I struggled with this one and unfortunately it ultimately wasn’t for me. I was intrigued by the premise and was grateful to have the chance to try it for myself. I am sure that more patient readers than me would enjoy it more, the pace was just lacking for me and I disengaged.

I’m sorry, but I could not connect with this book at all. I didn’t gel with the voice, the turns of phrase. It was difficult to read and I continually felt tripped up by the sentences rather than flowing along them and enjoying the story.

Steven, a professor, and Ellie, a grad student, fall in love quickly and take a winter trip to a secluded house. While one expects rest and romance, the other has a hidden agenda. Described as a locked room mystery, the story was predictable with unlikable characters. The book felt too long with an inevitable ending.

Despite this, the writing is exquisite, and the atmosphere is vibrant. The author delves unflinchingly into sexual assault, making it an important topic for discussion. Laure Van Rensburg's note in the #MeToo era, with relevant links and a call to action, is compelling. While the storyline is powerful and necessary, I found the fiction underwhelming and disengaging.

I found the characters unengaging and unsympathetic and struggled to engage with the book. The premise was interesting but the book was not for me.

A great locked in mystery. It is beautifully written with great characters. The setting provided a great eerie background. An excellent psychological thriller and a debut.

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

"It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two.

EXCEPT THAT HE'S NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER IS SHE."

That part of the blurb, this promise of unfurling a mystery is what made me request Nobody But Us from NetGalley. The fact that it took me several tries before I was able to get pass the first few chapters gives some indication of my thoughts on this book.

We're presented with a "handsome well respected professor" Steven and his college student girlfriend Ellie on their first weekend trip away to celebrate their 6 month anniversary. However they both have secrets and their own agenda, when both collide, it's pretty graphic.

Before they arrive at their romantic getaway you already have the measure of them both and realise that appearances are deceptive, something is off with them. Domineering Steven and passive Ellie are a perfect match or so we are meant to believe but as the weekend goes on, we are shown the fractures in their relationship.

Both personalities were so unlikeable even before the reveal, that the confrontation made you think how could things get any worse - and we care less about Steven and Ellie. I was highlighting the heck out of my kindle edition with notes like 'he said this...', 'this reveals the hidden side...', 'she did...'. When things got real I just couldn't believe them, how could these caricatures be more polarised?

Rather than give way to giant spoilers, I will give some context and say that for those who appreciate trigger warnings, this sits firmly within the #MeToo movement and incorporates all the adjacent skeevy elements around grooming.

The atmosphere of the location (remote, snowy) and house (big, shrouded in dark, hidden areas), perfect as a murder mystery/horror setting was what kept me interested until the end. Also, it was nice to know that my guesses were mostly correct.

Overall an okay fast paced read (when skimming) but predictable, illogical in too many places, unsavoury and unpleasant temperaments meant that I didn't enjoy this read as much as I wanted and expected to.

Despite the clunky writing style (that did aid to the mysterious plot) I was engrossed! The twist was totally unexpected and everything leading up to it was amazing. The back and forth was a bit disorientating, but the atmosphere of Chesapeake Bay was outstanding, it definitely made up for a few annoyances with the main characters - very difficult to get on their side.

Dark and compelling revenge thriller, inspired by the #MeToo movement and the author's personal experiences.

Steven and Ellie are setting off to a secluded country retreat for their first weekend away together. Steven is a teacher and much older than student Ellie. This isn't Steven's first relationship with a student, but she hopes it will be his last.

The story unfolds across dual timelines and from multiple points of view, building up to a gripping ending

A powerful and emotion-inducing read, with multiple character perspectives, timelines and a dark but well-handled twist. A quick and interesting read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

I found this to be a dark, compulsive thriller full of twists and a lot of it's not what you think moments. The couple themselves were multi-layered and although it took me a while to get into, the plot did move along. The setting of the isolated cabin really added to the tension. Some difficult themes, well handled and a great ending.

