Evenings and Weekends has SO many things I love in a book: multiple perspectives, complex and rich characters (plus points for most being left-leaning and queer!), emotional reflections on life and commentary on working class issues like the housing crisis. Each character was complex and brought something different to the book which is incredibly refreshing; I’ve seen comparisons to Sally Rooney books and while I can see why the comparisons are made, I genuinely think the characters had more depth in Evenings and Weekend. I really bloody loved it and can’t wait to read more from Oisín McKenna in the future. This one was a 4.5 for me ONLY because there were some characters I would have liked to see slightly more of (like Joan!)

Thank you to 4th Estate and NetGalley for the ARC of this one.

this book perfectly captures the feeling of being in your twenties/thirties in london during a heatwave. sticky and hot and messy, the characters and relationships in this book felt so raw and real.

it was also really fucking funny sometimes. i literally read the first two pages to multiple friends because i was like this! is exactly how insane it is to be living in this world right now!

the underpinning of the whale story was so bizarre and out there and yet so believably written and worked incredibly well with the characters’ arcs.

the queer stories were gorgeous and honest, interwoven with everyone else’s experiences of love and the struggles with class and purpose all the characters experience.

my only gripe is that sometimes with the amount of povs and characters it’s hard to follow but I finished this book pretty fast and didn’t get too lost along the way!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

This novel followed a range of main characters whose lives were all interlinked over a weekend in London. They are all at major points in their lives, with pregnancy, relationships, and illness. I loved the way this novel was written, it had a very "Sally Rooney" feel to it, and it perfectly described life in London in a heatwave. I also enjoyed seeing each of the characters lives from their own points of view, hearing of events that happened decades ago but were still impacting their lives now, and seeing the development through the book. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and perfect for the summer when we get a heatwave!

Set across one swelteringly hot weekend in London, Evenings and Weekends centres around a cast of intricately linked characters, most of whom are harbouring secrets. Everything comes to a head over the course of this weekend as tensions arise and relationships are put to the test. Literally struggling to believe this is a debut novel as it all felt so polished and perfectly constructed. I really felt for the majority of the characters and was very emotionally invested in their lives. Also the humour and references to pop culture were a delight!! And it goes without saying that I love discovering a new Irish author to fawn over. One to look out for!! 4.5 stars

This captivating narrative is a stunning exploration of character dynamics against the backdrop of a sweltering weekend in London during 2019. The urgency and intensity of the setting pour out of every page, drawing you deeper into the story's unfolding drama. For me, what made the novel is its richly drawn characters, who leap off the page with remarkable authenticity and depth. Each protagonist is intricately crafted, their motivations and inner conflicts adding layers of complexity to the narrative.

The prose is beautifully crafted, weaving a tapestry of emotions and experiences that really resonated with me. Through its exploration of various topical themes, the novel invites readers to reflect on issues ranging from identity and belonging to societal pressures and personal growth. What sets this work apart is its ability to tackle these themes with a nuanced and original perspective, challenging readers to confront preconceptions and delve deeper into the complexities of the human experience.

In short, this novel is a triumph of storytelling, offering a rich tapestry of characters and themes that linger in the mind long after the book is finished.

Really loved this. Fast paced, engrossing and read like poetry in places. I got so caught up in all the characters that once I started this I couldn’t stop. It’s a little bit heartbreaking, a little bit funny and a lot compelling.

Evenings & Weekends takes place over one scorchingly hot weekend in London in 2019. We meet a group of young millennials attending the same party: Maggie, 30-years-old and pregnant; Ed, a former bike courier eagerly anticipating the day he can settle down with Maggie, but who's hiding a secret about his relationship with; Phil, who is falling deeper in love with his housemate; Keith, who is already in a solid relationship. We also meet Rosaleen, Phil’s mother, ecently diagnosed with cancer and travelling to London so she can tell her son the life-changing news. Over the course of the weekend, the characters will confront their pasts, and their presents, in order to determine the future of their relationships.

