'Irrational things are happening. But, that does not mean I'm irrational'.

When Leona and David experience the worst possible tragedy a parent can, their vows of 'for better or for worse' are put to the test. Cloaking herself in guilt, Leona shuts out the world and incrementally removes herself from her once close relationship with David. Anxiety plagues her. It would be impossible to refrain from entertaining a myriad of 'what ifs'. Really, what if?

Thinking she is experiencing yet another debilitating anxiety attack, Leona finds herself instead experiencing an alternate life; a life she might have had, had she made a different decision at a pivotal moment in her past - before David and her were married. As she explores the life, hope, and dreams of her variegated self, she discovers that love is the only way to move on from grieving her daughter Vera and start living again, 'I want to honor her life by living ours'.

This is a 'sliding doors' journey of self-discovery. I enjoyed learning about her past, interspersed with her new present. The author's personal loss in real life comes through in the cathartic epiphanies, which shine through the pain and bring a sense of peace. Overall, a good and rewarding read.

This was not at all what I had expected, but I was pleasantly surprised with how this book turned out to be. The characters, their development, their storyline , and their choices were so interesting. I also felt that the writing was excellent.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. It was a beautiful book. The cover is stunning. Many thanks to the publisher and also to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book has what people in deep grief would want to do, is it possible? Well, I was page turning for answers on how this one was going to turn out. Yes, I have lost a child, and yes, I know how my mind would have loved different answers.
We are with Lenora and David when they first meet and start dating, and through the meeting of his family, and then through the desire to have a child.
We meet these characters up personal and get to know them and their families. They sure did come from different backgrounds, and now Lenora has been granted a choice, and we are there to see which path she journeys and we see the benefits to both, yes, you need to get to the answers!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Waterbrook, and was not required to give a positive review.

This book is definitely not my usual read, however I quickly became immersed in the pages. This book has a sliding doors vibe to it with a class system vibe. It is not only about taking the road less traveled, but moving forward after tragedy strikes and finding a way to heal while taking the best parts forward. It was not apparent at first what was going on other than the main character starts her relationship from near the beginning and has to decide whether she will remain where she is, or return to where she came from. The book meets full circle between the past and present and makes you really think about the choices you have made and where you would be today. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for allowing me to read an ARC of Between You and Us by Kendra Broekhuis in exchange for my honest review.

Phenomenal! I ADORED this book! Which life do you choose? A life with the man you love, or a life with the child you lost?

This book was extremely well-written; the characters, the dialog, the emotion, were all so real! Happiness and heartbreak, tenderness and strength, hope and fear, love and loss.

There are not enough words to accurately describe this book. You will need to read it and find out yourself.

Between You and Us
Kendra Broekhuis
Waterbrook & Multnomah
March 12, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGAlley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
When a grieving woman unexpectedly steps into a different version of her life, she must choose between the husband she loves and the daughter she lost in this brave, gripping novel.

Two possible lives to live. One impossible choice to make.
New author for me but I found this book to be fresh and interesting!
I would recommend it for those who want a inspired book.
4 stars

BetweenYou andUs by Kendra Broekhuis is a novel about alternate choices.Leona is celebrating her tenth anniversary with her husband David Waylon at a very fancy restaurant.They have had a year of heartache and she is hoping for a new start.Leona is surprised by her husbands appearance and attitude.When she has a panic attack he takes her home but it is not the old car they drive or old home they live in.Leona is grieving her tiny daughter but when they get home her daughter is there alive but older.There we’re many different time travels in this story both from past to present and the alternative choices in the story.I have usually not been a fan of time travel books but I found this new and interesting.Thank you NetGalley and Waterbrook and Multinomah for allowing me to read this ARC!

Always enjoy authors who ask us to consider an unorthodox scenario. This is almost an extension of the idea of different lives that Matt Haig explores in The Midnight Library. I thought Between You and Us was very readable as I continued to guess where the story line was going. A great concept for readers looking for something a little different.