When Ellie Masterson and Steven Harding escape New York for a romantic getaway in Chesapeake Bay to celebrate their six-month anniversary, it sounds like the perfect weekend. It’s a chance for them to relax, spend some time together and get to know each other better. Ellie is a 23-year-old student and Steven is a college professor and 15 years her senior.

After a shocking and bloody prologue, the story is told from the perspectives of the couple, interspersed with flashback chapters in which we hear from another person who appears to know Steven and has had a relationship with him in the past.

The house they’re staying at is very modern with big windows but located in a forest and close to the ocean. It’s rather creepy and both Ellie and Steven are unnerved by the darkness and remoteness of the location and there’s a strong sense of foreboding and unease, right from the start. No phone signal – what could possibly go wrong?!

This is no ordinary short break and, before long, Ellie and Steven are both in danger, discovering things they didn’t know about each other and experiencing the weekend from hell! They’re hiding secrets and, as the truths come out, they’re left reeling and confused by the shocking discoveries.

Told over three days, the story is intense, intriguing and cleverly plotted, and the isolated cabin setting is atmospheric and perfect for the situation that unfolds, especially when the temperature drops and the snow begins to fall. The main protagonists are well described too – they’re rather unpleasant and I hated them both at times.

Nobody But Us is a twisted, torrid tale that had me gripped! Full of twists and turns and numerous revelations, it’s a tense, claustrophobic and terrifying read. I was constantly on edge as I frantically turned the pages, racing through the short chapters, never knowing what was going to happen next! What exactly is going on? Are either of them going to get out alive?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and it had some important themes and definitely stayed in my mind after I’d finished it! I’m looking forward to reading the author’s next book.

Creepy and extremely atmospheric. I was on pins as soon as I started reading it. It takes you on such a thrilling rollercoaster that you’ll be sad when it’s finished. An absolute triumph of a book.

Wow a book and a half. I loved every minute of reading this book. Thank you so much, hopefully there will be more by Laure.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC - It's a good thing I've downloaded all my books ahead of time before they were all archived. I know it's late but here is my review. From the moment I first saw this book I fell in love with the cover. I had such high hopes for this book however I'm not quite sure if I'll ever be a fan of slow burn thrillers. I just felt like it was really slow for me and I didn't care so much for the characters - I couldn't feel anything for them unfortunately so it's a 3 star rating for me. Facts that I love about the book though are: Dual narrative and still had a bit of twists (although predicted it). I would still recommend it to thriller fans.

Ellie has planned a weekend away to celebrate her and her boyfriend's, Steven, 6 month anniversary in a romantic, secluded location

I struggled at the start of the book to understand where this book was going but it slowly starts to make sense when both of their secrets are revealed and the weekend doesn't go quite as planned for one of them

Don't want to give too much away as it's hard to review without giving away the plot, but a thought provoking theme which made me question what i would do with the knowledge/information about someone in a position of authority

Did not finish - I couldn’t get into this one unfortunately, the writing style really jarred and I couldn’t get on with it, sorry! From the blurb I thought it would be my thing, but I just couldn’t get past the writing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

This book was really exciting. I found it started off slowly and I wasn’t sure how this book was going to go, but then it started too pick up pace in the middle and continued until the end. I was shocked at the events that happened in the book but it was very action packed. There were a lot of plot twists throughout the book and it made the second half of the book go by very quickly.

I thought the main characters were very mysterious, we got to read from the perspective from both Ellie and Steven. There was also chapters spoken from the perspective of a mystery character. Ellie and Steven were both very secretive and sneaky around each other. It mainly involved these two characters so I don’t want to go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it.

As I mentioned before, the pace was increased in the second half of the book making it a quick read. Along with the alternating chapters which kept the book exciting and helps the reader get to know both characters. The chapters were short so made the book feel like a quick read. The beginning of the book was slow but knowing something was going to happen, it kept me motivated to read further.

I would recommend this book to those who like thrillers and mysteries, this was an interesting one and a unique read. With there being two main characters, it is difficult to work out who is in the wrong. This is definitely an entertaining read!