Cover Image: One Minute Later

One Minute Later

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Member Reviews

An emotional and at times, very sad read. I felt for Vivienne so much — her life changed so quickly and so dramatically. It was tough to follow her through the rest of her story and hope for the happier ending for her. Another wonderful read from Susan Lewis and can't wait to read more in the future!

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I haven't read a Susan Lewis book for many years and I have forgotten how good her stories are. In the beginning, I couldn't work out how the two stories interweaved, but by the time they'd met in the middle the story was one that I hadn't expected. It was utterly enjoyable

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Now if you ever needed to read a book that makes you think & I mean REALLY think about the other side of organ donation than this is it!

I honestly don't think I have read a book that had me feeling such raw emotion, really high highs and really low lows.

Not only did it take you on a journey (I hate that phrase but it's the only one truly suitable) of a real love story, deep entwined family secrets and just how precious life is.

I think we are all guilty of taking life for granted, for not cherishing what we have enough and not realising just how quickly things can change. This book will make you walk away thinking so differently, will make you hig your babies that little bit tighter.

The book goes back and forth in time, between two completely separate stories that come together brilliantly. The twist at the end was not at all what I was expecting bit I must say it was perfect, we cant always have the sunny days and rainbows we seem to expect!

Now I must say Organ Donation has always been something that scares me, I have no real reason to feel fear and I hand on heart could not give you one valid reason as to why BUT this hard hitting, raw story has made me feel so so differently! I have since read up on Jim Lynskey and his campaign Save9Lives and would encourage everyone else to!

The biggest thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

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I think we're all guilty of not realising our lives could change in an instance, but how many of us really consider they might. When Vivian has a heart attack at aged 27, her life has gone from being a high flying lawyer to living back at home with her Mum within an instance.
As Vivi has to come to terms with her condition and the fact her heart will never regain full strength, she is also struggling to work out why her Mum wont tell her who her Dad is.
She has a loving family, but knows her life is limited and wants the answers before it's too late.
We also encase ourselves into the Raynor family who live on a farm, and when Jack Raynor dies suddenly, the family is in turmoil as Shelley has to raise her three young children without her husband on their inherited farm.
The book spans backwards and forwards in time, and to begin with I felt like I was reading two separate novels, but they way they came together was brilliant. I thought the book was taking us in one direction, but there was a twist I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed this book and the only reason for four stars instead of five was because I felt the ending was a little drawn out.

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Wow! This a fantastic romance and family saga. It's a very unusual storyline which brought me tears of joy and sadness. I loved it. Definitely one of the best this year.

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Vivian is a fit healthy, successful young woman. Meeting up with her best friends the GaLs to celebrate her 27th birthday, ViVi suffers a massive heart attack.

Vivi moves back home with her mother, frustrated and angry at not being able to return to her old life. Friends and family do there best to make Vivis return home easier but Vivi is angry and lashes out at her mother who has kept the identity of her father from her her whole life

A good read showing the importance of love, family and organ donation.

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My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a 4 stars or 8/10.

Susan Lewis isn't an Author that I've read a lot of in the past. I enjoyed this very thought provoking at times story about Vivi and how she copes with the aftermath of her heart attack. I feel that it would make a great reading group read, with quite a few things that could be discussed by people and discussing how they might cope if it happened to them in the prime of their life.

Told as a dual time frame style story, the narrative flits between the past and the present, as secrets from the past are revealed that kept me guessing where they where leading on several occasions.

I will be looking to read more books by Susan Lewis in the future.

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Another fantastic book by Susan Lewis, it had me hooked from the very first chapter. A truly emotional story-line showing how quick life can change. Lots of tears throughout. I would highly recommend this book.

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Another great outing by Susan Lewis. An easy read treating an interesting subject of organ donation in an unique way. Well worth the read

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Another great read by Susan Lewis. Make sure you've got plenty of tissues for this heartwarming, but tear jerking rollercoaster of a ride. Very cleverly written.
Thanks NetGalley and Susan Lewis for the brilliant read.

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Vivienne has a highly successful career and then everything changes. Her heart fails and in an instant her life changes. Moving back home she waits for a transplant. Then she meets Josh. Can she dare to love. At the same time she searches for her father. A beautiful story with a rollercoast of emotions. Would really recommend.

