Liane Moriarty’s newest is the literary equivalent of a slow-cooked stew—you know it's eventually going to be good, but you spend most of the time wondering when on earth you’re going to be able to eat. It’s a slow burn in the truest sense. Our main character, the maybe-clairvoyant Cherry, is an acquired taste, but she actually made me chuckle and I learned to like her.

It honestly wasn’t until about the last 15-20% that I was actually enjoying myself and excited to flip pages. The multiple points of view and myriad characters finally connected, and the ending wrapped everything up… kind of like a nice bow on a slightly weird shaped present 😂. I was happy with the outcome, but pheww, it was a journey to get there.

Overall, it’s a truly unique (bizarre?!) read that’s speculative and thought-provoking… if you’re into slow burns and don’t mind waiting for the payoff, this might be for you. Otherwise, it’s a tough one to recommend bc I’m afraid you’ll be mad at me for the first 75% 🫠

I have read a number of Liane Moriarty books and was very much looking forward to reding this one. The premise, if you were told how you would die and at what age, would it change the way you lived?

An older woman stands up on a flight in Australia and starts telling the passengers her predictions of their deaths, it is obviously very disheartening for those with short life spans. After this beginning, each chapter goes between some of the passengers and how their lives do or don't change. We also have chapters told in the first person from Cherry, the woman with the predictions. We learn about Cherry's whole life in these chapters. I found her life rather fascinating but it took forever to get to the good stuff.

Full disclosure, I was reading this while on a trip and didn't have much time to read so each night when I picked the book up I had to try to remember who these people were, because there were a lot. I sort of felt that Moriarty wrote this book to adapt to screen (she has a few now) more than for the book. The multiple people plays better to screen.

The idea of living your life to the fullest, no matter what, was an important point of the book. But the grief that Cherry was experiencing is something most of us can relate to at some point, Both of these points didn't really come through until at least 50% into the book. Sorry to say the first half just dragged for me, thus the lower rating.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

I wanted to love this book as I have loved all of Laine Moriarty's books. The story was just a little slow and I had trouble figuring out the point. Halfway through it all picked up and I enjoyed the 2nd half.

The premise of “Here One Moment” definitely reminded me of Nikki Erlick’s “The Measure” — what do you do if you know your final fate and the exact date? Fight it? Embrace the idea and take more risks when you know you won’t die? Either way, when you know (if you really do) there’s an emotional and thought-provoking journey ahead. A plane full of passengers experiences this as a nondescript older lady walks among them and declares their cause of death and age at death. “Fate won’t be fought,” she also exclaims. A handful of the passengers are predicted to die within months, and when some of them actually do later, word spreads amongst the others as well as the internet.

There are a LOT of characters (a plane load!), all with necessary biographies and reactions to Cherry (the pronogtisgator) declarations, and, eventually, their “real” fates after disembarking. The author selects a few for us to follow. Some of the earliest predicted deaths belong to Leo (workplace accident), Ethan (assault victim), and Allegra (suicide). In the not so far future, Sue is concerned about an invisible cancer; newlywed Eve (who was wearing a bridal dress on the plane) is watching for disturbing signs in her recently-betrothed, since Cherry told her she would die by “intimate partner homicide;” and Paula is freaked out by the prediction that her baby, Timothy, will drown at the age of seven.

As the story follows those passengers, the book is interspersed with a first person POV from Cherry, who seems to have few memories of the incident and probably should have had a good cup of tea before boarding.

Liane Moriarity is an automatic read for me. I’ve loved her novels since “The Husband’s Secret” in 2013 and then I read her backlist; but her two last books “Nine Perfect Strangers” and “Apples Never Fall” were not among my favorites. I started “Here One Moment” with a bit of consternation, but it evolved into a page turner when I had to know the passengers’ fates (with some spots dragging in their biographical stories and a lot of long tales about Cherry’s past).

I read this as a sort of a thriller, although other readers might take to heart Moriarity’s question “If free will doesn’t exist, if all your decisions and actions are inevitable, are you still required to apologize for them?” and see a novel about grief. Obviously, this is a good book club discussion choice. 4.5 stars! It could have been much shorter than 512 pages (a length that does scare my book club off).

