3.5 ⭐️ The pros: what a thought-provoking book about whether things are predetermined vs free will. I grew to care about the characters and was very curious to see how things all panned out. The cons: it was just a bit of an odd plot. There were so many subplots and the author would leave a cliff hanger at the end of a character’s chapter, only to revisit that character later and it was just a red herring and the character was fine. That cycle happened repeatedly. This was maybe a deeper book than I should have read on a tropical vacation, and maybe would have enjoyed it more if I could hole up with it at home under a blanket. Not sure I’d recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was an interesting story. It reminded me of The Measure. I liked the characters, though I did feel the changes in narrator to make it feel disconnected. Not my favorite of the hers, but I think a lot of people will enjoy.

"Here One Moment," by Liana Moriarty was a story that was intriguing, but slow, ultimately making it too noneventful for my liking.

While on a plane, a woman tells passengers when and how they will die. Told through multiple points of view, the story then shoes us how the woman's predictions impact the passenger's lives.

I love the concept of this book. I was hooked at the beginning, and I love how it explored destiny vs. free will, along with other compelling ideas. However, the book is long, and I found it to be incredibly slow-paced. So, while I appreciated the depth and details that went into each character and their situation, it was less entertaining than it was thought provoking.

There are a lot of characters. The story follows several points of view. I won't say it was hard to follow, as I think Moriarty is an excellent writer. But I will admit that I was more invested in some characters than others, which made it hard to feel connected to the story during some chapters.

"Here One Moment" is an intricate and interesting piece of literature, but it is not a page turner.

This is a unique and thought-provoking read that dives into the ordinary lives of people facing an extraordinary situation. The book kicks off with a gripping premise: during a flight, a woman named Cherry predicts the age and cause of death for each passenger. This hooked me right away and kept me flipping pages, eager to see if her unsettling predictions would come true.

What I really loved about this book is Moriarty's knack for making everyday moments feel special. The characters are all so well-developed and relatable, even when they're just dealing with their normal, mundane lives. It's amazing how she finds beauty in the small things. The passengers' varied reactions to their supposed fates are so realistic and add a lot of depth to the story.

That said, there were a few bumps along the way. The constant switching between characters' perspectives, all in the first person, sometimes left me a bit lost. It took me a while to figure out who was who, which pulled me out of the story a bit. Also, the ending was kind of a letdown. After all the buildup, I was expecting something a bit more explosive or satisfying.

Even with these issues, Here One Moment is still a great read, especially if you enjoy character-driven stories with a twist. Moriarty does a fantastic job exploring big themes like fate and how we choose to live our lives when faced with our own mortality. If you're into books that mix a bit of humor, suspense, and heart, you'll definitely want to check this one out. I'd give it a solid 3.75 out of 5, rounded up to a 4.

Like nearly all of Liane Moriarty's books, this one grabbed my attention on the first page and never let go. The premise is that on a flight from Hobart, Tasmania, to Sydney, Australia, a woman passenger walks down the aisle pointing at each passenger and stating the time and manner of their death. In the months that follow some passengers ignore the predictions and others alter their lives to prevent the predictions coming true. For example, the mother of an infant predicted to drown when he is seven enrolls him in multiple swimming classes almost from birth. Each character is fully developed, and the predicting woman's life story explains her actions on the plane.

I typically reserve 5-star ratings for books that change my life. This one is not quite there, but close.

This is genuinely one of the best books I’ve read this year. I’ve gone back-and-forth on this author in the past- I’ve absolutely loved her older books, but her last few fell a little flat for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but the way Moriarty weaves together and connects so many compelling storylines makes this book endlessly readable. I couldn’t get enough of it and I was sorry when it was over.

The plot is centered on an incident on a plane, in which a woman predicts the age and cause of death for each passenger. When a few of these predictions come true, it causes the remaining passengers to question their lives through the lens of their own mortality.

One warning - this book is beautifully written and very powerful. Based on the plot, you can probably already tell that it is very focused on mortality. I lost a loved one recently, and sometimes that made this book hard to read and a little too intense for me. This is not negative comment on the book, just a trigger warning for anyone else who might want to take a deep breath before reading. But you should read it- it’s amazing.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Liane Moriarty has such a talent for evoking a wide range of emotions through her characters, and Here One Moment is no exception. Each character with a point of view in this novel is distinct and relatable, making it easy to fall in love with every single one of them for different reasons. Cherry, the main character, stands out the most. Moriarty’s writing brings her to life in such a vivid way that I felt like I truly knew her, empathizing with her backstory and journey.

One aspect of this story that I particularly loved was its unpredictability. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, new twists and revelations would keep me on my toes, constantly rethinking my assumptions.

