What do you think?
Rate this book
LIVE
Nominee for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards
Here One Moment
If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?
Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.
Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.
How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”
Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.
A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.
If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?
Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.
Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.
Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.
How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”
Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.
A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.
If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?
Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2024
About the author
Liane Moriarty
43 books69.5k followersLiane Moriarty is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, and Truly Madly Guilty; the New York Times bestsellers Apples Never Fall, Nine Perfect Strangers, What Alice Forgot, and The Last Anniversary; The Hypnotist’s Love Story; and Three Wishes. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,376 reviews
September 26, 2024
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!
August 17, 2024
My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest as if it were the only one we had.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Oh my gosh, how I loved this book. The five-hundred-plus pages practically turned themselves. The premise was so unique and I devoured every word from the banging prologue to the surprising epilogue.
On a flight from Hobart to Sydney an older lady walks the aisle of the plane while stating age of death, cause of death to multiple passengers. When the passengers start dying the way she predicted they believe she is a clairvoyant and worry that their prediction will come true next, so of course they start to live their lives as differently as possible to avoid their prediction from coming true.
I loved the different points of view in each chapter, five passengers and the elderly lady herself. We also get snippets of how her predictions affect each person's life and the people surrounding them. The elderly lady also basically gives us her very interesting life story. I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how this book made me feel. I felt anxious, happy, sad and hopeful. I cried, I got scared and I laughed…at a book about death! It also really made me think about my own mortality but do not fret because there's also lots of love and joy in the book.
I'm a big fan of butterflies so the cover of this one had me all 😍. The butterfly was chosen because of the idea of the butterfly effect scenario. I love them because they represent change, rebirth etc. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
The Book Review Crew Blog
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest as if it were the only one we had.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Oh my gosh, how I loved this book. The five-hundred-plus pages practically turned themselves. The premise was so unique and I devoured every word from the banging prologue to the surprising epilogue.
On a flight from Hobart to Sydney an older lady walks the aisle of the plane while stating age of death, cause of death to multiple passengers. When the passengers start dying the way she predicted they believe she is a clairvoyant and worry that their prediction will come true next, so of course they start to live their lives as differently as possible to avoid their prediction from coming true.
I loved the different points of view in each chapter, five passengers and the elderly lady herself. We also get snippets of how her predictions affect each person's life and the people surrounding them. The elderly lady also basically gives us her very interesting life story. I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how this book made me feel. I felt anxious, happy, sad and hopeful. I cried, I got scared and I laughed…at a book about death! It also really made me think about my own mortality but do not fret because there's also lots of love and joy in the book.
I'm a big fan of butterflies so the cover of this one had me all 😍. The butterfly was chosen because of the idea of the butterfly effect scenario. I love them because they represent change, rebirth etc. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
September 10, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
The book opens with an epigraph: “I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predestined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road” Stephen Hawking
After a short delay, and a quick snack service-a series of call buttons will summon the flight attendants on the short Sydney-Hobart flight.
Apparently, an unremarkable woman who nobody noticed upon boarding, has stood up, and while in an almost trance-like state, has started to make her way through the cabin, predicting the “cause of death” and “age of death” for all of the passengers on board.
“FATE WON’T BE FOUGHT!”
The plane will land safely, but everyone on board will be forever changed-especially the six passengers whose predicted deaths loom in the VERY near future.
A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as the woman had predicted, and when that death is followed by another, the passengers who were on board that flight, begin to worry.-What if she is right?
The book opens with witty musings about human behavior in airports, and on airplanes, (all spot on!) as we get to know our passengers before boarding and on the flight, written in the third person POV, with alternating chapters from the first person POV of our “death lady”, Cherry.
I was initially engaged but by 25%, it started to seem more like rambling as we learned about how each of the passengers felt after the flight.
With 400 pages to go-I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue!
Which passengers would brush off the predictions as nonsense, and which passengers would try to thwart fate??
Finally, at around the 50%, mark-when the first prediction comes true, I became more invested again, as I had now grown fond of a few of the characters: particularly Allegra and her mom, Leo and Neve, and Sue and Max.
I continued reading, worried about their fate.
BUT-I found myself wanting to skim through Cherry’s chapters.
I didn’t feel like we needed to hear from her AS often as we did, nor did we need to hear AS much of her back story. Cutting SOME of these chapters would have trimmed enough of the 512 pages to offer us a quicker pace.
How much reviewers are enjoying this seems to correlate with how much Cherry’s chapters resonate. I preferred the chapters which focused on those who RECEIVED her predictions.
We learned of some surprising connections by the end of the book, and there were some satisfying and heartwarming conclusions for a few of the character ARCs, leaving me conflicted on how to rate this book.
While I LOVED how the story ultimately came together by the denouement, I cannot ignore the fact that at one point I questioned continuing on and that I felt compelled to skim read Cherry’s chapters, so 3.5 ⭐️ feels about right.
A buddy read! Was it a 5 star read for DeAnn? Be sure to watch for her review!
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to Crown for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. These are my candid thoughts!
The book opens with an epigraph: “I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predestined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road” Stephen Hawking
After a short delay, and a quick snack service-a series of call buttons will summon the flight attendants on the short Sydney-Hobart flight.
Apparently, an unremarkable woman who nobody noticed upon boarding, has stood up, and while in an almost trance-like state, has started to make her way through the cabin, predicting the “cause of death” and “age of death” for all of the passengers on board.
“FATE WON’T BE FOUGHT!”
The plane will land safely, but everyone on board will be forever changed-especially the six passengers whose predicted deaths loom in the VERY near future.
A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as the woman had predicted, and when that death is followed by another, the passengers who were on board that flight, begin to worry.-What if she is right?
The book opens with witty musings about human behavior in airports, and on airplanes, (all spot on!) as we get to know our passengers before boarding and on the flight, written in the third person POV, with alternating chapters from the first person POV of our “death lady”, Cherry.
I was initially engaged but by 25%, it started to seem more like rambling as we learned about how each of the passengers felt after the flight.
With 400 pages to go-I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue!
Which passengers would brush off the predictions as nonsense, and which passengers would try to thwart fate??
Finally, at around the 50%, mark-when the first prediction comes true, I became more invested again, as I had now grown fond of a few of the characters: particularly Allegra and her mom, Leo and Neve, and Sue and Max.
I continued reading, worried about their fate.
BUT-I found myself wanting to skim through Cherry’s chapters.
I didn’t feel like we needed to hear from her AS often as we did, nor did we need to hear AS much of her back story. Cutting SOME of these chapters would have trimmed enough of the 512 pages to offer us a quicker pace.
How much reviewers are enjoying this seems to correlate with how much Cherry’s chapters resonate. I preferred the chapters which focused on those who RECEIVED her predictions.
We learned of some surprising connections by the end of the book, and there were some satisfying and heartwarming conclusions for a few of the character ARCs, leaving me conflicted on how to rate this book.
While I LOVED how the story ultimately came together by the denouement, I cannot ignore the fact that at one point I questioned continuing on and that I felt compelled to skim read Cherry’s chapters, so 3.5 ⭐️ feels about right.
A buddy read! Was it a 5 star read for DeAnn? Be sure to watch for her review!
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to Crown for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. These are my candid thoughts!
September 24, 2024
If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?
2.5 Stars
Bear with me... I've never read a Liane Moriarty book before. The only experience I have with her is the adaptations for Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall. I'm a huge fan of the shows, so I was super excited to receive an advanced copy for her new novel and eager to dive in. And I guess I expected something far different?
ೃ⁀➷ A brief summary
While aboard a flight to Sydney- a woman starts making predictions to all of the passengers, providing their cause of death and age of death.
