You Had Me At Hello - Mhari McFarlane

                                          

What happens when the one that got away comes back? 

‘Think of the great duos of history. We're just like them.’
‘You mean like Kylie and Jason? Torvill and Dean? Sonny and Cher?’
‘I think you’ve missed the point, Rachel.’

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

They’d been partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on: Ben is married. Rachel is not. Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first ‘hello’.

I will start by saying that I had read a lot of reviews about this book before reading it and even before I had bought it had already fallen in love with it! Such glowing reviews! I enjoy discovering new authors and the excitement of not knowing what you are going to get with the new author, as well as the opportunity to read their books, delve into their imagination, and escape into the world that they have created.

Rachel and Ben meet at university in Manchester and immediately strike up a brilliant friendship. As Rachel has a long-distance but steady relationship with her boyfriend Rhys, and Ben goes through a string of girls, they remain best of friends throughout their days at university.

Ten years later, Rachel is still living in Manchester, with a job as a court reporter, still meeting up with her university friends and has just broken up with Rhys, who up until then was her fiancé. After Rachel's friend Caroline spots Ben in the library Rachel rushes there in an attempt to catch a glimpse of him. Ben, her best friend from university who she has not seen or spoken to in ten years. But it seems things have moved on - Ben is married and Rachel is now newly-single. As they bump into each other, the old easy friendship returns, but along with it return Rachel's previously buried feelings that she would never allow herself to admit...

The opening chapter was brilliant, I was hooked right from the first few pages. I love the way Mhairi MacFarlane drops the reader right in the middle of the scene, and I was so keen to read on to discover what was happening, and I wanted to know where the story would take me. I am usually wary of the first chapter or so because if I can't seem to get into it I find it very difficult to carry on but this book was nothing like that!

The story changes between Rachel's present-day life, and her life back at university with Ben. Which she compares to life now and shares her memories of those days with us. I loved this as I learnt so much more about the characters through their background story, and could see how their past experiences had made them how they are in the present day, and every time I delved into their past, I discovered a little bit more about them.

The way Mhari has written this is amazing! This is not a slushy romance story, but instead we are given a real everyday story, with real everyday characters and a refreshing writing style, and it is fantastic! The writing is sharp, it has attitude, and the characters are so realistic that I actually felt myself connecting with the characters and feeling as though I was part of this journey with them.

Rachel is very well-written as the main lead character and instantly like able. I loved that the story is told through her, as Rachel's personality really shines through this way, and as a reader, I really supported and connected with her. Ben came across very well as a handsome charming man to begin with, but as I began to read more of his background story, I started to prefer the guy he was at university, his ease and his humour, and I could see why girls were falling at his feet back then! The rest of the cast were great too and I think that they made the story what is was as without their influence on certain things that Rachel and Ben did the story just wouldn't have stayed together the way it did. The other little stories that went on around the main two characters both involving them and not were very interesting and made the story that much more enjoyable as there was another aspect to focus on too!

There is so much depth to this story, as a reader I really understood each character and their different personalities, and their differences are what made the story so entertaining. Mhairi has created the perfect mix of characters, so when they are all put together there are clashes, drama, friendship, flirting and buckets of laughter.

You Had Me At Hello is addictive, it has a lot of spirit and it is hilarious! It is one of the most refreshing books that I have read in a while! If you are looking for a romance story with a difference. An unbelievable book! This went straight up there as one of my favourites.