One of the things I love best about Mhairi McFarlane's novels is the rich friendships that populate her fictional worlds. These friendships are critical in all her books, but here, finally, the friendships take center stage in the plot. McFarlane's gift for writing friendship is so profound that when, only a few chapters in, tragedy strikes I immediately had a sense of the pain each of the characters was going through. When, in the wake of that tragedy, secrets begin tumbling out and characters from the past appear to further disrupt things, we understand deeply that it is the friendship between Eve, Susie, Justin, and Ed that is the true romance of the novel, even as other romantic plot lines develop. As usual, McFarlane also tackles difficult subjects here with grace and good humor, and never does the sadder plot points and revelations weigh down the story or the characters. Time after time again, I adore these books because they feel like people I know and am glad to befriend. 4.5 stars, rounding up.