Wow! This story was such a heavy read. There was a lot of sadness and bitterness throughout the book, but somehow I didn’t shed a tear which for me is very surprising. I’m the type of person to cry at the littlest things so I was shocked I never cried. 
With all the sadness in this book, I’m pleased to say there are just as many happy moments too. There isn’t much I would change about this one.

“No one watches over yours the way you watch out for your own.” This quote resonates with me because as a special needs mom- I know without a doubt no one watches my son as closely as I do. And this powerful and moving story proves this belief to be true but also proves that people can still surprise you.

Wow! This book doesn’t waste any time jumping into action. By chapter five the major catastrophe has happened and then I was left furiously flipping through the chapters to see how this one wrapped up. I went from sobbing, to smiling and back to sobbing again.

Two families are on their way to a cabin in Big Bear when the worst happens- they crash through a barrier and plummet down the mountainside. As they take stock of injuries and the weather conditions, they realize they are trapped overnight. Those that are able to go for help set out on a mission knowing they may not be successful. And those that stay behind are entrusted to look out for each other. 

I don’t want to say too much about this story because I want you all to pick this one up and read it for yourself. This book really takes a look at the aftermath and what each survivor has to live with knowing the choices they made in those terrible hours after the crash. No matter what, they will always feel like they could have done more and have to learn to live with that regret. 

My heart hurt reading this one, but this special story will stay with me. Reading the author’s note at the end, I appreciated this book even more. Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advance reading copy- this one just came out on 3/1/20.

This book is the first book I have read from Suzanne Redfearn and it was BRILLIANT! It is full of sorrow, grief, and the choices made when faced with a devastating situation. It moved me, touched every emotion, made me cry, and then smile. It reminded me somewhat of "The Lovely Bones'.

16 year-old Finn and her family (dad, mom, older sister Chloe, and younger brother Oz who is mentally disabled) along with Aunt Karen, Uncle Bob, their daughter Natalie, and Chloe's boyfriend, decide to go skiing in the mountains for a 3 day weekend. They ride together in an RV. After they get to the cabin, they all leave to go get supplies. Along the way, they pick up a stranded motorist named Kyle, whose car broke down. In an Instant, the RV swerves to miss hitting a deer in the road and plummets down the mountainside, rolling and hitting trees along the way before finally landing upside down. After everyone accesses the damage, they find Finn has died. Finn's dad is barely hanging on.

The story continues from Finn's point of view. She is caught in between heaven and earth watching her family and RV mates struggle to survive and move on with their lives. The choices that were made to survive are so sad, necessary, and sometimes selfish. I read this book in a day and a half. I couldn't put it down. It made me think what would I have done in that situation. Would I have made the same decisions...What would I have done differently. When ordinary people are put in extraordinary situations, what choices will they make?

"I wonder about this, about whether our humanity is determined more by circumstance than conscience, and if any of us if backed into a corner can change."

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile. The choice that was forced upon Oz made me cry so hard. The ending made me smile and cry happy tears. The grief of Finns parents really touched my emotions as I couldn't imagine how I would react if I lost my children. Be prepared to tear up when you read this book & I really recommend reading this book. The author adds her own moving story at the very end, which totally shows her bravery. Well done, Suzanne Redfearn.

#inaninstant, #netgalley

Hush! Listen carefully! Can you hear something? Nothing? Yes, that was me while and after reading the book. This was the book where my soul stood silent in shock when I read how the survival instinct could bring out the good or the bad in us. 

It took a road accident where the bus fell off the cliff to reveal the truth. The Miller family along with 5 of their friends were trapped in that bus. Finn Miller died instantly, and the entire story was narrated through her eyes as she saw the actions of each one of them. 

Father was badly injured, sister and boyfriend decided to leave first, a few hours later, mother and a friend went to get help, and the rest tried to stay alive. Help came after 2 days, but life suspended for those survivors until best friend Mo got to the truth. 

My first book by Suzanne Redfearn, and I was simply shaken to my core. The concept of the story was brilliant, the writing took me right there at the site of the accident. The emotions that coursed through me left me bruised and battered. I cried and ranted, I screamed and swore. I wanted to judge them all, but a part of me wondered how I would behave if had faced such a crisis. Would I help everyone or save myself? Even the best would let go. 

The story stayed with me long after I finished reading it. I was sad for the Miller family and hoped life would come back on track for them. There were a couple of characters who made my blood boil. The author's writing was poignant, and the words chosen were beautifully balanced. Through Finn's eyes, I was shown the truth of the human psyche without becoming too overly judgmental. There was something about the prose which kept the words flowing through my brain even as I slept. 

I wonder about whether our humanity is determined more by circumstance than conscience, and if any of us, if backed into a corner, can change. 

Would I? I don't know. 

Simply a beautiful read. Simply a brilliant author.

