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.

I had high hopes for this book, a romantic weekend away in a remote cabin in the woods, strolls in the snow followed by cosy nights in front of the log fire, what could go wrong?
The two main characters, Steven and Ellie are the focus of this story, what should have been a romantic trip turns into a nightmare getaway where both of the characters have secrets in their past that are about to come out. The book started off well, the opening pages described a crime scene that was dark and twisted and beyond human comprehension so I was ready for the journey to see how we got to that point but I was disappointed. For me, the book was way too long, the storyline didn’t demand it and it ended up losing its edge. It was very descriptive in its scene setting and I found that some of the scenes at the cabin dragged a little bit. Also, although this is a character driven book, I didn’t really care for either Steven or Ellie which made it a struggle to read because it meant I wasn’t really rooting for either of them. I think the theme for this book would have benefitted more from Ellie being a more likable character.
As a psychological thriller it did have some good twists and turns but the over-the-top descriptive language just wasn’t for me.

Inspired by and written on the back of the me too movement, Nobody But Us is a revenge thriller, the story of an English teacher and his student, their relationship and a weekend away at a secluded house in the middle of a snow storm.

This one was a fun enough read without being overly engaging. I found the pacing very uneven for a start. Begins fine and gets to the set up pretty quickly and then when we reach that point…it kinda stagnates and loses its momentum as it goes back in time and tells the back story of our two main protagonists amongst others. A lot of it felt a bit repetitive and kind of like filler. The book is definitely too long for the story it told. The diary entries from a seemingly anonymous victim added little at all to the story and were a real distraction.

The characters also didn’t seem to be paid enough attention to. More time was spent describing the house and the snow than actually developing the characters. Also some of the decisions made by both characters seemed to be made purely to drive the story in the direction the author wanted and felt kinda clunky.

It was overall a fun if not memorable read that would have been a lot better in a shorter format.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Steven Harding is a handsome, well-respected professor.
Ellie Masterson is a wide-eyed young college student.
Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday: 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 disapproving eyes.
It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two.

EXCEPT THAT HE'S NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS. BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER IS SHE . . .

What a brilliant blurb, it instantly made me want to read this. What could be more tantalising than a cabin in the woods, no one for miles and no phone reception? I often feel with thrillers that they are so focused on delivery multiple twists and turns that they forget about character. That’s not the case here. Both Ellie and Steve are fully dimensional characters and totally f*****ed up. I can’t say much more about them without spoiling the big secrets they’re keeping. The author is absolutely masterful at suspense because she gives us breathing space to get to know the couple a little, but I found myself waiting for something. That bomb to drop and ruin everything - and not just their weekend away. When the bomb does drop it’s seismic and the novel you were reading becomes something else entirely. Something has happened between this couple and I couldn’t leave the story alone till I knew everything. Luckily I have very little respect for the following day’s activities so I didn’t mind staying up until the wee small hours.

The atmosphere is incredible. This architect’s dream house in the middle of nowhere feels like it’s one of the characters. The author uses all our senses to unsettle us - the complete lack of sound followed by strange, disturbing noises that keep you awake. The trees overwhelming the house and the weather forming another barrier between the occupants and the outside world. Strange smells confuse the senses and add to a horrible sense of foreboding. Something bad will happen here. Cleverly the author overwhelms us, then pulls back and let’s us catch our breath. A relationship builds between the reader and author in the same way as the book reveals a cat and mouse game. I felt like I was being played with, full of tension, then suddenly allowed to think and reflect, then drawn in again. I thought the flashback scenes worked well, again pulling us, this time into the past, letting us make connections. Someone is looking for justice here and in these passages the writing is passionate and persuasive, so much so the reader could end up rooting for one of the characters. My opinions of both characters kept shifting as I learned more. I’m scared of spoilers so I won’t add any more, but recommend this is a wicked and deceptive thriller, with a deep anger for justice boils away at its centre,

It's hard to review this book without giving too much away! Steven and Ellie head off to a secluded cabin for a romantic weekend, but of course neither are who they say they are and the weekend becomes anything but romantic. This book is dark, twisted and violent. It grabbed me from the start, opening at the scene of a horrific crime. The story leading up to that point is a good idea and raises lots of important issues. It's a psychological, character-driven plot, but my problem was that I didn't particularly like either of the characters which made it difficult to care what happened to them and, as a result, it ended up falling a bit flat for me.

I was looking forward to reading this book, and I thought it started out well, so I was buckling in for a good ride. That is when it went wrong for me, the pace of the book was much too slow. I kept thinking we will get beyond the triviality and the book will take off, but it didn't. Also I really didn't like the characters, and although I don't have to like them it does help. I ended up being disappointed and not enjoying reading the book ,sorry.

This book was addictive. From the very first page you are drawn into the world of student Ellie and her professor boyfriend Steven. It is very fast paced and full of twists and turns that insures your attention is grabbed An excellent tension filled book with plenty of twists and turns.

Steven and Ellie are escaping the city for a romantic weekend away in the woods.
At least that’s what Steven thinks. Ellie though has different plans.
This was a very intense psychological thriller. I do think it needs to come with a trigger warning as it deals with some very dark and heavy topics.
I found the descriptive element of this book to be fantastic it really paints a picture of the scene in your heads. Overall the book kept me guessing as I followed Ellie’s motive and understood their back story.