Over the last year, I have been introduced to Mhairi McFarlane’s works and I was so pleased to get a hold of Last Night. While Last Night is definitely one of her darker, serious books (which took me by surprise a bit at first), it is also one of her strongest – a striking emotional story of friendship, trust and grief.

Eve and her three high school friends have remained close since they were 18. Now in their mid-30s, Eve, Susie, Justin and Ed meet for their usual quiz night. The events of that night completely change Eve’s life as she has to come to terms with the consequences of a tragic accident.

In all honesty, in McFarlane’s previous works I have always enjoyed the burgeoning romance most of all. I was not really sure how I felt about the turn this novel took from the beginning. Eve’s journey is both heart-breaking and cathartic. It is definitely not one to pick up for a nice rom-com read; it’s very character focused and the themes are truly serious. In fact, I would say the romance here is the least important aspect of this novel. Nevertheless, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Eve’s story, even when she frustrated the hell out of me.

With that being said, it wouldn’t be a Mhairi McFarlane novel without some romance and our hero in Last Night is fantastic and I only wish we had seen more of him. I truly recommend this novel – don’t sleep on it!

Mhairi McFarlane is awesome and this book is a testament to her ability to tell a story!
I loved this story and enjoyed so much on how the characters developed and grew as friends, how their relationships changed and the story was more than just a romantic love but the love for friends and the betrayals and dynamics are all intertwined no matter the relationship status or type.

This wasn't quite the feel good book I was expecting, my fault for misreading the description, bit was really good but very sad too. This is a slow-burn, but this really holds your attention and is so engaging. This is a story you’ll remember, full of emotion , but still a beautiful read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was my first Mhairi McFarlene book and I loved it! I'm going to have to read her back catelogue now!
The story was well written and engaging, and I loved the exploration of Suzie's life. Eve was a great main character and I really enjoyed her journey.

Thank you Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely book.

Meet Eve, Susie, Justin and Ed friends since college and now in their 30’s still close, meeting up for the weekly quiz night at their local.
Problem is Eve loves Ed and she believes Ed still thinks, what if?
One night after their weekly quiz something happens that changes all of their lives, secrets unearthed and a lot of hurt ensues.
Great tale of friendships, overcoming hardships and starting over again.
I went through every emotion possible reading this, being my first Mhari McFarlane book it definitely won’t be my last.

I don't normally read books from this genre but this was a brilliant story. I definitely didn't expect such a monumental event so early on in the book. The explanation of the friendships and relationships and the honesty of the writing made this a fantastic read. There were elements when I wasn't sure where the story was going but on the whole it was a good story well told and I could see it being made into a TV series or film one day.

I love all Mhairi McFarlane novels, so it’s no surprise that I devoured this in a day of flights and airport waits.
The characters are three-dimensional and likeable and the contrast between the tragic and comic aspects of the book was compelling.
It’s hard to find a new thing to say about the way she writes, but her storytelling is so well-paced and fluent that it’s hard to stop reading.

Headlines:
Deep and thoughtful plot
Riding the waves of grief
Behind the face of friendship

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Mhairi McFarlane book, it was definitely my favourite of hers so far. This is a story all about friendships, unpeeling the layers, finding why you love your friends so much but also finding the real, the skeletons, the unsavoury. Friendships are messy and Last Night really explored that.

Eve was the protagonist but she was alongside the cast of Susie, Ed, Justin and later Finlay. The overarching plot theme was grief. I felt like this was represented so well, seeing friends and family members grieve differently, dealing with the practicalities of death and then the overwhelming emotions. I was gripped and invested by this journey.

Grief often is a catalyst for change, it can facilitate a re-examining of your life and events and this happened to Eve and others. I loved seeing the grudging friendship develop between her and Finlay and what a story that ended up being. Even though this was a story about grief, there were many funny and sarcastic lines that tickled me.

"Is it too soon for me to say "You're a fucking menace in a polka dots, sister" was an absolutely incredible line?!" Justin whispers.

Thank you to Harper Collins for the review copy.

I always enjoy a read from Mhari McFarlane and this was no different, enjoyable from start to finish and had me hooked instantly. This title i feel differed from Mhairis usual style of writing and was definitely a bit darker and heavier than what i was expecting. This made the story all the more enjoyable for me.

4.5 stars

I went into this novel thinking it would be a light and fun romantic comedy; however, it was so much heavier than I had anticipated that I had to put it down for a week before continuing. Not sure if this is a spoiler of the novel or not since it is not mentioned in the blurb, but this novel follows Eve after her best friend unexpectedly dies. For those of you who have not lost someone unexpectedly, it would likely be a much easier read, but this one hit very close to home for me. The way that McFarlane was able to describe the many emotions surrounding grief was done very well.

