This is a really interesting premise of a plot but something was missing for me personally. It's incredibly well written and character driven which I can appreciate but I don't think it was necessary to hear so much from Cherry and I did find myself growing bored. After hoping the plot was building to something impressive, the end result actually felt a bit flat for me. I've enjoyed earlier books from Liane but sadly the last few have been disappointing.

I’ve had a look back through my reviews and made the grand statement that I have yet to read a Liane Moriarty book that I haven’t enjoyed. Well, friends, unfortunately I’ve jinxed myself (dammit, Jen!), because it’s happened.

I’m actually really sad to say that despite my excitement about having gotten my hands on an eARC of this one, the book just didn’t do it for me.

Although the novel has a clever premise, are our lives pre-destined or do we retain a modicum of agency over our destinies, it just never took off for me. It wasn’t until the last 20 percent or so of the book that I felt mildly interested and wanting to know how the stories would end.

The plot: on a flight from Hobart to Sydney, an elderly woman starts predicting the other passengers' ages and causes of death. When, not long after, some of her predictions begin to come true, a whole number of events begins to unspool.

Yes, sounds like it should have been a perfect read, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Perhaps it was too long, perhaps there were too many characters, or perhaps this one just wasn’t for me.

Don’t fret, I won’t give up on Liane just yet. I do love her other books and will remain loyal. Let’s hope this one’s just a blip…

This book is simply fantastic, I loved everything about it! The premise is very dark and gives almost a sense of supernatural, with the death predictions being handed out quite forcefully, and then starting to come through. However, as the story developed it turned out to be so much more, and the depth of it will sure make it a difficult one to forget.

I adored Cherry and was fascinated by her life story. Through highs and lows, her character really standed out and getting to know how she found herself on that flight, doing what she did, I couldn't help but being so sympathetic with her.

The way the threads comes together at the end is brilliant, and I'm so happy for the way everything ended.

This is probably one of my favourites by this author, and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley and Micheal Joseph for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is the best book I have read in the last few months. A woman on a plane suddenly starts predicting when and how her fellow passengers will die. Some of the passengers are amused, some are worried. How do you think you would react if you were told your baby son would die by drowning at the age of seven? Time passes and it looks like some of the predictions are coming true. People really begin to worry and want to find out who this mysterious woman is. With the help of social media the search begins. The story ties a number of people together with different life stories and it is a compelling read. Was the woman really a prophet? Will her predictions come true or was she just warning people? It raises a lot of questions about whether we are in charge of our ultimate fate or not.

Liane Moriarty’s domestic suspense thrillers are gripping page turners. This outing is no different, hard to put down. Impossible to forget.

Moriarty has said she’s not a planner but this novel has a paint-by-numbers feel. For a book with such a macabre premise, it is disappointing that the end result is best described as beige

Liane Moriarty best yet. I found the whole book fascinating. How would you react if somebody told you when you were going to die ? Would you believe them ? Highly recommend this book and I have no doubt this book will make it to the big screen. The characters were so diverse and I found myself rooting for some more than others.

This book was something that I didn't expect, it actually was better. I loved the ending and yes, it is a book that makes you think of life's events and the decisions we make and the effects that all these will unravel.

Imagine you are on a plane.
Everyone on that plane is different - retired, successful, married, parents, lovers and so on.
Then one little lady stands up and starts telling each person when and how they will die..
Can they believe her?
They get off the plane and then the deaths start to happen

No one can tie a story together quite like Liane Moriarty

One flight full of strangers, one unremarkable passenger changing the lives of everyone on board… predicting their deaths. It’s definitely not real. No one is worried…. Until the predictions start coming true. What would you do if you knew the end was coming?

I love Liane Moriarty so I was super excited to read her newest book. A super super interesting concept, as with all LM books it’s a fascinating commentary on the human condition.

In all honesty it’s not my favourite book by this author. I found the transition between the first and third person narration a bit jarring. The narrator (when there is one) is unreliable* and there are A LOT of characters. It’s hard to follow and it makes it a bit hard to get into the story.

But on the positive, the second half of the book is brilliant. *There is a good reason the narrator is unreliable. The way it all comes together is unreal, just bear with the first half. I promise it’s worth it.

Thank you to #netgalley and #penguin for my #arc

"Fate can't be fought".

A woman on a plane (later deemed the Death Lady) begins to walk the aisle, pointing at each passenger in turn and predicting their age of death and cause of death.

Even the worried passengers don't take her very seriously... until people begin to die exactly how she said.

Told through the POVs of several passengers, as well as the Death Lady herself, this novel explores the concept of fate, as well as mortality, grief, sexuality, and identity. It weaves a very intriguing mosaic and there's an underlying element of fantasy, as we try to figure out whether this woman has true psychic ability or if she's a fraud.

Although I enjoyed the themes and the book in general, there were definitely elements I struggled with. There was a bit too much character hopping, particularly in the beginning passages and namely with the Death Lady. She chimed in far too frequently and initially had very little to say. Her story doesn't really kick off until about halfway through the book and I had no interest in her until that point. Then I did become very invested and really enjoyed the latter half due to that. I also found some of the characters a bit bland, and failed to really be intrigued by them.

