Those of us who enjoy reading romance fiction find that we get set to experience the "Happily Ever After" most of the time, regardless of the time period or genre of the context. It just seems that is a part of loving romance fiction. It comes as a bit of an emotional "jar" when we encounter the unhappy ending or at best, the bittersweet resolution . . . the way so much of life tends to be resolved, if the truth be known. TOPICS & THEMES: family, childhood friends, loss of a loved one, alcoholism, another chance at love, mental health issues Eleanor and Fin haven't spoken in fifteen years. Life has run away from them and they're both far from where they'd dreamt of being all those years ago.

The story covers some big issues – especially substance abuse, addiction, loss/estrangement of family members – and does so thoughtfully and sensitively. I really felt for Fin and Elles with everything they went through; they were very believable and engaging, and all aspects of their story are engaging and well-written. No. I shall not spoil it for you, and tell you that they live happily ever after, but I will say that I finished the book with a smile on my face, but not before shedding some tears, too. Fast forward to fifteen or so years later, and Eleanor is feebly trying to get over an awful break-up with her long-standing partner Oliver. No amounts of tea and sympathy from her mother, sister Freya, or even her best friend Sal are helping her get over him.Which Aberdeen council bampot entered into a deal with the now-in-administration Countesswells developers to build a secondary in the area? How many aeons before that could have been filled with local teenagers? Sadly, it now seems contributions from the housebuilders from it can’t be used for the new Hazlehead. Shambles. The book was also injected with some humour, with entertaining support characters who were involved with interesting situations themselves.

Last Time We Met” by Carol Mason asks the question of whether it is possible for a person to get over his/her first love. Everybody leaves from the Gyeongseong station, and when we meet at the final meet up point, our mission will then be complete. Mason's writing flows beautifully. The book is simultaneously a comedy that knows when to be serious and a drama that knows when to be funny.

Last time we met

The other part about this book that made me furious was the brushing over of Eleanor being emotionally abused by Oliver. The way it was handled was weird and especially the way those closest to her handled it. I hated Sal, nagging her "best friend" to get out and date after 3 months of being single from a 16 year relationship where she was emotionally abused and then abandoned... Like what no. The pressure from all fronts for Eleanor to date again was just weird and I feel like it was used to move the plot forward but it just made me hate the characters. I would have liked to see more honest conversations with Eleanor and her younger sister to show that not everyone in her life treated her like that...