Loved it! Mhairi is always my go to for the prefect read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I have read 6 Mhairi McFarlane books in one month and am so delighted to be able to follow it up with her latest release! Safe to say I am a huge Mhairi McFarlane fan and BETWEEN US doesn't disappoint. Roisin is one of my favourite of her protagonists - she's self-assured, no nonsense and intelligent and to be honest, just really cool - and (no spoilers but) her take-down of a certain character is everything I wanted it to be. I was fuming on her behalf for the way Joe treated her and couldn't (and actually didn't) put the book down til I reached the end. One thing I did feel was a little less developed than I was expecting was the romance, which was a bit rushed and could have been so good given a bit more focus. But overall I loved this - there's the trademark complex and funny dynamics of Mhairi McFarlane friendship groups, there's the flawed and brilliant main character, there's the hilarious lines...can't wait for her next!

This was nearly a DNF for me, and I have loved all of Mhairi's previous books. The first 20% of the book had too much scene setting for my liking. I began to wonder what the overall point of the book was going to be. It was encapsulating the lifestyles of a group of 30 somethings, none of whom I really clicked with and that's all I could get from it.

Once Roisin left the weekend away and returned to her teaching role I began to get interested. It turns out that Roisin is really rather smart and sassy and I liked that a lot about her. Just a pity it took me a lot of the book before that totally shone through.

Her Mum is also a part of the book and she was quite the comedian. I liked her character but maybe not all of her actions. It would give too much away to say anything about the other characters traits but I didn't really warm to any of them.

I've always said that Mhairi's books are not rom-com in the truest sense. I think this one is proably the closest to that description, and maybe why I didn't gel with it so much.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperCollins and Netgalley. I am huge fan since I read my first book by the author. I am always amazed how she come out with the really great stories, incredible turns and exceptional friendship with a romance behind but so important.

REVIEW
⚠️cw: repeat mentions of cheating, gaslighting⚠️
When Roisin Walters' screenwriter boyfriend Joe airs his latest show for friends on a weekend away, Roisin notes startling similarities to her childhood. It sets her on a quest to reevaluate her close relationships, with some unexpected results.
This was a tricky book to categorise and also to review without spoiling the plot. It's billed as a rom-com, but I feel like it's more of a story about changing friend dynamics, self-reflection, self-empowerment, and learning to deal with toxicity in relationships, with a hint of mystery, and a side of romance. It was difficult to get into at first, but I'm really glad I persisted. At the start, I found myself bombarded with characters I didn't really like, with one exception, as the group of friends was introduced. I immediately hated Joe, but I grew to love Roisin, Meredith, Matt, and Gina. We get less of Dev and Anita, but I liked them by the end.
I won't spoil anything, but I saw the romance coming. That didn't stop me from rooting for them, and I was SO happy those people ended up together, even though there was a bit of drama along the way.
While not a straightforward or lighthearted rom-com, there is a lot to enjoy about this story.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating:
Emotional Rating: 🙄😒😬🙈😂🤬😬💔💓😂💓😒🤬👏🏻💓🥰😢💔😍🥰💓👏🏻💔💓🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. Between Us is published on 11th May in the UK*

Favourite Quote:
'I never thought something I didn’t do could cost me this much.'


**I have uploaded the same review to Amazon UK butam awaiting moderation**

3.5/5 Realistic and completely absorbing, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. The characters are highly relatable and reflective of the dynamic between friend groups in their thirties, and the plot was intriguing and incredibly plausible. I haven't read many of Mhairi McFarlane's other works before now but I will definitely be checking out her previous publications when I need a quick and entertaining read.
Thank you to Netgalley.co.uk and Harper Collins for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is a huge fan, I was genuinely excited to dive into "Between Us" by Mhairi McFarlane. I must say, the story did not disappoint! I give it a solid 4 stars for its captivating narrative and the depth of its characters.

The book showcases the amazing friendship between the main characters, and it's so real that it's almost tangible. McFarlane skillfully portrays the cracks that begin to form between them after ten years of friendship, providing an authentic look into how relationships evolve over time.

However, I did find some parts of the story predictable, such as the protagonist eventually discovering that Joe had indeed cheated on her and that Matt was her true love interest. But then again, I'm not easily surprised. I did secretly hope that Gina was sleeping with Joe all along, as that would have been a mind-blowing twist.

One of the aspects I particularly enjoyed was the detective vibe of the book. It added an interesting layer to the story that kept me engaged throughout. But what really stood out to me was Roisin's conversation with Joe's other woman, which served as an important reminder that Joe is the true villain in this tale.

Overall, "Between Us" was a great read that offered a different format from what I'm used to, and I genuinely enjoyed it. The book had its predictable moments, but they didn't detract from the powerful message about friendship and the importance of staying true to ourselves in the face of deceit and betrayal.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Between Us is like a game of two halves. The first half is a story about a group of friends, all with their own individual characters. The focus is on Dev, who has treated his friends to a get together in a posh country house with fiance Anita. We also meet Meg, housemate Sally, and couple Joe and Roisin. Joe is a high flying TV writer and the friends are eager to watch his new series. But long term girlfriend Roisin is shocked to find personal details she had shared with Joe featured in the programme. This leads her to question how much else of the show could be true?!

The second half of the book takes more of a traditional chick-lit route, with Roisin looking for answers about her relationships and herself.

Between Us is a great read, whilst it is a romance, you're never completely sure that there will be a happy ending, even though you're rooting for one!

Roisin is a secondary school teacher and her boyfriend Joe is a television scriptwriter. Joe’s career takes off after he pens a slightly risqué series. With his rise in fortune comes misfortune for Roisin as she deals with the teasing of her teenage pupils. But that’s just one reason why Joe and Roisin’s relationship is falling apart…

I’ve relished every book I’ve read by Mhairi McFarlane and this one not only compares very favourably with the others but also comes across as just a little bit different.
There’s a subtle dark and serious undertone to Between Us but the warmth and wit which readers of hers expect is still there. A punchy yet cosy romance.

A really good book that shows sometimes you don't really know a person even when you've been with them for years. That sometimes you're blind to things other people see, and that it just takes one thing to bring everything into focus and sometimes we need to trust our gut. Some very sweet moments, and great friendships. Definitely worth a read. 3.5 stars

Know that this isn't a romcom but rather an interesting look at how a woman copes when she realizes that her leg time love has exploited her and their friends for his own success. Roisin and Joe met working at Waterstones. He's spent years and years writing a television show and now they've gathered with friends to watch it. Except that it's not fun, not fun at all for her. Joe's a rat but their friends Meredith, Gina, Dev, and Matt are not. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This wasn't the McFarlane novel I was expecting but it's' a good read.

Having read 4 of Mhairi’s books to date (‘Here’s looking at you’, ‘Who’s that girl’ and ‘If I never met you’) I was looking forward to reading ‘Between Us’ however it just didn’t hit the mark as the other 3 had.

I think had the more scene building part for the majority of the first half of the book been shorter and the final third of the book been longer I would have enjoyed it more.

Overall there was nothing wrong with the story it just didn’t feel like a usual Mhairi McFarlane book. Amazon have it branded as a Rom-Com where as I would have thought it was more general fiction romance as their wasn’t much of the comedy side in there and more mystery/intrigue of finding out the full story of the characters.

Yet another superb book from Mhairi. It encompases love, laughter and happiness. The escapism of Mhairi's books, is a welcome break from the events happening around us.

I received an advanced reader copy of Between Us in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this opportunity.

This is the second book by Mhairi McFarlane that I read - the first was If I Never Met You, which I enjoyed but didn’t love. I had high hopes for this one because the premise seemed promising, but then I downloaded it, read the first chapter, and put it down again. I only picked it up again very close to the archiving date because I didn’t feel like reading it but I don’t make a habit of dnf‘ing arcs. However, I ended up only reading the first 18% (around 80 pages). The characters and plot didn‘t manage to hold my attention, sadly. Maybe I was just not in a romcom kind of mood - I hope other readers will enjoy this more than I did!

(no rating)

This is not really a rom com story but it is well worth a read. Roisin is on a voyage of discovery and the intrigue the book develops is rewarding.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style had me hooked. I sat and devoured this, loved every second.

Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane explores many of the complexities not talked about enough in modern relationships, including gaslighting and manipulation. While I found elements of the storyline to be witty and engaging (as is typical of her writing style), this wasn’t my favourite book of McFarlane’s, and I didn’t particularly warm to Joe nor Roisin as characters. I’d give this 3.5 stars overall, as the humour always wins out in McFarlane’s books!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

BOOK REVIEW: Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane

3 Stars

I am a HUGE Mhairi McFarlane fan and so I am a bit gutted that this one didn't live up to my expectations.

The story is about Roisin and her boyfriend Joe and their group of friends. I do not even want to touch on the storyline as I don't want to give anything away. However, for me, this was a very different book for Mhairi and unfortunately it didn't live up to her past stories.

