This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

Finn Miller and her family go on a vacation in the mountains. When an accident happens and the family all suffers injuries, Finn is killed instantly. She lingers and stays with her family. She watches as her mother goes for help, she stays with her sister as she is lost in the woods, and she watches over her 13 year old brother when he goes to find their mom. This is such an emotional story of a daughter and a sister whose life is cut short and she just wants to watch over her family and make sure they are safe. There are so many pieces of this book before the accident, during, and after as the survivors deal with the decisions they made. I recommend tissues as the emotions are powerful. I read this book in one sitting late into the night as I just couldn't put it down. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

3 for neutral. I thought this book was much different than I expected and just wasn’t able to get into it.  I think because of a current situation in my life, so once that’s over I’ll give it another shot and update my review.

Emotionally gripping, In an Instant had me choking back tears by Chapter 6. I've read some real trudgers lately, and this was a breath of harrowing, heartbreaking, introspective, and dramatic fresh air. This is easily in my top 5 for the entire year. Years, maybe. Finn and her family set off on a wintery vacation to her grandfather's cabin, and in the blink of an eye, they've crashed over the edge of a guardrail, in an attempt to dodge a deer, and Finn is instantly, gorily killed. The other 9 people in the Miller Mobile (their camper), are alive initially but this book starts on a high note, ratchets the tension to nearly unbearable degrees, and keeps it there right to the very last sentence. We get to see Finn as she ping pongs among her family members and friends, seeing how each person deals with their grief, and the life changing decisions they each make under extreme stress. I cried, multiple times, laughed, cheered for these characters and ultimately walked away the better for having read this. Incredible book, well done.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Definitely a great read that focuses on the human emotions when we are faced with decisions in a tragedy. Are we really the person people think we are or do we all basically fall to a human nature position to save ourselves and those we love and call our own. Exciting beginning as an tragedy happens and decisions have to be made. The rest of the story is told from the view of one who doesn’t make it and can see all that’s happening and the reasons for why.  All sorts of emotion in this one!  Great read. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

As I had cried my way through books like If I Stay and movies such as The Lovely Bones and Before I Fall, I thought I was mentally prepared for In An Instant. I wasn't. 

Finn Miller is no longer a part of her body. She's stuck in the in-between. A brutal accident during a snowstorm has taken her life and there's nothing she could do but helplessly watch her family suffer through this harrowing ordeal. 

We see the entire upcoming journey unravel through Finn's eyes, and it was interesting to see how her emotions towards her loved ones seem to alter drastically after this turning point. Finn gets to see her life and her family's clearly now. So many secrets. So much bottled-up burden. Guilt, regret and grief are the strongest emotions that some of our characters have to go through in this book. 

There's the bond of sisterhood and motherhood, but I was especially amazed by how moved I was by the father-daughter relationship between Finn and her dad. Watching him grieve brought me to tears. But maybe the most precious memories are the ones Finn will make during this small period of time before she leaves this earth. Maybe when she learns the truth about herself and the ones she cares about, she will ready. And free. 

In An Instant is a persuasive exploration of our true selves; an aftermath of the difficult choices we make following a life-changing moment. I hope this book will help and make an impact on other people the way it did me. 

"Because I get it. You only live once, and no one has any idea how long that once is going to be, so grab on tight and hold on for the ride and don’t worry about it and don’t look back."

Wow

That was fantastic! It wasn’t a mystery or thriller, and I’m not sure how it was labeled, but it was exactly what I needed. 

This book slightly reminded my of The Lovely Bones, which I also really appreciated. This journey is different though because it doesn’t try to figure out a crime, just how to live with the aftermath of a horrible accident. 

The writing is superb, the characters so deep and real. Finn is a wonderful narrator and her thoughts hit me pretty hard.  I loved the pacing and progression of plot. 

The story did truly resonate with me on the topic of blame, selflessness and goodness and how that really isn’t black and white. There’s a lot of food for thought in this one. 

