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Between Us
International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a witty, clever, emotional new novel about a woman whose life unravels spectacularly after her screenwriter boyfriend uses their relationship as inspiration for his new television show.
When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it's a triple celebration--a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe's shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe's drama, she realizes that the private things she told him--which should have stayed between them--are right there on the screen.
With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family's pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family and the looming question: what other parts of her now-ex's show are inspired by real events? Lies? Infidelity? Every week, as a new episode airs, she wonders what other secrets will be revealed.
Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed...
When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it's a triple celebration--a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe's shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe's drama, she realizes that the private things she told him--which should have stayed between them--are right there on the screen.
With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family's pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family and the looming question: what other parts of her now-ex's show are inspired by real events? Lies? Infidelity? Every week, as a new episode airs, she wonders what other secrets will be revealed.
Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed...
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2023
2147 people are currently reading
38462 people want to read
About the author
Mhairi McFarlane
42 books11.4k followersMhairi was born in Scotland in 1976 and her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree.
After some efforts at journalism, she started writing novels. It’s Not Me, It’s You is her third book. She lives in Nottingham, with a man and a cat.
After some efforts at journalism, she started writing novels. It’s Not Me, It’s You is her third book. She lives in Nottingham, with a man and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,082 reviews
September 12, 2025
I had higher expectations for this book as a devoted fan of Mhairi McFarlane, but don't get me wrong, I still devoured it and enjoyed her brilliant writing style. This book delves into gaslighting, exploring dysfunctional and manipulative relationship patterns that blend into emotionally consuming family dynamics.
The only thing that bugged me was that most of the book revolves around the unhealthy relationship of the heroine, who finds herself deceived by the illusion of their love life, leaving little time for her second chance romance. Indeed, her blooming romance with another man after getting rid of her toxic ex is too instant for my liking.
If you're looking for a book that explores healing after a toxic relationship and confronts family issues that revolve around self-growth and women's fiction themes, rather than lighthearted romance, then this book would suit your needs.
While I wished for more spicy romance parts, the author's brilliant mind charmed me enough to round up my rating from 3.5 stars to 4! I never dare to give any of her works less than 4 stars.
Here's the brief logline:
Rosie and Joe met while working at Waterstones, a British bookstore chain, a few years ago. After finding a job as a teacher, Rosie supported Joe to pursue his writing dreams for years. He finally makes his big break when his screenplay gets a green light from Hollywood producers. The TV series he's created has resemblances to GOT but with a better ending (I wish!). Rosie cannot believe their life's trajectory changes with this imminent success. They decide to celebrate both Rosie's birthday and their friends' engagement party by getting together with their longtime friendship group to watch the pilot together. But when Rosie starts watching her boyfriend's precious work, he realizes he wrote about them. She feels like she's punched in the face when her secret, which she only shared with Joe, is revealed on the episode, and this is not the only bomb he threw on her lap. The leading guy of the story is a liar and cheater, and even the supporting characters are carbon copies of their common friends.
Has she been gaslighted by a man who has been cheating and lying to her for years without giving away his second nature?
So far, the book has not bored me, even though spending so much time with the ex-drama is frustrating. I wished Nate and Rosie's romance took up more of the book, and I prefer more intimate, slow-burn romances to instant love stories.
At least I easily got into the story, enjoying the friendship drama, self-growth, and second chances theme.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for sharing this lovely book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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The only thing that bugged me was that most of the book revolves around the unhealthy relationship of the heroine, who finds herself deceived by the illusion of their love life, leaving little time for her second chance romance. Indeed, her blooming romance with another man after getting rid of her toxic ex is too instant for my liking.
If you're looking for a book that explores healing after a toxic relationship and confronts family issues that revolve around self-growth and women's fiction themes, rather than lighthearted romance, then this book would suit your needs.
While I wished for more spicy romance parts, the author's brilliant mind charmed me enough to round up my rating from 3.5 stars to 4! I never dare to give any of her works less than 4 stars.
Here's the brief logline:
Rosie and Joe met while working at Waterstones, a British bookstore chain, a few years ago. After finding a job as a teacher, Rosie supported Joe to pursue his writing dreams for years. He finally makes his big break when his screenplay gets a green light from Hollywood producers. The TV series he's created has resemblances to GOT but with a better ending (I wish!). Rosie cannot believe their life's trajectory changes with this imminent success. They decide to celebrate both Rosie's birthday and their friends' engagement party by getting together with their longtime friendship group to watch the pilot together. But when Rosie starts watching her boyfriend's precious work, he realizes he wrote about them. She feels like she's punched in the face when her secret, which she only shared with Joe, is revealed on the episode, and this is not the only bomb he threw on her lap. The leading guy of the story is a liar and cheater, and even the supporting characters are carbon copies of their common friends.
Has she been gaslighted by a man who has been cheating and lying to her for years without giving away his second nature?
So far, the book has not bored me, even though spending so much time with the ex-drama is frustrating. I wished Nate and Rosie's romance took up more of the book, and I prefer more intimate, slow-burn romances to instant love stories.
At least I easily got into the story, enjoying the friendship drama, self-growth, and second chances theme.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for sharing this lovely book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
medium blog
July 25, 2023
I’ve waited for this release for so long. I was inpatient enough to switch audiobook service so I finally could listen to it. As always there was love, drama and character development. I didn’t love this as much as some of her other books, but it was still a heartwarming read!
August 16, 2023
So, to start off, the main character's name is pronounced "Rosheen" but is spelled: Roisin. I dunno, but I felt like I was stuttering in my head each time I came across this name! (Slowed things down a bit too, I must say.)
As for this very fraught story line!
McFarlane took things up a notch or two in her storytelling pattern!
Joe was indeed a tough act to follow. He took my breath away, at times: the audacity of the man!
Of course, Roisin drank the Koolaid for years before realizing she was being utterly bamboozled.
Many of us have stood in Roisin's shoes at some point in our lives. We take as gospel truth everything our partners or loved ones tell us, only to have the rug pulled out from under us when we discover that we've been handed the booby prize behind door number 3 in the Game Show of Life.
McFarlane does have a formula or methodology she tends to follow: highly attractive female characters who have been deeply wronged and wounded by those they loved and trusted. The conquering hero tends to be out-of-this-world attractive.
I liked that in this story, neither of the main characters were filthy rich or famous: just two ordinary folk who were the victim of Joe's highly narcissistic machinations!
Took a while to get the action moving, but still a highly recommended read!
As for this very fraught story line!
McFarlane took things up a notch or two in her storytelling pattern!
Joe was indeed a tough act to follow. He took my breath away, at times: the audacity of the man!
Of course, Roisin drank the Koolaid for years before realizing she was being utterly bamboozled.
Many of us have stood in Roisin's shoes at some point in our lives. We take as gospel truth everything our partners or loved ones tell us, only to have the rug pulled out from under us when we discover that we've been handed the booby prize behind door number 3 in the Game Show of Life.
McFarlane does have a formula or methodology she tends to follow: highly attractive female characters who have been deeply wronged and wounded by those they loved and trusted. The conquering hero tends to be out-of-this-world attractive.
I liked that in this story, neither of the main characters were filthy rich or famous: just two ordinary folk who were the victim of Joe's highly narcissistic machinations!
Took a while to get the action moving, but still a highly recommended read!
August 7, 2023
This is the second title, in a handful of days, from yet another auto-read author that has not quite measured up to the ones that came before and, also, my expectations. This one came out a little stronger, thank goodness, but either I'm broken (I swear, I'm not in a slump, I'm opposite slumping, my reading is posture-perfect!) or maybe 2023 is just turning out to be an off-year for my favourites.