Some passengers are delighted to receive an old age and natural causes, others were flustered or nervously laughing as if not taking it seriously; The predictions of death at their current age and in an unlikely manner.
The flight lands, everyone gets off - the story breaks into several POV's as we follow a handful of passengers as well as 'the psychic' 'the death lady' -Cherry, after the predictions/flight.
ೃ⁀➷ My Thoughts
Whew. Clocking in at 512 pages, you would have thought this was a 1012 page book for the length of time it took me to get through. At times it really felt like it was a 1k page novel! I struggled with it from cover to cover, but I didn't want to DNF another arc.
First, I had a hard time with the amount of POV's and the way it quickly switches there wasn't always a clear indication as to who's POV you were in as the chapter started. The jumping back in time during Cherry's chapters was even worse. I honestly have no clue what the majority of that information added to the story? Nothing. I'm going to go with absolutely nothing, I skimmed through those chapters at lightning speed.
I was invested in a few of the characters and finding out what happened with them was pretty much the only driving factor in getting to the end of the book. And the thing is, while yes it all comes together in the end... I found the end disappointing, still. I was expecting some huge revelation and it just kind of fell completely flat for me.
Based on her previous work I expected more thrill, a faster pace, something that gripped me, just more. I seem to be a bit in the minority though so I do think it's worth giving a try, it's very well written- unfortunately it just didn't work for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Liane Moriarty for the complementary digital copy in exchange for my honest review 💙🦋
2.5 Stars
Bear with me... I've never read a Liane Moriarty book before. The only experience I have with her is the adaptations for Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall. I'm a huge fan of the shows, so I was super excited to receive an advanced copy for her new novel and eager to dive in. And I guess I expected something far different?
ೃ⁀➷ A brief summary
While aboard a flight to Sydney- a woman starts making predictions to all of the passengers, providing their cause of death and age of death.
Some passengers are delighted to receive an old age and natural causes, others were flustered or nervously laughing as if not taking it seriously; The predictions of death at their current age and in an unlikely manner.
The flight lands, everyone gets off - the story breaks into several POV's as we follow a handful of passengers as well as 'the psychic' 'the death lady' -Cherry, after the predictions/flight.
ೃ⁀➷ My Thoughts
Whew. Clocking in at 512 pages, you would have thought this was a 1012 page book for the length of time it took me to get through. At times it really felt like it was a 1k page novel! I struggled with it from cover to cover, but I didn't want to DNF another arc.
First, I had a hard time with the amount of POV's and the way it quickly switches there wasn't always a clear indication as to who's POV you were in as the chapter started. The jumping back in time during Cherry's chapters was even worse. I honestly have no clue what the majority of that information added to the story? Nothing. I'm going to go with absolutely nothing, I skimmed through those chapters at lightning speed.
I was invested in a few of the characters and finding out what happened with them was pretty much the only driving factor in getting to the end of the book. And the thing is, while yes it all comes together in the end... I found the end disappointing, still. I was expecting some huge revelation and it just kind of fell completely flat for me.
Based on her previous work I expected more thrill, a faster pace, something that gripped me, just more. I seem to be a bit in the minority though so I do think it's worth giving a try, it's very well written- unfortunately it just didn't work for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Liane Moriarty for the complementary digital copy in exchange for my honest review 💙🦋
October 28, 2024
Wow! This long, fascinating saga is a mind-bending mystery with mystical, dramatic, and philosophical elements. It delivers a powerful message, advising readers to live their lives fully in their limited time, defying the odds and beating the reaper by challenging statistical consequences.
When I read the blurb, I was intrigued: a woman of indeterminate age, with no specific attributes and an unremarkable appearance, stands up during a delayed flight and counts to three. As if in a trance, she begins predicting the dying age and cause of death for each passenger. This unnerving display is a shock to the random people on the flight.
Some of her predictions are truly terrifying, like the one for the beautiful Indian flight attendant Allegra Patel, who is predicted to die at 28 from self-harm on her 28th birthday. Or Paula Binici, who learns that one of her children will live to 100, while little Timmy will die at age 7 from drowning. Could this really be possible?
Civil engineer and workaholic Leo, who is restless about missing his daughter's performance in a school play, learns he will die in November in a workplace accident.
Middle-aged couple Sue and Max O’Sullivan are also shocked. While Max is predicted to live into his 90s, Sue is told she will die in a few years from pancreatic cancer, despite being a nurse who regularly checks her health. How could this happen?
Ethan Chang, sitting with his broken and bandaged arm, has just attended his close friend Harvey’s funeral. He is told he will die after his upcoming birthday from an assault, even though he isn't the type to get into bar fights. Could trouble find him?
Let’s not forget the honeymooners still wearing their wedding attire, Dom and Eve. Dom is predicted to live until 100, while Eve is told she will be killed by Dom at a young age. Could this really be true?
This eccentric woman, Cherry, is an actuary knowledgeable about deaths and the daughter of Madame M, a famous clairvoyant. What if Cherry also possesses her mother’s powers? What if she accurately predicted the exact dates and causes of these people's deaths?
When three people die as Cherry predicted, the remaining passengers on the plane become nervous, especially those predicted to die in a few months. Should Leo quit his job to avoid the workplace accident? Should Allegra seek psychological help to prevent possible self-harm, even though she feels fine? Should Paula push her son Timmy to learn to swim before walking to prevent his predicted drowning? What about Ethan, who may be threatened by his roommate’s boyfriend?
As I read this long journey, I found myself crossing my fingers, hoping to save some of the characters I quickly grew attached to, wishing they wouldn't die as Cherry predicted.
I loved Cherry’s story, her peculiar, quirky, intelligent ways, her connection with her long-gone dad, her psychic mother, and her eccentric aunt. I admired her choices to live a long and fulfilling life, her happiness, and her losses. The triggering situation that pushes her to make predictions about strangers on the airplane, turning her into the “Death Lady,” is both fascinating and complex. Is she a charlatan or a guardian angel giving people a chance to reinvent or review their life choices?
Overall, I loved all the characters, starting with Cherry. I appreciated the philosophical and realistic approach of the author, who blends determinism and intuition to introduce different lives and the million paths they can take. This is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sharing this amazing book’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium.com
instagram
facebook
When I read the blurb, I was intrigued: a woman of indeterminate age, with no specific attributes and an unremarkable appearance, stands up during a delayed flight and counts to three. As if in a trance, she begins predicting the dying age and cause of death for each passenger. This unnerving display is a shock to the random people on the flight.
Some of her predictions are truly terrifying, like the one for the beautiful Indian flight attendant Allegra Patel, who is predicted to die at 28 from self-harm on her 28th birthday. Or Paula Binici, who learns that one of her children will live to 100, while little Timmy will die at age 7 from drowning. Could this really be possible?
Civil engineer and workaholic Leo, who is restless about missing his daughter's performance in a school play, learns he will die in November in a workplace accident.
Middle-aged couple Sue and Max O’Sullivan are also shocked. While Max is predicted to live into his 90s, Sue is told she will die in a few years from pancreatic cancer, despite being a nurse who regularly checks her health. How could this happen?
Ethan Chang, sitting with his broken and bandaged arm, has just attended his close friend Harvey’s funeral. He is told he will die after his upcoming birthday from an assault, even though he isn't the type to get into bar fights. Could trouble find him?
Let’s not forget the honeymooners still wearing their wedding attire, Dom and Eve. Dom is predicted to live until 100, while Eve is told she will be killed by Dom at a young age. Could this really be true?
This eccentric woman, Cherry, is an actuary knowledgeable about deaths and the daughter of Madame M, a famous clairvoyant. What if Cherry also possesses her mother’s powers? What if she accurately predicted the exact dates and causes of these people's deaths?