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Although I requested this book as Susan Lewis is one of my favourite authors I realised I had already read it!
This is a real emotional roller coaster of a book it tells the tale of vivi a young fit , energetic, professional who at the age of 27 suffers three heart attacks and is suddenly going to have limited life expectancy and is staring her own mortality in the face! The book is very informative and factual about heart disease, medical devices and organ donation and the emotional roller coaster that person and her family are on!
Running parallel but 39 years previously is a take if another family who have suffered grief and heartbreak and gradually both parts of the book come together to give a truely thought provoking and heartfelt read one that will stay with you long after the book is finished!
Organ donation is promoted and anything to raise awareness is a good thing!
Thank you net galley

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With a high-flying job, a beautiful apartment and friends whose lives are as happy as her own, Vivienne Shager is living the dream. Then, on the afternoon of Vivi’s twenty-seventh birthday, one catastrophic minute changes everything.

This cleverly and sensitively crafted story has satisfying twists & turns that will keep you hooked. The real life scenarios are fully believable and satisfyingly realistic. Have tissues ready for the finale!

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Vivi had a good, exciting and envious life. Clever, successful, beautiful and well paid. Everything was going wonderfully in her young life. But, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. Her whole life was in turmoil and nothing seemed to make any sense.

This story is very moving. It tugs at the heart in every way possible. I cried many times whilst reading one chapter after another. Written so tenderly, so professionally and with heartfelt emotion, the author has worked wonders to reach out and touch the reader.

There are also some enchanting moments, some funny times and some wonderful twists to the story. A few times I thought I knew where the story was going only to find it turn completely in a different direction.

Thank you Susan Lewis for writing such a heartfelt book and for bringing the importance of organ donors to the forefront of the story.

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I cried! Loved this book so much, it was a great read but also thought provoking as well. Loved how the characters blended well together and the different decades didn't get confusing like they sometimes can do.
This is one of the best books I have read for a long time, I will certainly be looking out for more Susan Lewis books.
Thank you netgalley.

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I have been a fan of Susan Lewis for a while now and I was looking forward to this one! Again, she had written a very emotional and heart-wrenching book!

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What a beautiful story Vivi health deteriorates suddenly so she goes home to be with her family where she meets and falls in love with Josh Her families story is also linked to very troubling past which has a big impact on all involved A story of love and heartbreak but beautifully written and very poignant words A great read

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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. Recommends This Book

Right, so this is a new author for me, in fact I hadn’t even hear of her before, Or maybe I have but just can’t remember. Anyways, I probably would have missed this book as well if HarperCollins had not reached out to me and asking whether I would be interested in reading and reviewing this book. So, thank you HarperCollins for introducing me to this wonderful author.

Now let’s get into why I thought this was a great read.

Right from the beginning I was so gripped with the storyline. The books start off with alternating stories between the characters Vivienne and Shelley. One story is told in present day the second is told from the mid 1980s. At first I wasn’t sure why two separate stories were being told but by the time you get to the end everything comes together and makes sense.

I couldn’t read this book fast enough, and because of this I started making lots of assumptions as to how this book would end but by the time I got to the end every one of them was wrong.

I’m not going to go into the details of this story but I will say there are plenty of twists and turns in this book that will have you guessing until you reach the end.

Through the writing and character development of this book you can really tell that Susan Lewis has done her research. It felt like I really got to know the characters and their struggles.

A great thought provoking read that will stay with you long after you have read it. Definitely worth reading especially If you’re looking for a well written, hard hitting novel full of rollercoaster of action, emotion and suspense.

Be warned you may need a box of tissues close by, especially for the ending.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my eARC in return for an honest an

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It’s a while since I have read a book by Susan Lewis, but this one makes me want to look for more. A beautifully written story using a very difficult subject. I freely admit it took me some time to read the last chapters I was crying so much but am so pleased that I got to the end of such a well written book.

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I enjoyed this book, the storyline was something a bit different and I liked the way that the two completely different stories were slowly introduced then weaved together. I particularly liked the ending of the book and the way that Lewis didn't shy away from the difficult issues.

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