It can't be said that McFarlane disappoints because even in something a little less magical than the usual there's still a lot of good here. There's the core friend group, a classic staple in the author's arsenal; a longterm relationship going tits up, with a new love in the wings waiting to be discovered; and, of course, some messy familial dynamics to sink your teeth into. Normally I would expound plenty of praise on the great ensemble but this might've been my least favourite. As for the longterm beau, this one was an easy one to relish being chucked in the bin. The whole meta thing was just.. w o w. When it came to the new love, though, wellllll. I definitely saw it coming a mile away but part of me wishes Roisin had, too. The switch was just a little too quick for me and I really didn't feel it. And lastly, as for the family dynamics, I really didn't see the payoff until right until the end. One brief moment. It was a good one but I wanted more.
It might also have been the least entertaining when it came to lols. Normally I can't count the amount of lines or moments inspiring outright cackles. For this one? I can't even think of one.
And I think that basically sums up the state of the whole experience. I just wanted more. More laughs, more heart, more things to cry over, more sizzle. I wanted to feel a whole lot of things, because I'm used to feeling a whole lot of things, and -- barring maybe two moments -- in the end I didn’t feel much of anything.
I enjoyed the side-plot that didn't villainize other women and went at things from a refreshing angle; though it did feel a little similar to McFarlane's last book, though in a quieter way. Which segues into another thing I was thinking of. I found MAD ABOUT YOU to be a louder book than usual from this author and while this wasn't on the same decibel scale, it still felt a little bigger. I think I miss the quieter books, the lower scale bits and bobs, though it's hard to properly describe that. There was just something very focused about McFarlane's previous books, big feelings in smaller social climates, less fireworks and drama on a stage, and I miss that. It was magic to me.
I doubt I'll ever find a reason to stop requesting (aka begging, which is what I did to get this early; and I waited, oh, four days before diving into it -- hello from March!) this author and I will always, constantly, recommend her. I will always be feral for her stories, her characters, her wit. This just wasn't one I think I'll ever come back to and, sadly, I'll likely only remember it for it's most outrageous element (the meta bit).
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
It can't be said that McFarlane disappoints because even in something a little less magical than the usual there's still a lot of good here. There's the core friend group, a classic staple in the author's arsenal; a longterm relationship going tits up, with a new love in the wings waiting to be discovered; and, of course, some messy familial dynamics to sink your teeth into. Normally I would expound plenty of praise on the great ensemble but this might've been my least favourite. As for the longterm beau, this one was an easy one to relish being chucked in the bin. The whole meta thing was just.. w o w. When it came to the new love, though, wellllll. I definitely saw it coming a mile away but part of me wishes Roisin had, too. The switch was just a little too quick for me and I really didn't feel it. And lastly, as for the family dynamics, I really didn't see the payoff until right until the end. One brief moment. It was a good one but I wanted more.
It might also have been the least entertaining when it came to lols. Normally I can't count the amount of lines or moments inspiring outright cackles. For this one? I can't even think of one.
And I think that basically sums up the state of the whole experience. I just wanted more. More laughs, more heart, more things to cry over, more sizzle. I wanted to feel a whole lot of things, because I'm used to feeling a whole lot of things, and -- barring maybe two moments -- in the end I didn’t feel much of anything.
I enjoyed the side-plot that didn't villainize other women and went at things from a refreshing angle; though it did feel a little similar to McFarlane's last book, though in a quieter way. Which segues into another thing I was thinking of. I found MAD ABOUT YOU to be a louder book than usual from this author and while this wasn't on the same decibel scale, it still felt a little bigger. I think I miss the quieter books, the lower scale bits and bobs, though it's hard to properly describe that. There was just something very focused about McFarlane's previous books, big feelings in smaller social climates, less fireworks and drama on a stage, and I miss that. It was magic to me.
I doubt I'll ever find a reason to stop requesting (aka begging, which is what I did to get this early; and I waited, oh, four days before diving into it -- hello from March!) this author and I will always, constantly, recommend her. I will always be feral for her stories, her characters, her wit. This just wasn't one I think I'll ever come back to and, sadly, I'll likely only remember it for it's most outrageous element (the meta bit).
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
February 17, 2025
For now on, any faux romance novels just get an immediate one star rating and review from me. I don’t care how much I used to like the author.
This isn’t a romance novel even a little and it just devolved into the most convoluted story ever.
Full review:
"Between Us" follows teacher Roisin, and her newly celebrated tv writer boyfriend Joe. Roisin has been feeling out of sync with Joe for a while, but when they go away for a long weekend with their friends, she starts to realize she's not sure she loves, let alone likes Joe anymore. With their friends watching Joe's new tv show, she realizes that Joe took something she told him and put it in the show. That starts her wondering what kind of man Joe is and if she can see herself moving on from their relationship.
Roisin, eh. I was very luke-warm on her throughout the book. I think the glacial flow of the book was the main reason. All of her thoughts on Joe, her friends Meredith, Gina, Matt, Dev, her mother, her brother, her father, etc. I think a way to fix this honestly would have been to have the initial meeting of the friend group as the prologue honestly. Get a sense of the characters and their motivations. That way when we jumped to 10 years later and they are hanging out, it would have meant more. Instead the prologue starts off with Roisin I was just wondering um okay, and then we shift to a teaching scene, her worry about Joe, and then her going away for the weekend.
The other characters are not well done at all. Sorry to say, Joe just read paper-thin. I can't tell you much about Meredith. Gina's character did a total 180 and it made not a lick of sense. Dev seemed clueless. And Matt. Sigh. I don't even want to get into that. But that's another character that made not a lick of sense.
The flow, as I said, was not good. As other reviewers rightfully noted, this is the slowest book ever. It takes almost to the 40 percent mark for Roisin and her long-time boyfriend, Joe to even have a conversation about the state of their relationship. The weekend away took til the 40 percent mark! That could have been cut in half. And even then, things don't get resolved until the 77 percent mark, and even then we get a twist/reveal at the 84 percent mark.
I wish that the ending had left me with a spark of happiness, but no dice.
This isn’t a romance novel even a little and it just devolved into the most convoluted story ever.
Full review:
"Between Us" follows teacher Roisin, and her newly celebrated tv writer boyfriend Joe. Roisin has been feeling out of sync with Joe for a while, but when they go away for a long weekend with their friends, she starts to realize she's not sure she loves, let alone likes Joe anymore. With their friends watching Joe's new tv show, she realizes that Joe took something she told him and put it in the show. That starts her wondering what kind of man Joe is and if she can see herself moving on from their relationship.
Roisin, eh. I was very luke-warm on her throughout the book. I think the glacial flow of the book was the main reason. All of her thoughts on Joe, her friends Meredith, Gina, Matt, Dev, her mother, her brother, her father, etc. I think a way to fix this honestly would have been to have the initial meeting of the friend group as the prologue honestly. Get a sense of the characters and their motivations. That way when we jumped to 10 years later and they are hanging out, it would have meant more. Instead the prologue starts off with Roisin I was just wondering um okay, and then we shift to a teaching scene, her worry about Joe, and then her going away for the weekend.
The other characters are not well done at all. Sorry to say, Joe just read paper-thin. I can't tell you much about Meredith. Gina's character did a total 180 and it made not a lick of sense. Dev seemed clueless. And Matt. Sigh. I don't even want to get into that. But that's another character that made not a lick of sense.
The flow, as I said, was not good. As other reviewers rightfully noted, this is the slowest book ever. It takes almost to the 40 percent mark for Roisin and her long-time boyfriend, Joe to even have a conversation about the state of their relationship. The weekend away took til the 40 percent mark! That could have been cut in half. And even then, things don't get resolved until the 77 percent mark, and even then we get a twist/reveal at the 84 percent mark.
I wish that the ending had left me with a spark of happiness, but no dice.
