'Wow' seems too trivial a word to describe this book.

I don't know how he does it, but yet again, John has pushed the boundaries with his writing. His ability to create unique and 'out of the box' stories is what makes him one of my favourite authors.

The dark, twisted and frankly horrifying relationship between 'Maggie' (Mum) and 'Nina' (daughter) is incredible and when you slowly discover what has led to where they find themselves now, will leave you utterly gobsmacked, but will also leave you wondering what you also would have done in their position....

Just brilliant!

First Class, Absorbing, Intense

As one of my favourite authors, I didn't hesitate to request a copy of What Lies Between Us by John Marrs. This is an extremely well constructed mystery/thriller that is evenly paced and gave me the shivers. It perfectly combines darkness and brooding with suspenseful thrills in an entertaining story that showcases good character development, haunting pasts, murky secrets, disturbing choices and terrible lies.

The story starts with Nina and her mother Maggie who are chatting, having just finished eating dinner. Nina then takes Maggie back to her attic room and puts her chains back on. What on earth has Maggie done to Nina to deserve such treatment and what are the secrets that Maggie is so desperate to hide?

Told from the viewpoints of Maggie and Nina in flashbacks over the last 25 years, and in the present, this story was so addictive and compelling that I couldn't look away. As a lover of dysfunctional, toxic mother and daughter relationship tropes, this story was packed to the rafters! The way John Marrs tantalises the reader with details about both women’s lives but never revealing too much, was a stroke of genius. The reader is privy to the two women’s disturbed minds, in a manner that I found bone chilling and creepy, but it also made for a tremendously exciting read. The plot is sublimely executed with no let-up in the tension as the horrors of the tale rose and fell. Complete with a fantastic conclusion, I think this book has overtaken all of the other novels by John Marrs to become my new favourite, and of course I confidently recommend it. What Lies Between Us is one of my winning reads so far this year.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Okay people! This one blew me away! It was so messed up in the best ways a thriller can be. The story got me hooked from the beginning & I just kept reading trying to figure out what secrets these two women hide. It gave me major “darling rose gold vibes” so if you liked that book then you will love this!! I also loved that the chapters were short & it jumped between present day and 25 years ago filling us in on the exact details of the big reveal (why is the mom in the attic chained up?)

This was my first John Mares book, and it won't be my last! I can't recommend this book enough! It moves so good and the story is mind blowing. It has so many twists and turns! If you love a good thriller get this book!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Wow. Wow. Wow. This book was everything!! This book was so crazy and messed up, but it was also so good. So good, in fact that at 30% into the book, I knew it was going to by 5 stars and I was not wrong! At times, I felt like this book gave off the same vibes as Darling Rose Gold did, but the story is nothing like that. This book did feel long at times, but it was so worth it. Once I got into the story, I was turning the page with no problem at all. Nina really pissed me off. I don't think I have hated a character more than her. She made my blood boil. I could not put this book down. While I was reading it, I would say things out loud. Some examples: "holy shit," "this bitch is crazy," and "what the fuck". I highly recommend this book, if you have not read it yet!

Omg, so many twists! The synopsis grabbed my attention - who has an agreeable relationship yet one is bound by a chain?! I had to know what was going on. The chapters alternate between Maggie and Nina so you get both points of view. I started empathizing with Maggie when I read her chapters but as I read more about Nina, I started feeling sorry for her. But in the end, nothing is what it seems and I was so blown away by the ending!

Nina & her mother Maggie live together. Nina cooks & cares for Maggie because she never leaves the house. (It's difficult to go anywhere with a cuff & chain round your ankle!) Swapping from Nina & Maggie's perspective & to different times John Marrs keeps the reader switching sympathies from one to the other as well as wanting to yell at both protagonists at various times, "Don't do that!!"

It would be so easy to give away spoilers so I'm going to keep this review very short. Every John Marrs book is different, so far they have all been very good. Each time I've thought-this is the best yet- no change with this one. Going to be a while before I get this story out of my head.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this terrific book!

Loved this book. Plenty of devious surprises and crackling suspense, along with interesting characters. Just the sort of book to cause a lack of sleep, but I won't complain! Highly recommended.

*This book was provided to me as an ARC at no charge in exchange for my honest review. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this program.*

What a belter! I read this in four sittings over a 24 hour period and it really kept my interest from page 1 to the very end. Maggie and Nina are mother and daughter. They live together - but with a difference. Nina keeps her mum shackled to a chain within the confines of the attic. Her intention is to keep her mum captive in this way for 21 years. But why? What has happened to reduce their relationship to this terrible level? The book is told in chapters that alternate between Maggie's and Nina's point of view. Along the way, their secrets are revealed and all becomes clear in a real crescendo!! I really did love this book and can't recommend it highly enough.

Review is on Goodreads and has been posted to Amazon, pending approval.

I am a big fan of all John Marrs books and was excited to read his latest “ What lies between us” as a preview. It certainly did not disappoint and the story keeps you gripped until the end wondering what has happened and what Indeed will happen. It’s a powerful story of relationship between mother and daughter that really has got rather warped. I understand that the rights have already been bought up for a movie and personally I can’t wait to watch that it will be an amazing film. Recommend anyone to read this and in fact all of John Marrs books.
Thanks so much #netgalley for the preview and #johnmarrsauthor for another amazing novel. #whatliesbetween

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the early digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: Drug abuse, murder, sexual abuse of a child, miscarriage / infertility.

This took me about three months to finish because even though it was pretty intriguing, it didn’t always grip me. This is almost 400 pages, and I just don’t think it needed to be that long.

This is a multiple POV thriller following Maggie and Nina, mother and daughter. Nina is keeping Maggie tied up in the attic because of some unforgivable secrets that are slowly revealed throughout the novel. That’s basically all you need to know going into this, and that’s all I’m going to tell you.

Both of the characters are unlikable, which seems to be the trend with thrillers. I don’t have to like the characters to enjoy a book, let’s make that clear. I did lean toward one or the other depending on the secrets that’re revealed. I ended up hating both of them, because they are overall terrible people.

I really enjoyed the writing style. It’s a step up from your average thriller writing. The biggest issue was showing rather than telling during the reveals. I know that an issue with some thrillers is that they’re really good at not explaining anything even when it is confusing or complicated. *cough, cough* Bunny by Mona Awad *cough, cough*. When it’s just a basic thriller, such as this, then I want more subtly.

Unfortunately, the ending didn’t WOW me, but I thought that the anticipation leading up to it was pretty good. Overall, it was a very run-of-the-mill thriller with an extreme amount of lies and secrets. I didn’t see all the twists coming, but they are pretty clear once they’re out in the open. It seems like a lot of thrillers have a similar concept to this one. I guess I just wanted something more from it. Check it out if you’re interested, though. It’s definitely not a bad book.

Whoa! Buckle up for a wild ride — this book has more twists and turns than any other book I’ve read! It’s difficult to give a quick summary as I don’t want to include any spoilers, but I’ll try. Nina and Maggie live together in the same house, and eat dinner together every other night. But their relationship is anything but normal. Both are harboring big secrets... like the fact that Nina keeps Maggie chained up in the attic 24/7. This is a fantastic domestic thriller that kept me up late at night. I highly recommend What Lies Between Us!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it. But then someone ended up with a chain around their ankle and it piqued my interest. I think this was around chapter 7. ⁣
⁣
As I continued to read the book it definitely kept my interest. Mainly because I wanted to know how it ended. ⁣
⁣
Between chapter 7 and the end though, it was definitely...an interesting read. I’m not sure how much I liked it cause it was odd. Just the relationship between Nina and Maggie. And then learning more about Nina, I just ended up really disliking her. ⁣
⁣
I also disliked Maggie a little because it was obvious that Nina needed help when she was little, but Maggie refused to give it to her and instead tried to protect her. ⁣
⁣
Maybe it’s cause I’m not a mom, but I didn’t really identify with that portion of the book. I would think you would want to help more than protect, but idk 🤷🏻‍♀️⁣
⁣
There are only 2 perspectives in this book. And there is a time jump between past and present. Each chapter denotes which place in time you are. ⁣
⁣
I wanna say that I didn’t like this one as much as The Passengers. There’s just something about it that throws me off. ⁣

