What Happened That Night

When Lola rejected Philip’s proposal, Philip was full of anger and made it clear he wanted her out of his life. Lola was happy to do this… and then she found out she was pregnant. Does she tell Philip? Does she get married to protect the family image and give her child a better standard of living? A lot of questions are whirling in Lola’s head and any solution that involves Philip makes her frustratingly sad. She decides to be brave, and becomes a single mum to Bey, supported by her loving family.

This concept is going swimmingly for a few years, until she returns to Dublin where Philip and his family work and live. When Philip’s father takes a walk in the park, he never expects to see a young child that looks the spitting image of his son, and yet here standing in front of him, is Bey. Lola now needs to confront the past again; did she make the right decision hiding Bey from Philip?

Another decision is now made that will change Bey’s future, but is it the right one?

Eeeeek and to think that those first few paragraphs only touch at the beginnings of this plot – this book really does unravel in the most delicious way!

This is the first book I have read that has cast a main character as a jewellery designer, and what an intriguing dimension this brought to the book; I could feel the creative energy radiating from the pages!

Bey possessed a trait that many young women have, and one that I know I have, the ability to think you aren’t capable or good enough compared to your fellows. I thought O’Flanagan captured Bey’s thoughts in a relatable and believable way; using Will (Bey’s colleague) to compare how he would approach a situation was extremely effective – I took away some pointers myself.

Whilst this definitely falls into my ‘cosy and relaxing read’ category, there are some darker and deeper moments sneaked in, and this combination created a real page-turner.

I love the closure that you get at the end of an O’Flanagan tale – the good ones get what they deserve; the nasty ones either get the punishment they deserve or they manage to see the evil of their ways; and all loose ends are tied up. It’s that satisfying, content feeling that you know The End is ‘The End’ and, that a real life ‘happy ever after’ has been achieved.

Another cracker that fans of O’Flanagan are sure to adore – I find her ability to create unique and heartfelt plots, book after book, truly inspiring.

What’s next?

Thank you Becky over at Headline for sending me a copy, this honest review is my way of saying ‘thanks!’

The paperback version is out now!

Until next time, Chloé x