Finn is dead.

After the sudden split-second decision to miss a deer while driving to dinner, Finn's Dad sends their vehicle careening down a mountainside leaving Finn dead. While her spirit remains behind she is forced to watch helplessly as everyone makes choices - both good and bad - when fighting to survive. Once the survivors make it back to the land of the living, she stays on and observes the aftermath and the lies that are told to hide the dark truth of what happened during the blizzard.

This book was IMPOSSIBLE to put down. I finished it in just over a day by carrying it around with me and reading it at every spare moment I could scrape up. It is engrossing and such a realistic look into humanity and how we handle life-or-death decisions.

If you want a page turning that you will hate to put down, this is your book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A fantastic read, thoroughly enjoyable. A different genre from what i usually read. I loved the characters, how well is was written and the switch between finn showing us each different character. It certainly pulled on the heart strings but in a warm cozy feeling.

I just reviewed In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn. #InAnInstant #NetGalley this book was AMAZING. I binged it in just a few short hours. I love how we are getting the story from a "fly on the wall" type character. One minute you aren't sure where the story is going and the next you are gasping because no way did that just happen. In an Instant is a reminder that life is short. That people sometimes make drastic decisions. That maybe your friend isn't who you thought they were. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves to read a story that grasps on to you from page one. And the most thrilling part for me was that the ending wasn't just thrown together. It tied everything up for you. Rave reviews for this book.

An incredible feat of such raw, human emotion. This book gave me a lump in my throat from start to finish and even tears at several points. Even more hard hitting is reading the Author's Note at the end where we find this story is written based upon an experience in her youth and revisiting the forgivenesses she gave when she was a child that look less deserved as an adult.

Finn, 2 of her siblings, her parents, and a collection of 5 friends head up into the mountains for a ski holiday over president's day weekend. As night fell, on their way to dinner, Finn's dad swerves to miss a dear and their camper falls down the side of the mountain. In an instant, Finn is dead. This whole story is told from Finn's perspective as she is dead and can be a fly on the walls of everyone who survived. Because of that, we get to see how each character has dealt with the accident.

What comes after the accident is a roller coaster of emotions. This was such a heartbreaking exploration of human character and what happens when given a test you never thought you would need to prepare for. Of anyone, Finn's best friend Mo handled it the best. Considering that Suzanne Redfearn wrote this based upon an experience of her youth, I wonder if Mo is based upon someone in her life - my guess is her brother. Each survivor handled the aftermath differently, but all leaden with immense guilt for their own actions. I loved how the story draws to a close by each thread holding Finn to her family and Mo slowly breaking as each of them finds a way to move forward, although each time the threads broke was absolutely heart wrenching.

Redfearn's writing here was beautiful and intense. I really felt like I was there feeling everyone's emotions. Using Finn's perspective was perfect and it even allowed the reader to understand what Finn was feeling because it's always a wonder what those who have left us feel in those weeks/months when we're trying to move on.

I loved this beautiful, sad, tragic, but powerful story. I hope Redfearn found some peace in writing it, too. Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Suzanne Redfearn for allowing me to read this book in exchange for honest feedback.

Amazing book that forces the reader to think about how decisions are affected by tragedy, how people change when faced with their survival, and then how dealing with grief and regret can change the future. Told from the point of view of the ghost of Finn, the story is able to capture multiple viewpoints of each character, and it adds a depth to the story that makes it truly unique. Found myself rooting for the characters and not wanting to put it down until I finished and believing that although life can change in an instant that it can fall back in place too.

Holy cow! I just cried for 4 hours. Tears dropped down as I continued to read this book. I wanted to take a break but I couldn't. I had to keep reading.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away. But I loved The writing, the story, the characters... First thing in my list is to see if this author wrote anything else.

This book was sad, it was sweet, it made you think. Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out yet, I loved it.

I want to thank the publisher and #netgalley for an advance copy. This didn't affect my review, which I can prove by my red nose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

I was hooked on this novel from the first words. Finn is a 16 year old girl who feels a little lost in her family. Her dad's constant companion is Oz, her 13 year old brother with learning difficulties. Her mother is lost in the wilds of her older sister Aubrey's wedding. Her other sister, Chloe, is close to her, but distracted by her boyfriend Vance. Then there's Mo. Her best friend since childhood, who loves and understands her.. So when she goes on a quick vacation with her parents, Chloe, Vance, Mo, Oz, and the Golds, Bob, Karen and Natalie, she is sure that things will go wrong. She just doesn't' know how wrong they will go.

A crash ends Finn's life, and she is left to look upon the wreckage of the accident. Lives will be lost. Friendships destroyed. Loyalties tested. Finn is privy to it all as she watches them struggle to survive.

The book is breathtaking, haunting in a way i wasn't expecting. It's not so much about death as about the life we leave behind, and how one instant can change a whole life.

I loved this story. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. At first I thought it was going to be a bit similiar to other types of ghost stories, and I suppose in one way it was. The ghost of the young girl hanging around and watching the family and loved ones. But rapidly the story changed and there was a totally different twist and focus to it. I couldn't put it down. Enjoyed every bit of it and even cried.