When three people die as Cherry predicted, the remaining passengers on the plane become nervous, especially those predicted to die in a few months. Should Leo quit his job to avoid the workplace accident? Should Allegra seek psychological help to prevent possible self-harm, even though she feels fine? Should Paula push her son Timmy to learn to swim before walking to prevent his predicted drowning? What about Ethan, who may be threatened by his roommate’s boyfriend?
As I read this long journey, I found myself crossing my fingers, hoping to save some of the characters I quickly grew attached to, wishing they wouldn't die as Cherry predicted.
I loved Cherry’s story, her peculiar, quirky, intelligent ways, her connection with her long-gone dad, her psychic mother, and her eccentric aunt. I admired her choices to live a long and fulfilling life, her happiness, and her losses. The triggering situation that pushes her to make predictions about strangers on the airplane, turning her into the “Death Lady,” is both fascinating and complex. Is she a charlatan or a guardian angel giving people a chance to reinvent or review their life choices?
Overall, I loved all the characters, starting with Cherry. I appreciated the philosophical and realistic approach of the author, who blends determinism and intuition to introduce different lives and the million paths they can take. This is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sharing this amazing book’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium.com
September 17, 2024
I don't know what, exactly, I was expecting from Here One Moment, but it was something more than this. While there were moments that piqued my interest, this is an overlong recycled tale exploring what has been explored a thousand times before-- how people would behave if they knew how and when they were going to die.
The basic premise is that an elderly lady boards a plane for a short domestic flight. During the flight, as if in a trance, she delivers predictions as to when and how each passenger will die, earning her the moniker: "Death Lady." Of course, it's all a bit of silliness and none of them really believe it... until, several months later, her predictions start coming true.
The first problem was the enormous cast of characters. We flit between so many different perspectives and stories that I never really settled into the rhythm of any of them, nor came to know any of the characters that well. The worst, for me, was Cherry (AKA "Death Lady") because, try as I might, I could not get myself interested in her story.
I felt very bored for long stretches of this book. We were taken through how each character responded to knowing their time and cause of death-- or that of their loved ones --but while the characters and their fates were decidedly different, the denial, doubt, worry and paranoia they all went through felt very repetitive.
As I said, there were parts that piqued my interest to some extent, but even with those it was mostly that I wanted to know the outcome more than I actually enjoyed the experience of getting there-- specifically, I wanted to know what was going to happen with Eve and Dom, and with Timmy.
And, as with all books like this, a lot rests on how it will end-- will we sit here picking off each character one by one until all their fates have been realised? Will one of them change their fate? Is it possible? But this, too, was lacklustre and disappointing.
The conclusion to this tale was simply unexciting and I was annoyed by how the author chose to wrap things up.
The basic premise is that an elderly lady boards a plane for a short domestic flight. During the flight, as if in a trance, she delivers predictions as to when and how each passenger will die, earning her the moniker: "Death Lady." Of course, it's all a bit of silliness and none of them really believe it... until, several months later, her predictions start coming true.
The first problem was the enormous cast of characters. We flit between so many different perspectives and stories that I never really settled into the rhythm of any of them, nor came to know any of the characters that well. The worst, for me, was Cherry (AKA "Death Lady") because, try as I might, I could not get myself interested in her story.
I felt very bored for long stretches of this book. We were taken through how each character responded to knowing their time and cause of death-- or that of their loved ones --but while the characters and their fates were decidedly different, the denial, doubt, worry and paranoia they all went through felt very repetitive.
As I said, there were parts that piqued my interest to some extent, but even with those it was mostly that I wanted to know the outcome more than I actually enjoyed the experience of getting there-- specifically, I wanted to know what was going to happen with Eve and Dom, and with Timmy.
And, as with all books like this, a lot rests on how it will end-- will we sit here picking off each character one by one until all their fates have been realised? Will one of them change their fate? Is it possible? But this, too, was lacklustre and disappointing.
The conclusion to this tale was simply unexciting and I was annoyed by how the author chose to wrap things up.
May 20, 2024
This is by far my favorite Liane Moriarty novel. I've read two of her other books and I liked them but this one takes the cake. I absolutely loved it. It was emotional, deep, witty. I laughed out loud in some parts. The cast of characters were eccentric and profound in their own way.
The story follows a group of people flying on a plane from Hobart to Sydney. A "psychic" boards the plane and in the middle of the flight, to everyone's surprise, begins to predict time and cause of death for each passenger. No one takes her seriously until one by one her predictions come true.
I love books that make me contemplate life and this one surely did that. While the book deals a lot with death, Moriarty's style of writing is comical. It tones down the heaviness of the subject. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The story follows a group of people flying on a plane from Hobart to Sydney. A "psychic" boards the plane and in the middle of the flight, to everyone's surprise, begins to predict time and cause of death for each passenger. No one takes her seriously until one by one her predictions come true.
I love books that make me contemplate life and this one surely did that. While the book deals a lot with death, Moriarty's style of writing is comical. It tones down the heaviness of the subject. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
August 11, 2024
All The stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Do you believe in fate?
It was just another routine flight from Hobart to Sydney. But one passenger on board will change the lives of everyone she came in contact with.
Cherry Smith simply stands in the isle, slowly making her way to the back of the plane, pointing at everyone, predicting how they will die and at what age. Can you imagine the sheer terror and confusion from those who didn’t like their future?
A psychic prediction or self-fulfilling prophecy?
Told from several points of view.
Cherry, from childhood to the day of the flight (and aftermath).
As well as several of the passengers who received her predictions.
Would you want to know your future? The date and method of your death? Would that change how you live? Or is destiny already firmly in place.
I was so vested in the lives of all the characters. I cheered, cried and tried to protect them to the best of my (reader's) ability as they waited to see if the predictions would come true.
A slow moving story-line, but as all the pieces started falling into place it was absolutely brilliant. I loved every single page and didn’t want it to end.
WOW! I certainly didn’t expect this read to touch me the way it did. But by the end, the tears just began rolling down my cheeks.
Cherry’s story reminded me of my own mother who always felt she could predict people’s futures too. I always quietly chuckled when she would share this with me. Now, as the six year anniversary of her passing quickly approaches, I felt deep in my heart she put this book in my hands…a gift and a beautiful reminder.🥺 ❤️🩹
This book leads you to focus on the important things around you. Your life, love and ultimately death.
I think this book will resonate differently with every reader depending on your experiences and where you are in life’s journey. I know this book will stay with me for a very long time. I am placing it proudly on my favorite's shelf. Thank you Liane Moriarty for wring such an incredible story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing
Do you believe in fate?
It was just another routine flight from Hobart to Sydney. But one passenger on board will change the lives of everyone she came in contact with.
Cherry Smith simply stands in the isle, slowly making her way to the back of the plane, pointing at everyone, predicting how they will die and at what age. Can you imagine the sheer terror and confusion from those who didn’t like their future?
A psychic prediction or self-fulfilling prophecy?
Told from several points of view.
Cherry, from childhood to the day of the flight (and aftermath).
As well as several of the passengers who received her predictions.
Would you want to know your future? The date and method of your death? Would that change how you live? Or is destiny already firmly in place.
I was so vested in the lives of all the characters. I cheered, cried and tried to protect them to the best of my (reader's) ability as they waited to see if the predictions would come true.
A slow moving story-line, but as all the pieces started falling into place it was absolutely brilliant. I loved every single page and didn’t want it to end.
WOW! I certainly didn’t expect this read to touch me the way it did. But by the end, the tears just began rolling down my cheeks.
Cherry’s story reminded me of my own mother who always felt she could predict people’s futures too. I always quietly chuckled when she would share this with me. Now, as the six year anniversary of her passing quickly approaches, I felt deep in my heart she put this book in my hands…a gift and a beautiful reminder.🥺 ❤️🩹
This book leads you to focus on the important things around you. Your life, love and ultimately death.
