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 William Morrow and Custom House for the gifted ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Super cute! Huge fan of the characters and story. A very quick read that kept me entertained. Definitely recommend picking up!

I am in such an apathetic book mood. I can’t seem to get excited about any book I read lately. I tried to read this one back before pub day in May but ended up DNFing it cause I couldn’t get into it. So I picked it up again since I’m in a different reading mood and picked it up on audio too from my library.

This isn’t a romance. This book is sad women’s fiction. With a death that rocks everyone at the very beginning of this story, most of the book covers the theme- you don’t really know all of someone even if they are one of your best friends but that doesn’t mean you have to love them less. A very worthy theme. But totally not what I was expecting.

I think this nook just wasn’t for me. It was in no way bad. The writing was good. The setting excellent. I love books set in England. But more womens fiction than I typically like to read. Give it a chance if this sounds like a book you’d like - I’m still in the hunt for something that gets me excited again.

Thank you so much to @williammorrow and @NetGalley for my copy of this book!

Absolutely remarkable. I loved Don’t You Forget About Me, but this tops even that. She has such skill in crafting a story that makes me weep and then snotty laugh.
Eve and her journey through loss and rediscovery gutted me. The hope and healing and hijinks that were a constant through line saved it from being a true downer, and instead made it an emotional journey I will probably spend entirely too much time thinking about.
All of the characters were flawed, perfectly imperfect people that it seems impossible that they are fictional. Mhairi McFarlane is such a wickedly talented writer, it makes me seethe with jealousy but also what a joy to read.
I’d have tissues on hand and a comfy pillow to prop your head up with as you stare at the ceiling.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc and emotional damage!

Just Last Night is a book about grief wrapped up in the coat of romance and is surprising in the best way possible. I was expecting a standard rom-com-esque story with a touch of grief, but this was so much better. This a book about heartbreak and hope that will break your heart and build you back up.

For a "romance" book, Just Last Night is surprisingly somber at times. It's ultimately a story about loss, and, unlike some other books I've read it never feels like it's there as a plot device or for emotional manipulation. There's no sugarcoating here, just an honest look at the ongoing process of grieving. McFarlane never attempts to shy away from or romanticize the pain. Loss and its aftermath aren't neat and tidy, and Just Last Night reflects that. Eve and her friends as they try to process their friend's death, and we're right there next to them. The story is raw, even gut-wrenching at times, but compelling enough that you keep coming back for more.



If you're looking for a fictional escape, you're better off reading something else because McFarlane puts the "real" in realistic fiction, and the Just Last Night world is as imperfect as the real world. She takes a kind of "take it or leave it" approach to her storytelling and doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life. Her characters are messy and flawed, and I love it. Their warts and all are shown with glaringly brutal clarity. We see them make mistakes and questionable decisions. We follow along as they sort through their dirty laundry and have to sit through the consequences of poor choices. They're unapologetically human, and it adds a layer of authenticity to the story that I wasn't expecting.

Friendship is really at the heart of Just Last Night. The Gladstone gang is quick as a whip, quirky and slightly irreverent at times. They're imperfect, but that almost makes you love them more. The humor is used to balance the overall tone of the novel so well. Mhairi McFarlane may make it grim, but she knows when to tell a joke. The narration is full of wit and snark and is everything I love about British humor. Eve's banter with her friends and internal monologues are smart and sassy, and the comic relief comes at just the right times. This is how first person narratives should be done, people!

This is less of a romance book and more of a contemporary book that happens to include romance. (I think romance books that aren't primarily about romance are my new favorite thing. Can we make this sub-genre please?) The romance is enjoyable, albeit a bit rushed in some places, but perfectly satisfactory for anyone looking for a story about loss with a healthy side of romance. It's a little predictable, but the story never feels formulaic. Like, you know what McFarlane's end game is, but she takes some back roads to get there.

If you're looking for a heartfelt story about love, loss and letting go, Just Last Night is for you.

I received an early digital copy from William Morrow and Custom House in exchange for an honest review.

Mhari McFarlane is an author I look to for contemporary fiction with big hearted depth, and I found that in Just Last Night. There is a lot for Eve to process when she's already deep in the throes of her grief over the death of her best friend and discovers a secret that will rattle their friend group's very foundations. I really felt for Eve as she dealt with the information she had to process and the issues within. There is so much sadness in this story, but Eve's sense of humor still comes through, and I was very satisfied with the overall story.