This book held my attention from the get go. I found myself feeling as if I were Finn while reading everything that was happening around her. Very well written and a great story line

In an Instant by Susan Redfearn shows what can happen with a family in the middle of a snowstorm when they are involved in a car accident in which members of a family pass away. What would you do if you were them? It shows how two families in which the mothers were best friends grief.

Check out my in-depth Q&A Interview with Suzanne Redfearn “An Elevator Ride with the Author” (March 1, 2020) and get the “behind the scenes” exclusives of IN AN INSTANT, plus 50 fun facts about this talented author and more!!!

“Heartrending and ultimately redemptive, IN AN INSTANT is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.”

In the event of a tragedy, survivors must live with the aftermath and decisions that are made “in an instant,” which is a perfect title for this poignant, emotional, heartrending, and beautifully written novel.

Told with compassion and hope, Suzanne proposes many thought-provoking questions, as well as exploring how different families and characters react accordingly. How do they move on?

A group decides to take a trip to Big Bear, California. However, what was intended as a fun winter ski getaway, turns deadly. A devastating car accident. Lives are lost. There are survivors. What happened during this tragedy? Could the outcome be different if other decisions had been made?

What would you do if you found yourself amid a life-threatening situation? What you do in a split second could haunt you forever.

We hear from Finn Miller, a sixteen-year-old who was one of the victims. She did not make it, but in the novel, she has a strong voice and is looking down at everyone. She is trying to resolve the lives of the aftermath. The survivors. Her family and friends. Their lives are shattered.

Can they move on? How will they survive? Some are living with guilt, and some are not. Lines are crossed, and integrity is the focus.

We hear from Jack, the father, her best friend, Mo, her sister Chloe, and her mother, Ann. Some are haunted by decisions made. Will they ultimately find peace, solace, and redemption?

First, what a stunning book cover with this beautiful snow!

I discovered this talented author years ago and the opportunity of reading— Hush Little Baby and No Ordinary Life, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you are new to her work or have not read her previous books, highly recommend.

When I heard about IN AN INSTANT, I was very intrigued by the premise and the atmospheric setting. I had to ask myself, “what would I do if placed in the same situation?” What if?

Many thought-provoking questions and emotionally charged topics.

What If?

What would you do in a moment of crisis?

What if you had children of yours and others under your care? You are responsible.

How well do you trust others to care for your children? Your split-second decision amid a tragedy could change the lives of many, as well as your own.

What about a stranger? Would you treat them differently? What about your moral integrity? Crossing moral lines. What if you were tested?

Redfearn deftly explores those split-second decisions that can alter our destinies. A timely book, especially in our world of school shootings, airplane and car accidents, and acts of violence where we may have children under our care. There may come a time you have to step in and act quickly. An emergency or a critical situation at any given time.

How will you react "in an instant?"

How do you choose which person to help first? It could be a car accident with friends or family or even a stranger on the street. It will make you stop and think.

If you enjoy authors, Jodi Picoult, Heather Gudenkauf, and Kristin Hannah (three of my favorites), you will love Suzanne’s lyrical prose and character-driven, IN AN INSTANT. Sure, to please fans of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.

A special thank you to Lake Union, the author, and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

#JDCMustReadBooks
@JudithDCollins

This is my first official five star review of an advanced reader copy and I am so excited about it!  In An Instant is an incredible book.  It follows a tight knit group of people in the midst of a  horrendous tragedy that befalls them on a road trip.  But how tight knit can you really be when life and death decisions have to be made?  Life and death decisions that cannot be taken back, even if you wanted to.  The aftermath of these decisions are enough to shatter families and decades of friendship.  

Finn, sixteen and in the prime of her teenage years, does not survive the trip.  She struggles to find out where she belongs in the afterlife as she watches those she loves the most, and who survived, learn how to move on.  Grief takes on a different shade for everyone involved and Finn desperately wants to help her loved ones through the aftermath of her death.  She sees them all at their most raw and vulnerable stages, when they think they are alone.  These characters are so realistic.  You feel like you know each one personally as you go through the many layers of the story.  You'll cry for them one minute and cheer for them the next.   

This book is about overcoming tragedy and figuring out who you really are when everything is on the line.  It's ultimately about love and the power of family.  Although this was a very different story, this book reminded me of The Lovely Bones, which is one of my favorite books of all time.  If you liked that one, you will LOVE this book.

This story begins with one of the craziest families ever. Well maybe it could be any of our families at one point or another but anyhow it  just seemed so dysfunctional but all things were supposed to be put aside for a 3 day mountain trip.

"In an Instant" there's a horrible accident leaving our main character Finn dead but she lingers and watches over the remaining family.

This story was heartbreaking and I had to have tissues to get thru it. I enjoyed how the author was able to express the different personalities of each family member.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it and OMG I am glad I did.

