User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
WHAT THE HELL I JUST READ!??HOLY COW(that’s me!)
News flash: Renee Zellweger’s Big Picture Co/ MGM TV production company bought the movie rights of the book! OMG I cannot wait to watch this batshit crazy train ride on big screen!🥳🥳🥳
What a breath taking, captivating, pitch black dark, dazzling, devious and intense, soul crushing mother and daughter story!
I haven’t read something so scary, disturbing for so long! The growing tension from the beginning, those sick and shocking twists and revelation you find out at each chapter and that epic ending made me get an urgent appointment from hospital. My grey cells burned after over usage so I need an urgent transplant now! Yes, Mr. Marrs, my chin dropped! My eyes popped out of my sockets, my hands are shaky, actually my entire body was shaky and everybody is thinking I’m the worse break-dancer. And something smells so bad! No, it’s coming from me. Oh no! Nooooo!!!It can’t be! What have I done!!!
OMG! In the middle of my reading I found myself acting like Regan from Exorcist making spider walk, climbing backwards from the stairs and my head spinning. (Thankfully my vomit color is not green. Not yet! I hate kale and spinach!)
That was true expression and quiet real reflection of my feelings: I was terrified! And you know what I’m not easily scared of anything instead of my image in the morning and my husband’s snoring sound louder than cumulative ten T-rex screaming! But let me tell you something, when I reach the end, my spine was already tingling and there were at least 15 teeth bites on my arm (nope, my dogs are innocent, I did to myself because I have no longer nails which is more disgusting image you may ever imagine.)
I was so close to scream for help but I also lost my voice (Yes, in the beginning of the book I already used my right to screaming louder till my sister in-law shoved a sock into my mouth (And it was my husband dirty sock! So yes there are things in the world scarier than waterboarding.)
Without giving too much spoilers I may only say this book’s story is definition of borderline personality disorder and unfortunately Maggie (mother) who is chained at the attic of her own house to pay for her sins and things she’s done to her daughter. (As Chris Isaak sings baby did a bad bad thing! Oh actually she did too many bad things! But I have to stop there not to ruin the surprises and bombs the author leaves into our laps and runs away!)
And sweet Nina, at the end of her thirties, librarian is guardian and judge of her own mother’s slow punishment and execution.
Do you want to know why they built this sick relationship? Why Nina’s father leave without saying goodbye? Why Nina is so fragile around little children? Is Maggie innocent victim or pure evil needs to be behind the bars? Can she escape and save herself from captivation?
There are so many twists, so many revelations you cannot foresee their coming! You feel like punching several times from supernatural forces and crying like a baby to make it stop! Sorry our author is evil genius and he keeps sending more bombs and destroys your safe space.
Overall: Sometimes I felt suffocated from tension so I cut only half star but it is still 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars reading for me. I adore this author’s riveting, captivating style. He never ever disappoints me!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for sharing this special ARC for me in exchange my honest review.
So cheers my friends!
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Rating: really liked it
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
A dark, suspenseful, and addictive read!! Sixty-eight-year old, Maggie spends her days in the attic watching her neighbors going about their lives. To them, she doesn't exist. As Maggie watches, she notices things that no one else does. She’s the first to notice when Mr. Steadman’s curtains stop opening and his mail and newspapers start piling up.
But there’s nothing she can do about it. You see, Maggie isn’t choosing to live in the attic. She’s forced to stay, kept in place by locked doors, soundproof walls, unbreakable windows, and the heavy chain around her ankle. The only time Maggie leaves the room is when she joins HER for dinner downstairs.
At times, Maggie questions her past actions. Most of the time she knows that she did what she had to do.
“How can I ask for forgiveness when I truly believe that what I did was the right thing to do.”What could Maggie have possibly done to deserve this? Well if you ask Nina, she’d say Maggie has done MANY unforgivable things. And so she must pay.
This was dark and twisted in the best way!
The story alternates between Maggie and Nina’s perspectives, two women with many secrets and lies between them. It's a well-paced read with many surprises and twists. Once I started reading, I couldn't even think of putting the book down. I thought that I had things figured out, that I knew what was going on, but I was way off.
