Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane

I am a very big fan of multi-cast narratives. Even if the central plot revolves around a pair of protagonists, it is still fun to see how relationships play out in the bigger picture. It keeps the reading fun and entertaining. I must admit that the friendship dynamics in this seem very realistic. That is not nearly as pleasant a thing to say as it might appear. Roisin is part of a group of friends who have hung out together since they all worked together years ago. Life has sent them in different directions, but they tend to reassemble for important moments. The start of the story is one such situation. Joe is a screenwriter, and the two of them have been the long-established couple of their gang. When they all sit down to watch the new crime serial/drama that Joe has written, Roisin realises that he used information that she had revealed to him. Things start to shift in her head as she starts to question things. Other events start to precipitate any lingering issues amongst certain other members, which then leads to a dissolution of the group, at least on the surface. Roisin heads back home, a place she is extremely embarrassed about, an emotion that is backed up by facts that we are quickly updated with. The story is of Roisin looking back at her life, figuring out all the things she thought she was sure about, working around group dynamics, and finally achieving her happily-ever-after (an extremely hard-fought one). The blurb does a very great job of keeping appropriate information contained, something not many blurbs manage to do nowadays, so I was not sure what I was getting as I started reading. The realistic discomfort was a little too real for me. I have never enjoyed acrimonious gatherings, always feeling like people should just choose to stay away instead of inciting arguments for the sake of it. If I did not have such a personal reaction to the conflicting group dynamics, I would have enjoyed it more. The romance was slow, and although it surprised the people in the story, it might not surprise the more veteran readers of this genre. I like the author’s approach and found the experience different from others of this type that I have read. A lot of events occur by the time the book comes to a close, and most fans of this genre will appreciate this book. I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.