I really enjoyed the dynamics of before/after someone important to you died. It is a real dynamic of grief, however I don’t know if I was emotionally prepared for this!

Becky Hunter's "One Moment" beckoned me with its promise of Jojo Moyes-like charm, and I was delighted to find it just so.

I found myself happily ensconced in the world of sincere and relatable characters. This charming story unfolds with some difficult, but also tender moments that evoke the spirit of beloved romances like "One Day", "Last Christmas" and of course, “Me Before You".”

The character development in “One Moment" is refreshingly natural, with no forced arcs or tropes. To me, each character feels authentic and undergoes subtle yet meaningful growth throughout the narrative. I especially loved the representation of chronic illness and the authentic portrayal of flawed yet relatable characters. If you are a girls girl, you are going to love them too.

While the pacing starts off strong, I believe it does falter a bit in the middle, becoming muddled and slow. However, the story finds its footing again with a strong and sweet finish that leaves a lasting impression.

Becky’s writing is clear and accessible, making "One Moment" an ideal choice for a beach or holiday read. The story is memorable and enjoyable, striking a balance between familiarity and originality without falling into cliché territory.

Overall, I awarded "One Moment" 4 stars. Although "One Moment" may not top my list of favorite reads this year, I can confidently recommend it to friends and would eagerly explore more of Becky's work.

Rating: 4 Stars

I absolutely loved this book. This is the story of Evie and Scarlett, best friends who are each other’s “person” through the ups and downs of life. After Scarlett is killed in an unfortunate accident, Evie must learn to navigate life without her. The story is told in alternating chapters between Evie’s story and Scarlett’s perspective as she watches Evie and her other loved ones from the afterlife. I loved this magical realism element as it helped provide context and backstory through Scarlett’s eyes. Adding another layer to the story is the fact that Evie has a progressive illness which she learns to manage throughout the novel. There is also a lovely romantic relationship that develops for Evie, but ultimately, this is.a love story between friends. It’s also a story that emphasizes the “one moments’ that make up our lives and affect our destinies. This story is inspirational, hopeful and magical. I hope to read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley for putting this book on my radar and providing the ARC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
What a beautiful, tragic story told from the POV of best friends Evie and deceased Scarlett.
This is a poignant, uplifting and life-affirming tale of friendship, love, grief and learning to let go. It’s also about finding the strength to be brave and let go of the fears you can’t control. I laughed and cried equally throughout. It ended with my heart feeling a little fuller.

Maggie Vine is a song writer and singer. On her 35th birthday her long time crush and friend Garrett Scholl kisses her. It's like magic and fireworks all bundled into one. Many years ago Maggie made a vow to Garrett (and Asher Reyes) that on her 35th birthday if she is still single they will get married. Maggie wrongly assume this is Garrett's way of binding the vow but Garrett is engaged!
Asher Reyes was Maggie's first boyfriend and first love. They met as teens but haven't talked in decades but that's all about to change when Maggie finds out that Asher has obtained the rights to her favorite novel. When it comes to Asher and Maggie sparks are blazing but Maggie can't stop thinking about Garrett.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is told in alternating timelines It shows the good and bad choices characters make and how complicated relationships can be. It had me thinking what if .... but the constant songs pulled me out of the book as I found them distracting and unnecessary. This doesn't meant that I didn't enjoy the book because I did but the song lyrics weren't for me.

I love a book about female friendships, and One Moment explores how these connections live on despite walking different paths. In this case, Scarlett walks side by side with her BFF Evie… even after Scarlett dies in a freak accident. I appreciate the sprinkle of magic realism.

Turns out the guy Scarlett saved from his own freak accident death on the day she died is about to become an important fixture in Evie’s life. Looking for answers about what happened, Evie connects with Nate to talk through Scarlett’s last minutes.

As Evie uncovers details that led up to the day Scarlett died, she re-examines their closeness and imagines what life without her looks like.

At the same time, Nate and Evie grow closer. He pushes her out of a comfort zone that's held her back physically and mentally since she was young. It’s a story about self-discovery and change, sweet yet predictable.

I wish I had connected with the main characters more, but maybe I was just hoping to see the characteristics of my own best friends in their interactions.

