An Amazon Charts bestseller.
A deeply moving story of carrying on even when it seems impossible.
Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive.
Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the … made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives. Jack, her father, who seeks vengeance against the one person he can blame other than himself; her best friend, Mo, who bravely searches for the truth as the story of their survival is rewritten; her sister Chloe, who knows Finn lingers and yearns to join her; and her mother, Ann, who saved them all but is haunted by her decisions. Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?
Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.
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Suzanne Redfearn’s latest is a wonder. A thoughtful exploration of life, death, and the world in between, In an Instant is a powerful and poignant read.
When a sudden car accident shatters a family, they’re left to pick up the pieces while trying to solve the mystery of just what happened that night. Redfearn deftly pivots from character to character in this multiple-points-of-view narrative, unraveling the past and weaving together a new future for the family. In an Instant is sure to please fans of The Lovely Bones and Big Little Lies.
“In an Instant” by Suzanne Redfearn is the account of a family and a tragedy. The story is told in a first person narrative by Finn Miller, an Orange County, California. Her family and some friends are going to near-by Big Bear for a winter vacation with winter sports and without television or radio or internet. Redfearn structures Finn’s conversations in present tense, which pulls readers into the scenes in a personal way. Finn shares her feelings and comments with readers as she is teen learning to drive, struggling with asking a boy to a school dance, and juggling family and friends. Readers follow Finn along in her everyday activities until pylons that hold the ribbon of steel snap from the mountainside, the camper goes out of control, and skids off the snow covered roads.
What follows changes everyone.
I will not give spoilers, but Redfern continues the narrative in Finn’s distinctive first person account. Readers hear her describe the struggle to rescue victims of the mountainside disaster as the minutes tick by as slow as hours, all the unbearable details, the cold, the wind, the helicopter rescue. The tragic story just begins with the rescue, and Finn shares excruciating details as she follows participants through hospital stays and agonizes over their recovery. People try to pretend otherwise, but everyone knows the travesty of life.
Redfern’s choice for Finn to narrate this story is what makes it unique and compelling. Readers see everything through the eyes of a teenager who no longer has control over events unfolding around her. She is unsettled, dismayed, and looking for peace. I received a review copy of “In an Instant” from Suzanne Redfearn and Lake Union Publishing. It is an unusual and fascinating book.
In An Instant
Suzanne Redfearn
5 Stars
Synopsis:
A deeply moving story of carrying on even when it seems impossible.
Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive.
Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives. Jack, her father, who seeks vengeance against the one person he can blame other than himself; her best friend, Mo, who bravely searches for the truth as the story of their survival is rewritten; her sister Chloe, who knows Finn lingers and yearns to join her; and her mother, Ann, who saved them all but is haunted by her decisions. Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?
Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible. (Goodreads)
Review:
This is a book that will stick with you long after you have finished reading it. The story is heartbreaking, touching and thought provoking. None of us know what we would do in a similar situation, and hopefully none of us will have to find out.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and those descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. Whether it was being stranded in the woods in the middle of a blizzard after the crash, or working through the feelings of guilt, I felt like I was right there in the middle of it.
This book brought so many emotions while reading it. I felt sadness, anger, frustration and outrage to name just a few. I think that is something very difficult to do and I think it takes a special author to invoke all of those feelings within a book.
I think the character development was amazing and I felt like I knew the characters very well. Not all of the characters were likable and some of the characters I thought I liked at first did not stay that way. The one character that I consistently liked was Finn. I liked that the book was written from her perspective, I felt it gave me more of an insight into her character. I felt very sad for her and I could feel her frustration not being able to help those she loved.
I highly recommend this book and I think everyone should read it. This is the first book I have read from this author, but I will be looking forward to reading more. This is a must read!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it and OMG I am glad I did.
A long weekend and the Miller family along with neighbors that are like family, Finn’s best friend Mo, Chloe’s boyfriend Vance and Bingo, the family dog all load into the Miller Mobile to go to Big Bear for skiing, snowboarding, and family fun.
They arrive at their cabin to unload and unpack but soon hit the road again to go to Grizzly Manor for dinner. The snow started falling while they were inside and quickly turns into a full-blown blizzard.
Along the way, they stop to pick up Kyle whose car is now stranded in a snowbank. It is slow going but then a buck in the road has Finn’s dad hitting the brakes and the camper starts to slide and tumble over the side of the mountain.
Finn doesn’t survive, but she can see and hear everything. She is trapped between heaven and hell on earth as she watches her family deal with her death and try to save themselves.
_____
The story is told from Finn’s point of view so readers are able to see and feel everything that unfolds. The depth of each character evolves as we see how they react to the horrendous tragedy. It is a very emotional tale and I was completely riveted to the pages. Powerful, gripping and revealing.
I think this story really hit me in the heart because I have lost a child. Different circumstances but I always feel like he is with me every day even after almost 5 years. I will say I dealt with my grief and still deal with my grief differently that the characters in this story but everyone handles loss in their own way.
When I reached the end of the book I wiped the tears from eyes and read the Author’s Note and learned this book is based on a true memory she had. Thankfully no one died then but my tears started flowing all over again. She told this story in such an amazing way. As a reader, I could feel the cold, my heart ached with the pain, and anger flared more than once.
Ms. Redfearn also included a special needs child in this story. Again, my emotions rolled by the way this child was treated. Heartwarming to fierce anger to heartbreaking. His part of the story has stuck with me almost more than Finn’s.
In An Instant is a story that will make you think and may even leave you breathless at times.
This quote is one I want to keep and maybe have it etched permanently somewhere:
“Reach for the stars or the moon or another universe altogether, and shine so bright you blind everyone around you, and though I am gone, carry me with you, but only as lightness and never as weight.”
