Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

78 reviews

michelles_books9's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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jg34's review against another edition

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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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olivia_21's review against another edition

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Bored

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karolinaz's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.75


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slefebvre95's review against another edition

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dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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katerina_l's review against another edition

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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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lisa_m's review against another edition

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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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mmalone's review against another edition

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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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chaermander's review against another edition

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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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bekkaru's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.75


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