Review: The Night that Changed Everything by Laura Tait & Jimmy Rice ~ Once Upon a Bookcase

The Night that Changed Everything by Laura Tait & Jimmy Rice (proof) - Rebecca is the only girl she knows who didn't cry at the end of Titanic. Ben is the only man he knows who did. Rebecca’s untidy but Ben doesn’t mind picking up her pieces. Ben is laid back by Rebecca keeps him on his toes. They're a perfect match.

Nothing can come between them. Or so they think.

When a throwaway comment reveals a secret from the past, their love story is rewritten.

Can they recover from the night that changed everything? And how do you forgive when you can’t forget?

The Night That Changed Everything is a funny, feel-good and bittersweet story, told in alternate chapters by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice. From Goodreads.

Having absolutely adored The Best Thing That Never Happened to Me by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice, when I heard about their second book, The Night that Changed Everything, reading it was a no-brainer. And this is such a fantastic read!

Rebecca and Ben have been together for a year, and they're perfect for each other. They're chalk and cheese, but they balance each other out, and they have never been in a relationship that felt more right. This is it for them; they're completely in love, and can't envision ever splitting up. Well, that is until someone makes a comment, one that reveals something from the past, and everything changes. A spanner has been thrown into the works of their relationship, and they've been rocked to the core. Everything they knew has been torn out from under them; can they get past this shocking revelation, or will things never be the same again?

This is a very different book compared to their debut, and I was a little disappointed at first that it didn't include the same awkward humour, but I think it was a disservice to The Night That Changed Everything and Tait and Rice to expect the same thing. It's a completely different story, and a wonderful one!

It's a little difficult to discuss The Night that Changed Everything without spoiling the revelation, which has an affect on the whole story. It's not your average romance, with obstacles getting in the way of a wonderful relationship. This was a wonderful relationship that has suddenly been shaken. What happens when you discover something that you're not sure you can get past? Can a relationship survive that, when everything you thought you knew has been turned on it's head, and maybe the person you know and the person they actually are don't necessarily match up? It's a brilliant look at a relationship when your Happily Ever After isn't what you thought it was. The Night that Changed Everything is dual narration from the perspectives of both Rebecca and Ben, and because we can get inside their heads, we know they have huge communication problems. Assumptions are made based on glimmers of each others' lives, and as they're not currently talking because of all the hurt, no-one is able to set the other straight. The assumptions just add more hurt, and it all piles up. It's frustrating, but it's also just really sad. If they would only talk to each other...

This isn't a book that is just about a romantic relationship, but also a story about friendship, and figuring out who you are and what you want from life. The title of the book refers to the night of the revelation, but really it could be referring to a number of nights for various different reasons. Thinking about the story arc in terms of the title, there are a number of points in the book where decisions are made by both Rebecca and Ben that affect the direction their lives go in.

It was really interesting to read about their lives as a whole, not just about their relationship and how it develops. Rebecca is an architect, and has her very first big project. As the story progresses, we see the progress of the cinema she's renovating, and how her life affects her work. It's a big deal for Rebecca, and something she's passionate about. Ben works in HR, but it's a job for the time being, while he works out exactly what it is he wants to do with his life. He hates his job in HR, but doesn't really do anything about trying to find something he himself is passionate about. He's always flitted from thing to thing - job or otherwise - without really finding something he loves or can stick to.

There's a large cast of characters who influence the two main characters lives. There's Danielle, one of Rebecca's friends, and Jamie, best friend to both Rebecca and Ben, and through whom they met. There's Russ and Tom, colleagues, ex-flatmates and friends of Ben's, and there's Jemma, the new receptionist at Rebecca's company. We also have Avril, who is Tom's girlfriend, who is one of the most annoying characters I have ever met. Each and everyone of these people has an affect on Rebecca and Ben's lives, and their individual stories. I have to say Jemma and Russ were my two favourites. I love how Rebecca judged her at first of being not her kind of person, but how the two actually form a close friendship with Jemma offering a lot of support for Rebecca. She's also incredibly funny, as is Russ, and they both provided most of the humour for the book. Jamie is also incredibly lovely, and in the awful position of being friends with both Rebecca and Ben, and is kind of stuck in the middle. There's no more hanging with everyone together while the two work things out, he has to spend time with them separately. Jamie is the one who has the most influence with the two throughout the story, and seeing how what he says alters how the two think and the choices they make was really wonderful.

The Night that Changed Everything has a really poignant and bittersweet ending, with a twist I didn't see coming. The story is wrapped up and concluded with a satisfying end, but it's just so, so sad that it took what it did to get there. What I love about this story is how realistic it is; life is messy, Happily Ever Afters don't actually exist, and relationships can hit roadblocks. This isn't going to be the story you expect, but that doesn't mean it's not an enjoyable and satisfying read. The Night that Changed Everything is ultimately an uplifting story, and one that makes you think about what's important in life. I loved it!

Thank you to Corgi for the proof.