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blush_bookworms's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
londonlisa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
johnsonines's review against another edition
3.0
The plot of the book is good. Friends noticed bruises on a woman and think the worst. The worst actually gets worse.
I felt like the first 100 pages of the book were “dull”. It seemed very repetitive and wasn’t picking up speed. But once you got past those 100 pages, the book picked up quickly. It was very hard to put it down.
I felt like the first 100 pages of the book were “dull”. It seemed very repetitive and wasn’t picking up speed. But once you got past those 100 pages, the book picked up quickly. It was very hard to put it down.
sambolin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love a book featuring strong female friendship- and the book definitely highlights those bonds. There were many many twists and while not a wholly satisfying end, it was realistic.
celjla212's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 STARS
Have you ever suspected something shady was going on behind the closed doors of your friends' homes, but were afraid of asking for fear of hurting your friendship? Have you ever had to carry a deep, foreboding secret for your friends which changes you immensely?
In Just Between Us, a group of four women begin down a road from which they cannot travel back once they spot a bruise on one of the group's wrists. Assuming Heather's husband has been physically abusing her, the rest of the group, Julie, Sarah, and Alison, make no mistake of giving Heather their explicit advice and telling her they will be there if she needs them. And she does, for a night that they'll regret forever.
The main issue I had with this novel is that it alternates points of view with each woman taking a turn to have her say...and I could barely tell the difference between the voice or personality of each woman. They all had kids and husbands too, although they were basically background players, and I can't tell you any of their names even though I just finished the book a few hours ago. The friends have different careers, but these didn't help me differentiate either.
It doesn't take long before the suspense begins in this book. Even in the first chapter, as the friends are meeting for coffee, we see that one woman feels like she is the outsider, another thinks her friends are secretly talking about her when she's not there. This is all pretty normal in female friend groups, and it's interesting to see that the author included this aspect.
Jumping to conclusions is one thing every character in this book does very well. Without giving away too many important plot details, I will say that the reason almost all events are set into motion is that someone assumes something and rather than asking about it, takes matters into their own hands.
The first part of the book moved quite slowly and took me a while to get into. As I said before, the characters don't seem to have their own unique voices and I couldn't really connect with any of them. The action does pick up and there's a lull while the characters are waiting and expecting their house of cards to fall down. Exposition picks up again towards the end, but by this point I had kind of already guessed the twist.
In the end, I have to say I like the way all of the events came together, even though it was kind of tragic. Just Between Us was not one of the best thriller novels I've ever read, but it kept me turning the pages.
Have you ever suspected something shady was going on behind the closed doors of your friends' homes, but were afraid of asking for fear of hurting your friendship? Have you ever had to carry a deep, foreboding secret for your friends which changes you immensely?
In Just Between Us, a group of four women begin down a road from which they cannot travel back once they spot a bruise on one of the group's wrists. Assuming Heather's husband has been physically abusing her, the rest of the group, Julie, Sarah, and Alison, make no mistake of giving Heather their explicit advice and telling her they will be there if she needs them. And she does, for a night that they'll regret forever.
The main issue I had with this novel is that it alternates points of view with each woman taking a turn to have her say...and I could barely tell the difference between the voice or personality of each woman. They all had kids and husbands too, although they were basically background players, and I can't tell you any of their names even though I just finished the book a few hours ago. The friends have different careers, but these didn't help me differentiate either.
It doesn't take long before the suspense begins in this book. Even in the first chapter, as the friends are meeting for coffee, we see that one woman feels like she is the outsider, another thinks her friends are secretly talking about her when she's not there. This is all pretty normal in female friend groups, and it's interesting to see that the author included this aspect.
Jumping to conclusions is one thing every character in this book does very well. Without giving away too many important plot details, I will say that the reason almost all events are set into motion is that someone assumes something and rather than asking about it, takes matters into their own hands.
