Just wow. This was one roller coaster ride! I have not been this blown away in a while by a suspenseful novel. Spooky, dark, and mind bending.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have been using psychological thrillers to sidestep some of the stress of the everyday. Although we're back to working (almost) like normal here in Shanghai, there is still a bit of tension that makes everything harder. Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Psychological thrillers are a great escape for me and many others as it releases some of the tensions and stress of everyday life. It's almost as if facing your worst fears on the page, whether it is being kidnapped, a high-speed car chase, a knife-wielding maniac or treacherous spouses, makes real life just a little bit less tense. How hard can it be to call the dentist if your main character is trying to solve a murder? Occasionally the high does wear off and you have to go more and more extreme in your thrillers to get some of the relief. What Lies Between Us was one of those books for me, which turned the dial up all the way. And although the shock aspect of it did the job, I realized, my need for a stronger dose of realism in my thrillers.

Twisted, that is the word most applicable to What Lies Between Us. Nina has her mother, Maggie, chained up in the attic but it is not quite clear from the beginning how the two women got to this point. As the book unfolds, history unravels and their relationship is laid bare. Marrs stacks horror and betrayal upon horror and betrayal. Much of What Lies Between Us is fascinating and gripping, but that is mostly due to its shock factor. Occasionally I found myself becoming slightly numb to all the twists and turns, the hurt the two women were causing and had caused each other. Above I mentioned my need for realism in thrillers, by which I mean a sense of consequences, the awareness that the outside world is there and is watching, that people do notice things. Novels like What Lies Between Us seem to take place in their own little universe where unspeakable acts can be committed without anyone being the wiser.

John Marrs' writing keeps you on the edge of your seat. You just know that behind every corner something horrible is waiting. What Lies Between Us is a dark novel in which there truly isn't a moment of light. Hardly anyone has any good in them and Nina and Maggie are twisted beyond belief in their relationship. They're co-dependent, they hate each other, they think they love each other and the whole thing is quite discouraging. I'm also not the biggest fan of the portrayal of mental illness in this book as it deals with quite a few damaging tropes. Most likely I will pick up other books by John Marrs, but I will also be more likely to give up on them if they prove to be in a similar vein.

I'm giving What Lies Between Us 3 Universes because it did keep me engaged. But this isn't a book would easily recommend. For me, it wasn't as smart or as thrilling as I'd have liked it to be. What Lies Between Us will horrify and shock, but that is all.

This was another good John Marrs book. It's disturbing, yet so well-written you give it a pass. The characters are very well rounded, although none are particularly likable. 3.5 stars

'What Lies Between Us' is a heart-stopping novel heavy with dread and suspense. It is twisty and a wonderfully written ride that will engross you from beginning to end.

3.5
Before reading What Lies Between Us by John Marrs I'd read reviews saying it is a psychologic thriller that makes you question everything and every character. I disagree. I found the book very predictable from the beginning and I sometimes found the characters annoyingly stupid. Despite that, the plot is interesting and it is a page-turner.
The book has two different POV's, mother and daughter, and it is narrated in the past and present.
The ending is disappointing, rushed and unrealistic.
Amazon Publishing UK gifted me a digital copy of What Lies Between Us in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book. So dark and disturbing, and the twists and turns wrong-footed me all the way. Genius.

***Disclaimer*** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!!***

I could not get enough of this book. It was similar to seeing a horrifying car crash on the side of the highway. You know that you don’t want to look. You don’t want to see the potentially mangled bodies or the severed head rolling down the shoulder. But you have to be sure that those things aren’t there too. You have to keep looking.

That comparison got rather dark, not nearly as dark as this book though. But this book in a less gruesome way. This was a psychological kind of dark. And just about every page had me sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what secrets I would discover next.

This is a story of a mother and daughter. Both of them have secrets. Both of them have a boatload of resentment and anger. And the two of them are trapped in a house together, punishing each other for their respective secrets and past history.

I really loved this book. I can’t really say too much more about it without giving anything away. This book is deep and layered. The title has layers and nuances. The layers have layers. Just read it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Found this to be a great page turner roller coaster type of novel. An intriguing and dark psychological thriller where the characters are disturbing and twisted and the plot well crafted and suspenseful.

Suspenseful and dark! Kept me on the edge of my seat! Having only read “The One” I was excited to give this one a go. The mother daughter dynamic leaves you feeling sticky in the best kind of way.

More like 3.5 stars. This isn't my usual type of read, and not the kind I prefer ([remember how I really only like things with resounding hope? (hide spoiler)]), but it was still engaging and moved quickly.

