Mhairi McFarlane Books In Order

Publication Order of You Had Me At Hello Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Mhairi McFarlane is an internationally bestselling English author of humor, literature and fiction books. Born in Falkirk, Scotland, she schooled in Nottingham and advanced her studies at Manchester University where she graduated with a degree in English Literature. She made a return to Nottingham to delight the natives with her journalism. After roles as a feature writer, trainee reporter, reporter and columnist, Mhairi discovered that it was time to write a novel.

Her debut novel, You Had Me at Hello was an instant sensation after publication in 2012. It made record becoming the best HarperCollins best-selling eBook to date. It has been translated into over fifteen languages, and it’s being optioned for adaptation for the big screen. Her second novel Here’s Looking at You published in 2013 was a Sunday Times Bestseller. She currently lives in Nottingham where she worked as a local journalist. She’s now into freelance writing and sometimes does blogging. She likes eating food, drinking wine, obtaining clothes. She lives with her husband and their cat.

You Had Me at Hello

You Had Me at Hello is the first book in a series by the same name. It introduces us to Ben and Rachel, who met at Manchester University and immediately created a solid friendship. Because Rachel has an honest and strong long-distance relationship with her lover, Rhys, her friend Ben goes on night stands with a string of girls, and the two remain best friends.

Fast forward ten years, Rachel still lives in Manchester working as a court reporter, meeting up with her campus friends but has broken up with her boyfriend, Rhys. After her friend Caroline spots Ben in the library, Rachel dashes in an attempt to say hi to him. Rachel hasn’t seen or spoken to Ben for ten years. But things have changed a lot for him- Ben is now married, and Rachel is now single. As the two bumps into each other, their old strong friendship returns, along with Rachel’s previously deeply buried feelings that she would never reveal to him.

You Had Me at Hello prologue is brilliantly done, but the opening chapter of the story is brilliant. The author drops the reader right amid the scene, and it’s utterly gripping. The narrative changes between Rachel’s current life and her previous life with Ben at the university, this is great because the reader gets to know more about the characters and their background story and learns how the characters past experiences have transformed them into people they are in the present day. The author’s writing style is brilliant. This isn’t any other slushy romance story; instead, the author serves us with a real everyday story with really likable characters and a satisfying writing style, which is fantastic. The writing itself is sharp, and the cast is realistic such that the readers can compare them to real life people.

The heroine Rachel is well written. She has a great sense of humor; she is witty and instantly likable. The story is told through her narrative, and her personality truly shines through this narration. On the other hand, Ben is a charming man; you will fall in love with him as you get to learn more about him through their present and the background story. He’s got a good sense of humor as well. The supporting characters are a perfect addition to the story as well. The villains are well crafted as well; they are the type of people you will love to hate them. Mhairi McFarlane has woven a perfect mix of characters, such that when they’re put together, there are drama, clashes, flirting, friendship and buckets of laughter. Her writing style flows like butter on a hot knife. Her empathy for her main character, her wit, her kangaroo ability to hop between the past and the present will keep you engaged throughout.

Here’s Looking at You

Anna Alessi was once known as Aurelina. She was fat, often bullied, was unhappy and had no friends. Aurelina suffered humiliation during a Mock Rock performance on her last day of school. It was so humiliating such that she has never moved on from the hurt and has always kept it in her hurt. Despite her transformation and hard work, she never truly believes that she is no longer the downtrodden girl who once thought her world was ending James Fraser and her friends treated her so evilly.

When James and Anna meet again in a professional way, Anna can’t stand him, let alone work with him. But there also seems to be something of interest, and soon she finds herself questioning everything she has believed for so many years. Once again, the author introduces us to a cast of well-woven characters. Characters that are authentic and recognizable. The heroine, Anna, is vulnerable; she is also bright and intelligent. She is funny and witty, yet the reader deep down knows that she is hurting.

James is one of those handsome guys who seem to have the world at their feet. He is the kind of man every girl wants to be seen with, the kind of man every woman wants to create a future with. However, despite all these traits, and even though we already know what he did to Anna many years ago, we can’t help but love him more. Unfortunately, he surrounds himself with idiots and poseurs who are just cool for Lawrence and school. James and Lawrence have been best friends since high school. Lawrence is an utter bastard, a pig with no compassion, and morals. Despite the humor and the fun in this story, Here’s Looking at You is a story that deals with the theme of bullying and its effects something that every person has experienced at one point in their lives. Mhairi McFarlane has expertly showcased how bullying can cause long term damage to a person. The story is well balanced, and the characters, both main and supporting, are wonderful. The dry humor adds another layer to the story and doesn’t take away from the emotional subject of the story.