Skip to main content

Member Reviews

I really enjoyed the unique plot of this book and I thought it was very cleverly written with how all the characters linked together. The amount of characters did get slightly confusing so I liked how each one was pinpointed (the bride, the mother, the elderly couple) as this made it easier to follow. I did find this book dragged in parts, there was a lot of information that could have been left out and it would have still made sense.

The ending also felt quite anticlimactic, I was waiting for a big revelation that never came. Although it did tie up the loose ends nicely.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. It is such a complex and engaging story that encapsulates such a powerful message. A beautiful and moving story with a great cast of characters that I became so invested in. I was not expecting this book to be so deeply meaningful but it truly was. Highly recommended. 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

A really special book! I’m a huge fan of Liane Moriarty’s writing and was excited to see there was a new release. What I liked most about Here One Moment was that the plot is totally unique and like nothing I’ve read before.

The story centres on Cherry and her predictions made on a fateful flight. The lives of the other passengers and weaved throughout the storyline.

Like other reviews, I did find the start a little tricky with so many characters but it’s worth persisting. I also liked that story introduced some interesting concepts around time and fate.

Was this review helpful?

So fabulously witty, vibrant and intricate. It really makes you think about how you’d respond if someone predicted your cause and age of death - how knowledge of your death would impact on your life. Very cleverly written in Moriarty’s inimitable style, with three-dimensional characters who quickly start to feel like friends. A great read.

Was this review helpful?

This is the latest Liane Moriarty offering, a powerful, engaging read that shifts direction to become more philosophical, reflective book that will have you thinking about life and how you might choose to live it. The delayed Hobart to Sydney flight is short, under an hour long, but it is to become momentous for many on board, when an older woman, there is nothing about her that makes her immediately stand out, comes soon to be referred to as the 'Death Lady', as she starts to point to the travellers on the plane. Her name is Cherry Lockwood, and she goes on to predict the time of death for them. How could anyone take her seriously? However, Cherry's bizarre act is to have rippling repercussions, particularly for some as the date of their expected demise is close.

Cherry's predictions of the age and death of those on board begin to have a ring of truth attached to them, when they start to come true. In a narrative that covers a diverse and wide ranging cast, through multiple perspectives we are given insights into many of the characters, including the background of the intriguing Cherry herself and how she came by her 'psychic' knowledge. There is loss and grief, a maelstrom of feelings and emotions, as the focus moves to the consideration of fate and destiny, death, statistics, and the nature of determinism itself. It is likely that the book will have you turning over the issues raised here.

Moriarty skilfully raises the tension and suspense, whilst nudging us to consider the fundamental questions and nature of life and death, providing odd connections, and the reality of how there is a limit in how much we are able to control life. This is rather different from the author's usual fare, it is an interesting direction to take, it is likely to appeal to her many legions of fans and to many new readers too. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Wow!! I have never read a book that gripped me from the first page like Here One Moment. It was such an unusual start that I really was drawn in to find out what was going to happen. We follow Cherry, an older lady, as she embarks on a flight and as it progresses we learn all about the other people on the flight and the impact Cherry will come to have on their lives as she predicts when they will die and what the cause will be. This creates massive ramifications especially when a couple of the predictions come true. The story keeps you gripped from the start to the finish and learning about Cherry and the other travellers lives and the effect that the predictions have on them. This book really makes you think about how you would react in the same situation. We really get to know the other characters and I have to say I felt quite bereft at the end of this book as I was enjoying it so much! 5 stars - highly recommended!!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book and have read all Lianes other books, as always it’s a very character based book, the story is told by multiple characters and of course by Cherry herself who’s story becomes so fascinating that I could not put it down. The storyline of being told when and how you would die had drawn me to this and the little twists and turns wer very good and I would highly recommend this. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy.

Was this review helpful?

After reading this author's previous releases, I was excited to read this. The idea of being told when your life will be over made for an interesting storyline, even if you are not a believer in the supernatural or the world of psychics/fortune tellers/mediums.

As anticipated, the plot was flawlessly executed in a dual timeline and told from multiple characters’ points of view. This created depth for each character and made an intriguing storyline. Because of the plot twists included and thought-provoking aspects, this would make an ideal book club read.

Despite being a bit of a slow burn for my preferences, I still enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fans of this author and genre.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this. It was utterly enthralling. It does take a while to get going and you have to stick with it. But once it does, it's a can't-put-down kind of book. I loved all the different characters as we got to know them a bit. Cherry's story, of course, is the core of it, but each character is special. The plot isn't a plot as such, more a variety of interactions and decisions and a really compelling study of fate and belief and circumstance. It's just wonderful. And best of all, the ending is absolutely perfect.

Was this review helpful?

A brilliant array of characters and stories all come together in this life affirming story about fate, chance and humanity. I found it such an intriguing storyline and I especially loved the background of Cherry, such a fascinating character.

Was this review helpful?

