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A review by thathappyreader
Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
5.0
What an entertaining book! The book takes an interesting premise and throws in well-developed characters and a propulsive mystery. This is Mhairi McFarlane at her best!
Roisin and Joe have been together for a decade. They are meeting four of their friends for the weekend at a country house to celebrate an engagement, a birthday and Joe’s about to be shown TV series. These six friends have been in a group for many years and have shared their young adult years together.
The six sit down to watch the premiere episode of Joe’s TV show. Everyone is enjoying it except for Roisin. Although she keeps quiet she can’t quite believe that Joe has taken a secret about Roisin’s family and included it as a storyline on his show. Roisin soon begins to think that perhaps there are other parts of the plot that reflect what has occurred in their own lives.
Without giving anything away, the once-close friendship becomes somewhat chaotic. Joe is flying to Los Angeles to meet with studio executives. Roisin’s mother requests she return home to help run the family’s pub. All the while, Roisin is trying to figure out if Joe’s own life reflects the show’s main character’s penchant for infidelity, or if she’s created this scenario in her head.
The book started off a little slow for me but this quickly turned to excitement. I loved the discussion on social class disparity, trust and the complexity of interpersonal relationships. The characters all have interesting backstories that provide insight into the choices and decisions that are made.
I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction or character-driven stories.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).
Roisin and Joe have been together for a decade. They are meeting four of their friends for the weekend at a country house to celebrate an engagement, a birthday and Joe’s about to be shown TV series. These six friends have been in a group for many years and have shared their young adult years together.
The six sit down to watch the premiere episode of Joe’s TV show. Everyone is enjoying it except for Roisin. Although she keeps quiet she can’t quite believe that Joe has taken a secret about Roisin’s family and included it as a storyline on his show. Roisin soon begins to think that perhaps there are other parts of the plot that reflect what has occurred in their own lives.
Without giving anything away, the once-close friendship becomes somewhat chaotic. Joe is flying to Los Angeles to meet with studio executives. Roisin’s mother requests she return home to help run the family’s pub. All the while, Roisin is trying to figure out if Joe’s own life reflects the show’s main character’s penchant for infidelity, or if she’s created this scenario in her head.
The book started off a little slow for me but this quickly turned to excitement. I loved the discussion on social class disparity, trust and the complexity of interpersonal relationships. The characters all have interesting backstories that provide insight into the choices and decisions that are made.
I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction or character-driven stories.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).