Member Reviews
Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled to receive an ARC from Netgalley of Here One Moment. The premise is a woman on a short flight tells passengers what she expects them to die from and at what age.
I really enjoyed the characters Allegra, Ethan, and Paula. Even Leo and Eve weren't terrible, but I didn't connect with them the same way. What I didn't really enjoy is the Cherry chapters. Cherry is the woman who predicts the deaths of each passenger. We get to know her during interspersed chapters and her story gets a little too long and detailed for my liking. I think cutting back on some of her backstory would have helped this book. I felt the ending was rushed and not cohesive. Moriarty's engaging writing is what kept me going, but the last 15% of the book felt like a jumble of closures that were too convenient.
Overall story was interesting and keeps you wanting more. However, this book could have been, like most of this author’s books, about 150 pages less and still have gotten the point across.
Honestly, I don't love this book. The story is good, but it didn't blow me away. I think it's the fact that it's over 500 pages. The book could have been cut in half and would have still been a fine. I seemed to drag on and on. I love a twisty book, and this did not deliver.
This is a VERY slow paced book, so if you don't like those, I would not recommend it. It did have multiple POV's, which I like, but I feel like there were too many. The chapters were relatively short, which is a plus.
I thought I would like this more than I did because I love Big Little Lies. I would give this a 3 ⭐️ maximum. I was just expecting more.
Despite the disappointment, it is thought-provoking when talking about death. We are only here for a moment.
Here One Moment will be available September 10, 2024.
Thank you, NetGalley and Crown Publishing, for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release.
Synopsis: A woman on a domestic flight predicts everyone’s age and cause of death. A few months later the predictions start coming true.
As a huge fan of Moriarty’s other works I was super excited when I was approved for this ARC!
The premise of this story is incredibly interesting and I’ve never read anything quite like it. I went into the story really gun-ho! I was… let down. Like I said, I loved the premise but I didn’t find any of the characters particularly memorable or likable. I also didn’t really think it needed to be 500+ pages; I found myself rather bored and not very eager to pick up the story. The ending and explanation was also not very satisfying.
I’ll continue to read Moriarty in the future; this one just wasn’t for me!
What a great story and analysis of human mortality and the Way we react to it. I enjoyed the way the story was told from different perspectives and different points of views and different timelines. There were several coincidences where the characters ended up back together and while a little bit convenient, it still felt believable. I was almost done this book and wondered how it could possibly be resolved, I was so satisfied with the ending. It made perfect sense and while it wasn’t a huge happily ever after, I felt like many of the characters you were rooting for ended up. Happy!
The concept of this story was interesting but there are so many characters in the novel and it bounces around a lot. I have to be in a certain mood to read books like this. It made me think about how I would be affected if I knew the day of my death. For me, the story went on a little bit too long and the end was underwhelming.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.
This was definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read. I was intrigued at first, as the characters dealt with the aftermath of learning when they would die. As we learned more about Cherry and all the character's back story, I found myself wanting to skim the chapters. I just wasn't as invested in all of their stories. However, as the book continued I couldn't stop reading until I found out how it ended. I was desperately rooting for Allegra, Sue, and Dom and Eve. Overall, I was really happy with how this book concluded and the overall message to not waste your life and live to the fullest.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is an intriguing story about free will and destiny.
I found Here One Moment to be a great book club pick. There is so much to discuss and analyze, and even debate with this one. So right away, I can tell you that your book club should add this to the list.
When I first read the synopsis, I immediately thought this premise sounds especially chilling. While I do enjoy fate, free will and destiny stories—sometimes they are rather disturbing too. And the opening section where Cherry reveals people’s time of death is extremely dramatic.
It’s definitely an interesting read and it raises a ton of questions. It’s also puts the reader right in the middle of the action, and it’s easy to wonder how you would react if you were on a passenger on the flight.
While it’s uneven at times, I did come away thinking it was an interesting and unique read. And a great one for book clubs with so much to talk about.
It did take me quite a while to get into this one. The beginning was exciting and engaging but then I felt it started to drag as it got into each character’s story. I started to lose track of all of the characters and I felt as though they all started to blend together. The ending was well done and I was able to follow it easily. I did enjoy the overall message to live life to the fullest.
What if someone told you how old you would be when you died and what you died from? What if you didn't ask and they just walked down the aisle of a plane, dispensing this information unprovoked? Would you change your life because of this information? And how would this information change you?
When I say I FLEW through this book, I am not lying. The different POVs were so interesting to see how each person dealt with the information they received from the "Death Lady". The chapters were mostly short and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next to each individual that I just kept going.
This was definitely a winner, and if you're already a fan of Moriarty you won't be disappointed. If you're new to her work, I'd say this is a great place to start!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Available September 10, 2024.
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I love Moriarty's writing. Even though I wasn't so invested in the story itself, the way she puts things, the way she builds her characters, it gives me such a pleasure to read. But it's still not her best work.
During a moment of weakness, Cherry starts making predictions of how and when each passenger in her flight will die. She may be the daughter of a fortune teller, but she's led a completely different life, so some temporary insanity couldn't really have any base, right? Then one of her predictions comes true. And two others.
The story tells us of some of those passengers' lives and also Cherry's. I was obviously much more curious to know how each of the predictions would come true, if they were, so for a while the suspense of when those characters would die glued me to the pages. Then we start understanding where Cherry is coming from and I gradually got curious about the why and the how.
Moriarty's control of the text was impeccable. We've got so many different characters but each choice makes a lot of sense and each person is a different person you do care about. I really didn't want any of them to die. But as beautiful as some aspects of the story may have been, as a Liane Moriarty book, it was a rather average work (for her, I repeat). I hoped for more fun. Not as in a funny book, I should make the distinction clear. I was sure the story was leading somewhere more, as I feel I should expect of someone with such great works.
