How to Save a Life is one of the most complex stories I’ve read this year. Kerry and Tim are best mates, both convinced their futures are to go to med school. On New Year’s Eve, Kerry’s secret crush, Joel, goes into cardiac arrest at a party and Kerry immediately jumps into action to save his life. Tim balks, unable to move, and watches while Kerry works to keep Joel alive. 18 minutes of CPR performed by Kerry and eventually with the help of Tim save Joel. Joel’s alive, but what happens in the next days, months and years develop from complicated emotions and memories of that fateful New Year’s Eve. Joel, Kerry and Tim soon learn that their lives will forever be intertwined and that a saved life does not necessary promise gratitude or even joy. Eva Carter tells a remarkable story about destiny, romance, dedication and addiction. While often frustrated with each character, I found myself gripped by their lives and eager to discover their next (literal!) chapter. How to Save a Life is a fantastic read and one that shouldn’t be missed in 2021.

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a touching, if complicated, love story that unfolds over a two decades. On the brink of the new millennium, Joel Greenaway literally drops dead on the soccer field. The victim of a sudden cardiac arrest, he is resuscitated for eighteen agonizing minutes before his heart returns to a normal rhythm. Those eighteen minutes have a ripple effect through three young lives – bonding them in a profound way and changing forever their perceptions of themselves and each other.

Kerry Smith, a classmate of Joel’s, is the first to respond by initiating CPR. Another classmate, Tim Palmer, is incapable of responding beyond feeling paralyzed to take action. In the aftermath, each one copes with the trauma in their own way – one losing a promising professional career in sports, one delaying a life-long dream of becoming a doctor and one harboring severe doubts about his ability to become a competent physician.

The storyline is told from the perspectives of Kerry, Joel and Tim in alternating chapters. The timeline is a bit erratic, but it does not detract from the cohesiveness of the plot. The characters are well-developed and engaging in their progression from adolescence to adulthood. The emotional landscape is rich in scope – running the spectrum from joy to despair and every nuance in between. At times, the flawed nature of their relationships is a bit frustrating, if understandable, but the ending is satisfying. Ultimately, To Save a Life goes far beyond the physical treatment of cardiac arrest (death) to embrace the emotional and mental consequences for all involved.

According to the Authors’ Note, this book is based on her own personal experience of saving a life through her resuscitation efforts. To that end, it is not only an interesting work of fiction, it also serves to educate the reader about the need for an immediate response to save a life through CPR and defibrillation.

My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

How to Save a Life; a story told in 3 different POV’s, Kerry, Tim and Joel. From the beginning, Tim seemed a bit shady, but you will see why he does what he does. Kerry and Tim are both desperate to go to med school, but only one gets in.

Joel, an up and coming ball player has a traumatic event on New Years Eve that will forever tie the 3 together.

I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How to Save a Life, is a beautiful story of life, love and loss. Focusing on Kerry, Joel and Tim and the 18 minutes that forever connects them to one another for years to come.

While, I am typically drawn more towards romance/comedies, I really enjoyed this book. The complexity of the characters and storyline, were heart-wrenching and inspiring. I was on a rollercoaster of feelings, but it was worth it!

Highly recommend this book!

What a remarkable novel about rebirth and appreciation for life. Kerry may have saved Joel but the heart became stronger due to love. It was fate that brought them together. Tim was necessary in Kerry's life as a dedicated friend. This book makes you truly want to live and enjoy the possibilities of each day.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

A heartbreaking love story intertwined with medical and moral dilemmas - what more could you ask for! I felt it was a really original take on a love story gone wrong.

What a rollercoaster!
Going into this, I didn't realize it was set in England, so I had to adjust to the language.

Joel is an up-and-coming football (soccer) star who drops dead on New Year's Eve. Kerry is an aspiring doctor who helps to bring him back to life. But, the life he gets back is not the one he had 18 minutes before she started CPR. It will haunt them both.

This is not an easy story. So many missed connections. Drug addiction, cancer, unplanned pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy. So many hurts and slights. At times, I wanted to give up. I'm glad I stuck it out. Now, I'm crying.

The story really is beautifully written.

I type this with tears in my eyes. This was a hard book to read, my husband suffered a heart attack a little over a year ago. After the first chapter or so, I wasn't sure I could continue, but I did. I'm so happy to have read this, even if it made me cry, numerous times.

This s beautifully written book, kudos to the author!

Put this on your must read list!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

I did not like Tim from the beginning and never quite came around to him. I think a lot of women have had men take credit for something that they did and I could never really get past that. This book was full of drama, angst, and almost-but-not-quite moments. I also immediately think of the song when I see the title (which I assume is intentional and the author states she's a big Grey's Anatomy fan) but I feel like it's a bit unoriginal as a result.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay... Hands down. The author is hell of a brilliant storyteller! But I wished I could relate with the characters she created so reading it wouldn’t be a rough patch for me to get through!

A person’s life could be changed in only few second as he/ she sees the thin line between life and death. In this book: it changed three young people’s lives: as one of them fights to survive , the other ones struggle to save his life!

We have three narrators, our tormented MCs we follow their lives for 18 years. Not simple, smooth, peaceful lives they’d dreamed to live! Those lives are full of angsts, dramas, sadness push them use drugs, losing control, making millions of mistakes. At some parts I want to shake some sense into them. They pissed me off a lot just like the people who act like martyrs punishing themselves ! ( Yes, Joel, I’m exactly talking about you!!!)

I’ll dig into more plot and give you more clues why I couldn’t empathize with the characters!

The story starts at the New Year’s Eve on 2019! Kerry and Tim are close friends since childhood, working towards medical school, planning to save lives, becoming true heroes. Then Joel, popular athlete of the school collapses on the floor, having heart attack. Both of them are trained for CPR. Kerry acts without thinking, beginning first aide, doing CPR as Tim freezes, shocked, numbed. When Kerry gets exhausted to do CPR, he slowly gathers himself to help her. Joel’s life is saved but he still needs a critical surgery which means he can say goodbye his dream to become a football star!!

But this traumatic experience changes trio’s lives, haunting them forever.

Throughout the years they involve each other’s life stories and their rekindling love triangle.

Tim always acts like manipulative, demanding, self centered prick! And even though they hate passionate relationship, Joel breaks Kerry’s heart into million pieces, acting like honorable man who is not good enough for Kerry. And Kerry never wants to hurt Tim’s feelings but she also yearns for Joel’s attention whether he acted like prick!

I don’t know how many I want to yell at, punch, kick, shake the characters but I couldn’t stop reading their story because I was hooked, writing style is still riveting, keeping my attention alert. The conclusion of the story was semi-satisfying but it wasn’t illogical.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and intriguing story telling skills but I want to hire contracted killer to punish her characters.

As a result I’m giving three stars! But I have to admit, I still want to read more works of the author. I know next time she’ll give us more pleasing characters! I keep my hopes up!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this arc copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I received an advance copy of, How to Save a Life, by Eva Carter. I did not care for this book at all or the characters. I would not want any of them to take care of me.