Evenings and Weekends is a novel mostly spanning a weekend in London and Basildon, as an interconnected group of characters across two generations face up to the messiness of life. Maggie is pregnant and on the cusp of moving back to Basildon from London, but she doesn't want to leave, and her boyfriend Ed seems distracted. Her best friend Phil is falling for his housemate Keith, but Keith's in another relationship and Phil doesn't want to upset the current balance. Phil's mum Rosaleen has a cancer diagnosis she wants to share with her son, but doesn't know how, and Phil's brother is soon to get married, but keeps disappearing. And there's a whale stuck in the Thames.

This is the kind of kaleidoscopic literary fiction novel in which there's not a huge amount of plot, but there is a lot of character moments of crisis and change, and you can get deep into the world of the interconnected characters. At first, it seemed that the "normal" life of Maggie and Ed wasn't very interesting, but then it became apparent how much of an act this was. Other characters, particularly Phil and Rosaleen, have engrossing narratives around being haunted by their past and looking towards who they are now and how they relate to other people. There's a lot of supporting characters too, who sometimes get a POV moment, and though this often doesn't work in books, in Evenings and Weekends it did feel like it added colour to the tapestry, so to speak.

I liked how there was a lot about queerness underpinning the novel, and various characters' relationships with queerness, particularly in a London millennial way, but also relating to class and growing up. The messiness of the characters' lives felt very real and their complex experiences of love and sex brought a lot to the book, particularly by the ending. It was refreshing to have a novel explore some of these realities, alongside a great sense of London atmosphere, and the title is reflected in the way that the book is all about the times outside of work, the human moments, rather than another novel about millennials hating their jobs.

The 'whale stuck in the Thames and a marine biologist who looks like Princess Diana' subplot was a great element, but I did wish that it felt like it had an actual conclusion or connected with the characters by the end. Weirdly for a literary fiction novel without much plot, I feel like it could have a sequel, which explores further the characters' decisions, maybe with a time jump to make them older and have different experiences.

Evenings and Weekends is a novel about not wanting to give up who you could be, that potential for excitement and fun and love, and it is also an exploration of London and small-towns, and the complexities of what futures you could have as a queer person. The range of points of view through the narrative will be divisive, but I didn't lose track of how anyone was and enjoyed the little insights you got from a sudden change to a supporting characters' POV.

Evenings and Weekends follows different people as they experience summer in London. It’s June 2019 and Maggie is pregnant but broke. At 30 years old she expected to be more put together but her pregnancy was unexpected. She is dating Ed who has secrets which involve Maggie’s best friend Phil so he has to avoid him. Phil hates his job and has found himself in a relationship with Keith who has a boyfriend. Phil’s mother Rosaleen has cancer and is trying to break it to Phil.

I am giving this novel 3 stars. It had some poignant moments and some intriguing character work but I struggled with the amount of POV’s because it would switched POV and I struggled to care. Plus I do think comparing this to Sally Rooney sets up false expectations for this book because this was nothing like a Sally Rooney novel. On a technical level the writing of this novel was good and the story flowed well. It had some LGBTQIA+ representation too which I found to be really important and there were some great conversations around Phil. Overall I would recommend this for fans of literary fiction novels with multiple POV’s.

This is the story of several intertwined lives of several people in (and around) London, mostly over one record breakingly hot weekend in 2019. I don’t know where to start with my review but to say that I loved this book that was carefully crafted and so cleverly written that I couldn’t tell you a character that I always liked or disliked not could I say who was the ‘main’ voice. The cultural references were used only when needed (which I was glad of because I can find them clunky and also worry that they put a book in a zeitgeist that will only be relevant for a limited time). I read this book (an ARC from NetGalley with no obligation to review) in March when housebound with COVID and I felt the summer vibes when reading this. the story weaves between the characters seamlessly (I also worried that I’d find it hard to track with so many names but that wasn’t an issue at all). This is my current favourite read of 2024- 5 stars, not like anything I’ve read lately!

What an incredible debut novel - it truly brings London to life in such a brilliant, brutal and accurate way. I loved the writing and the way that intimacy and friendship is explored is so fantastic. I'll certainly be recommending to all my friends!

It was easy to feel like I was in this novel, from the relatable setting to the characters. It was so easy to visualise and understand the characters.

A fantastic debut, extremely well written and evocative of a very particular time and place in London. I loved the different POV’s - it was great to see the same event through different people’s eye and framed through their experience of the world.

Evenings & Weekends takes place over a scorchingly hot weekend in London 2019. We meet a group of young millennials who are attending a solstice party. Maggie, 30-years-old and pregnant, is confronted with an inevitable future in the hometown which she previously contended with. She begins to question whether or not her pregnancy will be her final act of spontaneity. Ed, a bike courier, is eagerly anticipating the day he is able to settle down with Maggie as a family unit. However, little does Maggie know, Ed’s got a mysterious past with her best friend, a man named Phil. Phil is falling deeply in love with his roommate, Keith, while also working in an office, a job he detests with passion. We also have the pleasure of being introduced to Rosaleen, Phil’s mother, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. She is travelling all the way down to London to tell her son this devastating news in-person. The characters must confront their pasts and future desires, and their lives may change forever.

Evenings & Weekends is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read, I am simply astonished that it’s a debut. The book swept me off of my feet and wouldn’t put me down until I had finished it!

I guarantee that you will fall in love with this novel, especially if you’re into books that do not necessarily have a plot, but you get to spend time with the characters, watching as they make a series of good and bad decisions. McKenna portrays the characters in such a beautiful and realistic manner. The characters all have flaws and are well-rounded, they felt very vivid to me. They all had shifting dynamics, both with themselves and to each other, it almost felt as though I too were growing with the characters throughout the duration of the novel. I loved how intrinsically linked the characters were, and the way they all came together, and the connections they shared. Phil’s relationships, in particular, brought an overarching theme of delicacy to the novel, but by far the most powerful of the characters is Rosaleen, and the relationship she shares with herself. She holds a place in my heart. McKenna, using the character of Rosaleen, writes about memory, the ways we can recount and try to preserve them, and how important memories are in our identities. This was the real highlight of the book for me.

Novels that are set over the course of a period of time are a great concept, and Evenings & Weekends, a book which I found nail-bitingly tense to read at times, is most definitely no exception. I loved how each of the chapters focuses on a single character’s perspective. It helped maintain the novel’s fresh and interesting narrative, while also allowing the story to be told from an array of views and different sets of eyes. The story didn’t feel at all limited. McKenna allows the reader to a see fuller picture of the world he is trying to unveil. McKenna also brings the novel to a conclusion that’s both emotional and poignant, and this makes the novel a total pleasure to read.

Evenings & Weekends reads much like as though it is a love letter to life, in all of its messy and unpredictable forms. If you are a fan of authors such as Coco Mellors and Sally Rooney, then I would highly suggest you add this to your never-ending TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley, 4th Estate, and Oisin McKenna for the wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to see what McKenna does in the future!

being a left leaning, queer late twenties human being in the modern age is such a unique experience not because these labels are inherently rare but because there is still space to be surprised. mckenna weaves issues like irish/uk politics and climate change to illustrate how pertinent the millennial malaise is. with so many world issues outside of the cast of characters' control, it's easy to see why any one character wouldn't want to put their heart on the line. i felt like i knew what each character's beliefs and intentions were by the end which doesn't happen often when there are so many people to keep track of. however, this was a nice surprise. i really just wanted each person to choose happiness and i got that here without repercussion. instead, kindness prevailed.