“What Lies Between Us” is a clever and compulsive psychological thriller with an engaging plot and characters whose web of secrets had me trapped and riveted until I turned the very last page.
I really can't wait to see what Mr. Marrs has in store for readers next!!
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
I freaking loved this so much, and I vlogged my entire experience reading this: https://youtu.be/bmHzpMYzHWw
Rating: really liked it
Now available! Don’t miss this one and then check out our Q & A with John Marrs!
Alright, Friends, you know I am going to say it! Hot Diggity Dang, that was good!!! This is one page-turner and I flew through it so fast it's surprising that my Kobo didn't need some cooling downtime.
John Marrs joined us in the Behind the Pages group to answer our spoiler-free questions about What Lies Between Us, his books and his writing process. You can find the thread to the Q&A here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My review
What Lies Between Us is an exciting original, entertaining read with one fascinatingly dark warped and twisted relationship here, between Mother and Daughter Maggie and Nina. John Marrs creates an intriguing and terrifying situation here for Maggie, who is chained and hidden in the house she shared with Nina. It's not only the lies and secrets between them that are intriguing; it's also the truths they are hiding.
Through Maggie and Nina's POV, each tells their side of the story in two timelines creating suspense and tension here that kept me turning the pages. With each side of the story, something new is revealed and I went back and forth, questioning who was the cruel one is.
Things get darker as the story goes and I was on the edge of seat anticipating how this one was going to wrap up, but really I had no idea. Well, I have to say it wrapped up brilliantly and I loved everything about this one! I highly recommend it!
I received a copy from John Marrs on NetGalley
Rating: really liked it
Available now, 5/13/2020
Maggie has only ever wanted to protect her daughter, Nina, but doing so has cost so very much. And for all she has done, her daughter hates her. Nina keeps her mother locked up in the attic, with a chain attached to her ankle. She's punishing her mother for all that she has taken from her.
As we read the alternating views of Maggie and Nina, spreading over various timelines, it's hard to know who is the craziest, Maggie or Nina. This is one fiendish read and the more we know, the worse things get. I couldn't put this one down and it made for a fantastic buddy read.
Published May 15th 2020
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Published today (15th May) and available for £1 on Kindle, or free on Kindle unlimited! :)
Update 25/2/20:Renee Zellweger acquires TV rights
A dark, twisty tale of two women with secrets and a very complicated relationship! Why is Nina keeping her mother in the attic?
Why does she hate her so much?
Gosh this book was dark! Maybe a little too dark for me? John Marrs you have a twisted mind 😂😂
Filled with unlikeable, dysfunctional characters, secrets, lies and disturbing choices, 'What Lies Between Us' had a malevolent feel to it, which chilled me. The characters, with their co-dependency, got under my skin, and left me feeling anxious and quite sad.
Told from two character's pov, Maggie, and her daughter Nina in flashbacks over the last 25 years, and in the present, this story was so addictive, I just couldn't look away!
I was a little disappointed that I predicted some of the major plot twists, they felt a bit obvious to me?! I also had some issues with the police or lack of.. But the writing was strong enough to make me read on, to see if was correct!
I definitely prefer John Marrs's more sci-fi books like 'The One' and 'The Passengers' but this book was brilliantly written, and undoubtedly had me on edge! Also the cover is hauntingly good!
Recommended if you want a dark, crazy read! I now need a light fluffy book and a hug please!
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Yesssss! Thank you so much to Netgalley UK and Amazon Publishing UK for my digital ARC! I can't wait to see what John Marrs comes up with now! *fist pumps and dances around*
Rating: really liked it
“How can I ask for forgiveness when I truly believe that what I did was the right thing to do.”
What could Maggie have possibly done to deserve this?HOLY FUCK!! I AM SHOOK AND SCARED AND DISTURBED!
It's been so long I have read something this good. It's like one of my best decision of this month. I completed this book a few weeks back at 2 am at night .
I was in my bathtub when i was reading this( I can't read in my room late at night okay? If my mother came to know that I read in bathtub till 2 am she would do something like Maggie did to Nina ) and when I finished it I looked in the mirror and I realized this book is more scary than my face!!
why I picked up this book ? My friend made a bet with me that I couldn't guess the ending of this book ! I accepted the challenge coz I was sure that I will guess it!!
what I liked ? ( honestly everything )
I am leaving a list of things I loved about this book if you found anything relatable you should read it:-
√ breathtaking
√ captivating
√ dark / scary/ suspensive
√ sick and shocking twists
√ epic ending
√ alternate perspective
√ clever/compulsive/engaging plot
√ characters with their web of secrets
√ one of the most bizzare characters
√ soul crushing mother daughter story( it's personal)
√ addictive/ page turnerIn short this was the most devious , dazzling , intense and dark book I have read in a really long time!
I was scared every minute of it .... I am disturbed and traumatised.
And holy pepperoni there is a movie soon to be made !
( I hope they do justice to the book)
Recommended for everyone.
Stop whatever you are doing and just read it.
Rating: really liked it
Every house has its secrets, except that these secrets are not buried in the past. What Lies Between Us is a dark and twisted tale of intense love and hatred. Nina and Maggie live in the same house. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. Everything appears normal at the start but there are many secrets between Maggie and Nina, secrets which when revealed could kill. Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
The story alternates between Maggie and Nina’s perspectives, two women with many secrets and lies between them. The story is a fast-paced read with many surprises and twists. The book is narrated by both Nina and Maggie in the present day and back to 25 years previously. Each chapter reveals a little more about the story and delves deep into their psyche and motivations, teasing the reader slowly with hints of how Maggie and Nina ended up in the present situation. I will be honest, the story felt slow for the first third of the book but somehow the story keeps you hooked and the way the story reveals the complete picture, in the end, is mind-blowing.
This book is almost 400 pages long and to keep the readers engaged with just 2 main characters is no mean feat. There were disturbing twists and U-turns in this book, dark secrets, jaw-dropping revelations, false turns, and the two twisted central characters which will keep you on the edge throughout. Unreliable narrators have been used several times before but I don’t think it has been used as effectively as in this story. The story is told from each woman’s perspective in almost alternating chapters and the story will force you to switch your sympathies from one character to another till you are not sure which one you believe. It’s like the writer is perfectly toying with the minds of the readers.
The narration keeps switching between characters and the past and the present. At times, it may feel exhausting but after reading the full story, you realise that there could have been no better way to narrate the story. I have mixed feelings about the conclusion but probably it was the best way to end it.
As a word of caution, What Lies Between Us has a lot of violence (both physical and mental) and it is not for the fainthearted. Also having recently read Darling Rose Gold, the themes felt similar to me. The stories are vastly different but somehow the story could have impacted me a lot more if I had read this book first, but this is not the book’s fault of course.
Overall,
What Lies Between Us is a clever and compulsive psychological thriller with an engaging plot and characters which will keep you hooked till the very last page. If you like dark psychological thrillers, this is a must-read
4.5 Stars Many thanks to the publishers Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Everybody hop aboard the crazy train! First stop: Dysfunction Junction! Oh my, I'm not sure what to say about this one. This book is so bonkers and so entertaining that it was hard to look away from my kindle. I'm not going to discuss the plot because there is a minefield of spoilers to tip toe around if I do.
I loved The Good Samaritan by this author but Her Last Move was a DNF for me and Passengers I didn't bother to request because I just knew it wasn't my jam. But this one! Oh yes, this one is on par with The Good Samaritan and a reminder as to why I love these twisty psych thrillers. Well done! 4 *You can't pick your family* Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
not the worst john marrs book ive read, but definitely not my favourite. i think i tend to prefer his sci-fi thrillers more than his psychological ones.
and i understand stories revolving around dysfunctional and crazy families are meant to have shock factor. the reader should be yelling ‘what the heck?!’ throughout the book - that is a sign of an engaging story. but i think this took it one too many ‘shocks’ too far. its just…. convenient? i dont know how else to describe it. its as if JM was throwing in everything he could think of to give the story multiple twists and turns and it was just too much. sometimes less is more, you know? there was too much for me to even consider this story realistic and then im completely taken out of the moment and it no longer becomes a thriller because it is no longer believable.
but i will say the writing style and flow is very nice. its so easy to quickly devour the story, which i did, even though i didnt love it.
thank you amazon publishing uk for the ARC! ↠ 3 stars
Rating: really liked it
VengeanceWhat Lies Between Us is a dark psychological thriller that will disturb your concept of a mother and daughter relationship. What has happened to have caused such a lingering hatred? To smile and engage with light conversation while underneath scheming with violent thoughts that will shock to the core.
