One Minute Later

Starred review from March 11, 2019
Lewis’s rich, memorable novel explores how the sudden diagnosis of a dire medical condition affects a young woman both physically and emotionally. Vivi Shager, 27, is a successful attorney in London with a beautiful flat, a handsome boyfriend, and a job that allows her to travel the world. Then she suddenly collapses at her birthday lunch. She awakens in a hospital, learning that she suffered cardiac arrests. Without a new heart, Vivi could die within a year. She moves home to Kesterly to live with her mother, frustrated by her lack of independence and her mother’s refusal to reveal the name of her biological father. With the help of her lifelong best friend, her 19-year-old brother, her stepfather, and her mother, Vivi learns to accept the new normal of her life. When Vivi meets Josh Raynor, a local veterinarian, the attraction between them is undeniable but complicated by her medical condition and some family secrets
. Lewis amazingly transforms Vivi from a carefree, somewhat self-absorbed young woman into a selfless person willing to put others’ needs first. Lyrical and highly emotional, Lewis’s tearjerker will appeal to fans of poignant, heartfelt novels.