If you enjoyed Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty you are going to love Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake.
It seems that living in Suburbia doesn’t always mean that you are going to have an idyllic peaceful lifestyle full of school runs, bake sales and playdates. It actually looks like the suburban life that many of us crave is in-fact quite deadly, especially if you live in Sewickley.
Looking in from the outside, some may even say that the lives of Heather, Alison, Sarah, and Julie are quite mundane with the highlight of their week being a get together over coffee at Crazy Mocha, but real life can be deceptive.
Meet the Housewives of Sewickley
#1 Alison
Mum of two Alison is a work-from-home IT consultant married to Michael who works within the Financial Services Industry. She is the slightly awkward mum who struggles to introduce herself to others, instead opting to read her book whilst waiting for the kids to finish school so that she doesn’t stand there alone looking unease. That is until Julie and Sarah welcome her into the fold asking her to join in with their coffee mornings and yoga sessions.
There seems to be an easy friendship between them although Alison does seem to have a past that she hopes to keep from them. What it is we don’t know but there is something lingering in the background that has seriously affected her and her ability to trust others.
#2 Julie
A top-performing Realtor in the city, Julie doesn’t take no for an answer. Decisive, Julie knows what she wants and will do anything to reach the top. Even the issues she has had in the past with previous employers is not going to stop this woman, neither will abusive spouses.
Once Julie has made up her mind, she follows it through without necessarily thinking of the consequences and unfortunately, the aftermath of one such action is about to come back and bite her heavily on the backside. Will she crumble or will she take control and, along with the help of her friends, work through probably the biggest problem she has ever faced?
#3 Sarah
Having given up her law career in order to be a stay-at-home mum it seems that she now begrudges her friends and their lifestyles. It starts with the occasional comment before moving on to full-on outbursts about how little she now has in comparison to others. But is that really the only issue she currently has to contend with? At least her husband, unlike Julie’s arrives home each night and helps out with the kids.
Outwardly to others though, she is the perfect Stepford wife, baking, cooking and keeping her house in order, but to those that really know her, it is easy to see that her world has started to fall apart around her.
#4 Heather
Who wouldn’t want to be Heather? With her supermodel good looks and plastic surgeon husband, Viktor it is easy to see why everyone envies them. They are privileged enough to reside in a beautiful house in the hills above Sewickley, secure in the knowledge that their son is growing up in one of the safest places in America. Or is he?
Crime rates are low in Sewickley, but that doesn’t mean it is crime-free and just because they appear to have everything including happiness, it doesn’t mean it is true.
In fact, no-one knows what is going on behind closed doors, and whilst a relationship may look outwardly perfect, it is only a matter of time before the cracks begin to show.
And the cracks do show.
In fact, it is not long before Alison, Julie and Sarah begin to question what is truly going on in the exclusive world of Heather and Viktor. Firstly, they discuss their friend over coffee, wondering whether the relationship is really that perfect before actually confronting her openly about their concerns. It is only then that the nightmare really begins.
Believing that one day they will receive a phone call to say that their friend has been brutally killed they try to intervene, hoping that they can persuade Heather to leave him. However, things spiral and before they realise what is happening it is not only Heather that is living through this horrendous ordeal.
Will their friendship survive this? Will they survive? One thing is for sure, if even one of them cracks, they will take everyone down with them.
Would We Recommend Just Between Us?
When I started to read Just Between Us I did get flashbacks to other novels, like those mentioned above. I began to, therefore, wonder whether the stories would overlap. However, my worries quickly subsided after a few chapters when the story took a fresh turn that was very different from other books I had read.
Rebecca Drake
Rebecca Drake has touched on a subject that I am sure many people, both male and female struggle with. It is difficult to admit if you are in an abusive relationship and often it is only those closest to you that notice the subtle markers and changes in behaviour. Just Between Us does, however, highlight what could happen when the abused feels they have nowhere else to go, or at least that is how the story begins. By the end of the narrative however, the story has taken on an even more sinister twist that no-one could predict and the outcome will surprise even the most voracious of thriller readers.
Have you read Just Between Us? Maybe you have read a thriller with a similar theme that you feel both us and others would enjoy.
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