4.5 stars

An emotional story about love, friendships, loss, and grief. Scarlet and Evie are best friends that met by chance in their childhood. They may have gone to separate schools growing up, but they ended up living together after school in London. On a normal day, after a fight with Evie, Scarlet leaves her flat to go to work. She's got a big day ahead of her, and she doesn't want the fight to bring her down.

While walking a different way to work, Scarlet gets into an accident. Evie rushes to the hospital and Scarlet can see everything play out, but not from her body. What will happen after this accident changes many people's lives? How will her best friend survive this loss? How will she grieve?

There are so many valuable lessons in this story! If you lost someone, did you make sure you showed them how much you appreciated them? What will happen to Evie after?

This one took me a while to pick up as I knew it would be a heavier subject, but I am so glad I finally did it. It was so thoughtful and tender. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

When a book makes you smile as much as it makes you cry. That's One Moment by Becky Hunter.
Scarlett wasn't supposed to be there that morning but she was. She wasn't supposed to stop to help a guy that fell off his bike, but she did. She wasn't supposed to die before 30 but.....she did. As Scarlett starts to see her life in moments flashing back, she's realizes she might not have had it all figured out.
Evie is livid that Scarlett left her. Now she has no one to be her best friend, help her through her MS, and talk to about anything. She certainly doesn't want to be friends with the guy she blames for her death. Nate just doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
One Moment is a book like no other. I loved watching Evie grow as a character and seeing how Scarlett learns so much about the people she loved and those that loved her. Bravo to Becky Hunter for this winner!

One Moment by Becky Hunter is an emotional, tear your heart out kind of novel that is also a romance novel. It is a brilliant concept and a beautiful story, albeit tragic.

This is the story of Scarlett and Evie a set of BFFs and how a tragic accident changes their lives.

Scarlett has died and is now narrating her experience and gets to reflect on her life while also watching over her best friend Evie.

Evie is expectedly devastated and struggles with Scarlett's death. She places blame on a someone who may or may not be responsible but they keep popping up in her life and over time also makes an impact.

You will want to read this debut novel by Becky Hunter - trust me. It's captivating, well written, an interesting concept and the characters are incredibly well written!

In the end, this is a love story, it’s just told from the point of view of the friend who had to die to make it happen. Scarlett is killed and n an auto accident on her way to an important work event, leaving her best friend, Evie alone. Nate, responsible for Scarlett’s accident comes around to check on Evie and ends up pushing her outside her comfort zone and falling in love with her. Scarlett watches the present and remembers the past on her way to her afterlife. In the end, I liked this book, but it took me a while to really click with it. It definitely brings up emotions and is very thought provoking.

This book made me feel every emotion from A-Z. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advanced copy. Publication date March 12, 2024.

A touching and beautifully written novel that explores elements of friendship, love, loss and the resilience of the human spirit.
Many thanks to Forever and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Scarlett died in a freak accident right before her 30th birthday, just as her life was really beginning. However, she finds that she can’t fully let go of life on Earth and id somehow watching how her death is impacting her loved ones, especially her best friend Evie. In many ways Scarlett’s death completely changes the trajectory of Evie’s life. But one thing she struggles with the most is how Nick, the man who Scarlett was saving when she died, can fit into Evie’s life moving forward.

Don’t let the bright and happy cover fool you. This book will rip your heart open multiple times. I was not fully prepared for the emotional roller coaster this book took me on. I cried multiple times, and was touched by Evie’s grief and her journey of healing. While this book is heartbreaking in so many ways, it is also incredibly beautiful and will definitely sit with me for a long time.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for allowing me to read and review One Moment on NetGalley.

Published: 03/12/24

Stars: 3.5

Moving and made me uncomfortable.

The premise of changing one moment in time if you could is specific in this story. Hypothetically, would I if I had the opportunity? I still am unsure and lean heavily on no. However, it made for a pretty good book and I still am thinking about three very specific decisions I made in my life. I'm haunted by One Moment.

Best friends, one dies and is able to observe those left behind. She watches her best friend wrestle with her death and the aftermath, as well as the manner in which she died. Yes, there is a bittersweet story in that summary.