The first part of the book moved quite slowly and took me a while to get into. As I said before, the characters don't seem to have their own unique voices and I couldn't really connect with any of them. The action does pick up and there's a lull while the characters are waiting and expecting their house of cards to fall down. Exposition picks up again towards the end, but by this point I had kind of already guessed the twist.
In the end, I have to say I like the way all of the events came together, even though it was kind of tragic. Just Between Us was not one of the best thriller novels I've ever read, but it kept me turning the pages.
lpersia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
debtat2's review against another edition
4.0
“What if?”
A question that is human nature to ask, to think, normally followed by worrying, scary scenarios! And this is where this story begins, with Alison playing the “what-if” game. What if they hadn’t moved to Sewickley? What if she had never met Julie at preschool drop-off? If that hadn’t happened then the four women would likely to have never met and that one question that started it all would never have been asked “How did you get such a nasty bruise?”
Told from the four women’s points of view Alison is positive that Heather is being abused by her husband and raises her suspicions to the other women of their little group who remain unsure until things begin to escalate leaving no doubts. As Heather’s bruises and “accidents” become more serious they all become frightened for Heathers life, unless she left him the only other ending would be her husband ending her life.
As each woman lives in fear of receiving that phone call or that knock on the door informing them of Heather’s death, when it does come it is nothing like any of them had been expecting and changes all their lives in ways none had seen coming.
Heather isn’t the only member of their group that has been keeping secrets, they are all harbouring secrets that they would like to remain just that, a secret, but as things begin to spiral out of control secrets are dragged out into the light bringing suspicion and doubt with them.
How far you will go for those you love?
Brimming with suspense that increases with the plot twists it is a story of friendship, trust and loyalty asking the questions “How well do you really know those you love?” and “How far you would be prepared to go to protect those people?” This book will keep you turning pages to find out the answers to the main question, “What happens next?”
A really great read for fans of Liane Moriarty and B.A. Paris.
Grab your copy now from Amazon UK or Amazon.com Glass of wine optional 😂🍷
Many thanks to the author Rebecca Drake, publishers St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.
A question that is human nature to ask, to think, normally followed by worrying, scary scenarios! And this is where this story begins, with Alison playing the “what-if” game. What if they hadn’t moved to Sewickley? What if she had never met Julie at preschool drop-off? If that hadn’t happened then the four women would likely to have never met and that one question that started it all would never have been asked “How did you get such a nasty bruise?”
Told from the four women’s points of view Alison is positive that Heather is being abused by her husband and raises her suspicions to the other women of their little group who remain unsure until things begin to escalate leaving no doubts. As Heather’s bruises and “accidents” become more serious they all become frightened for Heathers life, unless she left him the only other ending would be her husband ending her life.
As each woman lives in fear of receiving that phone call or that knock on the door informing them of Heather’s death, when it does come it is nothing like any of them had been expecting and changes all their lives in ways none had seen coming.
Heather isn’t the only member of their group that has been keeping secrets, they are all harbouring secrets that they would like to remain just that, a secret, but as things begin to spiral out of control secrets are dragged out into the light bringing suspicion and doubt with them.
How far you will go for those you love?
Brimming with suspense that increases with the plot twists it is a story of friendship, trust and loyalty asking the questions “How well do you really know those you love?” and “How far you would be prepared to go to protect those people?” This book will keep you turning pages to find out the answers to the main question, “What happens next?”
A really great read for fans of Liane Moriarty and B.A. Paris.
Grab your copy now from Amazon UK or Amazon.com Glass of wine optional 😂🍷
Many thanks to the author Rebecca Drake, publishers St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.
kikaa's review against another edition
2.0
This book was extremely slow, it dragged on way too much. It only seemed interesting in the last 100 pages.
jessiv14's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Took a bit to get in to, but it was pretty good after about 80-100 pages in. Multiple plot twists, some were more obvious than others. Overall, I was decently satisfied with the book.