I think this book will resonate differently with every reader depending on your experiences and where you are in life’s journey. I know this book will stay with me for a very long time. I am placing it proudly on my favorite's shelf. Thank you Liane Moriarty for wring such an incredible story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing
September 4, 2024
Alright, buckle up! 3.5 Stars. This book had a promising takeoff, with a strong start that had me hooked. I was all in as I got to know the characters, rode along with the eerie predictions, and watched everyone’s reactions. But then, the magic sort of fizzled out for me. The concept? Super intriguing. But the execution? Not so much.
Some of the passengers' backstories just didn’t grab me like I hoped they would. Maybe it was because there were just too many different perspectives. I get it—planes are packed with people, but it felt like overload. Still, let’s be clear, the book is interesting, and when those death predictions started coming true, I was totally captivated. It’s a unique idea, one I haven’t encountered before.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me dive into this ARC!
Some of the passengers' backstories just didn’t grab me like I hoped they would. Maybe it was because there were just too many different perspectives. I get it—planes are packed with people, but it felt like overload. Still, let’s be clear, the book is interesting, and when those death predictions started coming true, I was totally captivated. It’s a unique idea, one I haven’t encountered before.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me dive into this ARC!
October 11, 2024
“La vita va veloce: this life goes fast, much faster than time.’ ”
WOW. Here One Moment is a book that grabbed me instantly and immerse me into a deep thought process of ‘what if’.
The book is about an older woman named Cherry (No not Cheryl, Cherry 😏), who on a flight from Hobart to Sydney Australia gets up suddenly from her seat and starts pointing to each individual on the plane telling them the age and cause of their deaths.
Who the heck is this woman? Is she a fortune teller, a charlatan or just straight coo coo for coco pops? Either way she rattles quite a few people on the plane with her predictions and we end up spending the book with six individuals on the plane and how their life moves on forward from these ‘revelations’.
With so many characters in this book I was sure I was going to end up confused and bothered by who was who, but NOPE. Liane has this masterpiece way of writing about characters so effortlessly that not only will you remember their name, but you will remember their story. But just in case you are a little confused, here is a little blurb about the main characters:
Allegra: The flight attendant working a shift on her birthday
Paula: A mother struggling alone with two young children
Eve: A newlywed excited about her honeymoon with her husband Dom
Leo: An overworked father who is missing his daughter’s big show
Ethan: A young man who is returning from his best friend’s funeral
Sue: An ER nurse who is wondering what retirement will bring
Cherry: An older woman who predicts people's deaths on a plane
Liane is one of my favourite authors because she has a special way of making me care so deeply about fictional characters. At 512 pages and a pretty slow burn (pretty much my book pet peeves) I felt like a nosy observer having the privilege to delve into the backstories and present day lives of these 7 people.
It didn’t feel dull and drawn out as the chapters are very short and some of them are only a paragraph dialogue chapter. Now with six characters you might expect that each chapter would be labelled with whom we were following now, but it’s not formatted that way. All the chapters are numbered but fear not after a few sentences you get a clear idea whose character you are now following.
It’s a very heavy character driven book that captivated me. I was laughing, I was deeply moved, and I took away with this story a lot of life lessons and affirmations. It was a complete page turner for me, and I will admit that around the middle bit it did start to flow at a particular snail pace, but with that said I still couldn’t put it down.
With all that happened I wasn’t expecting that ending and I was bit iffy with my stance on whether I liked it or not, but the final pages and that epilogue cemented it for me that it was concluded perfectly. Liane did a fantastic job finding a way to intertwine all these strangers lives together. I was a bit cold towards Cherry at first, but I began to find a fondness in her, and she had me laughing a few times. I also enjoyed Ethan's storyline a lot. I do think some of the characters got more airtime than others which was a little disappointing, but I won’t harp on it too much!
Oh Liane please don’t ever stop writing. You have your craft so perfected well and I truly enjoy getting lost in your stories.
4.5 ⭐
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Finally got my hands on my Fave Authors newest release!
Ready to dive nose deep and get lost into this mystery!
Fingers crossed its a five star read! 🤞🏾💙🤍💙
WOW. Here One Moment is a book that grabbed me instantly and immerse me into a deep thought process of ‘what if’.
The book is about an older woman named Cherry (No not Cheryl, Cherry 😏), who on a flight from Hobart to Sydney Australia gets up suddenly from her seat and starts pointing to each individual on the plane telling them the age and cause of their deaths.
Who the heck is this woman? Is she a fortune teller, a charlatan or just straight coo coo for coco pops? Either way she rattles quite a few people on the plane with her predictions and we end up spending the book with six individuals on the plane and how their life moves on forward from these ‘revelations’.
With so many characters in this book I was sure I was going to end up confused and bothered by who was who, but NOPE. Liane has this masterpiece way of writing about characters so effortlessly that not only will you remember their name, but you will remember their story. But just in case you are a little confused, here is a little blurb about the main characters:
Allegra: The flight attendant working a shift on her birthday
Paula: A mother struggling alone with two young children
Eve: A newlywed excited about her honeymoon with her husband Dom
Leo: An overworked father who is missing his daughter’s big show
Ethan: A young man who is returning from his best friend’s funeral
Sue: An ER nurse who is wondering what retirement will bring
Cherry: An older woman who predicts people's deaths on a plane
Liane is one of my favourite authors because she has a special way of making me care so deeply about fictional characters. At 512 pages and a pretty slow burn (pretty much my book pet peeves) I felt like a nosy observer having the privilege to delve into the backstories and present day lives of these 7 people.
It didn’t feel dull and drawn out as the chapters are very short and some of them are only a paragraph dialogue chapter. Now with six characters you might expect that each chapter would be labelled with whom we were following now, but it’s not formatted that way. All the chapters are numbered but fear not after a few sentences you get a clear idea whose character you are now following.
It’s a very heavy character driven book that captivated me. I was laughing, I was deeply moved, and I took away with this story a lot of life lessons and affirmations. It was a complete page turner for me, and I will admit that around the middle bit it did start to flow at a particular snail pace, but with that said I still couldn’t put it down.
With all that happened I wasn’t expecting that ending and I was bit iffy with my stance on whether I liked it or not, but the final pages and that epilogue cemented it for me that it was concluded perfectly. Liane did a fantastic job finding a way to intertwine all these strangers lives together. I was a bit cold towards Cherry at first, but I began to find a fondness in her, and she had me laughing a few times. I also enjoyed Ethan's storyline a lot. I do think some of the characters got more airtime than others which was a little disappointing, but I won’t harp on it too much!
Oh Liane please don’t ever stop writing. You have your craft so perfected well and I truly enjoy getting lost in your stories.
4.5 ⭐
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⋆｡°✩pre read⋆｡°✩
Finally got my hands on my Fave Authors newest release!
Ready to dive nose deep and get lost into this mystery!
Fingers crossed its a five star read! 🤞🏾💙🤍💙
October 26, 2024
easily my favorite book of hers to date! if you haven’t enjoyed her past work (did we all feel the same about APPLES NEVER FALL lol??), don’t let that prevent you from picking this one up. it was unique, creative, captivating and an enjoyable read. definitely one of my 2024 stand outs!
