What Lies Between Us is John Marrs’s newest release. It comes out May 15th, which is right around the corner. I really enjoyed The One and The Passengers by him. When I heard he had a new book coming out I jumped right onto @netgalley to request it. So thank you NetGalley and @thomasmerceruk for allowing me to read this book for you!⁣
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What Lies Between Us is about a woman who is keeping her mom hostage in her house. It is told in both of their perspectives and alternates from the current situation and the past telling us how we got to this point in their lives. ⁣
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❤️Review❤️⁣
I’m going to start by saying I love John Marrs’s writing style. He keeps you gripped, engaged, and entertained throughout his novels. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t one of my favorites by him. Reading his previous two novels I branded him as a unique story teller with a sci-do/futuristic twist, which this book didn’t have any of those elements. So right off the bat it was different. My major problem with this book was that it was really predictable. I predicted 95% of the twists. They seemed really obvious, which is kind of a let down when it comes to a thriller. It was still a page turner and I enjoyed my time reading it, but I needed something more in order to give it more than 3 stars. I’m still looking forward to future books by John Marrs because he is clearly a talented author.⁣
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3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

I was beyond delighted to get my hands on an early copy of John Marrs' latest novel What Lies Between Us, and the hype I had built in my head was worth it.

It's dark, its jaw dropping, its twisted, and it's another mind blowing read.

Nina and Maggie have a complicated mother/daughter relationship. Its wrapped up in secrets and lies that are layered so well that each twist in the story shocked me a little more.

John Marrs is an author I recommend to so many friends and I am getting used to them coming back to me after reading one of his books and saying "Oh my god, its nuts, but I cant put it down!" So I cant wait to see their reactions when they read this one!!

Each time I thought something was becoming clear and I knew where it was going, I was blind sided by a twist in the story, making this such a hard book to put down.

Anyone that likes a book filled with intrigue, suspense and a healthy dose of twists and turns will love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Wow! Absolutely riveting book - I spent a day in tucked away in a chair, unable to do anything other than read this in one sitting.

I veered between the characters, chapter by chapter- hero to villain and back again.

Total 5 star read.

I gave this book until 42% and then gave up. After a few months, I saw a few positive reviews and gave it another chance. The beginning was slow, unbelievable, and weird. I couldn’t understand either character, didn’t think it was slightly believable. The second half, after picking it back up, was more entertaining. As the story is revealed, at least one character became more believable and therefore the story as well.

I give the first 50% of the book 1 star. The second half of the book gets 3 stars. Overall, glad I went back to finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

They say a mother will do anything for her child, but do it also work the other way around? You have to read this twisted story of a mother and daughter that just about anything to stay together and protect each other. Every chapter is a true page turner I couldnt put it down waiting to see what was coming next. This is a definite recommend to anyone looking for a great weekend read.

Thank you netgalley and John Marrs for opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars

Fabulous, intriguing game of cat and mouse between Nina and her mother Maggie. Nina keeps her mom locked up in the house for years to punish her—I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give anything away. The story switches between the two women while going back and forth in time to major events in their lives. I was constantly on edge trying to figure things out. This was my first book by John Marrs and now I have to go and read all of his other novels immediately.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

So twisty and disturbing. Marrs keeps you guessing the whole way through, and damn, it's a crazy ride. You're never sure who to root for and who to hate in this book.

First off, I think Nina should have been listening to Ozzy instead of ABBA. But that's a whole other crazy train.

Home. It should be a safe place, a place of tranquility, for family time, for rest, for love, for nurturing. But it can also be a prison, just ask Maggie. Maggie and her daughter Nina live together in their family home. Every other night they have dinner together. While Nina bee bops around to ABBA, Maggie has a chain around her ankle. Nina keeps Maggie chained up in the attic, but why?

This was on whacked out thoroughly enjoyable tale about secrets, lies and the unforgivable.

This was a fun page turner for me and although, I figured out one thing, it still shocked me with others. This has some twists, turns and revelations that kept me completely glued to the pages. This was a crazy ride and I loved every inch of it. I can't wait to see what John Mars thinks up next.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in return for an honest review.

The story is the alternative narrative of both mother and daughter, one bound by secrets and chains; the other seeking revenge and retribution.

Understanding what drives Nina to keep her mother Maggie chained in the attic; the quest for revealing who is the true protagonist in the story is what keeps you pinned to this book. With so many twists and turns it keeps you guessing throughout.

The book takes you through the various of stages to discover what could Maggie have possibly have done to have caused so much hate in Nina.
There’s so much to this book, understanding their relationship, their history, the unveiling of the sequence of events which led to current day.
This book is brilliant, perfectly written - easy to read - relatable characters, emotions - the complexity of the novel told in all its simplicity.
Highly recommended. Loved this book

I have loved John Marrs’ books since he first burst into the scene. Each time you think he can’t possibly write another amazing read he goes and does it again

I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend

This was my first John Marrs novel and if his others are anywhere near as exciting then I can’t wait to read them!
I really enjoyed this book the whole way through, the story was exciting and original. The concept was really clever and had me gripped from the start.
I made the mistake of deciding to start reading this book at midnight expecting to read a couple of chapters but I didn’t stop reading until I’d finished the whole book!

What Lies Between Us, by John Marrs.

Holy Lord , I have THE most serious book hangover. John Marrs has done it yet again. I think I spent most of the time reading this book on the edge of my seat.

