Ellie Masterson a young student and her boyfriend Steven Harding a professor are going on a much needed holiday to celebrate their sixth month anniversary. Ellie has made all the arrangements for a romantic and secluded weekend away from it all in the middle of nowhere. One of them can't wait and is looking forward to spending secluded time together just the two of them.... The other is on a mission to destroy the others life forever. The
How well do they really know each other, what happened in the past for one of them to want such retrbution and who will get it? So many different avenues to go down in this novel including student/teacher relationships. No one will ever be the same again but just who comes out on top? And has it turned out the way it should?

Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. Laura Van Rensburg what an explosive debut novel to come on the scene with!! I will be looking for more from you in the future and recommending to everyone I know. Would love to give more than 5 stars as it's more than worthy!!

I really thought I’d enjoy this as it seemed really dark and thrilling. Unfortunately, I struggled to finish it as it’s very repetitive and too long.

It follows Steven and Ellie who go on a romantic weekend-getaway for their six month anniversary. While one of them is looking forward to spending time together, the other has a much darker idea for how the weekend will pan out. Once they arrive they realise that neither of them is who they say they are and that they’re both keeping secrets.

Steven is a respected professor and Ellie is a student. While I think this is an important topic to discuss, there were so many times I nearly didn’t finish this. I probably would have enjoyed it if I cared about Ellie as it’s a very character-driven story, but I couldn’t connect with her at all even when her tragic backstory was revealed. Steven is just unlikeable from the start.

There’s a great twist near the beginning that gave me high hopes for the rest of the story, but then nothing happened until the end. Steven and Ellie spend so much time talking as she tries to convince him that what he’s doing is wrong, but he can’t see it. It’s so repetitive and I was skim-reading most of it. It just felt like we were going round in circles. The way the narrative flows isn’t very smooth either. It abruptly flips between the past and the present with some diary entries dotted throughout. I was disappointed with the ending as it felt very rushed and I thought it didn’t match up with the synopsis. I was expecting it to be so much darker.

While this is an important topic to discuss, I found the book disappointing and not what I was expecting.

Well-respected professor Steven Harding and his girlfriend, Ellie Masterson, a young college student, are embarking on their first holiday together. Three days in an isolated house, far from the city and its disapproving eyes. It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two. Except he isn’t who he says he is, and neither is she...

From the moment I first heard about this book its premise had me intrigued. It is so much darker than I ever imagined though, because of the secrets Steven and Ellie are keeping and as a result the story covers some really difficult themes. It is an extremely powerful and thought provoking book as a result!

I really liked how the story was told through the alternating chapter perspectives of Ellie in the first person, and Steven in the third person. There were also short flashback chapters interspersed throughout from an unknown narrator’s perspective which was clever, and I knew they were going to be pivotal to the secrets that were later revealed.

This is quite an uncomfortable and unsettling read because of the subject matter the story covers. I think the isolated setting of the house really added to the tension and unease I felt as I was reading too. There is also a real sense of foreboding given that the book opens with descriptions of the house as a crime scene with police present, before we are taken back in time to the day Steven and Ellie embark on their journey for their romantic getaway together. The ending of the book when all becomes clear and we see the aftermath of this day is particularly chilling, especially the final chapter!

The author’s note at the end also shows just how important it is for people to be aware of and feel able to talk about the matters at this story’s heart. It’s a very powerful book!

When Ellie and her boyfriend Steven take their first trip together, what starts as an idyllic weekend soon takes a darker turn, as it quickly becomes apparent that each of them harbours secrets - and that one of those secrets is deadly. Ellis is a NYU grad student, timid but fiercely intelligent, and eager for the perfect weekend away with her boyfriend. Steven is a wealthy and privileged teacher at an elite Manhattan school. His and Ellie's relationship has stirred up envy among the teachers in his academic circle.

