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Here One Moment
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fiction (2024), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2024)
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.
505 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2024
About the author
Liane Moriarty
42 books71.7k 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 15,676 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!
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!
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 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.
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 💙🦋
February 16, 2025
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.
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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:
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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!
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!
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
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!
February 3, 2025
”It is only when we truly realize that our time on Earth is limited and unpredictable that we begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it is the only one we have." Liane Moriarty takes an entire book, 512 pages, to delicately unpack this idea of Steve Jobs, telling the story in her usual captivating style.
Just like her other books, this 1 starts off with a gripping sense of suspense: On a flight from Hobart to Sydney, a "Lady of Death" predicts the death dates and causes for each passenger. Some are told they'll die peacefully, while others are warned that death is imminent.
The passengers include an overworked middle-aged engineer, a retired couple traveling, a spry retired doctor and his wife in their 90s, a pregnant woman, a stay-at-home mom with 2 crying kids, a Scottish-accented sleep researcher, and a honeymooning couple. Nearly all their lives are upended by these uncertain predictions.
It starts off like an Australian version of Final Destination, but this is not a suspense thriller. These mysteries are just the outer layer. Moriarty excels in depicting the lives of ordinary people and their daily challenges and confusions with her delicate touch. Her characters are so real that they could be you, me, or someone you know. They are so lifelike that you might bump into 1 of them on the street. In other words, she is a master at capturing the essence of everyday people. This new book does just that, intertwining multiple characters' stories through multi-perspective, multi-threaded narration, unfolding their lives before our eyes.
This detailed writing style fully showcases the complex emotions within characters, especially their struggles in family, marriage, and friendship. (However, it can be overly verbose, at times tbh.)
Death is a heavy and clean fruit / We eat it, curing many ailments of the living. The characters in the book, after learning their death dates, somewhat change their attitudes towards life. Many people's lives run on autopilot, like I'm always thinking, 'Okay, I'll get the next thing done, and then I'll start really living: after I get married, after the baby is born, after this child sleeps through the night, after that child goes to school, after they finish school, after Christmas, after Easter, you know, just like that, always spinning the wheel.' Is such a life truly lived?
Some characters in the book die, some live long lives, some get what they wish for, and some face the consequences of their actions. Don't dwell on the death predictions - cherish each moment given to you until time runs out. In the end, Moriarty gives a heartwarming conclusion, much like Big Little Lies. In a way, she is quite similar to Kotaro Isaka.
LIVE YOUR LIFE. LIVE IT HARD.
4 / 5 stars
Just like her other books, this 1 starts off with a gripping sense of suspense: On a flight from Hobart to Sydney, a "Lady of Death" predicts the death dates and causes for each passenger. Some are told they'll die peacefully, while others are warned that death is imminent.
The passengers include an overworked middle-aged engineer, a retired couple traveling, a spry retired doctor and his wife in their 90s, a pregnant woman, a stay-at-home mom with 2 crying kids, a Scottish-accented sleep researcher, and a honeymooning couple. Nearly all their lives are upended by these uncertain predictions.
It starts off like an Australian version of Final Destination, but this is not a suspense thriller. These mysteries are just the outer layer. Moriarty excels in depicting the lives of ordinary people and their daily challenges and confusions with her delicate touch. Her characters are so real that they could be you, me, or someone you know. They are so lifelike that you might bump into 1 of them on the street. In other words, she is a master at capturing the essence of everyday people. This new book does just that, intertwining multiple characters' stories through multi-perspective, multi-threaded narration, unfolding their lives before our eyes.
This detailed writing style fully showcases the complex emotions within characters, especially their struggles in family, marriage, and friendship. (However, it can be overly verbose, at times tbh.)
Death is a heavy and clean fruit / We eat it, curing many ailments of the living. The characters in the book, after learning their death dates, somewhat change their attitudes towards life. Many people's lives run on autopilot, like I'm always thinking, 'Okay, I'll get the next thing done, and then I'll start really living: after I get married, after the baby is born, after this child sleeps through the night, after that child goes to school, after they finish school, after Christmas, after Easter, you know, just like that, always spinning the wheel.' Is such a life truly lived?
