Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

“There’s something exceptional about friendships with friends you’ve known since you were young. They know all the versions of you. They know how you were built. They have a map for you. There’s a shorthand between you, and a love that is as strong as any blood tie.”

Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been best friends since they were teenagers. Now that they’re in their thirties, they’re closer than ever. Thursday nights are sacred due to trivia night and Eve is secretly in love with Ed. It’s been years and she probably should’ve moved on by now. But in one instant, their lives are changed forever. In the coming days, Eve’s world is turned upside down. As shocking secrets are revealed, Eve wonders does she even really know her friends. When someone from the group’s past comes back into their lives, Eve’s future takes a surprising turn.

This was not at all the book I was expecting. I read a few reviews and they didn’t give much away. So I was quite shocked at a few of the twist and turns the book threw at me. I’m a pretty emotional person, so I did shed a few tears while reading this. One of the themes I saw a lot while reading this was grief. I remember being told once how grief is like a ocean due to how it comes in waves. I saw that many times while Eve tries to cope and come to terms with a death of one of her best friends. I wouldn’t say this book is a extremely light read whatsoever. It’s not a horribly dark read but it’s not something I’d classify as a beach read.

One of the characters in the novel is a therapist and he doles out some very wise advice. I constantly found myself nodding and agreeing with the advice he was giving out. Whether the people wanted to hear the truth or not. The romance in the novel was so well done but not overpowering. It wasn’t all about the romance but I did enjoy how the romance pushed Eve to look differently at her other platonic relationships. Eve learns about communication and how open communication can change relationships for the better. Not only in romance but in every part of our lives. Another theme I saw was friendship and how friendship can sometimes blind us to the truth of those we love. I believe sometimes we can have impossibly high expectations of our friends that we forget they’re human too. They will make mistakes and sometimes even hurt us. Not intentionally but due to all of us making mistakes. Once Eve’s friend passes away, she’s faced with some hard truths about who her friend really was. She’s sent spiraling and is left dealing with many conflicting emotions. Anger, hurt, grief, sadness, loneliness. But it showed how we can come to see friends as those we love and also those with flaws. That no person is perfect and sometimes those we love will let us down. But that doesn’t take away from their love, devotion, and friendship.

Mhairi McFarlane wrote a book I can only describe as an extremely emotionally intelligent novel. I found that some passages lead me to tears but also helped me realize some things about my own life. My own relationships and how I could do better in those. I love every single book that Mhairi has authored but this might be my favorite. I do want to be transparent and let everyone know before reading this there are some pretty heavy themes in this book. It deals with physical abuse, anxiety, grief, dementia, and others. But I think if you can handle those, this book is completely worth the read. This book is a 5 star read for me! Rare but she deserves it. Y’all go pick up this book, you won’t regret it!