🎬🎬🎬 and it’s becoming an adaptation starring the one and only Nicole Kidman! she slayed in two of Liane’s prior adaptations (BIG LITTLE LIES + NINE PERFECT STRANGERS) so i’m super excited to see this come to life.
for fans of THE MEASURE and FINAL DESTINATION. a woman goes on a plane and individually predicts the age and cause of death of all passangers. afterwards, they start dying like she predicted. can she tell the future? what is going on here?
this was so much fun. it’s nearly 500 pages but i finished in 2 sittings. we had tons of characters but i loved reading through each of their story ARCs and seeing how they were personally effected by “The Death Lady” predictions.
this would be such a fun book club pick—i’m actually shocked it hasn’t been picked up by Reese, Oprah, GMA or Jenna. my favorite discussion: would you live your life differently if you knew how and when you’d die? lots to unpack there!!
i loved THE MEASURE (one of my all time faves) so i was happy to see similar vibes and themes there. while this leans more litfic & thriller-y than magical realism, i was interested to see how it would be wrapped up.
i’m not entirely sure how i feel about the ending. maybe a little let down? idk how this should have ended, but i can say if left more to be desired.
i absolutely loved the first person POV of Cherry. she was so much fun and the juxtaposition of her first person POV of how she went from birth to “The Death Lady” to each character’s life post-plane ride was a fun ride.
TLDR—my favorite Liane Moriarty book to date, worth the read and a great fall book club choice!
🎬🎬🎬 and it’s becoming an adaptation starring the one and only Nicole Kidman! she slayed in two of Liane’s prior adaptations (BIG LITTLE LIES + NINE PERFECT STRANGERS) so i’m super excited to see this come to life.
for fans of THE MEASURE and FINAL DESTINATION. a woman goes on a plane and individually predicts the age and cause of death of all passangers. afterwards, they start dying like she predicted. can she tell the future? what is going on here?
this was so much fun. it’s nearly 500 pages but i finished in 2 sittings. we had tons of characters but i loved reading through each of their story ARCs and seeing how they were personally effected by “The Death Lady” predictions.
this would be such a fun book club pick—i’m actually shocked it hasn’t been picked up by Reese, Oprah, GMA or Jenna. my favorite discussion: would you live your life differently if you knew how and when you’d die? lots to unpack there!!
i loved THE MEASURE (one of my all time faves) so i was happy to see similar vibes and themes there. while this leans more litfic & thriller-y than magical realism, i was interested to see how it would be wrapped up.
i’m not entirely sure how i feel about the ending. maybe a little let down? idk how this should have ended, but i can say if left more to be desired.
i absolutely loved the first person POV of Cherry. she was so much fun and the juxtaposition of her first person POV of how she went from birth to “The Death Lady” to each character’s life post-plane ride was a fun ride.
TLDR—my favorite Liane Moriarty book to date, worth the read and a great fall book club choice!
September 23, 2024
3.5 STARS
Promising take-off, disappointing landing!
Flying is NOT my favorite thing to do, I admit I'm usually slightly nervous until the plane is safely on the ground! This story starts with a delayed 3:29 flight from Hobart to Sydney, but the kicker is "the Death Lady" who has decided to upset the passengers by doing predictions for the entire plane!!! Also known as one wacky fortune teller!
NO THANK YOU!!
First of all, I don't believe in psychics, but still who wants to be burdened with such predictions! I would have wanted to get off the plane A.S.A.P.!
This ended up a mixed bag for me. I was engaged in parts of the storytelling, but some chapters felt like filler and I found the "Cherry" chapters completely uninteresting. There was simply nothing to bring her to life (okay, she is the death lady 😂). I was much more invested in the passengers and their lives that were greatly influenced by her wild, puzzling predictions.
In the end, the potential turned to lacklustre and a disappointing conclusion (IMO). It was also too long. Again, my opinion!
Released on September 10, 2024 , Thanks to my library for my kindle and audible copies!
Promising take-off, disappointing landing!
Flying is NOT my favorite thing to do, I admit I'm usually slightly nervous until the plane is safely on the ground! This story starts with a delayed 3:29 flight from Hobart to Sydney, but the kicker is "the Death Lady" who has decided to upset the passengers by doing predictions for the entire plane!!! Also known as one wacky fortune teller!
NO THANK YOU!!
First of all, I don't believe in psychics, but still who wants to be burdened with such predictions! I would have wanted to get off the plane A.S.A.P.!
This ended up a mixed bag for me. I was engaged in parts of the storytelling, but some chapters felt like filler and I found the "Cherry" chapters completely uninteresting. There was simply nothing to bring her to life (okay, she is the death lady 😂). I was much more invested in the passengers and their lives that were greatly influenced by her wild, puzzling predictions.
In the end, the potential turned to lacklustre and a disappointing conclusion (IMO). It was also too long. Again, my opinion!
Released on September 10, 2024 , Thanks to my library for my kindle and audible copies!
July 15, 2024
4+
‘Everything means something’.
It’s all starts with the invisible grey haired lady in 4D of the delayed 3.20 flight from Hobart to Sydney. No one really ‘ sees’ her but she will become infamous as the ‘Death Lady’ because of the unnerving predictions she makes to fellow passengers. Free will or destiny? What would you do if you are told that your time is limited? What will the ramifications be of Cherry Lockwood’s foretelling?
I love the start of this, it’s immediately tense and suspenseful but I’m expecting one thing and get something else entirely and I enjoy that surprise. The plot becomes even more mysterious and takes a creative and philosophical turn. It’s a clever and different novel (👏 ) and I find it very intriguing. It becomes emotional as it’s sad, moving, happy and joyous in turn which makes for compelling reading as it examines the fallout of Cherry’s predictions. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like living with this hanging over each character but Liane Moriarty does a great job in getting across the chaos that Cherry unleashes.
Initially, it’s not easy to keep all the characters in my head as it follows a few of them but it gets easier and I become invested in their lives and willing them to ‘buck the odds’. All are well portrayed but Cherry is obviously the standout character. I grow to really like her, although from the off she’s entertaining. She’s clever, funny, ironic, witty and sarcastic as she tells her story, both the good and the bad. Through her the author even manages to make maths interesting to someone who just scraped a pass.
Although it’s a long book the short chapters don’t make it feel that way and I’m surprised at just how many pages they actually are. Don’t let that put you off!! I enjoy the surprising connections and coincidences and how it all comes together as life is full of both of those.
It’s a different, well thought out, thoughtful and thought provoking novel about the different choices and paths that our lives can take, the interactions and interruptions that affect us and how we can control some things but not others as life can be very unpredictable. It makes me reflect and think of a few if only’s which could have led me somewhere entirely different!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
‘Everything means something’.
It’s all starts with the invisible grey haired lady in 4D of the delayed 3.20 flight from Hobart to Sydney. No one really ‘ sees’ her but she will become infamous as the ‘Death Lady’ because of the unnerving predictions she makes to fellow passengers. Free will or destiny? What would you do if you are told that your time is limited? What will the ramifications be of Cherry Lockwood’s foretelling?
I love the start of this, it’s immediately tense and suspenseful but I’m expecting one thing and get something else entirely and I enjoy that surprise. The plot becomes even more mysterious and takes a creative and philosophical turn. It’s a clever and different novel (👏 ) and I find it very intriguing. It becomes emotional as it’s sad, moving, happy and joyous in turn which makes for compelling reading as it examines the fallout of Cherry’s predictions. It’s hard to imagine what it must be like living with this hanging over each character but Liane Moriarty does a great job in getting across the chaos that Cherry unleashes.
Initially, it’s not easy to keep all the characters in my head as it follows a few of them but it gets easier and I become invested in their lives and willing them to ‘buck the odds’. All are well portrayed but Cherry is obviously the standout character. I grow to really like her, although from the off she’s entertaining. She’s clever, funny, ironic, witty and sarcastic as she tells her story, both the good and the bad. Through her the author even manages to make maths interesting to someone who just scraped a pass.
Although it’s a long book the short chapters don’t make it feel that way and I’m surprised at just how many pages they actually are. Don’t let that put you off!! I enjoy the surprising connections and coincidences and how it all comes together as life is full of both of those.