The story is told from Ellie, Steven and an unknown narrators perspectives. We know from almost the beginning of the story that things are not quite right. Ellie and Steven both have secrets. They had went away to celebrate being together for six months. This is a dark and twisted read. The story is descriptively written. I could feel the fear dripping from the pages. Soon their true identities come to the forefront. This is a story of revenge. This is a most enjoyable story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinMichaelJosephUK and the author #LaureVanRensburg for my ARC of #NobodyButUs in exchange for an honest review

NYU grad student, Ellie, and her professor boyfriend, Steven, are on their first trip together to celebrate their 6 month’s anniversary. Ellie chose the perfect place, a cabin in the woods. The trip starts out great, but then it gets crazy when Ellie’s motives is revealed. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy.

Let’s start with a disclaimer, I find it hard to concentrate on reading books at the moment, so when I say I could not stop reading Nobody But Us, it is high praise indeed. It is a chilling thriller set in a remote location, during a winter storm, with two characters who – as the book progresses – show the reader their true colours and motives. Steven Harding and Ellie Masterson - a professor, jealous of his father’s success, and a young college student - arrive at the isolated house to spend a weekend together. The atmosphere is tense from the start, as we know from the beginning that something horrible will happen there. Despite a slow start I could not wait to see what was going to happen next and what surprises the author had prepared. The second part is a right rollercoster, disturbing in places, and you get to see the characters for who they really are. I enjoyed not only the unease and tension in the book, but the character building as well as the themes discusses. It is very hard to say more without spoiling it, so you will have to read the book for yourselves!

This was a very well written book and unusually I found the first half better than the second. I raced through it to see what was going on with the story but once I found out it was just an ok read to the end . I did expect a twist but there wasn’t one . It was worth a read but it lost a star for me as the tension wasn’t in the last half of the book

Steven is a highly respected, forty year old, literature professor at a top New York school, and soon to move to a Faculty position at Columbia University. Urbane and confident, he moves smoothly and skilfully through his world.
Ellie is a twenty three year old Comparative Literature Master’s student at NYU. Ingénue, gamine, she is aware of how people view her and their relationship.
Surprisingly, although they have similar intellectual backgrounds they met by accident six months ago and have been active lovers ever since. Now, to celebrate this milestone, they are off to a secluded house, deep in the snow covered woods around Chesapeake Bay – three days of uninterrupted togetherness. What can possibly go wrong? A clue lies in the structure of the story, which is mostly told alternately from their individual viewpoints but is interspersed with short flashbacks from an unidentified observer, who has obviously been stalking Steven at some point in the past. One night there then everything falls apart and neither protagonist turns out to be as they had appeared.
This is unarguably a psychological thriller. The writing and use of language are very, very good. After a slowish start as we establish the characters, it picks up pace and becomes much more powerful, more evocative, as the relative veneers are peeled from Ellie and Steven and dark histories are revealed. Some readers might find it too traumatic and the publisher has provided sources of help at the back (rather like TV shows do).
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Nobody But Us is a book that promises a lot and delivers so much more. It is dark and unsettling, with a breakneck pace and an ocean of hidden depths. The truth is slowly revealed, layers peeled back with such expertise, it is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Rensburg is definitely going to be an author to watch.

Goodness me - this is an absolutely brilliant read. Incredibly tense and genuinely felt my heart racing as I read and found myself holding my breath on more than one occasion. This is most definitely a book where you really do not want to know more than the barest of bones of the detail before you jump in. So I will tell you what you already know - we meet Ellie and Steven as they embark on a romantic long weekend away together. They seem so blissfully happy but appearances can deceive and perhaps neither is entirely honest about their background. Over the weekend many shocking truths will emerge.
I think this is such an amazing debut - sharp writing, dramatic, suspenseful and absolutely intoxicating. WOW!

Nobody But Us is a dark psychological thriller which was giving me Misery and My Dark Vanessa vibes throughout! Ellie, an NYU Grad student and Steven, a wealthy and priviledged teacher ten years her senior head off to the middle of nowhere for a romantic weekend getaway, but we quickly find out that neither of them are who they say they are.