Another cute story! Huge fan of this book and loved the characters. Very enjoyable! Definitely recommend picking up!

Source: NetGalley; ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review


Having read a couple of Mhairi McFarlane books already and liking them I expected to have the same reaction to Just Last Night. I did not expect how much I would be bowled over by it, though! I was engaged from the first page, the first sentence, even and after that I was reluctant to put it down, especially when I got into a perfect reading groove.

Eve has a close-knit friend group. Eve, Susie, Ed and Justin are a foursome that go way back to their school days. Overnight, the foursome is dealt a horrific loss and everything turns upside down from there. In the aftermath, Eve accidentally comes across a secret that shatters her and her trust in her friends. Add to that, the Susie's long-absent brother reappears at this time of tragedy. His disconcerting presence brings new problems and only makes her wonder who exactly is trustworthy anymore. In all this anguish that's consuming her, Eve questions everything that she had taken at face value up until recently, including her friendship with her best friend, Susie, and the betrayal that's blindsided her.

I liked how the direction of the story kept changing ever so slightly so I din't know where exactly it was headed. Not only did it bring surprises but it added dimension to the characters. I'm thinking specifically of Eve, Finlay and Susie as Eve's relationship with each of them got curiously complicated. It became so intriguing how much more there was to their history, and Eve's own dawning realization that everything she knows is really one-sided. I was tempted to bring out the popcorn and anticipate the fireworks. It wasn't pretty when all the secrets were eventually forced out to the open but there's Eve, facing them head on. I also liked Finlay's humored responses to whatever Eve threw out. Even if they butted heads at first, there's something inherent that they perceive about each other. What's most striking for me is how impeccably McFarlane describes loss, misery and the loneliness of being on the outside during an emotionally turbulent time in Eve's life. I just felt that she got those feelings so right and they provoked immediate and strong reactions of me. I especially got that way during conversations between Eve and Finlay. I loved their repartee which was both amusing and insightful. Eve's banter with her friends were also fun and I am always about the banter. Another thing that impressed me was Eve's growing self-awareness. The advantage of Finlay being an outsider means that he sees things from a different angle and guides Eve to recognize her patterns and choices. It's touching how in the short amount of time they're forced to spend together, Finlay and Eve are able to draw each other out of these confined spaces they'd built for themselves, or even allowed for others to define them by those spaces.

Just Last Night showcases McFarlane 's brilliance at writing about deeply emotional life events, bringing perceptivity and levity while also respecting the characters' sorrow. All the messy complicated feelings felt authentic and I was glued to every page of it. (I should add here that there are some disturbing elements/trauma to the story for which I've listed content/trigger warnings below.) I also greatly appreciated the various pop culture references and songs she threw in which aside from being entertaining for me, helped to enhance the nostalgic aspect of the story. As for the ending, I loved it! I thought it did justice to all the characters and I was honestly sad when it was over. I don't get to reread books often but Just Last Night will be on that short list. In only three books, McFarlane has become a go-to, comfort read author for me and I will gladly make my way through her catalog.

~ Bel


Content/Trigger Warning:
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sudden death of best friend, infidelity, panic attack (Finlay, on page), dementia (on page, Finlay and Susie's father), physical abuse (memory; Finlay's recalls their dad did to him), gaslighting (their father convinced family that Finlay was the problem)

Wow there are no words for the depth and eloquence that went into this novel. It is certainly not a light read, but I could not put it down.

The book starts out with Eve about someone she's lost. Someone she can hardly bear to live without, Their loss haunts her every waking moment and she simply can't move on. Then things move back to the past, before the accident and we meet Eve's 3 closest friends. Her crew since childhood. Justin the class clown, Susie the gives no f**** sass talker, Ed the boy next door that Eve has secretly been in love with for nearing 2 decades now.

The book takes us through getting to know these detailed and beautifully put together characters, first we see them through the lens of Eve's love and endless devotion. Then after the accident and secrets revealed we see them for the more flawed humans they actually are. Watching Eve come to terms with her new world order is so wholly satisfying. The enigma that is Susie's brother drew me in from the very first mention. Do yourself a favor go read this book.

