At first I didn't enjoy this book and stopped reading within the first 30% of the book. But recently I came back to it and I'm glad I did! I'll seek out more from this author.

"How well do you know the people you love? For one young woman returning to the past, the answer could be heart-shattering . . ."

The book is set across two different timelines, which can be an exciting element to any story, adding depth and character development. However, this didn't work for me with this story as the whole part set on the farm was dull and boring.

I feel a bit cheated, as I expected to read a psychological thriller but felt that I got more of a dull romantic saga. Not for me.

A very thought provoking, emotional rollercoaster of a story. I found it a little slow to start but it soon gripped my attention.
Another good read from Susan Lewis.

Susan Lewis’s "One Minute Later" is a gripping and heart-wrenching novel that explores themes of love, loss, and betrayal. The story follows the life of a young woman, Vivi Shager, whose world is turned upside down when she receives a shocking diagnosis that changes her life forever.
Lewis’s writing style is engaging and emotive, allowing readers to connect with the characters on a personal level. The plot is well-developed and intricately woven, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. The story deals with difficult topics such as illness, addiction, and family secrets, but does so with sensitivity and care.
The characters are multi-dimensional and flawed, adding to the realism of the story. Vivi, in particular, is a strong and relatable protagonist who faces her challenges with grace and resilience. The supporting cast is equally well-developed, each with their own unique struggles and motivations.
Overall, "One Minute Later" is a moving and powerful novel that is sure to resonate with readers. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a touch of suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One Minute Later is the brilliant new novel from bestselling author, Susan Lewis. Her storytelling skill and keen eye for the minute details of life will bring readers on a heart-wrenching and thrilling journey. The book follows the life of Vivienne Shager, who one day discovers that a minute can change everything and how far one must look back in order to understand the present. Weaving past and present, Susan Lewis masterfully brings together two seemingly unconnected worlds, shedding light on secrets, lies, and unanswered questions from 30 years before. The novel takes readers on an emotionally intense and gripping ride, showcasing the intricate and mysterious layers of family life. As you savour every second, One Minute Later will captivate you until the last page.

A great book about how your life can change so quickly an emotional rollercoaster of a read with likeable characters and a heartwarming story

I’m definitely a fan of Susan Lewis. I enjoy her writing style very much and find her balance of how much detail to include is pretty spot on.
That said, I did struggle a little bit with this book. I liked the concept of how quickly your life can drastically change in an instant, but I didn’t feel fully invested in the main character, Vivi.
It’s still worth a read, but it’s not a favourite for me.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Oh my goodness what a wonderful book this was. Such a powerful, heartbreaking and important message underpinning this beautiful albeit tragic story. Absolutely loved it.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for my copy.

I'm normally a sucker for multiple POVs in books but for some reason it didn't work for me within this book. I had to keep checking which POV I was on as they all blurred into one. Really sad I didn't enjoy this one

Vivi is a highflying Lawyer, always busy, regular flights from case to case, non stop. When meeting friends for a birthday lunch Vivi collapses and is told she has a serious heart condition. Vivi moves back to the small village of Kesterley with her Mum. They find it hard to get on as there are so many secrets and questions that hang unanswered between them. I couldn't wait to get back into the book every day, I loved the characters and I loved the story. Be sure to read the acknowledgements at the end of the book!!

One Minute Later by Susan Lewis is a thought-provoking story of how your life can change in the matter of minutes. This is a highly emotional story about love.

An enjoyable read that I will go on to recommend. I found the characters interesting and the plot line engaging. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Susan Lewis and this book didn't disappoint. Full of emotion and drama fans of this genre will enjoy "one minute later" and it's hard hitting storylines.

I enjoyed losing myself in the interconnecting stories within this book - romantic, thriller, family saga. It ticks all the boxes. The characters are believable and far from perfect but human. You want there to be a happy ending for all concerned plus it keeps you wondering how everybody is interconnected. Who is Vivi’s father, why is her Mum so private and guarded about her background. Why does she conceal a brass dancing man, and have a weird reaction to passing a local farm.

A lovely easy read to take you away to another word and not put down unless you really have to. My only criticism would be that i felt it came quite abruptly to the end - where everything else was described beautifully it seemed quite stilted. But that just made me sad as I wanted to know more and wished the ending wasn’t sad. I’m also pleased that the laws regarding organ donation have changed since it’s publication.

