276°
Posted 20 hours ago

Last Night: The romantic, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud funny romcom from the bestselling author

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

Gorgeously romantic, as well as a story about friendship and grief and loss; I never wanted it to end’ BETH O’LEARY I liked Roisin, however, I will say that at this stage, McFarlane's heroines are beginning to feel a bit samey. I despised Joe, and as such the fact that so much of the book was taken up by him did begin to grate on the nerves. It was very clear even before his show aired and aroused Roisin's suspicions, that the relationship was fraught, and given that Roisin was already contemplating ending things with him, things just seemed to drag on unnecessarily. Even after they have broken up, we then go on to spend the last 20% of the book mostly on Roisin still playing detective and trying to catch him out, which did make her seem rather too obsessive. I do appreciate that McFarlane was trying to explore gaslighting and manipulative relationships (and not for the first time either), however, for me personally having so much of the focus on a relationship that is already basically over just didn't make for a compelling read. An unrequited love, of sorts, especially since he is in a long term relationship with someone Eve really doesn't like.

Last Night - Mhairi McFarlane - Google Books

Absolutely addictive BR experience with the glorious GR gal pals - I am so glad we decided to give this a whirl even if we did not quite know what we were getting ourselves into 😣 Someone once said to me birth was the most ordinary and extraordinary thing you’ll ever experience, simultaneously, and death is the same. The fact of yours sits there, implacably, being so banal and so mind-blowingly strange at the same time. It will always be like this, I have come to realize. The ache is permanent, it must be accommodated. It’s part of my body now. I”I went in expecting it to be a romcom but it was not so. It was about friendship, and getting to know people and realizing that sometimes they are not as you thought them to be. No character was memorable for me and found it hard to connect with any of them. They were just so selfish. Starting this review with being completely honest: I wouldn’t say this was or would be a 5 stars read to a lot of readers, but I personally can’t seem to bring myself rating this lower or not round up to a full rating. The story felt too genuine and relatable and it very much spoke to me. While I wished for more spicy romance parts, the author's brilliant mind charmed me enough to round up my rating from 3.5 stars to 4! I never dare to give any of her works less than 4 stars. I liked that in this story, neither of the main characters were filthy rich or famous: just two ordinary folk who were the victim of Joe's highly narcissistic machinations!

Last Night | Mhairi McFarlane | 9780008169527 | NetGalley Last Night | Mhairi McFarlane | 9780008169527 | NetGalley

Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favourite authors, so I could not wait to read Between Us. And it did not disappoint. Overall, I love this book. It transports you, takes you away from the now (massive thank you) and gives you some thoughtful but fun hours in lovely company. For the first half of the book, I was thinking of DNFing every chapter or so. It took at least half of the book for me to get into the storyline and to actually care about the characters. I think this is because I didn't particularly like them as a group of characters and the storyline just wasn't for me. It had a kind of a mystery/detective feel which I'm not really a fan of. As with her last book, the focus in Between Us, is very much on a failing relationship, and whilst there is a new romantic interest for Roisin, who I liked, this aspect was just covered far too fast to feel any real connection to, and as such just didn't come off as believable or as a relationship to feel invested in. And whilst I appreciate that McFarlane perhaps wants to cover more ground than just romance in her books, one of the main reasons I fell in love with her as an author was for the great chemistry between her romantic leads, which unfortunately seems to have become very much a side aspect to her books nowadays.I loved thinking you were in love with me, I encouraged it, and I never asked myself if it hurt you. I purposely blurred the lines between friendship and fancying and us being in love, because it felt good,” Unfortunately, some of the narrative did feel a little bitty. The depth of the feelings of the new love interest appeared so very suddenly and there are some awkward conversations which could be avoided by people just being honest with each other. I guess that this does chime with the repeated refrain 'slow but then fast at the end' which pretty much sums up this book! So you know what you're getting when you start one. But man this one is her best yet. She's perfected her style, and Eve's story is so wonderful. Before adding this book to my tbr-list, I was already familiar with this author, as I have read 'Don't You Forget About Me' (yes, the main reason I read that book was because of the title) about 3 years ago and I enjoyed it. But in this book's case, it was actually the synopsis that captured my interest and made me want to read it. I was not emotionally prepared for this book..the 🖤 is still active and no tears were shed, but I think it hit a little too close to home in places and I was perhaps in shutdown/self-preservation mode when others might tear up 🙈

Last Night Quotes by Mhairi McFarlane - Goodreads Just Last Night Quotes by Mhairi McFarlane - Goodreads

