For some reason, I found this book rather hard going. For most of it, the action is split into following Vivienne in the present time and also Shelley in the past. As a reader, you expect their paths to cross at some point and although this does happen in the end, it is all quite anti-climatic.

I can't pinpoint what didn't work for me: perhaps lots of descriptions that don't go anywhere and make the story line quite loose; perhaps it was the linear characters; or perhaps the main message on the importance of being registered as an organ donor was pushed forward in too much of an unsubtle manner for a novel. Whatever it was, it all fell rather flat for me I am afraid.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an impartial and honest review.

One Minute Later is another fab book from Susan Lewis. A great thought provoking subject highlighting the importance of organ donation. I loved this book and was hooked from the first few pages.

I got to just about the half way stage and then admitted defeat. It was so long winded and dreary that I couldn’t read another word let alone another chapter or to the end. Sorry! Shame because I have enjoyed other books by this author in the past.

Susan Lewis has always been a go to author for me & this one certainly doesn’t disappoint. The 2 sides come together in a great way. Worth a read!

Susan Lewis is one of my favourite authors but for some reason I just could not get into this book. I didn't like the character from the start and I couldn't get into the narrative. So sorry for a negative review, usually mine are 5* for this authors books

I found this book to be a very mixed bag. The characters didn’t feel particularly well rounded and the countryside setting was idyllic beyond reality. Also I understand why the pace of the love story was so fast but I found this very unrealistic. However, the plot of the story and the message within it I found very moving. Overall not something I would read again.

Meet Vivienne, a very successful Lawyer and one who is out celebrating her 27th birthday with her closest friends, when within the space of one minute her life changes forever. She has a heart attack and her life will never be the same again.

To recuperate and get her life back on track, Vivienne goes back to her childhood home in a place called Kesterley, a sleepy town with very little attraction - well maybe just a little. Vivienne is anxiously waiting for a call to say a donation heart has been found for her.

Growing up she never knew who her real dad was and now she wants to find out the truth whether her mother helps her or not and as the mystery starts to unravel itself, secrets come out into the open and for some it is uncomfortable.

Then we move to the second timeline of the book which starts in the 80s and follows Shelley and her family’ and their idyllic life living on a farm, not quite The Archers, but almost.

For me, it was how these two worlds collide which really make the plot twist and turn as it adds a few shocks and as ever from Susan Lewis, love conquers all!

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

A lot of fluff. I do love Susan Lewis books but I felt the beginning was a lot information that I didn’t need to know, it took while to get to the point, I don't know why but I didn't feel connected to the main character. I liked the middle part and the past story , but it finished and 20% of the book was left. I understand how important the issue and I liked the information about it but I couldn't connect .

Thank you to Netgalley and to Harper Collins UK for sending me an eARC of this book!

I haven’t actually read any Susan Lewis books before even though her books seem to be everywhere.


I really liked the overall theme and message of this book; I am a firm believe in the “opt-out” option with organ donation which looks like it will actually be coming into play soon. I can’t take my organs with me so they might as well do some good once I’m gone. I think Lewis managed a good balance of telling you about organ donation and trying to debunk some of the myths, whilst not beating you over the head with it.

Sadly aside from the message of the book I didn’t overly love the rest of the book. I wasn’t that sold on Vivi as a character and don’t feel we ever actually got to know her that well. She went from a high flyer to a terminally ill person but we never got much about her personality and so I never felt able to connect with her.

One of the main threads throughout this book is Vivi’s desire to find out who her father is; it’s so obvious they’re trying to set it up that her and Josh are siblings, which made it even more obvious that they weren’t going to be. After harping on about it for the whole book Vivi literally just forgets about it and barely mentions it again. The trauma she caused to her mum and just like that she’s moved on, was a bit far fetched to me.

Overall this was an easy reader, but not something that really interested me.

Who wouldn't love this book!? The characters make you feel you are part of their lives, you experience their highs and lows just as you would in your own lives with the hope that the ending would turn out well for them, after all a love story always does doesn't it? Set in wonderful scenery this is a fabulous book, humorous, poignant and a true reflection of modern life. A great read - highly recommended.

I received a digital arc of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to start this on a long journey to Scotland as I knew it would take the journey there and back to read it! It did take me a while to completely get into this story - maybe it's the detail with which Susan writes; the many descriptions. I don't know. But after about 6-8 chapters I wanted to know more. As soon as I knew what the connection was between Gina and Shelley I had to find out how their stories linked.

This was a very emotional read at times, and is about a very tough but real subject for many people. It describes what it's like to live waiting for a transplant that may never come, and even if it does, that your body may reject. Susan describes the fear and uncertainty so well and the last few chapters broke my heart!

I will definitely be reading more from Susan Lewis in the future and would recommend this - but be aware it is emotional!

Vivi, I laughed
, I cried and feel like I’ve been through it all with her. Fab read like all Susan Lewis books it didn’t disappoint but then I’ve yet to read a book by her that did. Fab read nd highly recommend

This book was provided to me in return for an honest review.

This book really brings to life both sides of organ donation. It’s written well and is emotive throughout but sometimes I couldn’t quite picture some of the scenes in my mind which meant I lost interest and skimmed those sections.

4.5 stars
This book! This story made me cry and think about so many lost love stories that many people, unfortunately, don’t have the chance to live it. More so, about those who have to live with a health disease that stops them to live life in full.
Even if the secrets in the past are buried, many to.es they come back and change the life of any family. I enjoyed this part of the story because both families got closure of the tragic accident and I liked how the author structured the story between the past and present moments.

Please, please, please can someone teach Susan Lewis the difference between telling and showing? The opening of this book was nothing more than a long info dump that could easily have been given to us in much more entertaining ways, but no. We're told every little detail of Viv's attitudes and relationships because apparently we need things explaining and can't understand nuance.

This just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This was the first book I've read by Susan Lewis, and it was a good page-turner and very readable.
It tells the story of Vivienne, a successful lawyer in London in her 20s. Soon after running a marathon, she suffers a heart attack - and her life completely changes. She is taken back by her family to her home town and is now an invalid waiting for a heart transplant.
A parallel story is set on a nearby farm, Deerholm, and the family wh0 live there, and in particular Josh, a young vet.
This is a novel about the power of love, between a couple, and of family and friends. It is also an urgent call to us all to donate our organs in the event of our death, so we can help others to have a healthy life.
Thank you to Net Galley for sending me a preview copy of this book.

Susan Lewis has done it again. I usually enjoy her books as she writes so well and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I liked how two different families stories were being told from different times and slowly being brought together. The ending made me cry and I am not one to cry at books, so I think that says it all.

Not really what I expected from a Susan Lewis novel. I enjoyed it but not as gripping as usual. At times it seemed like a run of the mill romance novel. Yes, there is intrigue: over Vivi's father and Jack's death and of course what will happen to Vivi herself - will she get a transplant? Some happy times and lots of tears and an exploration of relationships, but some of it seemed over simplified. Enjoyable, but not her best. #oneminutelater #netgalley

Thank you - we featured One Minute Later on Caboodle (website and newsletter) in 2018! We look forward to working with you in 2020.