Some characters in the book die, some live long lives, some get what they wish for, and some face the consequences of their actions. Don't dwell on the death predictions - cherish each moment given to you until time runs out. In the end, Moriarty gives a heartwarming conclusion, much like Big Little Lies. In a way, she is quite similar to Kotaro Isaka.
LIVE YOUR LIFE. LIVE IT HARD.
4 / 5 stars
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?'.
December 16, 2024
4.5 stars.
This book really had "Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano vibes. It happened on a plane, included themes of death and grief, and was written in third-person POV with chapters about some of the passengers' lives. Even the cover was blue.
But I found myself more enchanted with this one. The characters and their backstories were so well-written. I rooted for every single one of them. And I absolutely loved the "death lady"—she was such a standout character. I loved how everyone dealt with those predictions and how they all wanted to change their "fate."
This book made me think: What would I do if I knew I was going to die in a few years? It really made me reflect on what I want out of life. (Honestly, my first thought was to quit my job, sell everything, move to the mountains in New Zealand, and become a farmer. But when I came back to reality, I realized I’d probably still stick to my 9-to-5 and keep things realistic. haha.) Because it’s not about running away or starting over. It’s about finding meaning in what I’m already doing and cherishing the time I have with the people I love.
The idea of my own death doesn’t scare me. What really terrifies me is the thought of losing the people I love. This book made me think so much about them, about the people I care about most and what I would do for them.
I love books that make me think and reflect on myself and my life. I really, really loved this one.
This book really had "Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano vibes. It happened on a plane, included themes of death and grief, and was written in third-person POV with chapters about some of the passengers' lives. Even the cover was blue.
But I found myself more enchanted with this one. The characters and their backstories were so well-written. I rooted for every single one of them. And I absolutely loved the "death lady"—she was such a standout character. I loved how everyone dealt with those predictions and how they all wanted to change their "fate."
This book made me think: What would I do if I knew I was going to die in a few years? It really made me reflect on what I want out of life. (Honestly, my first thought was to quit my job, sell everything, move to the mountains in New Zealand, and become a farmer. But when I came back to reality, I realized I’d probably still stick to my 9-to-5 and keep things realistic. haha.) Because it’s not about running away or starting over. It’s about finding meaning in what I’m already doing and cherishing the time I have with the people I love.
The idea of my own death doesn’t scare me. What really terrifies me is the thought of losing the people I love. This book made me think so much about them, about the people I care about most and what I would do for them.
I love books that make me think and reflect on myself and my life. I really, really loved this one.
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🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
November 18, 2024
This book was phenomenal! I am a big Moriarty fan, so it’s no surprise that I really really enjoyed this one. For one the premise is pretty amazing. Imagine being on a flight when a woman starts coming around telling everybody how old they will be when they die and what they die from. Some people might want to know, but it might freak others out. I’m sure that has a lot to do with how much time you have before your predicted death occurs. But even after this awkward flight, its passengers are left watching to see if any of the predictions come true.
In true Moriarty fashion there is a hint of thrill as the reader turns pages to gather more information and clues. And don’t worry dear readers, for all will be explained by the end!
If this book was a song, it would be Mona Lisa by all American rejects
In true Moriarty fashion there is a hint of thrill as the reader turns pages to gather more information and clues. And don’t worry dear readers, for all will be explained by the end!
If this book was a song, it would be Mona Lisa by all American rejects
December 31, 2024
4.5 Goodreads Choice Award -Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fiction 2024-
"If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?"
Can we change our fate? This book weighs fate vs free will after "The Death Lady", "The Psychic", aka Cherry points a finger at each passenger on a flight to Australia predicting their death. It becomes chaotic, tense and suspenseful. This was a flight to remember when everyone's life will be changed. The story revolves around 5 passengers and the death lady. With each of their POVs, I became compelled to continue and find out each one's demise.
When the predictions became the truth, I couldn't stop.
It took a long time to get through this one. Thank goodness the chapters were short. I laughed, fretted and pondered so many questions about fate vs free will.
Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors since Apples Never Fall.
"If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?"