Maggie is an elderly woman who spends her days in an attic bedroom and through a shuttered window she has a limited view of the outside world. For over two and a half years she has lived like this.
“The longer I spend at this window, the more I realise I’m becoming like Jeff, the wheelchair-bound character James Stewart plays in the film Rear Window. Like him, I have little choice but to spend my days spying on my neighbours. Jeff thinks he has witnessed the murder of one of his neighbours. But the only thing dying in this street is me. And nobody knows that but my daughter.”
Maggie is chained to a spike in the floor that enables her to access everything in her bedroom but not beyond. Every second evening she gets chained to a longer chain that allows her down one flight of stairs to the bathroom and dinner with her daughter Nina.
John Marrs creates two protagonists that he develops with skill throughout the novel and each tells the story from their perspective. The family background with Maggie and Nina, and the incidents which led to this highly caustic situation are slowly revealed. The suspense of the unknown and which character is the most dangerous and cruel is maintained with wonderful complex switching of suspicion between the two.
“But I no longer allow her to witness how her cruelty upsets me. Maybe I’ve been taking the wrong approach.”Marrs does captivate with his threads of action, drama and manipulation. This is a page-turner with a wonderful pace set throughout the novel. The biggest issue for me was the believability on how this scenario developed. I can normally suspend belief when the thriller suspense is as riveting as this, but this issue constantly nagged at the back of my mind. This was a buddy read with Beata and this issue became our main discussion area. At this stage with Beata, we both know each other so well that we wait with a smile knowing how the other is going to react to the author’s intent and their delivery with possible plot holes.
I need to try more John Marrs because he certainly knows how to hook a reader and I appreciate how he enthrals his readers. I would recommend this book and I would like to thank Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
4.5*Over the course of my reading career, (passion, hobby!) I’ve come across some seriously bizarre characters. Folks, these two take home the grand prize!💁🏻♀️
John Marrs is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. You just can’t predict what you’re in for when cracking open up one of his books. But what you will be guaranteed is one doozy of a thriller that will seriously mess with your mind! And in John Marrs latest, he brings that same magic again!
Mother and daughter. There is no other relationship like it on the planet. At times it can be a fine line between love and hate. John Marrs molds this relationship, twists and weaves it into something that will positively leave you reeling!
As the perspectives and timelines shift between the mother and daughter, so did my sympathies! Like watching a tennis match! To the point where I felt I was in jeopardy of getting whiplash. Relentlessly stubborn, neither woman letting up for even a moment!
If you are a fan of John Marrs...and seriously, how can you not be!? Don’t miss this latest release! Everyone will be chatting this one up over the summer! They already are!
A fabulous buddy read with Susanne that we both loved!
Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and John Marrs.
Rating: really liked it
What a beautifully written dark, twisty book! This is the first John Marrs book I’ve read and I’m so glad I finally have.
Written from both Maggie and Nina’s point of view, we learn why Nina has gone to great lengths to keep Maggie prisoner in their own home and why some things can never be forgiven..
This book is full of twists and turns, each more shocking than the one before, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through! My thoughts and feelings on Maggie and Nina were changing constantly, who really is the victim here? I couldn’t put this book down, I needed to know how it was all going to end!
Big thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
Holy Hell in a Handbag!
Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love and forget how to hate
Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train - Ozzy Osbourne
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.
Rating: really liked it
This is a tough review to write, because I adore John Marrs, and many of his books are among my list of favorites. While this was an easy palate cleanser, I didn't feel like there was anything unique or groundbreaking here. Perhaps it's due to reading so many thrillers, but I found this one to be fairly predictable and a bit underwhelming near the end, as I kept waiting for that big twist that I didn't see coming. I'm 100% in the minority with my thoughts here, so I encourage you to pick this one up and experience it for yourself, as it is guaranteed to hold your attention with it's small cast of extremely unlikable characters.
Content Warning: (view spoiler)
[Murder, pedophilia, rape, kidnapping, mental health issues. (hide spoiler)]*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
