Vivi is about to learn that a life can change in a minute. She has it all and then suddenly her heart fails and her life is turned upside down with endless hospital trips and various devices to keep her heart going. Moving back to the town she grew up in and scared she may not have long left Vivi struggles to stay positive until she meets Josh. He is just what she needs but could a secret her mother has kept all her life ruin things.

Oh this book is beautiful. Its heartbreaking and so well written. It draws you in and refuses to let you go long past the last page is read. This story is told from two timelines that eventually link the story together. To keep from spoilers I wont say much but I think it was well done. The ending is beautiful yet sad. It deals with the very real issue of organ donation and the lack of awareness. I love that Jim is actually real and offered true insight into this. A beautiful, thought provoking story.

A rollercoaster of book! I have not read anything by Susan Lewis before - what Have I missed
The book is based on two very strong women , 30 years apart and at first you wonder what the connection is between them
Vivi is a young London based, high flying lawyer. She meets her friends for a birthday celebration, collapses with a heart attack and is found to have an extremely serious heart condition needing a heart transplant.
Adapting to her new situation, she returns to stay with her mum and step father in Kesterly to allow her mum to care for her. Vivi has always known her mum was hiding something but with her lifestyle changes she is determined to find out what.
The second story concerns Shelley and Jack 30 years previously and follows their idyllic lifestyle in a beautiful farmhouse which they renovated, Jack as the local vet , till tragedy strikes and Shelley has her life changed forever.
The stories of the two women intermingle when Vivi meets Josh, Shelley’s son and they become close and the secrets begin to be uncovered, culminating in an explosive, heartbreaking, unexpected and also heartwarming ending.
The book is emotionally draining but also a wonderful read.
Susan Lewis has done a lot of research into organ donation and it showed. It was also wonderful to have included the real life story of Jim Lynskey in the book .
I would recommend this book to anyone, however you will need tissues!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers LTD for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Vivienne Shager (vivi) Is a high flying solicitor. She has a modern up to the minute home in London an amazing career and a group of good friends the Gals (Girls at law). Whilst celebrating her birthday she suffers a heart attack having a weak heart which she has lived with since childhood she is sadly left too sick to work so after being put on the transplant waiting list for a new heart she decides to go home to her mother and stepfather who live in a small village. Kesterly. Her mother has always kept secret from Vivi who her father is and this causes a lot of conflict between mother and daughter but when we find out why it is dramatic and sad.

As Vivi's story unfolds a family is introduced Jack, Shelley and their children who live at Deerwood farm.
Jack is a vet and Shelley runs the farm and brings up the children. They are surrounded by love and warmth. But sadly tragedy strikes.

Vivi & Shelley's lives eventually come together and a lovely story unfolds.
It is full of some laugh out loud moments from the antics on the farm. To the serious sad side of Organ donation.

The book is full of love, laughter, and tears, for which I just couldn't put down and found myself keep going back to it as often as I could.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review xx

I have just finished this thought provoking and emotional book Susan does it again with this thought provoking and emotional book. With characters you can't help but like and the reality that this is life for many people if you read nothing else this year make sure you read this....

What a brilliant book. Love this author and once again she didn’t fail to disappoint me.
Loved it from cover to cover. It was quite emotional at parts and I did shed a tear.

This was my first novel by Susan Lewis, however I had heard good things and was keen to pick this up. It follows Vivi - a high flying young lawyer whose life changes in a moment when she finds out that her heart is starting to fail her. With no other choice but to return to her home town, Vivi stuggles to adjust to her new life. 

Beautifully written, One Minute Later had me sobbing by the time it finished. Although slow to start, by the time I reached the halfway point I was gripped. With two stories interlinking - Vivi's in the present and Shelley's in the past - at first you are unsure as to how the two are connected. However, as things become clearer you realise just how connected these characters really are. Also that twist that you think is coming? I can guarentee that you have it wrong!  

One thing that really stood out for me about this one though is the attention to detail. The information on organ donation packed in its pages is detailed, well researched and also heartbreaking. Be warned; this is a tear jerker that is worth pushing through the slow start.

