Georgia Kostopoulou
“Last night” is the second book written by Mhairi McFarlane that I read, after “If I never met you”. I really liked her writing in that one, so I decided to give this one a go and I wasn’t disappointed. McFarlane can deliver a great page turner, a book that can not be put down, even when one never expected it!
Eve, Justin Susie and Ed have been friends ever since they were teenagers. It’s a friendship that goes on for years and they know each other very well. They don’t keep any secrets from one another, or so some of them think. Throughout the years they have established a routine and Thursday night bar trivia is the very base of it. It’s usually the four of them competing with a specific other group mostly, but in many occasions, Ed’s girlfriend joins them as well. Eve and Susie that are best friends since primary school, don’t really like Ed’s girlfriend, Hester, but they don’t share this information with him. Especially since Eve is still in love with Ed after so many years.
Now, on the age of thirty four, the four of them love spending their Thursday nights at The Gladstone, just like every Thursday. Only this one Thursday seems to be so different than the others! By the end of the night, everything will change in their lives, especially in Eve’s life, as she will find herself in a position she never expected. The day after will mark a new era in her life, one where she will find herself wondering how well she really knows her friends and how many more secrets are hidden in their small group.
Two things happen that night. Ed and Hester get engaged out of the blue. Yes, they were in a long term relationship but this marriage proposal was a bit unorthodox and certainly not expected by both parties. And the second incident is one that will break their little group apart and bring them down with grief. It will get the best of Eve. It will leave her devastated. But she has to keep living with herself and her memories and a box full of letters and diaries she swore she would not open and read. But when she is requested to give that box to someone that barely deserves having it, she will find herself reading at least one of those letters only to have her world shuttered once more.
This book is so much different than “If I never met you”. It is full of emotions! It is about friendship, relationships and grief. But it is also about forgiving, making changes, understanding one’s feelings and moving on when it’s actually time to do so! I really liked Eve’s journey throughout all this turmoil she had to go through. It really matured her and helped her see things from a different angle. She was then able to make some decisions with respect to her life. To really understand what she wants in life and finally let herself be her and lead her own way.
“Last Night” is already out there, so go and get your copy!
Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.