July 3, 2023
This was my first Mhairi McFarlane book. That being said, I have never been so invested in a couples breakup as I was with Roisin and Joe's. As a reader, there was no way I could let Roisin go on her healing journey alone. Every page had me right there with her trying to piece the bits of truth together.
May 20, 2024
4 Solid stars!
You can never go wrong with a Mhairi McFarlane book.
You can never go wrong with a Mhairi McFarlane book.
October 4, 2023
As a fan of the author, I knew what I was getting. This is definitely women's fiction (or chick lit if you started your tags thirteen years ago), but with a strong(ish) romance that shows up well past the halfway point.
I really liked Roisin right from the start, though I'm glad I looked up the pronunciation of her name early so all the nicknames made sense. She's a bit adrift in her life and can feel that her relationship has died even if it isn't done quite yet. I'll admit that I was a bit anxious for her to get on with giving the execrable Joe the heave-ho. As in other books, one thing I really liked was the heroine being able to identify Joe's slimy tactics in real-time so the attempted gaslighting gets lit up and his manipulations are called out. This is strong material I wish we could put in a textbook somewhere for people to train on.
I saw the romance coming from way earlier than is natural, but only because I know the author's work fairly well by this point. And I'll have to say that I approve. He was all the good things and with his own struggles to overcome in the story. I liked seeing his authenticity, even when you can see he could do better (not least because he gets there in the end). The dark moment made me sad even as I could see both sides of their break. Roisin couldn't let go of the hurt right away and I'm okay with that because, in the end, they have a grown-up conversation and end up stronger for it.
I'm giving this four stars, the downgrade because so much of this was, I don't know, McFarlane flavored? I mean, I predicted a bit too much based on knowing the author's other work. It's still very much my cuppa, but without any off-setting highlights to thrill me. Also, the humor was much more understated and banter is one of my favorite things about this author's work.
A note about Chaste: There's a sex scene that fades before it starts and we pick up shortly after. There's no on-page sex, but it's clear that there were nekkid activities that the characters enjoyed. I consider this chaste enough for the tag, but others could easily disagree.
I really liked Roisin right from the start, though I'm glad I looked up the pronunciation of her name early so all the nicknames made sense. She's a bit adrift in her life and can feel that her relationship has died even if it isn't done quite yet. I'll admit that I was a bit anxious for her to get on with giving the execrable Joe the heave-ho. As in other books, one thing I really liked was the heroine being able to identify Joe's slimy tactics in real-time so the attempted gaslighting gets lit up and his manipulations are called out. This is strong material I wish we could put in a textbook somewhere for people to train on.
I saw the romance coming from way earlier than is natural, but only because I know the author's work fairly well by this point. And I'll have to say that I approve. He was all the good things and with his own struggles to overcome in the story. I liked seeing his authenticity, even when you can see he could do better (not least because he gets there in the end). The dark moment made me sad even as I could see both sides of their break. Roisin couldn't let go of the hurt right away and I'm okay with that because, in the end, they have a grown-up conversation and end up stronger for it.
I'm giving this four stars, the downgrade because so much of this was, I don't know, McFarlane flavored? I mean, I predicted a bit too much based on knowing the author's other work. It's still very much my cuppa, but without any off-setting highlights to thrill me. Also, the humor was much more understated and banter is one of my favorite things about this author's work.
A note about Chaste: There's a sex scene that fades before it starts and we pick up shortly after. There's no on-page sex, but it's clear that there were nekkid activities that the characters enjoyed. I consider this chaste enough for the tag, but others could easily disagree.
July 26, 2023
Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend in the country for a triple celebration, part of which is in honour of Joe's latest television show - a crime piece that he has penned. Roisin is shocked to see things that she had told Joe in confidence playing out on screen, and as time goes on she finds herself wondering if other parts of the show are also inspired by real life, such as the lead character's infidelity?
Mhairi McFarlane has been one of my favourite authors for a while now, and as such I was sorry to find that her latest offering did not live up to expectations (though admittedly they are high for this author). I do think there has been a change in her writing over her last couple of books, a move away from chicklit and more into women's fiction territory, and whilst I thought this worked really well in Just Last Night, it has left something a bit lacking in her last two books for me personally.
As with her last book, the focus in Between Us, is very much on a failing relationship, and whilst there is a new romantic interest for Roisin, who I liked, this aspect was just covered far too fast to feel any real connection to, and as such just didn't come off as believable or as a relationship to feel invested in. And whilst I appreciate that McFarlane perhaps wants to cover more ground than just romance in her books, one of the main reasons I fell in love with her as an author was for the great chemistry between her romantic leads, which unfortunately seems to have become very much a side aspect to her books nowadays.
On a positive note, the book still has McFarlane's trademark humour, and I did actually really like the friendship dynamics at play in the Brian Club, as they call themselves. I thought McFarlane did a good job of portraying a group that have been friends for a long time, but are at that point in their lives when things are changing and some of them are drifting apart, such that the future of the friendships seem to hang in the balance, and there is this feeling of nostalgia for what once was. The group felt believable to me, and some of my favourite parts of the story were centred around the group as a whole.
I liked Roisin, however, I will say that at this stage, McFarlane's heroines are beginning to feel a bit samey. I despised Joe, and as such the fact that so much of the book was taken up by him did begin to grate on the nerves. It was very clear even before his show aired and aroused Roisin's suspicions, that the relationship was fraught, and given that Roisin was already contemplating ending things with him, things just seemed to drag on unnecessarily. Even after they have broken up, we then go on to spend the last 20% of the book mostly on Roisin still playing detective and trying to catch him out, which did make her seem rather too obsessive. I do appreciate that McFarlane was trying to explore gaslighting and manipulative relationships (and not for the first time either), however, for me personally having so much of the focus on a relationship that is already basically over just didn't make for a compelling read.
I did appreciate the side plot around Roisin and her complicated relationship with her mother, and enjoyed their dynamics.
Overall, the book was still enjoyable, mainly due to McFarlane's engaging writing style that made the book an easy read. The pacing perhaps felt a little off, with the first half rather slow, and then a bit too much happening in the second half. For me the book probably worked best when it was exploring friendship dynamics. I do hope in the next one, McFarlane doesn't spend the majority of the book focused on a break up or an ex, as she now has in her last two books.
Mhairi McFarlane has been one of my favourite authors for a while now, and as such I was sorry to find that her latest offering did not live up to expectations (though admittedly they are high for this author). I do think there has been a change in her writing over her last couple of books, a move away from chicklit and more into women's fiction territory, and whilst I thought this worked really well in Just Last Night, it has left something a bit lacking in her last two books for me personally.
As with her last book, the focus in Between Us, is very much on a failing relationship, and whilst there is a new romantic interest for Roisin, who I liked, this aspect was just covered far too fast to feel any real connection to, and as such just didn't come off as believable or as a relationship to feel invested in. And whilst I appreciate that McFarlane perhaps wants to cover more ground than just romance in her books, one of the main reasons I fell in love with her as an author was for the great chemistry between her romantic leads, which unfortunately seems to have become very much a side aspect to her books nowadays.
On a positive note, the book still has McFarlane's trademark humour, and I did actually really like the friendship dynamics at play in the Brian Club, as they call themselves. I thought McFarlane did a good job of portraying a group that have been friends for a long time, but are at that point in their lives when things are changing and some of them are drifting apart, such that the future of the friendships seem to hang in the balance, and there is this feeling of nostalgia for what once was. The group felt believable to me, and some of my favourite parts of the story were centred around the group as a whole.
I liked Roisin, however, I will say that at this stage, McFarlane's heroines are beginning to feel a bit samey. I despised Joe, and as such the fact that so much of the book was taken up by him did begin to grate on the nerves. It was very clear even before his show aired and aroused Roisin's suspicions, that the relationship was fraught, and given that Roisin was already contemplating ending things with him, things just seemed to drag on unnecessarily. Even after they have broken up, we then go on to spend the last 20% of the book mostly on Roisin still playing detective and trying to catch him out, which did make her seem rather too obsessive. I do appreciate that McFarlane was trying to explore gaslighting and manipulative relationships (and not for the first time either), however, for me personally having so much of the focus on a relationship that is already basically over just didn't make for a compelling read.
