*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC

Last Time We Met is a really beautiful and incredibly emotional novel, involving grief, relationships, family dynamics, alcoholism and found family. I cried many many times.

The blurb makes it out to be a romance but I’d say that’s almost a secondary plot, the key focus was grief in its multiple forms. There is quite a lot going on and so, despite expecting a romance, I found it quite un-put-downable.

There were a couple of moments throughout that didn’t have the impact they should have, or I didn’t feel were needed, and the ending felt rushed which was really disappointing, so has knocked half a star off my rating.
But overall I really enjoyed it!

It's hard to think of much to say beyond, this is a really solid romcom. Hits all the numbers on the bingo card and ticks all the boxes on the excepted features list. Enjoyable, if not all that memorable..

I loved Emily's previous novel Before We Met so was excited to see she had a new one out. This is just as good if not better than her last book. Eleanor and Fin were best friends when they were younger but now as they have gotten older they have grown apart until they end up seeing each other after all those years but life has changed for both of them will there be a chance for their relationship to get back on track or will they have to admit defeat? I liked how this story went at a good pace, it is emotional and you will need a tissue or two when reading it but I felt as though it is all about friendships, love and new beginnings, if its taught me anything it is to be honest with your feelings and tell that person before it is too late.

I enjoyed this easy to read book. The book flowed well and the characters were likeable. Last Time We Met dealt with issues of end of life care and the emotions that go alongside this, Eleanor came across as a bit indecisive and I feel that some parts lacked a bit of depth. Overall, it was a book I read quickly and liked.

A lovely story of two friends that made a fateful pact of marrying one another if life doesn’t go as planned and the bitter-sweet love affair that ensues as a result.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an easy read, and it handled sensitive themes very well, although I didn't feel like Finley or Eleanor were particularly memorable characters, and I wasn't too invested in their relationship. The cast of supporting characters was good however.

I read this book over the weekend and couldn’t put it down. The book centres around Eleanor and Finn childhood best friends who lost touch and reunited 15 years later. The book touches on topics such as grief, alcoholism and love. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend. Thanks net galley and publishers for an early preview!

This is a read that I finished in one sitting. It was the first time I read an Emily Houghton book and I am eager for more. Definitely a read for those who love the friends to lovers trope as well as second chance romance.

This book has an interesting plot and I really enjoyed it. Eleanor and Finn were best friends as children and this continued into their teenage years, until events shook things up and separated them. Finn moved far away. He and Eleanor had many unresolved issues and completely lost touch. Now, many years later they are thrown together again. They are now strangers with a shared past. Emily Houghton deals with the plot in an interesting way. An enjoyable read. Thanks to Ruth Richardson at Transworld Random House UK and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

This was such a good romance. Two points of view. Multiple time lines told through flashbacks. Best friends to lovers trope.

A Five-star read that will warm your heart. This is my second read by this author, and I have loved every minute of reading their words. I don’t want to go into details about this story as my words won’t do justice. You need to pick this story up, as it will be one of the best you will read this year.

Brilliant contemporary fiction, perfect escapism.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GENRE: contemporary romance
TROPES: friends to lovers
TOPICS & THEMES: family, childhood friends, loss of a loved one, alcoholism, another chance at love, mental health issues

Eleanor and Finley were best friends growing up. When they were 13 they made a pact of marrying each other when they are 35. This story picks up when they are 34. Life doesn't work according to plans. Not only they are not in contact but they are living on different continents. One thing that can make that pact work is - they are both single. Eleanor recently broke up with her long-time boyfriend, and Fin broke up with his girlfriend so he can go back to the UK to see his dying mother.
How will their meeting go? What about that deal now that they are grown-ups?

This book is told from past and present perspectives. So, we meet our leading couple in numerous situations and how they end up where they are now.

I think that the author presented the friendship aspect of the story very well. There are a plethora of side characters that enrich this storyline with complex and bittersweet moments, but also sweet and endearing ones.

I would recommend this book to all readers who love the friends-to-lovers trope.

* Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book

Ellie and Fin are best friends. They have been for years and of course, they always will be. They make a pact when they are 13 and among the list of rules is the usual "if they are both single at 35, they'll marry" one.

Twenty years later and things have changed.
Ellie and Fin haven't spoken for at least fifteen years. Fin lives in California and Ellie is still living close enough to be going for Sunday lunch at her childhood home every 3 weeks.

Due to a family emergency, Fin comes back to the UK and at the last minute, agrees to attend the wedding of an old school friend. Whilst there, he bumps into Ellie, who is reeling from a recent break up.

After bumping into Ellie's mum, Fin finds himself and Ellie coming together again.

A lot has changed over the 15 years and so have both Ellie and Fin and they need to get to know each other again.
This book is very predictable but throughout the whole "will they, won't they?" there are some tough subjects dealt with in a meaningful manner.

There are some lovely secondary characters and on the whole I found this to be a believable, enjoyable read.

I was first introduced to Emily Houghton when I read (and adored) her debut novel "Before I Saw You". So I didn't hesitate when given the chance to read her latest book. And my goodness, it did not disappoint. As with the first, Last Time We Met was full of all the writing elements I admire- solid characters who are likeable and believable, touches of humour and drama to keep you on your toes, but also, what stands out to me the most, is the depth of the character's scenarios. The history and current circumstances of the main characters are hard hitting and real. To successfully write raw emotions whilst entwined with humour and romance, for me, is something that makes an author stand out above the rest. I couldn't recommend this enough.

This book is a joy to read, happy, sad, funny, poignant. The characters are all so well described, and the storyline keeps you turning the pages. It’s one of the few books that I will read again

At the age of 13, Eleanor and Fin are best friends, making vows to each other including one that swears they will marry each other if they're still single at the age of 35. But they get older and as is the way, they drift apart and now at the age of 34 they are meeting again after many years of estrangement.

I loved the author's first book. It was refreshingly different and the characters were very real and you felt sympathy for both of them. I wasn't so sure about this one. Fin doesn't quite gel with me and I found him quite annoying at times. His attitude towards his dying mother was - to say the least - lacking empathy. But there is character development for both him and Eleanor and they both grow and learn from their mistakes. Nonetheless for me this book lacked the sparkle of the first. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Absolutely loved this story and all it offered. It was full of life challenges and all of the accompanying feeling which I felt as the reader.

Before I Saw You was one of my favourite books of last year so I was delighted to be asked to read Last Time We Met and it’s another great read from Emily Houghton.
Not only does she write likeable main characters Fin and Eleanor, there are also characters in it for a short while who pull at your heart strings and stay with you.
Eleanor and Fin are childhood best friends until Fin leaves and has never returned until now after an unexpected phone call.
What follows is their story now and also then when they were childhood friends and why Fin left.

A wonderful, warm and joyous book from Emily Houghton. She has a knack of drawing us in with her characters and I felt as if I knew them myself. Beautifully written. The connection between the characters was described in such a way that you could feel the love between them. Heart-warming. A fantastic summer read. I can't wait for Emily's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.