After a successful partnership in love and in a restaurant business, Carrie is shaken to the core by her partner, Kevin, who announces he is in love with the Colombian beauty, Valentina, that works for them. Carrie is left to truly figure out her life while Kevin breezes on with his arm candy.
As the book progresses, Carrie makes forward progress in her life, making decisions that improve her and her life. She surrounds herself with people she really cares about and finds a whole new world without the self-centered, needy Kevin.
This novel was just OK. It never seemed to get off the ground and fly. The premise is good: betrayal in love, new resolve found, lives intertwining and blending. I could see what was happening too quickly to one of the characters because it was such a pat path. Rarely do I jump to the end to see what happens but found it was the only way to get through the rest of the book.

I really enjoyed the character growth of Beth. I think many women could take the same advice.

I loved this book, and it did take me a few days to read, but I loved it. I would recommend!

Great book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I would definitely recommend this book to all. Thank you Faith Hogan

I enjoyed following Beth's growth trajectory as she grew stronger and more confident in herself. More books need to be like this.

I enjoyed this book. Set in Dublin we follow Carrie as she separates from her long term partner, at his behest. Carrie has always been sensible, thorough, trustworthy, reliable, a helper. But when Kevin leaves her for an attractive Colombian waitress Carrie realities that she can now live her own life, on her own terms and in her own way. An eclectic group of friends and family support Carrie to move forwards in her life. And she does. But then something dreadful happens.........
Well written with great characters this book, is enjoyable and absorbing

Faith Hogan has written a heart-warming story about the effects of choices people make. Carrie, the strength and creativity behind The Sea Pear, a successful restaurant in Dublin, has been working with her long-time boyfriend for years when he unexpectedly announces he’s in love with a younger woman. A dog, a sweet, elderly neighbor, and a handsome archeologist help her realize the woman she really is. This delightful story will satisfy any reader longing for a happy ending to make things right.

Judith Keim, best-selling author of The Beach House Hotel Series.

Poor. Carrie, quickly became Poor Kevin (or Keveen, as Valentina liked to say!). I really wmjpyed the unravelling tale of Carrie as she becomes dumped for the sexy Valentina by long term boyfriend and business partner Kevin. I loved how Carrie emerges as a strong, independent woman, and how Kevin seriously regrets his actions. A neat little twist with new boyfriend Luke and Maureen. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would definitely recommend.

A nice mix of fluffy chick lit and heavy-ish emotion. Sometimes it all has to go sideways for you to see it was never really all that great to being with :c)

My review has been posted to my blog & Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

Picking up a Faith Hogan book is like coffee and cake with an old friend, you know it’s going to be a combination of the familiar and the unexpected, and will end with a satisfactory conclusion all round.
Carrie is a lovely character who has fallen into a rut, so when her long-term boyfriend and business partner drops the ultimate bombshell, she turns it around to an opportunity to straighten out her own life. Just when she feels she’s coming out the other end, she discovers Kevin’s new love isn’t what she pretends to be and her actions will impact on all of them.
Happily, Carrie doesn’t do what she always has, cave in, prop up the incompetent man and get taken for granted which is what happens so often, she’s is moving on in every sense of the word.
The story handles all sorts of complicated emotional issues, loss, grief, loneliness, starting again when you are at your lowest and still holding onto your dignity. There was an inevitability as to how this story would end, but I enjoyed how the triumphs of the one compared with the car crash of the other. There was humour too and I loved Kevin’s conversations with his friend Jim which accentuated his total unawareness of what he was getting into. It was so satisfying to watch him crash and burn, and I so hoped he wouldn’t take Carrie with him.

“What happened to us?” By Faith Hogan was a delight to read. I was drawn in from the first page and it was so difficult to put down.....I love that in a book 📖

🌟PLOT🌟 Carrie’s life changes drastically, after boyfriend of 10 years, dumps her in the most unthinkable way. She feels like everything she worked for is pulled out from under her feet, but after reflection this might not have been such a shock to her, and she starts to enjoy putting herself first.

Cue an unlikely friendship with the elderly lady from across the street and the new man in town, and soon secrets from the past begin to unravel in a most wonderful way, and they all move into a future that is brighter for them all.

The ending was lovely, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, and obviously I cried.

🌟review🌟 a wonderful Christmassy read, even if it is only August. I loved how the story and plot unraveled so easily and the flow throughout the book made it so hard to put down. The description of each character was brilliant, and I fell in love with most characters, while hating others.
“What happened to us?” Is an absolutely wonderful book that is so full of hope, and shows that even after years of being lonely, or lost, that eventually you can find your happy ending! A resounding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me

3.5

this is a perfect light, fluffy read and i enjoyed it very much. the story follows carrie nolan, who has just been dumped by her boyfriend of over 10 years, kevin. the worst part is he left her for valentina, a much younger colombian waitress at the restaurant that they co-own. after the breakup, carrie finds solace in talking to jane, an old lady who lives across the road from the restaurant, and luke, who they both “happen” to meet. it’s all very cute so if that’s not your thing, you probably won’t enjoy it.

characters
i hated kevin so much omg. he was the actual worst. a lot of my issues with the book come for kevin’s existence, and the stereotype that all immigrants are evil and criminals. he was essentially a man child, who was horrible to everyone around him, and honestly there was too much of this book from his point of view. it got to the point where his “evilness” was just comical and made me wonder why the actual fuck carrie was even with him for so long. his character development felt very forced, but it wasn’t terrible.

i liked carrie but thought she was a little too perfect towards the end, and again, i didn’t really understand why she put up with kevin for so long. valentina was interesting but i didn’t like how some parts of her character were written - it just felt ignorant and rude. jane was interesting and very cute, and i loved anna and carrie’s other friends. there was a lot of amazing female friendships and relationships among families that made this book amazing.


the plot was pretty standard, i did guess how everything would turn out, but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of reading. in fact whenever i guessed how something would end up, there would be a new subplot introduced so i could try and figure out how that would affect the story.

all in all, it was a cute story and the perfect fluffy read! i recommend it if you are in the mood for chick lit.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book follows Carrie, who is devastated by her partner, in both love and business, Kevin leaving her for their beautiful Colombian waitress Valentina. As Carrie takes the time to heal, she can see that she has always put the needs of their successful restaurant, and Kevin (and his mother), before considering her own.

As she rebuilds her life, she finds new friends to help her. Jane, a widow struggling to run the pub across the road from Carrie's restaurant, Teddy, an adorable dog who has chosen Carrie to be his, and Luke, a historian who has temporarily stopped drifting to settle his father into a local nursing home.

With Christmas approaching, a catastrophic series of events culminate in Carrie reaching an understanding of the meaning of true friendship, and considering whether it is ever too late to start again.

It is not often that characters resonate with me in the way that these did. Carrie is far stronger than she ever really believed she was, Jane has a strength that belies her fragility, and Teddy, the dog who came into Carrie's life at a time that she thought her life was falling apart, is a far better judge of character than Kevin ever will be!

I could not put this down, it is the perfect autumnal/winter read.