Review: One Moment One Morning by Sarah Rayner

The Brighton to London line. The 07:44 train. Carriages packed with commuters. A woman applies her make-up. Another occupies her time observing the people around her. A husband and wife share an affectionate gesture. Further along, a woman flicks through a glossy magazine. Then, abruptly, everything changes: a man has a heart attack, and can't be resuscitated; the train is stopped, an ambulance called. For at least three passengers on the 07:44 on that particular morning, life will never be the same again. Lou witnesses the man's final moments. Anna and Lou share a cab when they realise the train is going nowhere fast. Anna is Karen's best friend. And Karen? Karen's husband is the man who dies. Telling the story of the week following that fateful train journey, One Moment, One Morning is a stunning novel about love and loss, about family and - above all - friendship. A stark reminder that, sometimes, one moment is all it takes, it also reminds us that somehow, and despite everything, life can and does go on.

Review: I got this book on audiobook after being sent a review copy of this authors latest book and wanted a bit of background from this author before I began her latest offering. Wow how have I never read anything by this author before? I loved this book and felt compelled to sit in my car after arriving home just so I could listen to the end of a chapter or disc of this book. I fell in love with the fast paced storyline, the characters with hidden depths and the lovely writing in this truly different novel. 

Although this book begins with a dealt hand deals with grief, hidden secrets and a certain amount of questionable life choices, it really is a heart warming story! As I have already mentioned, this book is extremely fast paced, meaning that you will find yourself compelled to keep tuning it's pages to find out what is going to happen next to each of these characters. It begins with a train journey and then a death and then spirals out from there. The three woman in particular who surround the death in the beginning of the book all have their own issues and problems in their own lives and yet are brought together in this situation and form a strong friendship, tested to its limits by each of their own life situations. 

I really genuinely loved all three of the women in this novel, something which I don't often say. They may have made some mistakes I their lives but the strength they exhibit in this book is truly admirable. I really liked lou, it has to be said. She is level headed and strong, she knows what to do in emergency situations and she selflessly helps Anna and Karen cope with their grief. Ann really comes into her own after the death of Kren's husband. She has a lot going on in her own life, her storyline in particular was extremely well written and made me feel very uncomfortable at times, but these desperate times cause her to question the choices she has made, and make some changes in her own life, all for the better, and all of which I championed. Karen is a pillar of strength for all. Coping with her children and her life when her husband has suddenly died is a massive thing and yet she does so with decency and decorum and still has the time for her friendship with Anna. 

The storyline is extremely well written and I loved the Brighton setting, I could cuter myself there! I loved the ending as well, it was everything I wanted and more. As I've mentioned, some of the parts of the book were hard to deal with and I shed a few tears, but overall this was uplifting and left me feeling satisfied after a very good read. I can't wait to read the next one now!