This is an easy read. It's a book about how one experience can change your life and it's written from the perspective of 3 key characters; Tim, Joel and Kerry.
Unfortunately, I found the characters so distasteful and generally unlikeable, I found it difficult to engage in the story or really care.

I absolutely understand that you don't need to like the characters to enjoy the book. However, there needs to be something to keep you reading and I found it a slog. So, overall, for me an OK read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Absolutely loved this book! So easy to read, had me gripped from the start and devoured it over a day and a half. I’ll be recommending to my reading buddies. Thank you for the chance to review.

This novel tells the story of Kerry, Joel and Tim over 2 decades and looks at how their lives remain bound together after Kerry saves Joel's life on Millenium Eve. The novel has a good premise and it's an easy read. For me personally , I didn't particularly connect with the characters or the settings but I would recommend a read if you enjoy this genre.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

As the Millennium approaches three school friends have their futures planned. Then suddenly one action changes the different futures they were all expecting to follow. Over the years their lives are linked in many ways and many levels but none of them have the life they were expecting.
A great premise for a story – how responsible are you for the life you save? Also how much do you punish yourself before you can forgive yourself?

Some of the writing is a bit stilted but overall an interesting read.

I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A wonderfully, endearing story told over 18 years from the perspective of the three characters. Plenty of twists and turns that I don't expect. This story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. Aust read.

This had a good moral behind the story and an important message to get across involving CPR tactics throughout but I just didn't connect to the characters as much as I thought I would.

We follow our three main characters, Kerry, Joel and Tim across 18 years of their lives watching how one moment impacted each of them for a lifetime. Their lives forever entwined by one moment that was character defining for all of them.

I loved the plot and each characters individual stories but I did feel that there were moments where the characters were out of character or scenes were rushed.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This again was different to the normal type of book where I tend to read something lighter than this. It is not an easy read due to the gritty subjects covered including drug taking, overdoses plus a probably very realistic insight into medical training. Balanced against this is the description of the main the characters, plus their friends and family plus the situations that they found themselves in
Again not necessarily a book to read and lift your spirits, however one to read, reflect upon and maybe count your blessings on your own situation.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

‘How To Save a Life’ follows the lives of three people – Joel, Kerry and Tim – whose lives get entangled with each other when on the New Year’s Eve of 1999 Joel’s heart stop and he goes to a cardiac arrest. Friends and future-doctors (hopefuls) Kerry and Tim have been first-aid trained. But when the worse occurs in that one moment, one of them acts. The other freezes. That night set their lives on unexpected courses and leads to many obstacles. For years, their lives in the shadow of this unexpected health accident and decisions made then.

Eva Carter’s ‘How To Save a Life’ is an important book, but in some ways, my expectations were too high for it. I think it has a great message at its heart, and teaches the reader some valuable lessons in terms of first-aid and how to respond when witnessing the cardiac arrest. ‘How To Save a Life’ also deals with drug use and addiction, so there are some heavy topics in the book. Overall, I haven’t felt completely satisfied with the way the story unfolded. The love story didn’t necessarily go where I expected, and I felt like some events or characters weren’t fully developed or necessary.

I really liked the idea of this book, however the characters were so unlikeable.

After around halfway, I just wanted to skip Tim’s chapters, I disliked him so much. Kerry gave up everything for him and he starts taking drugs and at one point cheats on her

Joel is a whiner brat. It took him far too long to get over his injury and was intentionally cruel several times.

Kerry just couldn’t let Joel go. He was not good for her. He also struggled with drugs and yet she always wanted to save him over and over again when he didn’t seem like he was worth saving.

All in all, just annoyed the heck out of me

Oh my heart!!!! This is such a beautiful book, I cried like a baby and I have a major book hangover!!! I flew through this book and it gave me all the feels

This book! This book! Where do I even begin with it?! I loved it so much and for so many reasons.

1. The start - this book dives straight in at the deep end, taking us back to the eve of 2000 and where Kerry (and Tim) save the life of Joel! I loved how Carter describes the millennium’s Eve and it brought back to many memories from that time. The little details she included just made it, and add this to the eye opening events and you are definitely hooked and wanting to read more.