This is why I always have to finish books, even if I'm hitting a rough patch. Eve's narration started grating on me in the beginning (though to be fair, I was wondering if that was a me problem rather than a book problem), and then after Susie's death, the book got even more intense, and Eve felt like a black hole. The book really started becoming enjoyable and drawing me in though about halfway through when she left for Scotland (I want to avoid spoilers).
I'm on a kick where once I know I'm going to read a book, I don't read the blurb, even if it means I forget why I ordered the book in the first place, and that applied here. The book blurb doesn't do the book justice, but I think the twists and Eve's evolution as a character would be spoiled if you knew where her journey was taking her.
This may be a bit of a slog (and if sudden car accidents and/or death is a trigger for you this won't be the book for you), but if you're looking to see a character really come to understand herself and life, I'd really recommend this. It also doesn't have a steam factor (even including her disastrous botched attempt at a one-night stand early in the book with a local bartender), it does have some sweet moments (but like I said, this is not a hot and heavy book - it is a book about grief and self-exploration).
If I read this again, I would probably only read the last half; the start of the book is necessary, but for me if was a slog and I just felt so bad for Eve.

** spoiler alert ** Pros :: Great topic that we don't talk about enough -- death. This is especially to true that it tackles a death of a peer that wasn't older than 40 years old. Characters were well flushed out, the dialog and action kept pace. The heartfelt grief was done well. Interesting group dynamics and two important topics include dementia and child abuse. Eve was a fun character to root for. Not surprised by the ending -- however still happy with it.

Cons :: Ed got some heavy 'personal constructive criticism' that he seemed to easily digest and quickly saw the errors of his ways.

Cover art :: 4 out of 5. Love the yellow and good reference to the car. (less)

WOW. I started this book with no knowledge of the story or genre. I assumed it was something light and fluffy and I've never been this happy to be wrong.

Just Last Night made me cry, laugh, smile, and contemplate many life decisions. This is my first time reading McFarlane's work and I'm already adding more of her books to my wishlist. Her writing is so relatable.

I'll post a longer review later once I've composted my thoughts.

A story about friendship and finding oneself in grief and forgiveness, Just Last Night is a beautifully written story about characters struggling to move past their grief when one of their friends passes away. I really enjoyed these characters, their witty dialogue, and the setting. There was alot of humor which is always a plus.

I absolutely adore Mhairi McFarlane’s writing. Right from the first chapter, I was hooked and smiling from ear to ear. I feel like she’s one of those authors that I know what I’m going to get when I pick up one of her books – but not in a bad, predictable way. I just click with her writing, I think. It’s so addictive and I feel so seen. I’m not sure if it’s her humour or her style of writing, but I don’t care. I have a great time with her books and this one was no different. Felt all the feels, laughed a lot, cried more than a few times… it was more emotional than I was expecting, very devastating but just felt so authentic to me. I’m not a huge fan of a certain trope so was delighted that it didn’t go there and went another direction… though I wouldn’t have minded a little more padding in that area (how’s that for vague, but… spoilers). Like others, I’d definitely classify this as more of a general fiction than romance – it’s more about life and our relationships with friends and family. Found it very thought provoking personally.

Another great one from McFarlane - much more about coming to grips with a loss than about finding love, though she does a really great job intertwining the two, showing how the one helps with the other and vice versa.

What an amazing first line: “You were alive again last night.” I highlighted this book from cover to cover. It had so many insightful and funny one-liners on life and grief. The first half of this book was very sad, very depressing, but then all the sudden we’re in the midst of an enemies-to-lovers road trip that I didn’t fully see coming and it’s just so sweet. I loved this cast of characters. ❤️ This is a story of the weight of grief and the senselessness of loss and the shock of misunderstandings and your whole world being flipped on its axis and SURVIVING and finding healing is the absolute least likely places.

This book deals with death and the grief of losing a loved one. Grief is painful and gut-wrenching and I thought the author did a wonderful job depicting all those emotions on paper.

I wish I felt differently but I didn’t love this book. What fell short for me was the protagonist, Eve. While I sympathized for her, I was a bit annoyed with her as well. Eve didn’t go for what she wanted but was angry with the ones that did.

This book was so sweet- I love Mhairi McFarlane. Despite being a "light read" it had a lot of depth and great character development.

I went into this expecting a rom-com so I was a little sad that it was more womens fiction than I hoped for. I still enjoyed the book and the writing was exceptional. This book is about a group of friends and their lives implode when one of them is killed. I did have tears many times while reading but there was humor and some light hearted moments thrown in to make it not so gloomy. I enjoyed all of the characters and enjoyed the romance when it did get thrown into the mix.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Another very entertaining book from this author. A few big laugh-out-loud moments. Characters and friendships and other relationships that turn out to be not quite what they seemed at first. And a nice "reveal" near the end of the book that helps explain alot.