Nobody But Us is a tense revenge thriller. Ellie and Steven travel to an isolated cabin for a romantic trip away. Steven is a well-respected professor and Ellie is a young university student. They are still in the honeymoon period of a new relationship. But as soon as they arrive for their three days away, it becomes clear that things aren’t as they seem. This idyllic holiday may turn deadly.

This book was well-written and interesting, with multiple points-of-view. It had a strong beginning, which pulled me in immediately and made me want to know more about the characters and what they could be hiding. The middle section of the book was not as fast-paced as the start but I enjoyed it despite this. There was information about the backstories of certain characters which illustrated their motivations further. I found the characters intriguing, however one of them in particular seemed too fixated on one goal to the point where it stretched credibility. However, the stronger elements of this novel meant that I could suspend my disbelief on this. The mysterious diary entries throughout the story, together with allusions to past incidents, raised the suspense and this paid off to a satisfying conclusion.

The atmospheric setting was described perfectly. I enjoyed the remote, foreboding location and it fit the style of the book, as well as working together with the plot to present further challenges to the characters when tension ran high.

The themes in this novel are timely and important. Without revealing too much of the plot, this story reminded me of ‘My Dark Vanessa’ crossed with ‘Promising Young Woman.' I appreciated the author’s note at the end which described her motivations to write this book. Fans of a slow-burning, character-driven thriller will enjoy this.

"The truth will set you free, they say. They’re wrong."

Nobody but Us is the debut thriller from french author Laure Van Rensburg, scheduled for publication in April 2022. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

"Everything here tells a story."

In this book - the quote especially rings true.

Ellie and Steven are going on a romantic break at a rural manor far from their city homes. Both of them have secrets. Student and professor. Rabbit and hunter. Avenger and Predator. Will either of them come out of this alive?

Okay so I did enjoy this book. It rings similiary to The Guest List by Lucy Foley to me - which I also enjoyed but didn't LOVE. Completely valid. It's what I would call a revenge thriller - with twists that are captivating but also somewhat predictable.

Characters: we have Ellie, the beautiful 23 year old student who has a bone to pick, and we have Steven, the 36 year old professor with taboo urges that are better left unsaid. What did I think of the characters? I think they were both fine. I enjoyed the development of both of them and I did find myself getting quite frustrated with both of them. Ellie, in some parts, seemed slightly too single minded to be real, it was just hard to believe that she was actually a person outside of the events of the weekend.

Setting:
"One look on Google Maps and a few clicks to zoom out showing only green for miles to confirm how perfect it was. And it hasn’t disappointed so far. So much has already happened. But we’re still not there yet."
The setting is desolate, but at no point did I feel anxious or on edge because of the isolation of the setting - which when reading a thriller isn't great, as I want to be THRILLED (it's in the name after all)

Plot:
Strong. It did peak slightly early but there were multiple crescendos which added to the tension, so no real complaints there.


All in all a solid 3.5 star read. Nothing wrong with it, just felt a bit shallow at some points for me even though the writing is fantastic!

A couple on their first romantic weekend away in a house in an isolated spot from away from a town. Where there is severe weather and away from technology. How romantic and a great setting for a phycological thriller.
Steven Harding is a professor and well respected and has written several papers on literature. Ellen Masterson is a college student. The pair are enjoying their weekend away when things take an unexpected turn and Steven finds himself drugged and tied up in a wheelchair. Ellie is taking revenge for a friend who was a student of Steven but took her own life.
Thank you, Penguin Michael Joseph, for a copy of Nobody but us by Laure Van Rensburg. But unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong but I liked the idea of the premise told in two points of view. But found the story too over descriptive and found me sometimes being a bit confused who was telling what in the story. Unfortunately, because of this I couldn’t connect to the story and skipped the last third of the book. Three stars from me.

I'm not sure I liked this book but at the same time couldn't stop reading! I needed to know who it ended but was slightly freaked out about it too.

Well written and did keep me gripped - if it had been a film I'd have watched from behind a cushion!

I don't want to say too much about the plot of this book as I really don't want to give too much away. But in short, Steven and Ellie go away for a romantic break. Because this is a thriller and bit a romance, things understandably go awry

This book is exceptionally well written. With switching viewpoints and a slight changing chronology it's gripping and keeps you on your toes. There's a sense of foreboding throughout that you just can't shake off! Having read the authors note and understanding the inspiration for the book, I think it's a big, relevant and important theme.

But...it just bordered on a bit ridiculous for me and beyond the realms of possibility. Neither of the character's connected for me and I do think Ellie could have been written a bit more sympathetically perhaps.

Having said all that, I definitely wouldn't put someone off reading it. I just prefer my thrillers to be a bit more believable. Which the motive was. The reaction wasn't.

I did not find this book to be as compelling as I would have liked. All the ingredients were there - two psychologically complex and distrustful characters, a remote house shut off from technology and by weather, an extreme sense of claustrophobia - yet for me there was something missing. I struggled to empathise with Ellie and her revenge back story didn’t resonate with me.