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES There are three characters with green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Miss Piper named all her cows after flowers.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you Crown Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

Here One Moment was an interesting albeit very stressful read. Without giving too much away, one of the predictions made by the character really bothered me and I was anxious throughout the entire book. It was one of her better books in recent years, and I was very grateful to have had the opportunity to read this one!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the digital advance reader copy.

A woman on a flight from Tasmania to Sydney stands up and proceeds down the aisle telling each passenger their cause of death and age of death. Is she psychic? Having a breakdown? Just a troublemaker?

Those on the plane aren't sure, and they aren't sure they believe her predictions either, but what if what she said is true? Can they avoid the fate she predicted? Should they change their lives because of what she said?

If you're a Liane Moriarty fan (as I am), then I think you'll enjoy this one. There is no mystery this time, as there typically is, unless you count figuring out whether or not the woman's predictions are real or not.

However, you get to peer into the lives of those on the plane, including the life of the woman who seemed to see their futures.

As usual, Moriarty's strength is making you feel how her characters feel. I empathized with each one who looked at their life and wondered what, if anything, they should do when confronted with the possibility of their death. Should they change things? Should they change everything? Or were they content, but just not recognizing what they had?

And what possessed this woman to make such claims?

As I fell into the life of each character, I was rooting for each one to make the life they really wanted to live.

This is an ultimately life-affirming exploration of what it means to live in this messy, hard, heartbreaking world that offers wonder and joy as well as pain.

Two thumbs up.

*language, sexual references

I was so excited to get a chance to read this early!! Thank you NetGalley! I always enjoy Liane Moriarty's books!! This one started a little slow for me but I ended up really enjoying it!! I didn't want to put it down as I wanted to know if Cherry's predictions would happen!! Loved the flashbacks to Cherry's life!! Great book!!

While I was intrigued by the premise here, this book felt too long. Cherry's sections were often "rambling" and full of irrelevant information. Other than Cherry, I didn't think there was enough character development for the others.
I enjoy Moriarty's style of writing and she has such a good grasp of human nature. I just wish this book had contained more humor and heart, as in many of her past novels.

I must admit, Lianne Moriarty’s books are a must-read for me. I have read and enjoyed almost all of her backlist. So when I got the chance to read her newest book, I was looking forward to another enjoyable story.

How would you react if someone were to predict when and how you would die? That’s pretty much the meat of the story. Passengers on a plane are confronted by an older woman and told their death predictions. Most think she is crazy, but still it unnerves quite a few. Some just ignore it, while others take action to disprove or prevent their death predictions.

As time goes by, some of the predictions become true and is picked up on social media and in news stories. People become obsessed with finding the woman and proving whether or not she’s a fraud.

I wasn’t crazy about the subject matter and there seemed to be too many characters to keep track of, especially in the beginning of the story. It was a bit difficult for me to stay interested until I got deeper into the book and began to become more familiar with the characters and learned more about the woman giving the predictions.

I loved how all the characters were connected in some way and if they weren’t, the events on the plane brought them together. I’m glad I stayed the course and finished the book, however it was not one of my favorites from Moriarty.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to give my honest review and recommend to other readers.

Compelling and great to follow - thank you for the opportunity to review. High quality editing for an ARC - appreciate how much work was put into this.

#HereOneMoment #NetGalley
Boring.
If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?
Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed. Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all. How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.” Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable. A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party. If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?
The premise sounds interesting but inside it's boring. Don't bother. I think I need to eat a headache pill.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for giving me an advance copy.

My first book from this author and I truly enjoyed it. Made you think about stuff.. looking forward to buying the physical copy of this book now.

Liane Moriarty is a master weaving together a dozen characters who share a brief encounter. In Here One Moment, the characters are all on a flight where one of the passengers begins walking around the cabin and telling everyone their age and cause of death. While everyone initially laughs things off, the old lady’s predictions begin to come true. After the third death, the media begins to dub her “The Death Lady” and the remaining passengers worry more and more about her predictions. Will the young flight attendant commit suicide, despite her happy demeanor and will the new bride be killed by her husband?

