I first heard about this book by stalking Emily Henry’s book reviews (I mean, who doesn’t stalk the recommendations of their favorite authors?) and saw she gave this book 5 stars and a glowing review. I have heard of Mhairi McFarlane before, too, and saw how she was showered with praise.

The only thing I knew about this book was what I read in that review. I had no idea if it was romance, a tragedy, a story of healing or an ode to friendship. Well… turns out, it was all of the above (and more).

We follow Evelyn (Eve) Harris, a 36 year old and a part of a friendship group of 4 people – Ed, Eve, Susie and Justin. Evelyn always considered her friendships sacred, never to be disturbed or broken, no matter what. And… for over a decade now, she has been hopelessly in love with her best friend, Ed.

After an eventful night upturns all of their lives, with one member of the group now notably absent, Evelyn has to navigate grief, feelings of betrayal, anger and love. She begins to question all that she took for granted as secrets are revealed and identities unveiled. When a boy from her past turns up, she begins to wonder just how wrong she was about everything she thought she knew.

That description was very dramatic and a little confusing. In reality, this book is very funny and down-to-earth, while simultaneously being incredibly poignant and emotional. We experience every single moment as if we ARE Eve – that is how fully immersed and present I felt while reading it. Somehow, the author transported me into the world so fully I didn’t even feel like I was reading. I felt like I was living the story.

Seeing someone you know well in a totally different context is always disorienting and vaguely impressive. You realize you have them on loan from the other lives they lead.

– Eve, about Ed

Without revealing too much, I can say that this book was a vibrant triumph – it featured witty banter and dialogue and realistic and multilayered characters. They were intelligent and funny, and each extremely distinct and complex. The only thing that stopped me from giving this book a full 5 stars was all the British slang and pop culture references… which I, unfortunately, did not understand 70% of the time.

From this point onwards, my review will contain spoilers for the book. I have to gush about it somewhere! If so far, it’s caught your interest, please go read it and come back to read the rest afterwards.

I honestly loved Finlay Hart and Evelyn together. I really didn’t except to enjoy their interactions so much – however, as with any good enemies-to-lovers subplot, you really don’t “see” it until it happens.

The main reason their romance worked so well, I think, is that they weren’t characters who were one joined unit – they worked because they were independent. Finlay was a fully developed character with a whole life outside of Evelyn, his own demons and a concrete sense of agency. Evelyn’s story – which was this whole book, really – wasn’t about Finlay. Before she met him, we had over 100 pages of her navigating grief and her friendships. This was truly a book about her life, not just him.

However, when they were together, I absolutely loved their banter and their cute interactions – somehow, they felt so natural together. The way they opened up to each other wasn’t forced in any way. Their personalities effortlessly bounced off each other in a way that was witty, entertaining, adorable and ultimately perfect.

What I loved the most about them was that they weren’t so troubled that it became toxic. In some book relationships, it seems that they only exist to fix each other’s problems. While they did help each other a lot, they were also steadily on the path of their healing – it didn’t seem like they were saving each other from some black hole that they would otherwise sink into.

Finlay had moved away from his toxic family situation and was going to therapy, was well-off financially and ready for a relationship. Eve, with some slight nudging by Finlay, had finally realized the manipulation that she was experiencing all this time. A conversation had opened her eyes, but he didn’t force or tell her to do anything – using what she’d deducted, she managed to untangle the lies in her life and face them herself. She finally let go of Ed and her decades-long “tragic yearning”, as she puts it.

I wasn’t rooting for them from the beginning. At the start, it seemed like their conversations were somewhat stilted in the way of strangers, I felt like Finlay was very suspicious and Eve herself doubted him at every corner. However, their relationship unfurled in a beautiful way. At the end, I was teary-eyed and hoping for more scenes of them together.

Susie’s death was the catalyst for a lot of sorrow and, ultimately, change. Susie is a funny, wicked and vibrant presence from the beginning – I liked her straight away. At first, I thought that Ed would be the one to die. I was genuinely heartbroken when I realized it was Susie. She seemed too bright, too daring and too one-of-a-kind to die. I felt Eve’s shock like a tremor inside myself.

We watch Eve slowly navigate the turbulence and horror of grief. That is what initially unites her and Finlay – the estranged brother getting to know his sister in a different light and the best friend finding solace in his familiar features. Of course, they go past that, eventually, but shared grief is what ties them together from the beginning.

I hope I never stop hearing Susie’s voice or keeping her memory alive. So, the final line is delivered fully in the spirit of Susie Hart, as we knew her – Susie, you were always too much. But we wanted more.

– Ed, reading Eve’s speech

I thought the way her death was handled was so heartrendingly painful. At the end, Susie is no longer with them, and it’s no longer a shock. Now, she lives by their side in every tradition upheld, joke made and shared memory remembered. It’s a painful journey, but they still honor her – in all her weakness, mistakes, personality and strengths – every day.

This book’s genre is difficult to describe. It’s what happens when a talented author and a cast of vibrant and unique characters combine to tell their stories. It was a beautiful and witty story of healing, grief, love and friendship. Above all, it was the story of growth.

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54870201-just-last-night