Nina and Maggie live in the same house, seeing each other for dinner every other day, but one of them is a prisoner. The story jumps back and forth in timelines and between points of view, but it was never confusing, it just helped break up the story so it moved along at a quick pace. That pace was necessary because I don't think it would have held up with more time to think during the story. As it was, I thought it was pretty obvious what happened from pretty early on, and the twists and red herrings weren't convincing. It didn't really take away from the tension, but it didn't add anything.

The ending was [depressing in a greek tragedy kind of way, that this amount of misery made sense and worked, it wasn't bleak or sad for the sake of being so. It felt more pre-ordained, in a way. (hide spoiler)]

Don't just read this in the hopes of a high concept thriller, and don't read this if you have trouble reading about heavy mother/daughter relationships, which is something I was having some trouble with (look this pandemic has us all emotionally drained, I need to adjust my media intake for it). But, that aside, it's a decent read.

Brilliant!
Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

This latest John Marrs creation tells the story of Maggie and Nina, two women sharing a house, but it's not just the house they share, because these two have a history full of deep, dark secrets which have brought them to the situation they find themselves in today, much of this history is unknown to Nina, and that is how Maggie wants it to stay because if Nina uncovers everything that has happened, there is no telling what she will do.

The story is told from both Nina and Maggie's perspectives, in the present day and from 25 years ago, throughout the book my sympathy alternated between the two women, each time I learnt something new from one of them, I despised the other but what was truth and what was lies, each chapter brought me closer to finding out and I was completely hooked.

John Marrs is one of a few authors that I will pick up one of his books without reading the blurb, knowing that I'm just going to love it and this was no exception because he delivers every single time with total accuracy. The twists, once they start, just keep on coming, each one more mind blowing than the last and Marrs proves, once again, that each time he puts pen to paper he produces a work of art, and that he's got a very twisted imagination! Another perfect plot! I highly recommend this one and now that Renee Zellweger's production company have bought the movie rights I look forward to seeing it on the big screen too.

Wholly macaroni and cheese. Best book of the year!! I’m still dreaming about it. Love it! Mother and daughter drama to the max, in a truly dysfunctional family. My word, I’m blown away. I can’t give even a bit away. I total must read!!!!! Five stars plus!!!

Well, it looks like I'm in the minority with my opinion but this book was flat out ridiculous and predictable. To say that most of the things that happen in this book are unrealistic is an understatement and I figured out the majority of the twists from the very early chapters. I literally laughed out loud while reading this "thriller" - and not in a good way.

I also found the book to be long, drawn out, and boring.

I'm still interested in reading this author's back list because many booktubers that I watch rave about John Marrs but, sis, this wasn't it.

(Goodreads review).

Nothing I write will do this book the justice it deserves. I've read all of John Marrs's book up to now, and just as soon as I think he can not improve on the previous one, he does it, and knocks it out of the ballpark!
Throughout the book the reader is tantalized with the possible secret between Nina and Maggie, and just as soon as you think, "okay, this is it", whoops, comes a new twist to an already warped book! This book is highly recommended, and I wish I could read it again, just to appreciate it again!
TB

He has done it again! John Marrs has perfectly crafted an absolute rollercoaster of a novel and I loved every second of it.

This book unravels the intricate relationship between a mother and daughter who find themselves in a precarious situation, how they got there and what this means for how they “live” their lives now.

You will constantly question your judgement of this duo through each chapter alternating in perspective. Once you’ve reached the tipping point of information, I dare you to even try putting this book down!

Hmmm, okaaaay, I think I feel somewhat on the fence about this one. And to be honest, that's unusual when it comes to my relationship with John Marrs. I've read a few of his books that I've absolutely adored, and then I've read a few others that weren't for me at all, and I didn't even finish them (notably, The One and The Passengers). I seem to either absolutely love his books, or I really don't like them. I don't think I'm a fan of the stories with a Sci-Fi element to them. But the thing with this author is that I really do love his writing style, and because of the fact that I've loved some of his reads, I'll always read whatever he publishes next.

As for this book, it was just okay for me. Here's a summary of what I loved and what I didn't.

What I loved:
1. Short chapters, many of which ended in such a way that they made me want to turn the page and move straight on to the next chapter;
2. Lots of twists and turns, and a few moments that surprised me;
3. Easy to read and didn't require a lot of concentration;
4. Characters that I felt strong emotion for, even though those emotions tended to be negative. When I read books, I don't mind if I dislike the characters, as long as the story and the writing makes me feel something.

What I disliked:
1. The story felt very one dimensional and there wasn't much to the plot;
2. There were too few characters to really hold my interest. I'm not a reader who tends to love books with so many characters that I lose track of who's who, but this book seemed to err on the other end of the scale;
3. Although there were a number of twists and turns in this story, I managed to guess most of them and so the shock aspect was somewhat missing for me;
4. The ending felt rushed, and almost as if the author didn't know how to end things, and so he went with an "easy out". I didn't love the ending.