I did appreciate the side plot around Roisin and her complicated relationship with her mother, and enjoyed their dynamics.
Overall, the book was still enjoyable, mainly due to McFarlane's engaging writing style that made the book an easy read. The pacing perhaps felt a little off, with the first half rather slow, and then a bit too much happening in the second half. For me the book probably worked best when it was exploring friendship dynamics. I do hope in the next one, McFarlane doesn't spend the majority of the book focused on a break up or an ex, as she now has in her last two books.
April 19, 2023
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 wih 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 so 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.
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 wih 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 so 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.
April 16, 2023
To describe Mhairi McFarlane's latest novel, I'll use a quote direct from the book:
"It was slow, but fast at the end"
Slow doesn't mean boring in this context, as boring this book ain't.
Between Us introduces the reader to uber-cool protagonist Roisin, her partner Joe, and the rest of the self-proclaimed Brian Club (Meredith, Gina, Matt & Dev) who have been besties for the better part of a decade.
As the group head out on a celebratory weekend away; tensions soar and relationships halt as incidents give cause to create a rift between them. At the center is Joe's latest crime drama, where the first episode seems to mirror actual events, causing Roisin to question her own reality.
Between Us highlights the ups and downs of friendships/relationships in your thirties, family trauma, and the difference between a gaslighter and "the one who has been there all along".
I really, really loved this book. At times, it's charming and witty, whilst also being rash and unforgiving. The thing I've come to find about McFarlane's novels is that they are all character driven, and this trait shines through again with Roisin and the gang.
I went through all the emotions with this one; shed a tear, laughed-out-loud, scowled and did a happy dance.
"It was slow, but fast at the end"
Slow doesn't mean boring in this context, as boring this book ain't.
Between Us introduces the reader to uber-cool protagonist Roisin, her partner Joe, and the rest of the self-proclaimed Brian Club (Meredith, Gina, Matt & Dev) who have been besties for the better part of a decade.
As the group head out on a celebratory weekend away; tensions soar and relationships halt as incidents give cause to create a rift between them. At the center is Joe's latest crime drama, where the first episode seems to mirror actual events, causing Roisin to question her own reality.
Between Us highlights the ups and downs of friendships/relationships in your thirties, family trauma, and the difference between a gaslighter and "the one who has been there all along".
I really, really loved this book. At times, it's charming and witty, whilst also being rash and unforgiving. The thing I've come to find about McFarlane's novels is that they are all character driven, and this trait shines through again with Roisin and the gang.
I went through all the emotions with this one; shed a tear, laughed-out-loud, scowled and did a happy dance.
June 1, 2023
A new Mhairi McFarlane's novel is always a highlight of any reading year. The theme of gaslighting is central to this story, as it features a highly likeable heroine in Roisin, a competent secondary ed English teacher with devoted friends but a mercurial boyfriend. From the first pages, it's not clear how long Roisin will tolerate Joe in her life, despite their decade together, since their relationship has been on a steady downward trajectory for quite a while. From Roisin's perspective, Joe's loss of interest in her coincides with his rapid rise to fame and success as a TV screenwriter. She's not comfortable with his enamored feelings about celebrity, having no interest in the status or even potential wealth it will bring to them as a couple. She quite admirably enjoys her quiet life with books, teaching, and good friends. A weekend get-together in the first chapters with their four best friends, however, puts them all in one closed environment where tensions build and secrets are exposed.
McFarlane does a fine job examining the phenomenon of gaslighting and narcissism, popular cultural topics today. I do also think though that these are pretty irredeemable traits for any person to embody, and so unlike other books by her, Joe is a fascinating, if rather one-dimensional character. That led me to question why Roisin, wonderful though she is in so many ways, can be so misled by what one friend calls a "mean boy." The question of Roisin's attraction to someone so selfish and heartless is certainly raised more than once, but I'm not sure this book has answers, and I think maybe it needed some. I think too it's fair to say that Joe's personality disorder is central in one way or another to the entire book, leaving scant oxygen for much else, including a new romantic relationship for Roisin.
McFarlane often de-centers the romance in favor of a heroine's development, but here, more than most of her books, the romance is slight. I still really like Him but it took a long time to locate him in this story. I found them together a little rushed for my liking too. And maybe because I am inclined not to want to give narcissists undue attention, I wanted the story to move away quickly; it doesn't.
I debated giving this book three rather than four stars, but I did absolutely enjoy reading it despite some misgivings. Some scenes really stayed with me days after reading it, including totally engaging scenes of Roisin handling disrespectful boys in her classroom. The friendships in this book are poignant and heartfelt. The true hero of the book is well worth the time waiting for him to take center stage. Ultimately, despite some criticisms, McFarlane remains one of my favorite romance authors.
McFarlane does a fine job examining the phenomenon of gaslighting and narcissism, popular cultural topics today. I do also think though that these are pretty irredeemable traits for any person to embody, and so unlike other books by her, Joe is a fascinating, if rather one-dimensional character. That led me to question why Roisin, wonderful though she is in so many ways, can be so misled by what one friend calls a "mean boy." The question of Roisin's attraction to someone so selfish and heartless is certainly raised more than once, but I'm not sure this book has answers, and I think maybe it needed some. I think too it's fair to say that Joe's personality disorder is central in one way or another to the entire book, leaving scant oxygen for much else, including a new romantic relationship for Roisin.
McFarlane often de-centers the romance in favor of a heroine's development, but here, more than most of her books, the romance is slight. I still really like Him but it took a long time to locate him in this story. I found them together a little rushed for my liking too. And maybe because I am inclined not to want to give narcissists undue attention, I wanted the story to move away quickly; it doesn't.
I debated giving this book three rather than four stars, but I did absolutely enjoy reading it despite some misgivings. Some scenes really stayed with me days after reading it, including totally engaging scenes of Roisin handling disrespectful boys in her classroom. The friendships in this book are poignant and heartfelt. The true hero of the book is well worth the time waiting for him to take center stage. Ultimately, despite some criticisms, McFarlane remains one of my favorite romance authors.
November 13, 2023
I will 100% continue to read anything Mhairi McFarlane releases, but this one wasn’t my fave. While I sign up for her stuff because I love the friend groups and actual plot with a side of romance thrown in, maybe I read this too soon after Mad About You as there were several similarities in the goings on with those two releases.
Not to mention . . . .
So I didn’t ever really approve of the romance here.
Not to mention . . . .
So I didn’t ever really approve of the romance here.
September 10, 2023
Between Is by Mhairi McFarlane
Contemporary romance.
A celebration with friends turns into a nightmare for Roisin after viewing Joe’s new tv show that basically puts her life on the screen. As the episodes continue, Roisin questions her life choices and how she can trust anything in the future.
A difficult topic of cheating, invasion of privacy and restarting and restating goals. It was a slow start for me. I had to restart this more than once and I really disliked the ex-husband. It was brave of Roisin to confront and question and walk away. I was glad for the new relationship jt felt the inevitable problem was overdone.
An ok romance that had more lows than highs.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
Contemporary romance.
A celebration with friends turns into a nightmare for Roisin after viewing Joe’s new tv show that basically puts her life on the screen. As the episodes continue, Roisin questions her life choices and how she can trust anything in the future.
A difficult topic of cheating, invasion of privacy and restarting and restating goals. It was a slow start for me. I had to restart this more than once and I really disliked the ex-husband. It was brave of Roisin to confront and question and walk away. I was glad for the new relationship jt felt the inevitable problem was overdone.
