A really good read. This book tells the story of two pregnant women who meet up at a pre natal baby group and form a friendship. They have a lot more in common than is apparent at the beginning. The story is told by each woman in turn and the ups and downs of pregnancy and the early days of having a new born are well portrayed.

This book follows the story of Aisha and Lucy who meet at a baby group and quickly becoming friends over their shared bonds of becoming first time parents in their late thirties. Both have different worries about motherhood and their partners and it doesn’t take them long to realise they have a lot of common ground. However one of them is hiding a secret that will shake up their relationship.

This book is fine, it’s ok, it’s nice. It is neither terrible nor amazing. The secret is easy to guess and not particularly well revealed. The characters are bland and seem to blur into one. There are a lot of superfluous characters which get a lot of unnecessary page time and there is a lot about babies. It was billed on NetGalley as being a ‘Lianne Moriarty’ style family thriller drama but it’s far from it. There is nothing particularly thrilling about it. It’s much more of a plod and there are far too many chapters dedicated to the ins and outs of an antenatal class.
There is nothing to particularly dislike about it either. For me this is a definite 3 star review.

A gem of a story, unputdownable thoroughly enjoyed it. 2 ladies pregnant meet in ordinary circumstances but the background connection is unbelievable. Read it in one sitting it was so good. Definitely 5 stars

After a few detective style reads, I wanted to read something that was in a different theme and this hit the spot.

Aisha and Lucy meet at a baby group, both pregnant with their first baby and both nervous about motherhood.

Aisha is happily married to Jason but picking up on vibes that he might not be as excited about the baby as she is.

Lucy is in a complicated relationship with Oscar and is prepared to do motherhood on her own if he doesn't want to commit, her priority is to have a baby, she's never quite got over the abortion she had at age 19.

Although you can tell straight away that things are afoot and Jason has some secrets, I thought I knew where it was going, I was only partly right!

This is a great read, I flew through the pages and whilst it was quite emotional at times, there were other times when it made me smile as I remembered my lovely friend and the memories from baby group 19 years ago - fortunately, less drama in our baby group.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
I enjoyed the fact that the author had thought carefully about different pregnancy experiences - each of the group members had different back stories, different birth experiences and different feelings about early motherhood. It reminded me a bit of 'The Letdown' on Netflix, especially with the larger than life group leader and flashes of humour - for example in the birthing video.
Early on, I guessed the 'twist' - although I did keep reading to see if I was right.
I didn't especially warm to the characters, and I felt the story could have had more pace.
Overall a fairly enjoyable read.

JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS by
Rosie Nixon

I looked forward to reading this one, the plot drawing me in as someone who had been part of a Baby Group in the not so distant past...

However, this book most definitely lacked any real substance. And i must say, I need much more in a read than JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS delivered to me.

The story sort of just plodded on whilst I awaited something to happen and by the 60% mark I knew the 'something' was on its way. The thing is though - The 'something' was in no way shape or form a 'Surprise Something' it was more or less a known fact pretty much all along.

The run up to the end was a bore and the actual end a relief really, to be totally honest.
And I do have to be honest in my reviews. I hate to be harsh when someone has poured their time and effort into writing but at the same time a book of fiction such as this is for entertainment and this one didn't entertain I'm very sorry to say.

Thank you to #netgalley for a chance to read in exchange for my opinion
JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS is out on NOVEMBER 12th by #hq

Pick this one up if you need a book that's easy to read and you don't have to think about too much.
Nixon also does quite a good job of touching upon the difficulties being a new parent brings, making this book relatable for some.

This book was well written in the sense that it explained the difficulties of pregnancy, parenthood and relationships. But I was expecting slightly more. I thought it would be story with a twist, but that didn't really come. The main characters were Aisha and Lucy and their respective other halves. Nothing really happened until the end and then it was nothing much. BUT it was a nice read

This is an easy read and it’s a book that I devoured in one sitting.
The story itself is disappointingly predicable and a little slow at points. However, I still enjoyed it and was drawn into the characters even though it was very obvious what the ending would be.
Overall, it’s a worthy 4 star read.

Essentially this book follows a group of young women, all pregnant, who attend a baby group. They become friends and their lives are linked in this way. But with friendship, also comes lies and deception.

On the surface, this book seems to be primarily concerned with two young women expecting children and the worries alongside their relationships too.

I loved the dual narrative as you really got to experience the suspicions and tension building between the two main characters, Lucy and Aisha. I loved the twist and it was something that I hadn't really seen coming which is always a plus!