It’s a different, well thought out, thoughtful and thought provoking novel about the different choices and paths that our lives can take, the interactions and interruptions that affect us and how we can control some things but not others as life can be very unpredictable. It makes me reflect and think of a few if only’s which could have led me somewhere entirely different!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
September 25, 2024
4.5 🌟 SUCH an interesting premise for a story & so beautifully written!! Such a great read. A little long, but still great!
June 10, 2024
Can fate be fought?
Can we take precautions in life to make sure we live a long and healthy life, or does the universe have plans for some of us no matter what? If a psychic determined your life span, and what you would die from- would you believe them?
After a flight traveling from Hobart to Sydney is delayed for 90 minutes, and passengers are already irritated and fidgety, they finally take off! That’s when a middle-aged woman gets up and starts pointing her finger at everyone and telling each passenger, including a very lovely flight attendant, when she expects they will die and what the cause will be.
After each passenger returns home from their flight they are a bit nervous (and some skeptical), about whether or not this woman’s predictions will come true. As this story progresses we learn about some of the passengers (and grow very close to a few of them), and pray that this woman is wrong about what she predicted about their life spans.
In the meantime, we find out who made these predictions for these passengers. This woman was Cherry Lockwood. Growing up, her mother was a psychic who went by the name of Madame Mae. Does Cherry possess the same psychic abilities as her mother? Or are there ways to fight fate?
Regardless of fate or psychic abilities, I absolutely loved reading about Cherry’s life and backstory. I loved Cherry’s character (maybe not from the start), and as lengthy as this book was I was sad to see it end. I shed many tears at the end of this book, and I would recommend having tissues nearby. I questioned my own life and destiny, and I think many of you will too after reading this. This is by far my favorite Liane Moriarty book. I cannot wait until this book is published so I can have a hardcover for my own personal shelves. I highly recommend this book, and hope you love it as much as I did!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. Publication date: September 10, 2024.
September 30, 2024
'Cause of death. Age of death...It's really that simple'.
As a delayed flight from Hobart, nears its destination in Sydney, an older woman quietly unbuckles her seat belt and turns. Starting with the nearest row, she points a finger at an unassuming passenger and predicts both their age of death and its cause. Methodically, she moves through the cabin, missing no one, but consistently foretelling everyone's demise. Some laugh her off, some don't seem to mind - their death seems so far away as to be inconsequential - but for a handful, death is on the proverbial doorstep. Just who is lady? And why did she distribute each passenger's ending as casually as passing out lollies at the end of a flight? 'I was an agent of chaos'.
'Here One Moment' is a multi POV story of suspense but also a story of contemplation. If you knew your age of death, what would you do differently? Can you outrun fate? Can you manipulate statistical likelihood? Does one person's experience affect another person's?
I really enjoyed how this story developed. The tone of voice, despite differing for each character, reflects the anxieties and stresses everyone holds. It underscored how we often get bogged down with the minutiae of life, getting caught up with the detritus of our inner ramblings which undermine our confidence. We constantly 'do', instead of 'be'. However, overarching all of this philosophising, the suspense remains: who is this lady, and are her predictions true?
'...psychic predictions can be as layered as a German Black Forest cake. Your rational mind says, Nonsense! Your subconscious says, What if it's true?'.
As a delayed flight from Hobart, nears its destination in Sydney, an older woman quietly unbuckles her seat belt and turns. Starting with the nearest row, she points a finger at an unassuming passenger and predicts both their age of death and its cause. Methodically, she moves through the cabin, missing no one, but consistently foretelling everyone's demise. Some laugh her off, some don't seem to mind - their death seems so far away as to be inconsequential - but for a handful, death is on the proverbial doorstep. Just who is lady? And why did she distribute each passenger's ending as casually as passing out lollies at the end of a flight? 'I was an agent of chaos'.
'Here One Moment' is a multi POV story of suspense but also a story of contemplation. If you knew your age of death, what would you do differently? Can you outrun fate? Can you manipulate statistical likelihood? Does one person's experience affect another person's?
I really enjoyed how this story developed. The tone of voice, despite differing for each character, reflects the anxieties and stresses everyone holds. It underscored how we often get bogged down with the minutiae of life, getting caught up with the detritus of our inner ramblings which undermine our confidence. We constantly 'do', instead of 'be'. However, overarching all of this philosophising, the suspense remains: who is this lady, and are her predictions true?
'...psychic predictions can be as layered as a German Black Forest cake. Your rational mind says, Nonsense! Your subconscious says, What if it's true?'.
September 12, 2024
3 very, very "meh" stars. I guess I am going to have to set a rule as to page count & nothing much over 450 pages gets through anymore, save classics! This one just really drug for me, just too much character back story especially on the MC psychic (some was very necessary, but!) 😴😴😴😴 By 1/3 in I was just skimming to get to some of the foretold demises, which was pretty much the point, I thought? and that didn't happen till the middle. Perhaps this was just overly long for Nicole Kidman's eventual 24 episode adaptation, but it's another disappointment for me. Next up is my most-anticipated book of the year🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
August 15, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
I have always loved Liane’s books but the last few books have been a struggle for me. I downloaded this book and flew through the first 20% and then went on vacation and realized reading on my kindle just wasn’t happening with my kids still home for summer. (Note: it didn’t take me a month to read because I didn’t like it but because of my kids).
This book was mysterious, endearing, heartwarming, upsetting, and authentic. I loved the writing and development. At time, it did feel like the pacing slowed down but I kept moving forward and found myself sobbing by the end.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by loving this one especially if you struggled with Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall.
I have always loved Liane’s books but the last few books have been a struggle for me. I downloaded this book and flew through the first 20% and then went on vacation and realized reading on my kindle just wasn’t happening with my kids still home for summer. (Note: it didn’t take me a month to read because I didn’t like it but because of my kids).
This book was mysterious, endearing, heartwarming, upsetting, and authentic. I loved the writing and development. At time, it did feel like the pacing slowed down but I kept moving forward and found myself sobbing by the end.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by loving this one especially if you struggled with Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall.
September 14, 2024
A touching, meaningful, contemplative read, but gosh it took a long time to get there. So much filler! Warning, my rating may change after I’ve written my review.
October 16, 2024
“It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
What if there was a way for you to know when and how you would die? Would you want to know?
“Cause of death. Age of death. It’s really very simple.”
And, having this information, would you consider or actually do anything to change the way you are living now?
“Fate won’t be fought.”
Is this information a gift or a curse to receive? Is it a gift or a curse to have this knowledge?
“She was a determinist. The idea of determinism, …is that everything that happens, and every decision or action you make, is ‘causally inevitable.’ Why? Because everything is caused by something else: a preceding action, event, or situation.”
In this story, it starts with people on a delayed plane who don’t notice her. And, then she gets up and begins to share with each passenger their fate. At first most don’t understand what she is saying, but those who finally do, how will this information change the trajectory of their lives?
“No one can see the future.
Oncologists can. Oncologists, neurologists, cardiologists, hematologists. All those damned ‘ologists.’ They’re the fortune tellers. They don’t read your cards, they read your blood tests, your scans, your genetic tests, and see terrible things in your future.”
How many of us can relate to this above quote about the ‘ologists?’ I know I can, as I await my own test results after my treatments. Do I want to know? When we are invested in living, it becomes important, yes? Is this the author’s message?
Back to this book…
And, now it becomes the plane passengers’ story. And, “The Death Lady” eventually to be revealed to readers. Which then makes it our story…to read. Several characters. Several pages (495 pages).
Who is “The Death Lady” person, who has predicted these fates? Will we as readers care about her backstory? Will we as readers care about the fate of these passengers? Will some of these characters have an elevated awareness of their mortality and find a way to change their fate?