An ok romance that had more lows than highs.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
September 19, 2023
I won this book and although I'm not a big Chick Lit fan, this sounded like an interesting story and I enjoyed reading it. The main character is a woman in her 30's who is a school teacher and has been in an extended relationship with a man who is a writer and has started writing hit TV shows. When she watched the shows, she realizes he is uses scenes from her own life in the show and she gets so mad at him, she breaks up with him. Then she begins to realize that if is using things in her life in the show, he is probably using things from his life also and she starts to investigate along with a mutual friend and finds out much more. Then of course, she falls in love with the friend who is helping her. It's a really cute, good story and I enjoyed it.
October 6, 2024
3.75 ★
rtc <3
--
honestly so scared for this
rtc <3
--
honestly so scared for this
June 1, 2023
4 Stars!
This isn't my favourite Mhairi McFarlane and at the start I didn't actually know if this was going to be for me, but I persevered and I'm very glad I did because I ended up enjoying this quite a lot.
The basis of this is that Roisin and Joe are in a relationship and it's not been on the right track for some time, there's just something off that Roisin can't put her finger on. They go away for the weekend with a group of friends and watch the first episode of Joes new series and she sees that things reflect her life and other things crop up that haven't happen, but could it actually be the truth?
There are so many elements in this book, but I wish we'd of got something a bit more in the sense of healing and things not happening as quick as what they did. I really enjoyed the detective part of the book and the sense of girl power and not women hating women which I actually appreciated.
I don't want to say anymore becauseeeeee I know I'll end up spilling the beans on so much more, but yeah, I enjoyed a lot!
This isn't my favourite Mhairi McFarlane and at the start I didn't actually know if this was going to be for me, but I persevered and I'm very glad I did because I ended up enjoying this quite a lot.
The basis of this is that Roisin and Joe are in a relationship and it's not been on the right track for some time, there's just something off that Roisin can't put her finger on. They go away for the weekend with a group of friends and watch the first episode of Joes new series and she sees that things reflect her life and other things crop up that haven't happen, but could it actually be the truth?
There are so many elements in this book, but I wish we'd of got something a bit more in the sense of healing and things not happening as quick as what they did. I really enjoyed the detective part of the book and the sense of girl power and not women hating women which I actually appreciated.
I don't want to say anymore becauseeeeee I know I'll end up spilling the beans on so much more, but yeah, I enjoyed a lot!
May 30, 2023
mhairi mcfarlane is a star!!!!!!!
February 21, 2023
I’ve never read a book by Mhairi McFarlane before. But I did see enthusiastic reviews about many of her books. So when I found Between Us on NetGalley, I immediately requested it and was really excited to read it.
Sadly, I’m not sure if Mhairi McFarlane and I are a match. I started reading eagerly, but after a few chapters, my eagerness waned. The writing is fine, good even, and many people will probably love this story. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I just couldn’t connect to Roisin as much as I wanted to. And somehow, I found the pacing rather slow, especially in the first half. The pacing got better in the second half, but then I had already given up on the story and had started skim-reading. Therefore, please check out other reviews if you’re thinking of reading this book.
I received an ARC from Harper Collins UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Sadly, I’m not sure if Mhairi McFarlane and I are a match. I started reading eagerly, but after a few chapters, my eagerness waned. The writing is fine, good even, and many people will probably love this story. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I just couldn’t connect to Roisin as much as I wanted to. And somehow, I found the pacing rather slow, especially in the first half. The pacing got better in the second half, but then I had already given up on the story and had started skim-reading. Therefore, please check out other reviews if you’re thinking of reading this book.
I received an ARC from Harper Collins UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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June 1, 2023
I didn’t vibe with it. The writing style made me yawn. I can tolerate the third person’ pov if the story happens to hold my attention span. But, alas, this one didn’t. Plus, this was no way near close to the genre romance or chick lit . There was nothing romantic in this book. Overall, I couldn’t care less about one single thing in this book.
May 13, 2023
I didn’t even take the time to read the synopsis for Between Us when I saw it, trusting that bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane would deliver on a heartfelt romance with an edge. Somewhat unexpectedly, and despite what the cover may suggest, she doesn’t, exactly. That doesn’t make Between Us a bad book at all, just not one I was anticipating.
Secondary teacher Roisin Waters is looking forward to a weekend away with her closest friends of almost a decade, her boyfriend Joe, Meredith, Gina, Matt, Dev, and Anita. ‘The Brian Club’ has plenty to celebrate, including an engagement, a birthday and a television premiere, and Roisin is hoping that the tension that has been building between she and Joe doesn’t spoil it. Things start to go sideways rather quickly though, even before Joe’s betrayal of Roisin is writ large on the eight-foot-wide HDTV for all to see.
Between Us then becomes more properly about the end of a relationship. Roisin is surprised when Joe seems to object to the break up, but she has doubts about the sincerity of his apology. Stuck on the idea that the ongoing script of Joe’s show reflects more truth than fiction, Roisin re-examines their nine year relationship, discovering an undercurrent of deceit and manipulation to which she has been oblivious. It’s a devastating realisation, and I really felt for Roisin, though she reacts with far less self-recrimination than I would manage in her place. I think McFarlane exposes the situation, and the issues it raises, with sensitivity.
The problem for me in Between Us is that I think Roisin’s experience with Joe doesn’t really provide a natural segue straight into a new romance. While I came to like Matt, and understood the basis for their connection, for me their burgeoning relationship didn’t have the sense of inevitability that is present between the couples in McFarlane’s previous novels, and the balance between the romance and angst wasn’t there.
McFarlane’s knack for portraying an authentic dynamic amongst longtime friends is here however. Though there are some obvious growing pains and stress points in the group, and between individuals, there is also genuine affection and the friendships, characterised by witty banter and warm support, offer relief from the novel’s darker elements.
While I didn’t get what I wanted from Between Us, McFarlane’s writing is strong enough it didn’t ever occur to me to put the book down. I was invested in Roisin being able to move on, but I missed the connection to the romance that I’ve usually found in McFarlane’s books.
Secondary teacher Roisin Waters is looking forward to a weekend away with her closest friends of almost a decade, her boyfriend Joe, Meredith, Gina, Matt, Dev, and Anita. ‘The Brian Club’ has plenty to celebrate, including an engagement, a birthday and a television premiere, and Roisin is hoping that the tension that has been building between she and Joe doesn’t spoil it. Things start to go sideways rather quickly though, even before Joe’s betrayal of Roisin is writ large on the eight-foot-wide HDTV for all to see.
Between Us then becomes more properly about the end of a relationship. Roisin is surprised when Joe seems to object to the break up, but she has doubts about the sincerity of his apology. Stuck on the idea that the ongoing script of Joe’s show reflects more truth than fiction, Roisin re-examines their nine year relationship, discovering an undercurrent of deceit and manipulation to which she has been oblivious. It’s a devastating realisation, and I really felt for Roisin, though she reacts with far less self-recrimination than I would manage in her place. I think McFarlane exposes the situation, and the issues it raises, with sensitivity.
The problem for me in Between Us is that I think Roisin’s experience with Joe doesn’t really provide a natural segue straight into a new romance. While I came to like Matt, and understood the basis for their connection, for me their burgeoning relationship didn’t have the sense of inevitability that is present between the couples in McFarlane’s previous novels, and the balance between the romance and angst wasn’t there.
McFarlane’s knack for portraying an authentic dynamic amongst longtime friends is here however. Though there are some obvious growing pains and stress points in the group, and between individuals, there is also genuine affection and the friendships, characterised by witty banter and warm support, offer relief from the novel’s darker elements.
While I didn’t get what I wanted from Between Us, McFarlane’s writing is strong enough it didn’t ever occur to me to put the book down. I was invested in Roisin being able to move on, but I missed the connection to the romance that I’ve usually found in McFarlane’s books.
