Remember us…when I can’t.Thea Hughes has five minutes to live.A car accident stole her parents and left her with the second-worst documented case of amnesia in the world. She now has only minutes of experiences, of consciousness, of life…before her memory is wiped clean. The once effervescent artist with a promising future is reduced to scribbling with pens and paper, living an empty, quiet … an empty, quiet life, three hundred seconds at a time.
Jim Whelan is on autopilot.
A foster kid shuffled around the system since birth, he’s lived his entire life without knowing love…and it’s taken its toll—until he learned to fight back, carry his armor, and keep his head down.
Working as an orderly in the Blue Ridge Sanitarium, deep in Virginia countryside, Jim looked up…and found Thea.
When Thea has the chance to break free of her five-minute prison with a risky, experimental surgery, it could lead them both to an epic love they never thought possible… or one that could require the ultimate sacrifice.
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50 First Dates meets Awakenings in this emotional love story by international and best-selling author, Emma Scott.
A Five-Minute life contains subject matter that might be sensitive to some readers.
#standalone #newadultromance
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I.HAVE.NO.WORDS.
And one day after finishing this masterpiece, I.STILL.HAVE.NO.WORDS.
So I’ll just say you need to read Thea and Jimmy’s love story.
You’ll also need to stock on tissues.
And the best advice I can give you is to dive into the story totally blind. Just… feel. (oh and you will!..)
No need to say that Emma Scott’s writing is amazing.
They are so many lines I re-read; moments so overwhelming…
Through all the book, I FELT Thea’s emotions, I felt claustrophobic, trapped, frustrated, and this feeling through all the book, that time was ticking, that desperation.
Pure angst, I tell you.
But, oh, all the love…
It was so heartbreakingly beautiful, a big punch in the gut.
That knot in the throat that wouldn’t leave me…
A Five-Minute Life is literally a place where desperation and unconditional love meet.
And all the feelings explode.
Passion and tears.
But it’s so worth it!
And, once again, I’m tempted to erase this review and rewrite it again.
And I.STILL.HAVE.NO.WORDS.
A must read.
A gem
Beautifully devastating.
*** I received this book by the author in exchanged honest review. Thank you so much for the opportunity!***
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A Five-Minute Life is a timeless romance. That will stay with you, well after reading. Emma Scott has a way of writing that is beautiful and poetic. This story of Thea and Jimmy still holds on to my heart. I can’t imagine living a life on repeat but locked in this cell that you can’t escape.
Thea is the worst amnesia case, re-living life every five minutes. That is until Jimmy comes along. And see’s her, has a connection to her that was destined to be. I felt for Thea, she’s an artist, and there’s no way to express herself, for someone to understand what’s happening to her.
There was such an urgency, just that feeling that nothing lasts forever. They felt it but didn’t have much time. Till she was thrown back into the cell that she loathed, it was not a life, but she had someone by her side — a promise they made to each other, that they would never break.
I loved this story, just like all of Emma’s stories. There’s always this undying connection to the characters she creates. This is a unique romance that I think everyone needs to read.
Overall, Five Boundless Stars.
Whenever I open an Emma Scott book I know I’m going to be blown away and I have never been disappointed, she always brings us something fresh and new and this story is no different.
Thea’s catastrophic brain injury has left her living a life only 5 minutes at a time, but it hasn’t supressed any of her joy, or humour or quirkiness, only her living conditions do that.
Jimmy has not had the best start in life, but some people are just good right to their bones. Its not just his eyes that are kind. He sees her, and she sees him too. They have a strong connection from the instant they meet.
“Don’t cry for me, Thea,” he said gruffly. “it was supposed to be you that said it first”
If that line doesn’t get you like a punch in the feels you aren’t reading the same book!
This couple’s story is one of living in the moment, taking chances and finding their happiness. I was completely swept away, holding my breath and praying for their happy ending, even when it seemed everything was stacked against them.
Delia sucks, she didn’t redeem herself, I understand that she was grieving and felt guilty but I didn’t feel like it justified her behaviour. Luckily we had Rita and Alonso as secondary characters we could fall in love with.
After going through a countless number of tissues while crying my eyes out for hours, I can only applaud to Emma Scott for creating another uncomparable masterpiece of epic proportions. Her books are my kryptonite! It’s like my whole being soaks up her words in order to live and breathe them! It’s amazing how days, months or even years after reading her unconventional, unique and inspiring stories, I still get all emotional and teary-eyed when I think of them. I should be used by now to the emotional impact her books have on me. But I honestly underestimated how A Five Minute Life would absolutely destroy me!
When Emma announced that she was writing a new book I was instantly intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. All I knew was that the story is about a young artist named Thea who is suffering from the second-worst documented case of amnesia after an accident and is staying at a Sanitarium in Virginia. This is where she meets Jim, once a foster kid, who’s working there as an orderly. I asked myself how two people like them could ever have a shot at happiness when one of them has only minutes of consciousness before her memory is wiped clean? It all seemed so hopeless until Thea has the chance to break free of her five-minute prison with a risky, experimental surgery that could either give them a chance at a HEA or destroy any hope of a future together.
I never anticipated in which direction this story would go. It hit me like a hammer. The angst, heartbreak and agony were so consuming I could barely stand it. But despite all of that, there was always hope too. A flicker of light in the darkness that kept me going and pushing through all the pain, because I knew that somewhere at the end of all of this, there must be a rainbow.