I haven’t read a Susan Lewis for a while and I’d forgotten I had this to read. However, I’m so glad I picked this up.

The story follows Shelley and Vivienne, over 2 different timeframes, taking a chapter each. It’s a little confusing, but Vivi’s best friend is called Michelle but whilst it’s obvious that Shelley and Michelle can’t be the same people it is a little bit distracting.

We meet Vivi, just a couple of weeks after she has run a marathon, a busy lawyer on the day of her 27th Birthday. We are introduced to her family and friends as they wish her well. She meets her friends at a restaurant for lunch and the collapses.

We meet Shelley as she inherits Deerwood a farm with her husband Josh. We learn about their family, Hanna, Zoe and the new baby Josh. Until tragedy strikes and Josh dies, leaving Shelley to raise her family and manage the farm.

As Vivi has to recover in her childhood home, close to Deerwood, their lives merge.

We follow Shelley and Vivi until Shelley’s story is brought to the present day. It’s a story about family, discovery, love and living through life’s challenges.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is full of so much emotion from laughter to heartache. This is a brilliant story covering family lives over two generations.

Susan Lewis is an author that I’ve tried a couple of times, but I just can’t get along with. I think her writing is a genre that I just don’t enjoy. Her writing is great, but it’s just not for me. But I can understand why a lot of people love her books.

I appreciate that I'm going against the grain here but I found this book to be too emotional and long-winded. Anyone who likes drama and family mystery will probably enjoy it though. There are several threads (timelines) in the book which do eventually come together.

I found the writing style simplistic and the tone somewhat depressing. It contains lots of medical detail which has clearly been very well researched.

Sorry but it just wasn't for me.

After being a bit disappointed by Susan Lewis's recent My Lies, Your Lies, but recalling I'd enjoyed a previous book of hers, I remembered I had One Minute Later unread on my Kindle and decided to give it a try. Upon starting, I then realised I'd started it previously and given up after a few pages, as it opens with a massive information dump about the insufferably perfect life of the protagonist. Despite not coming from a wealthy background, vivacious Vivienne has an amazing life, a brilliant job as a lawyer, a beautiful flat in Chelsea (!), a handsome sort-of-boyfriend, a great group of friends, and everyone loves her. Oh, and she's still only twenty-seven. She's gorgeous, too, obviously, with a "taut, lithe body" and eyes "blue as a summer sky". At the beginning of the story it's her twenty-seventh birthday; her friends give her plane tickets and silk pyjamas and spa treatments in Monte Carlo. It's obvious things are going to go wrong (how could they not?) but I was still rolling my eyes pretty hard at all this.

Anyway I stuck with it and things do indeed go horribly wrong for Vivienne when her health takes a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse and she leaves her fabulous London life to move back to her mother's home.

Alongside this present-day narrative is one from the past, telling the story of Shelley, Jack and their young family at Deerwood Farm from the 1980s onwards. Again, their idyllic life clearly can't last. Evidently there's some sort of connection between the two stories, but it takes time (a long time) to learn exactly what that it.

I liked the Shelley storyline rather better than the Vivienne one. I get that Vivi's situation is incredibly difficult and we can give her plenty of leeway, but good grief, it's a depressing read. Her relationship with mum Gina is quite fraught and honestly it seemed a little unfair, as apart from keeping certain secrets about Vivienne's dad (for good reason, as it turns out), Gina seems to do a pretty good job as a mother, welcoming her daughter home and doing everything in her power to help her, with little appreciation.

The book is a bit over-long, with long periods where nothing much happens and storylines which don't seem to go anywhere. (There was surely more to be said about the whole Charlie situation.) It should have been an emotional read, but unfortunately I struggled to really connect with the characters, particularly Vivienne, who just never felt quite like a real person. They just seemed to lack depth. Josh, for instance, is a handsome, kind vet who is perfect in every way. If there's more to his character than that, we don't find out about it. The story ends with an impassioned plea for organ donation, which is unarguably a good thing, but takes a heck of a long time getting there.

Sorry for late review - just catching up after a busy 12 months. Loved this book a lot - the author never fails to deliver a great story with great characters and really well written. Will definitely read more by this author and thank you for the read. Much appreciated.