You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

“You Had Me At Hello” is the first book by Mhairi McFarlane.

Rachel and Ben were best friends in university, it was them against the world until one day it fell apart. Ten years later, Rachel bumps into Ben and all the emotions come flooding back.

But life has moved on for the pair, Ben is married and Rachel is not. Yet in that split second that they first meet again, Rachel feels the old friendship return and along with it, the broken heart that she’s never been able to mend.

I absolutely adored this book and thought it was an intoxicating read.

Immediately right from the start, we see something is wrong with Rachel’s life and that her love for her fiancé doesn’t run as deep as it should, as we discover that she never got over the one that got away. In a series of flashbacks, we see how she met her best friend Ben and spent their university years together, as she struggles with emotions and block out her growing feelings for her best friend. Fast forward ten years later, we find out how they progressed.

WIth wonderful characters particularly the lead Rachel, who I found adorable. I loved her vulnerability and her strong belief in love that made her never give up on Ben. Her wit and sarcasm was great and the scenes of court reporting reminded me of when I studied Journalism and attended court cases. Her best friends were wonderful to read, all bright and vibrant people with their own problems that made the story fun reading. Written in short, snappy chapters, this book was impossible to put down

“You Had Me At Hello” is a genuinely funny and dark love story with a twist, written in a quite a sardonic style about the one that got away, this book will have you captivated in the early hours, An original and extraordinaryily witty tale “You Had Me At Hello” is definitely my favourite debut of 2012!

You can buy [amazon_link id=”000748805X” target=”_blank” ] You Had Me At Hello on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.