A gorgeously written novel, this reminded me so much of Cleopatra and Frankenstein - which is exactly the book I've been waiting to find! The characters feel so genuinely, truly real, and that is a very difficult thing to pull off. A real contender for book of the year for me!

during a heatwave in london we follow the lives of a pregnant maggie and her boyfriend ed.

this book is a slice of life storyline, as we live through both the characters adventures of the scorching summer.

the characters feel super realistic and well developed and you cant help but relate to them. they show both their flaws and strong points in really well written ways.

this is a really powerful story. for people who enjoy stories that follow character development and growth.

I have mixed feelings on this book. I raced through it, there is no doubt the author is talented, and there were some really important themes touched upon. There was something that didn’t gel with me, though. I think I was more intrigued by the side-characters (eg. Maggie’s aunt and uncle) than by Maggie and Ed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for this arc.

A friend recommended this book on his blog and, the way he spoke about it gave me mega FOMO. Luckily I managed to snaffle me a copy and, as per usual, discovered that once again, his thoughts and feelings were spot on.
We start in 2019, with a whale beached on the banks of the River Thames in London. Also in London, we follow a bunch of connected people as they all reach crossroads in their lives.
Maggie, pregnant, about to leave her job to go to live back where she was brought up with Ed, her boyfriend. Ed, eager to start his new life with Maggie and their child but also hiding a past that threatens to become his present once again. And then there's Phil, Maggie's friend who squats in illegal warehouse HMO and has a tricky relationship with roommate Keith who has his own open relationship with another guy.
We are also introduced to various other family members. Phil's mother who has yet to tell him the devastating health news she has just received being just one who made a big impression on me. She has her own past to contend with... We also follow Callum, Phil's brother as he is about to get married...
It's hard to say any more about the goings on as you really do need to meet and get to know each and every wonderfully created character as the author intended. They are so well crafted and so easy to connect to / emote with that, by the end of the book, I was really not looking forward to having to say goodbye to them. They filled me with all sorts of emotions along the way, sharing the most intimate details of their lives... It showed me that there are many facets of people which are not as black and white as you'd expect. Mostly, in this case, to do with queer identity. Oh and how messy life can be...
It's hard for me to say much more about the whys and wherefores of exactly why I loved this book. I think that over-analysing it could well spoil it. There's no discernible overall plot per se, which usually puts me off a book, but instead follows the lives of several people, each, in turn, contributing a little something to the whole, which eventually ends up way greater than the sum of its collective parts. If that makes sense... For me, it's more a case of how I felt at the end of the book. Again hard to put into words, but a definite feeling of my life having got just a bit richer from having read this book.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Set in Summer 2019, Evenings and Weekends follows four characters, exploring their interconnected lives and relationships.

I often find in novels like these, some characters feel flat and boring, but McKenna's rich narrative develops four fleshed-out, complex characters, and I was fascinated with the discussions of relationships, identity, and aspirations.

A perfect Summer read for fans of Sally Rooney!

With thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Was fast paced, relatable characters and the perfect bit of escapism. It really stuck with me even after I finished it. Would recommend to anyone!

Sometimes there comes a novel in your life that will make you feel every rivulet of sweat, every tear cried, the scorching sensation of the sun on your body heating up on the asphalt, and this is one of those novels. In this case, the melting heat comes with a whale stuck in the Thames and an array of characters whose lives will all take a turn on one hot summer day.
The novel has a fresh and delicate narrative that intertwines multiple perspectives, nonetheless connecting them to each other in overlapping narratives. McKenna's writing and use of prose allow us to see a bigger, kaleidoscopic view of everybody's lives both in the present and in the past. Decisions that were made consciously or unconsciously still riverb through the years, actively shaping the protagonists' lives and their actions.
The book covers a lot of fragile themes that McKenna handles beautifully: a mother's cancer diagnosis and the way it triggers her to reexamine her life, a sexual assault whose pain is still felt years later, a coming out in precarious financial conditions and an unexpected pregnancy. There is a whole lot that is presented so naturally, as these lives complicate as lives do.
"Evenings & Weekends" is a great debut work that weaves the hardships of life with the little joys of it, the breakthrough moments when things fall into place and you can finally breathe again, just as rain cracks open the sky after a drought.

