Embarrassed because she feels she’s made a bit of a spectacle of herself but also because it forces her to really think about what this close group of mates never discusses with each other and why. Eve had also thought she’d done an excellent job of hiding her ove for Ed, and learning that Ed, Susie and Justin all knew about it and yet none of them ever spoke of it leaves her both embarrassed and pensive. Eve thought Susie shared everything with her and realizing that Susie had kept one very big secret is shocking and painful for her. Here she perfectly captures the joy and angst of deep friendships and the dangers of all the things we leave unsaid between ourselves and those we are closest to. McFarlane excels at writing charming, endearing novels which resonate with genuine, rich emotion. Of course, that is easier said than done and the letter will prove to be a catalyst, sending Eve on an unexpected journey to find answers to questions she never knew she needed to ask, and providing her with the possibility of a future brighter than any she’d ever dared to imagine. What she finds inside hurts, horrifies and enrages her, but with the commemoration taking place the next day she has no choice but to pretend that nothing has changed. Eve had no plans to read any of it – until a stray note slips from an envelope and she sees her name. Which is how Eve winds up carrying home a box of diaries and letters Susie had had sitting in her wardrobe. Susie had a secretive side and a very bad relationship with her brother realizing Finlay will now have access to all his sister’s possessions, the two determine to clean Susie’s flat before he arrives and abscond with anything Susie wouldn’t have wanted him to see. While they are ironing out the details of the requiem, and sharing remembrances of Susie, they have an epiphany. It’s equally hard to have to work with Ed, who insists on being part of the preparations. Trying to respect and represent who Susie was in a ceremony celebrating her life while also dealing with the reality of Susie’s death is extremely hard for Eve. Her estranged brother Finlay lives in America, and plans to return to Nottingham as soon as possible but asks that Eve begin planning the funeral since his father has Alzheimer’s and is in no condition to do so. Susie’s family struggles to deal with the aftermath. That’s exactly what happens when Ed, Eve’s not-so-secret crush, gets engaged to Hester in a big romantic scene while they are all at the bar, and at night’s end Susie gets hit by a car while walking home. It’s not unusual for them to gather in a pub of an evening to play games and get a bit tipsy but it is unheard of for the same night to go from bad to heartbreaking. Ed, Eve, Justin and Susie met during their early teens and are still the best of friends in their thirties. Those not wanting even those scant details should take the letter grade as my endorsement and stop reading here. As per AAR policy, I have given an overview of the first third of the book, without revealing any crucial information that would spoil the story. The publisher’s blurb for Just Last Night is extremely vague in describing the contents of what is a captivating and heartfelt tale about grief and how we deal with the inevitable secrets that are revealed when a loved one dies.

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