Another very enjoyable read by Houghton who has a particular tone in her work which automatically grips the reader's attention and even in the darker/sadder times in her plots still has a way of being comforting. An author I could read again and again and can't wait for more books and more vivid and loveable characters. I'm very grateful for the ARC from the publisher after enjoying Houghton's first book so much.

Finn and Eleanor were childhood best friends who lost touch for a period of around 15 years, when Finn moved to America after school. Now I’m their wary thirties, they are brought back together under tragic circumstances. But can they rekindle their friendship after losing touch for so many years and everything that’s happened in their lives since they last spoke?

This is the second book by Emily Houghton that I’ve read and loved. A truly lovely friends to lovers Romance, Emily is now an auto buy author for me. Looking forward to her next book.

This was such a lovely read; I could feel myself smiling away at the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Last Time We Met is everything you want in a book. It will make you, laugh,cry and leave you smiling, From the plot to the well fleshed out characters this a book that is well worth a read.

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in return for a fair review.

This was quite a sweet friends to lovers tale, however I didn’t really connect with the characters.
The flashbacks to childhood & adolescence helped to explain why the friends became so estranged,

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

A lovely friends to lovers tale expertly told, which starts in childhood with an innocent promise to marry if they are still single when they are older., Seperated for many years, living very different lives, Eleanor and Fin are reunited much later under very sad, difficult circumstances. I read this from beginning to end in one sitting.

Thank you Penguin Random House for this early copy to read.

I loved Before We Met and loved this too!
Meet Eleanor and Fin who were best friends throughout their childhood and made a pact if they were not married by 35 they would marry each other.
Fast forward 15 years and they haven’t been in contact until tragic circumstances bring them back together, but much has changed, will they be able to reconnect?
Will they? won’t they?
Emotional tale of how lives don’t always turn out how we think.
I was rooting for them, frustrated with them and happy for them

I am sorry, I just loved this book, and the only reason it's 4.5 and not 5 is cause of a loose thread left at the end, otherwise the book is just absolute perfection, you cannot change my mind. It left my soul shattered.

I’m sorry. I dnf’d this one. I couldn’t attach to any of the characters and the writing just fell flat for me. It maybe that the genre and trope has been done too many times but there have been others I enjoyed more. I would like to give this author another chance but this book just wasn’t fir me.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read Emily Houghton’s debut, Before I Saw You, and loved it so I couldn’t wait to give this one a read.

Told from alternating POV we dive into the world of Eleanor and Fin. Two friends who were inseparable throughout childhood right up until they embarked on their university lives. The story is set in the present day with flashbacks to their childhood but throughout the whole story there is an underlying mystery as to what caused them to lose touch for so long and become so distant. As we experience these flashbacks of childhood memories it is clear just how much they both mean to each other and what a perfect pair they made so it must of been something drastic to tear them apart? Emily Houghton orchestrates the perfect reveal and it was one I hadn’t been expecting.

Our two protagonists couldn’t be more different from each other. Fin is always late and happy to let a bit of spontaneity rule his life, hence why the decision to return from America was a quick and easy choice from him. His childhood was painful to witness, particularly his relationship with both his parents. You could understand why he needed to get away but I’m so pleased he returned to support his mother during her final days. The relationship between these two was raw and honest and their final scenes together absolutely broke my heart.

Eleanor on the other hand leaves nothing up to chance. Stubborn in her ways and obsessively planning her life you get the sense that she needs control and as we learn more about her you can understand why. Eleanor is stuck in a rut and is what we would call a people pleaser, mostly at the expense of her own happiness. Her lovely friend Sal and the people she meets in the story, such as Reggie, go some way to helping her but ultimately she has to help herself.

What can I say? Once again Emily Houghton has delivered a story that is packed with humour, love, friendship and heart. I blubbed my way through some of the pages and laughed at the stubborn attitude of Heidi, this is a story that sends your emotions all over the place. I cannot wait to see what Emily produces next, this is another author that has made it to my watch list!