I’m looking forward for her writing more books and making her readers root for the characters (even though some of them seem annoying at first) and make us feel things. This is a well written and well constructed love story that works on many levels, with Eve's three best friends very well involved, and a great tragedy to centre on. Unfortunately the books drags for much of the journey, too much unnecessary time spent meandering between important bits. read as eventho it blindsided me the writing was solid & ya can't beat British bants between buds. Not the books fault we didn't quite know what we were getting in to & the feelz it would trigger There were entertaining humorous moments + exchanges between the friends & I was 100% here for mid-thirties MCs finding one another 🥰 I'm honestly without any kind of words. I'm just feelings. I laughed, I cried, I did both some more, and mostly I just marveled at how good she is at creating complicated messes that don't feel like someone who is contriving to write about complicated messes. It feels like eavesdropping on real lives, people you sort've know, and are therefore invested in. No perfect specimens, no uncomplicated situations. Just real.When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it's a triple celebration--a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe's shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe's drama, she realizes that the private things she told him--which should have stayed between them--are right there on the screen. McFarlane does have a formula or methodology she tends to follow: highly attractive female characters who have been deeply wronged and wounded by those they loved and trusted. The conquering hero tends to be out-of-this-world attractive. I cannot recommend this author enough. I talked to another reader recently about how if you read any author enough you find something you can’t adore. But Mhairi and I? We’re not there yet. The story is about Roisin and her boyfriend Joe and their group of friends. I do not even want to touch on the storyline as I don't want to give anything away. However, for me, this was a very different book for Mhairi and unfortunately it didn't live up to her past stories.

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane - Publishers Weekly Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane - Publishers Weekly

So addictive that every thought went into our Group chat & not a single update made it to GR...I think I was too 😱 - I do not know when that last happened to me! A celebration with friends turns into a nightmare for Roisin after viewing Joe’s new tv show that basically puts her life on the screen. As the episodes continue, Roisin questions her life choices and how she can trust anything in the future. What’s difficult about McFarlane and it’s well known by now, is that her books are shelved as romance and look like a romance, but are much more women’s fiction. This is a fact. But her stories include romance as a central plot line to tell the story. Usually with two romances with one prevailing in the end. So I actually won this in a GoodReads giveaway. I know, right!!! She's a favorite author anyway, so I was thrilled when this showed up in time to be my birthday read, so I spent pretty much the entire day I took off work reading it and was engaged the entire time. Happy Birthday to me, indeed. I want to write a very long review that truly lets people know how I feel about this but it’s late and honestly I don’t think I could put it into words anyway.I enjoyed the side-plot that didn't villainize other women and went at things from a refreshing angle; though it did feel a little similar to McFarlane's last book, though in a quieter way. Which segues into another thing I was thinking of. I found MAD ABOUT YOU to be a louder book than usual from this author and while this wasn't on the same decibel scale, it still felt a little bigger. I think I miss the quieter books, the lower scale bits and bobs, though it's hard to properly describe that. There was just something very focused about McFarlane's previous books, big feelings in smaller social climates, less fireworks and drama on a stage, and I miss that. It was magic to me. Things happen on that one night, after the regular quiz night they usually attend, including an impromptu engagement, which spins Eve out of control. i just want to preface this by saying that i do think that the cover slightly misleads you into thinking that this is more romance-centric than it is. it’s mostly a character journey, and takes an introspective look into the truly disorienting thoughts that can creep it’s way into your brain when you’re trapped in dysfunctional rel However I was utterly blindsided by the loss hinted at in the prologue and many of the friendship revelations kept me off-kilter for much of the read which made for somewhat sadder times as I am usually all in for the side characters. Thankfully some pulled through for Eve by the end but I am not sure I would be as forgiving of others! Tragedy is an early catalyst, but it also brings Finlay into the picture and what a welcome addition his character makes to this story! Like Hester, he's an imposter with the ability to stir things up and shift relationships around. Judged for his remoteness and harmed by malicious gossip, Finlay is an enigma that begs to be solved. It's hard though not to be drawn to this fascinating and complex and beautiful man. He also though represents what I've noticed in recent McFarlane books, which is the juxtaposing of two romantic choices for the heroine in what is very helpfully called in this book, the "Nicest Guy in the Room Act." Finlay is complicated and ambiguous, but are those qualities that make for an enduring, committed love? Ed, on the other hand, is a good guy, dutiful and responsible, but like other good guys in McFarlane's worlds, he is weak, faintly misogynistic, and passive in his love for Eve. I've come to search for the wolf in good guy clothes in this author's works, and I wasn't disappointed here.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment