Mhairi McFarlane writes contemporary fiction with romantic subplots like no other, and I throughly enjoyed this book. Equally witty and emotional. My first book by her was Just Last Night, which is still my favorite. I went into that one expecting a light-hearted romcom and BOY was I wrong, literally sobbed my eyes out. There was like 5 minutes of romance in that (that had me totally swooning) but the book sat with me for a long time. While this one didn’t reduce me to a pile of tears, it tackled so many important topics: toxic relationships, gaslighting, infidelity, friendships in your 30s with a decade of history, painful childhoods, and difficult family relationships. Her characters never fail to feel like real people, complex and flawed. Nothing was totally left field but there was some good, satisfying twists. Roison (apparently pronounced Roi-sheen even though I mentally rhymed it with Poison instead) was a worthy protagonist. And I love how every book I’ve read by her has someone you just hate with a passion. Don’t be fooled by her cute, cartoon covers because this is not that type of book. There is a romance in this but it’s not the complete point of the story. If you’re a fan of contemporary/women’s fiction, I highly recommend. If you were a fan of Just Last Night or Mad About You, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

During a weekend away with friends, English teacher Roisin is about to discover more than she bargained for regarding her long term boyfriend screenwriter, Joe. He has broken her trust and she realises everything she has ever said to him in confidence is fair game and ultimately she knows nothing about him at all, despite being together for 10 years.

She embarks on a journey of discovery about their relationship, her friendships and personally. Among these discoveries she finds some surprises and secrets.

I will read anything Mhiari McFarlane writes. She is a phenomenal author.

Rosain has been with Joe for 10 years and just recently things have started to feel somewhat disjointed between the two. On a trip with friends they view Joe's new series and his art appears to replicate their lives casting doubts and accusations.

This was slightly different from McFarlane's other novels - a bigger cast of characters and slightly bigger world building, but I enjoyed it a lot.
You know you're in safe hands with her writing, that grips from the start and characters that you care about. Although the ending was slightly predictable, that made it all the more satisfying!

I love this author and I enjoyed this book but felt it wasn't as good as some of her others. Not sure why as it ticked all the boxes that make her books great - brilliant dialogue, charming characters, unusual situations, some unexpected twists and turns and a budding romance.

Joe and Roisen have been a couple for 9 years. Joe is an up-and-coming screen writer and when his new show airs, its clear he has crossed boundaries in their private life. This leaves Roisen wondering what else in the show is true, including the unfaithful nature of the lead. She recruits her friends in her search for the truth, and uncovers more than she expects, including her true feelings.

A true master at romcom, this author has such insight into people and how what they think and feel will impact their actions, so the characters really come alive. And I love how her dialogue feels so authentic. She explores topical themes, which keep her books relevant. That said, parts of the storyline felt quite predictable, certain cameos felt stereotypical and the romance felt a bit stale. I only say this, because my expectations are so high based on previous books. I still demolished the book in two days.

I honestly don’t know how Mhairi Mcfarlane does it, but every book she writes goes straight into my favourites list and gets 5 stars from me. I adored her newest novel, Roisin is an excellent main character and I absolutely loved how she develops over the course of the book. Her friendships and relationships feel real and important and has you rooting for, or internally booing each character as needed. This is yet another must read, and has a very satisfying ending. It also got me out of a book slump and had me racing to finish in a couple of days. Thank you so much for this arc, I will be rereading this within the next couple of months and probably buying the audiobook too.

Mhari at her best.
Joe and Roisin a couple who has everything. He’s a tv writer that’s just became the next best thing, she’s a teacher so why is everything about to unravel?
Cue friends and the weekend break away and this is when the story grips you. You can’t help while reading taking sides, liking some disliking others.
Then there is Roisin’s mother who runs the pub she is hilarious. Joe’s mother just what you would expect from your boyfriend’s mum. I don’t want to reveal anything that will spoil the book but if you have read Mahri’s other books this will not disappoint.
I wish I had kept for my holiday reading as on the beach with a cocktail and sun you would be happily left alone for a few hours reading.

I really loved this! I loved all the twists and turns and I really liked how the relationship was in the end (or in the happy beginning)
The characters were great, I really enjoyed Roisin and loved hating on Joe! Matt was a sweetheart and I obviously loved him too!
I also picked up on so many Taylor swift references of song title and lyrics which was either done on purpose or a total coincidence but either way it was fun to keep spotting them!

3 stars.

I think I went into this thinking there would be a bit more romance (as well as bit more set in the Waterstones that is mentioned as it's my old place of work haha) than there was. That is on me. I overall enjoyed the story but found that I would have liked Roisin and Joe's relations to end sooner so Roisin had a bit of time to find herself after 10 years with a lying man. I do like how Roisin put together the pieces to find out her information about how Joe went about the lies though.
Not a favourite of Mhairi's books but still a worthwhile read for the cast of characters and especially for it being set in and around a city I grew up!