The romance aspect of this novel was a bit of a wild ride which I enjoyed. There were a few directions that this novel could have gone in the romance aspect and I am glad that it went the way that it did.

There is a lot of insight in McFarlane’s novels and this one did not disappoint - some of my favorite topics that she discussed were grief, love, mental health, and respect, just to name a few. I would also highly recommend this one to those who enjoyed The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, and HarperCollins UK for the gifted ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unsurprisingly I loved Last Night. I've enjoyed everything I've ever read by Mhairi McFarlane but I really appreciated Last Night for different reasons. Mhairi always has a way of incorporating serious issues into her love stories but I felt this one was the strongest for it. The exploration of grief was very powerful and added a lot of depth to the story involving forgiveness and moving on. I think a lot of the theme of this book was about moving on and how to do it which I really enjoyed. In a way, the romance took a bit of a back seat and I enjoyed reading a story that in some ways was the opposite of Mhairi's previous title You Had Me at Hello. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it, especially for fellow Mhairi McFarlane superfans like myself.

Fantastic read. Far more depth than expected and it hooked me. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions that reach epic proportions. Fantastic characters and surprise after surprise within the story line. The need for the missing pieces makes this unputdownable!

Thank you Netgalley

Mhairi is one of my favourite authors and this book just further cemented the fact! It was so much more than I was expecting but in a great way!

I found it equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking! I loved the cast of characters and the plot had such a great pace to it that kept me intrigued throughout.

The twists were great and unexpected!

Loved it!

Another good read from this author, she's fast becoming a favourite of mine now! Good characters and a good storyline, what more is there to ask for!

Oh, that opening! Startlingly accurate, right down to the physical pain. And it continues in the same way - very difficult to read, to experience Eve’s pain.
Not your usual chick-lit.
A lovely read, I enjoyed it hugely.

What a lovely book. Eve, Susie, Justin and Ed have been friends since sixth form, with no change in their dynamics except for a hidden flame one has for the other, a bit like Ross and Rachel from Friends. After a tragic event the friends start to reevaluate their relationships with each other, face facts even if they hurt. Along comes Fin who puts a spin on everything for them. Fin carries a dark secret which would explain his personality if only he would open up. This is not like other chick lits ,whilst it was fun and airy it had a deep side to it as well which I appreciated. Another great book by this author.

Mhairi McFarlane did it again - another corker of a book that had me hooked from the first chapter!

In the beginning, Eve and Ed gave me Rachel and Ben vibes from You Had Me at Hello, and I couldn't wait to see how their story panned out. (Nearly nine years later and YHMAH is still one of my all time favourite books)

I don't want to spoil the story, but suffice to say, this one did not go the way I thought it was going to go, and I loved how the story developed.

This story pulls at all the emotions, there's grief, shock, anger, sadness, loneliness, and then there's also humour, and love. There are twists as secrets are revealed and hearts are broken more than once.
I love how Eve's character developed and grew stronger in the aftermath of these events and the way the dynamics in the friendship group changed.

This book is definitely up there with my favourites, one that I will read again.

I read this book very quickly thanks to such an engaging talented author! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Great characters, setting and storyline. Would highly recommend.

This is my first read of this author, and wow, what an emotional read. Filled with tears, both happy and sad, I found this a well written, heartfelt and worthy story. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, as not my usual happy read, but I loved it and will be looking for more by this wonderful writer.

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot - plenty of reviews like that out there already!

This was a bittersweet read for me. Having lost a close friend suddenly, I fully related to the shock and pain the characters felt, and the feeling that nothing will ever be the same again.

I loved the setting, having lived in Nottingham for several years in my younger days. The characters are well written, and the friendship group dynamic "before" was well described and convincing. As the story unfolded, and we got to know the characters (and their various flaws), I found that my allegiances changed... much like in real life, revelations made Eve re-evaluate all kinds of things she'd previously accepted as the truth.

Eve was undoubtedly my favourite character - a sparky, humorous Goth with a trusting soul, given to getting into scrapes. Without giving anything away, I was pleased at the way life worked out for her. Also liked Susie, Justin and Finlay Least favourite characters were Hester (reminded me of a real person I knew and disliked!) and Ed (a bit too spineless for my liking).

Mhairi McFarlane is now firmly on my radar, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.