I highly recommend and will check out more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Lake Union Publishing for a copy in exchange for a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book is written from the perspective of a teenage girl that died in an accident that stranded her family and close friends for days with no hope of rescue. As her spirit lingers to watch them struggle for survival, their decisions will surprise and shock her. She watches them deal with their grief and regret after their eventual rescue and helps them to accept and forgive.
Grab a box of tissue for this one!! I love that it's from the perspective of a neutral character that can see and interpret the other characters decisions, emotions,  and reactions while they thought they were alone. I thought it was a true reflection of human nature in a disaster situation, each helping themselves and those closest to them at the expense of the others.

When I read the synopsis of this book I wasn’t sure what to expect and whether I was going to enjoy the read. I sat down with a glass of red and settled in for what I hoped was a good read. You will NOT want to go out into the cold for a long time after reading this harrowing story. That glass of wine, turned into 3.

Finn is dead.

After the sudden split-second decision to miss a deer while driving to dinner, Finn's Dad sends their vehicle careening down a mountainside leaving Finn dead.
The choices that they make will change them all forever. Once the survivors make it back to the land of the living, she stays on and observes the aftermath and the lies that are told to hide the dark truth of what happened during the blizzard. The story is narrated by Finn who is watching from her afterlife, as her family and friends navigate through their heartache and all consuming rage. She sees everyone and can do nothing to ease their grief. They are all making choices, some good, some bad as they try and cope with the tragedy. 

The whole book is very cleverly put together. She has the main character, who isn’t of this realm anymore, narrating like a fly on the wall so its all first hand what we are experiencing. Kind of in love with the concept. It was hard to put down. I’m not going to lie, I’m going to be purchasing a copy as soon as it’s available. 

Its a compelling story of friendship, love, betrayal, and madness.
Best book, I think I’ve had as an ARC. 

Has a similar vibe to the Lovely bones and I was nowhere near blown away with that book as I was with this one. I can’t recommend it enough! 

If you want a page turning that you will hate to put down, this is your book. Time to hunt down the other books this author has written! I can see us becoming life long reading friends. 

I rarely give 5 stars but this one is brilliant and I will make sure to let the world know they need to purchase this on release day!

#InAnInstant #NetGalley

The title says it all! 
How fast things can change, begin and end is what takes place here in this wonderfully written novel!
I truly tried to put this book down and found I was glued to the pages. Finn, the main character tells the story of one tragic day,decisions that may have been made in haste and the days of her family and friend as life resumes.

"Now that I'm dead, I realize how awful people are to each other, how a pervasive cynicism exists in most of us that stops us from seeing the best parts of one another."
Truly eye opening, as well as thought provoking. 
 A nightmare in real time!

I found myself angry, sad, happy and definitely heart broken during this story.  Do not hesitate to grab this novel!

I loved this book!  It was unlike anything I've read in a really long time.  Ten people go on a trip up into the snowy mountains but tragedy strikes. The story is told by Finn, a 16- year-old girl who didn't survive the accident.  Shes in an in-between type world after she dies.  She can see and hear everything from her friend and family members and how they all dealt with life afterwards. Some of them remembered details differently than others, so they put the blame on different people. She watched them struggle to continue on with their lives afterward.  It's one of those books that even after you finish it, you can't get the story out of your head!

This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 14 February 2020 . 

Finn is your average teenage girl headed out on a family trip to the mountains. Coming along with the family is her best friend Mo, and her parents longtime friends Aunt Karen & Uncle Bob. Their daughter Natalie, whom Finn and Mo despise will also be along for the trip. Finn’s family has had this cabin on a remote mountain road for generations. 

Finn’s brother Oz has a mental disability that makes him behave as though he’s much younger than his 13 years. Her father has given up his career and life to care for Oz, as there hasn’t been a caregiver able to handle him for many years. Finn’s mom is an attorney. Mo is an only child with a rather protective mother, but she’s learned to trust Finn’s family.

Everyone piles into the “Miller Mobile” for the trip. Once they reach the cabin, the snow is starting to fall, and all the kids rush into the cabin to claim their beds for the weekend. It is President’s Day weekend. Dad has promised Oz pancakes for dinner, and though the weather is changing fast, once a promise is made to Oz that promise must be kept. So the family piles back into the van for the trip to the local diner. Along the way they pass a young man along the road with a broken down car. They pick him up to drop him in town.