Between You and Us was a delightful book. And you know your are invested in the storyline and characters when you cry. A definite read for those who like any of the following genres; romance (without explicit scenes), science fiction (but also, don't let that scare you away), and suspense.

While the book was really not what I was expecting, after reading the first chapter or two, I got sucked right in to the storyline. I couldn't wait to see where this book would take me. It included everything I needed for a book to be great; anticipation, wonder, anxiety, fun, and of course some crying. Each chapter left me wondering how the author, Kendra Broekhuis would bring everything together in the end. And it didn't disappoint.

And while not right in your face, Kendra also managed to add some life lessons about society. So there is a little bit of everything wrapped into this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. I will be looking out for more book from Kendra Broekhuis.

When Leona Warlon unexpectedly steps into a different version of her life, she must choose between the husband she loves and the daughter she lost.

This was a book dealing with a woman who is grief-stricken after her little girl, Vera is killed by a car. Leona is depressed and having panic attacks.

I found this book hard to follow(in the beginning) because (for me) I felt that the periods in the future and periods in the past were confusing to me to follow. It didn’t make sense to my literal mind, but as Leona started to understand what was going on, she dared to speak with the version of David, her husband that she wanted to be with, it was then that everything started making sense to me. I realized that maybe the author was trying to portray the way the grief was jerking Leona around and how she needed to integrate her past into her present without Vera and, if that was the case, it was a brilliant move because grief isn’t predictable. The ending and my grasp of it at the ending definitely upped my enjoyment of this story!

My gratitude to NetGalley, WaterBrook and Multnomah. All opinions expressed are mine and honest.

I am giving this book 5 stars for fairness. I couldn’t get into it. I got to about 30% and just couldn’t get going with the story.

I think people will love this one but it’s not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Could not put it down!! What an absolutely fabulous read. The what if would you choose if you could choose your life and the tragedy that the other you would have to endure. The author made a very compelling argument for both choices and wrapped this story up so well. I devoured this book.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars
Between You and Us is an interesting story, throwing the main character into an alternate version of her life where she has the chance to see how her life would be if circumstances were different. Using the idea of quantum mechanics, Leona is thrust into a world that is familiar, but isn’t the life she’d chosen.
In both worlds, she has struggles and challenges that aren’t easy to face. In both worlds, she has friendships but they’re not the same. There’s a depth to the lessons she learns about herself that she wouldn’t have living in the world readers are first introduced to her.
It was difficult to connect to Leona – in either world. She’s a quirky character, especially when readers see her relationship with her husband unfold in college. David, her husband is a likeable character despite the pressure from his parents and the relationship he has with Leona in the alternate version of her life.
The ending is a bit of a surprise as readers aren’t given a glimpse into the “other” Leona’s life while “this” Leona is trying to figure out what she wants, how this happened, or how to get back.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Between You and Us is a touching novel which considers life as a series of interconnected decisions shooting off into alternate universes depending on one’s choices. Leona is the practical and empathetic protagonist of this novel who is thrust into one of these other universes where she is forced to reflect on her own personal tragedy in order to decide if she will stay in this alternate universe or return back to her own.

This story is told alternating between the past and present to tell a story of falling in love, figuring out one’s identity, and overcoming great tragedy. I really liked how I was immediately thrust into the alternate universe with Leona, trying to figure out how she arrived there alongside her. This made for a multi-layered story as I tried to figure out how Leona arrived in this different universe, as well as what had happened in her own universe to even have Leona contemplate staying in this alternate world.

My biggest gripe with this novel is the ending. I didn’t mind Leona’s final decision (to stay or not to stay), but I did feel that as opposed to earlier in the novel where the reader was firmly inside Leona’s head, when she was making her final decision the reader was blocked out. I would guess this was to have her final decision be a surprise, but I would have rather been able to easily guess what she was going to do if it meant I could have had more of an insight into her thought process.

Overall, this novel was thought-provoking and heartbreaking. Leona and David’s story is one full of personal tragedy turned to glimmering hope which made me reflect on my own choices, and the different universes that could’ve spawned from them.

I was curious but skeptical about this book. I am very happy to say that this was one of the best books that I have read in a long time. The time slip was exceptionally well done. Highly recommended!

Between You and Us was a good read. It is the story of a young woman named Leona who suddenly finds herself in a different version of her world, an alternative timeline of her story. The most notable differences are:
-her relationship with her husband, David, which went from a close, open, and caring to closed-off, distant, and strained
-the existence of her daughter, Vera, who had died months prior in her home timeline but is alive and well in the new timeline
-her lifestyle, which went from a budgeted lifestyle to grand, extravagant living

It is interesting to watch Leona navigate her new existence and try to make sense of the changes. She tries to fit in and be discrete, calling herself an actor/spy in this new reality. While she struggles with the coldness of her relationship with David, she is in awe of Vera's presence and soaks up every possible moment of being her mother.

The author jumps between the current timeline and Leona's back story. Pieces of her history were shared bits at a time starting with when she first met David, through the loss of her daughter. The story was filled in gradually but in a way that helped shine light on Leona's character and what brought her and David where they are.

I enjoyed journeying with Leona as she problem solved her new world. I personally have struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss and found Leona's struggles comfortingly relatable. The novel concluded nicely and leaves the reader with discussion questions for further pondering, if desired.

Wow! Okay, where do I even begin with this one, I loved it so much! What would you do if you were torn between two worlds? Who would you choose? Your husband or your daughter? This book was gut-wrenching and so beautiful at the same time. It’s about love, class, friendship, sisterhood and motherhood. Kendra Broekhuis packs a punch between these pages and I inhaled every single one. What I loved most was the fact that it isn’t sickly sweet or romantic at all but it is about love.

The quandary Leona finds herself in is not of her own making yet she is forced to make a choice between staying where she is in a shitty marriage and stuck up in-laws but her baby girl is still alive, or does she go back to her real world of a penny-pinching life with a happy marriage where she and her husband are each others leaning post after the death of their daughter where they are both living the life they really wanted.

As Leona tries to figure out how to get back home she learns a lot about herself, her family and her marriage. This book was also very personal for the author as she lost a baby of her own. I am shocked that this is a debut novel as it was perfection and the ending was *chef’s kiss*. Don’t be fooled this is not science fiction at all, very little time is spent on that, just when Leona learns how to maybe go back. This is a book about feelings, choices and relationships that gave me all the feels and deserves all the stars!

While this was a well-written and intriguing concept for a book--a crucial choice that has to be made that will alter everything--I somehow got lost in the split-time format. The writing felt fresh and modern, and again, I know many readers will gobble this one up, which is why I gave a higher star rating. I just didn't really connect with the main character, so that threw me off as I tried to follow the dual timelines. Thank you to the publisher for an early review copy--all opinions are my own.

I always like a multiverse type book and this one was pretty fun. I enjoyed the Milwaukee setting, I don't feel like there are a ton of books that take place there but when they do, they are pretty unique! I found some of the shifts in dimensions a little confusing for a few pages. I wonder if there was a stylistic choice that could have been made there. Something in the formating?

This story had me intrigued from the very first page and left me thinking about it and the possibilities within its ideas long after I finished reading.

When Leona meets her husband David in a restaurant, she's confused - why is he different? Why did he come in a different car? And why does he then drive them to a different house and lets them in as though it's theirs? So many things don't make sense and Leona is left questioning everything.

Told in two different timelines, we jump back to the past to see how Leona and David's relationship began, developed and led them to be where they are today.

I was intrigued and wanted to know what was happening. At one point I wondered if David had carried out some kind of experiment on her as he worked in the medical field - to be fair that explanation may have been a bit more easier to understand than the actual one which was given...

I enjoyed the story, I found it intriguing, very moving and I liked how it shows how your life can be so different if you just make that one decision which can change the path you take...

The explanation for her memory loss was a little confusing and I did find some aspects of the story not really believable. It was hard to like Leona as she was very bitter about everyone in her life, so I'm giving this 4 stars.