This book deals with a topic that I have read about all too often, but thankfully never experienced first hand.It deals with the aftermath of a car accident involving five young people in their teens ,where the driver had been drinking.The focus of the narrative shifts from Fran and Marcus whose daughter Jess is killed,to Harry who was driving the car ,and Mo and Tish whose lives are changed by their involvement in the accident.
It's a very moving account of grief and forgiveness,and I think it should be prescribed reading for all young drivers who are charged with drink driving or speeding,because I think it would help them change their understanding of the repercussions.
A sobering but ultimately worthwhile read-thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.

A superb tale about the repercussions of a car crash involving a group of young friends on a night out. As a parent, I could easily empathise with the adults in the novel; as a teacher I will recommend this book when teaching about the dangers of drink driving.

A well written book with some twists that I didn’t see. Raced through the book and g’found the characters likable. Recommend

I feel like I held my breath as I read this - the grief and anguish of all of the characters almost leapt off the page and I felt deeply affected and moved by the time I had finished. I cried on more than one occasion but more so at the end with the vigil the tears were streaming down my face. Such a compelling read and as a parent of a child that will be a teenage girl one day it really strikes a chord. I enjoyed it so much I’ve downloaded both of Caroline’s other books and am off to read them too. Thanks to Netgalley, Corvus and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every parent’s nightmare. Your child goes out in a car. You’re nervous that whoever is driving is sensible. This is that story. If a tragic accident and the aftermath and emotions afterwards. Well written and highly recommended

One Split Second
Author: Caroline Bond
Publisher: Corvus
Publication Date: 4/6/2020
This book should be compulsory reading for all young people about to start driving An emotional, and sometimes harrowing, portrayal of the aftermath of a car crash and the impact on all of those involved. Well written and researched and extremely believable, it was, at times, a difficult read but one well worth it.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review review.
Highly recommended.

4+
A teenage party, a few drinks and lots of fun, later a bad car accident and then late night phone calls- every parents nightmare. Waiting, waiting and praying for good news. Some get the news they wished so hard for, others don’t but there will be slow recovery and for two sets of parents it’s a longer waiting game and more prayers for life. One doesn’t make it. This is the scenario for this emotionally charged and very well written book. It is told in alternating perspectives by the driver, passengers and parents.

Although the characters are really well depicted, I was initially a bit overwhelmed by the number but once I had established who was who, it’s a great read. It captures the details of the accident extremely well through some flashbacks and police interviews and looks at the devastating impact on all those involved. We see the statistics regarding young drivers, we read or hear the news about crashes involving teenagers, we say how terrible, see the shrines at the side of the road but we move on. This book personalises the tragedy and makes you look more deeply and see how their lives are altered. The events of the night are revealed a bit at a time which I really like as you become invested in seeking the truth as it unfolds. I like how the aftermath is like a fly on the wall snapshot of each family’s home and how each of them is affected differently. The ICU is especially moving and there are brave decisions made. All of them suffer varying degrees of grief and pain, at times it is heartbreaking but it is compulsive reading. I like how after a while healing comes via a very dramatic and moving Restorative Justice meeting although the aftermath is not what you might expect after all the tension.

Overall, a very thought provoking and emotional read but which shows that after the darkest of dark days that there is some light. The stand out characters for me are Mo from the teenagers as he is true and loyal and Fran from the parents whose deep emotions you can feel and I admire how she came to forgiveness.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the ARC.

One evening out with a group of friends can change the course of people’s lives for good. A brilliant story which shows how one event which they were all part of has different impacts on the group and on the families. Brilliant portrayal of what the journey through grief can look like with so many conflicting emotions. Can this small group heal or at least find a way forward from the events if that one fateful night. I was hooked

In one split second all the events of an evening come together bringing a car of four friends together in a car Harry, Jess, Tish and Jake and involved them in an accident with far reaching repercussions for them , their friends and their families. Taking you through the many events from a bystander witnessing the accident, the hospital and how their lives changed forever.
I really enjoyed reading this book although it evoked many emotions and empathies for all the characters and would highly recommend it.