A long weekend and the Miller family along with neighbors that are like family, Finn’s best friend Mo, Chloe’s boyfriend Vance and Bingo, the family dog all load into the Miller Mobile to go to Big Bear for skiing, snowboarding, and family fun.

They arrive at their cabin to unload and unpack but soon hit the road again to go to Grizzly Manor for dinner. The snow started falling while they were inside and quickly turns into a full-blown blizzard.

Along the way, they stop to pick up Kyle whose car is now stranded in a snowbank. It is slow going but then a buck in the road has Finn’s dad hitting the brakes and the camper starts to slide and tumble over the side of the mountain.

Finn doesn’t survive, but she can see and hear everything. She is trapped between heaven and hell on earth as she watches her family deal with her death and try to save themselves.

_____

The story is told from Finn’s point of view so readers are able to see and feel everything that unfolds. The depth of each character evolves as we see how they react to the horrendous tragedy. It is a very emotional tale and I was completely riveted to the pages. Powerful, gripping and revealing.

I think this story really hit me in the heart because I have lost a child. Different circumstances but I always feel like he is with me every day even after almost 5 years. I will say I dealt with my grief and still deal with my grief differently that the characters in this story but everyone handles loss in their own way.

When I reached the end of the book I wiped the tears from eyes and read the Author’s Note and learned this book is based on a true memory she had. Thankfully no one died then but my tears started flowing all over again. She told this story in such an amazing way. As a reader, I could feel the cold, my heart ached with the pain, and anger flared more than once.

Ms. Redfearn also included a special needs child in this story. Again, my emotions rolled by the way this child was treated. Heartwarming to fierce anger to heartbreaking. His part of the story has stuck with me almost more than Finn’s.

In An Instant is a story that will make you think and may even leave you breathless at times.

This quote is one I want to keep and maybe have it etched permanently somewhere:

“Reach for the stars or the moon or another universe altogether, and shine so bright you blind everyone around you, and though I am gone, carry me with you, but only as lightness and never as weight.”

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

As I moved on to the author's note at the end of the book, the story continued to reverberate within me. Once I finished reading about where the author got the inspiration from, my understanding of the book felt like it had reached another secret level. It is not an easy book to read, and I actually did not read the blurb before going in, so I did not see the death coming. The story begins innocuously enough, the way the best ones do. We have a family at odds in the general way most families are, and they are planning a skiing trip on a long weekend. There are many characters involved in this, one is the main family- the Millers. The eldest daughter is set to get married in a couple of months and is not accompanying them but Finn's best friend and the mother Ann's best friend from two doors down and their trio is coming too as well as another sister and her boyfriend. Suffice to say, things suddenly change tragically as the title indicates, in an Instant. This 'instant' puts a sequence of events in motion that has everyone making decisions in the spur of the moment, and it belies what the world at large or even they thought of themselves.

There are quotes that effectively summarize the narrative than my review ever could

"..but even she knows the words are wrong. More was revealed in that single tragic night than most people reveal in a lifetime"

" We do not control our reactions only our actions"

On a more hopeful note "..that, sometimes humans surprise you"

Taken out of context, these may seem like more popular adages but to watch this extended family with their tenuous connections forged by the fire of their actions and reactions had my mind whirring. See, this conversation is one which I have had before when thinking back on any particularly odd situation, trying to analyze if I behaved a) appropriately. B) true to how I thought I would/should(this not the same as being appropriate, more related to what I believe in). I have never completely satisfied myself on all counts of being 'good' and 'just' in the purest of senses at crucial moments. That is the reason I found this entire narrative entirely fascinating. I do not rave like this often, but the writing was good enough to make you feel for all the people within its pages. None of them is ideal, and their behaviour sets them apart as individuals. It is a book about people and their thoughts and what makes them, them. I highly recommend this to anyone who finds any of the parts of my review even remotely appealing. 

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but this review is entirely based on my reading experience and my prior thoughts on the questions being handled in the book.

I think this book deserves way more attention than it has been getting.  I had all the feels reading this amazing and brilliant story.  Finn is a 13 year old girl in the Miller family that is falling apart, and provides the perspective for this narrative. The story begins as they brace themselves for a mountain adventure with the Miller Mobile, in what will shortly become a quest for survival in which they must all make choices and suffer the consequences.  Finn journeys with us as we glimpse how each person deals with the aftermath of their ordeal.  I absolutely loved (and hated!) these characters and felt so connected to them.  I paused to reread many of the author’s beautiful sentences about grief and choices.  This would provide a heated discussion in book clubs.  In An Instant is my first book by Suzanne Redfearn and I am looking forward to more.  I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

Loved this book!  Hooks you from the beginning. Characters are intriguing to follow.  The author made you feel like you were in the story.