I look forward to reading more books by this author.
In the wake of a tragic car accident, the survivors are forced to make unimaginable choices in desperation to survive, spiraling into a heart-wrenching journey to live with those same choices afterwards, forever haunting the ones they love and perceptions of self. Told through the perspective of a teenage girl whose life is cut short, her desperation to be alive and connected to her family is a reminder of how fragile the things we take for granted truly are. Suzanne Redfearn’s IN AN INSTANT will make you thankful for every breath you take.
The title says it all!
How fast things can change, begin and end is what takes place here in this wonderfully written novel!
I truly tried to put this book down and found I was glued to the pages. Finn, the main character tells the story of one tragic day,decisions that may have been made in haste and the days of her family and friend as life resumes.
“Now that I’m dead, I realize how awful people are to each other, how a pervasive cynicism exists in most of us that stops us from seeing the best parts of one another.”
Truly eye opening, as well as thought provoking.
A nightmare in real time!
I found myself angry, sad, happy and definitely heart broken during this story. Do not hesitate to grab this novel!
“In an Instant” by Suzanne Redfearn is a very thought-provoking story. It is about a girl who dies in a tragic accident. Her spirit remains, however, and she is able to see the tragic aftermath for her friends and family involved in that accident as well. Suzanne did an excellent job of exposing the thoughts and emotions of the survivors and how their lives and the lives of those around them are affected. I am not a writer, therefore, I am unable to describe all the feelings and thoughts I had as I delved into the tragedy. But I loved the ending. You can see that God works through tragedy for the good.
I absolutely devoured this book. IN AN INSTANT is a tragic and inspiring survival story of how a family copes with an unimaginable loss. Told from a unique perspective, it provides deep and realistic view into how each of the characters struggles with their own grief. While this subject matter may seem daunting, the characters are so compelling that I stayed up half the night because I couldn’t put this book down. I highly recommend this story!
Wonderful book! Really makes you think–long after you’ve read the last page. This story will definitely stay with me. I especially liked the author’s note–which gives insight into what motivated this story. Very original and highly recommended!
As a writer I sometimes don’t read as much as I should because my brain is just filled with words all day, but then I read this book. I adored it. Great characterization. Pacing is excellent. I loved the way the author handled the theme (be sure to read the author’s note in the back of the book). This is story will stay with me a long time. Highly recommended.
It is a great book. I have been thinking about the characters and the message they have brought to my life. This book is very powerful. It is more than an action packed story. My experience with this book is that it leads to an honest self examination and encourages the reader to be more compassionate and less judgmental because under similar circumstances could we have acted the same way? What are the limits we think we will not trespass ? It is a great book for a book club since there are issues of family dynamics, love, betrayal, grief , emotional neglect, altruism, acceptance, and reunification. Very interesting.
I loved this book and re-read it as soon as I finished it the first time. Interesting perspective in how the story unfolded. Each character was so well-written and made you care about them.
I SO loved this book! I don’t think they could have picked a better narrator for this audio book, she did a wonderful job! She had me in tears at times and laughing at times, I’ll give part of that credit to the author but the narrator was so very good! So many emotions going on in this book. I just absolutely loved it.
Honestly, the only thing I didn’t like was a hint of underage sex. Other than that, great.
“Her mouth opens to say something, but there are no words. How do you apologize for choosing to let someone die so you could save yourself?”
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Wow! My second 5/5 rated book in a row, how lucky am I?! This book was so suspenseful it had me, literally, on the edge of my seat through parts of it. This is a story about 16-yr-old Finn, who loses her life in a horrible accident that sends her family’s camper, plus 10 other people, over the side of a snowy mountain & she is suspended between worlds as she helplessly watches people she loves struggle to survive. Such a powerful read & for me the real story happens after the life altering accident & seeing how the characters live with the choices they made, or
didn’t make, during the time of trying to survive! I will be purchasing more books by Suzanne Redfearn & would most definitely recommend this book for a bookclub! It is filled with perfect “what if” scenarios that will fuel plenty of discussion! Such a great read!
Very real characters and unique POV.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.. Opinions are my own.
In An Instant left me emotionally ripped apart and I loved it!!! Such a well written thoroughly touching story! Grabbed me at the begging and was impossible to put down. One of those books I found myself walking around the house on errands reading. I loved all the wonderful characters and the plot was unique.
One of my dear 5 star ratings!
wow wow wow this story really is nothing I’ve ever read before and it was amazing, heartbreaking but at the same time full of love, compassion and second chances.
In An Instant a story full of angst and secrets that you won’t see them coming, everything started with a very tragic accident that left the entire family alone in the freezing cold without nobody to help, making terrible decisions, decisions that will hunt them forever and even will threaten to destroy their family bond forever.
Finn is no longer on the land of the living, making her aware of many things that she wasn’t aware when she was alive, the sad truth of many betrayals, cheating, and lies but at the same time, she is able to watch the love and compassion of many of these family members and close friends.
I really don’t want to give anything away, but In An Instant is a story that will keep you in your seat, it has so many things that make this wonderful story to come alive and the story of Finn is just something that I never experienced before in other books.
In An Instant taught me so much about us humans, especially when we are faced with tragedy
“As I watch her cry, I wonder about this, about whether our humanity is determined more by circumstance than conscience, and if any of us if backed into a corner can change. I saw it that day, none of them turning out to be the people they believed themselves to be.”
get ready to discover things that will shock you, to get sad, angry and mad with the characters to see the love and also the heartbreaking truth of each character that was at that terrible night.
This book was amazing! Told from a unique perspective, I could not put it down until the very end! Redfearn weaves a tragic tale, indeed!