Just not a fan of this one. ( )

Two lovers. Chesapeake Bay. The quietness and calming lull of nature. A romantic getaway for two. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? But what if that weekend unearths secrets that were buried deep within either of their hearts? One of these two people has a secret agenda - but neither of them are innocent.

I have to admit that at various turns in this novel, I knew exactly where the story was going, however, the writing of the author kept me engaged in the storyline. The tale is both sordid and surreal, and I love that at one moment I am appalled by a character’s actions and the next, I feel sorry for that character. Themes of consent, power and #MeToo emerge within the storyline, and I am glad we are writing books about such things, as subtle as they may be in some cases. Overall, I kept flipping the pages to try and find out, “what next?”, and the ending was a satisfying one, at least from my perspective! ( )

Nobody But Us is Laure Van Rensburg's newly released, debut novel.
Ellie and Stephen are headed out for a weekend away at a secluded cabin. An unexpected snowstorm and loss of a cell signal seals them off even more.

The book begins with a prologue from a police perspective at the cabin. So, right from the first pages, we know right away that one of the two doesn't make it out. I wanted to know who and why.

The first thing that glared out at me was the age difference between Stephen and . And that Ellie is a student and he is a literature professor. I'll be honest - I immediately thought been there, read that.

Van Rensburg tells her story from three points of view - Ellie, Steven and and that of an unknown character. That third perspective kept me curious. I have to applaud Van Rensburg for her depiction of Stephen. He was absolutely intolerable, so sure in his own mind and ego that he is a catch and that any female he takes note of should be thankful. My opinion of Ellie changed as the book moved forward. I can't say I really liked her either.

I can see the motive for one character's actions, but I didn't entirely buy into the plot. I think things could have been tightened up a bit, as the back and forth between the two started to feel repetitive. For me, this novel was a slow burn.

To be fair, Van Rensburg does put her own spin on things, but it still wasn't enough to lift this book from just okay for me, despite the descriptor of "a locked room high concept thriller". That being said - Van Rensburg's final 'why' is an important one. Gentle readers, there a number of triggers in this book. ( )