The excessive profanity was a disappointment. Hunter cheapened her own craft.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this debut novel from Becky Hunter. The idea of Scarlett narrating parts of this book after her death seemed silly to me at first, but I really did get it once the book started moving along. I loved Evie as a character and, while I personally don't have a chronic illness like she does, I really related to her need to protect herself from being hurt and fear of being alone, and in her coping mechanism of pushing other people away so that she is in control of the being alone-ness that she so fears. Hunter created these characters so well, wrote them in such a specific way that made them truly sneak into my heart as I was reading the book. I even shed a tear at the end. This is not a typical romance novel but there is a romance which is central to the story. It's also a novel about friendship and coming of age in an interesting and different way. I can't wait to see what this author does next.

Scarlett and Evie are best friends, but Scarlett's unexpected and tragic death leaves Evie grieving and in a dark place. Scarlett's death also brings Nate into Evie's life, but Evie isn't sure she wants him in her life because she blames him for Scarlett's death (even though it was an accident). The story follows Evie as she moves through life after loss, which is complicated by the fact that Evie is dealing with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
There was so much heartbreak in this story, but despite its sadness, there is hope that weaves its way throughout the story. The author handled the relationship with Evie and Nate so beautifully, and conveys the sadness and happiness that she feels, often at the same time.
Another interesting thing the author did is that he includes Scarlett's perspective after she has passed. She is able to view what is happening between Nate and Evie, and I thought this added point of view really added to the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story, which was full of both heartbreak and hope.

Boy did this wreck my entire soul and being. I knew when I requested this what it was about. Did I conveniently forget the entire synopsis as I began it only to be hit with the absolute gut-wrenching heartbreak? Yes, yes I did. Very recently did I also find myself in a similar situation as Evie having lost my best friend unexpectedly.

Evie is trying to navigate the sudden death of her closest friend, Scarlett. A freak accident, the stranger who is easy to place blame on, and the journey of trying to continue living leaves Evie in shambles. Facing a diagnosis of MS, Evie and Scarlett had always planned for Evie to be the one to go first and that curve ball of healthy, happy, and adventurous Scarlett being the first was such a punch. This was a read that made me sob and equally filled me with happiness and joy. I'm absolutely shocked that this is a debut because Becky Hunter has handed me a read on a silver platter that encompassed everything I have been feeling with my own loss.

The loss, love, dealing with grief and blame, complexities of friendship, hope- I mean these are all such deep and heavy topics and themes that were handled with some true grace and grit. A rollercoaster of emotion, this is a read that will honestly stay with me for a long time to come and has very easily earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf

This was a great debut novel from Becky Hunter and I was so happy to have found this little gem of a story. Evie and Scarlett are each other's person and when everything changes forever for the both of them, Evie is tasked with learning to deal with people and situations outside of her control without her person. Every decision made is intentional in this book and I love that people like Nate and Astrid push Evie's boundaries and force her to think outside of herself and her disease with MS.

Nate and Evie will share a bond for the rest of their lives and how sweet is it that they could find solace in each other. I was rooting alongside Scarlett for the both of them to figure out that they are great for each other. I cried when I realized Evie's difficult situation with her mother and how Nate and Scarlett have a better family dynamic than her. Evie growing out of her shell and thinking about getting back into music is the redemption she needed from putting off her passion for the rest of her life. In life, there are so many regrets, but when death comes knocking, it is when we realize how precious the moments were with our loved ones and how we really should say the things that we want to say while we still have the chance.

This book was amazing and written with such simplicity, I devoured it in two days and was left wanting more! Thank you to NetGalley,
Forever with Grand Central Publishing and the wonderful Becky Hunter for the ARC. My opinions written here are entirely my own.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the early review copy via NetGalley.

It was a lovely story of grief, hope, and struggle with chronic disease. But for some reason, I just couldn’t connect with the characters. It’s more “new adult” fiction, and that genre doesn’t work for me. I’ve seen many glowing reviews and am happy for the author’s success.

I enjoyed this book but didn’t absolutely love it. The premise is so interesting and I loved the dual POV. But something was lacking for me and I didn’t find myself reaching for it.