Overall, I know that I'm in the minority with my middle of the road review of this title, and many other readers have adored this book. But that's okay too because we all have different tastes. Will I pick up another book by John Marrs? Oh yes, definitely. In fact, I may even read another one in the next few weeks. He writes some great books and when he gets them spot on, they're some of my favourites. For me though, there was just something missing from this one. But don't let that stop you. Like I say, many others have loved it.

I would rate this book 4.25 out of 5 stars.

I have heard good things about John Marrs as an author but this was the first book I have read from him, and it certainly won't be my last.

John Marrs wrote really interesting and layered characters with fascinating dynamic in the relationships between the different characters.

There were no big shocks in the story for me but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey the author took me on throughout all the twists and turns of the plot.

A very enjoyable thriller I would recommend!

Every house has its secrets, except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

What Lies Between Us is a dark and twisted tale of intense love and hatred. Nina and Maggie live in the same house. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. Everything appears normal at the start but there are many secrets between Maggie and Nina, secrets which when revealed could kill. Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

The story alternates between Maggie and Nina’s perspectives, two women with many secrets and lies between them. The story is a fast-paced read with many surprises and twists. The book is narrated by both Nina and Maggie in the present day and back to 25 years previously. Each chapter reveals a little more about the story and delves deep into their psyche and motivations, teasing the reader slowly with hints of how Maggie and Nina ended up in the present situation. I will be honest, the story felt slow for the first third of the book but somehow the story keeps you hooked and the way the story reveals the complete picture, in the end, is mind-blowing.

This book is almost 400 pages long and to keep the readers engaged with just 2 main characters is no mean feat. There were disturbing twists and U-turns in this book, dark secrets, jaw-dropping revelations, false turns, and the two twisted central characters which will keep you on the edge throughout. Unreliable narrators have been used several times before but I don’t think it has been used as effectively as in this story. The story is told from each woman’s perspective in almost alternating chapters and the story will force you to switch your sympathies from one character to another till you are not sure which one you believe. It’s like the writer is perfectly toying with the minds of the readers.

The narration keeps switching between characters and the past and the present. At times, it may feel exhausting but after reading the full story, you realize that there could have been no better way to narrate the story. I have mixed feelings about the conclusion but probably it was the best way to end it.

As a word of caution, What Lies Between Us has a lot of violence (both physical and mental) and it is not for the fainthearted. Also having recently read Darling Rose Gold, the themes felt similar to me. The stories are vastly different but somehow the story could have impacted me a lot more if I had read this book first, but this is not the book’s fault of course.

Overall, What Lies Between Us is a clever and compulsive psychological thriller with an engaging plot and characters which will keep you hooked till the very last page. If you like dark psychological thrillers, this is a must-read 4.5 Stars

Many thanks to the publishers Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

BOOK REVIEW: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological Thriller

A complicated mother-daughter relationship at the center of the story x 10!

That complication has escalated to the point that the daughter is actually keeping the mother chained to the bed in the attic!... Yikes!

It is a twisty, turny cautionary tale of the impact it can have when you keep secrets.

Told in dual timelines going back and forth from different characters’ perspectives. With the sands constantly shifting on “who is the victim, who is the villain?”

No… This person's the villain and that person's the victim…

No... Hmmm....

I suggest you keep your eraser close by because it is constantly changing!

Both the mother and the daughter are overcoming great —and shall I say completely “messed up”! — obstacles in order to get to the final outcome.

With an ending that will leave you completely stunned and wondering whether either one actually won or lost.

Funny side note on this one (if there is a funny!)... I actually read this one over Mother's Day weekend! Not the perfect book for that holiday! But… Definitely a good choice for summer reading!

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
2020 Book Release | May

--------------------

All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my video tutorials for DIY home ideas inspired by recommended books to support you in bringing your favorite book to life in your life and home.

You can see my full review for What Lies Between Us by John Marrs at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/books-to-read-next-characters-who-overcome-obstacles


✨😎✨A big thank you to John Marrs, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my review are my own.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book got my attention after being reviewed by some booktubers I follow, I was excited to receive this ARC and see what all the hype was about. It did not disappoint! I was captivated from the first chapter. Now I see why it was getting so much attention on Booktube. It was such a great read. So twisty and suspenseful and just when you think there cannot be another twist coming you get slammed with another one. It was one of those books I couldn't put down and when I finished it I was left thinking wtf did I just read?! In the best of ways of course! Such a deliciously dark read. #johnmarrs #whatliesbetweenus #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #bookstagram #goodreads #amazon#kindle #bookqueen #lits