At a rather precarious point on the road, a deer suddenly darts in front of the vehicle, though best attempts are made, the van loses control and careens down an embankment imperiling everyone inside. It is night, the snow is falling, and some of the occupants are hardly dressed for this weather. 

In an Instant is a novel about finding out who you are in the darkest moments, and who you are when the moment has passed. Redfearn has done an incredible job of relaying a story of life and death and after death in the most riveting and gripping fashion. I could not put this book down. Chapters are short which keeps the story moving at a fast pace. The characters are not perfect, and we get to see some of the darkest sides of human nature, as well as some of the brightest. The novel captures an interesting concept of storytelling from one person’s view.

4.5 stars

This was a beautiful and emotional story and one that I could not put down.  Lives change when you become a survivor and I know that from experience.  The way in which this story is told from Finn’s POV is exceptional.  This author is new to me but I will definitely be seeking more of her work. 
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of a two families torn apart by a tragic car accident and what they will do to survive.  Told by one of the victims in the accident, she tries to hold her family together.  Very good book, I could not put it down until I finished it!

I loved this book! It was the so easy to pick up and get lost. This book really makes you think, and then rethink again, about what is going on.

WOW! I was blown away with this story about how disaster and the decisions you make when put in a life or death situation can come back to haunt you. There was a line in the book that really resonated with me that posed the question if goodness is only true if it is at a personal cost. It is easy to be generous when you are rich and have plenty. Is that true? So many deep questions like that are presented in this book and it really does make you think. What would you have done if faced with the same level of disaster? Would your reaction be all goodness, or would self preservation make you make decisions you later would be ashamed of? Does everybody have a conscience or do some people not suffer in their wrongdoing? One unfortunate night for a group of two families, a friend, and a stranger puts them in the path of catastrophe and all that is certain is that nothing will ever be the same for any of them. Death, despair and the lack of conscience can be the undoing of all of them if they don't learn to work through their pain. 
I love how we are able to look at the events through an almost completely neutral lens. We get to see all sides of each story and look at things in black and white and that makes all the difference. You don't have strictly bad characters and strictly good, however, we have real people who have done real things which are something good and at times really awful. Are any of us completely innocent and do we have the right to judge? Or should be try harder to understand the WHY? There are so many things to be taken away from this story and that's why I can't recommend it enough. Just don't plan to do anything else until you finish because each chapter is sure to suck you in!

Have you ever read a book that you did not want to finish because it was so good, you wanted it to keep going?  But you did want it to finish to get to the ending? And finally, it was so good you skipped meals, skipped chores, went short of sleep and did not feel one bit guilty? Well, this is one of those books. This story was deeply moving, sensitively told and just amazing on all counts. Finn is just sixteen when she is in an horrific car crash down the side of a mountain with other members of her family and friends. She dies instantly and lingers between the earthly world and the spiritual world. The story is told from her perspective. The survivors, including her Mom and Dad, are tormented, torn between decisions made and the consequences of those decisions and the guilt resulting from some decisions. Finn needs to move on but she cannot while she sees her family in pieces. Simply a stunning, beautiful story. This would be a great choice for a book club.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A skiing trip turns deadly when a deer suddenly darts into their path...
Finn the daughter doesn't survive as the camper careens off the cliff, the father is badly injured, with 9 others.
Oz her brother was never found as we traverse between telling the story and uncovering the truth from many unusual people including Finn from a higher viewpoint.
It's eery, chilling, and full of flavor for the mind is a terrible thing to waste.
It plays on emotions in such a way that you cannot put it down not even for a split second.
You'll want to find out what happened when they sought help, who made the decisions to use clothes from the dead to survive, who ultimately chose a life worth living.
What happened that fateful day is revealed but in a slow simmering pot that boils over revealing cracks in the facade.
It's full of blame, shame, guilt, and second chances for life and love.
It's an amazing read!
Thank you to Suzanne and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

In an instant is a thought provoking book about life and death decisions after a motor vehicle accident on a mountain road in a blizzard. Who lives and who dies and how the accident affects the survivors.. This is a well written book with graphic descriptions about the plight of both the survivors and the people who died and the impact on lifelong friendship. I advise people to read this book it is a good read with a thought provoking message.