Overall, a page-turning and compelling read that keeps you reading on throughout. A thoroughly enjoyable story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy & Aisha meet at antenatal classes as they both prepare for the births of their first baby. But Lucy is hiding something and if the secret comes out, it could destroy this new friendship.

This book had some strong female characters but I felt the plot lacked substance; the secret was fairly obvious early on. I liked the antenatal class setting, their WhatsApp group reminded me of my time at NCT classes, but I felt the lesbian / vegan / earth mother was a cliché.

This book was an easy read but not a page-turner for me. I would try other books by the same author but I couldn't wholeheartedly recommend this one.

I knew this was a new direction for author Rosie Nixon but not how different. One of the main characters Lucy acknowledges that before falling pregnant, she "found it difficult to engage with other people's pregnancies and births." Same for me. I mean I knew it was a story about new mums but I guess I thought there would be more to it than that ie the promised secret. But, the (fairly obvious) secret isn't revealed until the latter part of the book, with the first half of really about the strain of parenthood on relationships from the decision to have children and get pregnant through to caring for said baby. That said, Nixon has created an enjoyable, eclectric mix of characters in the baby group. But, sadly this just wasn't my thing whereas Nixon's previous #TheStylist books definitely are.

Predictable but still very enjoyable.

Normally I hate a predictable story but Just Between Friends has a charm that other books are lacking. It’s a great story of first time pregnancy and it’s worries, friendship and deception. I loved it!

Both main characters are well rounded and believable, I particularly liked Lucy! I wish the ending wasn’t so perfect but that’s the only fault from me.

A very easy and enjoyable read about a diverse group of couples about to face parenthood for the very first time.

The couples meet at a local Baby Group in Clapham, and the story focuses on two woman, Aisha and Lucy.

The story is told from the points of view of both Aisha and Lucy, who after a wobbly start, begin to form a friendship and a bond. As the story unfolds, we begin to realise that what may seem like the perfect life on the outside , is really a facade, and Aisha and Lucy become entwined in a way they never thought possible. Or did they?

An endearing and funny (in places) read, about the trials, tribulations and joys of pregnancy and birth, with an added twist.

Although I did guess the twist around half way through, this did not distract from the enjoyment of reading this original novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the gifted ARC in exchange for this review

Just Between Friends follows two expectant mothers who attending a local baby group in Clapham. As the story begins to unfold, you realise the pair's lives entwine outside of the group too. Aisha and Lucy are very different women, but the pair have shared experiences including some hilarious sounding pregnancy classes involving mooing like a cow.

The dual narrative that switches between Lucy and Aisha is intriguing, and works well to build tension as the events and secrets unfold, and I enjoyed the contrast between the two women and their experiences of pregnancy and motherhood and the trials and tribulations of life. Whilst they're both in their late thirties, worried about how things will go with their pregnancies and their relationships with their partners, there are still enough differences to keep you intrigued.

As the book synopsis describes this is essentially a tale of 'new mums, old secrets', and whilst it is a little predictable it's still an enjoyable story but by far not the best I've read.

A pleasant enough read that involves experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood. The main crux of the story was rather contrived.

Just Between Friends is an interesting and suspense-filled read, with well-developed characters whose personal stories you become invested in. Would be a great book for book clubs to read.

A good, well written book that did keep me guessing along the way even though it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

All the characters were well developed and I would recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Aisha is pregnant with her first child with her husband Jason. She’s about to start baby classes to learn about the ins and outs of birth and all the firsts of motherhood as well as hopefully make some new mummy friends.

Lucy is also pregnant. She has a partner, Oscar and is also joining the baby group looking for information and friends the same as Aisha.

As the group meet, friendships blossom particularly between Lucy and Aisha, sharing stories of how they began their journey to pregnancy and motherhood and their worries about what’s to come next. Only one of them is holding back a big secret that could ruin everything. Will the secret come out? Will friendships and relationships be destroyed?

I really enjoyed this story which takes you on the groups journey into parenthood. It has plenty of ups and downs and facts that most parent will agree with.
I kind of guessed the big twist in the story quite early on but it didn’t put me off at all.
It’s hard to pinpoint what I enjoyed specifically but I couldn’t stop reading and was immersed in the ladies stories.

This one kept me guessing. I knew the stories of the women would weave together somehow but it certainly wasn't obvious. I would reccomend this book to others

Really enjoyed this story and how it panned out, it was slightly predictable that there was going to be a twist however it played out really well and made for good reading.