Wow I read this amazing book in a night, It tells the story of 3 Teenagers , Joel, Kerry & Tim and what happens to them over the next 18 years after Joel has a heart attack on New years Eve & Kerry Gives him CPR and saves his life.

I would recommend this book to everyone as it such a good book to read

With thanks to Netgalley & Pan macmillion for the ARC of this book on exchange for this review

A reminder that sometimes, some lives are just meant to be intertwined because of one event. The book serves two purposes- to inform the reader of what to do if you're with someone who goes into cardiac arrest and secondly, to take you on a journey through the 3 charactes relationships where the outcome is determined by one event in the characters history. Its well written with highs and a lot of lows. The ending was inevitable but satisfying. I liked how each character has a story arch that intertwines but each chapter is clearly earmarked for one character and their story, it helps the reader to get to know each of the 3 main characters. Its disappointing that Tim doesnt have a real conclusion. Despite all the sad events in the book, it has a happy ever after feel but in a realistic way. It wont let me link to goodreads but I'll post the review on there too.

This starts out reading like a Young Adult book about teenage love but as it followed the main 3 characters through their lives into their mid thirties it it really grew on me. The narrative flowed and it was a great page turner. I'm having a bit of a stressful time at present and can't really cope with intricate plots and acres of erudite description, so this book really hitt he spot. It's set in Brighton which I know very well so that was a nice touch for me. I could see this as a Monday night type drama series about thwarted amabitions and love. I was glad there were no nasty murders or "thriller" just a bittersweet tale with flawed, human characters.

A love story involving ordinary people over an 18 year period, quite hard hitting at time so not an airy fairy romance. A real roller coaster with realistic situations with many twists and turns with a nod to real life events in the background, 9/11, terrorism etc. The story is told from the viewpoint of the 3 main characters, Kerry, Joel and Tim with their journey through life with all the obstacles thrown at them, as they mature from optimistic 17/18 year olds. Well drawn and believable characters dealing with the nitty gritty of the medical world. Totally gripping but enjoyable at the same time. Definitely worth a read.

How To Save A Life - Eva Carter
Publisher: Pan MacMillan, Mantle Books
Publication Date - 11/3/2021

No Spoilers
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I was invited to read a selection of books due to be released in 2021 and this one caught my eye.
Told in alternating chapters Kerry, Tim and Joel, these are 3 ordinary people, bound together by an extraordinary event which happens on New Year’s Eve 1999. Several events, spanning the next 18 years, conspire to bring them together and then drive them apart again but it always feels incredibly real and absorbing. . I usually read crime novels but I found the medical setting very interesting and it was obviously very well researched. I learned a lot too.
Well written, realistic characters and an engaging and interesting plot, this would make a great tv series or film. It would also be a fantastic Book Club pick due to the many moral conundrums it throws up throughout.

I’ve read a lot of books in lockdown but this has to be my favourite to date. I can’t recommend it enough.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

How to save a life

I devoured this book in hours. I haven’t read anything as gripping in a long time. Bravo Eva Carter.

How to save a life tells of three protagonists- teenagers when we meet them - and weaves their life stories over decades as we see them love, lose, fail and continue to carry on.

I loved the character Kerry and genuinely found myself raging at circumstances which occurred and seemed to get in her way but that is testament to how well Carter crafts her and how keenly I wanted her to succeed.

The medical side of things was incredibly interesting and well researched. I found it fascinating and it was a great hook for each character as they had their own dealings with medicine and how their own lives are saved both literally and metaphorically.

All in all I couldn’t recommend this book more. I cared, I laughed and read the last few chapters with baited breath. Brilliant read.
5 stars.

Thanks to panmacmillan, to netgalley and the talented Eva Carter for the ARC which I received in return for this honest review

This book follows the lives of Kerry, Joel, and Tim as they become inextricably linked following Joel's heart stopping on Millennium Eve. Very well told over the years following, and had me rooting for them all, even Tim who is a little annoying. But especially Kerry who I just wanted to see happy and fulfilled.
Sensitively written topics around loss and addiction and love.
A really beautiful story all round, thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

I loved this book.
The story follows Kerry, Tim and Joel from new year's eve 1999, a day that changed their lives forever and how it continued influence their life choices over the next 18 years.

I love how this book just starts, from the first chapter you're thrown into the whirlwind of events stemming from Kerry saving Joel's life, after he collapses at new year Kerry preforms CPR for 18 minutes, while Tim just stared frozen unable to help.

The story throughout shows how all actions have consequences even the 'right choices' may have negative effects on peoples lives but also how with the right help there's always second chances.

There's so much that happens in this book however it manages to keep a steady flow. With many short chapters written from the POV of the three main characters it shows the perspective from all sides, really bringing the story to life. The pace of the story runs well and the main storyline is present throughout while also creating personal storylines for the main characters.

I really liked Kerry and sympathised with her character, she wants to help people so much that her own life and happiness is often set aside to help others. With reading simultaneously all three pov I felt myself wanting to shout at Kerry so many times to tell her 'thats not how it is'. I was really rooting for her to be happy.

The book itself covers a lot of topics very well. Touching on addiction, depression, anxiety, loss and mental health, all of which had realism to them; nothing seemed far fetched. I particularly enjoyed how well the medical aspects came across, it was very factual, realistic and was evident that the author had put time in to researching.

Being a similar age myself during the time period the book is set, I loved how the author tied in events of the time and made reference to the little things that you'd have enjoyed, it adds a whole other element to the story.

