I loved this book. Liane Moriarty writes such compelling stories and fun, interesting characters. I wasn’t sure where she was going with the story, and I was worried I wouldn’t like the ending. But it was great! Loved it!

This book is like Final Destination meets Love Actually meets Sliding Doors, mixing the concept of fate versus free will, love, loss, chance encounters, and appreciating life while we have it. Moriarty delivers a complex, thought-provoking story and delivers it with a lightness and fluidity.

I didn’t look at any reviews before reading Here One Moment so I didn’t have expectations going in, other than that I have enjoyed every Liane Moriarty book I’ve read and she delivers well-developed characters and relationships. I think some reviewers thought this might be more of a mystery or thriller than it is. There is a mystery—how did the woman (Cherry) on the plane predict those deaths? And will they actually come true? But really, I was lost in the stories unfolding and the prose. This isn’t a thriller; more of a contemporary fiction. At over 500 pages, I was surprised that the story flew by and kept a consistent pace. I found it funny, charming, heart-warming, and thought provoking.

The teaser is quite vague so if you only want to know what is in that, stop here. If you’re ok learning a bit more about the story (without spoilers), I’ve got you covered. The book is actually centered primarily around a woman named Cherry. In the opening chapter, Moriarty describes Cherry by her ordinariness. She’s a woman on a plane with no distinguishing features that would make others pay attention to her. She’s not tall, pregnant, dressed in fancy clothing, emotional, or chatty. In fact, Moriarty describes her as “not anything that anyone will later recall.”

Cherry does have something that makes her extraordinary, though. She stands up unprovoked and begins to predict the age and cause of death of a number of people around her on the plane. Some are expected to die at old ages (ninety-two of a urinary disease), others have a tragic prediction (pancreatic cancer), and others are young and unexpected (assault at the age of thirty). Some are bombshells (intimate partner homicide at twenty-five). The passengers react differently, some with amusement, some with concern, and some with anger. Cherry, for her part, doesn’t remember doing this, and is quite mortified by it all.

“I have been told I pointed at passengers while repeating these four words: ‘Fate won’t be fought.’ I was always taught that pointing is bad manners, so I was skeptical about this, until I saw the photo, the one that eventually appeared in the papers, where I was most definitely pointing, in a rather theatrical manner, as if I were playing King Lear. Embarrassing. I noticed my hair looked very nice in that photo. Obviously that doesn’t excuse anything.”

In between the predictions we get vignettes about some of the passengers—why are they traveling on this flight, what is going on in their lives, and what was their reaction to the death predictions? The first twenty-five percent of the book introduces these. Mixed in are Cherry’s reflections on the flight and we begin to learn more about her as a person. Her mother was a psychic, for instance. She was taught never to use that skill to deliver bad news, and that is why Cherry is particularly embarrassed by her behavior. “Sometimes I feel so ashamed I can hardly breathe,” she notes after one particularly stark prediction.

Cherry is the central character. She’s the only person whose chapters are narrated in first person to the reader. However, she doesn’t dominate the book; the other characters are well-developed and have their own arcs. There are a select few that we follow in the months after the plane. Even for those who are adamant they don’t believe Cherry’s predictions, it still impacts them. They become more vigilant about the areas that were related to their deaths—vehicles, workplace incidents, drugs, health screenings, swim lessons, and mental health. When three people from the flight die in the manner and timeline predicted, tension mounts. Can the passengers avoid their fates?

I won’t spoil the way this wraps up or what happens to the different characters, but they all get interesting and complex story arcs. In some ways, the characters are forever bound by that flight. But rather than a tragedy, it’s changed many of them for the better. They go in for medical screenings they may not have, and they learn to prepare for potential accidents. Some become more aware of their triggers and seek lifestyle changes to help. But it isn’t a positive for all. I think the message of the book is really about the extent to which we let fear limit us, or whether we use it to make changes we may otherwise not have made.

The very last chapter was wonderful. A perfect little ending to the book, and one that left me with a big smile on my face. I found this book to be funny and uplifting. I cared for many of the characters and what would happen to them. Despite some heavy predictions, Moriarty avoids the bleakness and darkness this type of story could draw. Instead, she gave us a story of hope and a reminder to appreciate life.

I read every new Liane Moriarty book that comes out. I have mixed feelings about this one. To me it felt really long and there were too many characters and connections to keep track of and follow. However, I really wanted to find out how everyone's story would end and have been thinking about how I would react in a similar circumstance.

Liane is of my favorite authors and I was so excited for the opportunity to read her latest book. What Alice Forgot was the first title I read by this author and what made me fall in love and read every one of her works. In recent years I had found her last couple of releases lacking. Though still enjoyable, they did not measure up to other book of hers that I love. Thankfully this one did not disappoint! I loved the characters, the pacing, and did not want to put this one down. I laugh, I cried, and I enjoyed every moment spent in this book. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC of this book.

Another excellent book from Liane Moriarty. There were a few too many characters for me to connect with, but as always, I loved have it all came together!

Long time Liane Moriarty fan here so I was extremely excited when my book club chose “Here One Moment” for its January pick. Imagine being on a plane and being told the age and cause of your death!!! I was hooked (and anxious) from the start. Yes- there were quite a few characters to keep track of but I found them mostly enjoyable and interesting and comically relatable (ie - searching for a tampon in an airplane bathroom… on one’s birthday). The short chapters kept the pages turning for me! I could not put this book down. 4 solid stars and I would definitely recommend to fans. Thank you to the author, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date : September 10, 2024

Another great story by Laine Moriarty.
What would you do if someone told you when and how you would die? Multiply that by all passengers on an airplane being told at what age and how they would die, and chaos could ensue. The "Death Lady" just stood up and started pointing to people and telling them their fate. Was it real? After three people die as she predicted, other passengers start to wonder. Some accepted their fate as foretold, and other made changes to their lives to try and prevent their assigned death sentences.