2. The characters - each chapter is written from the point of view of either Kerry, Tim or Joel and I loved that. I’m a fan of different POV but I really liked the way they intertwined with each other and how they showed each character developing as the book went on.

3. Time development - as the chapters profess, so do time and we span years in this book. I found it so engaging to see what each character was doing and where they were and the pacing was just perfect in this book.

4. The plot - this book really breaks your heart, but in an educational and enlightening way! I loved the CPR info at the start of each section and the various medical/health references throughout the book. I felt I was learning as I was reading along and it was so interesting! But as well as this, the characters go through so much (together and alone) and your emotions go through it all with them. Whilst some parts may be a little predictable, other parts are really eye opening and it’s just the perfect balance to keep the readers engrossed and engaged!

This is a book I became so invested in and I just wanted to keep reading and reading. Eva Carter writes beautifully, touching upon very serious topics but in a way that is both sensitive and honest. And as if all that wasn’t enough, once you read the author’s notes at the end you will truly see why it all matters!

This book is definitely one of a kind. In the first chapter someone was dying and Kerry, a young girl is the first to respond to try and keep him alive until the professionals can take over. It was expected that Tim would have been the first to respond but he froze and didn't help for 18 mins.
They say when you save a life you are responsible for it and that was certainly how Kerry felt but then she is a fixer ,she wants to please everyone.
Over the years I felt that Kerry pleased everyone apart from herself and this was what eventually made her not able to cope.
This book took that many turnings I didn't know what was going to happen next. Would true love win the day, or has too much time passed the star crossed lovers?
Absolutely loved this story and Kerry , Joel and Tim. A great ending too after all the trauma.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc!
I wanted to go for a more light hearted read and keep seeing this book around!

Joel collapses on a football pitch and is dead for 18minutes. Kerry sees him and does CPR for the whole time and saves his life (does anyone else sing The Fray song everytime I see this title, or just me?!)

However, you think you would feel joy you had saved someone's life and the other person would be grateful and life would go on, right? This story is told from Kerry, Joel and Tim's point of view to find out just how much it changed their lives.

I loved Kerry, she's a strong woman who knows what she wants in life, however I feel that Tim and Joel just held her back from her dreams.
I wanted her to ditch Tim from her life and go for what she wanted and felt frustrated for her!
I felt for Joel having to give up his dreams and try and rebuild his life.

I've seen mixed reviews, but I can say I was addicted to this story and couldn't put it down!! It was quite long and perhaps could have been a bit shorter but it was just the kind of book I had in mind to read.

Everyone should be taught CPR, it should be compulsory and you shouldn't feel scared of doing it, after all the person is already dead, nothing you do is going to make it worse!!

A heartfelt read.

Really well written but... at its heart this is the story of a love triangle between two incredibly selfish men and a woman who is almost doormat-like. I wanted her to walk away from both of them. How awful they were to her! And she gives up so so much (almost inexplicably) to serve their needs - Tim's in particular. I was so cross with him, and with her for putting up with it. This coloured my reading of the book so it was hard to engage with it.

This is another Netgalley book I was gifted in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for something a bit more romantic and a bit more easy going to read and I came across this one. It initially grabbed me as it reminded me of the amazing song by The Fray which has the same title. If you don't know it, look it up. Now I have said that I had to go straight to Spotify, so now it is the soundtrack to my review.

Without further ado let's have a bit of a blurb:

In this heartfelt love story, three friends find out what it really means to save someone.

Kerry Smith is going to save lives--and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working towards medical school, they are about to sit for their entrance exams. But on the eve of the new millennium, a classmate goes into cardiac arrest, changing everything.

For nearly eighteen minutes, rising soccer star Joel Greenaway is dead. For nearly eighteen minutes, Kerry performs CPR on her long-time crush. And for nearly eighteen minutes, Tim is too shocked to help. And though they don't yet know it, those eighteen minutes will change the next eighteen years of their lives.

Because as it turns out, saving a life doesn't always guarantee a happy ending.

