REVIEW: Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane

Release Date: August 8, 2023

My Rating: 4 stars

Rep: lesbian side character, British-Indian side characters

CW: gaslighting, infidelity

Summary: “The whole time I’m reading a Mhairi McFarlane novel, I feel like a fist is squeezing my heart… she is so ridiculously talented.” – Emily Henry

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…

Read my review of Don’t You Forget About Me, another book by the same author.

She wondered if he was filing it away to use in the future. She wondered if any privacy was now an illusion.

“Between us” meant nothing.

Mhairi McFarlane has been an auto-read author for me since 2016, and any of her upcoming books automatically make it to my most anticipated releases of the year list. To say I dropped everything once I got an ARC of this book is not an exaggeration. While Between Us isn’t my favorite of her books, I still really enjoyed it! Between Us follows a woman who discovers her long-term screenwriter boyfriend isn’t who she always thought he was, amidst the implosion of their tightly knit friend group.

Roisin has known her friend group since they all worked at Waterstones together ten years ago. They’re all gearing up for a weekend away to celebrate an engagement, a birthday, and the premiere of her boyfriend Joe‘s new show. Over the past year, Roisin has felt Joe pulling away from her and their relationship, but the breaking point comes when she realizes he’s used her painful secrets as a plot line in his show. Even worse, the show is centered around a serial cheater, leaving Roisin to wonder just how much truth he’s written into this show.

I really loved the characters! The friend group is a strange amalgamation of people tied together since they all worked together. There’s Dev, someone so likable that he won a reality show a couple years ago. Now, he’s struck it big and isn’t afraid to shower his friends with money, however uncomfortable they may be. Matt is a so-called playboy but not without a kind heart; Gina is the sweetest of all of them and has been in love with him for years. Meredith provides support to everyone and can be depended to give you the harsh, but necessary, truth. And then there’s Joe, Roisin’s screenwriter boyfriend whose career has taken off after a small show he wrote for became an international success.

Roisin lives in fear of all of them growing apart, especially since all of their lives have gone in such different paths. She particularly thinks her and Joe’s relationship would only contribute to this, so she’s been mostly ignoring the fact that he doesn’t seem to like her, or Matt, anymore. However, after she watches Joe’s new show, she can’t help but realize that this is the end for her.

The book really centers around the end of their relationship, albeit just in Roisin’s head at first. A lot of the beginning is her considering whether or not it’s right to end things, given the new revelations. It’s no small thing to break up with someone she’s built a life with, and she wants to consider all her options. I liked that while she turns to Gina and Meredith for advice, and then to Matt for help, they all support her while also maintaining a realistic tone. By that, I mean it’s easy for Roisin to spiral in this situation but the three of them keep her on a more sane path.

Amidst all this, Roisin returns to her childhood home to help her mother out. She’s always had a tense relationship with her, especially since she’s very toxic and more obviously favors Roisin’s emotionally unavailable younger brother. I liked that she does realize over time that, despite their differences, there’s love there. Their relationship might not be perfect, but they can hold this complex love at least, something important when Roisin’s just lost a long-term relationship with now tainted memories.

The romance is a bit leaner in this book than I expected, but that was honestly for the best. I love how Mhairi McFarlane always slowly builds up the couple’s rapport in her books, and this one was no exception. Reading this book made me want to go back and reread all of her books now! Something about her writing just clicks with me. I ended up speeding through this book because I couldn’t put it down.

Between Us documents the slow, and then fast, decline of a long-term relationship and how that affects a mutual friend group. It had all the heart and wit of McFarlane’s other works, and I really liked the story and characters. If you’re a fan of this author’s previous books or are looking for a woman’s fiction/romance title, I would definitely recommend Between Us!

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About the Author: Sunday Times bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland in 1976 and her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree. After some efforts at journalism, she started writing fiction and her first book, You Had Me At Hello, was an instant success. She’s since sold nearly 2 million copies of her books. Mad About You is her eighth novel and she lives in Nottingham with a man and a cat.

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