Member Reviews
I was excited to see a new Liane Moriarty book and the first chapter seemed exciting, almost like a mystery thriller novel. After the plane it was a little difficult to follow along with. I liked the character stories and wanted to know what happened to them. Cherry’s story was a little confusing until the middle of the book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as other Liane Moriarty books, but it had a good message to remember life isn’t permanent.
"If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?" It begs the age-old question, are we in charge of our own destiny...or is everything in our future predetermined? Free will vs. fate?
A fated flight, a long delay, but on this short domestic flight, the passengers get the surprise of a lifetime when "The Death Lady" predicts their deaths, age and cause of death. It's disturbing for most passengers. What is going on? Who is this woman? Is she having a psychotic break? She obviously lost her marbles. But... could she be right? Could Ethan be ready to die in the next year from injuries in a fight? Could Leo actually die in a workplace accident?
Many of the passengers on this particular flight are changed forever. They question the validity of Cherry's (the death lady) predictions. I love Moriarty's character development. I was fully invested in each character, and the lengths they were willing to go to change their futures. I adored following the handful of characters and their examinations of their lives and their reactions to knowing their futures. As the predictions began to come true and a few of the passengers start to die, the other passengers become quite worried and determined to fix their fate.
This book had me contemplating my own life, my possible futures, the way I live my life. I was examining my beliefs, which had me looking inward and reflecting. I love a book that can make me examine myself.
As with most Moriarty's books, the pages practically turn themselves. I was enthralled from page one and could not stop reading. It was a long book at over 500 pages but it flew by. My only complaint is the ending didn't satisfy as I had hoped, which seems to be an issue I have with this author. I LOVE her writing style and character building but haven't cared for an ending since Big Little Lies. 4.5 stars for an excellent read. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Moriarty for an absolutely entertaining and introspective.
This book had me hooked within the first Chapter. Liane Moriarty pulls you in with quick staccato type sentences that describe a woman on a flight. She is vanilla and unremarkable but what she does during the flight shakes all the passengers on board. They find themselves questioning every decision, every move, every conversation. The lives of the passengers are interspersed with chapters about the woman on the flight and her backstory. I found myself wrapped up in all of it and wanting to know what happened next. Brava to Liane Moriarty - she has crafted an amazing read and I expect one day it will be on a streaming service as it will be fabulous!
Thank you Crown Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of " Here One Moment". I was disappointed with the authors last two books, and this one made up for those. An ordinary plane ride becomes traumatic when a woman stands up and starts predicting when and how the passengers on the plane are going to die. People believe this woman is just nuts, until some of her predictions start becoming true. You start to think then do these predictions change the course of fate? If people think they know how they are going to die, will they make changes? This book reminded me a LOT of " The Measure" which is one of my all time favorite books which also makes you question, would you want to know how you are going to die?
The story follows a woman, Cherry, who tells passengers on a plane how and when they will die. We get to know her and many of the passengers as the author explores themes of destiny, free will, and what would you do if you knew how/when you were to die. If you could have that information, would you want it? Even with a large cast of characters, I felt invested in everyone’s lives. Cherry wasn’t always sympathetic, but I still wanted to know what brought her to the plane incident. Overall, another engaging book from one of my favorite authors.
Thank you #Netgalley and #CrownPublishing for the ARC e-book.
Liane Moriarty has done it again. She always manages to write such complex plot lines with a multitude of characters, whom each are given a rich background and personality. She has a unique way of fitting the characters and their story lines together in ways you wouldn’t guess until it smacks you in the face and you’re amazed.
I loved the premise of this book from the get go and was pulled in right away. An older woman begins to predict cause of death and age for all the passengers on her flight. No one pays her much mind until her predictions start coming true.
I don’t want to give anything else away because this one is best to go into with minimal knowledge but whew! It really makes you think about your life and own expectations. The ending was so good and really wrapped things up without being too neat or forced. Highly recommend this one!
This was another Cracker Jack of a book by Liane moriaty. Such an interesting theme and I loved all of the characters. 10/10
In her latest novel, "Here One Moment," Liane Moriarty once again showcases her remarkable storytelling prowess, weaving together a gripping tale that explores the complexities of fate, free will, and the human experience. This thought-provoking and emotionally charged book delves into the lives of a group of passengers aboard a seemingly ordinary domestic flight, whose lives are forever altered when they learn the exact dates and times of their deaths.
Moriarty's signature wit and keen observations of social dynamics shine through as she introduces a cast of diverse and relatable characters, each grappling with the newfound knowledge of their mortality. The author masterfully balances humor and poignancy, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and deeply moving.
As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into the lives of these passengers, witnessing their struggles to come to terms with their predicted fates. Moriarty skillfully explores the various ways in which individuals respond to such extraordinary circumstances, from denial and defiance to acceptance and transformation.
This is her best work yet.
Sges fone it agsin, a book that doesn't disappoint. This pulled me right in, and loved following the character's waiting for their outcome. Brilliant book much different from her others I loved it
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book
"Here One Moment" by Liane Moriarty proved to be a refreshing departure from her other works that I have previously enjoyed. The narrative unfolds during a brief domestic flight in Australia, where an elderly woman disrupts the tranquility by revealing the future of each passenger, including their cause and age of death.