Late one night after a party a car full of teenagers crashes with devastating effect.
The lives and those of their families will be changed forever.
Grief, blame, guilt and eventually, for some, forgiveness takes over their lives
An intensely emotional novel which deals with difficult subject matter. A different type of read

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. If you want a thriller with twists and turns and great characters you will really enjoy this book. Great read

After a car crash involving a number of youngsters, One Split Second observes the lives of these young people and their families following this devastating crash.

Whilst I spent much of the early chapters reading this book feeling somewhat disappointed, wanting there to be further ‘events’ or a clear hero, it was about halfway through when I actually ‘got it’. Once I had managed to get my head around the fact that there aren’t heroes or heroins, or a detailed focus on a single loss, but is, instead, a simple and pure story of just many people being affected in so many ways by a single incident, I loved this book.

Whilst there were a few twists, by the time I had finished One Split Second, Caroline Bond had cleverly drawn me into a journey of compassion, understanding and empathy. The drawing together of the individuals’ personal experiences and paths following the ripples of tragedy, was beautifully considered. It brought me, as a reader and what felt like an accidental observer, some peace and even closure.

Whilst I think I would have preferred some ‘stamps’ just to help me identify the time lapses, it did not detract from the fact that the book did span a two year time period which was a necessary part of this book’s believability and success.

I’m so pleased I have read this book. A simple yet stark and painful reminder of the importance of empathy over judgment. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to have this ARC.

A car arriving four young people crashes and their lives, their families and even a strangers life changes forever. How do the young people manage in the aftermath of the tragedy.
I liked how the story unfolded and the characters responses to tragedy. This was a book that made me cry.
The story is written from several different POV which all add to the main story. The car crash is the starting point and now they all need to work through the ripples to figure out who they’re after tragedy has struck.
Thanks to Atlantic books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#OneSplitSecond #NetGalley

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this book grabbed after the first few pages.
The plot revolves around the aftermath of a car crash and the family of the ‘victims’ looking for someone to blame.
We get to know both young adults and their parents as the plot unravels and as the story closes we are left feeling empathy and. sympathy for all those involved .

A crash involving 5 teenagers has devastating effects on all their lives and that lives of their families.
A very detailed and moving description of the emotional, as well as the physical, after effects.
Parents realised that they didn’t know their children as well as they thought they did. The teenage friends too, had to renegotiate their relationships with each other.
A very thoughtful examination of a tragic event.

A difficult start to the book as you can’t help put yourself in the parents shoes.

The way the book unfolds after the accident is clever and emotionally charged and you can really relate to the different situations the families end up in from one accident.

Really enjoyed reading about how people deal with this situation and the tests it places on relationships and the questions they ask each other and themselves.

This novel is one which every new car owner should read, it should be made compulsory, and as a retired college librarian I would have bought ten copies and recommended that it be read by all. Nonetheless it is also an extremely good plot and very well written by an author with very real understanding of teenagers and their psyche....I do hope that she will write more about this age range as in my experience a well written novel is more effective than any Personal and Social Education class.
Back to the novel itself! As I said, it is well written with a good storyline and is totally unputdownable, it made me cry often and I did not stop reading except for the essentials. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and Caroline for writing with such understanding and skill.

This book started off quite confusing with so many characters, but once I learned who was who, I loved it. Well worth a read

This book is really captivating. It took me a while to get to grips with exactly who was who, because there are the five main character, their parents and then a fair few other people also included. But, once I'd persevered with that, the story was definitely worth it.

It was both heart breaking and haunting, but with a really good balance of optimism and exploring the need to keep going on, added in.

I felt like I was on the journey alongside some of the parents, trying to find out exactly what happened in the lead up to the accident. And then trying to process all of the events afterwards.

I'd definitely recommend this book, but would advise readers to be prepared to shed a tear or two.

We all know stories of how one second can change your life well this book explores the affects of how so many lives are changed after a car accident involving youngsters with out a care in the world. It covers the whole gamut of emotions that effect a huge range of people. Those involved in the car crash, family and friends. This book explores all the emotions, secrets, and untold stories that lead to the end results of a one off car crash. One split second that's all it takes. I loved the characters in this story, could visualise who they were. This is a good read and I would buy it for a friend or colleague. 10/10.