Mo Kaminski and Chloe Miller share an apartment in San Francisco with their friend Hazel who disappears after being drugged and sexually assaulted by Allen, someone Mo knows from college. Mo and Chloe set out to find Hazel and bring her home.

This isn't exactly a sequel to In an Instant by this author but the book does reunite us with some of the characters eight years after the events of In an Instant. Not having read any other of Suzanne Redfearn's books I didn't realize characters from some of her other novels are featured as well. I enjoyed this book but maybe not as much as In An Instant. Although Mo and Chloe are now in their mid-twenties, they make some bad decisions and behave rather immaturely at times. Still, it's smooth reading with nice short chapters and Ruby the dog is a real sweetheart! The author's note at the end is very eye-opening. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to a friend.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am a big fan of Suzanne's work, and In An Instant was my absolute favorite. I was leery of a follow up novel because they aren't usually as good. I am happy to report I was wrong! It was great to catch up with some of the characters after several years. Bravo!

I really like how the author uses the characters from her precious book In an Instant and I do recommend that you read that book first.

Chloe and Mo who are from the precious book don’t alway make the healthiest of choices and are quite immature in my opinion. Ruby was a shining star for me!!
The premise of the book involves a rape of a roommate and travels down the road of “what would you do”. It test friendships and live and brings back old traumas that are difficult to deal with.
Overall it was fast paced but seemed to get off track at times.

This was quite a powerhouse book! I had not read anything by the author prior, and I enjoyed it.
We have three friends, one has a tragic event occur, the other 2 stop at nothing to make sure she is helped and she is ok. Along the way, there are other side adventures that take place keeping things going.
I really loved the characters and their devotion to each other. The plot moved quickly and I loved the ending.
Well done!

We get to revisit our favorite characters but this could be a stand alone book. A novel of love and friendship and my favorite character Ruby.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was so excited to see that there was a follow up to In An Instant and this did not disappoint in any way. I love Redfearn’s writing. She engages me immediately every time. Seeing these characters again was a pure joy. Highly recommend Moment in Time.

It was okayish, the story bored me, but I liked the characters and the subject. I wouldn't recommend it, but I think it's an important book.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Suzanne Redfearn, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. While I have not read anything else by Suzanne Redfearn, I really enjoyed this book and the characters and it found me wanting to read In An Instant and her other work. I found the pacing of this book perfectly and it kept me interested the whole way through, I read most of this book in one sitting. I thought the subject matter was dealt with well and I loved following the different characters and trying to figure out what was going on.

I really enjoyed this! I loved getting to revisit some of the characters from In an Instant which is a book that I really loved. I wasn’t crazy about all of the decisions that the characters made in this book but I still really enjoyed it.

*Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Suzanne Redfearn, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/moment-in-time/

“The power of right / Is a greater might / than thou can’st think or speak”

—Hazel, Moment in Time

Moment in Time is the sequel to Redfearn’s bestseller In an Instant. While I did not read the former book, this book definitely stands on its own. A powerful book; it will bring out all the emotions including sad, angry, confused and sympathetic. Date rape and the drug BHT are central to this story but handled delicately and with compassion.

This novel is about three friends living in San Francisco. When one of their friends, Hazel, is drugged and raped at a local bar, Chloe and Mo rally around her. But Hazel blames Mo, who left her at the bar to take a phone call. She leaves a cryptic poem, along with the ingredients for the date rape drug, gamma-hydroxybutyrate, or GHB. Believing Hazel is going to commit suicide, they follow her on the app, “find my friend,” through California and Oregon. Chloe and Mo have their own adventures along the way, with Ruby the rescue dog and bringing in characters from other Suzanne Redfearn books such as Hunter and Kyle. They soon learn the perpetrator accused of raping Hazel has been drugged and beaten, and their road trip to save Hazel turns into an “on-the-run” from the cops in San Francisco, who believe Mo is the one who drugged the rapist.

While enjoyable, I found the author had a penchant for going in all directions at once. For example, they visit a famous restaurant in Spokane, Wa. while on Hazel’s tail. Chloe ends up fishing with the owner and a former classmate she barely remembers. But it didn’t seem to bring the story any farther and as the reader, I wondered why they would stop and have a meal and spend the night when they were trying to catch up to their suicidal friend. Mo’s character is very contradictory. Her guilt in leaving the bar, resulting in Hazel getting raped, has her considering significant jail time before giving up Hazel’s identity. She also runs a small successful news organization, but is almost child-like in her actions on social media, making compulsive mistakes you wouldn’t think her described character would make. Mistakes that get her deeper into trouble. Both Chloe and Mo make knee-jerk decisions you would not think they would make in their 20s. While the aim of their journey is to save their friend, they take endless pit stops and even find romance while the victim is wandering aimlessly across the western states.

Despite some issues I have with the characters, this novel was a thrill ride through and through. Their loyalty to their friend is both thought-provoking and touching. While the heavy subject matter is thought-provoking, I found Moment in Time to be more about loyalty to the people you love and the family you make. The Author’s note at the end of the book is also a must read, as she explains how the idea of this book came about.

This book was like visiting a good friend. The characters from "In an Instant Return" to continue their stories. I loved re-visiting them! The stories diverged in ways I didn't expect, so that was a fun surprise! I love the writing and the new characters that appeared. Although I think it could be read as a stand alone it is nice knowing what happened to the characters before the this book.

I was absolutely blown away by In An Instant, it was up there with one of my favourite books of 2020 so when I saw that there was a follow-up book, I was beside myself with excitement.

I don’t think anything will quite compare to In An Instant for me, but I did really enjoy Moment In Time. It’s so rare that you read a book you absolutely loved and are then gifted the opportunity to revisit once loved characters, it was such a treat.

I liked reading about Mo and Chloe’s lives after the accident, I loved them just as much as I did 8 years before. I was so invested in this story and read it pretty quickly as a result, I’m fairly certain that anyone who loved In An Instant will do the same,

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Moment in Time takes place eight years after Suzanne Redfearn’s first novel in the series, In an Instant. It follows several of the characters from the first book and how they are living now. While it wasn’t anything I expected, I do think it handles the subject matter of sexual assault very well. It’s unpredictable which I think is great in a novel. Especially with such a sensitive subject. I don’t want to give anything way. But I will say it’s well written and gives hope to survivors of SA.

Absolutely loved this book and I loved In An Instant, too!!

Description
From the bestselling author of In an Instant comes a heartrending story about the power of friendship during the most challenging moments in life.

It’s been eight years since a tragic accident changed Mo Kaminski’s and Chloe Miller’s lives forever. Now in their midtwenties, they’re sharing an apartment in San Francisco and navigating the normal challenges of early adulthood. Along with their roommate, Hazel, they are making their marks on the world—Mo revolutionizing the news with her media start-up, Hazel using her big brain to anticipate the future, and Chloe rescuing abandoned strays in the city.

But when Hazel disappears after being sexually assaulted, Mo’s and Chloe’s lives are again suddenly ripped apart. And when the perpetrator turns up drugged and beaten, the mystery of where Hazel is deepens. Intensely worried and desperate to discover the truth, they set out to find Hazel and bring her home.

Mo and Chloe are no strangers to tragedy, but this journey will test them in ways they never imagined. The stakes are high; the future uncertain; the need for justice essential.

Will their commitment to their friend bring them closer together—or ultimately drive them apart?

This was a tough read for me. A lot of trigger warnings for this one - sexual assault, rape, violence against women, trauma. Won't be for everyone and I have to admit, I had to put it down and take a break several times. The statistics are staggering - 1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted at some point in her life (and those are just the ones that are reported) - so I can't imagine there are too many women who won't be affected reading this. It was well-written and the author managed to capture the fear, shame, guilt, anger, and all of the various emotions experienced by victims of sexual assault. I'm still processing my thoughts on this. I think there are things I wish she would have included, but I don't know if that's fair, or if it's projection. I'll admit, I'm probably not the best reviewer for this book. I applaud the author for tackling this difficult topic - she did it well. #metoo.

This is a very harrowing, heavy story and I encourage you to check trigger warnings before going into it. However, I also think it's important to bring awareness to the topic of date rape drugs. I was shocked to read the author's note at the end and find out that this is based on a true story. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

CW: fatal accident, sibling death, parent death, brain aneurysm, rape, drug use, self-harm, suicidal ideation

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this Read Now title to read and review.

I read In An Instant and liked it so knowing this book had some of the characters from that story drew me in. It was rough reading at times (in terms of the content) but was well-written and kept me invested in the story. This is told from two POV: Mo and Chole. Friends that live together with a third friend, Hazel. A night out to celebrate leads to a SA and all sorts of other sh*t that is pretty terrible. I did (pretty quickly) guess one of the 'twists' and I found the Gretzky story line a little random -- however, I can see how it did create the basis for some of the timeline/ movements of characters. This was quite a ride but a fairly quick read that I enjoyed.

Solid 3.75 for me. Not quite there to a 4 star but I'd definitely recommend for those that liked In An Instant as well as those that have never read it.

Loved this book the description sof the characters was fantastic. I felt like I was there and didn't want the book to end. Thanks for a fantastic read!

I loved the first book in the series so much! This one seemed to lack the same driving plot and I kept confusing the characters with one another.

Thanks to NetGalley, Suzanne Redfearn, and Lake Union Publishing for taking care of this book for me in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because I've heard a lot of great things about previous books and I can't wait to read more of this author's novels. The female friendships are great and the story is well thought out. I wanted to be a member of this trio. I was involved in this, but there are enough mysteries and activities in all of them, and we meet some interesting personalities.
Some of the characters from the previous book, In an Instant, return in this novel, in which a family and their friends try to escape a horrific car accident in cold weather. Chloe and her friend Mo are still haunted by the next tragedy, but they are trying to live the good life and survive with the help of their housemate Hazel. When Hazel is the victim of date rape, both of them are lured away and everything they hold dear is threatened. It is a compelling tale of a serious sex crime that is difficult to prosecute as the victims have little memory of what happened and may appear to agree when the medication provided does not arouse resistance.

I really recommended this book