Stylistically, I think the first half just wasn't there. But overall, I did enjoy it (albeit it wasn't mind-blowing).

This is very good and also very different to Lianes other books. It tells the story of a woman on a plane who tells everyone the cause of death and age of their death.

It then follows the woman, but also the people she predicted their deaths and how they react with this knowledge.

It’s very thought provoking, explores the butterfly effect, how would you live if you knew you only had a short time left?

I really enjoyed how it wrapped up, especially the epilogue. Well worth the read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc copy.

Here One Moment starts with a plane journey where the reader faces an onslaught of characters that are passengers on the plane and an older woman who is upsetting them all by telling each of them the age of death she predicts and their cause of death. The story is then told from the POV of each of these characters as they deal with their predictions and the woman who made them, Cherry. It is a brilliant premise but for me it starts in a very clunky way. Once established, however, the story becomes much more readable. The reader is told about Cherry’s life in the lead up to the day she makes the predictions and she is a very interesting and compelling woman. You come to care about each of the passengers and their fate. Ultimately it is an astute examination of all walks of life whilst also examining love, loss, fear, anxiety and grief. I loved it.

I liked the whole premise of this book, and as always Ms Moriarty has written an easy read page turner. However, I did feel this wasn't one of her better ones as for me there were too many characters to feel invested in them properly, and as other readers have mentioned, my e copy didn't have chapter breaks each time so different stories got a bit mixed up.
I was also slightly disappointed by the ending.
I'm still looking forward to her next book though!
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

What a fascinating book...I loved the novel idea (if you pardon the pun).

The book starts by introducing us to the characters who are on a plane journey with the main character, who acts peculiarly.
When the plane is in the air, this old lady gets up from her seat and starts to predict their cause and dates of death.
On the whole, the passengers initially caught it off but when they hear of people who were on the flight dying....are they seeing the prophecies fulfilled or is it merely coincidence?

A brilliant book which had me hooked till the end.

Fabulous.

Before reading this novel, I was aware of the author having seen at least one of their novels on the small screen I think this is what made me reach for the novel when I saw it advertised on NetGalley UK
The story starts with a aeroplane flight across Australia where we meet a selection of the passengers as they board what was planned to be a straightforward flight. On the flight one of the passengers stand up and starts telling each of them the age of death and what they are going to die from . We then follow the passengers as they come to terms with this prediction immediately that it has been given and then over the next few years. Several of the initial deaths that were predicted happen exactly as predicted which changes the way that the other passengers see their personal predictions.
We meet a whole cast of characters early on in the novel and follow their paths. Many of these characters do seem rather stock two dimensional people and I personally found it difficult to empathise with any of the characters as they never really develop beyond their initial characterisation.
The story does switch very quickly from one passenger to an other and I find it quite difficult to keep up with who I was reading about I got rather lost in cases. I read an early copy. I don’t know if it’s not yet format correctly and that perhaps in the final copy there will be some indication of the narrator’s identity. This would make it easier to read.
The author’s writing style is clear and and easy to read. This is a relaxing easy read I could imagine picking it up at an airport bookstore and reading it on holiday.
No doubt that this will become a best seller. The author is well known and liked. I will also not be surprised to see it as a Netflix TV series in the near future.
I read copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 26th of September 2024 penguin Random house.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahsbook.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon Amazon UK.

I found this book a bit confusing and struggled with it if I’m honest. The premise seemed good but I just didn’t quite gel with the characters or story line. Not one for me I’m afraid

I ABSOLUTELY devoured this book. I was already a fan but didnt love the last one. This one has an immediate hook as a lady on a plane starts doling out predictions to strangers. What happens to people after they leave the plane is set against the ladys' life to that point. In essence its dual timeline without the strict one chapter each format. The characters are like all Moriarty characters, lovable, flawed, bemused, struggling, funny, honest , relatable. You cannot help but be drawn in to their lives and there is a driving question pulling you through the narrative in a pacy way as the reader tries to figure out A) is she actually psychic? And B) what will happen to each passenger who's life we are following. I think its a tour de force of plotting and she doesnt get enough credit for her writing ability because perhaps its not seen as serious fiction. There are tiny moments anyone will recognise as she shines her light on those little interactions in a marriage or in being a parent. Small things almost unworthy of comment except when she writes it you nod, or catch your breath or laugh out loud. She gets humans and she can tell a story. No higher praise. 5 stars!

This felt different to your typical Liane Moriarty book and I liked it. Sometimes it did get a tad confusing (the downgrade to 4 stars) when you kept switching points of view and it isn’t clear BUT once you’re in the swing of things you get used to each character and know straight away who it is. Intriguing and well written, just like any Liane book. A go to author for me.

Interesting premise, enjoyed this book and varying cast of characters but the layout of the book made it hard to follow at times, but I know this will be fixed before publication