One Moment is a twist on a contemporary romance that I haven’t encountered before: Most of it is told through the POV of a ghost.

Scarlett and Eve have been best friends since a chance meeting as children in a hospital waiting room. Now closing in on the end of their twenties, the two find themselves sharing an apartment that Evie almost never leaves, and Scarlett is afraid she’s losing her. After a brutal argument, Scarlett heads to work with a heavy heart and busy mind. She stops to help a distracted stranger who takes a terrible fall in the middle of traffic and poof - that’s it. That’s the end for Scarlett. Only…is it? She finds her spirit lingers, following her best friend as she navigates life without her. Scarlett watches as Nate, the stranger she rescued, slips into Evie’s life. She visits memories and takes stock of the life she’s leaving behind.

I enjoyed the clever take on a love story, and I especially loved the friendship between Evie and Scarlett. That kind of all-encompassing relationship between friends is rarely portrayed so accurately and I treasured Hunter’s example.

A fun novel, excellent debut. There was something missing for me that I can’t quite put my finger on, but I enjoyed the ride.

Thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, explosions and big black bears. Every time you wake up in the morning, you know it could be your last day. Something might happen that could push you off the edge.

Scarlett in her 30s is at the wrong place, wrong time trying to help Nate who just got into a bike accident in the middle of a busy street in London. Tragically, she gets hit by a car and instantly dies. The heartbreak, agony and discomfort shatters her friends, family and those involved.

Evie was recently diagnosed with MS while her roommate and best friend, Scarlett, is perfectly healthy. Was perfectly healthy. The book reminds us that everyone takes a different path with grief. It’s certainly thought-provoking. Is it possible – even though some things feel dreadful -- that everything we do happens for a reason.

The book catches the reader’s attention right away with Nate’s bike accident and Scarlett’s head injury. Who can be blamed? While Scarlett is dead, she still makes comments in the afterlife. You can’t take this too seriously but I loved hearing her thoughts.

Parts in the beginning were a little slow moving but then it picked right up about half way. I learned more about how someone with MS feels. It’s a good book to pass along to others, especially those who are suffering from grief. Sometimes I feel books find their way into our hands when we need them the most. This is one of them.

My thanks to Forever and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 12, 2024.

A beautifully moving story about female friendship and love with a unique magical realism twist. Ooof that ending!! This book was a surprise delight. Evie is devastated when her best friend Scarlett dies suddenly in a tragic accident and it takes the help of a complete stranger who witnessed things to help her learn to live life to the fullest even with her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.

I really enjoyed this book! It was heartwarming with great disability rep, a unique form of dual perspective narration told from both Evie's POV and the spirit of Scarlett who witnesses her friend fall in and roots for her to move on with her life. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Rebecca Serle and Josie Silver.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! This great on audio read by Heather Long and was written by a new to me author. I can't wait to read more of what Becky Hunter writes next!!

Steam level: kissing only

CW: past death of a sibling from suicide (off page), depression/mental illness

There were many things I enjoyed about this book. I thought this was a great look at friendship, grief, fate and healing. It is VERY much character driven and the journeys that both Evie and Scarlett take are beautifully done. I thought the dual POV was such a good choice for this one. I really enjoyed the portrayal of MS as well and how Evie came to realize that she had to still live her life in spite of her illness. The relationship between Nate and Evie was very sweet and I liked how it came about gradually and not all at once. I liked Scarlett’s POV and how things became clear to her in death that she didn’t see clearly in life. Yes, like I said, there were many things I liked about this book. However, I never felt that emotional connection that I want to feel when reading a book like this. It was certainly well written with great characters and story, but I don’t know. I just didn’t feel that pull. I think a lot of readers will absolutely love this one and feel that connection that I wish I had. I’m still happy I read it though and would definitely read another book by this author.
CW: chronic illness, death, car accident, suicide

