Member Reviews
Here One Moment is unlike any Liane Moriarty book I’ve read!! She is a master story teller when it comes to weaving unique characters, telling a thrilling tale and just solid writing techniques.
Diving into a genre more akin to contemporary fiction than her usual thriller lead books, I found Here One Moment equally as thrilling even without it being in that genre. It begs the same questions we all ponder at one point in life and lets a myriad of characters answer from their individual perspectives.
Riveting and beautifully written, Moriarty gives readers a solid and thoughtfully crafted new book. I did think it was a bit unnecessarily long but do understand with such a large cast of characters we need ample time to get to know them individually for the end to have the impact it does.
Wow! This long, fascinating saga is a mind-bending mystery with mystical, dramatic, and philosophical elements. It delivers a powerful message, advising readers to live their lives fully in their limited time, defying the odds and beating the reaper by challenging statistical consequences.
When I read the blurb, I was intrigued: a woman of indeterminate age, with no specific attributes and an unremarkable appearance, stands up during a delayed flight and counts to three. As if in a trance, she begins predicting the dying age and cause of death for each passenger. This unnerving display is a shock to the random people on the flight.
Some of her predictions are truly terrifying, like the one for the beautiful Indian flight attendant Allegra Patel, who is predicted to die at 28 from self-harm on her 28th birthday. Or Paula Binici, who learns that one of her children will live to 100, while little Timmy will die at age 7 from drowning. Could this really be possible?
Civil engineer and workaholic Leo, who is restless about missing his daughter's performance in a school play, learns he will die in November in a workplace accident.
Middle-aged couple Sue and Max O’Sullivan are also shocked. While Max is predicted to live into his 90s, Sue is told she will die in a few years from pancreatic cancer, despite being a nurse who regularly checks her health. How could this happen?
Ethan Chang, sitting with his broken and bandaged arm, has just attended his close friend Harvey’s funeral. He is told he will die after his upcoming birthday from an assault, even though he isn't the type to get into bar fights. Could trouble find him?
Let’s not forget the honeymooners still wearing their wedding attire, Dom and Eve. Dom is predicted to live until 100, while Eve is told she will be killed by Dom at a young age. Could this really be true?
This eccentric woman, Cherry, is an actuary knowledgeable about deaths and the daughter of Madame M, a famous clairvoyant. What if Cherry also possesses her mother’s powers? What if she accurately predicted the exact dates and causes of these people's deaths?
When three people die as Cherry predicted, the remaining passengers on the plane become nervous, especially those predicted to die in a few months. Should Leo quit his job to avoid the workplace accident? Should Allegra seek psychological help to prevent possible self-harm, even though she feels fine? Should Paula push her son Timmy to learn to swim before walking to prevent his predicted drowning? What about Ethan, who may be threatened by his roommate’s boyfriend?
As I read this long journey, I found myself crossing my fingers, hoping to save some of the characters I quickly grew attached to, wishing they wouldn't die as Cherry predicted.
I loved Cherry’s story, her peculiar, quirky, intelligent ways, her connection with her long-gone dad, her psychic mother, and her eccentric aunt. I admired her choices to live a long and fulfilling life, her happiness, and her losses. The triggering situation that pushes her to make predictions about strangers on the airplane, turning her into the “Death Lady,” is both fascinating and complex. Is she a charlatan or a guardian angel giving people a chance to reinvent or review their life choices?
Overall, I loved all the characters, starting with Cherry. I appreciated the philosophical and realistic approach of the author, who blends determinism and intuition to introduce different lives and the million paths they can take. This is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sharing this amazing book’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I am conflicted on this one. I really wanted to love it as I've loved most of Liane's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.
As always, Liane's writing is so easy to read and I flew through my reading of this book this past weekend. I loved the premise of the book, but I think where I struggled the most was the characters. I didn't feel very strongly about any of them in one direction or the other, and I think that might be the thing that would have tipped it up the star scale for me. After sitting on it for a few days, I think it was just too many points of view for me, even though I love a multi-POV story. It was a little difficult to keep names straight at first, and I think that prevented me from really losing myself in the story from the start.
This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
If you were told how you would die, would you change anything? Would you believe it?
This is the story of Liane Moriarty’s new novel and it was definitely a compelling read. From the beginning you get completely captivated by all the different characters and their lives and stories. There is lots of unexpected moments and twists which made for an engaging read.
The only thing I might have wished for was names on the chapters as each chapter is a different character. Though it was almost always quickly apparent who was narrating each, it still would have been nice.
Overall I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.
Liane Moriarty books are hit or miss for me. I either love them or hate them. Unfortunately, this one is a "miss." The story was so convoluted that I couldn't even finish it.
I have been waiting for Laine Moriarty's latest book since I finished Apples Never Fall and I was not disappointed.
