I loved this tale of The Death Lady. Great character development and pacing. A propulsive read that kept me engaged!

When they board their short domestic flight, none of the passengers think that it will change their lives forever. They land safely at their destination and regale their family and friends with a tale of "The Death Lady" who oddly predicted the year and the manner of each of their deaths. When three passengers die exactly as she predicted, the rest of the passengers begin to wonder what they can do to live their lives in the time remaining and what they are willing to do to defy fate.

Liane Moriarty's latest novel was an interesting read but the broad cast of characters kept it from being quite as gripping as her former novels. It took a while for me to get into Here One Moment. The initial flight takes up the whole first quarter of the book. However, once a got a feel for all the characters, I was surprisingly attached and dreading their deaths. Although I enjoyed the look at fate versus free will, I struggled with the chapters from the Death Lady's point of view. Fortunately, the entire story connected in a satisfactory ending that tied everything together well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Another incredible book by Liane Moriarty! This was so unique and truly unbelievable!

What would you do if someone told you when you were going to die? Passengers on a plane are told just that, and little by little they are coming true.

I recommend going into this book blind. It’s just an amazing, page turner filled with grief and hope. I will always recommend this book!

📘: Here One Moment by Liana Moriarty
🗓️: September 10, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Liane Moriarty, and Crown Publishing for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

I have read and enjoyed quite a few of Moriarty's books. However, the last couple of books she wrote did not grab me at all. So needless to say I went into this one with some hesitation. I am happy to report that Here One Moment was reminiscent of some of her earlier works and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it's super long and it definitely has a huge cast of characters and some slow parts, but once you've established who's who and what's going on, I found it to be a rather thought-provoking and emotional read.

This wasn’t my favorite. Liane is a hit or miss for me and this was unfortunately a miss. There were so many characters and it was too long. It just kept repeating itself over and over again. I did not enjoy it.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is a captivating, character-driven novel that begins with a startling premise: an older woman named Cherry, during a flight from Hobart to Sydney, predicts the age and cause of death for each passenger. Initially dismissed as crazy, her predictions begin to come true, and the story follows individuals over the subsequent years.

The book’s short, often dialogue-driven chapters keep the pace engaging, despite a slower section in the middle. While the narrative isn’t labeled by character, it becomes clear early in each chapter whose perspective you’re following. Moriarty skillfully intertwines the lives of these strangers, delivering unexpected connections and life lessons along the way.

Although some characters receive more attention than others, the ensemble cast feels vivid and relatable. The ending—unexpected and solidified by a satisfying epilogue—concludes the story beautifully, making it a memorable read.

Liane Moriarty knows how to write with complexity and nuance, and HERE ONE MOMENT is no different.

I love how strong this one starts — we’re on the plane, we’re introduced to Cherry, and she starts making predictions about people’s age and manner of death. Can you even imagine!?

I’m intrigued by books like this — it gave me similar vibes to THE MEASURE at the start, but with quirkier writing. And I’m glad we got to follow some of the characters after the flight and learn more about their lives leading up to their deaths, according to Cherry. It was emotionally gripping and engaging from the start.

While I enjoyed learning more about Cherry and her back story, at times I felt like we were getting too much and I wanted more from the other characters. I also didn’t entirely love the ending, but I understand why Moriarty made this decision and it still sends a powerful message. It’s a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Such an interesting premise, I was intrigued by the description, even though her last book, Apples Never Fall, dragged a little for me.
A woman on a plane starts telling the passengers when and how they are going to die. She seems like a nut job, but. then her predictions start to come true.
I love the central question about whether or lives are predetermined or if we have the ability to change the course. Also, I was intrigued who this woman was, and how she was able to know so much.
Like her last book, I found the middle kind of dragged on, and my mind wandered a bit. Moriarty's writing is always delightful, I just think the plot could have been better constructed.

While I know many readers are going to love this one it sadly wasn't for me. I'll continue to read her books in the future though because I know what an incredibly talented writer she is!

HERE ONE MOMENT

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was excited for this one, but I sadly have to report back that the majority of the time reading it I was … super bored 🫣

On a flight from Tasmania to Sydney, a lady stands up, walks down the aisle, and makes predictions about each passenger one by one: she tells them how and when they will die. When these predictions start becoming true, the passengers panic. How can they change the course of their lives? Should they, based on one lady? And where is the “Death Lady” now?

My honest opinion here is that I think this book tried to follow too many characters. We had the newlyweds, the flight attendant, the mother with 2 kids, the workaholic dad, the retirees, the young guy looking for love… it was a lot! The chapters were short and alternated POVs which should have helped the pacing, but instead I felt like we were in a revolving door with 20 people; because we kept turning to the next person, it didn’t allow me to ever really care about any of them.

The big question readers are supposed to be left with is what about the plane predictions is real and what is not - without any major spoilers, I felt like this question wasn’t really answered adequately.

Yet despite the above critiques, I actually really did like the last 20% and raced towards the end. Seeing how all of the various threads were connected and getting the full insight into “The Death Lady” Cherry’s life did really bring the story full circle. Unfortunately, by then it wasn’t enough to salvage the whole read for me.

