A review by minimicropup
What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Main POVs 👍: We follow the perspective of two MCs over the course of a childhood and adolescence through to older adulthood
  • A parent. Overprotective in a behind-the-scenes way. One of their relationships gives their life meaning and they don’t really know who they are without that person.
  • An adult child of the above-mentioned parent. Also overprotective. One of their relationships gave their life meaning, and they don’t really know who they are without that person.
 
Atmosphere 👍: Mysterious, menacing, and uneasy. Created through timelines and dual perspectives to gradually unravel why our MCs seem so “off” in their reactions to the dysfunction around them.
  • Set in the UK in a townhouse and the surrounding neighbourhood
 
Cred Rating 👍👩‍👧👩‍👦: Plausible with realistic true crime undertones
  • Realistic to plausible family dysfunction and personality disorders that could be a true crime case, with a touch of OTT flair. 
  • Realistic portrayal of how family dynamics can devolve into dysfunction and the creation of adult monsters because of seemingly innocuous protective reactions. 
 
Growls and Howls 🐺: 
  • The mix of “past” and “present” chapters are titled and served in a way that is engaging and flows well with the reveals and twists. We don’t have to wait a long time for our predictions to be validated (or reshaped!) as we get more information about the past and present. 
  • Prepare to mentally scream at the MCs. I didn't mind, because we get lots of insight into their minds and it was consistent with how they perceive and rationalize.
  • Repetitiveness on some of the current events in the last half of the book that I think could have been trimmed. The “higher stakes” discussions felt like they were drawn out for too long and I had to hold back from skimming. However, this may have been my own bias because it all involved medical content that was terrifying to me, so I may have been a little too aware of every time that topic came up.
    early signs of treatable cancer that are being denied treatment
  • Very twisty-turny plot. Not from being unfairly “tricked” (no Scooby Doo mysteries here) or excruciatingly suspense-baited (minimal “if only they knew what I had done” writing). I predicted a handful and was stunned by a handful. It didn’t feel OTT or overdone, and even as things escalated the characters stayed true to their perspectives, so it didn’t disconnect me from the story (it drew me in…even when I did NOT want to be there!)
 
Reading Journey 🫢: Following some recent acquaintances in a car on a day trip and you discover they don’t check their blind spots, meander on the highway, drive way too fast on the side streets, and navigate twisty roads by speeding-braking-barely making ‘em. You are grateful to be safe and sound in your own little car the whole time.
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
  • Twisty-turny thriller/suspense plots
  • Following a parent-child relationship over multiple decades
  • Exploration of the theory of genetic sexual attraction (not actually this but like, adjacent to or echoes of it), mother-child relationships, nature-vs-nurture, obsession, and family dysfunction
  • Coming-of-age elements (the dark side!)
  • Fight-for-your-life survival plot with a side of Stockholm syndrome
 
Vibes: 🤯🫢😵
 
Content Heads-Up: Confinement. Familial obsession. Hints of pedophilia, adult/minor relationships, and dissociative disorders.
 
Format: Kindle Unlimited
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