What Lies Between Us

What in the world did I just read! What a ride! I honestly would have had heartburn if I had not reached to the ending of the book by the time I did. Suspended life for a day to read this book. I had read “The One” by this same author John Marrs previously and found it good as well. Absolutely crazy story, with only a handful of characters. You will keep changing your opinion on the two main characters after each chapter, deeming each of them the bad guy alternatively. At a point you can indeed guess which version is the truth and which version is warped, and although some of their choices seem too far-fetched, this is one hell of a roller coaster ride. I could not contain the suspense, and I had to cheat and google the ending at about 92%. Ahem. But even knowing the ending, the rest of the story was still wild.

BOOK REVIEW 4/5

What is the book about?
Maggie and Nina have dinner together every other night. However, after their meal, Nina helps Maggie up to the attic to be tied to a chain until their next dinnertime.

What did I think of the book?
Well, it's John Marrs so I can expect the writing to be fast paced and intriguing. Almost every chapter is left with a cliff hanger so you keep wanting to read more. This book has a few twists and turns, some I saw coming and some I was completely caught unaware. It's the kind of story where you don't know who to root for. 

This is quite different from the John Marrs I usually read but it's a welcome change.

This one was rough.

I DNF'd “When you Disappeared” and reading this one makes me glad I did. I do not love John Marss' domestic psychological thrillers, I think he does better with scifi thrillers and general mysteries. This one in particular was a MESS and another one I almost DNF.

I read on a combo of audio and ebook.

Again, no likable characters and frankly not enough of a mystery to keep my interested.

I read this one as May's pick for book club. I started this one on a high, working through it fast, but then I petered out taking almost the entirety of the month to complete. 
The novel features Nina, the daughter, and Maggie, the mother. The two live together, and hate each other, in perfect disharmony. The novel is always a back of forth of who is and is not telling the truth, who has the most trauma, and who is only doing what's right. They are both withholding incredible secrets, and the novel ends every chapter with a cliffhanger of a reveal. 
At first, that was what dragged me in so hard, but I feel like over time, it honestly kind of felt like someone throwing every single idea they had ever thought of into a single novel. Every twist, betrayal, misdirect, red herring, and deception ever created under gods eye is used in this one. It just started to trip me up. I also feel as if some serious condensing might actually have amped up the pressure and pacing an incredible amount. The ending is stressful and seriously packed, but it does feel tacked onto what is probably 150 pages too long. 
I'm not sure how else to feel, because neither main character is right or “good” by any means. Nor is there any kind of winner, truly. 
Personally a 3/5*. 

Woah. If there's one word I would use to describe this book it would be- trippy. I had no idea what this book was about going in and I didn't know what to expect but it sure as heck was not this. I can without a doubt say that this is probably the best plot I have encountered in a thriller so far. It's just raw and messed up and very unpredictable. I was holding onto the edge of my seat for my dear life and still feel like I didn't escape totally in one piece. This book will suck you in from page one and then spit you out. Exhilarating.

This novel is about Nina, who keeps her mother chained inside her own home for reasons you wouldn't expect and how things transpire from that. I loved everything about this plot, it's exactly what I want from my thrillers. I also loved that we got a peek into what happened in the past and how it led them to where they are today, that made for an even more immersive reading experience and there was not a chance in hell of ever being bored. Anxiety stricken and biting your nails- yes. Bored- hell no. I didn't even try to guess what would happen in this book because the plot was beyond messed-up and I was still recovering from the shock factor of it all. Of course, the shocks just kept coming and didn't stop until the book ended. Talk about a wild ride.

Further on, the characterization in this book is superb. The characters are very well developed and we get to see into all their dark psyches and as more details from the past come to light, we see into their souls deeper and deeper. The characters grew on me but they were probably some of the most wicked, flawed characters I have ever encountered in novels before. From a psychological standpoint I found it fascinating but from an ordinary human standpoint it was beyond horrifying and eye-opening. It really showed the negative aspect of the human race.

Thirdly, the writing style was great. It wasn't my favorite in the whole world but it did it's job and even excelled in doing it for the most part. It was precise and to the point, although it was just a tiny bit too choppy for me in some places. Even so, I ate this book up and that didn't deter me from racing through the novel without barely stopping to take a breath. I will be picking up the other books this author has written and already have one coming in the mail in a few days. Glad I found a new favorite!

In conclusion, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be insanely creeped out and shocked beyond the point of no return. This is one of the most messed up thrillers I have read so far and it chilled me right to the bone. Not for the faint of heart, this book will send you over the edge and you will remain there for a long time after you have finished reading it. Outstanding!

This thriller might be one of the most messed up, twisted stories I have yet to encounter. That being said, it is not a 5 star read for me. The storyline is highly engaging for most of the book. It is a fast read with many twists and turns. For me, though, it is a bit too far beyond the realm of believability.

The book is told from the two perspectives of Maggie and her daughter, Nina. Right from the start, it is clear that their relationship is damaged and something is not right in their house. Through the course of the plot, the reader learns where things went wrong for them and what has led to their current situation. It is a wild ride!

For much of the book, I could not decide which character I liked least or who I blamed for the current state of their relationship. Neither of the characters is innocent or likable. I had no one to root for throughout most of the book. By the end of the book, I found myself getting bored with the characters and not really caring anymore what happened to them. I just wanted it to end because I did not like these people.

Overall, it a decent thriller that reads fast and has some disturbing twists. Though it is not my cup of tea, I think there are many readers that will find it enjoyable.

dumb characters, unbelievable plot

maggie was so painfully dumb & made such painfully stupid decisions, at this point it was just using stupidity as a plot device

bobby come back to the house was fucking stupid, i get it real life people can be stupid but not like this. & how come did he even go there without telling ANYONE about it ? when he knows damn well how deranged she is ? it just makes no sense

elsie DID interact with him at some point, so how come she didn't tell the police to search the whole damn house when he vanished & his mom was crying all over the news ? was she even interrogated lmao ? matter of fact, how come anne wasn't taken to custody or subjected to serious investigation when his mom witnessed her acting possessive and CRAZY over him ?

i also can't believe all these past deaths happened without a single thorough police investigation

its a shame that a clear & immersive writing style was paired with such a dumb and predictable plot

This was my first John Marrs book, and man, was it gooooood!

I seriously couldn't put it down. I've never swapped from feeling sorry for a character to absolutely despising them so quickly! This book was definitely a whirlwind of emotions. And for our main character to be that messed up even after everything kinda sorta works out for her... wow.

I guess you really don't know what's happening behind closed doors... You just have to read this one and get back to me. I think about these people all the time! I literally couldn't believe what I was reading!