If someone told you when and how you would die, would you take it seriously? Would you accept your destiny or try to change it? That's the decision the passengers on one airplane flight are faced with.
This book is entertaining and will also make you think. Liane does a great job of developing characters that the reader can become invested in. Another great book from this wonderful author.
I can't wait for her next release!
I’ve seen a couple series based off of Liane Moriarty’s novels and really enjoyed them, but I’ve actually never read any of them. I was so excited when I got approved to read an ARC of Here one Moment.
The premise immediately piqued my interest and I couldn’t wait to read more! A Psychic on a flight starts predicting age and cause of death for several passengers. Obviously, a majority of these passengers are distressed and panic ensues. After the flight, the story alternates between the Psychic’s (Cherry) and some of the passengers POV’s as they navigate life post-prediction.
I truly thought I would love this book, but sadly I didn’t. I didn’t completely dislike it, but I didn’t really get the point of the story overall. I thought the concept was really cool and unique, the character development was very well done, and Moriarty’s writing is so good and kept my interest enough to read the entire book. However, I just felt a bit underwhelmed at the end.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Even though this novel wasn’t a favorite, I’m looking forward to reading more by Liane Moriarty!
Another absolute gem by Liane Moriarty.
Passengers on a plane are delayed on their flight to Sydney. Nobody notices the older lady sitting in the front of coach until she stands and starts giving each passenger a prediction. What is the prediction? Their age and how they will die. Besides being creeped out by the predictions, no one takes them seriously, that is until they start coming true.
The main character of the book is Cherry. We follow her life and why she is on the plane and why she is giving out prescriptions for dying. Intertwined are the stories of six passengers who were all given the age and type of death prediction. We watch as they navigate the probability of those predictions coming true. This book forces you to contemplate, what would you do with your life if you knew how and when it was going to end.
Moriarty has a gift for rich character development. You really get to know the characters of this story. I also think Moriarty finds a way to intersect the lives of the characters in a way that is not forced, but organic, and this adds so much to the story. The multiple points of view keep the story moving along and I kept finding myself saying-just one more chapter.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Publication date: September 10th, 2024
Page number: 512
Audio length: -
Narrator: -
Genre: suspense
POV: multiple
Setting: multiple
Unique plot. A woman boards a plane, and doles out predictions of passengers deaths. And some of the deaths come true, scaring and forming the lives of the remaining passengers. Stirs contemplation of life and death, and what one would do if they can predict how and when they would die, and how that may change the course of their life.
The pause between the chapters was VERY long.
Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.
absolutely loved the premise of this book. An old lady gets on a plane and predicts the day and manner of death of everyone on board. Then, a few of the passengers end up dying in the way she predicts. This book follows multiple POV’s including several people from the plane and the ‘psychic’.
For one, the book started off really strong and I loved the feelings of tension and suspense the author created. However, as the story went on, a large portion of the book followed the lady on the plane’s story and if I’m being honest, I just felt a bit bored by hers. I don’t what it really added to the book. I kept waiting to read the stories of the other passengers from the plane because they were more interesting.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book and I did like how several of the storylines intersected with each other. That was very clever, but this just fell a little flat as execution of the storyline. I feel like it could have been so much more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this e-copy in exchange for my honest review.
Liane Moriarty's latest novel is a 126 chapter fascinating exploration of impending death. Cherry, a retired actuary, who is flying to Sydney to spread her husband's ashes, walks up the plane aisle and tells each passenger their cause of death and age of death. The novel provides the background stories of several characters on the flight and details their reactions to the possibility that their lives may end soon. When several passengers die according to Cherry's predictions, social media fires up with a hashtag: Death Lady. Here One Moment is highly recommended for discussion groups who enjoy big novels.
Wow! I’m hit or miss with Moriarty’s books, but this one knocked it out of the park. Such a unique plot and well written characters! I really really enjoyed this one!
his felt like a huge departure from Moriarty's usual domestic suspense writing. I went into this so excited, because Moriarty never disappoints me. I loved Apples Never Fall and Big Little Lies, but Here One Moment let me down.. I think what made me uneasy about this (and was probably Moriarty's intention) was that the entire book, I was waiting for the characters to die. I felt a sense of anxiety and dread when I would arrive at a characters chapter thinking, "Is this it?" In true Moriarty fashion, there are several characters to keep track of right off the bat with unique stories (so get your notepad ready) and I didn't feel like I was really connected with any of their life stories. Also, the ending felt rushed and kind of annoyed me.
One day, hundreds of passengers took your average flight from Hobart to Sydney, only this flight would be anything but ordinary. After hours of delays, the passengers finally feel a little bit of relief as their plane finally takes off. About midway through the flight, an older normal looking woman, stands up and begins telling each individual passenger the "age and cause of death". At first, the passengers just thought she was a cook but after each reading the passengers grew more uncomfortable with this woman hoping that the airline staff could get her to stop. Finally, after each passengers "age and cause of death" are shared. They land in Sydney to (hopefully) forget the madness of the flight. Months go by, and slowly it comes out that the "death womans" predictions start to come true causing chaos in the world and in the highlighted characters personal lives.
