Last Night - Mhairi McFarlane

Description

Two best friends. One missed chance. And a night that changes everything.

Eve, Justin, Susie and Ed have been friends since they were eighteen. Now in their 30s, the four are still as close as ever, Thursday pub quiz night is still sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed.

Maybe Eve should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed sometimes thinks about it too.

Then one night, in an instant, all their lives change forever. And, as Eve learns she didn’t know her friends as well as she thought, she also discovers she isn’t the only person keeping secrets…

Review

I've read all of Mhairi's books and loved them, this one is no exception. 

I realise I've been reading Mhairi's books since the first one in 2012 - so it should come as no surprise that her writing style has evolved. It's still Mhairi that's for sure. Unable to pin her into a neat genre, she has one all of her own. Not really chick lit, although you always get girly gossip, a nice run down of outfits including shoes etc, there is also always some very down to earth event and a need to look up the meaning of a minimum of three words she's used. But with this latest book her writing and plot development has grown so much. I felt it from the first page.

Eve has been in love with Ed for years, just waiting in the wings. We get a couple of flashbacks to how and when they first met and their circle of friends formed. Then something happens, Eve is changed forever in more ways than one. The book is very much in the here and now with little flip flopping about. Set in my home city but also in a city I love, Edinburgh. It was a nice little road trip.

The book covers some very serious issues such as dementia, child abuse, loss and grief with sensitivity that had me reaching for the tissues, but it also has some very funny laugh out loud moments. I found myself telling anyone who would listen about them, and they thought they were funny too! I don't want to say much more as I think you need to read it straight from Mhairi.  

This book did not go where I thought it would. It was a surprise, a revelation and one I enjoyed so much, I couldn't put it down. I defy anyone to say that they guessed what would happen in this book! The only awful thing for me, is I now have to wait for the next book...

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.