The scheduled flight from Hobart to Sydney is delayed. Only fifteen minutes, so that’s not too bad. Connections will be met, lifts will be waiting and appointments fulfilled. When all passengers are boarded it becomes apparent that the fifteen minutes was optimistic, and it’s over ninety minutes before the plane takes off. Whilst waiting on the tarmac, passengers have become increasingly frustrated and annoyed, knowing that their connecting flight has gone without them, their promised lift has rescheduled and gone elsewhere, and the school’s Lion King musical in which a much loved daughter is appearing will be missed. Still, all this pales into insignificance when the genteel elderly lady in seat 4D gets to her feet and proceeds to make declarations that cause more than a stir.

This is an author that likes to take her time getting a story going, but when it’s in motion it is a beautiful event. This book was amazing, so well written. Every little nuance was explored and explained and the characterisation was superb. A lovely epilogue!

A gem of of book, unique and compelling.

Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House.

Was this review helpful?

Another good read by Liane Moriarty. I always enjoy her books and they keep me guessing until the end. Recommend

Was this review helpful?

I loved it. Loved it, loved it. What a super read. It was entertaining and compulsive and literally sent chills down my spine. One of the best books I have read.

Was this review helpful?

I've read a lot of Liane Moriarty's books, and like the fact that they are often left field, but this left me baffled at first, and I didn't know what to expect.
A woman on a flight seemingly predicts people's deaths, but we have no idea why, or who she is.
The story then follows several passengers on the flight, and we delve into their lives and relationships, as they wonder whether there is any truth to these predictions or not.
The interesting question is: if you knew the future, would you behave differently? Would you change things in your life?
I really warmed to all the characters and was almost sad when the book ended and I had to leave them to their lives.

Was this review helpful?

To be honest I found a book about death to be a bit of a difficult read at times but there is a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.

Was this review helpful?

I was so excited to read this book as I have read some of Liane Moriartys books in the past and been fully engaged in them. Unfortunately I found this book so difficult to really get into the swing of, likely because of the switching perspectives and many characters. Because of the vast amount of characters I felt as though I couldn't really get to know any of the characters, which I really missed. Despite this I would probably recommend this book to others, because I think others may enjoy - it was just a preference thing for me. Looking forward to seeing more of her books in the future!

Was this review helpful?

Ok so... Liane Moriarty used to be one of my favourite authors but she lost me during her last two novels. When I heard she was releasing another, I thought I'd give her one more chance and I'm glad I did.

Here One Moment starts during a plane journey when an older woman, Cherry, makes predictions about how and when other passengers will die.

The story continues with the passengers coming to terms with their predictions and how this affects their lives.

We also learn more about Cherry - her background, her family situation, and what lead to her making those predictions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the premise was very intriguing. It's definitely a story that makes you think about fate and things being destined. And thinking about if it's possible to change the course of your life.

For me, there were too many characters and sometimes it was confusing to remember who was who and what their prediction was. I wouldn't say every character got a conclusion either. I feel some were just forgotten about. It was also unnecessarily long... It's just under 500 pages and could definitely have been 100 pages shorter and still as impactful, if not even more so.

The epilogue did give me chills though and this is a book I'd recommend but one you have to really focus on and invest time to!

Thank you netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty will be released on September 26th and can be pre-ordered now.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book, my first by this author and I will definitely be looking for more. It took a while at the beginning to remember who each character was as there are a lot introduced at the same time, once I got my head round this it was a very enjoyable read. Cherry what a character! I loved her back story and how it all came together at the end, slightly disappointed at the ending I felt it needed just a little more but overall 4 stars
Thank you

Was this review helpful?

Quite a fascinating book really, about a woman who tells everyone on a flight what age they are going to die at and by what means, but is she a true psychic or not? Do they believe her or not?

There are a variety of people on the plan, all of whom get a 'death' prediction, and we learn about each of them as the book goes on and they return to their real lives. Some really take everything the psychic said to heart, and some more with a pinch of salt. But then some of the predictions come true, so because some of them have stayed in touch and set up a 'Death Lady' Facebook page, panic starts to set in that she may actually know what she's talking about.

There are varying chapters about the lives of the people on the plane, interspersed with the 'Death Lady' chapters and how she's reached this point in her life.

It did ramble on a bit in parts, and I kept waiting for one of the predictions to come true to see what happened next, but when it did it picked up again for me and started to become more interesting.

Very clever as I really wasn't sure what was true and what wasn't until towards the end, but it certainly changed the lives of most of the people on the plane one way or the other.

Was this review helpful?

Man...I love Liane Moriarty. I've read most of her books and always love her work in developing characters in such a funny and realistic way. Here One Moment was no different - characters meeting on a plane ride (a setting already full of anxiety and tension) and being told something that changes the course of their lives. I loved Cherry and learning about what led her to the point we meet her at, her development reminded me a little bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, another book I adored. I really loved this book and seeing how all of the characters were intertwined. Brilliant.

Was this review helpful?