I’ve read a few of this author’s books now, and while this wasn’t my favorite by her, I appreciated the themes of toxic relationships and dysfunctional family dynamics.

I really enjoyed her writing style once again, and I probably would’ve enjoyed this story more if I was in a better head space. This was definitely a heavier read for me than I was expecting.

*many thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

this book did not disappoint. What a fun story, entertaining from start to finish. Thank you for my copy in exchange for a review.

If you're looking for a book that explores healing after a toxic relationship and confronts family issues that revolve around self-growth and women's fiction themes, rather than lighthearted romance, then this book would suit your needs. Unfortunately, most of the book revolves around the unhealthy relationship of the heroine, who finds herself deceived by the illusion of their love life, leaving little time for her second chance romance.

Does fiction hold a seed of truth? In this contemporary fiction novel, protagonist Roisin discovers that it does. At the start, Roisin and her long time boyfriend, Joe, get together with their friend group to celebrate a birthday, an engagement, and the premiere of Joe's new show. When the show airs, she discovers that characters in the show have a surprising resemblance to their friend group, and even worse, that he had taken a specific traumatizing event from her past and used it as plot. This causes her to further examine their relationship, and to wonder, what else from the show is based in reality? And does she really want to know?

This book is so very British. I did enjoy the read for the most part. Lots of drama, but it's pretty slow paced near the beginning. Roisin is already ready to throw in the towel on her relationship before the show even airs, and then she starts to question Joe's fidelity. There's nothing worse than a cheater. The romance didn't really develop until the end; I feel like it could have benefited from a bit more set up. I did the enjoy the mystery/sluething element, and the realistic relationship between Roisin and her mother.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Arc received from netgalley; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my all-time favorites and one of my comfort authors. When reading, you know what type of story you will get, and Between Us is no different. I felt second-hand embarrassment through the pages and instantly connected with Roisin. My hate towards Joe and his drama is still strong. The only thing I wish was different was the focus on more of Roisin and Matts's relationship rather than the drama with Joe. I was cringing at it. I had to put the story down a couple of times but in the end of course it was worth it.

Tropes:
- Second Chance Romance
- Friends to Lovers
- Small Town

“𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵—𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘌𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.”

i’m truly convinced that mhairi mcfarlane can do no wrong. her writing is absolutely addicting and her effortless humor interwoven with angst completely hooks me every time. between us was no different as i was super invested from the very first page to the last.

roisin (ro-sheen) and joe’s relationship is already falling apart, but the revelations that come from joe’s new hit tv series seem to put the final nail in the coffin. ooooof!! after the reveal in the prologue, my heart completely hurt for roisin. then to be questioning her whole relationship after watching what unfolds in hunter had me turning the pages to find out the truth as eagerly as roisin did in the book!! mcfarlane writes such in depth characters and i truly felt like i was a part of the friend group. being inside roisin’s head was fascinating and i felt so confused about joe just as she did. i’m pretty sure i was gaslighted right along with her. 🤣🤣 but i say that with the highest praise bc that’s how good the writing is.

and don’t get me started on the romance. i mean, what?! that was a twist i never saw coming and i was absolutely here for it. that’s all i’ll say on the romance bc that’s an element you absolutely have to experience for yourself. there was also another twist i never saw coming and i just love how it really made the reveal super epic. everyone gets what they deserve in the end. also, roisin’s mom is a hoot and there is an incident at the end involving lipstick that had be absolutely cackling. i loved this book and mhairi is one of my favorite authors who i know i can trust for an amazing story time and again.

thank you to avon for the gifted book and advanced ebook. my thoughts are my own.

I loved Don't You Forget About Me, but this one just did not suck me in. I'll try again with her next one!

I was very confused within the first 10% of the book. I did not finish.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Another great real book by Mhairi McFarlane. The main thing that I love about Mhairi os her ability to write a romance which is very close to reality.
It follows a story of roisin finding herself after a breakup with ex who uses their real life events in his television show. Through her journey of finding herself, she meets Matt.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for giving me an ARC of this book

Mhairi McFarlane is a goddess among women, and she's done it again. She's written yet another book that simultaneously sweeps me off my feet and knocks me on my ass.

This is one of the most unique books I've read. The idea is so fun and hilarious, and I don't think anyone but Mhairi could've pulled it off. We follow Roisin as she deals with her gradually increasing paranoia that her boyfriend, Joe, is using their real-life issues as fodder for his TV show. As the story progresses, Roisin analyzes the clues throughout the series to determine whether or not Joe is keeping something from her, and if so, will it be revealed in the show?

