How To Save A Life drew my attention initially because of the synopsis which seemed like the perfect set up for a romance / drama novel and sounded super unique. I don't think I've read a novel in this genre with three character perspectives so that was also something different. I'll start with the positives; the writing itself was engaging and I quickly got into the story, I liked the initial premise and I also think that Carter touches upon some very relevant issues such as being a young carer for a loved one, chronic illness and addiction. I appreciated that these issues were approached so head on and the different experiences characters had with these issues felt well realised.

However, none of these positive elements made up for how long winded and contrived the story itself was. The story follows Kerry, Tim and Joel over the course of about 18 years and trust me when I say, it definitely feels like it by the time you've finished reading. The plot points felt so dragged out and I was so frustrated reading this book because of that. At around 63% in there was still the same repetitive stuff happening and I was only reading on to see what would happen at the end. I like to give every book a fair shot but this was something else. Any time there was a sense of growth or development, bam, the author threw in another dramatic event which was so jarring.

I also didn't connect to any of the characters, but the worst of the bunch definitely has to be Tim. He is one of the most unpleasant and manipulative characters I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. I really disliked the way he was so possessive of Kerry and felt so entitled to her time and love before they were even together, and once they're in the relationship, lies, controls and manipulates her constantly. I could go on and on honestly but rest assured, it still wouldn't be enough to explain how much I disliked him. A book like this can't work if you pretty much dislike all the characters, especially a character whose perspective we have the misfortune of reading through for so long. Now don't get me wrong, Kerry and Joel aren't without their flaws either and they certainly do their fair share of questionable things in the story but Tim vexed me to another level. Most of the characters issues could be solved if they just communicated with each other properly but alas, we get dragged through endless drama for no payoff or a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, I can't in good conscience recommend this book because of all the reasons above which is unfortunate because it's not all bad and it had promise.

This book! You go through a rollercoaster of emotions. One thing I can guarantee, you won’t want to put it down.

We follow the life’s of three individuals and see how one large event impacts those lives for years to come.

I felt really invested in all of the main characters, I think the emotions were heartfelt. The book tackles some really hard hitting issues that young people today, especially, go through, such as drug abuse, career pressure, mental health challenges, being a young care giver.

Sometimes I found the book a bit frustrating but I am sure that is exactly what the author wanted. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you for the early read. Everyone, grab a copy!

Three lives entwined after an amazing act. One New Years Eve an aspiring college football star collapses from a cardiac arrest, two friends rush to his aid, one saves his life with CPR, the other freezes. All three are forever linked by this brave and terrifying time and the story shows exactly the repercussions of saving a life.

I absolutely loved this story and was hooked from the very beginning. The story followed the lives of the three teenagers and watched their reactions to the traumatic events of that New Years eve. The story is told from the perspectives of each character and so delves into their own feelings and actions following the event. They each come to terms with it in very different ways, and find it impacts on their future decisions sometimes without their knowledge. As the years go by they find themselves trying to navigate their lives, their feelings for each other, the choices they have made and have to make. As each spirals out of control they have to ask the question what does it mean to save a life?

The author tells the story from each point of view with insight and compassion and the relationships between the characters are complex. At times I found the near misses and lost chances at happiness quite frustrating, especially due to the rash actions and thoughts of one character in particular. I wanted to shake them and tell them to stop being so ridiculous! However I think the depth of trauma was discussed very well and also the outcomes dependent on how the characters dealt with it.

A great read with some great tips and information on how to actually perform CPR and potentially save a life embedded within the fiction. I highly recommend this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it had me hooked from the first page. Absolutely loved the characters and really felt for them as they go through their love/pain journey. It was a very touching tale of love and heartbreak.

Highly recommended to all who love a family drama/love story.

Thank you Netgalley.

I'm not totally sure what to say about this book. It was quite hard to get into to be fair but it did have a good plot but I don't know if it was for me.

It follows the story of a footballer who had a cardiac arrest and died for a few minutes and the girl for performed CPR and saved his life but also ruined his career. I like how it brings attention to the importance of knowing basic first aid and how it can save lives.