What Lies Between Us is a dark, creepy, psychological thriller that is told from both the Mother's point of view and the Daughter's. I can't say too much about the story as there are so many points potential spoilers but basically it starts with the Daughter, Nina, keeping the Mother, Maggie, chained up in the attic as a consequence of something that Maggie has done to Nina earlier in life. The plot then builds slowly with readers gradually discovering what has happened to end up with the two of them living in such bizarre circumstances. I thought that the plot was well written and the information we wanted about what the secrets were are drip fed throughout the book to keep readers wanting more. And just when I thought I had it figured out... Bam.. Plot twist! The alternating points of view allowed us to see events from both perspectives and see how when Maggie thought she was doing the right things it was actually hurting Nina. But on the other hand we can also understand why Nina would want revenge. If ever there was a warning about the possible consequences of dysfunctional relationships then this is it! I honestly don't think this book could have been anymore twisted or enthralling. This was exactly what I expect from a thriller and definitely deserves 5 stars.

I discovered John Marrs when I read his novel, The Passengers. Going off a recommendation, I picked up his book. What I had meant to read was The Passenger by Lisa Lutz. I still haven't read Lutz's but enjoyed finding Marrs.

What Lies Between Us is nothing like the John Marrs' The Passengers, Both are twisted and keep you engaged but that is where the similarities end.

The synopsis says that every house has its secrets. I believe that to be true. The house in this story is hiding a lot of secrets. Nina and Maggie are co-dependent on each other but with a complicated past. Nina blames Maggie for how Nina's life turned out. To get revenge, she chains Maggie in a soundproof room and is keeping her prisoner for twenty-one years or until she dies.

I have to admit I thought I figured everything out. That is until I assumed something Marrs implied. I should say, I mistakenly assumed something. When I finished the book, I needed to go back and reread a chapter. I completely fell for it. I do not want to ruin the secrets by saying too much but you have to read this book!

Absolutely incredible new thriller from John Mars!! The twists and turns just kept coming and didn't want to put the book down!!

Right to the final sentence I was hooked - even needing more at the last full stop!!

Will recommend to any thriller fans and so far the best book of the year for me!!

Thank you SO much for receiving this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalley. I'm off to look for his previous novels now!!

The short chapters and the uniqueness of the plot really made this an exciting read for me. Though I had my suspicions of how this would all unfold and end, it didn't make my journey any less thrilling! Definitely a mild slow burn but very clever with many hints to keep you guessing. A few of the twists were a little too farfetched which loses a point for me. And the ending wasn't as exciting as I would've hoped. But overall very enjoyable read for sure!

I am not a big fan of domestic thrillers but John Marrs is one author who so far hadn’t disappointed me, so I decided to give his newest thriller a try.
The book starts off predictably with two unreliable narrators and as expected many twists and turns are presented before the readers as the story unfolds which leaves them wondering who to trust. Some of these twists were surprising but most followed a predictable pattern usually seen in domestic thrillers amd I could see where the story was going around midway through the book. I almost thought of giving up on it towards the end as I saw all my predictions coming true but decided to just push through the last 20% as I had already invested time in this book. And man oh man was I rewarded!!!! That last part elevated this book from a run of the mill domestic thriller to something truly trippy and twisty and dark and amazing!!!! I totally didn’t see it coming and was completely blown out of my mind. It restored my faith in John Marrs and I would definitely recommend it for fans if his work as well as this genre.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an egalley to review
Rating: 4 stars

Another John Marrs classic. Twists, turns, darkness and, bizarrely some humour in there too. I was never sure who was in the right and who was in the wrong and so the book keeps you guessing and changing your opinion over and over. The plot is too difficult to explain without giving away secrets but this book is absolutely worth the read.

This was my first boom by this author and definitely not my last. Wow.... what a ride. Mother / daughter, nice/ mean, good/ bad...who is who and what should you believe? Awesome thriller with some great plot twists ..... kept me on the edge of my seat the entire ride!!! Must read!!!!