The story gracefully transitions between the lives of these individuals, who become consumed by obsession and despair after witnessing the accuracy of the predictions made by the enigmatic "Death Lady." Additionally, we gain insight into the perspective, experiences, and background of Cherry, the fortune teller herself, shedding light on her presence aboard the fateful flight.
While the first half of the book may have felt slightly protracted and sluggish, the pace picks up significantly in the second half, captivating readers with its heightened intrigue. Consequently, I have assigned a rating of 4 stars, rounded up from my initial inclination of 3.5 stars, to reflect the overall quality and engrossing nature of this unique tale.
Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for the ARC to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy. Here One Moment is classic Moriarty. If you're a fan, Here One Moment is more Nine Perfect Strangers than Big Little Lies.
Liane Moriarty is always a YES! author for me. This story was quite different than her other works I've read.
I like the concept. A plane full of people being told when and how they would die sets off a chain of events. Where I struggled was twofold: 1) the number of characters. I understand the need to showcase a variety of people, experiences, and walks of life, but it took me 1-3 pages each chapter to orient myself with whom I was reading about at that time. 2) The length. The book, in trying to cover so many characters, really just seemed to drag on and on.
Getting to know "The Death Lady's" past in tandem with the current lives of so many passengers was interesting, but I just wasn't sure it was all necessary. In the end, I did like the perspectives on "living", grief, coping, decisions, and fate... so maybe some time away from the story will help me look at it with slightly kinder eyes.
Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)
**Thank you to NetGalley & Crown Publishing | Crown for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**
What a different concept this was compared to past books by Liane. Imagine being on a plane and having a woman come up and tell you what age and how you are going to die. That is how this book starts and then it follows some of the main characters after this event. I really enjoyed it, it dragged a little bit and was not what I was expecting- but I definitely recommend.
I absolutely loved this book. With the way plane travel is these days it was easy to imagine this scenario happening in real life, and it was terrifying to think about how I would react. I thought it was clever and I can only hope they will make this book into a show or movie like some of her others.
Are you in charge of your destiny or is it predetermined? What would you do if you knew exactly when and how you were going to die? I appreciate books that make me think about life and help me organize and understand my own beliefs.
Passengers on a short flight are given the details on when they will die by an older passenger, who comes to be known as “The Death Lady.” What should they do withthe information? Is there a way to change their destiny or is it set in stone? If they were to change one aspect of their life, would that make the women’s prediction not come true? All these questions are asked by those who were told their fate on that plane.
I was hooked from the very beginning and invested in the lives of these strangers. The chapters have no titles, so you really have to pay attention to understand whose point of view are reading in that chapter. Sometimes the narrative and descriptions were a little long and drawn out. This made the book a little longer than it needed to be. Overall, I appreciated the message of the story. I enjoyed finding out how the lives of some of the strangers on the plane ended up being intertwined with each other. I am someone who is always wondering what if and questioning things, so I really emphasize with the passengers.
Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A fascinating story about what ifs? What if you were on a flight and someone predicted when and how you would die? How would that change your future? That’s exactly what is explored in this story. A strong novel but moving from chapter to chapter in alternating views was clunky at times.
Everyone who boards the plane will eventually disembark, but almost all will be forever changed. Cherry, an unremarkable woman, stands in the aircraft aisle and starts pointing at everyone, telling them their manner and age of death. 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. Cherry, of course, does not remember doing this and continues with her life. The book follows Cherry and delves into her past, providing a detailed picture of her life. It also follows the six passengers with current death dates. The book captivates the reader by presenting the story from several different viewpoints, and in the end, it reveals how this encounter changed these people's lives. It is an interesting storyline, and I was glad to be along for the ride.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Liane Moriarty, and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC
Loved this novel. It starts in an airport with an unmemorable woman (Cherry) boarding a plane a long with many other passengers who become important. During the last moment of the flight, Cherry marches down the plane aisle announcing what she believes to be everyone's cause of death and the age they will die. Needless to say, when a few people start to die right on schedule, there is much consternation.
The story is not told chronologically, but generally tells Cherry's history interspersed with the present day passengers and what they are doing or not doing to avoid imminent death. I thought the premise was hokey but the author made it work.
I'm positive it could be a mini-series if anyone is listening!
4 stars, great story! I enjoyed the different backgrounds of all of the characters and what different people would do if they knew when they would die. The only thing that could have made this book better for me is if the chapters had the names of the characters on them. It was a little confusing at times figuring out who the chapter was about.
Her name isn't Cheryl - it's Cherry - but now she's known as the Death Lady from the flight. It was an ordinary day. that turned into anything else but ordinary The flight from Hobart to Sydney was delayed, but once off the ground nothing should go wrong. Except for one lady who went through the plane telling every passenger she saw the age of their death and the cause. And strangely enough, some of those predictions started coming true. Three deaths later, people were trying to find the Death Lady to find out if her predictions would still hold true. From the anxious mother of a baby boy, to an elderly couple, to a young man just returning from the funeral of his much too young to die friend, to the beautiful flight attendant to the newlyweds traveling in their wedding wear. Who would live and who would meet the fate given to them by her? And does Cherry even really realize what she did? A very compelling and enjoyable read showing parallel lives all influenced by one woman. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Liane Moriarty and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this very unique book.