A wonderful character driven story. The setting, over one hot weekend in London in 2019, was engaging and gave the novel a sense of urgency and intensity. Characterisation was really impressive, with the protagonists truly feeling like they were leaping off the page. It is beautifully written and tackles a variety of topical themes in a nuanced and original way. I loved this novel.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

When I requested this book I wasn't sure it would be for me am not a fan of self indulgent whiney characters( Sally Rooney style) with no real suffering but somehow mange to find even going to buy a pint of milk traumatic. So it was with so caution I started this....

I was captured instantly by the well formed stylish style of writing, the rich characters and the London setting.

The characters are whiney but they have things to whine about, proper issues there is no self pitying self indulgent spoilt brats in this book, they do so in way that's not only humorous but feel true to life. I liked the inner monologues from the characters and they way they all interlinked with each other. I always like hearing a different POV on the same situation it always makes for interesting reading.

There is a load of themes going on here, but I found the coping with loss and illness of a parent to be the most insightful and I felt connected to it.

I enjoyed the fact the events all take place over one weekend it made for a proper plot among what is very much a character lead novel.

This is book full of human emotions all of them, it's well written, examines society, and has a pace that flows well along side a cast of flawed but perfect characters.

It took me one weekend to read

It had the same style of writing as Caroline O'Donoghue which I really enjoyed any comparison to the dreaded Sally Rooney is unfair to this book as it is far more interesting and real written with far better style.

A very solid 4 stars

I thought this one was really good: it's set mostly over one hot summer weekend in London in 2019, and follows a cast of interconnected characters. It felt very assured and polished in a way that I liked, and the setting was probably the best bit – London felt soooo real and recognisable. I didn't love this book cause I'm super picky and I never vibed particularly with any of the characters – but I would definitely recommend it and Oisin McKenna's writing in general!

This book was a highlight of mine to receive and it did not disappoint, a beautiful story that you just have to keep reading, another fabulous debut from another brilliant author to keep an eye on, one I will be recommending to everyone

This fantastic debut feels like a breath of fresh air. As its characters suffer in the stultifying summer heat, they start to unpick various truths and stories they have fed themselves over the years. Relationships are questioned, old memories resurface, and tensions flare.

However, even alongside this compulsively readable novel, I found other elements of this book fascinating. Firstly, this is one of the best fictional representations I have read recently of discussions about many areas of relationships: monogamy, open relationships, having children, and polyamory. This I thought was a real strength of the book- characters were allowed to be messy, to get things wrong, to have second and third chances, to disagree on core aspects of how they lived their lives, and then continue to grow and develop without these having to be explained away with oversimplified reasons. As a result, these characters felt like people, rather than ciphers for topics.

I think this is an excellent and fresh novel, and I am very excited to see what comes next.

Russell Tovey claims it is ‘Astonishing’
Owen Jones shouts ‘lt’s a masterpiece’

I therefore was excitably nervous as to what I would think and find between this intriguingly reviewed book

I found London, London in that hot never ending Summer of 2019 when the poor whale beached, London full of lust, excitement and the belief that anything and everything was just around the next corner

Based on complex characters yet not complex to get to know and their ambitions and dreams and wants and desires it was a book like no other I have read for a long time

It is a queer led book ( yep I used to not be overkeen on the word either but as someone who was used to being called it it feels almost ok after reading this book that its been reclaimed by us for us and not a care given either way who it offend )and has some very poignant dilemmas as unspoken love comes to a head with outspoken sexuality

The writing is divine, it was literally a joy to read and one of those books where every sentence caused a reaction, sometimes good, sometimes challenging

I absolutely loved it, every word

Thank you to Netgalley and 4th Estate for allowing me access to this ARC.

Evenings and Weekends follows the story of two families, and their relationships, both with each other, and the world around them.

This book is a beautiful tribute to struggles surrounding identity, sexuality, aspirations, and many more questions which bubble just under the surface for every single person in the world.

I found this story of love, obligation, mistakes, awkwardness, sweat, and reality, so beautifully moving.

A perfect read for fans of Jessica Andrews, and Sally Rooney.