Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

22 reviews

jg34's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

I most definitely judged this book by its cover. I had heard of Mhairi McFarlane and based on the context and later seeing she has written many books all with cartoon covers, I came to the conclusion that she must write mindless lighthearted romance books. That is what I was in the mood for when I picked this book out but I got way more than I bargained for!

Yes this book ultimately was a romance (very good one at that) but it was much deeper than that. It was a journey of grief and how to navigate life after tragedy and what happens when you learn secrets that change how you see those closest to you. It was poignant and honest. But also very funny!

The main character Eve is what you could call ‘quirky’ but there is a line between unbearably and embarrassingly quirky vs just a bit silly. Eve is the second. Each character in this book had layers and it was so interesting watching everyone interact and learn and grow. 

And the romance! So good. I don’t want to give too much away but the way these two character banter and handle each others grief with such grace and brutal honesty was what made me fall in love with this. We love mature adults, no silly miscommunication or anything here. Also no spice! Which I usually prefer an under-seasoned romance myself but idk why I really expected there would be, I guess because I thought this would be more like a Tessa Bailey romance book. It was not do not let the cartoon cover fool you!

I also loved how well everything concluded. There is always room for some ambiguity but I felt every loose end that was important got tied off by the end which is so pleasing. Specifically I really really liked Eve getting to tell another character exactly how she felt after she had been mistreated for years. Maybe it went too well to a point where it was unrealistic but it felt very cathartic to me it’s really refreshing getting to see a character spell out exactly how she feels and for it to be a conversation not a fight. Like I said we are mature adults here!!

Maybe the 5 star rating which I rarely give out is in part due to my admittedly low expectations being blown out of the water, but I stand by it. This was a great book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Dementia

Moderate: Child abuse and Car accident

Minor: Infidelity and Panic attacks/disorders

katerina_l's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Abandonment, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

lisa_m's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was no doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Very clear 5 Stars!

I did not know what to expect going into it but I couldn't stop once reading. I read it all in one day and cried so so much. It was beautiful and so well written but also so extremely hard hitting.

Mhairi McFarlane is incredible at describing. I felt immidiately immersed in the story and even though I didn't like all the characters and disliked some decisions they made, they all just felt so real. Like real humans with real problems.

I think the best experience you can get reading this book is knowing nothing about it so I don't want to say anything more. This book made me really emotional and it's a story I doubt I will ever forget.

I can't wait to read more books by the author because everything I've read so far was amazing. Definitely one of my favourite authors now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Self harm

mmalone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

chaermander's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

As always, Mhairi McFarlane's writing style is humourous and easy-going (with some lovely vocab), but this book is a little disappointing compared to the others of hers that I've read. Very very little plot - seriously, nothing really happens. The character development starts slow: this took me a while to get into because, if there's no real plot and no real character development, what is there? But it starts to quicken from about 60% in, and there are some nice phrases and interpretations of grief and relationships. This one will be heading to the charity shop, though - not one to reread down the line. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Dementia, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Terminal illness

bubblesofbayla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I really like Mhairi McFarlane's writing. It's very chatty, is how I'd describe it. So much detail, but not in an overly descriptive way, more in that you really get to know each character's way of looking at the world.  My main qualm is that it sometimes feels like too much to fit in just one book. Like, we get to the happy ending and then the book's over. I want to get to spend more time with the relationships she spends so many words nurturing. This one, even more than the other I've read from McFarlane, is not a straight ahead romance novel at all. Big content warning for death and grieving!! But what's so wonderful about it is that she shows us love in the context of life, and that makes the relationships (and friendships! such good side characters!) that much more rewarding. So, bascially if we could get some fluffy novellas for the "afters" that'd be great, but really I'm happy with what she's giving us: some beautiful, complex humans, and how they find the love they deserve. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Drug use and Panic attacks/disorders

wafflepolly's review against another edition

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Medical content

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Child abuse

eligru's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Drug use, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Terminal illness

marireadsabook's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I think that had I known what this book was really about I would’ve been more prepared going into it. I thought we were getting a friends to lovers romance, with a friend group twist, but it was a book about grief and perceptions of the people we think we know. I wish we had longer with the departed before we were meant to experience grief because I didn’t feel connected at all to the sadness of the whole thing, and it felt more like a plot device to set the story in motion than a deep dive into how we handle loss as people. However, I enjoyed the read and I’d definitely read from this author again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Dementia, Death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Physical abuse and Car accident

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

nora_bom's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Death, Car accident, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent and Domestic abuse

Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders