Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a deeply emotional and intricately crafted tale that delves into the fleeting nature of life, the complexities of relationships, and the profound impact of choices. True to her style, Moriarty combines sharp wit with raw emotion, creating a story that feels both relatable and thought-provoking.

The novel begins with a life-altering event—a sudden tragedy that ripples through the lives of a close-knit group of friends and family. From there, Moriarty skillfully unravels the past and present, peeling back layers of her characters to reveal their flaws, secrets, and inner struggles. The shifting perspectives allow readers to see the same moments through different lenses, adding depth and nuance to the narrative.

5.0 stars
HIGHLY recommend

This latest novel by Liane Moriarty has it all - mystery, drama, life-affirming positivity. I liked this book so very much.

It is such a straightforward premise - an older woman on a plane in Australia (flight from Hobart to Sydney) begins making predictions of the passengers' death age and how they will die.

Is it a hoax? Is it real? Why did the older woman do this? All of these questions get answered beautifully with a nice ending!

Please note this review has been edited since it was originally published on 5/31/2024. This book was rated UP from 4.5 stars to 5.0 stars. I reviewed this book too harshly.

I have been a fan of Liane Moriarty's books FOREVER!
I was thrilled when "Here One Moment" was announced and was even more excited to read it after seeing that gorgeous cover. One of my favorite covers and definitely one of my favorite books!

An intriguing and original storyline with excellent characters!

A gripping well written story that I just couldn't put down.

I hope I don't have to wait too long for more from this extremely talented author!

5 Stars!!!

I have gone back and forth on Liane Moriarty books for years. Sometimes I love them and sometimes I feel like they drag. This hit right in the middle for me. Enjoyable!

A woman on a plane begins predicting how and when passengers and crew members will die. This was fantastic! So many storylines to follow with great character development. I enjoyed getting to each person's back story and learning what (if anything) happens to them and the impact of this prediction or knowledge to their lives.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an electronic ARC of this book.

Big fan of Liane Moriarty. This book had an interesting premise and was mostly well executed. It definitely makes you think. The reason this wasnt a 5 star for me was because there were too many characters to keep track of. It was also 100 pages too long. It definitely didn't need to be 500 pages. I found that I wasnt really interested in Cherry or her chapters. I would still recommend this book to others.

One of her few ooks I didn't enjoy .I tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention. I'm sure it's a wonderful novel but just not for me.

The #1 NYT bestselling author, Liane Moriarty, returns with HERE ONE MOMENT, a stand-out, compelling, unique, and thought-provoking story of free will, reflection, fate, destiny, grief, and love.

If you knew your future, would you try to defy fate?

About...

The plane is jam-packed. Every seat is taken. The flight is delayed, adding to the suspense of the unknown journey ahead.

Later, no one will recall seeing the lady board the flight at Hobart Airport. Nothing about her caught anyone's attention or raised a red flag. She was not frazzled, drunk, belligerent, grumpy, famous, frail, chatty, or fearful.

The lady was nothing that anyone will recall later.

It was just another routine flight from Hobart to Sydney. But one passenger on board, a seemingly ordinary lady, will change the lives of everyone she meets, leaving a profound impact.

There is a flight delay on the 3:20 pm flight. No one will remember hearing the lady speak a single word during the delay. She is traveling alone. Seat 4D. An aisle seat. She is a lady. Small. Petite. Older. UNTIL...

Later known as "The Death Lady."

My thoughts...

Wild and cleverly creative, HERE ONE MOMENT is riveting! Everyone is alarmed when this woman stands up and begins to make predictions about how and when everyone on board will DIE!

Some will heed the warnings, and others will dismiss her. But all on board will be forever changed, their lives transformed by the power of her predictions.

The author proposes thought-provoking questions about how you would live your life if you knew how and when it would end. What would you do differently?

Would you remain with the person you are with or someone else? What about jobs, careers, personal lives, family, friends, lovers, or enemies? The author's thought-provoking questions prompt you to consider what would be different if you knew the course of your life.

The lady's predictions raise profound questions about free will. Are all your decisions and actions inevitable, or can you defy fate? The author's exploration of these themes will leave you pondering the nature of choice and destiny.

I enjoyed how the author wrote the story from different POVs: compelling, heartbreaking, charming, uplifting, witty, frightening, and fearful. This reminded me that the butterfly effect rests on the notion that the world is deeply interconnected, such that one small occurrence can influence a much larger, complex system. Hence, the beautiful front cover!

Love this quote:

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest as if it were the only one we had."
—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Recs...

HERE ONE MOMENT is for fans of the author and those who enjoy Rea Frey, Sarah Jio, Elizabeth Berg, Suzanne Redfearn, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Fredrik Backman, and Sarah Addison Allen.

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Sep 10, 2024
Sep 2024 Must-Read Books
Sep Newsletter

As enjoyable as Liane Moriarty’s books always are! Interesting premise and characters. I’ll happily read anything she writes.

I made it through most of the book but it took me forever. There were too many characters to keep track of and I just couldn't connect them. The main character is an older woman who randomly stands up and predicts the date and cause of death for passengers on her flight.

Liane Moriarty’s HERE ONE MOMENT is a captivating exploration of fate, free will, and the human condition. The narrative centers on a seemingly ordinary flight from Hobart to Sydney, where a woman, later dubbed the “Death Lady,” predicts the specific ages and causes of death for several passengers. Initially dismissed as the ramblings of an unwell individual, her eerie prophecies gain unsettling credibility as they begin to come true.

Moriarty masterfully crafts a diverse ensemble of characters, each reacting differently to the ominous predictions. From a middle-aged civil engineer to a young mother with her children, the passengers’ lives intertwine in unexpected ways, reflecting the author’s keen insight into human behavior and relationships.

Comprised of 126 brief chapters, the novel maintains a propulsive pace that kept me rapt. Moriarty’s signature blend of humor and depth is evident as she delves into life’s existential questions.

Charming, funny, thoughtful, and unexpectedly bighearted, this is Liane Moriarty at her best.

I really enjoy all of Liane Moriarty's books and this one was no exception. I love the way that she paces her books and the accessibility of her writing. It makes it such enjoyable book to read.If you’re a fan of her previous works or enjoy novels that combine emotional depth with wit, Here One Moment is a must-read.

It took me a very long time to get through this book. Not because the story itself was lacking, the pacing was just off for me. Overall, I would still recommend to anyone who reads the synopsis and is interested.

This is hands down my favorite Liane Moriarty novel. While I enjoyed the other books I’ve read by her, this one truly stands out. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and packed with wit.

A little final destination action, a little butterfly effect.. and some surprisingly deep, philosophical, and thought provoking plot points that make you wonder.. what would you do if given the chance to know your age and manner of death?

This books is every Liane Moriarity strives to be. Fresh, unique, unforgettable. Is someone predicted your death, would it change how you lived your life?

This book was LOOOOOOONG, and had tons of characters, which usually confuses me, but I did ok keeping track of them all after a while. I appreciated the short chapters, even tho there ended up being over 100 of them! The concept of a woman standing up on a plane and predicting date of death and cause of death for everyone was super weird and unique, and I enjoyed it!

“But the older you get, the less linear the memories, and the more everything seems to circle back to something else.”

Liane Moriarty’s novel, Here One Moment, explores the aftermath of a psychic’s predictions. The first section of the book opens on board a Hobart to Sydeny domestic flight that is delayed. Forty-five minutes into the flight, a middle-aged woman, named Cherry, stands up and begins moving through the plane delivering predictions to the passengers. The predictions have a specific format: Cherry, who is a psychic, later known as the “Death Lady” in the media, systematically delivers the cause of death and the age of death of many passengers. Some people receive “good” predictions: death at 100 years old for example, while others are told their time is short.

Some passengers, especially those with a far-off predicted death, are able to laugh off the incident, but several passengers are emotionally devastated by the experience. The book then follows how these passengers react to these predictions: There’s workaholic Leo Vodnik whose predicted cause of death is a stroke, Ethan, age 29 who is told he’ll die in an assualt at age 30, Paula who is told that her infant son will drown at age 7, Sue whose predicted death at age 66 is uncomfortably close, and Allegra, a flight attendant who is told her death will be self-harm at age 28. And guess what, she’s 28 on the day of the flight.

One theme in books and film is the idea that if you are given a second chance at life (a near death experience let’s say) what would you do? Would you improve your life? Appreciate each day more? Be nicer to people? Here One Moment is that sort of book–except that people are given warnings and some of the passengers try to alter what they see as their fate. No matter how these characters try to minimize the experience on the plane, the predictions are always in their heads, and it’s a heavy burden.

The book goes back and forth between the characters and we also learn about Cherry’s turbulent life. The book is wordy and repetitive in the beginning, and some chopping could have been done. I’ll bet this will become a TV series along with the other author’s books. I’ve enjoyed several of her books and have seen some of the TV adaptations too. Moriarty’s work adapts well to the screen and Here One Moment, an easy, light read, is perfect TV material.

review copy

I love this author so much but this book started so good and then got SO SLOW. once I hit the halfway point it was a battle to pick it up.

Exceptional!!!!!!

It really came as no surprise that this book was exceptional, all of Moriarty's books are exceptional.

The characters and plots are masterfully constructed, with a depth and complexity that draws you in, keeping you engaged from beginning to end.

Her books always leave you thinking about life, and this one leaves you thinking about your own fate and the fate's of those around you,

One of the best books of the year!