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. 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. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

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.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. and nobody felt too caricature-like, everything was just very messy in the way human beings do usually get. This though has been completely unenjoyable, somewhat shrill in tone (especially that awful opening), an absolute chore. While her female protagonist occasionally seems written to incite the reader’s exasperation, Roisin’s scenes with other women and the portrait of her flawed mother show a more deft hand at representing the gender. 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?

Would have cut out some of the group vacation part and focused a bit more on the relationship developments (and not just the romantic relationships). 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. 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. Has she been gaslighted by a man who has been cheating and lying to her for years without giving away his second nature? 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.This being said, I would have to say that Between Us ranks pretty low on my rankings for McFarlane’s books. A lot of the beginning is her considering whether or not it’s right to end things, given the new revelations. I liked Roisin, however, I will say that at this stage, McFarlane's heroines are beginning to feel a bit samey.