You remember how Burger King told everyone around Halloween that eating their Nightmare King would give you nightmares? Well it didn't. But this book did. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it was a bad book whatsoever because that is far from the truth, it just got me.
The book is narrated by 16 year old Finn. She has a great life...happy family, awesome best friend, great school, etc. That all changes in an instant just as the title suggests, when on a family vacation, her father hits a deer during a blizzard and their travel vehicle tumbles down a cliff into a valley. Finn is immediately killed. The transition then begins between her living narrative and her ghost. She begins to "visit" family members, telling us their story of the fight for survival. Her sister Chloe and Chloe's boyfriend Vance are the first to set out on a mission to find help. Her mother Ann and a local Kyle soon follows suit, leaving Finn's father, Aunt Karen, Uncle Bob, their daughter Natalie, mentally challenged younger brother Oz, and best friend Mo (and dog Bingo) to work together to survive the tragedy. After no one returns with help, Uncle Bob tricks Oz into going out for help with dog Bingo. He does not return either. Kyle and Ann are able to finally flag down help and all are rescued and taken to the hospital except for Chloe and Oz. Chloe remains tucked away in the hollow of a pine tree after having lost Vance in the extreme conditions. Bingo is also found but not Oz. We later learn from Finn that her brother passed away as well. The story continues with everyone trying to rebuild their lives as best as they can. Some have lost fingers and toes, others just their sanity. Uncle Bob's "trick" getting Oz to go out and search soon is discovered and he is blamed for his death. The families seemingly unfurl and all the revelations.
This is a book about family and the fight to survive. At times it is a little creepy reading the book as narrated by a dead girl which gave me nightmares!
Overall a great read, I could not put it down.

“In an Instant” was an amazing story of how life must continue after tragedy. What choices will you make when faced with the possibility of your death and the death of others, will you behave in ways consistent with your perceived demeanor or will a new you emerge? This book held me captive from the first pages and left me thinking a long time afterwards. The Author’s note at the end explaining where the idea for the story came from is also a must read. From beginning to end, this story demonstrates how the choices we make affect our future as we continue to live in the aftermath of tragedy. A definite must read.

This will be a brief review, as I have only just finished and I'm struggling a bit with comprehending how amazing this book is! Its completely unique, so well written, the characters are absolutely beautiful - just such a perfect novel, the best I've read in ages!

I love books like this, the ones that make you evaluate how you're living your life and strive to do better, be better, and love those around you better. Never forget how short, but also how special, life is. I am honestly inspired, and will be carrying the message of this novel with me for a long time.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I can easily say this is the best book I have read in a very long time. This book is filled with wonderful deep characters that I felt an instant connection to. Finn is the narrator and she is a beautiful, warm, funny and wondrous character. This book will fill your heart with warmth one moment and completely break it the next. While the beginning of the book seems like a suspense novel to quickly changes to show you it is much more than this. It delves deeply into each person showing how each of us would react to the same problem. It is a reflection of people’s relationships and how we truly need to help each other. I cannot do justice to this book in a review and just ask everyone to read it.

The only time I put this book down at all after I started was when I was sobbing too hard to read. I loved everything about this novel- the story arcs, the characters, the beautiful writing. I’ve never read anything quite like it and I am going to shove it in the hands of everyone I know once it comes out.

The choices that we make in our lives are the choices that we alone have to live with. This book takes a terrible tragedy and tells the story of the aftermath. The beginning of the book is Finn's story as she and her family are off on a ski weekend. The rest of the story is still Finn's story, but she's a dead character watching her family deal with the terrible tragedy that they had been a part of. This is the kind of book that you read in one sitting because of the way the author tells the story of all of the characters. It was impossible to find a good place to stop at as I wanted to know how things were going to turn out for this family as they dealt with grief and loss, as well as heartbreak as they start to find themselves on the path to recovery. The premise is brilliant and the authors note makes this story even more powerful, as her motivation and inspiration for this book are revealed. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow.........In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down until I finished. So many emotions were running through me while I read. The writing and characters were so well developed, it almost felt like it could have been a true story about real people. This book is a real thought provoker about people you thought you knew but could change in an instant. Definitely a must read!

Finn Miller is dead. She died in a terrible car crash on her way to her grandfather's cabin. But Finn's spirit lives on, observing the aftermath of the accident (her whole family was in the car) and how each family deals with the aftermath of the car accident (not well). Finn watches her mother grapple with her guilt, her father, his rage, and her best friend Mo, who tries to unravel what happened directly after the accident, because some of the "facts" just don't make sense. Redfearn doe s good job of creating a realistic crisis and how real people would cope in such a situation. Utterly engaging.

Wow, this novel just knocked my socks off!!! In an Instant is a completely original novel that I absolutely recommend to everyone (no matter what your typical genre is). Suzanne Redfearn does a fantastic job with immediately drawing in the reader and keeping you hooked the entire way through! I found the storyline extremely moving, very thought provoking, and entirely captivating! In an Instant is a 5+++++ star read that will definitely be a novel I will read again..and again, and again! If your searching for the perfect book club selection —this is the book for you! I haven’t read Suzanne Redfearn prior to this, but I am very excited to explore her previous novels! In an Instant is on my 2020 favorites list—don’t miss this MUST READ!!

I loved this. It was the most compulsively readable book I’ve picked up all year. The story, told from Finns perspective offered such a wonderful observer feel to this already compelling premise. Trust this book to make you think, rethink and then think once more about the dynamics of a family and the dynamics of interactions with various people in your life. I could not recommend this book more.

In an Instant is a fantastic thriller that I could not down. The writing and and characters are well done. I hope to read more by this author.

Sit down, get a steamy cup of hot cocoa and read this book. You will NOT want to go out into the cold for a long time after reading this harrowing story.
In the vein of "The Lovely Bones", the main narrator is a ghost. Kind of weird to get used to but as the story progresses, you needed a spirit to infiltrate between all of the characters.
two families go on vacation in an RV.
The choices that they make will change them all forever.
The first 20 pages were a bit too detailed for my liking. I thought that they could be whittled down and I almost gave up on the book.
As soon as the accident happened, I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!
Its a great story of friendship, love, betrayal, and madness.
Overall, a great book.
Also loved the authors note after the book on HOW this story was really HER story!