Between Us By Mhairi McFarlane

‘Between Us’ is the latest book by Mhairi McFarlane.

When Joe and Roisin join their group of friends for a weekend away, it’s a triple celebration – a birthday, an engagement and the launch of Joe’s new crime drama on TV. But when Roisin sees secrets she shared with Joe play out on the TV screen, she knows that between us means nothing at all. Roisin finds herself searching for clues to the truth – about her life, their history, and the man she thought she loved. And it’s then that Roisin finds the most unexpected plot twist of them all. Among those same old friends, there’s a surprising potential for new beginnings…

For fans of Mhairi McFarlane, her latest book is an absolute delight. Packed with relatable characters, a thrilling storyline and one liners that had me snorting and reading aloud so everyone could enjoy it.

The story is seen from the perspective of Roisin, who’s been in a relationship with Joe for a decade. Although once happy, she feels their relationship is lacking, she’s a secondary school teacher and he’s a successful screen writer and his second show is about to start. Whilst away on a break with their university friends, Roisin begins to question the relationship particularly when she discovers that parts of his new TV show contains elements of her own life that she confided in him about. As the people hype about the success of the show, Roisin finds herself the butt of the joke due to its explicit content and is also left wondering if Joe was the person, that she thought he was.

I always love Mhairi’s books and always make it priority to read them as soon as they are released. She creates realistic scenarios with interesting protagonists that you instantly want to be friends with. I loved Roisin and her gang of friends, she’s kind with a warm heart and is always wanting to keep others happy. Since Joe’s success, she’s become accustomed to be being second best but it’s inspiring to see her question her true worth and realise that she does deserve better. Whilst wondering about the state of her relationship, she returns home to her mum’s pub to help out during the summer break and I absolutely loved her mother, Lorraine is a glamorous queen with a razor sharp tongue, but her relationship with Roisin is a complicated one and they’re not particularly close but this summer helps the women work and learn together.

In spite of its humour and wit, the story does delve into hard issues such as infidelity and gaslighting and it does make for interesting reading as Roisin looks back on the relationship. I loved her band of friends, Gina, an innocent and sweet character who sees the good in everyone, Meredith with her bohemian vibes and of course Matt, the kind, gentle soul that I instantly fell for. Joe is a horrible man who seems oblivious to his narcissistic behaviour and constantly feels hard done by.

Beautifully written and packed with Mhairi’s wit and quirks, ‘Between Us’ is a soul searching tale about love, happiness and relationships, deliciously fun and warm-hearted. I cannot recommend this book enough!

You can buy ‘Between Us’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.