I think my rec here is probably skip this one, but if any of the above sounds interesting to you, it’s worth a try!!

Took me a little longer to finish this one. I thought i'd enjoy it more then i really did. It was good but felt as though I never wanted to pick up the book when i'd put it down. Interesting story and original plot for sure. I loved the creativity and just how well it was written.

Here One Moment follows a short domestic flight and six characters who are changed by it. Seemingly out of nowhere, one of the passengers on a flight starts telling strangers the age and cause of their death. Some laugh it off and write her off as a crazy old lady while others take it to heart and search to find a way to change their alleged fate.

I love books with multiple POVs and I think this one was done very well. I was invested in each of the characters for a different reason and was on the edge of my seat to see how each of their stories would end. We see lots of character growth and get an insight into the different lifestyles and relationships that each person has. I also love a book where you KNOW that everything is going to come together in the end but you aren't sure how it'll get there. I think this is one of Liane Moriarty's better books especially in the last few years. Overall, I liked this book and found the ending satisfying though not necessarily unexpected.

Thank you for an advanced copy! The revealing of each character was fascinating and absolutely lOVED this book,

wow!! Moriarty does it again! I was initially worried about the length of this book, but by the end I didn't want it to end!!! This book was SO good!!!

"Here One Moment" asks the question "can you fight fate?" and allows for the reader to answer that question for themselves. I love the multiple perspectives from each important member of the flight and the fact that the chapters always ended on a note where I was anticipating when that character's next chapter would pick up. I also enjoyed hearing from the main character directly in her own chapters.

This one was slow for me at the beginning… There were a lot of characters to remember, and it took a while for me to get invested in them. But after a while, Liane worked her magic and all the characters stories blended together seamlessly. I liked how the story was told from different POV‘s.

Thank you to NetGalley, Liane Moriarty, and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

2.5.

I just finished this one & figured I’d go ahead & share thoughts while they are fresh. I have mixed opinions on it! For the first 25% or so, I was loooving it. The plot has similar vibes to The Measure by Nikki Erlick which I really enjoyed back in 2022. The Measure was so unique that it’s one I’ll always remember; I was hoping this one would be the same way. The psychic plot & death predictions were in fact unique for me, but I was definitely craving more action, & maybe even a bit more suspense with each character’s story. When our psychic MC gives her predictions on the plane, it created a sense of excitement, & I was expecting with the multiple character perspectives that I would get to see how each of their fates played out in a way that incorporated maybe a tiny bit of thrill? Maybe my expectations were off, but the final 75% (or after the plane ride) was pretty boring & slow. It definitely seemed to get more character-focused, & the excitement dwindled.
I did enjoy the ending & think the meaning of the book was heartfelt. Personally, I think this book could’ve been at least 150 pages shorter. For a book that’s over 500 pages, I just need more action.

HOWEVER - this one is in the running on Goodreads for Readers’ Favorite Fiction, & it’s standing at a 4.11/5 rating overall at the moment…. So you can take my thoughts with a grain of salt if you’d like. 😂

I don’t personally recommend it, but I don’t discourage you from giving it a try if you like character focused & slow-burn fiction.

I was sucked in from the start of this new book from a favorite author. The premise is that an old woman on a plane walks down the aisle telling each passenger how and when they will die. Then the first prediction comes true. As the remaining passengers realize the woman could be right, they have to come to terms with their own mortality and choices.

There were so many intermingled stories here that it was hard to keep track of everyone through the middle section of the book. We learn about many of the passengers’ lives, and also learn about the woman who made the predictions. I really liked the part that was her story, but bogged down in all the details of the other passengers. The ending was great - so clever and satisfying - so I’m glad I kept reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I thoroughly enjoy all of Lianne Moriarty's books. This one for very thought-provoking and had all the complex issues of "what if" placed in front of you as the reader to make your own choices or submit to fate. We are challenged to look into our risks or perceived risks to come up with a fight , flight or freeze reaction to our life predictions. What would you do if you "knew" when your last day is? Would you take risks if it was way into the future? Or would you fight like crazy if it were very close? There are scenarios in this book that take on these questions and you'll be along for the ride to see how theirs unfolds. I did find this particular book a tad hard to follow. Could be that I took longer to read this than others, but I kept wondering who was "talking" in the chapters (are there are many). I think a lot of this could have been pared down a bit, but I did like the premise and the life lessons. Never a disappointment, in my book....

This book was riveting, exiting, sad, elating. You are hooked right from the beginning when the "Death Lady" gives her predictions on the plane. The multiple points of view made you feel the emotions/anxiety of each passenger. You were cheering for them, being nervous for them, and hoping the outcome would change. I also appreciated Cherry's backstory and how all of her history lead to her actions on the plane that fateful day.

This was so compelling. On a stressful, delayed flight, a passenger walks down the aisle and predicts the cause of death and the age of death for the other people on the flight. As the first predictions come true, it changes the lives of many of the passengers. I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen.