JUST LAST NIGHT BY MHAIRI MCFARLANE // spoiler-free book review: another banger from my fave that’ll make you laugh and swoon and sob uncontrollably… have fun!

Hush you with your judgement. I shall not be taking it as this time otherwise we shall run out of time. Into the review!

Title: Just Last Night
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Page count: 393
Date published: 1 April 2021
Genre: Adult contemporary fiction

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Synopsis:

Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday pub trivia night is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.

But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.

In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction…

They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night?

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Big thanks to William Morrow Books for the eARC via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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STAR RATING: (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Heh let’s not even talk about how long it’s taken me to read this book because I was embarrassed about 3 years ago.

I blame this on the freaking synopsis, which we need to have words about this synopsis because she be hecka confusing. Honestly, I avoided this for far too long because I thought it was a tragic romance? Yeah, not the case. So yes, I’m sorry but we’re doing the book a disservice with this misleading synopsis.

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Now that that’s off my chest, a moment for me to sob into my pillow…

Let’s just clarify that this book contains 1) tragedy and 2) romance but not in the way you’d expect. And it is ABSOLUTELY CHEFS KISS TALENTED, BRILLIANT, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING, SHOW STOPPING, SPECTACULAR, NEVER THE SAME, TOTALLY UNIQUE, COMPLETELY NOT EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE,,, you get the gist right? She was pretty good if you ask me.

I think I’ve talked about my love for Mhairi McFarlane quite a lot at this point so it’s no secret that I think she’s a genius. But this book only further cements that fact and gah you just need to read it so can see for yourself. If you did need a push, maybe remember that Emily Henry said “she wishes she wrote this” and yup, it can’t get any better than that. They really do have such similar writing styles, though Mhairi’s writing has much more British wit naturally.

I’m getting side-tracked so back to the point… Mhairi is a genius. Okay, that’s all. Jk. I just absolutely love how she manages to balance equal amounts of hard-hitting emotional topics whilst maintaining the level of wit and delightful British charm absolutely flawlessly. Astounds me every time. And I’m not sure what else I can say to convince you to just need to read it yourself and find out. Maybe shed a few tears while you’re at it. But I promise she’s worth it.

Let’s talk about the plot for a minute. Four friends. Main character Eve in love one of the friends for years. Nothing ever happened. One of their friends dies. In comes grief. And also deceased friend’s estranged brother. That was as simple as I could put it. And the gist is that the plot is rather complicated but at its core actually simple: grief, overcoming that grief and also learning to deal with the things those you love did not tell you. Hope you’re still with me and not in tears.

The relationship between Eve and Susie is what shines most in this novel. The other friends are not as prominent a presence as the two ladies and there’s a reason for that, which I really appreciate as it brings female friendship and those complexities to the forefront. They’re imperfect but beautiful and it’s wonderful to read about.

I mentioned an estranged brother earlier. I didn’t mention that he’s also basically ostracized by his whole family and literally did not get along with his sister. Makes for an interesting conflict amongst Eve and her group of friends. And I so adored how Mhairi simultaneously weaves on the one hand, Eve coming to terms the death of her closest friend, and also learning the ways in which she made mistakes. And with that came personal growth for Eve. It was beautiful to watch. Did I mention that Finn is a cutie pie? Because he is and I loved watching him grow closer to Eve. They deserve the world.

And I also just love Eve as a main character. She’s funny and vulnerable and did I mention goth? Couldn’t get any cooler in my most humble opinion. And I most definitely had butterflies watching her grow closer to sweet baby Finlay. Cutie pa tooties deserve the world and I will personally hand it to them. Maybe. I’m not god but I’ll try my best.

If you’re looking for a heartfelt, gut-wrenching, vulnerable but also hopeful read with friendships, romance and everything in between, you’ve come to the right place. She’s sure to make you laugh and cry and feel all the feels probably all at once. But I promise you’ll love it <3<3<3

“This is what I never knew about loss – it’s also about what you gain. You carry a weight that you never had before. It’s never behind you. It’s alongside you.”

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“My conclusion is this: there’s no rule that says the unavailable person you waste your life being in love with has to be the greatest human you ever met. It doesn’t make the loss of him any less painful.”

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“I’m sure you can see why I think I’m worth more than someone who spent sixteen years making up his mind about whether I was worth the hassle.”

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“This is how it feels in the split second you suddenly become aware that you’re falling in love with someone. The click of a jigsaw’s last piece, the rainfall of coins in a jackpot slot machine, the right song striking up and your being swept away by its opening bars. That conviction of making complete sense of the universe, in one moment. Of course. You’re where I should be. You’re here.”

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“You didn’t want me enough, when choosing me became harder.”

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“There’s shock and then there’s grief, and there’s the simple tiring unending chore of life afterward. These are all different things, I’ve learned.”

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“Why are things, abandoned things, so hard to bear? They didn’t have that quality before. And compared to the living thing you’ve lost, they’re without value.”

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“Seeing someone you know well in a totally different context is always disorientating and vaguely impressive. You realize you have them on loan from the other lives they lead.”

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“It’s like my whole life was about traveling back to you.”

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“You usually say old people are a comfort to each other, but that’s what Suzie and I were. I can see that so clearly. The secret formula, each other’s comfort and joy. The eternity of the silence overwhelms me. The line between us buzzes with monotonous static. A line never to be busy again. The only word I can think of that comes close to how I feel is desolate.”

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HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? HAVE YOU READ ANY OTHER BOOKS FROM THIS AUTHOR? I’D LOVE TO KNOW!