fully recommend.

I'm a sucker for these types of books. I really enjoyed it. It was entertaining and I flew right through it.

This is a fascinating and entertaining British story about a teacher and her close group of male and female friends. At times it felt like the British version of the Friends’ tv show. Roisin and her friends have been together for over a decade. Roisin supported her boyfriend (Joe) during that time, encouraging his career as a writer. Joe is finally making it big with a short series. His show turns out to be an eye-opener for Roisin, since she is convinced that it’s based on himself and on their relationship. The main character is a pathological liar and a persistent cheater. Roisin struggles to figure out the truth of her long relationship with Joe, as she works in her mom’s pub over a school break. Meanwhile, the attractive single man in their group of friends is dealing with his own problems, including conflicts with Joe and people viewing him as a shallow player. Matt even withdraws from the friend-group. After he loses his job temporarily, Matt offers to help out at Roisin’s family pub. There are some plot twists and lots of character development along the way to a HEA. I really enjoyed being in Britain for this story, and thought it was great woman’s literature. Recommended! I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This follows a teacher named Roisin and her friend group, that also includes her serious boyfriend, Joe, of many years. He is the writer for a tv show that is airing while the whole group is on a weekend trip together. While watching it, she starts to question some things involving their relationship because she notices the show has some real life influence.

I really love character driven books that have some drama and lots of witty and fun dialogue between friends etc. This was so fun and I loved the unexpected romance and how sweet it was. Also a great story that shows the sad reality of dealing with a toxic person. Definitely recommend!

This releases 8/8!

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the digital arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thanks to Netgalley & Harper Collins for the E-ARC! I really enjoyed this one. The characters were cute and I liked the storyline a lot! Will read more from this author!

The day was bound to come at some point but it still hurts to say that Mhairi McFarlane wrote a book I didn’t love. Did I still finish it in one night? Yes. Am I mad I read it? No. Was it a victim of high expectations? Maybe but I am not so sure.
There was so much messiness going on in the lives of all of these characters, the main characters and their group of friends that it was unsettling and there just aren’t enough pages for everything to get the attention it deserved or be left in a place where resolution feels possible. Roisin is going through a pretty terrible breakup from a man she is just learning is rather horrible. A lot of time is spent on the dismantling of their relationship and it didn’t feel right to have her jump right in to another relationship, much less one with its own complications. Even in the beginning stages of her new relationship she spent most of her energy in detangling the past. The whole read created a pit in my stomach rather than lifting my spirits the way McFarlane’s books usually do. I still love the way she writes and there some lovely moments that I adored but not a book I would revisit..

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a little different than your typical romances. It leans more toward chick-lit. Roisin has felt like her 10 year relationship with Joe was slipping recently, and when she finds out he used something from her past that she confided to him, in a very public way without giving her a heads up, she loses it. She has a bit of a breakdown in front of a room full of students, which allows her an early vacation (not totally by choice.) During this time, she starts to dig a little deeper into Joes past and his true intentions and motives for not only exposing her past, but how much of his script is from real life and how much is fiction. During this time, she also gets a little closer to one of their close group of friends, who, in a way, has been exiled from said group. Will what she discovers be the final straw and allow her the courage and resolve to end things with Joe once and for all, or will it be what soothes all her doubts, or will that exiled friend be the end of them?

This is based in the UK, and so the language/slang used is of that, so keep this in mind when reading. It took me a little bit to really get into the book and story at first. It was confusing at times until I caught on and knew the formula, and was able to adjust my reading style to follow along easier. The characters are good and interesting. Despite having a slow start of it, (and it did take me longer to read than it typically would have) it did keep my attention and kept me intrigue. Their is mention of cheating, but otherwise it is a 'clean read.' No sexual content (though it is alluded to.) It is taken from her POV exclusively.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

This book has an interesting premise and I enjoyed reading it once it got going, but I'm sorry to say I wasn't as enthralled with it as I could have been. It was slow to start and didn't really pick up until half way through. That last half was pretty good though and I liked how the fiction of the show played with the reality of life. I liked the last book I read from this author though so I think this one just wasn't for me.

Between Us, by Mhairi McFarlane, upcoming

How many of you have read McFarlane? Some people say she writes rom-coms, others would say contemporary women’s fiction with a romantic element. Either way, she’s a master of the good read. Her families are found, groups of late 20s/early 30s British friends who play pub trivia, live in flats, and have regular jobs. Not princesses, in other words, and devoted to each other. Her books often, maybe always, involve a best friend relationship with bumps, a bad actor ex, and a not-so-bad new chance at romance. The stories aren’t just about the romance though, they are driven by the growth of the female main character.

Between Us is McFarlane’s latest, available now by pre-order. I read it via NetGalley, a site where you request to read books pre-publication, and was really excited we were approved for this one. I say we, because I’m assuming the publishers like you all as readers. I will just tell you that the book opens with all the friends going to spend a weekend at a stately home, courtesy of one of them having won a lot of money on a reality show. Such a fun twist on the English country weekend that only I wish they stayed longer. My only other reservation about the book is that the final relationship bump for the eventual new romance felt unnecessary, but otherwise, every time I put this down I was excited to pick it back up again. On Goodreads, here.

Roisin and Joe have been in a relationship for 10 years. They are part of a friends group started when they were in college and now are coming together at a rented British country estate for a celebration of and engagement…not Roisin and Joe’s but another member of their group and his girlfriend and the premier of Joe’s new TV show. Joe, who Roisin supported financially and emotionally for most of their 10 years together, seems to have checked out of their relationship since he achieve writing success and some fame. Unrequited love, drunken rants, and a very ugly surprise for Roisin mar the weekend and may spell the end of this group’s friendship. Roisin is the central character and through her questions like can we ever really know our partner, what sustains long term friendships, what are the benefits and deficits of our biological family versus the family that we create and when is the time to move beyond our pasts and face the future are tackled in a funny, emotional and real way. I couldn’t put this book down.

Oh I absolutely adored this book. I have read and loved absolutely anything Mhairi McFarlane has touched, but Between Us might have just taken the top spot, which is not a statement I make lightly. I loved Roisin from page one, and then fell in love with Matt like Queenie Mook's paradox, slowly but fast at the end. While moments in Dev's grand house rental might have felt slow at times, each moment brought me more information on each character in the Brian Club and gave me insight in to each as if I was a member of their team so I ultimately was grateful for the time spent with them. I'll be wholeheartedly recommending this new Mhairi, as per usual.

Friends to lovers done right. I don’t see it done enough, but this book had me from the get go.

We meet Roisin as she gets together with a group of friends and her boyfriend Joe for a weekend of celebrations. One such celebration is the premiere of Joe’s new show which he wrote. Similarities between the story on the screen make Roisin start to question her and Joe’s relationship like she never has before. Her questions and with the help of her friend Matt lead her on a discovery that changes more things than one.

This book was complicated. We see Roisin work through her complicated relationships between her friends and her family. I really liked how it all worked out.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC.

I was hoping for more of a romance with this book, but when the romance came, it was very thin. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and I didn’t feel invested in what happened with them. I was hoping for something more, but o just couldn’t click with this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was expecting more of a romantic comedy, based on the cover art. While Between Us is not a romantic comedy--and therefore, not what I was expecting--I still really enjoyed it.

The heroine, Roisin (pronounced "Ro-sheen") is in a bland relationship with her long-term boyfriend Joe until his new TV show airs and she starts to wonder if what she's seeing on screen--the cheating, the gaslighting, the ruthlessness of the main character--are based on reality.

Roisin doesn't actually break up with Joe until close to halfway through the book, leaving little time to develop a new romance, as I was expecting. That didn't matter to me, though. Following the slow unfolding of Roisin's suspicions, then her investigations into whether the TV show is based on Joe's life kept me reading way too late into the night. The only thing I didn't like was the misunderstanding/resolution between Roisin and her new boyfriend, which is why I gave Between Us four instead of five stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 2.2

Between Us follows Roisin, who is spending a weekend away with her long-term boyfriend Joe and their friends to celebrate the pilot of Joe’s new crime TV show. When the first episode drops, however, Roisin notices that some conversations and scenes are eerily similar to their real life experiences and conversations. As this happens again and again, she starts questioning how true the stories are, and when the main character starts an on-screen dalliance, she begins to wonder if it actually has its roots in real infidelity.

There is a romantic plot here but it starts late and feels thin in general. Most of the book is taken up by the main character’s anxiety and doubt over her partner, and I felt like there was not enough romantic development of the new character for me to buy into it, not was there enough individual character development for me to think he was an intriguing character when standing alone. I saw so much potential in the love interest actually, and feel like he just needed more screen-time and distinguishing features. Without those, it made the entire romantic subplot feel a little underdeveloped and rushed, which made the ending feel not that satisfying.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t really click with any of the characters in their big ensemble, and Joe was especially unlikeable. The caveat here is that he’s supposed to be unlikeable — meaning the author succeeded — but it made reading the book frustrating because he just got so much screen time. Even the others, however, did not get enough development in my opinion and I felt like I couldn’t buy into why everyone was friends in the first place.

The writing style wasn’t really for me either; it felt like so many real-life witty references were stuffed into the dialogue it started to sound quippy instead, and I generally found it difficult to distinguish between the voices of different characters.

Overall, I sadly just didn’t click with this one. I know McFarlane has a pretty loyal following, so you might want to try reading this anyways if you’ve read her other books. Even if not, I think someone who likes general adult fiction might enjoy this. For those who are looking for a more light-hearted romance (like I was), I suggest you look elsewhere.

This was my first book by Mhairi McFarlane and it didn't astound me. There was strong character development but the narrative fell a little flat for me. The love interest was pretty much instantaneous and some of the conversation just felt awkward.

3/5 stars