With his soccer career cut short, Joel lashes out and breaks Kerry's heart by ending their burgeoning relationship with a cruelty that derails her future, while Tim struggles to reconcile his dream of becoming a doctor with the reality of failing to act. As each struggles to move on from the events of that fateful New Year's Eve, their lives can't seem to stop colliding year after year. Pulled by their shared histories and her big heart, Kerry soon finds herself picking up the pieces after both broken men. But when Kerry is the one who needs saving, will anyone be there for her?




This was a great novel, it reminded me a bit of One Day by David Nicholls in the way the characters keep missing each other. This story is about love, loss, grief and the importance of happiness and realising when you aren't happy in your relationship.

It is a beautiful tale and in fact The Fray song's lyrics do have a close corellation to the story. Read it and you will see!!

It was a roller coaster ride of emotions as the characters go through the whole spectrum of feelings during the book. Expect to laugh, cry, scream and smile at them as they go through life stumbling and overcoming hurdles.


I was looking for a light hearted romance but what I got was so much more than I knew I wanted and needed.  It is a heartfelt romance at its core but it's so much more than that. It is about friendship and forgiveness, it is about overcoming fears and changing your outlook when life makes you have to change your future or your dreams. It is a beautiful and emotional read from start to finish.

If you enjoyed One Day I highly recommend this title.

Released on 21st May, so check it out then.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a beautiful story showing there is more than one way to save a life

Much love 💘

This was a fascinating story, which kept me reading late into the night, and ended with me in tears! The opening was gripping taking me back 21 years, to Millennium eve and then as the story progresses the details of time and place I just wanted to keep on reading. It does start out a bit like a teen novel but quickly improves.
The interweaving of Joel. Kerry and Tim's story over such a long period of time was intriguing and clever, although I felt the storyline got bogged down about half way through - I was expecting an end at that point. Although slow at points the desire to follow the characters kept me reading. Some really lovely little references to Brighton, but also I felt this was overdone at times - the description of the therapist is almost stereotyping and could have been done better.
Setting the story against the backdrop of the stages of CPR is very clever, anyhow that is used towards the end of the story knits the whole thing together.
I am glad the book ended how it did, I would have felt cheated otherwise.
There are some very real themes of love, loss, trauma, grief, and finding out what it means to discover who you are made to be.
Thanks NetGalley for the free pre publication proof in return for an honest review.

When Joel suddenly suffers a cardiac arrest whilst playing football on 31st December 1999, it is Kerry and Tim that are there to help. Without realising it, this would be the moment that entwined all three of them together for a lifetime.

This book is beautifully written. As each of the three characters’ lives unfold, the twists and turns make this a very enjoyable read. It has some very hard hitting parts, as well as some very soft fluffy scenes. Covering everything you’d expect from a lifetime; love, heartbreak, friendships, personal struggles, death and grief, this really is worth the read! I also learnt a lot about first aid thanks to this book. It will stay with me for a long time because of this.

The only reason that this is not a five star read for me is because the ending was very predictable. It was obvious quite early on where this was going, but this doesn’t spoil massively. Just unsurprising.

I definitely recommend this, if you happen to come across it, pick it up without hesitation. Even if you don’t like the storyline, you will certainly learn the importance of CPR and how to deal with this type of emergency!

How to Save A Life - the story of how one moment changes everything! The story follows the lives of the 3 main characters over the next two decades. This is a lovely story full of drama and passion. It will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel in two minds about this book.

It is totally readable. Having lived in Brighton, it felt familiar and I was pleased with accuracy - even with hospital wards being on the correct floors! Despite covering some tricky topics...this book was such an easy page turner

BUT, I can't quite gauge the audience...too much drugs/sex etc for a young teen...but too simplistic for an adult. I don't know quite who this book is aimed at.

On the whole, I found it a bit predictable and underwhelming...yet I couldn't put it down. Make of that what you will?!

I loved this book!

Totally un-put-downable. I wanted a light hearted read and thought this looked perfect, little did I know how perfect it was going to be. It had everything: immediate story line, relatable characters, steady pace, surprising turns. Immediately add this to your TBR pile, I will be recommending this to everyone.