Didn’t buy the unrequited angle but otherwise a good story. ( )

A group of friends gets together for a weekend in a country home. A decade ago, they all worked together at a bookstore and they have remained close friends, although the cracks are beginning to show. Some of them have high-powered and high-paying jobs, others are just making ends meet. Roisin and Joe, who have been together since those bookstore days, are at the end of their relationship. As Roisin makes decisions about where to go from there, she's drawn in several directions, from returning to help out her problematic mother back at the family pub, as well as seeing an old friend in a new light, although maybe Joe will figure out what to say to fix their relationship.

Mhairi McFarlane writes fun Chick Lit novels, except in hers the secondary characters have their own full lives and don't just exist to showcase the main character. This is normally one of the best things about her novels, but here there were so many secondary characters, with so much going on in their lives, that the book felt simultaneously over-packed and thin. It was still fun, and all the individual elements were very interesting, but the whole did not add up to the sum of its parts here. ( )

I won't give this a star rating because I only made it 12%. I usually really like Mhairi McFarlane even though her books are of that genre where women find their inner power, a genre that normally I find hokey and annoying. This though has been completely unenjoyable, somewhat shrill in tone (especially that awful opening), an absolute chore. McFarlane's books are ones I read only for enjoyment and empathy (don't we all have problems focusing and getting our lives on track, gaslighting exes, people we mourn, and family or friends who are snobs?) I am not feeling any of those feels or that fun so I am not going to waste any more time. I will still read the next Mhairi McFarlane book because usually they are lovely.

Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane tells the story of Roisin and Joe who meet their friends for a country house party. It feels the group may be at a breaking point, stressed by different stages in life, income, miscommunication, and unrequited affection. During the weekend the group screens Joe’s new TV groundbreaking, provocative show. Roisin is shocked to find he’s used details of her past without her knowledge. What else in the show is also borrowed from real life?

Be prepared, this is well written, but it is not a light read (ala EmHen). It’s a story of consent…to one’s story, to be monogamous or not, to understand exactly what relationship you’re in. It’s messy as changing dynamics in friend groups between your 20’s and 30’s often are. McFarlane does a lovely job with the relationship between Roisin and her mother, which hit particularly close to home for me. I was bereft, a puddle on the floor by the end…you’ve been warned, have your tissues nearby. I also appreciated the coming together of Roisin and Beatrice. There’s grace and beauty in the place they landed. I loved that for them.

This is my first book by Mhairi McFarlane, a Scottish born author. Available now (8/8/23), I think this makes a perfect autumn read with English countryside and pub vibes. Reader friends have suggested If I Never Met You for my next McFarlane book. British rom-com, fake-dating, yespleaseandthankyou!

Thank you to @bookclubgirl and @AvonBooks for the review copy! ( )

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. ( )