Having read and enjoyed most of Liane Moriarty's past work, I was excited to see she had something new coming out! Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read Here One Moment before publishing. I enjoyed a lot about the book. It's funny, sad, and thought provoking - sometimes all within a single page. And, like other recent books with similar themes, I think it will spark good conversation. I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself still pondering it weeks from now. 3.5 stars.

If you knew your future, would you fight fate? On a short domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. Passengers are told cause and age of death. For some, their death is far in the future over the age of 100. But for a select few, their predicted deaths are not far away at all and quite tragic.

"The Death Lady" becomes famous when a few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die exactly as she said they would. The remaining passengers from that remarkable flight begin to worry, panic and fight fate. Here One Moment is told in alternating chapters as it follow the different lives testing destiny.

I have enjoyed books written by Liane Moriarty so I knew Here One Moment would be worth the read. Her books all have a common theme of death and illness. How we accept a diagnosis, how it affects the person and their loved ones and finally grief. I knew what I was walking into by reading the advance copy of Here One Moment. I don't necessarily agree with it being labeled a thriller but it's certainly not chick lit.

What I didn't expect was the multitude of characters and individual storylines. It was so hard to keep up! At one point, I wrote a list on a sticky note because my annotations and highlights were not enough. But when the sticky note was full, I gave up and just kept reading along. Never mind that I could half remember who was who. This took away from my reading experience.

The premise was very interesting; I understand the follow-up was necessary to the storyline and built suspense. It was just too much going on and too long (almost 500 pages). I recommend Here One Moment for readers that like a complex story told from multiple points of view. It is not light reading so wait until after the summer unless you want to read about death while lounging around the pool.

Happy Early Pub Day, Liane Moriarty! Here One Moment will be available Tuesday, September 10.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Imagine being on a plane when a stranger points to people and gives their "age and cause of death." What would you do when you're told you'll die at age 28? Do you go home and tell your parents? Liane Moriarty's book tells us about several people who were approached by this older lady. And who exactly is this Death Lady?
Short chapters with different POV's flew by. And the ending was so sweet I was in tears.

This was a good read from Liane Moriarty. The plot of the novel is unique, with the story beginning on a plane and then slowly playing out what happens to the star characters whose deaths and years of death the main character - the Death Lady - predicts.
Somehow Moriarty always manages to write her characters' inner thoughts while making them all likeable - no mean feat.
While we learn more of how those with early predicted deaths deal with their imminent demises, we also learn the back story of the Death Lady and how she came to stand up on the plane on that flight and deliver her verdicts. As I read, I wondered how Moriarty was going to weave all the stories together and come to a satisfying end, which she did so well. A good book that makes you wonder how you would live your own last days if you knew the year you would die.
Many thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and review this book.

Im a longtime lover of Liane Moriarty's books and this one was no different. I was hooked from the start just based off the premise (I'm a sucker for books where characters get told the outcome of their life). I absolutely loved the multiple POV as I would get invested and then have to keep reading. I also LOVE short chapters, and will find myself reading longer and longer. I also loved getting to know the "death lady" and her back story. My only critique is that it was simply too long, and could have been edited down quite a bit. I also think getting rid of one POV to go deeper into another character might have been a little better (although I can't decide which storyline I would be okay parting with). I think this one would be terrific on audio with full cast!

In this story, passengers and crew on a plane are shocked when a stranger starts predicting the cause and age of their deaths. As these predictions start coming true, everyone begins to reflect on their lives and question the balance between free will and destiny.

Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors, and she usually excels at crafting stories from multiple perspectives. However, this time it didn't quite work. In her previous books, each character's voice is distinct, but in this one, the characters felt too similar. Cherry, the main character, was the only one who stood out, but I didn’t particularly like her. I often mixed up Ethan and Leo and struggled to remember who Paula and Sue were. The large cast of characters blended together, making it hard to keep track of the story.

Despite these issues, the premise was intriguing, and I appreciated the short, choppy chapters. While the ending was wrapped up nicely, including the epilogue, it felt a bit anticlimactic. The writing was easy to read, and even though the book was over 400 pages, it went by quickly.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Liane Moriarty for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.