I've just finished this book last night. I agree with some of the reviews that it could've been shorter for the story is really not that big deal although it was nice going back in time to the 90's and remember how people used to think..

Anyways, here's my 2 cents worth:

Let me start with Tara. She is probably the worst friend anyone could ever have. She is incredibly anti feminism. That being said, she didn't see the patterns she makes in relationship and "some" women are on that boat too so I got it later on. The blind eye towards an abusive man was too much for me to bear, and don't get me started on her bad rea lion ship with food. I mean, it was quite a scary scene when momentarily lost consciousness and put food in her mouth in the grocery store. Terrifying image of a woman. She's a character I'm never interested to read about.

Katherine and Joe were the saving grace of this book. Lovely build up and satisfying conclusion.

Fintan could've been funnier! I really hoped for more punch lines from him he was too cute in a good way.

Liv did not need to exist in this story.

I'm always hesitant to ready Marian Keys but I find myself picking up one for the "relatability" she usually writes. And although I did not relate to this book I still needed a book during lockdown to keep me company and this one made the cut..

From a 2020 perspective woman, I wished worse ending for Lorcan. Not death or murder, just more humiliation because rape of a 19 year old is not something you could just skip or write casually and then leave it at that.

There you have it. I really hope I never meet a Tara. For my own sanity and hers.

Terribly dated. I thought the plot line was a joke at times… language used does not translate well to 2024.

This was another Marian Keyes book that I liked the sound of and was looking forward to reading.

Straight away I got a sense of fun from the main characters, they had a great friendship and were comfortable and relaxed in each others company. Tara had a bit of a problem with food and I could totally relate to that! Any parts that mentioned her hunger either had me nodding my head because it’s something I do, or laughing out loud at how hilariously she behaves when she’s hungry. Seeing everyday objects as food was a particular favourite of mine and I found myself doing the same after I read this. Her relationship with Thomas made me feel uncomfortable because it was so obviously wrong, I just wanted to shake her to make her see sense.

Katherine was interesting, she was a strong, confident woman on the outside but had obviously been hurt at some point in her life and this made her push people away. I really enjoyed watching Joe try to make his move on her – her responses were cruel but made very entertaining reading!

Fintan was fabulous, I loved everything about him! His illness was one of the main things that stuck out for me in this book – it was a real turning point, not just for his character but for everyone. They all seemed to re-evaluate their own situations especially after Fintan makes a couple of difficult requests.

I couldn’t figure out where Lorcan fit into the story, I knew he had to be important in some way but I couldn’t predict how. He was a horrible character and once I had discovered why he was there, it all made sense. I think I’ll have to re-read this at some point because now I can look at it from a different perspective.

Fintan becoming ill meant that there were quite a few heart-wrenching moments but these were balanced out by some very funny moments, for example a disastrous mud wrap adventure for Tara that is not to be missed!

A surprise twist near the end pieced everything together and it was something that I hadn’t seen coming which made it even more interesting to read.

This is an enjoyable book that really makes you see things in a different way.

Well... you can tell this was written in the 90s. Please don't read this if you've experienced eating disorders, or simply weight loss/gain and diets in general. There were whole pages I just had to skip because one of the protagonists berating herself was so horrible to read. Was her self-loathing supposed to be funny, or an insight into her character? I suspect it was the former, but either way... Nooo thanks! And don't even get me started on the paedophile side character?!? Wtf??

I've enjoyed Marian Keyes' books in the past. The dialogue is witty and you do get attached to the characters. But I was REALLY not a fan of this one. Please god let this not be an omen for my 2023 reading year!

(Update: From 4 stars to 3.) I only just realize years later from reading this that .......... There's my hopeful showing again. It was okay.. I didn't read this cover, and whoever wrote the synopsis turns it on its head. It's about appreciating the simple things at the last moment. A typical. Only because, we can do that along the way.

I have to say that I found this hard going to start with - in fact, a couple of false starts and almost a week had elapsed before I really started reading it. And the main reason for this is that I really didn't like Fenton, Tara, Liv and Katherine. We first meet them in a restaurant, where they come across as being fashion-obsessed, neurotic, unhappy people in a London setting that has no real appeal to me at all!

However, knowing how much I've enjoyed this author before, I decided to give it another go and it did get a lot better. The characters are forced to face up to their ridiculous ideas and quirks, when Fenton falls ill and guilts them into changing. Of course, there are happy endings all round, except for the ultra bad guy who gets just what he deserves.

I can't say this was my favourite Keyes book, but once I'd got so far with the book, I did start to enjoy it. And there were some quite funny moments to add to the entertainment.

Flojo flojo para ser de Marian Keyes. Es de su estilo con enfermedades y dramas varios pero el principal problema para mí han sido los personajes.
Entiendo que Tara está pasando un mal momento, en algunas ocasiones me he visto reflejada y no me ha gustado pero eso es otro tema. Pero es que no acaba nunca. Es alcohólica a más no poder, además extremadamente glotona, ansiosa, con la autoestima por el suelo. Sé que viene de la relación con Thomas pero se hace muy largo y muy pesado ver que durante 50 páginas habla de dejarlo y no pasa nada. Eso puede pasar en la vida real pero en un libro tienes que darle más dinamismo.
Katherine al principio me caía bien y luego se pone súper pesada con no dejar que Joe se le acerque. Y luego meten un pasado súper turbulento y súper innecesario. No me ha gustado nada la curva de desarrollo de este personaje.
Y luego Lorcan. ¿Qué necesidad había? ¿Se trataba de un plot twist? Ni lo ha conseguido ni me ha interesado.
Liv y Milo son los únicos que se salvan de este libro.
Me da pena porque me suelen gustar los libros de Marian Keyes pero este no me ha gustado.
Le doy dos estrellas porque creo que es bastante adictivo y me tuvo hasta muy tarde sin poder parar de leer.

The more I read, the more I love. Excellent! As engaging as Sushi for Beginners this is another ensemble story about three best friends and their lives and loves. I literally could not put it down. I just wanted to know what happened! I really liked the characters of Tara and Katherine, and their back stories and that although everyone didn't end up happily ever after, the potential to be happy was there. I'm on to another Walsh book, the last because she hasn't written one about Helen yet. Looking forward to more!

It is always refeshing and endearing to read about solid friendships. Tara, Katherine and Finton are best mates, moving to London, hailing from Dublin. Each have their idiosyncrasies, but always there for each other.

This was a good audio selection, wtih all voices distinct, and accents fun listening. These lighthearded contemporary reads are not hard reading, so the stop start suits me.

All in their early thirties, they seem to be flailing. What is their direction? They've been in London for ten years, what have they to show for it? The writing flows easily and points to many of their faults and foibles.

Finton, seems to have everything together. Great boyfriend, the love of his life, brilliant flashy career in fashion and highly opinionated. His world comes crumling due to some health news. His girls are there for him.

He is short of patience now though, and his girls are asking for it.

Katherine, otherwise known as the Ice Queen at work, has a penchance for neatness and matching underwear, perpetually single and inpenetrable. But she is not happy. Surely she deserves some happiness. What has happened in her past to make her so reserved, boundaries tightly drawn.

Tara. Tara is the hard to take one. This was a tricky female character. Needing a man, putting up with a rotton one. The type of man that her friends hate, and tell her so. He puts her down and treats her terribly, when he clearly is no catch himself. She questions her weight hundreds of times a day and this is so unhealthy. It was hard to take. It's pub date is 1999, and this is very obvious.

These messy three make such great friends, but time has come to shake them all up, quetion their priorties, meaning of life and what matters the most.

This was an easy read for me and I certainly did enjoy, but Tara's lukewarm and blandness caused one too many eye rolls for this reader. I am loving getting through my physical books by selecting audio, and will always go back to Marian Keyes. This author is a recovered alcoholic and writes the condition of addiction well, it is authentic and sad to witness.

A well written novel, very light. 3 stars from me.

I listened to this on the Libby app through my public library, at 1.80 speed.

