This is my first book by Rayner. It won't be my last. I read it super quickly and I enjoyed the premise. Freaky Fran is a WEIRDO. Gosh... she is obsessed with Charles. She was teased a ton and he was always kind to her. Something that I am constantly trying to instill in my kids. This makes it easy for Fran to fall in love. The main reason this book was 5 stars for me was because I didn't expect the ending. I did figure a small part out, but not all of it and rarely does that happen. When you've read as many thrillers as I have you almost always figure them out. I was pleasantly surprised by one of the twists!

This book kept me guessing until the very end. I was pleasantly shocked and found myself wanting to keep picking up the book to finish it and find out what happened and who killed Dickie. My only problem with this book is I feel like it can be a how's to guide on stalking. Fran has stalking down to a science and this book put in the wrong hands could teach someone how to be discreet. I really enjoyed the twist at the end because it was not an easy conclusion to come too. Thank you to Avon and netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a decent read, and a new take on the "obsessive girlfriend" genre. It centers on Fran, a lonely woman in her mid-30s who has harbored an obsession with a boy, Charles, from high school for years now. When she witnesses Charles and his friend Dickie on a subway platform and sees Dickie fall onto the tracks, she doesn't want to admit she was there but her curiosity allows her to get pulled into the web of people related to Dickie, including his wife, and Charles' family. There is also another plotline woven in related to Fran's estranged sister, Ellie, as well as her relationships with all of these key players.

Fran herself is not a likable character. It's pretty sad that she has spent her whole life chasing after this guy and hasn't really done much else. She also let her relationship with Ellie fall apart and she reeks of desperation whenever anyone shows the slightest bit of interest in her. That detracted from my enjoyment of the book for the most part but Fran shows some unexpected strength at the end of the book which changed my opinion of her.

The book is a bit of a slow burn for most of it, and I find myself annoyed by Fran's constant obsession over things that happened so long ago. However, things start falling into place in the 2nd half of the book, leading to some unexpected twists and an ultimate surprise showdown at the end.

Overall, I think I'd recommend the book because of the ending- the rest of it was just OK but the end was unique and exciting- if you love the book anyway, you will love the end, and if you don't, love the book anyway, you should stick with it and you may change your mind.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Woah! This was kind of creepy in a weird way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. To start this book was incredibly slow and I was unsure of the direction it was taking, however, about 2/3rd of the way through the pace really picked up but I am sad to say I quickly realised the directions so it wasn't a surprise which took away the surprise. I did end up enjoymg the book but I feel it could have been a shorter story and still had the same impact.

I loved Nicola Rayner's "The Girl Before You", so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I couldn't wait to read it. And I was not disappointed! This book is so good. The entire atmosphere of the book is so well done. I spent the whole time both sympathizing for Fran, as well as not being sure if I could believe her. I knew something wasn't right, but was never able to put my finger on it. It made it so I couldn't put it down! The story development was so well written and the twists and turns were unpredictable. I'd definitely recommend this book!

This was a good book to me It started off pretty slow but definitely picked up. I found the main character to be relatable - wanting something she could never have- the forbidden married man. There was an unexpected twist that I didn’t see coming so it was a different take on this type of story. Great book overall and I would definitely read others by her.

A slow starter, and the first 60% was a really slow read and then boom! Addictive reading from this point on.

I felt like a good portion of this book just kept plodding along, and then the ending flew by and was resolved very quickly with everything neatly wrapped up.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and really enjoyed it!

Books told from a stalker's viewpoint seem to be in vogue at the moment, so although I liked the description of this one, I was afraid it might turn out to be a little generic/'more of the same'. But in fact it was something more gripping and sympathetic than I was expecting.

Fran, the narrator, is still obsessively infatuated with her school crush. She follows his friends on Facebook so she can find out where he'll be and sometimes travels to his house to sit and watch it from the outside. She's the epitome of an unreliable narrator … or is she?

I usually find myself empathising with the POV character in a book, even when objectively they are doing terrible things. So when I found that I'd developed a great deal of liking and sympathy for Fran despite her habits, I kept waiting for the rug to be pulled from under my feet. Yet as the plot gradually unfolded with the filling-in of both present clues and past actions, I realised that the author had successfully played with my expectations.

A well-written and twisty book. The publisher compared it to The Girl on the Train, but I'd also recommend it to fans of Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Wow. This book is a hot mess in a good way... is that a thing? Some seriously good twists in this one that I didn't see coming, and a fast-paced plot that had me constantly saying "Okay, just ONE more chapter."

Hooked from beginning till the end!