November 11, 2025
On my blog.
CWs: gaslighting
Galley provided by publisher
Mhairi McFarlane’s books are always among the most anticipated releases I have in any given year. They’re books I know I’m guaranteed to like and Between Us was no exception to this.
The basic premise of the book is this: on a friends’ getaway, Roisin starts to suspect that her boyfriend’s new TV show picks closely from real life in some of its plot. When she recognises her own past amongst it, she starts to ask herself just how much of it is true, particularly the cheating which the sex-addict MC (Joe’s self insert) involves himself in.
Something about Mhairi McFarlane’s books feels oh-so-familiar every time you open one for the first time. You know it’s going to be good, because all of her books are good, so you can just kind of relax into reading it. There’s a kind of unparalleled feeling to picking up a book by an author you love that you know you’re going to enjoy. Regardless of where it lands in your rankings for that author, you enjoy the act of reading as much as you enjoy what you’re reading.
This being said, I would have to say that Between Us ranks pretty low on my rankings for McFarlane’s books. Not in the sense that I disliked it — as I said, I’m pretty much guaranteed to like her books to some extent and the lowest I’ve rated one is, like this, 3.5 stars — but in comparison to some of her others, it didn’t rank so high. However, I feel that, as I thought for Mad About You, this is a book that I’ll enjoy more on rereading. Sometimes it works like that, when I know where the book is taking me I like it more, and I think Between Us is one of those books.
I couldn’t really tell you why I liked this one less. It had all the hallmarks of Mhairi McFarlane’s works that I’ve loved time and again. In fact, I still loved them here. So, perhaps, it was more a matter of timing or how I felt it all pulled together. I’m not sure, but it’s definitely a book I feel could do with a reread. Maybe then I’ll know better how I feel about it.
CWs: gaslighting
Galley provided by publisher
Mhairi McFarlane’s books are always among the most anticipated releases I have in any given year. They’re books I know I’m guaranteed to like and Between Us was no exception to this.
The basic premise of the book is this: on a friends’ getaway, Roisin starts to suspect that her boyfriend’s new TV show picks closely from real life in some of its plot. When she recognises her own past amongst it, she starts to ask herself just how much of it is true, particularly the cheating which the sex-addict MC (Joe’s self insert) involves himself in.
Something about Mhairi McFarlane’s books feels oh-so-familiar every time you open one for the first time. You know it’s going to be good, because all of her books are good, so you can just kind of relax into reading it. There’s a kind of unparalleled feeling to picking up a book by an author you love that you know you’re going to enjoy. Regardless of where it lands in your rankings for that author, you enjoy the act of reading as much as you enjoy what you’re reading.
This being said, I would have to say that Between Us ranks pretty low on my rankings for McFarlane’s books. Not in the sense that I disliked it — as I said, I’m pretty much guaranteed to like her books to some extent and the lowest I’ve rated one is, like this, 3.5 stars — but in comparison to some of her others, it didn’t rank so high. However, I feel that, as I thought for Mad About You, this is a book that I’ll enjoy more on rereading. Sometimes it works like that, when I know where the book is taking me I like it more, and I think Between Us is one of those books.
I couldn’t really tell you why I liked this one less. It had all the hallmarks of Mhairi McFarlane’s works that I’ve loved time and again. In fact, I still loved them here. So, perhaps, it was more a matter of timing or how I felt it all pulled together. I’m not sure, but it’s definitely a book I feel could do with a reread. Maybe then I’ll know better how I feel about it.
July 2, 2023
Anyone who rates this book 4 stars and above is a red flag. I don’t know where to begin to describe how boring it was to read this.
The main character isn’t unlikeable but this could have been written so much better. It’s just so mundane and jarring to read.
There’s 75 chapters in the book, the main event of the book doesn’t happen until chapter 22. You tell yourself it’s only slow because it’s building up to the main crux of the story, so tell me why from chapter 23 the book starts slowing down??? Nothing remotely engaging or interesting happens, you just slug along waiting.
I gave up after chapter 39, and I’m giving up writing this review for any longer because I’ve already wasted enough of my life on this.
The main character isn’t unlikeable but this could have been written so much better. It’s just so mundane and jarring to read.
There’s 75 chapters in the book, the main event of the book doesn’t happen until chapter 22. You tell yourself it’s only slow because it’s building up to the main crux of the story, so tell me why from chapter 23 the book starts slowing down??? Nothing remotely engaging or interesting happens, you just slug along waiting.
I gave up after chapter 39, and I’m giving up writing this review for any longer because I’ve already wasted enough of my life on this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2023
**3 1/2 stars** The curse of high expectations from one of my favorite authors who I mostly rate 5 stars, or, less often, 4 stars.
In some ways, this was a typical Mhairi McFarlane novel. Our heroine, surrounded, supported by, and supportive of a group of close and quirky friends, dumps or is dumped by a guy that is clearly not worthy of her after their long-standing relationship goes to pot. Roisin (Ro-sheen for us Americans) is also a typical McFarlane heroine: Gorgeous but doesn’t know it, good-hearted, intelligent, and funny as hell. They usually have had some difficulties in their youth, often with their families, that have caused hurdles and challenges to overcome before they can find their happy endings. Oh gosh. I’m sure I could compare and contrast this story with her other stories until the cows come home, but I’ll leave it there. I love her heroines, and I mostly loved Roisin even though she did things I didn’t always approve of or understand. The one thing that I love about her leading ladies is that once they understand that the relationship is over (usually because the guy is a real baddie) the guy stays dumped despite the fact that he will usually be desperate to get back with her, because she is so awesome. (Like I said, intelligence is a trait of MM’s typical heroine)
This one starts out with the group of 7 friends (they call themselves The Brian Club-I won’t explain) coming together at a rented country estate to celebrate a birthday, an engagement, and the fact that Roisin’s boyfriend Joe, has just had his script made into a highly touted Hollywood miniseries. Their relationship has been foundering for some time, as the more successful he has become professionally, the more cold and dismissive he has become to down-to-earth schoolteacher Roisin. Roisin has been starting to see Joe in a new and not pleasant light and that there is much in Joe’s character and ways that she doesn’t like at all. It is only a matter of time for her. On the last day of the party, time becomes up. Joe screens the first part of his new 3 part series for the group and to her horror, Joe has incorporated a traumatic and painful incident from her childhood into his plot that she shared with him in the strictest confidence. Without permission, warning, or, initially, remorse.
Roisin must know the truth and knows she will never get it from Joe.
Most of the book is Roisin investigating, learning things, pondering, and dissecting Joe and their relationship. There is not a lot of action. Thankfully, we are not taken back into the past for a painful play-by-play of their past doomed relationship. The break up after 10 years together is not easy and Joe tries to get her back. But we know there is no danger of that happening. Roisin has moved on and eventually starts to see one of The Brian Club in a new light, someone that has been at odds with Joe for years. A good guy, who is even better than she thought he was when he turns up in her old hometown where she has been dragooned into helping her eccentric and troublesome mother at her pub.
Gradually Roisin uncovers all kinds of truths including the truth about Joe. It is pretty surprising and bad, and the book concludes in a hail of drama and confrontation: romantic, family, and adversarial. Unfortunately, that all happens in the last 15%. All the rest is prelude, hence my lower-than-usual rating for a Mhairi McFarlane novel. As entertaining, interesting, and insightful as most of the book was, it was a little slow and lackluster in too many parts. "Slow, but fast at the end?" On a good note, I loved that The Brian Club remained steadfast and stable throughout (barring one incident that is mostly played for laughs.)
I have noted in the past that this author really knows how to end a book and this one is no exception. On the last page, Roisin, in the middle of teaching her English class, looks down and sees an envelope with her name on it peeking out of her bag.