For the first half of the book, I was thinking of DNFing every chapter or so. It took at least half of the book for me to get into the storyline and to actually care about the characters. I think this is because I didn't particularly like them as a group of characters and the storyline just wasn't for me. It had a kind of a mystery/detective feel which I'm not really a fan of.
However at around 60% I finally clicked with Roisin, I found her mum hilarious and some of her interactions with her friends to be both emotional and funny. The second half was definitely faster and had more of the characters I liked in it so I was really glad that I continued with the book and didnt DNF.

Overall for me, it is a good book and one I think a lot of people will enjoy. I am glad I continued as I loved the ending and the romance. Some of the issues I had are definitely based on my particular likes and dislikes so I would still definitely recommend reading this one!

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite romance writers working today. However, in recent years, her books have taken a distinct tonal shift away from the classic contemporary rom-com and more towards more general fiction. Between Us is her third novel to go in this direction and like its predesscors, it takes on some pretty heavy themes in between its happier moments. Maybe it's on me to expect a fun and frothy read from McFarlane still - because it seems those days are gone.

That's not to say Between Us is a bad book, at all. Centring on Roisin Walters, a fun, confident secondary school teacher whose long-term relationship is headed south. Joe, her boyfriend, has recently become mega-famous and with that, the two have become more distant. Distance is also a hallmark of Roisin's long-term friend group, too, though this element of the story didn't quite ring true for me - we're being told the group is drifting apart, not shown. Joe and Roisin's imminent demise is much clearer - Joe, over the course of the novel, is shown to be little more than a shallow bastard, to the point that I questioned what Roisin ever saw in him. Much like Roisin herself!

There is a lot to love here, it has to be said - Roisin is a sparkling, loveable protagonist, and her close female friends, Gina and Meredith, lightened the book considerably for me. Dev and Anita were an extremely fun breath of fresh air that featured enough to remain high-energy but not enough to become annoying. McFarlane remains an absolute master of character. But overall I am not sure if this one quite coalesced for me - it's got a lot going on and parts of it felt a bit disparate. Some plot elements came together neatly - some a little too neatly, and some not neatly at all (Lorraine's third-act drama made zero sense to me as someone who suffered the same ailment in the not so recent past)

I enjoyed this one but I think it's McFarlane's weakest in a while. Her loveable characters are still sparkling with life and wit (even if the Manchester-isms were lost on me) and the Big Issues are written with nuance and subtelty. But I think the romance ended up getting sidelined in this one for the aforementioned Big Issues. When I pick up one of McFarlane's books, I want to spend time getting to know 2 people as they fall in love and that just didn't happen here - which was frustrating when I know how good she is at romantic stories.

I'll continue to read anything McFarlane writes, but I hope she streamlines her next work a little. A little less magic than her previous works but still a good time and worth reading if you like stories about healing, knotty relationships, and good friends.

I’ve yet to read a book by Mhairi McFarlane that’s not blown me away and kept me reading long after I should have gone to sleep! Between Us was no exception; it’s an incredible novel that’s rooted in a decade long friendship group, that also explores the complexities of different family dynamics and what happens when you come discover the person closest to you is not who you thought they were.

When the Roisin and Joe gather with their group of friends for a weekend getaway it’s a triple celebration - there’s an engagement, a birthday and the premier of Joe’s new crime drama. What should be a joyous occasion suddenly becomes deeply troubling for Roisin as she watches the secrets she shared with Joe play out on his show. Roisin finds herself searching for clues to the truth – about her life, their history, and the man she thought she loved. In doing so Roisin finds the most unexpected plot twist of them all. Among those same old friends, there’s a surprising potential for new beginnings . . .

As with McFarlane’s other novels Between Us deals with some significant issues including gaslighting, cheating, and fractured family relations. Whilst these may be triggering for some, McFarlane handles them with great care and tact. In Between Us the characters have been created with real depth and with their own issues and complicated histories. Everyone feels very real and deeply human and you can’t help but feel for them (well except for you Joe, my goodness was he a bad egg!).

I think the thing that always stands out for me in McFarlane’s books are the friendship groups she creates. I love how she’s able to create groups that you instantly feel connected to and indeed want to be a part of! I loved finding out how the Brian Club gained their name (it’s so random and so funny!) and the fact they meet working at Waterstones - love it.

I also very much enjoyed the slow burn romance that ran throughout the novel. I don’t want to say much about it so as not to spoil anything but it worked brilliantly. Likewise I enjoyed the journey that Roisin and her mum went through in trying to come back together and gain a deeper understanding of one another after events of the past put distance between them.

This really was an incredible read and I’ll look forward to reading whatever McFarlane writes next.