I absolutely adored this authors previous book and so I was very keen to read this one. Then I saw that it was a friends-to-lovers trope and was hesitant as that is not my favourite trope.

I liked that this was not a completely fluffy read it tackled serious issues like alcoholism and grief and the dual time line worked really well.. Over all it was a nice easy read that I got through in an evening but for me it was just too predictable. There is nothing inherently wrong with predictable, we all know a romance is going to have a HEA but I need something in a book to make me think, wow that was brilliant.

I would read more from this author in the future.

Last Time We Met.
3 Star = A good read.

This was a solid, enjoyable read about childhood friends drifting apart and then reuniting years later. It was cleverly done, with dual POV giving both sides of the story, as well as "Then" chapters giving glimpses into their past.

The characters were likeable, and living in relatable circumstances. I could very much see this as a great film!

However, for me, the book just lacked... that something to make it sing, which I why I've gone for a 3-star, good, rating.

The strength in this books lies with the large cast of characters and the friendships and family bonds between them all.


What it fails with is the romance. I believed the friendship between the two main characters but not the romance. I just didn't see the chemistry there at all. I thought that the female lead would have been much better with the secondary love interest but in the end, I wish that he'd never been introduced at all given how our female lead treated that sweet man!

Overall a disappointing romance but a lovely character driven story about family and friendships.

“If there was one thing she’d learnt over the past few months, it was how to calm herself down. To soothe her own pain. To be her own support system. Maybe that was what happened when you had your heart broken… it grew back harder and more protected than before.”

Aged thirteen, best friends Eleanor and Fin are inseparable and make a pact - to go to university together, always live near each other, and if they're both single at 35 they'll get married.
In two decades, they're both far from where they'd dreamt of being all those years ago.
It takes tragic circumstances for Fin to come back into Eleanor's life, but everything has changed since the last time they met. Is it too late to mend their friendship? Or can they keep some of the promises they made?

At its most basic outline, Last Time We Met is a friends-to-lovers story. And yet, the way Emily Houghton tells it makes it stand apart. She balances her story-telling with highs and lows that take you a rollercoaster. The premise peels away the layers that bind our perception of love, loss, family, friendships, and simplifies our understanding of relationships.

An emotionally rich, character-driven story with a brilliant cast, it inspires hope and promises new beginnings. I do warn you though, reading this will take everything to hold yourself together and not fall apart in a complete mess.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Transworld Publishers.

At 13, best friends Eleanor and Fin are inseparable. They make a pact - to go to university together, always live near each other, and if they're both single at 35 they'll get married.

Time flies, and life gets complicated. Fun moves to Los Angeles, and when he returns due to a life changing event, Eleanor and Fin haven't spoken in fifteen years and their bond isn’t what it was.

A long lost friends to lovers story with some surprisingly poignant, dark moments, I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author.

When Eleanor and Fin were children they thought they would be friends for ever. Now in their mid thirties they have not seen each other for many years, but are bought back together when his mum is seriously ill. Will this be a chance for them to make up and have a second chance?
A great read, I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I like that cover so much even if I’m really not big on cartoonish ones. But it tells a story on its own and that’s what made me want to read it.
Childhood friends, lots of ups and downs throughout the years between Eleanor and Finn. Each one will make a life far away from the place that brought them together. Count twenty years afterwards and nothing is as they have thought.
Don’t get yourself fooled by the cute cover. It’s way deeper and it covers lots of topics that made my heart break but it’s also so real and shown that life it really isn’t so fluffy and easy. He has to overcome addiction, grief the lost of his mother. She has to stand up for herself more and make the life she wants and deserves.
If you’re looking for a heartbreaking and heartwarming story, this one is for you.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

Such a cute book. Loved the characters Eleanor and Fin and their flashbacks to when they were young. Really lovely read

A romantic story, with a few twists along the way. Sometimes heart breaking, definitely funny and a delight to read.
A brilliant version of will they, won't they.