It is a short (and fast?) conclusion but very very sweet and says everything that needs to be said.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
In some ways, this was a typical Mhairi McFarlane novel. Our heroine, surrounded, supported by, and supportive of a group of close and quirky friends, dumps or is dumped by a guy that is clearly not worthy of her after their long-standing relationship goes to pot. Roisin (Ro-sheen for us Americans) is also a typical McFarlane heroine: Gorgeous but doesn’t know it, good-hearted, intelligent, and funny as hell. They usually have had some difficulties in their youth, often with their families, that have caused hurdles and challenges to overcome before they can find their happy endings. Oh gosh. I’m sure I could compare and contrast this story with her other stories until the cows come home, but I’ll leave it there. I love her heroines, and I mostly loved Roisin even though she did things I didn’t always approve of or understand. The one thing that I love about her leading ladies is that once they understand that the relationship is over (usually because the guy is a real baddie) the guy stays dumped despite the fact that he will usually be desperate to get back with her, because she is so awesome. (Like I said, intelligence is a trait of MM’s typical heroine)
This one starts out with the group of 7 friends (they call themselves The Brian Club-I won’t explain) coming together at a rented country estate to celebrate a birthday, an engagement, and the fact that Roisin’s boyfriend Joe, has just had his script made into a highly touted Hollywood miniseries. Their relationship has been foundering for some time, as the more successful he has become professionally, the more cold and dismissive he has become to down-to-earth schoolteacher Roisin. Roisin has been starting to see Joe in a new and not pleasant light and that there is much in Joe’s character and ways that she doesn’t like at all. It is only a matter of time for her. On the last day of the party, time becomes up. Joe screens the first part of his new 3 part series for the group and to her horror, Joe has incorporated a traumatic and painful incident from her childhood into his plot that she shared with him in the strictest confidence. Without permission, warning, or, initially, remorse.
She’d known this day was coming now for a long time, but it was no less weird. Like the shock of a death after a protracted illness. It was slow, but fast at the end.There are other similarities between real life and what happens in the film. Roisin starts to wonder if Joe is a serial cheater and liar like the hero of his piece. Who is Joe, really? Has her 10-year relationship been a lie? Has she been a blind fool all these years?
‘I always assumed you liked that.’‘What?’‘That he’s a Mean Boy.’ He looked at her with an awkward expression….Joe was mean – and Roisin ‘liked it’? She supposed she had. She thought he was clever. What did it say about Roisin, that she had chosen mean? How did you explain having fallen in love with someone who wasn’t nice?
Roisin must know the truth and knows she will never get it from Joe.
Most of the book is Roisin investigating, learning things, pondering, and dissecting Joe and their relationship. There is not a lot of action. Thankfully, we are not taken back into the past for a painful play-by-play of their past doomed relationship. The break up after 10 years together is not easy and Joe tries to get her back. But we know there is no danger of that happening. Roisin has moved on and eventually starts to see one of The Brian Club in a new light, someone that has been at odds with Joe for years. A good guy, who is even better than she thought he was when he turns up in her old hometown where she has been dragooned into helping her eccentric and troublesome mother at her pub.
Such close contact was a strange mixture of fireworks and security. That was it – that was what Roisin had noticed during the handholding. It was completely natural, and yet wildly exotic at the same time. Exhilaratingly new and already familiar. He was a safe place, full of danger…Her feelings for had arrived in two ways: gradually, then suddenly . Slow, but fast at the end.
Gradually Roisin uncovers all kinds of truths including the truth about Joe. It is pretty surprising and bad, and the book concludes in a hail of drama and confrontation: romantic, family, and adversarial. Unfortunately, that all happens in the last 15%. All the rest is prelude, hence my lower-than-usual rating for a Mhairi McFarlane novel. As entertaining, interesting, and insightful as most of the book was, it was a little slow and lackluster in too many parts. "Slow, but fast at the end?" On a good note, I loved that The Brian Club remained steadfast and stable throughout (barring one incident that is mostly played for laughs.)
I have noted in the past that this author really knows how to end a book and this one is no exception. On the last page, Roisin, in the middle of teaching her English class, looks down and sees an envelope with her name on it peeking out of her bag.
It is a short (and fast?) conclusion but very very sweet and says everything that needs to be said.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
June 10, 2025
Not nearly as good as Just My Luck but not without its own charm! The story follows Roisin, a high school teacher whose longterm boyfriend Joe is on the cusp of making it big as a screenwriter while also in the running for douchebag of the century. Without seeking permission, Joe includes one of her most traumatizing childhood memories in his latest series, and instead of coming clean about it, leaves her to discover this for herself during a watch party with their closest friends. The gaslighting only spirals from there, as Roisin begins to question their whole relationship. In the aftermath of Joe showing his true colours, Roisin grows closer and starts to develop feelings for the one guy she never saw coming…
The romance in this one was sweet, albeit a bit undercooked, with a little more heat than my last Mhairi McFarlane read. The secondary characters were all well thought out and McFarlane’s dialogue, especially in a group setting, remains unmatched, I just wish more time had been directed to Roisin’s life moving on from Joe, rather than an obsessive quest to uncover just how much the events in his latest script were based in reality. Retracing the steps of a toxic ex to find closure is a hard storyline to balance along with the romance of new love. I’m not entirely convinced McFarlane pulled it off, and would have liked the book more if only one or the other had been prioritized.
I look forward to reading more McFarlane, this one just wasn’t a hall of famer!
The romance in this one was sweet, albeit a bit undercooked, with a little more heat than my last Mhairi McFarlane read. The secondary characters were all well thought out and McFarlane’s dialogue, especially in a group setting, remains unmatched, I just wish more time had been directed to Roisin’s life moving on from Joe, rather than an obsessive quest to uncover just how much the events in his latest script were based in reality. Retracing the steps of a toxic ex to find closure is a hard storyline to balance along with the romance of new love. I’m not entirely convinced McFarlane pulled it off, and would have liked the book more if only one or the other had been prioritized.
I look forward to reading more McFarlane, this one just wasn’t a hall of famer!
January 10, 2025
2.5 stars.
I didn't really like this but I didn't hate it either. I didn't like Rossin (I found her annoying) and I hated Joe (he is such a gaslighting cheater). Matthew was really sweet though. RTC.
This book follows Rosin who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Joe for 9 years. Joe is a famous screenwriter, though he wasn't when they started dating and Rossin misses the old version of him. Anyway they reunite with their friends to celebrate the engagement of two of them. However Joe is emotionally distant from Rossin and she knows that he has been for a while but she wants to make their relationship work. Not long after this Rossin and Joe and their friends reunite again to watch Joe's new show Hunter. However there is a character that is clearly based on Joe that is cheating on the character that is based on Rossin and Joe reveals a secret about her mother that she only told him. She feels betrayed by this and she starts to wonder if he is cheating on her. She has a fight with Joe that he emotionally abuses her in and she breaks up with him. Then Rossin gets her friend Matt to investigate whether Joe was cheating on her and they spend more time together. Obviously they end up falling in love and they start a relationship. However Rossin finds out that Matt has been keeping a big secret about Joe from her. Will this end their relationship when it's barely started? I went into this with high expectations because a booktuber was raving about this but reading is so subjective. Rossin spent way too long in her relationship with Joe which meant that her relationship with Matt barely got developed. This book is the second one I have read in a row that barely developed the romantic development between the love interests, which is a bit frustrating. Also Joe was in far too much of this and I hated him because he was so mean and a gaslighting cheater. I didn't like Rossin either because I found her annoying and also didn't connect to her. I thought there would be more action for a book centered around a show as well and got really bored a few times.
I didn't really like this but I didn't hate it either. I didn't like Rossin (I found her annoying) and I hated Joe (he is such a gaslighting cheater). Matthew was really sweet though. RTC.