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one hell of a debut fiction! The butterfly effect is basically about how one action, no matter how short or irrelevant can change the tracks of your life. Scarlett and Evie are childhood besties, and now they share a flat in London. After an unimportant argument, Scarlett leaves Evie to meet that married guy she's been seeing for months, when she gets accidentally killed on the road when picking yo the scooter of a guy who didn't have his eyes on the road and fell off right in front of her while she was waiting at the red light as a pedestrian. A car hit her and she crashed on the floor, cracking her skull. She is pronounced dead at the hospital. This book takes us on a beautiful ride on how to overcome the loss of a best friend, and how one learns to forgive the person who unintentionally caused the accident. Evie also has to deal with her recent MS diagnosis, and love and new encounters/friendships open her eyes to what's important in life. No need to dwell on the negative. A beautiful life lesson. I totally devoured that book. And let's not forget to mention the adorable love story! A total win! The ending was chef's kiss!

This book is as much about love between friends as it is about romantic partners, which is such an interesting concept to explore in the romance genre. Yes, there’s a beautiful romantic story that unfolds, but it’s paired with a lifelong friendship.

Alternating points of view make it so much more interesting, especially as Scarlet lingers after her own death to revisit moments from both past and present.

As Evie grapples with grief and living with a difficult medical diagnosis, Nate gently nudges her beyond the limits she’s imposed on herself. Yet she would never have met him if not for the day of Scarlet’s accident. It sets up a complex emotional journey for both of them, and for Scarlet too.

The ending is satisfying and beautiful, in ways that I didn’t fully expect. I will be thinking about this one for a while!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Well written and hit me on so many emotions many times throughout the storyline. This one drug my heart all over the place…. ♥️

Some books come into your life to help you remember something important about life. This book does a lovely job of highlighting how one moment can change your life. More importantly though you have choices to allow one moment to remind you that while life may not be the way you thought it would go that doesn’t mean that there is not a new path you can take. I quite enjoyed that this book is told both from Scarlett and Eve’s perspective. I think it allows the ending to be perfectly tied up. What a lovely message and one that sometimes I think we all need to hear.
Thank you so very much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Contemporary Fiction

A gut punch of perfection! Kudos on a memorable debut!

I really had no expectations when I picked up this novel. The description gives away a bit of the storyline but doesn't capture the complexity of the narrative.

Scarlett dies right before her 30th birthday. Instead of crossing over, she is in limbo with the ability to look in on her best friend and family and also revisit her past memories. Evie, Scarlett's best friend and roommate, had a large argument the night before Scarlett died and she is not handling the death well. Compounding the problem is that Evie has MS, hates her job and doesn't really have much of a relationship with anyone else.

Nate comes along and shakes up Evie's world. He was there when Scarlett died and she wants to blame him but he is suffering, too. Can they help each other get over this devastating event?

This was a very well written debut! I love the characters and the story and will definitely recommend this book to everyone! Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on March 12, 2024.

One Moment is one of those books that makes you think "What if that happened to me?" Scarlett makes a split second decision to help someone that results in her death while her roommate and best friend, Evie, is left behind. Evie has to figure out how to deal with her MS without Scarlett's help but Scarlett is there observing what is happening. It's about tragedy and friendship and helping others.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for my review copy.

One Moment was gut wrenchingly sad from the start. Make sure you have your tissues as you cry (but still smile!) when you realize The One might not be a romantic love, but a best friend love. The one whose soul speaks to your own.

This book was hauntingly beautiful and demonstrated how happiness and grief can coexist. While Evie lost her best friend, hope for moving forward builds the more time she spends with Nate. I loved how patient Nate was with Evie, pushing her out of both her grief boundaries and self imposed physical boundaries thanks to her MS. The horse riding moment (one moment!) was perfection.

I loved that the book was from Scarlett’s perspective. Despite no longer being physically present, she could still keep up with Evie’s life and know that her best friend will be okay. Give your bestie a call (or better yet, a huge hug!) after finishing this beautiful book.

It was nice to have a story focus on someone with a disease that was not cancer, leukemia, ADHD, etc. Not many people are aware of the horrors and day-to-day struggles of someone living with Multiple Sclerosis. I am not sure if the author has MS or knows someone close to her that does. With that being said, the author does a lot of harping about the protagonist who has MS and it was to the point where I wanted to say, "ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Geez! We get it!"