This is probably a silly complaint, but I was also disappointed at how many times Moriarty made use of coincidences. Every character had some superstitious mother or best friend. Everyone seemed to make regular appointments with fortune tellers—personally, I've never heard of anyone who does that, so I can't see the chances of all those characters knowing people who do. And seeing from the way she built each character to be unique, I expected better planning for how it would come together in the end. Most of the book, there seemed to be this voice telling us: I know where I'm going. Then it ended, and though she probably knew that, it was underwhelming.
Don't be fooled by my slight disappointment; this is perhaps a better story than my last reads by this author. And it's always such a pleasure to read anything she writes! It's also one of the books that got me more hooked among this year's releases. That said, of course I'm recommending this, but keep your expectations in check.
"𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵."
Thanks to a free print copy courtesy of @netgalley and @crownpublishing and a free audiobook via @PRHAudio, I was able to enjoy Liane Moriarty's upcoming release 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 (PUB date 9.10)
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰
There are alot of characters. It takes some work to keep them straight. Worth it.
It took me a beat to get into the book.
I really didn't know how it was all going to come together, but stick with it.
All of a sudden I couldn't put it down (Thus the reading concurrently in print and audio)
It came together in such a satisfying way including a stellar ending.
Super short chapters that truly drove the development.
Mysterious, contemplative, authentic, profound.
Moriarty writes characters that you want to talk to, root for and sometimes even shake.
Moriarity's writing is beautiful and effortless - a true gift!
The premise was so unique and intriguing. The flow was verrrrrrrry slow. And I struggle with slow builds. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book!
What would you do if you found out the age and cause of your death? The premise of this book was very intriguing and disturbing at the same time and immediately pulled me in! As the passengers of a short flight were enroute, a seemingly unremarkable woman made her way down the aisle proclaiming the manner and age of death for each passenger. Some easily laughed as their time was in the far-off distance. Some gave pause but not for long as they were convinced, she was just a poor woman having a mental episode of some sort. Until, that is, one by one her premonitions started be come to fruition. And then, panic set in for some because their time might be very near.
The book explored how different people handled their information, or how it affected their family members. How many different ways would it affect people? Would you change things in your life? Would you take more chances? Would you rethink the job or the relationships that aren’t fulfilling you? Would it make you more fearful?
With many POVs and differing reactions all of these scenarios are explored. A bit slow at times, but I was invested. I’m not quite sure if the ending was wrapped up convincingly, but one would have to suspend some belief for the whole premise anyway so I can somewhat accept that.
I just love Liane Moriraty's books so I was excited to read this ARC from #netgalley. The story has a very interesting premise and I found myself wondering what I would do in each of the characters' unique scenarios. I was especially intrigued with the mother who enrolled her baby in swim lessons and the newly married wife. This book keeps the reader hooked and gives a somewhat satisfying ending to each story. I did find it hard to keep track of all the characters (not usually a problem for me). I think that this will be a great limited short when it gets picked up!
If you knew the age and cause of your death, could you change your life? Would you spend more time with your loved ones? Would you quit your unfulfilling job? Would you go see a therapist for your exhaustion and burnout?
This book is complex and dives into the thoughts and lives of multiple passengers in third-person POV as they are on a flight to Sydney and suddenly learn of the age and cause of their deaths from a woman thought to be clairvoyant. The unfortunate part is, though, is that some don’t have time to change their lives, which truly puts “here one moment” into a challenging perspective.
This book brings forth many convoluted questions and challenges you to leave the “what ifs?” behind and live in the moment.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and premise. I would argue that the writing style and multiple third-person POVS could be a problem for many, as it makes the read somewhat jumbled and confusing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC to read and review.
This book was so thought-provoking! What would you do if you knew how and when you were going to die? That's the question that the people aboard a routine flight have to answer when a passenger tells everyone how and at what age they would die. What follows is each of these people living with the consequences of knowing this information. I thought this book was a solid read and enjoyed it very much!
Wow. I have been thinking about writing this review for a while because I loved this book, but it also made me SO uncomfortable!!! I’ll let you read the synopsis, but the short version of it is a woman predicts the date and time everyone on a plane will die. The book then follows those people’s lives,and how they change. I hate thinking about death, and would never want to know how mine would happen, so this book really stressed me out! It was so well written though that I couldn’t put it down. I LOVED the ending too. What a ride. I can’t wait to see this become a tv show, because I’m sure it will one day!
How much of what we do changes our destiny? Or are we making the decisions we are because it’s our destiny?
The premise of this book is so intriguing, it was super easy to get sucked in right away. Moriarity is such a talented writer that it’s not a surprise that this book was poignant, powerful, and thought provoking. The topic, death predication, is sensitive and had a much stronger effect on me than I anticipated. I actually put the book down for a month because I just couldn’t get comfortable with the early chapters where the passengers are still on the plane getting predictions, especially the parents with young children. It was brutal for me as a mother to feel their feelings.
The story brought out a lot of interesting ideas and thoughts for me. Nature v. Nurture, fate or control. Once I picked it back up I could not put Here One Moment down!
The book is told from several different POV’s, mainly passengers after the flight and Cherry recalling her past and how she became who she is. Each character resonated with me in some way, but I found Cherry’s chapters to be the most interesting and heart wrenching.
My main complaint is the resolution. It’s not terrible I just hoped for something….. different, more? Maybe that’s not really what’s it about anyways. The details are definitely in the journey for this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the opportunity to review this ARC before it’s scheduled publication date of September 10, 2024.
FATE WON'T BE FOUGHT
Here One Moment starts with a fascinating opening, then continues into an insightful narrative that addresses human connection, fate, and grief. I felt that the novel was a bit too long, but I definitely still enjoyed the discerning storytelling.