I just reread this book for the first time about a decade and again found myself totally immersed and absorbed in the world of Katherine and Tara. (I always had this impression that it was equally about Fintan but on this read I realised he is not the major character.)

Tara and Katherine are two London expats from small town Ireland - chaotic Tara clings to a terrible relationship whilst conservative Katherine avoids relationships at all costs. When their childhood friend Fintan insists they change their lives, they are shocked - but this sets in motion a chain of events that uproot both women’s lives.

I absolutely loved both Tara and Katherine. Tara’s storyline makes me laugh out loud - especially a scene involving an exercise machine and some hot chips. But it’s also a painfully relatable story as she struggles with common addictions like food and spending. Katherine’s storyline is equally painful - and is also the more erotic storyline as she falls for her colleague Joe.

There is a great subplots involving a vain actor named Lorcan who has vague links to Tara and Katherine’s lives - but whose involvement in the story becomes clearer towards the end. He was a wonderful character who you love to hate.

But this is also a very warm big hearted story about friendship and life itself that always moves me a lot. One of MKs best <3

Last Chance Saloon continues to speak to me and it has been almost six years since I have read it for the first time. I don't know why I re-read this constantly. Maybe it's because I keep thinking that the ending of the book will unexpectedly change. I fell in love with the main characters in this book and really just wanted them to have nothing but good things.

Even though this book is supposed to be about three best friends since child/teenage years Tara, Fintan, and Katherine. Most of the book devotes itself to Tara and Katherine's lives and how Fintan's health problems end up impacting both of them to do things that they never thought they would.

Last Chance Saloon comes from a saying that Tara always says when it is brought up that she should leave her horrible boyfriend Thomas. Thinking of herself as old and decrepit, she thinks that if she does eventually leave Thomas or she him, that she will have no further chance at love.

Katherine on the other hand is alone in between periods of when she dates a man and finds herself turning into a stage five clinger.

The only one of the trio that is in a happy and healthy relationship is Fintan with his boyfriend.

And life continues on it's way until Fintan is diagnosed with cancer. With everything becoming topsy/turvy we have all of them being affected by his illness. Fintain eventually calls his friends together to give them each a request that he wants them to do or he plans on dying just to spite them.

I think the character I found myself feeling more affinity with was definitely Katherine. You eventually find out why Katherine acts like she does, but at the time you don't get it. Being the most self assured of the trio (and most grownup) you don't think that things affect Katherine like it does everyone else. It was great to see Katherine starting to let other people in and have her learn from her mistakes.

Tara was maddening. I think that everyone has been in a relationship like Tara. You are dating someone awful. And you find yourself staying in it since the thought of being alone feels like a fate worse than death. Heck I am friends with some people who did this fairly recently and it gets tiring to listen to. I can't imagine dating someone like Thomas in real life. Bigoted, mean, cheap, and just a general asshole, Tara dating him made me dislike her since I was tired of her making excuses for the guy.

Though this book is set up as a trio with Fintan. You don't really get inside his head too much except for the parts where you find out how he met and fell in love with his now boyfriend. That is one reason why I could not give this a full five stars. I think it would have worked better if we had more insight into Fintan and his pain and fear due to his cancer diagnosis.

We instead flip/flop around with another character named Lorcan. At first you don't understand why Ms. Keyes included the guy and what he has to do with anything. If anything you start to realize that Ms. Keyes was leaving clues to why Lorcan was important throughout the book. You don't get to the payoff until almost the very end though. Lorcan was so horrible to not even feel real at times. Unfortunately I have met this guy's doppleganger in real life so I know that sometimes people like this do exist (womanizer, cheater, liar, etc.).

I do still wish that we had gotten less information involving Lorcan and more with Fintan.

I really don't have any complaints about Ms. Keyes writing or pacing. She writes very well and you don't have to worry about getting lost with which character is speaking. The entire book is told in the third person which allows you to keep track of who is speaking quite easily.

Took me absolutely ages to get into, I’d say I was half way through before I was properly hooked but once I was I was very hooked, started bringing it everywhere with me in case I got a chance to read it, lovely story