I wasn't able to sink into the book like I usually would be able to but never-the-less it was a good read. Watching the development of the characters throughout but I didn't have anything relatable to be able to get invested. I enjoyed the writing style and the descriptive writing. It is worth a read.

posted on goodreads and my blog.

Really enjoyed this book. It seems to have been a slow burner though rather than a read in one sitting book.
We meet Kerry and her best friend Tim who are doing St John's Ambulance training, on new years eve someone she is watching collapses and their heart stops for 18 mins. She manages to bring him back to life but here starts the intwining journey of the three of their lives.

Firstly a big thank you to Mantle for approving my request to read on netgalley. Im telling you now as i write this august 2020, Mantle are publishing amazing books next year. Just a heads up!

Ill be honest i went in blind with this one , didnt know the premise or even the genre. The reason being this author has written all sorts.

Well this wasnt whst i expected and in a good way! This is a life affirming book of hope,promise,love and loss. However more importantly its about life,this crazy world we live in. The people we meet along the way,the lovers we have and the memories made its also about dreams,the ones we have for ourselves and for others.

Its beautifully written and a emotional charged story.

I absolutely loved it.These are not perfect humans and this is not a perfect love story.

But its the flaws that make them who they are and thats the beauty of life.

This is going to be a success but also its going to touching many readers hearts next summer.

Published May 27th

Eva Carter has created a novel which interweaves the medical side (and the importance of knowing CPR/how to save a life) and the story of human emotion well.

I found that this novel was both realistic and unrealistic in different places. The story arc did provide frustration at some points, as it felt like nearly 18 (in story) years of missed opportunities and unfortunate circumstances which conspired against them. For example, Kerry is portrayed as someone who 'rushes in without thinking', but she doesn't come across as particularly rash in terms of relating to others. In fact, when given the opportunity to be there for people, she pretty much always takes it and puts others first. But when faced with a situation with another character that she feels isn't right, she writes them off for years. The characters, from a fairly close knit and gossipy community in part of Brighton, as it seems at some points, completely miss major positive events in each others lives, which could have shaped their decisions as much as the negatives do. This is portrayed as people not wanting to share unwanted information, but it is hard to believe in places, particularly when one character is popular on social media/ television and they share a mutual friendship.

The series of 'near misses' led to interesting story developments. Each character goes on a journey which feels right for them. The highs and lows are all here and it is also great to see the characters consider physical solutions to periods of low mental health, such as counselling, physical exercise to promote wellbeing and the importance of support networks. People bounce back from low periods in ways that do feel more realistic.

There are a lot of important topics here; addiction, infertility, baby loss, grief and terminal illness to name a few. These are sensitively portrayed and I feel that Carter does give a nuanced portrayal of the characters. They are changed by their circumstances and this is a story of growing up that lasts far beyond the typically portrayed teen years.

I did anticipate the ending, which felt a little trite, but also wonder what endings could have felt satisfactory in a novel which so revolves around characterisation. The story is told in the rotating perspectives of Joel, Kerry and Tim, whose lives were tied together as terms on New Year's Eve, when Joel's heart stopped and St. John's Ambulance and wannabes medical students Kerry and Tim were fortunately there. We are right there with the three over the succeeding 18 years, as they come together and apart again as life allows.

One part I really enjoyed was the timeline of events and the grounding of them in the 'real world'. Kerry and Tim watch the events of 9/11 on TV and other terrorist incidents are mentioned within the medical and training sides within the book. There are a few similarly sprinkled mentions which do bring realism to the novel and give it a home within the reader's own timeline.

Overall, it felt a little too much like chance and fates ruled this one in places. But the character evolution was well written. It just felt a little too far fetched in the odd moment, straying slightly from what we know of the character's world and selves. A lot was covered, but some significant aspects and moments were more brushed over. It is worth a read and a nice story of maturation and also of romance. I loved the medical side and found the characters likeably human. I'll watch out for more of Eva Carter's novels.

Thank you to PanMacmillan and Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book gripped me from the minute I read the first line, it lost me a bit in the middle but hooked me in again towards the end.

We have 3 main characters.
Kerry and Tim have been best friends since they first met and both are planning on being doctors. Joel is the up and coming football star. Although they go to the same school, they don't run in the same circles.