The novel is rich with well-developed characters and carries a profound message that touched me deeply, even bringing me to tears at times. It’s one of those rare books that I wanted to hug after turning the last page, feeling a deep connection to the story and its characters.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book
If you knew exactly how much time that you had left, would you change your life.? Would you fight fate? These are the questions that the passengers of a flight are faced with after the "Death Lady" predicts time of death and type of death for them.
After the first deaths come to pass, others question their own mortality This is a book that addresses life, and how we live it. Are we appreciating every moment of our life? I really liked how the book progressed as individual passengers grow from the experience. The Death Lady is examined from her point of view as well Liane Moriarty develops her characters with a finisse that brings them alive I have enjoyes her past books, some more than others, and I look forward to any book that she writes.

I rarely read books of this genre, but I read Moriarty's novels the way I eat dessert - at the end of a more substantial intake. Here One Moment is like the best pie I've ever tasted; I just keep going back for one more bite; then another; then another. This blend of suspense and humor with the added ingredients of superb character development, enticing situations, and an easy-to-read style are spiced up with Moriarty's unique Australian accent. Plus there's a deeper psychological flavor that keeps the pages turning in an effort to resolve the quandary of fate versus free will. I was hoping for free will over fate, but had to get to that last crumb before I was satisfied. And then, I wanted to go back and consume it all again in case I missed something the first time. This is a treat you won't want to miss!

I compare every Liane Moriarty to Big Little Lies. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of her books will ever compare. But Here One Moment was still good! I enjoyed it more than her other recent books.

In looking back at my review for Apples Never Fall, I said that there were too many characters and the book was too long. The same applies here. The concept of the book is interesting enough (although already done... see The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and to an extent, The Measure by Nikki Erlick). A bunch of people are on a plane and a woman gets up and starts telling everyone when she expects they will die (their age) and the cause of death.

Everyone on the plane is rattled, understandably, and the woman (Cherry) has no recollection of this. Through a lot of jumping around and different points of view we get a slightly bigger picture. Cherry's chapters are almost always in between other characters so we learn a lot about her past, her love life, her mother, and more.

The problem here is that there are SO many characters that I can't easily follow their stories (was he the one that was supposed to die in a workplace accident or a fight?). The chapters are plentiful and short... but often end on a cliff-hanger of sorts and then you go through Cherry chapters and multiple other characters and by the time you get back to that person, you forgot what the cliff hanger was... lessening the overall impact.

You get to form a lot of your own conclusions by the end, which is ok if you like that kind of thing (I wanted more decisive chapters for the 10,000 characters I followed along through the book). I loved the epilogue - that was my favorite part of the book... but it took 500 pages to get there.

As always, Liane Moriarty is going to keep me on tenterhooks until the very last second. Whenever I read her writing I am constantly holding my breath awaiting a devastating plot twist that is going to send me reeling. This book was another nailbiter that will keep the reader guessing if all the folks that received their predictions were going to meet their untimely...or is it timely...demise. 4 stars!

Oh how I loved this book. At first the concept wasn’t totally something I’d normally read… I was so wrong for having that initial reaction. I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters and the creativity of the entire storyline. I devoured this book and the ending was well executed. Bravo for a totally amazing and inspiring book. I can’t wait for my best friend to read this when it comes out so we can talk about it!

“Here One Moment” is by Liane Moriarty. One of the things I like about Ms. Moriarty’s stories are that they make you think (even if you don’t think it will).

For once, I’m going to start with the negatives:

This book would have greatly benefited from chapters with the name of the person speaking. There are a number of points of view in this book and each one took a little bit of time (a paragraph or two) to figure out whose story the reader was switched to. Usually a chapter about Cherry, the woman who made the predictions, was between each separate POV story.

I found Cherry’s predictions and backstory interesting but the backstory felt way too long for my enjoyment. Additionally I was a bit “meh” about her actual job - though I did like how it was “solved”/figured out by one of the other people in the story.

The meh:

I felt that the ties between/connections people on the plane were at first “random strangers,” but then when people in Cherry’s life started connecting the dots that she was the one who made the prediction, it felt a bit … forced.

I felt that the newly married couple’s stories weren’t as complete as I would’ve liked - which maybe was the point (they were on the path to something better, bless them).

The last few chapters one could see the “winding down” of the story - and it felt a little, for lack of a better word, flat for me. I liked the ending/epilogue, but the build-up to that wasn’t as satisfying as I had anticipated.

The good:

Lots of short chapters - so don’t let the fact that this book is over 500 pages and over 100 chapters turn you off from reading it. The stories do move along rather quickly in this format.

The overall idea of this book I found very interesting [and a bit like a Twilight Zone episode]. I’ve no idea what I would’ve done in any of the passenger’s situations - she’s harmless, but gee, maybe a check-up with a doctor to make sure?