When I started reading this book, I was a bit confused and thought the writing was disjointed, but then I figured it out and thought how the story presentation was brilliant! The story followed Cherry, a woman who's mother earned a living as a fortune teller who ended up as the Death Lady on a flight from Tasmania to Sydney Australia. After making her predictions, the flight attendant gave her some water to drink, and then she got off the plane as if nothing had happened. All of the other passengers, however, were not sure how to react to what she said, especially those who would die within the next year. As with a tragedy, lives were changed as a result of her predictions.

I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book to review.

Liane Moriarty is back! This might be my 2nd favorite book of hers that I have read... which is saying something as she writes exquisitely engaging mysteries / thrillers! What a story!

I really enjoyed this book! Moriarty always creates such incredibly realistic, complicated characters. The story keeps you guessing, and there is so much tension I was kept on edge the whole time. The story was very thought provoking, and led me to think about my own life and future.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All options are my own.

If you haven’t had a chance to read it, grab a copy to learn how a 2 hour delay on a tarmac, a plane full of strangers, and elderly woman’s ability to predict how and when each of the passengers on the plane will die. Here One Moment would be perfect for those who enjoyed The Immortalists and The Measure..

As everyone is finally on board the already delayed flight, people are anxious to get their destination. The flight is not long and people are impatient from the change of plans but ready to be finished travelling. During their short flight, one of the passengers from first class dreamily walks the entire length of the plane and predicts everyone's death age and circumstance. Even the children. Many people were upset by this because their death was expected soon. A mother of an infant was told that her son would drown at age 7. She becomes paranoid about him learning to swim and staying away from dangerous situations. Once the passengers actually start dying, everyone begins to panic over the mysterious 'death lady' and her predicitons.

I have been a fan of Liane Moriarty for a while now and really enjoy her writing. This story was not her best in my opinion. It was a completely unique idea and has all the makings of a great book but I wish there was a bit more suspense and that the story moved along quicker. There were too many characters that were detailed and it made it hard to keep track of in the beginning.

This novel reminded me a lot of The Measure in ways that it was hard to get over at times. Maybe it's because the general premise was so similar. However, this one was also entirely different at the same time which was nice. I liked having multiple POVs so that we heard Cherry's story as well as the story of the other characters, but I felt like the chapters that weren't Cherry's POV were harder to keep up with at times because they'd change throughout the chapter. I liked the overall message of the book (I don't want to spoil it for other readers) and felt like it was less of a thriller and more of a mystery. Despite it being very long, I enjoyed this read.

On a flight from Hobart to Sydney, passengers are told when and how they will die. This books looks at how people handle that information (themes similar in "The Measure"). I always enjoy reading multiple POV in Liane Moriarty's books. These characters were diverse but I felt like the beginning of the book could have been shortened to get to the action of predictions coming true. I struggled to remain interested in this one. That said I will be back for her next one.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This is my first Liane Moriarty book that I have had the chance to read. It was fantastic. It was emotional, deep, witty, and so well written. I laughed out and cried at others. This was an interesting plot line and going into the book blind, I wasn't sure what I would think of it. But wow this was really good. Definitely going to be reading more of Liane Moriarty after getting the chance to read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Liane Moriarty is back with another thought-provoking story. Through a large tapestry of interwoven characters and POVs, the author tackles the concept of fate vs. choice that left me emotional and kept me guessing. I read this with my book club and it was a great pick - there's so much to discuss.

Thanks to Crown for the copy to review.

Liane is one of my all time favorite authors and this was such a unique premise and executed so well. I only hope I see it on my TV or movie screen soon!

Omg I loved this one, listened to like 80% of it on audio and the audiobook was so well done! Reminded me of The Measure at times, kind of a similar storyline where one woman on a plane starts predicting other passengers causes of death and if spirals out from there. A lottttt of storylines going on at once, but it was wrapped up so perfectly in the end! I fell in love with the oddball main character Cherry, such a fun read!

This was an interesting book. A woman who nobody noticed upon boarding an airplane stands up in a trance and begins predicting the cause and age of death of the passengers on board. It was interesting to follow the different characters after the left to plane and see how each would deal with the woman's prediction. I was more invested in some of the characters than the others and felt like the book drug on in places and could have been about 100 pages shorter. Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending.

3.5
A new book by Lianne Moriarty is always a must have for me since reading What Alice Forgot. I immediately read everything she had published prior and have eagerly read each one since. Here One Moment feels like a bit of a diversion from her other works for me. A new way of telling the stories of the people that inhabit her mind. It took me a bit to adjust my expectations of how a new Liane Moriarty story would be told, but that is all on me, truth be told.

While on a flight from Sydney-Hobart an older woman stands up and and while in what seems to be a hypnotic state walks down the aisle of the plane telling each passenger their age at death and their manner of death. A flight attendant valiantly tries to stop the woman, but she makes it through a good portion of the plane before she stops.

The book progresses with multiple POVs as passengers digest the unsolicited information. What would you do with such information? Would you try to cheat death? Would you dismiss this as the babbling of an unwell woman? What about those whose age of death is very near? Coming in at over 500 pages, there were a couple of spots where the doldrums set in. None the less, it has thought provoking question of the reader about how to live and embrace life, what is truly important to you and will you be content with how you used your days when your time comes?

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.