Millennium Eve and all three are in the same place when Joel falls to the floor. As her secret crush, Kerry had been watching him anyway and as his friends think he's faking, Kerry runs across to him and realises that Joel is actually dead. Kerry performs CPR on Joel while Tim is too shocked to do anything.

For 18 minutes, Kerry performs CPR on Joel and those 18 minutes have a long lasting effect on all of them.

Over the next 18 years, all three drift in and out of each others lives but always making an impact - whether in a positive or negative way.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of these 3 characters and I loved it.

We see the decisions that each of them make and the reasoning behind it. The good and the bad.

There are hard hitting issues covered in this book, death, addiction, guilt and of course forgiveness. The author, pulls no punches when dealing with these and for that, I was very grateful.

This is going to be a massively popular book and deservedly so.

This author is a brilliant storyteller but I didn’t engage with the characters at all which made this book a difficult read for me. I really disliked Tim; I’ve never disliked a fictional character before and this really affected my reading experience, therefore affecting my overall rating of the book. However, I would read more from this author

Eve Carter never fails to deliver. Again she didn’t disappoint. From the opening chapter I was hooked. The theme running through the book is what to do if someone suffers a cardiac arrest,. It’s made me aware how ignorant I was, hopefully I’ll know what to do if ever needed. Kerry and Tim are friends who are first aiders, when Joel suffers a cardiac arrest on New Years Eve Kerry reacts and saves his life Tim freezes. the theme of the book is how this impacts on the rest of their lives their relationships and Joel whose life she saves, This is one of the best reads of 2020. I 100% recommend this book

Interweaving fact and fiction the novel takes the reader on the journeys of three young adults after one shocking incident. All are affected in different ways at different times but all need each other to stay alive.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in return for an honest opinion.
I was really curious about this book especially as it is quite different to my normal reads.
I enjoyed reading it but did find some parts a little slow for me. Overall its a lovely idea for a story and so nice to see the journey they all go on.

From someone who enjoys a good thriller I wasn't sure I would like this book but I took it away on holiday for some light reading

It centers around three young people and a bit if unrequited love

When Joel’s heart stops on New Years Eve it changes the course of three people’s lives forever.

The story follows their lives and their shattered dreams as well as their love lives and how one event as teenagers changes them all

A bit slow in places but worth a read

This book may just save your life.
At the start of this book I would have classed "How to save a life" as a teen read, however the book evolved and we grow up with the characters and the plot develops, twists and turns.
I loved this book and really didn't want it to end. It tackled many emotive subjects and will stay with me for a long time.

This story is basically a romance. Not my normal choice of genre to read and while it is classed as adult fiction, it would be perfect for the older end of the teen market. Best friends Tim and Kerry are 17 and save one of their classmates Joel with CPR after he collapses on New Year’s Eve. The work is mostly done by Kerry as Tim freezes with indecision even though they are both training as first aid volunteers. Kerry has long had a school girl crush on Joel and by saving his life, this starts a chain of events as the reader follows this love triangle for the next 18 years through a series of life choices and changes. As previously said, not my favourite type of book as I prefer something more fast-paced, but this is definitely a great book for the romantic types. I could easily see this as a movie.

I enjoyed this well written book. The characters are well drawn and it was interesting to follow their lives as they matured from teenagers into adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, from the moment I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It reminded me of One Day but with a deeper theme of how your life develops from decisions that you don't realise you've made. Great read and thankfully not a disappointing rushed ending like so many books have.
Have already recommended it and will definitely be doing so to more friends.

What a wonderful book!
I was completely hooked from he start and kept thinking what would I do in this situation!
I loved the character development and it was so well written! can't wait to read more from this author.

Unpopular opinion!
This book is meant to be a light read about making hard choices over and over again.

Honest to god, trying to read this felt exactly like this. Tedious!

I did not enjoy this book. I tried very very hard, but this book just didn't cut it for me. In fact, it frustrated me to see people sacrificing themselves at the altar. Why?

It's displeasing to see people make choices that are self destructive. I failed to understand why all our lead characters were portrayed clearly so needy/ pitiable. I didn't connect with the characters and what logic drove them.

I will post a detailed review on my blog www.thebookbuff.com