In between the main story chapters we read diary entries - but who wrote them and who are they making accusations about?

I enjoyed this book, it’s a fast paced read that will have you doubting the truth all the way through and ending that will leave you thinking about it for days!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was totally hooked from the beginning as the tension built throughout the story. Great characters and writing made this an engrossing read that I highly recommend!

I have often remarked that publishers have to be careful of their taglines and blurbs. Hyping up expectations, comparing to other books or even just promising something that can’t be delivered will all end up heightening the readers standards to something that cannot be attained. Nobody But Us seems to fall into this trap as it promises a ‘locked room thriller. Now don’t get me wrong, I *love* a locked room mystery and I requested the book on this basis, however this might have been where it all fell down for me.

For a locked room thriller to work it needs to be compelling, a real mystery to the characters but also to the reader. I want a proper whodunnit that gives me twists and turns throughout to slowly reveal what has been happening behind the scenes to take us to this conclusion. In Nobody But Us there are two characters, and judging by the hints in the blurb and the first chapter you can correctly predict exactly what is going to happen from the first few pages.

There’s creepy teacher Steven, who seems to have a penchant for the students he teaches and there’s the mysterious Ellie who is his latest catch. Although we are supposed to be rooting for Ellie, I actually found both of them to be unsympathetic characters. Ellie has her own secrets and the whole situation spirals out of control in quite an unrealistic way with some rather large plot holes. We also have chapters written from an unknown perspective alternating in although as you knew it had to be linked to what was happening in the present it didn’t make it too hard to guess why it had been included. There was an overabundance of scene building and description and use of repetitive phrases which added nothing to the story and made for a frustrating read.

Overall, there’s nothing in Nobody But Us that you couldn’t guess from its blurb and first few chapters and although it highlights an important topic, it’s a predictable and disappointing read. It is also certainly not a locked room thriller! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Book UK – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping book that I couldn’t put down. Neither of the characters were likeable but the story kept me turning the pages wanting to see how it was going to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I found I did struggle with this book, maybe it was the pace, I don't know.
The two main characters and the story that emerged was quite shocking. Sorry but this one was just not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a seriously chilling read and not just because it’s set in a snow storm! It is definitely a dark, addictive and frenetic read that has you racing through the story not sure what’s going to happen next. The author uses language and location perfectly to create a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. Although this is a novel, it does tackle the very real and serious issue recently highlighted by the #metoo movement and I think the author has managed to deal with this in a sensitive and appropriate way.

Really enjoyed and it was the perfect antidote to a similar book I read last year which I did not like at all. Revenge is definitely served cold!

Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg.

Ellie is a college student. Steven is an Professor in English. They have been seeing each other for a while and decide to escape the prying eyes on their relationship and escape NYC for a long romantic weekend. The house they stay in is private and secluded and a snow storm rages outside but all is not as it seems...........

I feel like the student/ professor trope has been a bit over done, maybe I have just read too many books based on similar relationships over the last couple of years, although, this book was probably one of the better ones, it felt a little tired.

I enjoyed the atmospheric setting more than the characters but for a thriller , I think you need to be more engaged in the plot than the setting when reading. A strong start that lost its pace and while it did hold my interest to the end, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was shorter and more evenly paced.

I

what an amazing debut thriller book by the authors highly recommend this book
with thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book

If you like psychological thrillers then this is definitely one you should pick up. It’s a graphic, chillingly dark read, but boy does it keep you glued to the pages. This book is about couple Ellie and Steven as they head away for a weekend together, but as the weekend holiday turns into the weekend from hell they both realize that the other isn’t exactly who they say they are, and one of them won’t be coming home alive from this getaway as it turns out that Ellie is hellbent on getting revenge for her friend, who was a student of Steven’s before she killed herself.

Loved that this one was dual POV as we got to see both sides of this tragic story, and even more, how it all plays out between Ellie and Steven. I won’t say anymore for fear of giving away an important part of the plot, but you all need to pick up this book!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for a review.