The best part about this book were Thea and Jimmy. They took my breath away! I loved them both with every piece of my heart and soul. She was the fun, sweet and talented artist, while he was the quiet guy with a sad past and a heart of gold. Despite all the circumstances and against all odds, they both connected on a very deep emotional level, falling in love one step at a time.
“You don’t have enough to keep loving me. Only five minutes.”
“That’s all I need. That’s all I ever needed.”
A Five Minute Life is the type of book you devour and know, even though you’re in the middle of it and haven’t reached the end yet, that it will change you forever. And it did. It changed me. It made me appreciate life more than ever before and realize that life is unpredictable and needs to be lived and enjoyed to the fullest. I thought that no book of Emma Scott could ever compare to the epicness of the Full Tilt Duet, but A Five Minute Life changed my mind. I’m giving this beautiful and gut wrenching tale about love, second chances and the miracles of life 6 well deserved stars! A top recommendation of 2019.
A Five-Minute Life could very well be Emma Scott’s most powerful book to date. As I sit here mere hours after finishing with tears streaming down my face, I’m left a bit bereft that there isn’t any more to read. My heart is full. My soul feels nourished. And my head contains the most exquisite words that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. In a word, I experienced perfection, and for a reader, there is nothing better.
This story of two troubled souls is extraordinary. The book, separated into 3 parts, tells the tale of Jim Whelan and Thea Hughes and follows them as they meet as new orderly and long-time resident of Blue Ridge Sanitarium but clearly destined to become so much more. The unmistakable tether that draws each to the other is evident right from the start. Even as Thea is stuck in a series of 5 minute moments due to the amnesia she suffers after her horrific car accident, Jim seems to find her light even when she is forever stuck in her dark. This man is as selfless as any hero Scott as given us and I was continually floored at his gentle nature when the world before his Thea seemingly threw him away. His own struggles broke my heart but he is clearly what Thea could truly see: the warrior that is more than worthy of love and affection.
Jim sees Thea in a way no one else has since before her memory loss. And even Thea in her dulled existence can feel him in a way no one else ever has. They simply see each other. Not as others do but in the way intended hearts do. The way Scott meticulously weaves their pain into a thing of beauty is truly masterful. You can’t help but hope for the miracles they need to pull Thea out of her short-term mind and Jim out of his beaten spirit.
The journey that is A Five-Minute Life is filled with extreme emotion that both gutted me and made me smile. As the story progresses, there are huge highs and even bigger lows. But the light at the end of the complicated tunnel that becomes Thea and Jim’s lives is more than worth it. Emma Scott has a gift for giving the underdogs of the world the chance to find a new path. One that is never easy but is rich with feeling no matter how it might all turn out. Her attention to detail and the extensive research she obviously partook in, is what sets both this book and her other work apart from the usual fare out there. She somehow takes a work of fiction and makes it real.
A Five-Minute Life is a story not to be missed. I was invested in these characters right from the start and their pain became my own. Their lighter times put a grin on my face. And their struggles had me holding my breath, cheering both Jim and Thea on even as life threw them for a loop over and over again. They showed that even the most difficult of times need not be forever.
Emma Scott can’t help but write from the heart, capturing the spirit of Thea and her Jimmy beautifully. She is the consummate storyteller and this tale of hope, resilience and pure love is one I won’t soon forget.
5+++++ stars!
“That’s why we have to live as much as we can,as hard as we can, every moment.”
Five phenomenal stars!
Be still my heart.
I’m in a glass case of emotions , as always with Emma’s words.
Breathtaking and unforgettable story of tragedy ,loss,bravery and love. Jimmy and Thea were Yin and Yang, yet had an undeniable bond. They saw and knew each other. Both fighting to overcome so many obstacles. . Both a little cracked and imperfect .Their circumstances ,experiences and obstacles brought me to tears but I rejoiced at their perseverance and determination. This was such a beautiful , well written, and unique story that left me breathless. I know , as did Jimmy and Thea ,that Love Always Wins…regardless of the outcome.
Thank you Emma for another phenomenal masterpiece. You never fail to amaze me with your words, your kind , brave spirit your big heart. I will always see you
Finding the words to describe the beauty that is this story is nearly impossible. My first instinct is to say…just read it…you will not regret a single word. The entire time I read this story, I couldn’t help but think of Emma Scott herself and sit in wonder at the mind of the author. How the kernal of an idea (think 50 First Dates meets Awakening) becomes this epic love story filled with so much pain and sorrow and love and hope.
“Nothing ever lasts, good or bad,” she said, her eyes alit with a thousand different colors. “That’s why we have to live as much as we can, as hard as we can, every moment.”
This quote hit me pretty hard. When you have suffered loss, you pray that you could have the memories of that loss go away so you don’t feel the pain. Thea’s loss, her pain is felt more acutely to the reader because she herself can’t seem to feel it. Once she can, she doesn’t want to lose it. My heart broke more than a few times throughout the book and Jimmy became MY Marc Antony as well as Thea’s because the kind of love he feels for her is one that should stand the test of time. Emma’s words are more than just words. They describe the beauty of the life we should ALL live no matter what we are dealing with. An amazing story of the test of time and the strength of love.