This is a novel about how a life can change in the blink of an eye. It is very much a story of family and relationships, told with a great deal of emotion.

Vivienne Shager has a successful career, great friends and a beautiful apartment. She seems to have it all until she suffers a heart attack on her 27th birthday. This is the account of her return to the small seaside town where she grew up and the secrets and questions she left there. Her story is told in tandem with that of her school friend, Shelley, who stayed in the town when Vivienne left.

There is a simple prose style to this book and it is very easy to get into. It comes rather close to triteness on occasions. It isn’t my favourite genre but that’s my problem, not the novel’s. I’m sure there are a lot of readers out there who will thoroughly enjoy this story.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

The first 2 thirds of this book switch between past and present, telling the stories of 2 women whose lives are about to change in the most shocking ways. This is very emotional and beautifully written.
The final third of this book is a more a crusade for organ donation, which is not a bad thing but just felt a bit over kill at times.

Very enjoyable and emotional read.

This was such a slow and turgid read, after a few pages I started skimming just to find out what happened. The style of writing was old-fashioned and emotional, using too much description and not leaving any detail to the imagination of the reader. It was over- sentimental, over-romantic, over descriptive and over long. The past and present stories took far to long to merge and the amount of detail and description of heart problems was unnecessary. This is obviously a popular author but I won't be joining the fans.

It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did I enjoyed it.
However, I prefer reads that I devour much quicker.
Still, very well written.

A very moving book which was upsetting at times and heartwarming in others the characters were very likeable and I felt I was actually there in the story as it was beautifully written and compassionate overall a very good story and would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.
I really enjoyed reading this book; beautifully written, emotional and heart-warming, yet heart-breaking at the same time (every pun intended).
Told between two timelines almost thirty years apart Present day Vivi Shager is a 27yr-old high-flying city lawyer, travels the world and has a close circle of girlfriends sharing the same lifestyle. Meeting up for a birthday lunch, Vivi collapses.
Thirty five years ago Shelley and Jack Raynor inherit a farmhouse from Shelley's uncle in Kesterly and are determined to renovate it and make their home and living there with their children and new baby Josh,
Following hospitalisation, Vivi has to abandon her city life and move back to Kesterly to her mother, Gina.
Vivi had never known who her father was, despite questioning both her mother and grandmother, but that question was now taking on a new significance for her - before it's too late.
The story weaves through individual characters' lives and experiences across these thirty-odd years, gradually intertwining people and events, their loves and lives. Secrets now have to be explained and dealt with. This is a story of love, hope and sadness, of how the past can shape our present and affect relationships, and it is a contemporary situation faced by many today.

I have read a few of Susan Lewis and I like her. This didn't disappoint. It makes you think about how quickly life can change and not in a good way intitally. I like the dual stories about Vivienne in the present day and Shelley in the 1990's. I looked forward to seeing how these stories were linked and it was obviously somehow by the bronze statue, but I wouldn't have guessed! A true to life story and if you have never considered adding your name to the organ donor register, then read this book and you will think about it.
I would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for my free copy for an open and honest review.

Wow! This book tells a tale of two characters, over two periods of time, each suffering their own problems and heartbreak. Cleverly written and fast paced it quickly dragged me in and I found myself stealing moments to read 'just a few more pages' whenever I could, to discover just how these characters were connected and where the story would end up! I experienced such a range of emotions whilst reading this fantastic book, and also shed a few tears and I look forward to reading more of Susan Lewis work! I would like to add It has also opened my eyes to the importance of organ donation due to the real life influences and research that has gone into this novel! 5/5

This wasn’t for me, I’m afraid. It reminded me of the types of books my mother’s book club read avidly about forty years ago, strongly recommended by Woman’s Own, full of cloying romance and random tragedy.
I couldn’t get on board with the dual narrative here; it took so long to make the connection between the time-settings.
I don’t think it was badly written; it just wasn’t the kind of book I enjoy and I wouldn’t have finished it were it not for a sense of obligation because I had agreed to review it. Two stars because if it was truly dreadful I couldn’t have finished it.

Well WOW that's a story and some more, there is no doubt that lives can change in minutes and this tells the story of Vivienne and the family of Shelley.
Both have a heartbreaking tale and how they cope and or overcome and it's a stories that you need to hear and it could change your life when you do, yep it's that powerful. The families you assumed early on there must be some connection and I had to wait to find out and it's definitely worth the wait in my view but I'll let you make your own mind up.
It's starts off with two stories alternating between Vivienne's and Shelley's the first in the present the Lata from the mid 1980s. There's the mysteries of the bronze statues but much more so about their personal life and what they faced all set in Kesterly a small fictional coastal town, also Deerwood a fictional farm and later to be a project worth watching out for. However the story starts off in London where Vivienne was working as a very successful lawyer with a very promising future ahead of her, she had great friends good family great life. It's just painful that sometimes your plans and reality don't always take the same paths. And a weak heart it's not suitable for the life she had expected and not one that would let her do any more marathons whether that is running or on the dance floor.
I don't want to spoil the story for you but there are plenty of twists and turns, a love story and moments of truth like Gina's and how in one day your life can be completely transformed as already mentioned before, it can be a bad choose wrong place at the wrong time or just the hand of fate. The unknown is the future of us all but this story brings hope and shows how you can make a real difference the life of each one of us can be a force of good and well read it you will be really glad you did and see oops nearly gave it away.