I am a fan of Susan Lewis but did find this book slower then others, however it is a lovely story with a really special message about organ donation that really touched me and made me think about. A lovely story thank you

Susan Lewis is an inspired writer who instantly puts you at the scene and handles drama in a way that drains your emotions. This novel is especially tragic, poignant and remarkably well researched – impressive. Vivi has a heart problem and needs a heart transplant. There’s something almost obscene about hoping that someone will die to prolong your life, but the counter-argument as represented in the book is compelling too. One thing that alarmed me is that people who have cremations cannot donate a healthy heart. It's so glaringly obvious, but it has never occurred to me. Addedly, Vivi has a complicated family network, and it took me a while to unravel it. Gina, her mother, did not win me over. The other part of the story concerns Sophie and how she copes with her well-adjusted, happy, loving family of children and animals (which is enormously funny) and the tragedy that strikes them. The two parts of the storyline eventually merge into a poignant love story. As regards sub-themes, it is multi-faceted which made the book fascinating. Apart from the fantastic work of Cardiologists, hospitals and heart transplants which is the dominant theme, there are fascinating pockets of information on the BSE crisis, vet work, animal care, relationships, love, the upright and resourceful side of social media, revenge with its consequences and the effects of tragedy. Dodgy the dog stole my heart by the way. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

I absolutely loved this book, finished it in one sitting and already recommended it to several friends.

Oh the trauma, I was not expecting that ending. Very cleverly written and highly emotional. I couldnt work out who her father was although was not surprised to find out who was involved.

Loved this book and would highly recommend.

Reading this book is like being on an emotional rollercoaster!
The story is initially about two unrelated women whose lives eventually become entwined through hope, despair, love and friendship.
There is quite a lot of detail regarding organ transplants, but is written in such a way that it does not cause you lose interest in the plot. Well worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. One Minute Later is a book that I wouldn’t usually read but every now and again I need something a little different. The first half of it is dual narrative, Vivi, who has been diagnosed with a life changing illness in modern day and Shelley whose narrative starts in the 1980s and moves forward towards modern day. It was Shelley’s story I preferred. I liked the family’s efforts to make their farm a success, the hectic family life and the people in general. Vivi I couldn’t warm too, I found the way she was with her mother quite difficult to read.

The second half of the novel focuses on Vivi more and the way she has to live with her condition. I found her more likeable here, she has a better relationship with her mother, and I enjoyed reading about her relationship with Josh, the way she was accepted by his family and her finding out the truth about her father. But the most important factor to this part of the novel was the way it highlighted the importance of organ donation. It doesn’t force a reader to sign the register as such, more it shows how many lives could be changed and the way the person who needs a transplant has to live their lives.

Coincidentally, a real life character in the novel, Jim Lynksey, was on a breakfast news talking about his wait for a heart and how important the register is.

An enjoyable read, but quite an emotional one too.
. I was willing the two main female character’s stories to converge quickly to get to the bottom of the secrets and lies from the past, and have to admit it didn’t turn out the way I expected it to. Not the usual boy meets girl romance either (no spoilers) , but all the better for it.

One minute later is a nice story with a bit of a who dunit too. The book goes straight in with the story with the chapters being a nice size. The story and characters was easy to follow. As i read the story i kind of started to guess how it was going to end but it didn't affect the book for me. I gave this book 4 stars and would definitely pick up another book by Susan Lewis.

Vivienne (Vivi) Shaeger has everything. At 27 she has secured a great job as a city lawyer, a wonderful home and everything seems perfect as she sets out to enjoy her 27th birthday lunch in a luxurious setting with her friends from Law School. Just one minute later, that life is in tatters.

In the middle of lunch, Vivi suffers a major heart attack. As a child she had undergone heart surgery for a condition that was unlikely to give her any future ill-effects; sadly that has turned out to not be the case and Vivi quickly finds herself on the transplant list awaiting a donor heart. From being girl about town to virtually housebound in what seems like the blink of an eye.

She reluctantly gives up her perfect home and moves back in with her mother and step-father in her home town of Kesterly. Having long left the rural life of her childhood behind, she's saddened to find herself back there, leaving her high-flying city life behind her. On the other hand she's happy to see more of her brother and spend more time with her old best friend Michelle, and her growing family, despite the circumstances.

A quick flashback to 1984 and we meet Jack and Shelley - a young couple settling into an inherited farm in Kesterly, Jack setting up as a local vet, and the couple determined to make the farm a going concern and raise their young family there. But what is the connection to Vivi?

There are intertwining elements between Vivi and Shelley which develop nicely throughout the story, and running right through the novel is Vivi's plight; a young woman desperately adapting to a new lifestyle that she never expected, nor wanted, and spending each day waiting to find out if she will receive the transplant that could save her life.

The negative points: I felt that the story was a little slow and repetitive in places. I very nearly gave up early on because of the over-gushing descriptions of Vivi and her wonderful figure/hair/lifestyle in the first couple of chapters. It just grated on me, everyone is just a bit too nice, revenge doesn't exist, and when people meet for the first time it's like they've known each other forever; It's all a bit too fairy tale and unrealistic for this old cynic.