Mostly, will this be a good thriller mystery or a need for readers to keep turning pages until we find the answers as to what happens to all these people?
Interesting premise, that starts strong, but falls flat in its delivery.
Readers need to be aware that there may be some triggers: self-harm, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and domestic violence.
3.5 stars rounded down.
What if there was a way for you to know when and how you would die? Would you want to know?
“Cause of death. Age of death. It’s really very simple.”
And, having this information, would you consider or actually do anything to change the way you are living now?
“Fate won’t be fought.”
Is this information a gift or a curse to receive? Is it a gift or a curse to have this knowledge?
“She was a determinist. The idea of determinism, …is that everything that happens, and every decision or action you make, is ‘causally inevitable.’ Why? Because everything is caused by something else: a preceding action, event, or situation.”
In this story, it starts with people on a delayed plane who don’t notice her. And, then she gets up and begins to share with each passenger their fate. At first most don’t understand what she is saying, but those who finally do, how will this information change the trajectory of their lives?
“No one can see the future.
Oncologists can. Oncologists, neurologists, cardiologists, hematologists. All those damned ‘ologists.’ They’re the fortune tellers. They don’t read your cards, they read your blood tests, your scans, your genetic tests, and see terrible things in your future.”
How many of us can relate to this above quote about the ‘ologists?’ I know I can, as I await my own test results after my treatments. Do I want to know? When we are invested in living, it becomes important, yes? Is this the author’s message?
Back to this book…
And, now it becomes the plane passengers’ story. And, “The Death Lady” eventually to be revealed to readers. Which then makes it our story…to read. Several characters. Several pages (495 pages).
Who is “The Death Lady” person, who has predicted these fates? Will we as readers care about her backstory? Will we as readers care about the fate of these passengers? Will some of these characters have an elevated awareness of their mortality and find a way to change their fate?
Mostly, will this be a good thriller mystery or a need for readers to keep turning pages until we find the answers as to what happens to all these people?
Interesting premise, that starts strong, but falls flat in its delivery.
Readers need to be aware that there may be some triggers: self-harm, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and domestic violence.
3.5 stars rounded down.
October 8, 2024
Imagine being on a flight and a lady goes up the aisle predicting the age and cause of death of everyone.
How would that information affect your actions? We follow some of the passengers and as they wrestle with their fate, they make decisions that begs the questions: is their fate predestined regardless of what they do? Did the prediction lead to actions that can alter their fate? Alternatively, do their actions lead to the prediction actually coming true, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?
As we delve into these passengers lives, we also learn more about the lady who made the predictions.
Despite the topic, in the author’s hands, it is anything but heavy.
* I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley.
How would that information affect your actions? We follow some of the passengers and as they wrestle with their fate, they make decisions that begs the questions: is their fate predestined regardless of what they do? Did the prediction lead to actions that can alter their fate? Alternatively, do their actions lead to the prediction actually coming true, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?
As we delve into these passengers lives, we also learn more about the lady who made the predictions.
Despite the topic, in the author’s hands, it is anything but heavy.
* I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley.
October 23, 2024
Meh, not her finest. Would certainly lend itself to some interesting discussion, however, if your book club chose to read it.
October 30, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy.
This is the SEVENTH Liane Moriarty book I've read and I've given the previous six either 4 or 5 stars. I particularly adored What Alice Forgot.
I make my living as a writer, and yet I find I am at a loss for words here...I am not sure how to review this very weird book.
TBH, after reading so many of my friends' reviews, I am almost tempted to plagiarize some of the more spot-on comments--not that I'd ever do that!
OK. Here is my (rather brusque) review: I did not like this book. I found it to be—for lack of a better word--trite. And oh my, but there was just so much DEATH in it (like, OTT too many deaths). And paranoia. And whining. And loss. It was readable, oh yes yes yes. I mean, Ms. Moriarty is a writing goddess, but, but, the story was so flimsy and sad and confusing. There were a lot of POV's and, at times, I had to reread the first few sentences to find out where I was and who I was hearing from.
In the end, I actually didn't even admire Cherry, and I THINK we were supposed to. Plus, I didn't get to know her, the MC, as deeply as I got to know some of the other minor characters. Is that odd? I felt it was odd. The storylines that followed the "victims" were far more potent, although, in the end, I felt that they were mostly unrelatable (not a real word) and unrealistic.
Three stars because, even though I was pretty disappointed in the story, I couldn't stop reading.
This is the SEVENTH Liane Moriarty book I've read and I've given the previous six either 4 or 5 stars. I particularly adored What Alice Forgot.
I make my living as a writer, and yet I find I am at a loss for words here...I am not sure how to review this very weird book.
TBH, after reading so many of my friends' reviews, I am almost tempted to plagiarize some of the more spot-on comments--not that I'd ever do that!
OK. Here is my (rather brusque) review: I did not like this book. I found it to be—for lack of a better word--trite. And oh my, but there was just so much DEATH in it (like, OTT too many deaths). And paranoia. And whining. And loss. It was readable, oh yes yes yes. I mean, Ms. Moriarty is a writing goddess, but, but, the story was so flimsy and sad and confusing. There were a lot of POV's and, at times, I had to reread the first few sentences to find out where I was and who I was hearing from.
In the end, I actually didn't even admire Cherry, and I THINK we were supposed to. Plus, I didn't get to know her, the MC, as deeply as I got to know some of the other minor characters. Is that odd? I felt it was odd. The storylines that followed the "victims" were far more potent, although, in the end, I felt that they were mostly unrelatable (not a real word) and unrealistic.
Three stars because, even though I was pretty disappointed in the story, I couldn't stop reading.
July 8, 2024
Liane Moriarty was one of my writer inspirations, and since I began that journey almost ten year ago, I've read all of her books. I was super excited with the plot of this one, even though is took a bit of other worldly tones. A woman with psychic abilities boards a plane, compelled to point at each person and reveal their age and cause of death. Intriguing, scary, and filled with promising scenes. And in many respects, Moriarty delivered on that premise. I liked Cherry, the pseudo-psychic, and many of the supporting cast. But, the plot falls apart somewhere in the middle with a mix of POVs showcasing to readers what happens to those whose death predictions were in the current year of their life. I was chugging along at four stars and hoping for some powerful conclusions to drift upward. Stop reading here if you don't want to hear a small spoiler... Instead, the explanation and impact went a different direction and attempted to be more of a "what's the purpose of life" book where no root cause was given as to how she suddenly had the power to predict such things. And then the predictions began to fall apart, perhaps based on free will and people's unexpected (or were they planned) encounters with other passengers, creating the butterfly effect. Interesting, just didn't totally pull me in throughout the last third.
September 24, 2024
I love books that delve into the concept of fate vs choice. If something is indeed fated, do actions we take alter that fate or will the same result occur regardless. So examines Liane Moriarty’s newest release. When a random woman on a delayed plane begins to tell passengers when and how they will die, they become partly terrified and partly enraged.
As we are taken from the plane into the lives of each of these characters, and begin to see how their lives shape shift around these predictions, it becomes hard not to appreciate the overarching theme of what it means to truly live and to question our own beliefs as they pertain to fate vs free will.
🎧 Another incredible audiobook with duel narration from Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill. They both did a pitch perfect job of bringing these characters, particularly Cherry aka “The Death Lady” to life.
This was my first Liane Moriarty book, but it most certainly will not be my last.
Read if you like:
• thought-provoking reads
• character studies
• emotional reads
• books perfect for book clubs
• The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
As we are taken from the plane into the lives of each of these characters, and begin to see how their lives shape shift around these predictions, it becomes hard not to appreciate the overarching theme of what it means to truly live and to question our own beliefs as they pertain to fate vs free will.