I loved this book. Heat breaking yet heart warming at the same time & truly showed the importance of such an important subject. Would recommend this to anyone.

Susan Lewis is one of my favourite authors and this book doesn't disappoint. Two seemingly separate stories join together to make one very emotional one. There are a few times when I thought I knew the direction the story was going but I was wrong. I am so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review this book. I highly recommend it with a box of tissues nearby.

I’ve always loved Susan Lewis’s books and was very grateful to have received an ARC of this book. I found the first 40% of the book quite slow going and predictable. At one point I felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen, but of course I was wrong! However the book vastly improved after that and I think I sobbed my way through the last 30%!

I was thrilled to get a copy of this, the writing is fresh and the plot interesting. However I can’t say I really enjoyed it. The subject matter was heavy and there was little in the way such as wonderful imagery or lyrical language to give relief from this. For this reason I only skip read the second half, the plot simply wasn’t for me strong enough to counteract the subject matter. I also felt the second half of the book became very predictable.
Not one for me really I’m afraid despite some good points.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Two women, two separate lives - or so it seems; and a heartfelt tale which draws readers into the personal stories and struggles of two different women.
The new novel from Susan Lewis frames the ideas that life's struggles are often universally relatable, yet often poignantly unique at the same time. Vivian and Shelley's stories are complex, at times heartbreaking and still, despite some of the book's outcomes, readers are left with something resembling hope as the final pages are turned.
There was a curiously welcoming tone to One Minute Later from the outset. Readers are drawn into Vivi's struggle and Shelley's newly wedded bliss through Lewis' simple, yet emotive prose style. There is intrigue from the outset, setting up the mysteries of Vivian's past whilst engaging the reader with, what could be described as a familiarity, of the day to day goings-on of a single, 20 something female in the city.
The repeated swapping between the two stories is not complex or a problem in the structural choices made by Lewis here, however, there is what might be described as a slow burn as we wait to see the relevance of each character's story and how they are relevant to one another - patience is required, but ultimately, for the reader, it is worth it in the end, as the latter stages of the novel see the stories begin to merge and shed further light on the mysteries which do remain, (frustratingly so at times,) shrouded for quite some time within the narratives told.

Vivid, intriguing, and though meandering at times, this is a lovely read.
A relatable and heartfelt book, that just about avoids melting into cliche or triteness too often. It is both emotive and intriguing, drawing readers into both the uncertainty of Vivian's story and the rollercoaster that is Shelley's life at the farm; which is, eventually, neatly tied together at the end. Well worth a read!

#OneMinuteLater #SusanLewis #NetGalley

This book gets off to a great start; I loved the descriptions of Vivi's enviable lifestyle. Once the catastrophe had happened, the book lost me. The alternating chapters of two stories (which were obviously going to cometogether in the end) felt like I was reading two books at the same time. I didn't gell with any of the characters. Just not the book for me, but I can see that some people would love it.

This is a well written and at times hard hitting novel that I really enjoyed. Thank you for the chance to review.

Vivienne Shager has a life to be admired. She’s a beautiful and popular lady with a network of really lovely friends, she’s a high flyer with a powerful job, a gorgeous flat and she has everything to live for. Then, on the afternoon of her twenty-seventh birthday, her life changes in the blink of an eye and just one minute later the nightmare takes on an ominous shape and her life thereafter will always be a struggle.
This is the story about how Vivi is forced to accept and adapt her busy life. She has to move back into her mother’s home, she can no longer drive and enjoy a high society life; she must let her body be in charge of her life and not the other way around. It’s devastating, heart breaking, frightening and so unfair. She feels weak, uncertain of what the future holds for her and she’s living on a knife’s edge. But Vivi is determined, driven and full of character. She will beat her illness or die trying. Running parallel with Vivienne’s story is the story of Shelley Raynor and her philanthropic family who live in Deerwood farm. Each story carries equal weight within the novel and Shelley’s story is also very absorbing. Together these threads drive the story forward with superb timing and thought provoking issues.
The story is not only told in two voices but also in dual time frames. At first the reason for this is a puzzle. It is uncertain where the stories will go, but the journey is compelling and addictive. This format is the author Susan’s tried and tested formulae and this story is there with the giants of her career. As the story looks back into the past, so it gradually becomes clearer and clearer. The two threads inevitably merge into a heartbreaking and heartwarming conclusion. Based on some factual information and themes, it will turn into a rollercoaster of action, emotion and suspense. You will love the main characters as they are strongly crafted and brilliantly developed. They will live in your heart, because this novel and its characters will become like close and wonderful friends and you’ll really care about them. With issues such as murder, hidden secrets and lies that shape the future this is an absolute must-read.
I received this excellent novel through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Harper Collins, all in return for an honest review. This is my 4.5* review. All the opinions are my own, with no influence from other parties. Highly recommended Women’s Fiction.

Read lots of books by Susan Lewis and enjoyed them all but was very disappointed with this one, sorry. I found it hard to get into the story and didn't particularly like the characters. I also didn't like the moving about with the characters.

I ended up towards the end doing a lot of skim reading just to get to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Well Susan Lewis you’ve done it again what a brilliant story . Vivi had a wonderfull life and in one moment all that changed . This book had me hooked from the start all the ups & downs of having to deal with this major change in her life . I’ll not spoil it by telling too much but this book is a must read.