This book follows Rosin who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Joe for 9 years. Joe is a famous screenwriter, though he wasn't when they started dating and Rossin misses the old version of him. Anyway they reunite with their friends to celebrate the engagement of two of them. However Joe is emotionally distant from Rossin and she knows that he has been for a while but she wants to make their relationship work. Not long after this Rossin and Joe and their friends reunite again to watch Joe's new show Hunter. However there is a character that is clearly based on Joe that is cheating on the character that is based on Rossin and Joe reveals a secret about her mother that she only told him. She feels betrayed by this and she starts to wonder if he is cheating on her. She has a fight with Joe that he emotionally abuses her in and she breaks up with him. Then Rossin gets her friend Matt to investigate whether Joe was cheating on her and they spend more time together. Obviously they end up falling in love and they start a relationship. However Rossin finds out that Matt has been keeping a big secret about Joe from her. Will this end their relationship when it's barely started? I went into this with high expectations because a booktuber was raving about this but reading is so subjective. Rossin spent way too long in her relationship with Joe which meant that her relationship with Matt barely got developed. This book is the second one I have read in a row that barely developed the romantic development between the love interests, which is a bit frustrating. Also Joe was in far too much of this and I hated him because he was so mean and a gaslighting cheater. I didn't like Rossin either because I found her annoying and also didn't connect to her. I thought there would be more action for a book centered around a show as well and got really bored a few times.
February 6, 2023
Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors, so I could not wait to read Between Us. And it did not disappoint.
As per usual, her characters and stories are completely immersive and what you may typically think of women's fiction or romance, is always elevated by her in a masterful way.
I essentially couldn't put this down, even though I knew that I would be sad when it was over.
I enjoyed seeing Roisin grow, as a character, as well as her group of friends.
When they arrive at the weekend away, I did start to wonder whether this would be the main focus of the story but I loved seeing Roisin (and Matt) return to where she had grown up while helping out in the pub and interacting with her mum.
I also adored all of the references, from Charlotte Tilbury lipstick to the & Other Stories dress, that make you feel like you truly know and understand the characters and the world in which they exist. And it made me feel a real kinship to her.
The scenes at the school were great too.
Having the friend group meet while working in Waterstones was also such a nice touch, as a book lover.
And Matt, well it was lovely to just have my heart warmed any time that he was with Roisin, as you could tell that, despite how Joe was trying to depict him, he was genuinely a nice guy.
Speaking of Joe, I liked that as readers we knew something wasn't adding up about his behaviour but you didn't know exactly what he was up to. Having him be a TV writer where it appeared that he'd allowed life to inspire his work, was really interesting too and I was just waiting for him to be found out and called out by Roisin.
As I do with all of Mhairi's books, I will wholeheartedly be recommending Between Us to everyone.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As per usual, her characters and stories are completely immersive and what you may typically think of women's fiction or romance, is always elevated by her in a masterful way.
I essentially couldn't put this down, even though I knew that I would be sad when it was over.
I enjoyed seeing Roisin grow, as a character, as well as her group of friends.
When they arrive at the weekend away, I did start to wonder whether this would be the main focus of the story but I loved seeing Roisin (and Matt) return to where she had grown up while helping out in the pub and interacting with her mum.
I also adored all of the references, from Charlotte Tilbury lipstick to the & Other Stories dress, that make you feel like you truly know and understand the characters and the world in which they exist. And it made me feel a real kinship to her.
The scenes at the school were great too.
Having the friend group meet while working in Waterstones was also such a nice touch, as a book lover.
And Matt, well it was lovely to just have my heart warmed any time that he was with Roisin, as you could tell that, despite how Joe was trying to depict him, he was genuinely a nice guy.
Speaking of Joe, I liked that as readers we knew something wasn't adding up about his behaviour but you didn't know exactly what he was up to. Having him be a TV writer where it appeared that he'd allowed life to inspire his work, was really interesting too and I was just waiting for him to be found out and called out by Roisin.
As I do with all of Mhairi's books, I will wholeheartedly be recommending Between Us to everyone.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 28, 2023
2.5 stars
This was a quick read. The romance was sweet, but I felt that there could have been even more character development. The plot was fine just predictable.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a quick read. The romance was sweet, but I felt that there could have been even more character development. The plot was fine just predictable.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 12, 2023
"What she'd discovered was that her mother needed her. And Roisin needed Lorraine, too. Not in trivial, mercenary ways, but profound ones that neither of them had articulated."
"Life was a chaotic, inconvenient bastard, and there it was. Love was love."
I've gone for two quotes in this review, put the fucking flag out.
Here we are again, rating Mhairi MacFarlane's latest book five stars, and as always, here follows my inability to articulate my feelings and reasonings.
I really try to take care and write something somewhat profound with the reviews I give for books that I care about, but every time I rate and review a book by this author, I just can't fucking do it. I can't express the depth of admiration I have for Mhairi MacFarlane's work; at least, I can't without looking like a total twat. If you look back at any of the reviews I've written about this author's books you will find consistencies amongst them, which usually look a lot like, "I loved this book; I loved the female lead; oh, the northernness, her books feel like home to me". But as I sit here, tapping my forehead, waiting for something new to form inside my walnut-sized brain, it got me thinking... isn't that fucking glorious? To continually read new work by this author and feel the same way every single time? That's not to say her books are the same, no, each one is unique with its own character and plot, but the notion of being completely and utterly satisfied once you close her books is a regular occurrence. It truly is an unparalleled experience.
So, I'm keeping this one short and sweet, going to wrap up my thoughts in a jumble of words that, as expected, goes something like:
I loved Roisin Walters. I loved Matt McKenzie. I loved Meredith, Gina, Anita, and Dev (like ya name too, Dev). I loved Beatrice. I would deck Joe Powell within an inch of his life on sight, mate. And I need to tell my mum I love her with actual words instead of an affectionate shoulder nudge.
February 15, 2023
I am a huge Mhairi McFarlane fan, having devoured her whole back catalogue. As soon as I finish one book, I am anxiously anticipating the release of the next one! 'Between Us' is her latest offering, focused on a group of friends who call themselves the Brian Club. They met many years ago working at Waterstones, staying friends into adulthood. The group includes Roisin and Joe who met through the group but after ten years, find their relationship is on the rocks. This is not helped by Joe's TV show 'Hunter' having some uncomfortable parallels to reality.
Whilst not my favourite book from McFarlane, there are lots of things to like about the story. Roisin is strong and knows her own mind; I admired her not wanting to be messed around by any romantic partners and the gutsy way she deals with Joe's indiscrete writing of his TV show. It is hard to give too many details about the story without ruining the direction of the narrative but the section where Roisin works at her mother's pub and rediscovers family ties was probably the strongest for me.
Unfortunately, some of the narrative did feel a little bitty. The depth of the feelings of the new love interest appeared so very suddenly and there are some awkward conversations which could be avoided by people just being honest with each other. I guess that this does chime with the repeated refrain 'slow but then fast at the end' which pretty much sums up this book!
An enjoyable read with a satisfying pay off. Onto the next! :) 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Whilst not my favourite book from McFarlane, there are lots of things to like about the story. Roisin is strong and knows her own mind; I admired her not wanting to be messed around by any romantic partners and the gutsy way she deals with Joe's indiscrete writing of his TV show. It is hard to give too many details about the story without ruining the direction of the narrative but the section where Roisin works at her mother's pub and rediscovers family ties was probably the strongest for me.
Unfortunately, some of the narrative did feel a little bitty. The depth of the feelings of the new love interest appeared so very suddenly and there are some awkward conversations which could be avoided by people just being honest with each other. I guess that this does chime with the repeated refrain 'slow but then fast at the end' which pretty much sums up this book!
An enjoyable read with a satisfying pay off. Onto the next! :) 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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