The romance between Roisin and a certain someone was so fucking cute, and I was screaming at my Kindle for them to open their eyes. Mhairi handled Joe's character very well, but I don't think I can say much more for the sake of the full experience.

Bottom line: Both this book and Mhairi McFarlane rock!!!!!

(P.S. I know what you were doing with those last few sentences, but fuck if it didn’t make me want to pull my hair right out of my head.)

I wasn't sure where this book was going at first, but I was intrigued from the beginning. I enjoyed reading about the Brian Group, and I thought all of their friendships were unique and fun to read about. As the story unfolded I was happy to be along for the ride, and I didn't see many of the twists and turns coming. It was fun to read about the different characters as their true personalities were uncovered, and the romance aspect of the story was believeable and very cute. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

This book was unfortunately not for me. I DNFed at 10% because the storyline was confusing and I was not able to connect with the characters.

I love McFarlane’s other works and will still continue to purchase her novels.

Sadly this felt too long and a bit convoluted. The romance aspect didn’t feel clear cut and like the main driver of the plot, instead this felt more like women’s fiction with a side romance plot. I think the marketing on this one did it a disservice by not setting the right expectations.

I read the first several chapters and sadly the voice was just not working for me. I’ve liked McFarlane’s other books, and sadly this one just wasn’t it. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I love this author!! This was a such a great book. I loved the chemistry between the characters. I loved the setting as well. I can't wait to read Mhairi McFarlane's next book.

A novel that shows it’s better to leave something safe if it doesn’t feel right and to pay attention to what is being said to you, who supports you, and how you feel in response. It’s a slower book at first, about a core group of friends and their dynamics. But the frayed edges are present and the threads are ready to snap. I do wish some of the characters had stronger roles throughout rather than disappearing halfway through. A solid 3 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Another wonderful real life type romance by Mhairi McFarlane. What I love about this author is her ability to write a romance that is both heartwarming but full of real life stuff that happens when two people find one another.

This story follows Roisin whose life falls apart when her long time screenwriter boyfriend, Joe, uses their relationship as inspiration for his new television show. As more episodes are released Roisin realizes Joe wrote secrets she didn’t know into his storyline as well.

This book is mostly about a breakup and Roisin finding herself before she realizes the person she’s meant to be with.

This story did not go the way I thought it would! I am sometimes at fault for thinking I can predict the ending and I was happy to be wrong in the case of Mhairi McFarlane’s BETWEEN US. Mhairi did a wonderful job reflecting the realities of friendships that are years in, how people change and our tendency to try to keep our relationships from growing even as we ourselves evolve. The backdrop of TV show through which secrets are revealed was a great narrative device as well.

This book is so interesting to me! On its own the romantic arc isn’t super convincing but since this book is mainly about Roison, & I would characterize it as women’s fiction, I accepted it as icing on a very well-written cake.

This book is about so much—the ending to a 9-year-old relationship & also the beginning of something else, as Roisin says.

She & Joe have been together forever. While watching the first episode of a show he’s written, she feels betrayed by how he’s incorporated her past without consent & worries that he has a secret real life, that of a philanderer, which has served as inspo for his writing.

Roison unpacks a lot in this book & I love how that journey is written. She is a lead that I really rooted for: I love her self-awareness & her willingness to see where she has messed up. Her growth is substantial.

I’ve heard great things about Mhairi McFarlane’s books & I can see why. Definitely looking forward to reading more!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Mhairi McFarlane for allowing me to read and review this book.

I absolutely adored this book. There are twists and turns, romance, struggles, and finding yourself.

The main character has been in a relationship for a very long time; however, she is potentially learning things about her boyfriend that would shock anyone to their core. And she is finding these things out by watching his newest TV show along with the entire world.

Secrets, scandals, and a secret admirer. This book is amazing all the way through. I could not put this book down because I just had to know what would happen next. You get to figure out what is real and who is lying along with the main character. There is also an amazing romance, of course.

The one that got away, what-ifs, and fighting for love are also big parts of this story. Along with strong friendships, heartbreak, and fear of losing the people you love. This book is such an emotional rollercoaster that you will want to keep reading until it is over.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet one that almost got away romance with scandals, mysteries, and true friends.