🎧 Another incredible audiobook with duel narration from Caroline Lee and Geraldine Hakewill. They both did a pitch perfect job of bringing these characters, particularly Cherry aka “The Death Lady” to life.
This was my first Liane Moriarty book, but it most certainly will not be my last.
Read if you like:
• thought-provoking reads
• character studies
• emotional reads
• books perfect for book clubs
• The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
August 18, 2024
A new Liane Moriarty book is always exciting. Don’t be put off my the size of this book. At over 500 pages it will fly by. I became so invested in all of these characters and what was going to happen. It is quite emotional but at the same time has plenty of humour.
Would you want to know your age of death and cause of death? How would it change how you lived your life? This is what happens to passengers on board a flight between Hobart and a Sydney one Friday afternoon. An elderly lady goes from person to person letting them now how and when their lives would end. What follows is how it affects these people. Once you hear this information, regardless of whether you believe it or not, life can never be the same again. And what about the woman, the psychic? How does she know these things? read it and find out.
I love that the characters were so different and dealt with things in their own ways. It will make you laugh while you contemplate your own life. If you knew when your time was up, how do you come to terms with that? How do those around you deal with this?
This book would make for great book club and buddy read discussions. If you love this author, this one is very different, but still has all the elements you know and love from one of Australia’s most popular authors.
Thanks so much to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Would you want to know your age of death and cause of death? How would it change how you lived your life? This is what happens to passengers on board a flight between Hobart and a Sydney one Friday afternoon. An elderly lady goes from person to person letting them now how and when their lives would end. What follows is how it affects these people. Once you hear this information, regardless of whether you believe it or not, life can never be the same again. And what about the woman, the psychic? How does she know these things? read it and find out.
I love that the characters were so different and dealt with things in their own ways. It will make you laugh while you contemplate your own life. If you knew when your time was up, how do you come to terms with that? How do those around you deal with this?
This book would make for great book club and buddy read discussions. If you love this author, this one is very different, but still has all the elements you know and love from one of Australia’s most popular authors.
Thanks so much to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
October 9, 2024
Took me a while to get into this one. Too many parallel story lines. When I finally did, I wanted to finish it all at once.
I was surprised to read in here about the Korean adoptees. It was recently news to me, a scandal I thought was broken by PBS and AP, but apparently, this was better and sooner known in Australia.
The main character feels like what I’m headed toward - I have longevity in my family. I expect to see a lot more than I want in my lifetime. Perhaps that’s why her story resonated with me so much.
Until Goodreads allows partial stars, upgrading to 4 from 3.5.
I was surprised to read in here about the Korean adoptees. It was recently news to me, a scandal I thought was broken by PBS and AP, but apparently, this was better and sooner known in Australia.
The main character feels like what I’m headed toward - I have longevity in my family. I expect to see a lot more than I want in my lifetime. Perhaps that’s why her story resonated with me so much.
Until Goodreads allows partial stars, upgrading to 4 from 3.5.
Want to read
June 22, 2024That cover is BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to read this!!
June 8, 2024
****6/8/24**** FINISHED! Despite this being 512-pages (hardcover), it has 126 relatively short and some micro-short chapters, plus epilogue, with a lot of white space, so it reads very fast. The Australia-based story is centered on a single incident described throughout the first 24 chapters in which an older-ish woman named Cherry walks down the aisle of a plane en-flight pointing to each passenger and stating what they will die of and when. During those 24 chapters we learn a bit of back story on Cherry, as well as select passengers on the flight. These end up being the cast of characters around which the novel evolves.
This is a great Liane Moriarty novel! Any fans of hers I expect will love it, as it combines those lovely character self-talk insights that she is known for, with a slow-burn mystery (also known for), and a foundation of human relationships through friendship and love. Thematically, the reader is guided to question our beliefs on fate vs. personal choice, the reality and acceptance of future death, and decisions on how exactly we want to spend our days and with whom. The last 5% of the book was special to me, as it ties the story up so beautifully and with such a balanced narrative. Yes, I cried during this section, but happy tears. This is a positive story, not depressing, for those for whom this is important (me, lol!). For me, this is a perfect novel. Thank you, Liane Moriarty and pls keep writing! 5-stars. Coming this September. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
****6/6/24**** Just got approved to read this ARC from NetGalley! It is a slow burn - I'm 25% in and not sure what direction this will go. Do you have an interest in The Secret, or manifesting your future? Do you believe in fate or free will? I love how Liane Moriarty weaves a mystery vibe into her novels, without it being procedural. I love her writing about characters, all of whom are completely relatable in their little personal details, quirks and thoughts. A friend asked if this is similar to The Measure (every human on earth receives a box with a length of thread correlated to their longevity - do you open it or not? do you live your life differently or not?), and I said that I wasn't really sure yet. That book felt scifi to me, while this feels very contemporary. VERY EXCITED to read this Sept 10, 2024 new novel!
This is a great Liane Moriarty novel! Any fans of hers I expect will love it, as it combines those lovely character self-talk insights that she is known for, with a slow-burn mystery (also known for), and a foundation of human relationships through friendship and love. Thematically, the reader is guided to question our beliefs on fate vs. personal choice, the reality and acceptance of future death, and decisions on how exactly we want to spend our days and with whom. The last 5% of the book was special to me, as it ties the story up so beautifully and with such a balanced narrative. Yes, I cried during this section, but happy tears. This is a positive story, not depressing, for those for whom this is important (me, lol!). For me, this is a perfect novel. Thank you, Liane Moriarty and pls keep writing! 5-stars. Coming this September. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
****6/6/24**** Just got approved to read this ARC from NetGalley! It is a slow burn - I'm 25% in and not sure what direction this will go. Do you have an interest in The Secret, or manifesting your future? Do you believe in fate or free will? I love how Liane Moriarty weaves a mystery vibe into her novels, without it being procedural. I love her writing about characters, all of whom are completely relatable in their little personal details, quirks and thoughts. A friend asked if this is similar to The Measure (every human on earth receives a box with a length of thread correlated to their longevity - do you open it or not? do you live your life differently or not?), and I said that I wasn't really sure yet. That book felt scifi to me, while this feels very contemporary. VERY EXCITED to read this Sept 10, 2024 new novel!
September 10, 2024
A commercial flight is disrupted when one of the passengers stands up and begins openly predicting the cause and age of death of each person on board. A 29-year-old man is told he’ll die from an assault at age 30. A happy newlywed is told she’ll be killed by an intimate partner. And a mother is told that her baby will drown when he is seven years old. Some people are shaken, others dismiss the predictions as the ramblings of a crazy person. But then some of the predictions start coming true…
This book!!! OMG, it’s one of my favourites of the year for sure. The plot is twisty and compelling, and the characters are explored so deeply that by the end of the book they felt like old friends. Throughout the story, I was incredibly invested in their fates and desperately wanted the predictions to be wrong. One fun element is that we don’t really know for much of the book whether the woman on the plane actually has psychic powers, so we’re left wondering alongside the characters as they dig into the mystery. The ending is ultimately hopeful but also left me sobbing. After I finished this one, I told my husband: “THIS is why I read.”
I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
This book!!! OMG, it’s one of my favourites of the year for sure. The plot is twisty and compelling, and the characters are explored so deeply that by the end of the book they felt like old friends. Throughout the story, I was incredibly invested in their fates and desperately wanted the predictions to be wrong. One fun element is that we don’t really know for much of the book whether the woman on the plane actually has psychic powers, so we’re left wondering alongside the characters as they dig into the mystery. The ending is ultimately hopeful but also left me sobbing. After I finished this one, I told my husband: “THIS is why I read.”
I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,376 reviews