Between Us
Roisin and Joe have been together for 10 years. After supporting Joe for years his career as a writer has started to take off, and Roisin is starting to feel left behind.
But when Joe’s latest TV show airs Roisin wonders if maybe Joe’s career isn’t the problem with their relationship. Maybe Joe is the problem with their relationship. Some parts of the new show ring alarm bells for Roisin, so while trying to maintain their university friendship circle - The Brian Club, working as a teacher and helping out at her Mum’s pub - Roisin enlists her friend Matt to help her turn detective and find out if maybe the last decade of her life has been a lie.
I love Mhairi’s books, the characters are always great to get to know, the humour is just my cup of tea and I love getting caught up in the stories. Fabulous as always.

As usual a very good writing style. I enjoyed most of the characters in this book but I have to say I expected a little bit more. The cover is so cute and usually I enjoy this author's books a bit more. But it really wasn't bad. Just not my favorite. Maybe my problem was the whole gaslighting issue.

Between Us follows Rosin, a sharp secondary school teacher, as she realises that her long term relationship is no longer what it was, and starts to question her partner and see the relationship in a different light. It is relatively slow-burn, but, I did read it in one sitting - as always, feeling like I was part of the friendship group and ready to kick despicable Joe in the shins.

Mhairi McFarlane is an auto-buy author for me - she just writes brilliant romances. I don't see myself as a huge romance reader. but McFarlane's writing just draws me in. The characters are always so well developed and their motivations explored, and while there are twists and turns that surprise, the stories make sense. Between Us is no exception - although like Mad About You and Last Night, there is more exploration of long term toxicity than maybe some of her earlier books.

Another enjoyable read from Mhairi McFarlane. Her characters are always well drawn and her prose is sharp and funny. This felt like a romantic comedy with more depth and good characterisation. Very enjoyable.

Mhairi has done it again! A wonderful story that cements Mhairi as one of my favorite authors of all time.

I really enjoyed this story that explored the complicated web of friendships and relationships. The character of Roisin was developed well, drawing out her suspicious of her partner, Joe in a way that makes the reader equally suspicious but unsure why. The book also shines a light on complicated relationships with parents. Roisin’s developing interest in Matt felt exciting and still included a few twists and turns towards the end of the book.

I’ve read most of this authors books and enjoyed them all. Between Us wouldn’t be my favorite but it’s still an ok read all the same. I found it a bit long in parts, and also a little bit predictable if I’m honest. I also didn’t really engage with the characters either. Romance lovers will probably enjoy this one a bit more than I did.

Unfortunately this just wasn’t really for me. I was looking forward to reading after being recommended the book by a friend however it fell a bit short for me.

While I found Roisins character likeable and quite relatable in places, I found that I liked her a lot less right toward the end where she decided to jump straight into a new relationship with a friend. It felt a bit convenient and forced. Another friend is supposedly in love with Matt and has been for years and then almost immediately just ‘gets over it’.

Joe’s character is obviously unlikeable however I would have preferred it if they had split due to falling out of love, rather than finding an affair. Once again I just found it all a bit too convenient and gave Roisin a reason to leave without feeling ‘guilty’, not that she had to anyway!

Unfortunately those reasons just really spoiled the book for me.

One of my favourite elements of all Mhairi McFarlane novels are the friendships and relationships with the side characters and this novel was no different. The world around the protagonists always feel very real and relatable.

Joe was a walking red-flag but I understood Roisin's need to uncover the truth after ten years together (the gaslighting!!!) and I'm so glad she did.

I was happy with the ending, but it would have been great to see a bit more of the friendship dynamic between Roisin and Matt in the first half so that when the plot eventually went *there*, it didn't feel as rushed.

This really was another great read from the author and I'll be recommending to fellow romance readers, as I have with her entire backlist!

I was genuinely putting off starting to read this because I didn’t want to have finished reading it.. which is completely silly but that is just how I feel about Mhairi McFarlane books. If there was a new one every couple of weeks then I would be happy!

Between Us is the story of Roisin – a secondary school teacher whose long-term boyfriend, Joe, is beginning to have Hollywood-levels of success with his TV dramas. The first episode of his new series, Hunter, is about to hit the screens, and their group of friends have hired a stunning country house for the weekend to watch it together.

Roisin is aware that her relationship with Joe hasn’t been going brilliantly lately, and his secretiveness over his writing means she has absolutely no idea what to expect with the episode. So, she is really not prepared to see some private information about her parents brought to life at the end of the episode and cannot believe that Joe did this without mentioning to her or asking for permission.

But then she starts to wonder what else about the show might be a reflection of real life. Has Joe in fact been cheating on her?

As Roisin tries to delve into the reality of her relationship and decide whether Joe is really right for her, she finds herself helping out her mum at their family pub, reconnecting with her, and finding a few surprises along the way as her friend Matt joins them.

As always with Mhairi, this just ticks all the boxes for me. Great characters that you can’t help rooting for (and some that you just love to hate), humour, relatable feelings, great friendships, and twists and turns in the story to keep you guessing.

And now I wish I hadn’t started it so that I can start it this week… bring on the next one!

A very readable romantic romp and the uncovering of a duplicitous screenwriter - what more could I ask for? I don't read a lot of romance, but I'm very glad I requested this one. I was thoroughly rooting for Roisin to get her happy ending (or is it a happy beginning?). Written with McFarlane's usual mix of humour and humanity.