MAGGIE and Nina are not your typical mother and daughter. Their relationship is based on lies, secrets and tension, oh and Maggie is kept chained in the attic.

John brings us through their troubled and fraught relationship and every time you think you understand them, he throws in more.

This is certainly John at his best and I am only sorry I am finished it.

Thank you to John Marrs, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a tension-filled family thriller that gets deep under your skin. The story is told from the perspectives of Maggie and her daughter, Nina, who is keeping Maggie imprisoned in a soundproofed room in their home. The narrative shifts between time periods across 25 years and slowly reveals what led Nina to inflict such extreme punishment on her mother. Both of the main characters gave me the creeps. I was constantly questioning their motives and couldn’t decide whose side to be on until the very end. There isn’t much action that takes place so it moves along somewhat slowly but there are so many mysteries to uncover that it really captured my attention. It’s a slow burn story, which makes it all the more disturbing. I needed some time to process everything before writing a review and I have found that the book has really stuck with me because it’s hard to move on after being so deeply embedded in the twisted minds of the characters. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the author, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intense, disturbing train wreck of a book - I couldn't stop reading, but I was a bit horrified at myself at the same time. The story is told from two POVs, mother and daughter, with jumps back and forth in the timeline. Sounds complicated, but it flows really well. Both characters are intensely unlikeable, and their relationship is deeply dysfunctional. The author did a fantastic job of setting the scene, and drawing you in. Just not sure I would cross the threshold again - this was a tad too dark for me.

The blurb sounded interesting but I found it difficult to focus. Overall, a fairly predictable story with some extremely unlikable characters. There were some twists but they failed to grab my attention. I'm in the minority here as most people seem to love this book. Thanks so much to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.

‘I’ve learned the hard way that people – even loved ones – are transient souls.’
‘I have lost everyone I have ever loved and the common denominator in all of this is you.’

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs has completely left us speechless and unable to focus on anything but thinking what the hell did we just read. We can’t exactly say that we loved it, because of the content of this thriller, or that we even liked or rooted for any of the characters, well except for one honest poor bastard caught up in the messy lives of two quite frankly vile abhorrent women. There was literally no let up on the mood in this story. It was dark, twisted and a psychological torture from start to finish. As far as thrillers go, we can say John Marrs nailed it yet again!

‘And what will I have to apologise for when my day of reckoning comes? Will I be sorry for what I did, or for what I didn’t do, in the name of a mother’s love? Will I be forgiven for how I let my daughter down, for my sheer bloody ignorance? How can I ask for forgiveness when I truly believe that what I did was the right thing to do?’

So, how on earth do you recommend a story -especially at this point in our lives- which is going to break your human spirit, chill you to the bone and confront every single good thought you might have? Well, what we can say without a shred of doubt, is that this story compelled us from the beginning till the end. The writing astounded us. The characters hypnotised us. The outstanding John Marrs wowed us with his storytelling!

‘I often wonder if my best days might be the ones I can’t remember.’
‘She has turned me into this monster. I am an extension of her.’

What Lies Between Us is unlike any of this Author’s previous works that we’ve personally read. The intensity of focus on just two characters and their twisted psyche. Secrets, deception and lies. So exceedingly dark and so incredibly sinister in its truth of warped ‘good’ intentions acted out in a love so perverse. A torturous superbly written nightmare all the way through the pages with one disturbing twist after another, Nina and Maggie left us absolutely exhausted!

‘Whatever happens next won’t be down to the will of the girl I gave birth to, but as a result of the actions of her father, the man who robbed her of her childhood and set the wheels in motion for all that’s followed.’

Wow. This was a ride that I would gladly go on again. Every chapter was left on a cliffhanger that kept me reading and engaged. I kept trying to guess where the story was going and I was always left confused and shocked. The amount of times I kept second guessing my feelings towards the characters and who I hated and who I didn’t, I was thoroughly torn for majority of the book not understanding my opinions of the characters. This novel was everything I love in mystery & thrillers and so much more. I cannot rave about this book enough, it is pure genius!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

WTF did I just read?! There seemed to be a cliffhanger every couple of chapters - a few I guessed but the rest left me gasping & my sympathies changing from mother to daughter and back again. I liked how the chapters alternated between Maggie & Nina, and how some were present day & some were in the past. I thought it was very well written & another great book from John Marrs.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a WILD ride. I have to admit, it did take me a minute to really get into this book - the first half is a lot of exposition/setup/character development and things don’t really get going until the latter half. But boy, when they get going, it’s a rollercoaster! I was not a huge fan of the ending, but the twists and turns along the way were definitely riveting.

"They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past." Maggie and Nina are mother and daughter and they both have secrets, both present and past. This book is written from dual perspectives, and multiple time lines. When I was reading this book, I didn't know which story was more twisted, Maggie's or Nina's. This was a brilliant book that I really enjoyed. There were so many twists and turns and I was hooked right from the beginning.

I was excited to read my second John Marrs book (I read The One earlier this month) and it did not disappoint! There was so much tension in every chapter and I totally could not see where things were going. Marrs leads you to guess some of the twists in this book, but there are so many that you just can't expect them all. This book left me wondering if I even knew exactly what was going on and I was constantly second guessing myself!

I loved this book and could not put it down! 5 big stars for me!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.