The passengers’ stories really were well done - enough drama, enough people worrying, and enough suspense to make them rather interesting. Although I’ll do a shout-out to the married doctor couple - you’re physically fit enough to travel at your advanced ages - you two are my heroes!

Moriarty’s latest novel kicks off with a thrilling premise: a supposed psychic on a plane predicts the age and cause of death for several passengers. The story then follows the passengers as they grapple with whether to believe her, only to see some meet their foretold fates, prompting a desperate effort to avoid their predicted demises.

The setup creates an intriguing start. However, the narrative falters by focusing unevenly on six characters. This imbalance makes the novel feel overly long, with some really boring long chapters dragging the pace. The ending, unfortunately, is underwhelming.

Despite its promising start, the execution falls short. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Liane Moriarty's best book since Big Little Lies...

What would you do if you were told the age and cause of your death?

"On an 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".

The story follows the alternate POV's of the psychic and six passengers who are given an age of death in the near future. When some of the predicions start coming true these passengers must look at their lives and decide what is most importan to them and how they want to live their lives if it will indeed be ending soon. I loved that each of the passengers are in different stages of their lives and we see how how each views their life at that time. From the mother of young baby to a couple in their 60's, each person's perspective is different.

As her usual style, Here One Moment is full of quirky characters and heartfelt family moments. I could not put it down and found myself worrying that the predictions might come true! My only complaint is that I wanted more after it ended.

Many thanks to the author, Liane Moriarty, and Crown Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book. The publication date is set for September 10, 2024!

I am already a fan of this author so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this new book ahead of its release date. The title and plot had me instantly intrigued - I was unsure how this story would unfold but I truly believe Moriarty did a wonderful job executing a topic that can be quite heavy. There is so much beauty in her words and her writing style provides the reader with an instant connection to every single one of the characters. I felt tied to each of them and at times, was at the edge of my seat. I loved reading Cherry's backstory and how it intertwined with the rest of the characters. And my gosh, the epilogue was perfect.

This one is a bit lengthy but don't let that discourage you as every chapter added to the story. A part of me even craved a bit more even though there is closure for all of the characters. The other "downside" for me was that the chapters weren't labeled. I love multiple POVs and although the author did a great job executing the actual narrative/dialogue switching from one chapter to another felt choppy at times as you aren't always sure right away which character's story we are delving into. This was a little confusing at first but as I read I acclimated to this style of POV writing.

Otherwise, a top-notch book by Liane Moriarty. I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR list. I can't wait for publication day to snag myself a copy for my home library. This kind of story makes you ponder things and shows the impact of how one small deviation in your life can change its trajectory. A touching, meaningful book. 4.25 stars!

I received a temporary digital copy of Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty from NetGalley, Crown and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A woman prophecies cause of death and age of death to fellow passengers on a plane. After the first prediction comes true, do you change the way you live in attempt to change your destiny?

What has happened to Moriarty's writing? I feel as if when an author becomes incredibly famous, publishers want more pages or no one feels as if they should edit the author. I thought Moriarty's last book was bad, this is somehow worse. Here One Moment was at least 212 pages too long. There are six main characters Moriarty follows who receive a death prediction plus the "Death Lady" or Cherry's chapters--over 100+ chapters, none of which are identified. I had to reread the first paragraph of every chapter just to remember who the character was or figure out who Moriarty dedicated the chapter to. Cherry's chapters were exhausting; you don't even need to begin reading her chapters until chapter 105. Don't even get me started on the world's most lackluster ending; 500+ pages for that?! Reading this book was a chore and I would have never finished it if I wasn't reviewing for NetGalley. Do I give up on Moriarty's stories? After this one, I just may have to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me an ARC of this book for my honest review. I have previously read three other books by Liane Moriarty and have enjoyed them all but Here One Moment is by far my favorite book of hers! This book is filled with suspense and wonderfully interesting characters that I loved. I will forever think about these characters and their lives and decisions that were made when they learn how and when they are going to die. Which brings up the questions if you knew when and how you were going to die would you try to fight fate? Would you live your life differently? This book gave me ALL the feels and is definitely a MUST READ!!!

⭐️4.5 stars ⭐️

How would your life change if you were told your age and cause of death? Would you start living in the present? Would you cut back on work and spend more time with your family? Would you obsess over the information and try to change the predicted future?
When a “psychic” boards, what should be a normal and short flight, she gives information that changes the lives of 6 specific passengers and throughout the story, we see the effect it has on each of their lives.

This was an emotional and a give you chills kind of book. It’s one that makes you think about how you would react in these passengers situations. It was on the longer end; some of the chapters are very short but even the longer chapters are very easy to read. There’s a lot of anticipation, wondering what is going to happen or IF something specific is going to happen. This was a very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it! This is my first book by Liane Moriarty and I was not disappointed. Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced digital readers copy in exchange for my honest review.