I was annoyed when the plot twists were predictable. Very irritating.

There were a lot of similarities to Scarlett's afterlife as there were to Susie Salmon's life in "The Lovely Bones." Scarlett and Susie were just watching their loved ones struggle without them and to look for answers and closures for their deaths. This part I kind of liked.

The cover was cute but I just felt this book was mediocre at best. It was not a unique story.

Thanks to Netgalley, Becky Hunter and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/12/24

Becky Hunter’s debut is a sweet, lovely story of friendship, love, loss, grief, and courage. I loved the unique perspective Scarlett brought to the story.

4.5 stars!!
I was intrigued with how the story was told and point of view from the very first chapter, as I have never read a book from this type of viewpoint. Further, the alternating points of view kept the story fast paced, although it was a little slow for me in the beginning but really picked up about 30 percent through. I enjoyed the fore shadowing throughout the book. The story is beautiful, it's delicate, it's thought provoking. Plus, That ending!! Ugh this journey was so beautiful and by the end had my heart racing. You never know who you may fall in love with and when. The decisions we make could change the course of our lives and there is beauty in knowing that. Such a good read!! Thank you Becky Hunter, Forever publishing, and Netgalley for allowing me an #arc of One Moment.

It is so true that life can change in a moment. Scarlet's impulsive decision to help a stranger leads to a string of events impacting the lives of those she cares about, especially her best friend Evie. Evie is already grieving and trying to cope with the loss of her musical career due to a diagnosis of MS, and now she no longer has the support of her best friend. It is no surprise this is a very emotional story, but the character Astrid/Anna manages to add a humorous touch. Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

What an emotional and inspiring read. The story and plot was sad but at the same time it felt an awakening for both of the characters. I was glad to see the growth in the characters. Thank you so much for the ARC!

A heartbreaking beautiful novel of a sisters-like friendship that tragically ends. One woman struggles with grief and a debilitating illness. The deceased woman drifts in and out of the present and past memories causing her to reflect on her life. Her running commentary on her friend’s life is insightful as she deals with her life and progression after death.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was right up my alley! Though a tragic accident leaves Scarlett dead, she is somehow still present. Given a chance to see the impact of her death on those around her, it's a beautiful story of friendship (and romance) that transcends time.

Left behind is Evie, Scarlett's best friend, who is struggling with a semi-recent MS diagnosis. And also Nate, the stranger who Scarlett blames for her death. I loved the way this played into the ripple effect of a single moment. It's an incredibly sad situation, yes, but it wasn't overpowering. There's a hopeful tone throughout, a collection of happy connections created by this one tragedy.

And what a clever concept to have Scarlett, now a ghost, experience her own journey of self-discovery. I loved the added flashbacks, seeing her acknowledge her mistakes, and ultimately ending in a very heartfelt yet bittersweet conclusion. Happy tears!

4.5/5 stars

This one had all the feels…dealing with a debilitating illness, grief, forgiveness, resilience and finally finding joy and determination to live again and to the fullest.

Scarlett and Evie have been best friends since the age of seven…more like sisters and have grown up championing each other’s goals and dreams. After a devastating accident, Evie is left alone to deal with not only crippling grief but also a crippling disease that has caused her to give up her dream and retreat from the world around her.

Nate, a travel journalist, is dealing with his own pain over the accident and the lasting effects of his brother’s suicide when Nate was just 15.

Evie and Nate are drawn together as they learn to forgive and slowly move forward with their lives.

This book is a tearjerker but also a revelatory story for all three mains, Scarlett, who is caught in limbo as she watches and cheers on Evie (as well as seeing herself in new lights), Evie, as she begins to see herself living without the sister of her heart and Nate, as he faces insights into why he has always felt the need to move rather than stay.

It’s a very well-done story of friendship, growth and ultimately joy. Recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for providing the free arc of One Moment for review. The opinions are strictly my own.