Overall this book is beautifully written and sympathetic to the nature of the story while not shying away from difficult topics.
As a negative I would say it took me a little bit of time to really get into the story, I did feel like it was almost a little too 'teenage' at the start and wasn't sure if it was going to mature, however I'm so glad I persevered it quickly turns into a read I found difficult to put down.

As people gather to celebrate the Millennium, Joel's heart suddenly stops while playing football. Nearby are Kerry and Tim from his year at school, both wanting to become doctors and trained in first aid. The first aid saves Joel's life, and ties the three of them together as they all learn to cope with the fallout from that night.

The characters are all sympathetic, even Tim, who is arguably the most frustrating of them all - you can still understand his motivations even while thinking he should have done something differently. They are all 18 as the story begins and over the next 15 years grow into adults with very different, intertwined, paths in life. Kerry is the heroine of the scenario at the beginning, and remains the most complex character throughout. It's an engaging read, and one I won't hesitate to recommend.

The novel opens with one of the main characters experiencing a cardiac arrest. The actions of the other two main characters have a lasting impact and change the lives of all involved.

The medical side of the plot has been thoroughly researched and I learned a few things which I plan to investigate further. By providing this information throughout the story and also between chapters throughout the book, Carter helps educate the audience and raise awareness of a vitally important matter.

I enjoyed that the story was written from the differing perspectives of the three main characters and follows them throughout their lives - from their ups and downs to their reappearances in each others lives - this allows for the development of the characters and to see their varying point of views. Certain plot points were frustrating as I disagreed with decisions the characters made as they interpreted situations wrongly or crossed wires so to read the reasons for misunderstandings from a differing viewpoint was interesting and added to the story.

How To Save A Life is an easy, gripping read, with a nice pace, wonderful writing and is one of the best books I have read for a while. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Mantle for the ARC.

This book was fantastic, and the ending made me cry.

The structure of the book, based around the four points of life saving, works really well. The way these are worked in at the end of the book and are revealed to be Joel's videos tied the book together excellently and draws a nice conclusion.

The medical aspects contained within the book are clearly well researched and are really interesting - I appreciate the adherence to medical facts rather than simply relying on making things up and hoping they pass as realistic.

The story itself flows at a nice pace, speeding up at the right point honorary thereafter through the eighteen years over which the novel is set, without becoming tedious or dragging too much.

Writing from the different perspective s of the threw main characters enhances the story, allowing the reader to see the conflicting interests and misconceptions.

My only slight issue is that I don't like Tim as a character, although he has undeniably suffered he seems to be nearly constantly whining while simultaneously getting his own way, often at others expense. But this is a minor thing.

Overall, this is a fantastic and interesting read, which I would definitely recommend to others.

The idea of this story, the repercussions of saving someone's life through CPR provides the story with an interesting, different starting point. The events of one evening on Hove Lawns in Brighton continue to echo through the lives of the main characters through the course of the novel. which spans 17 years. Although there is love and romance and the inevitable break-ups, it is the focus on how the characters' decisions affect the lives of those around them that makes this novel so readable. I found this book difficult to put down and finished it in the early hours of the morning, being determined to find out what happened to everyone at the end. I would certainly recommend it. One of the best books I have read for a while. As it is due for publication in March 2021, i will set a reminder on my calendar so that I can tell people to go out and buy it when it is released.

I started reading this straight off the back of the really taut, thrilling end to another forthcoming title, so I was prepared for a bit of a comedown. But the first chapter was just the right length to introduce some of the characters and create a situation that meant I had to read on.
It’s an easy read; each chapter is narrated by one of the three main protagonists so you don’t have to wonder whose perspective you’re seeing. The story spans a number of years, taking Kerry, Joel and Tim from sixth-formers on Millennium Eve on into adulthood as they criss-cross in and out of each other’s lives. It’s punctuated with real-life events which tether the story in time. People make mistakes. Actions have consequences. Second chances are granted.
One unexpected side effect of reading this is that I’ve found out how to donate my body to medical science, something I had previously only thought idly about. This isn’t the kind of story I normally go for but it kept me reading, wanting to find out just how many more twists of fate there would be, how many more times a life would be saved.

I couldn't put this book down - I had to know how it ended.

How To Save A Life follows the story of a wannabe-doctor and the person who's life she saves after a freak medical incident. You see the ups and downs of their friendship and all the other relationships in their lives. I empathised with the characters, often wanting to shake some sense into them when they made choices I didn't agree with.

Lovely writing, however I didn't always agree with the characters' decisions or motives.

The opening is staggering. You are really drawn into the centre of the characters and get a feel for what they are like right away. It was rather eye opening because I wouldn’t know what to do if someone dropped down dead in front of me. I would probably be like the character Tim, frozen in place, aware of my surroundings but unable to move which is of no use to anyone.

This is a book with a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from sadness to rage. Bittersweet moments and drama aplenty, combined with elegant storytelling shows the talents of this incredible author. The ending made me tingle all over, so full of emotion. I loved every second of reading How To Save A Life and have zero doubt that everyone else will too.

Just finished reading How to Save a Life by Eva Carter - couldn’t put it down. Gripping, unflinching, honest and dramatic, it’s twistier than spaghetti.

Wonderful read enjoyed from beginning to the last page .Will be recommending this novel for a really enjoyable read.#netgalley#textpublishing

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This delightful novel made a huge impression on me. I enjoyed every page of it and recommend it. The twists and turns were fun and unexpected.