This is an extremely dark, twisted thriller which I normally love, but unfortunately I could not connect with this book. It has a very up to date subject but I found my thoughts wandering as I read it. I found the constant back and forth between the two characters very confusing, often having to go back to check which character was actually ´talking'.

I'm sure other people will simply love this debut novel, perhaps I will revisit another time when my mindset is in the right place.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday together: three days in an isolated cabin, far from the city. Ahead of them, the promise of long, dark nights - and the chance to explore one another's bodies, away from prying eyes. It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two. Except that he is not who he says he and but neither is she.

I love a good thriller and when I started reading this one I soon felt those Gone Girl vibes and knew I was in for a treat. From the alternating chapters, it is clear that not all is as it seems and the author does not hang about in getting the action going. This would make an excellent film or Netflix series!

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Omg this is an amazing read! I couldn't put it down. Dark, twisty and disturbing - these characters are definitely the most challenging and complex I've met for a long time. Fantastic!

Nobody But Us is being touted as a must-read of 2022, and I can completely see why. Topical, cleverly constructed and a book that was very hard to put down.
The book starts at our end point, and I’m always a sucker for stories where we’re working our way up to the event and trying to piece together what has happened and why. This does something very common, but so well…and I can see this appealing on so many levels.
A horrific crime scene. We know nothing more, but the detective called out to investigate is shocked. This tells us it’s bad. Then we get a perplexing jump, focusing on Ellie and Steven heading to a remote cabin for a romantic get-away. Steven is a professor with a chip on his shoulder about his father, and Ellie is a student who seems besotted with her lover. Be warned…sometimes things are not as they seem.
While I found the initial shift in focus confusing, it is very necessary to make sense of the revelations that come out during the course of the book. I was expecting to be manipulated, but the reality of the deception showed the depths of the damage caused by such events.
The focus throughout is on the couple and the things each is hiding. We slowly piece together the grim facts, and it’s at this point that I have to stop. Going into this not knowing more than we’re told is vital. I’m eager to see how this is received, but I’ll be recommending it widely.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication in exchange for my thoughts.

This book doesn’t disappoint if you love psychology thrillers. I found it very fast paced and easy to read. The main character Ellie I could relate to which helps when you’re reading this type of book. I really enjoyed reading it and will not go into anything that happens within the book so that I don’t give away any spoilers. Would read another book from this author as I really enjoyed the style of writing.

This story was a quick and compulsive read. I wasn’t necessarily expecting the subject matter and I won’t say too much on that as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

It felt a little repetitive in places for me, but a quick enough read.

Intensely claustrophobic in tone and setting, this twisty MeToo thriller opens with a brutal depiction of a crime scene that tells you all you need to know about the tone of the rest of the novel. While it may not be subtle in its depiction of justifiable vengeance/revenge gone wrong, fans of similar titles/styles of writing within this genre will not be disappointed. Does a good job presenting the psychology of both sides without ever allowing the reader to forget who you're rooting for. As a tense two-hander, this would be great on the stage. 3.5 stars.

I feel it's important not to give anything away about the plot of "Nobody But Us" but it makes for compulsive reading and I finished it in a day. Laure Van Rensburg's debut is a tense and violent psychological thriller. I'm hearing a lot of buzz about it and am sure it will be a popular release. Good premise and I appreciated the Author's Note at the end.

This story is told from two points of view, both characters were hard to like for different reasons. The storyline was well plotted, atmospheric and intriguing, with the tension slowly building throughout the book. This was an enjoyable read despite the dark nature and amoral acts of the main characters.

2.5/5
I really wanted to like this more, but sadly for me it was just OK. I struggled to care at all, and the book threatened me towards a slump several times before I finally slogged to the end. There was something I didn't gel with which I can't quite put my finger on, which meant for me the book was a miss.
Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been wanting to read this for aaaaaaaaaaages and it didn't let me down!

A grippy, claustrophobic thriller that kept me guessing all the way through! If you liked Gone Girl and My Dark Vanessa, this is one for you.

Steven, a college professor is having a relationship with student Ellie, but neither are who they say they are. So off they go for a romantic weekend away but things don't go as expected.
I found this book to be a very atmospheric, dark and foreboding revenge story.
However I didn't really enjoy it.
I never really felt like we got a sense of who the characters were and the plot was dragged out by being far too wordy.
I didn't connect with the Ellie character and therefore didn't root for her in the story.
It was obvious from the start what was going to happen and so it all felt rather flat and unfortunately a bit dull in places.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. Although exceptionally well written, I found that I just could not bring myself to care about either of the central characters and, as a result, found myself not wanting to pick up the book and return to it.

I suspect that this may be more to do with me than the book - I'm suffering from thriller fatigue at the moment and, although this hits all the right notes in terms of plot and pacing, there just wasn't anything that felt especially fresh to me.

Thriller fans are sure to enjoy this - it is, as I mentioned, very well written. But for me it was just the wrong book at the wrong time. I might return to it in the future, once I'm ready to reintroduce thrillers into my reading life.

Not for me.

I’m afraid that this book, although exquisitely written, is not going to get five stars from me. I loathed the characters and the subject and was just pleased when I reached the end. It’s such a shame because Lauren has a gift for writing in the most beautiful language.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.