However once I got further into the book, I found the theme of organ transplantation very poignant, as I have two friends who have both been in need of an organ transplant. One was lucky enough to receive a donor organ and is doing extremely well several years later. The other was not so lucky, and sadly died battling his condition. I really hope that this book can bring organ donation into the forefront of the minds of more people, especially following events in the latter part of the book when you really feel the futility of so many suitable donor organs not being donated because families either don't know what the person wanted, or even choose to ignore the wishes of their loved one.

This novel is not really to my taste but I appreciated the amount of research that has clearly gone into researching Vivi's heart condition, and the sheer desperation felt when there are perfectly good donor hearts going into the ground or the furnace that could be saving lives. The background story was interesting and had a twist that I didn't see coming - there was a nice bit of misdirection that took me down a different route while I was focusing on Vivi - that was well done and took me by surprise.

As the title suggests, one minute later can make all the difference and therein lies this story. Vivienne Shager is a successful lawyer. She’s young, pretty, surrounded by good friends and family and has everything to live for – until whilst celebrating her 27th birthday, out of the blue, she suffers a heart attack that changes her life forever. With her previous hectic lifestyle and independence now gone she moves from London to the small town of Kesterly to live with and be cared for by her mother and stepfather as she waits (and hopes) for a donor heart to be found. This becomes the driving theme for the book and the author has done some intense research on the whole subject of organ donation and is to be commended in this respect. Running alongside the story of Vivi and her wait for a new heart is the story of a family who live at nearby Deerwood Farm and the chapters switch between this family and what happened to them 30 years ago and those of Vivi and her situation in the modern day. It is here where the plot relating to the two families becomes very cleverly intertwined and makes for compulsive reading. For anyone who is interested in, or has questions about becoming a donor, this story will give the reader much to think about and may well encourage some to consider this more seriously which is obviously the intent of the author. It is interesting that one of the characters in the book is indeed a real person who is hugely involved and doing great work in this regard but read the book to find out who that person is (no spoilers!) If you like a book that has serious issues, moral dilemmas, family secrets, murder and a wonderfully heart- rending love story to boot then please read this book. Warning! You will need tissues.

This book had me hooked in a way that a week later I am still thinking about it and have signed up to Save9lives.

The story is told from the perspective of two women Shelley and Vivi. It is also set in two different time periods of the 70s and present day, although they do sync eventually.
Vivi is a high flying lawyer in London, loving life and on her way to meet the GaLs (a group of lawyer friends) to celebrate her birthday. She gets to the bar and begins opening presents when all of her sudden she has a massive heart attack. The quick thinking Dr on scene saves her life in effect, but she ends up having a device fitted which will shock her heart back to normal rhythm if it stops again. She is also told she will need a heart transplant.
Vivi has to move back to the sleepy village that she was so eager to leave and live downstairs in her Mother's house as she is very weak.

Shelley has moved into a farmhouse with the love of her life - Jack - They both stayed there as children and when the owners died it was left to them. 3 children later and they have it all until tragedy strikes and Shelley's world falls apart.

Years later the two women meet - I can't say how as it's a spoiler - and are joined together in love.

This book made me think about life and how in the blink of an eye it can change.

You should read this book with a large box of tissues.

Authentic, emotional, mysterious and romantic are the perfect words to describe this enthralling story. Told primarily from Vivi and Shelley’s points of view, you wonder what there can be to connect two women who are so different in all aspects of their lives. Both their stories are absorbing. Vivi’s story is at the present time, Shelley’s mainly retrospective but one unconnected incident puts their lives on a collision course.

This a story of family life, relationships and friendship but there is an underlying mystery, which is gradually solved as the story develops. The story is suspenseful, as in the midst of ordinary events you are metaphorically waiting for ‘the other shoe to drop’.

So many people’s lives turn on a moment in time and the main body of the story focuses on the fall out from this event, and its consequences. The characters are complex, flawed and so believable. Reading this story is like being a voyeur into the character’s lives, the events are realistic as are their emotional responses and motivations.

The romance is sweet yet passionate, and selfless, it is the basis of the two main protagonist’s lives and what binds the families in the face of adversity. There is a multitude of poignant moments in this book, which enrich it. The plot’s twists make solving the underlying mystery complex and satisfying.

The emotional ending is beautiful to read and surprisingly hopeful. The messages peppered throughout this story are important for the reader to take on board.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An emotional rollercoaster of a book. This author never disappoints. Will admit to finding the book slow to start but once you could see a connection between the 2 story lines it started to pick up. Love, heartbreak (quite literally) and family relationships. Have to say I did shed a tear towards the end - but I won't spoil it. Would recommend.

This is not my normal type of read, as I like reading blood and gore more.
However I am not disappointed, as this was really a nice and sweet read that I sincerely enjoyed.
Highly recommended.