I loved this book.  Finns family heads out on a family trip to the cabin.  Her father hopes this one last trip will bring them back together.  On the way, a horrible accident occurs.  After, it’s about survival, protecting and rescuing your family, love and betrayal.   I loved the different story lines playing out in the background. The characters were great and you can’t help but love, or hate, them.  Fast paced, beautifully written, and the ending was perfect.  I loved the mystery playing along with sweetness of the story.  Well balanced. Would definitely recommend, could be a great book club choice.

I guess I can see what people see in this but I just found it depressing.  The people in it are perfectly ugly.  The point of view is that of Finn as she dies.  I just had to push myself through it.  Really not my kind of thing.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This book is not what I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  The title is the perfect one for this book, as it does show how life can change literally in an instant.

A family ski trip turns tragic after a car accident, killing the main character, Finn, and seriously injuring others.  We then continue with the difficult narration from Finn's point of view, and like a fly on the wall, read about how the other characters are trapped in the camper.  Her sister Chloe and Chloe's boyfriend Vance leave to find help, then Finn's mom and Kyle (a boy they picked up at his broken down car) leave to get help.  Finn kind of "floats" from person to person observing and telling their story.  Then, after they're rescued, Finn continues to go from person to person to describe their recovery.

I was beginning to wonder if Finn was ever going to finish her unfinished business on Earth and be able to Rest In Peace, when she kind of figured it out for herself (and the reader).  Once she was sure each person was okay in their own way, she was able to go.

Overall this was a good, yet heartbreaking, story.  There were a few things that bugged me - firstly, the violent nature and description of Finn's body.  Also, the description of her brother Oz, and what happened to him.

I did like the questions that kind of overlays the plot - would you do the same thing if you were in their shoes?  What would you have done differently to protect yourself, your child, your spouse, your friend?  Would you regret your decisions later on?

I ended up enjoying it for the most part, but I don't think it's an easy read emotionally.  I think it would be an interesting movie, kind of part Lovely Bones, part Before I Go.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

I really enjoyed this book!  Main character Finn heads off with her family for a family bonding experience for the weekend.   Everything changes In An Instant, and things will never be the same.  Awesome book!

WoW!   Breathtaking And Mesmerizing!

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time!

The story begins with a family happily planning a a daughter's wedding, teens making plans for their upcoming formal, another thinking of upcoming graduation and college while the father and son excitedly get their huge and old traveling van ready for a ski trip over the presidents holiday weekend bringing their lovable dog and longtime friends and daughter along also for this fun and carefree excursion.   Unbeknownst to all of them, there will be an accident involving everyone and some will be severely injured and dying while a blizzard will challenge love, loyalty, stamina, heartache, betrayal with devastating conditions where survival means making choices that will eventually cause guilt and regret for some.   The impact of the accident is only the catalyst for the aftermath of what is to come when they finally arrive home.   Not one life will be left unscathed by this traumatic event and some will come to realize that the people you thought you knew and loved were capable of making very selfish decisions that will have debilitating consequences when the truth is finally revealed.

Suzanne Redfearn's brilliant writing is some of the best I have read.   She doesn't overuse words and descriptions where you find yourself fidgeting and yawning, her writing  had me hanging on the edge and eager for each new word, sentence and chapter.   I was mesmerized and that doesn't happen too often.   The story pulled so many emotions from me and sadness with crying was certainly one of them and that rarely occurs while reading a book.   I felt myself cheering for some characters while saying out loud to others No, No or Please don't.

Each and every character, (likeable and despicable) were so well developed that I felt the realness and honesty of their personalities and that is powerful writing.   I truly loved this book and I recommend it to all readers.   Just be sure to have a box of tissues ready.   I cannot wait to read another book by this fantastic author!

I want to thank the publisher "Lake Union Publishing" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC!   This review was based on my own and unbiased opinion!  The publication date is March 1, 2020.   

Readers Don't Miss Out On Reading This Book!
I have given a rating on 5 Breathtaking and Stunning 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

16 year old Finn is on her way with her best friend and several family members to a weekend getaway when the unthinkable happens. The RV that her dad is driving them all in tumbles over the cliff and Finn dies. She's stuck in between worlds where she sees her family and friends struggling with her death.

As she watches each one of them deal with her death in their own way, she yearns to help them but needs to move on.

Written from Finn's point of view, this is a beautiful story of love, family, and learning to live with someone you love. Highly recommend!

In an Instant is a beautifully written story about grief, healing, and human nature.  Told from the viewpoint of deceased 16-year-old, Finn, this book was emotional and thought provoking.  How do you know what you would do if only given an instant to decide? For several of these characters, it only takes an instant decision to change their life and how they live with that decision. Loved this book, and am looking forward to reading more by Suzanne Redfearn.  Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the digital arc of this title.