Definitely found myself a new favorite author and that right there is worthy of an extra star! If an author has the ability to captivate me from start till finish, then what is not to love, especially in these times, when a book that can capture and hold my attention and distract me from the outside world is pretty much a necessity if only to keep me sane?

The characters were well fleshed out, the plot was complex, engaging, and although I saw some of the twists coming, the story was built up and well rounded enough to still keep me captivated and intrigued.

Highly recommend!

As all thrillers usually do, this one had me turning the pages! However, what I did not expect was the wide range of topics I felt this book covered with each twist and turn making me fall victim to the “I know who did it” syndrome; I was wrong every time. Some of the ideas in this book do not appear in other thrillers, which I thought gave it a nice touch and mades it stand out in my mind.

Fran, the main voice of this book, gets thrown back into her high school days when one of her old classmates dies. As many can probably relate to, Fran has some fond memories from high school and some not so fond memories. Throughout the story, you meet old classmates and some new faces who all bring up memories from the old days. Most importantly, we hear about Ellie, Fran’s sister, who is traveling abroad. Their sisterly love is one only sister can relate to. But something seems off...

I would definitely add this to your TBR list for all you thriller lovers out there. The story had a lot to build into, so I read the beginning slowly. But once I started getting deeper into the story, I found myself thinking “I just need to find out!”

5 Stars!

You and Me is one of the best books I've read this year. A psychological thriller at its best. This novel is deeply nuanced and unfolds a layer at a time until the heart of the story is revealed. I couldn't put the book down. I'll think about this story and its flawed, complex characters for a long time. Loved it!

Many thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

Woah! This was kind of creepy in a weird way.

Initially when I started reading this book, I found it slow and couldn't really understand which direction it was going in. But almost halfway into the book, the story kind of picked up and the ending was an unexpected twist!

Even though eventually I ended up liking this book, I couldn't relate to the main character, Fran and I struggled to understand her. I found her obsession with Charles extreme. He is married with children but she's just biding her time until he realises that they are meant to be together, then she'll be ready with open arms. So she keeps on observing and stalking him.

Overall, a good book but I just wish that the pace of the plot was consistent throughout.

Thank You to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC!!

This book was phenomenal! I'm never disappointed by Avon books - they always publish original and fantastic books.

'You and Me' was full of twists and turns, each one more shocking than the last. I saw absolutely none of it coming and was completely blindsided by the ending. I can't say too much without giving anything away because even the tiniest details in this novel are potential clues.

It is really hard to write a review without giving any real details, but let me just say that this novel is amazing - Nicola Rayner is a brilliant writer

I struggled getting into the book in the beginning. I found myself getting frustrated with Fran. As I continued reading though, I found myself trying to guess what was going to happen. About 70 percent into the book, it took a wicked turn and I found myself unable to put it down.

Wow that took some turns
Overall really good book and a bit of a page turner. If I'm honest I didn't really get Fran's whole obsession with Charles. And the references to and about 'mother' absolutely did my head in. But as I was reading it my 16 month old baby girl was lying on my chest sick and as I got to the end I became emotional and quite anxious imagining what Ellie must have been going through in those final days

I definitely did not see this ending coming! I felt very sad for Fran throughout the whole book. Her obsession with Charles was pretty insane and I’m kinda glad he turned out the way he did in the end. At times, I did feel it was a bit slow. I will definitely recommend this to readers who love thrillers. Thank you for letting me read this ARC!

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day!

I just finished Nicole Rayner’s new book, You And Me. It was not what I expected and I mean that in the best way.

From the beginning, we know something strange is going on with Fran. She works at a bookshop and has a crush on someone she went to boarding school with. Oh, she’s 38 years old. Yes, she is still in love with someone from when she was much, much younger. They are somewhat in contact, through mutual friends.

One of these friends, a kid who bullied Fran, dies in a tragic accident. Fran doesn’t want to let anyone know she witnessed what happened, though. She was following Charles, the object of her affection that night. She wants to be with Charles in the worst way and spies on him frequently. It doesn’t matter that he has a wife and children.

Fran is also writing letters to her sister Ellie who has disappeared with her child after she and Fran have a fight. Fran wants to see the baby, Rose, and wants to see her sister again.

This complete novel is super creepy and leaves the reader feeling unsettled and anxious.

Take a look:

Watching sunrises together should have been romantic.

But you were always inside with your wife, and I sat in your garden, in the shadows.

I thought you’d never know how I felt about you.

Until one night, I witnessed a terrible crime.

I wanted it to bring us closer together.

But now the secrets are tumbling out.

And they could tear everything apart…

If you like your books creepy and dark, this is for you! I thought it was well done and enjoyed the unexpected twists!

This book comes out on October 1, you can pre-order it here!