If you like clarivoyants, questioning fate, and some family drama than you should pick this one up!
Thank you to Crown Publishing of Penguin Random House for the ARC!
What would you do if someone told you when and how you were going to die?
4 1/2 ⭐️ rounded up to 5!
I really loved this book! Classic Liane Moriarty with multiple characters and their storylines all interconnecting. The story grabbed me from the beginning with its interesting premise and plot, and kept me engaged throughout.
I had a hard time connecting with Cherry’s backstory at first, but liked how it all came together in the end. I was really rooting for some of the characters and felt really tense at times wondering if their predictions were about to come true. I absolutely loved Ethan’s story as well as Paula and her infant son. (Imagine someone telling you your beautiful baby was going to drown at 7 years old! 💔😭) I cried at baby Timothy’s storyline in the end of the book!
This was a great read! Thank you to NetGalley and Crown publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
SYNOPSIS
- Passengers on a short, domestic flight in Australia from Hobart to Sydney expect an uneventful 90 minute flight. Unfortunately, they get more than they bargained for.
- Cherry, aka “The Death Lady”, is also a passenger on the flight. She makes her way down the aisle telling passengers the age they will die & their manner of death. Some folks learn they will live a long life, but for 6 people, their predictions are shockingly soon.
- We follow several folks in their life after the flight & how the predictions impact their lives, and we also learn about Cherry’s life story.
MY THOUGHTS
- Over 500 pages, but short chapters.
- Expertly developed characters. Loved how realistic they all felt.
- Thoroughly enjoyed learning Cherry’s back story.
- Multiple POVs.
- Explores statistics, different kinds of love, destiny, free will, determinism, grief, & living your best life. Makes you think a lot.
- Expertly plotted. Always love Moriarty’s writing style.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️expertly developed characters + unique premise that makes you think. long book, but short chapters.
Thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on September 10, 2024.
Wow! I’m hit or miss with Moriarty’s books, but this one knocked it out of the park. Such a unique plot and well written characters, it was my fave read so far in 2024!
So excited to receive this arc. Any time Liane Moriarty even thinks of writing a book I’m all over it. As usual this novel did not disappoint. The characters and setting were top notch. Vivid and fantastic in all ways. I’ve often pondered the question: would I want to know the date and cause of my own death. Love this premise. And huge on the creep factor! Great read.
Thank you NetGalley, Liane Moriarty and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book.
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.
Liane Moriarty is one of my favourite authors. I love her writing, she is so witty, funny and her books are heartfelt. She touched on a lot of important topics (OCD, death, grieving and relationships). I love the premise of this book and found it really interesting, I was invested in all of the characters but unfortunately I got a little bored hearing from the MC, Cherry, I found her parts to be a little too drawn out. It definitely is a lot of random banter/internal thoughts but I find that with her other books and it’s something I enjoy but I know not everyone would. (3.5 ⭐️)
✨ Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts ✨
Liane Moriarty’s name is synonymous with Amazing prose and surprise twists and turns in her novels that translate amazingly to screenplays. Here One Moment is another truly fabulous novel, that keeps you slotting the puzzle pieces together and being thrust on another twist until the last page.
Imagine going on a full plane flight, which is admittedly, stressful enough on its own. After being delayed for a trivial broken part, the passengers are now running late for things and stressed even more because they have had to be waiting and on the plane for hours past when they are supposed to be at their destination. Just as you think that it couldn’t get worse than screaming and sick kids, a woman stands up and starts pointing randomly at people, and calmly stating Age and “presumed” cause of death. Whether you want her to or not.
How accurate will she be? What about the ones who are the nearest to their presumed expiration date? What would you do? Would you change everything or nothing? Would you try to prove or disprove the “butterfly effect”?
This novel was so rich in description on character development that I felt like I Knew these characters by the end, moving me with all of the stories and resolutions.
Thank you SO much to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this fantastic ARC!!
Moriarty knows how to keep her readers coming back for more. Her latest offering reminded me a bit of "9 Perfect Strangers" in that there is a whole cast of characters who all have one random event in common.
Spoilers below:
This book begins with a woman on an airplane who proceeds to walk through the aisle and inform each person of their predicted "Age and manner of death". As you can imagine each character who is informed of their death prediction has a vastly different response. This novel follows the life of the psychic herself as well as many of the passengers and their unfolding events. While I didn't feel the plot was the most interesting she has written, she did have some great characters. This author is great at writing dialogues and conversations that feel honest and realistic.
Overall if you have enjoyed Moriarty's other books, this will be a fine addition to your collection. A solid offering and definitely a great book for book club or weekend reading.
Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.