Can we change our fate? This book weighs fate vs free will after "The Death Lady", "The Psychic", aka Cherry points a finger at each passenger on a flight to Australia predicting their death. It becomes chaotic, tense and suspenseful. This was a flight to remember when everyone's life will be changed. The story revolves around 5 passengers and the death lady. With each of their POVs, I became compelled to continue and find out each one's demise.
When the predictions became the truth, I couldn't stop.
It took a long time to get through this one. Thank goodness the chapters were short. I laughed, fretted and pondered so many questions about fate vs free will.
Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors since Apples Never Fall.
October 23, 2024
Meh, not her finest. Would certainly lend itself to some interesting discussion, however, if your book club chose to read it.
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.
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.
January 29, 2025
Feels like a landmark of literary fiction. Closer inspection reveals a more shallow book than it seems, but still excellent execution of an intriguing premise. What if a random woman, possibly a fortune teller, approached you on a plane and said how you'd die and at what age? How might this experience change your life? Would her words influence you? How could they not?
After an entire plane receives their unsolicited fortune, many brush it off. Others spiral with anxiety. It doesn't help anyone's nerves when predictions start to come true. Should someone quit their job to avoid a "workplace accident"? Will a woman with a gentle husband really die by intimate assault? Should she leave him just to be safe?
The book invites a lot of self-reflection around death and the influence of outside sources. If you could find out, would you want to know when and how you'd die? How much of our decision-making is based on the opinions of others?
The cast of characters is fairly large, though thankfully we do not follow the life of every single person on the plane. The lives we do step into are interesting. Not bombastic or shocking, but very real and ordinary. This suits the premise well, even if it does make the book feel a bit dull at times. Never boring, but it could be a hundred pages shorter and I wouldn't complain.
Ordinarily I would consider this a solid 4-star read, but I think it's unique and memorable enough that I'll be referencing it with some frequency. The themes touched upon are deeply human and universal. I'll probably title-drop this book as topics of death or airplane travel or overbearing family come up. I won't remember the characters or their names or what they did in a few weeks, but I'll always remember how the fortune teller influenced their lives--and there's a very valuable lesson in that.
After an entire plane receives their unsolicited fortune, many brush it off. Others spiral with anxiety. It doesn't help anyone's nerves when predictions start to come true. Should someone quit their job to avoid a "workplace accident"? Will a woman with a gentle husband really die by intimate assault? Should she leave him just to be safe?
The book invites a lot of self-reflection around death and the influence of outside sources. If you could find out, would you want to know when and how you'd die? How much of our decision-making is based on the opinions of others?
The cast of characters is fairly large, though thankfully we do not follow the life of every single person on the plane. The lives we do step into are interesting. Not bombastic or shocking, but very real and ordinary. This suits the premise well, even if it does make the book feel a bit dull at times. Never boring, but it could be a hundred pages shorter and I wouldn't complain.
Ordinarily I would consider this a solid 4-star read, but I think it's unique and memorable enough that I'll be referencing it with some frequency. The themes touched upon are deeply human and universal. I'll probably title-drop this book as topics of death or airplane travel or overbearing family come up. I won't remember the characters or their names or what they did in a few weeks, but I'll always remember how the fortune teller influenced their lives--and there's a very valuable lesson in that.
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 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.
September 18, 2024
I usually really enjoy a Liane Moriarty but I absolutely hated this. The synopsis was right up my street and its something I'm always thinking about. However it was just sooo dull and so confusing.
Have seen some reviews absolutely raving about this book, and then others that feel the same as me... it's good to know I am not on my own with my opinions.
It took forever to get going, and there were just too many characters to keep track of.
I hate books with too many characters and this book had a ton of characters that just were not differentiated enough. Plus there were characters that were mentioned and then not referred to again.
I'm so gutted as I honestly thought I would love this! Not for me...
Have seen some reviews absolutely raving about this book, and then others that feel the same as me... it's good to know I am not on my own with my opinions.
It took forever to get going, and there were just too many characters to keep track of.
I hate books with too many characters and this book had a ton of characters that just were not differentiated enough. Plus there were characters that were mentioned and then not referred to again.
I'm so gutted as I honestly thought I would love this! Not for me...
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.
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.
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