A review by shelleys_book_nook
Between You and Us: A Novel by Kendra Broekhuis

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow! Okay, where do I even begin with this one, I loved it so much! What would you do if you were torn between two worlds? Who would you choose? Your husband or your daughter? This book was gut-wrenching and so beautiful at the same time. It’s about love, class, friendship, sisterhood and motherhood. Kendra Broekhuis packs a punch between these pages and I inhaled every single one. What I loved most was the fact that it isn’t sickly sweet or romantic at all but it is about love.

The quandary Leona finds herself in is not of her own making yet she is forced to make a choice between staying where she is in a shitty marriage and stuck up in-laws but her baby girl is still alive, or does she go back to her real world of a penny-pinching life with a happy marriage where she and her husband are each others leaning post after the death of their daughter where they are both living the life they really wanted.

As Leona tries to figure out how to get back home she learns a lot about herself, her family and her marriage. This book was also very personal for the author as she lost a baby of her own. I am shocked that this is a debut novel as it was perfection and the ending was *chef’s kiss*. Don’t be fooled this is not science fiction at all, very little time is spent on that, just when Leona learns how to maybe go back. This is a book about feelings, choices and relationships that gave me all the feels and deserves all the stars!