Genre: Contemporary
Book Type: Physical
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Pages: 416
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 4, 2021)
Book Description: Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.
But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.
In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction...
They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night?
Thoughts: I found this to be an average contemporary read, but am frustrated more because, in my opinion, this is marketed as a romance, so I went into this thinking it was going to be an uplifting romance, when it was not. Had I been prepared for a sadder undertone to the book, I think I would have liked it more, but instead was left feeling let down (which stinks because it was a good book), as I was looking for something more upbeat.
This book contains a wide range of topics: love, friendship, death, family, growing up, secrets, a little bit of mystery, and trust. This was a little longer than it needed to be, and the pace went from fast in the beginning, a slower middle, and then I really enjoyed the end. While I may not have loved it as much as I was hoping to, if you go into this knowing it isn't going to be a "happy rom-com," I think you will enjoy this more than I did.
Favorite quotes: Justin said, "There was a photo of a hotel in Trivago doing the rounds because they'd cropped out the nuclear power station behind it. But don't we all, in a sense, crop out our nuclear power systems?" (pg 16)
What's the quote: Ninety-nine percent of the worlds lovers are not with their first choice. That's what makes the jukebox play. (pg 44)
Our parting hurt so acutely, I realized, not because we thought the geography was insurmountable or that Christmas break was so far away, but because we didn't know the people we were about to change into. (pg 52-53)
I see now why those who lose loved ones young become risk-takers. They're not reckless, they just see the stakes differently from the rest of us. More clearly. They don't have the same blithe trust in tomorrow that we all do, they know it's all up for grabs. Ignorance is bliss. (pg 119)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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