In an Instant

Written by Suzanne Redfearn

Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799750055

Suzanne Redfearn

Suzanne Redfearn is the award-winning author of three novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, and In an Instant. In addition to being an author, she’s also an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she and her husband own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza and Beer. You can find her at her website, www.SuzanneRedfearn.com, on Facebook at SuzanneRedfearnAuthor, or on Twitter @SuzanneRedfearn.

Reviews for In an Instant

[Mary Sincavage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I laughed, I cried, I yelled, the ending literally gave me shivers. Beautiful, well written, heart wrenching and worth a read.

[Kari VanHeulen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved the perspective of this book. I think it was very different, and it was very interesting. I will read more from this author as an audiobook I think the person who did the voice did a great job as well. Easy to listen to.

[Amy Hess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Captivating and profound. I definitely didn’t want to stop listening.

[Daelynn Copeland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent book that I couldn’t put down. Well developed characters and a believable storyline. It made me think about what I would do under similar circumstances. I highly recommend this book as a YA read, as well as for adults.

[Melonie Hewitt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book review: (audiobook)

This was such a heart-wrenching story that also showed glimmers of hope, healing, and reconnecting after tragedy.

This story had me crying, laughing, and pissed off at certain characters throughout the storyline that I struggled to put the story down before bed. I purposely took my time with this book as it made me connect more emotionally to the characters.

The characters were so realistic, emotionally raw, vulnerable, and intensely strong that they made you want to reach through the story and hug them.

THIS IS A MUST READ... HAVR TISSUE READY!!!

MY RATING
♥️♥️♥️♥️

[debbie13410 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked it. The characters went deep. The subject matter was intense. How many times have I looked over the side of a mountain and dread plunging over? Could I survive? A family in a camper RV plunges over the side of a mountain with 10 people on board. Their lives will never be the same again. A devastating tragedy and how do the survivors manage.

[Debra Thomson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unique perspective - the one who died in the accident peeking in at the survivors as they wrestle with life going on.

I found the multiple resolutions believable and satisfying - not simple, not fairy-tale endings - but believable and satisfying.

[Dana Noweder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent novel!! It’s incredibly well-written and such a great book for anyone who has love and lost or is grieving. There is a healing component that is very powerful and unexpected. It will suck you in from the start and impossible to pause until it’s over.

[Audrey Clay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First time I’ve ever felt compelled to write a review… Really really really good book. Excellent story writing -superb narration. BRAVO!!

[Retha Dykes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story was Incredibly sad but I couldn't stop listening, had to hear more!

[Anise Deters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s a story that prompts one to consider how quickly life can change. The voice actor is phenomenal.

[Panni Sasvári · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t really write reviews, but I need to compliment on the narration. This lady is SUPER talented. The story is great, too, but it wouldn’t be what it is if it wasn’t for the narrator.

[Carrie Holzmeister Stimpson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was such a sad, depressing, downer of a story. I need to read or listen to something very lighthearted or hysterical next. The storyline was good as were the characters, I just had to take some breaks from it because of how terribly tragic it was.

[Julia Sundstrom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I usually rate and move on, rarely writing reviews, but this book is one that will absolutely stick with me and deserves a review.

This is not my usual genre, and I am far from a crier, but I finished this book with a lump in my throat and an ache in my heart. It is absolutely beautifully written, poignant, and equal parts horrifying, devastating and grief-striking all while have light-hearted, funny, and beautifully human moments sprinkled in.

All of the characters are so well developed they feel like real people I could meet at any moment, and they all had their own redeeming qualities - except Bob (sorry, I can't bring myself to give that guy any credit.)

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who prefers any genre - it has something for everyone.

[Debra Middleman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Phenomenal read! Recommend to anyone regardless of your favorite genre; a perfect book for anyone.

[Mandy Walsh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Could not stop listening! So well written and narrated. Sad but so good.

[Tori · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story was so heart wrenching but hopeful. The narrator did an absolutely beautiful job of portraying the emotions of the characters and really bringing the story to life!

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've had this book for several weeks but finally sat down yesterday to read it. I literally read this straight through. Not because it was an easy read but because it was a compelling study into the aftermath of a devastating car accident.

[daniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a unique perspective-the narrator is a teenager who dies in a car accident. She follows the lives of her family and friends. I truly enjoyed it!

[lindsey dickerson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Had me hooked from the beginning. I bawled my eyes out . What a great story

[Nicole Russell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful. This book left me in awe and I had to literally take a breather after! Book hangover 100%. What an interesting and heartbreaking tale of life & death! FIVE STARS!! Please read this.

[Cindy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve listened to some very very good books lately, but this book truly deserves a 5 star rating. I was hooked from the very beginning and the narration was simply superb!

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! I loved this book. Told from the perspective of Finn, a 16-year old, who observes her family and her friend, Mo, after a tragedy has uprooted their lives. Mo and Finn are inseparable, and are headed on a ski vacation with Finn's parents-Jack and Ann, her "aunt Karen" and "Uncle Bob" and their daughter, Natalie, as well as Finn's sister Chloe, and her brother Oz. However, tragedy strikes that night and Finn is killed instantly. It is what the rest of the family and friends do, as Finn watches, that is the story of this book. It is a book about choices, about love lost and found, and about cheering on those you love - helping them past the darkness. I thought it was terrific.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is said of a feeder days in front of your car you shouldn’t swerve to miss it. Easy to day but harder to do. Such a simple event that changes so many loves providing the authors window onto human nature. The narration is by a dead victim of the accident who watches how things work out for the survivors. A well told tale.

[bookanonjeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

More Tragic if i stay. Probably the singular best way to describe this book is to take a fairly well known book/ movie that has a very similar overall narrative structure - if i stay - and point out that this is a survival tale that is even more tragic than that tale. Going into this blind, I thought from the prologue that something would happen to a particular character (and that this tale would thus become more similar to Catherine McKenzie's I'll Never Tell), but the expected tragedy strikes an unexpected character instead. The rest of the book is then a tale about the fight to survive the tragedy, both in the immediate physical fight to live and in the aftermath of dealing with the consequences of that fight. Overall a very powerful, very raw, look at human nature and just what happens in the face of true imminent peril. One made even more powerful by the afterword, where the author reveals a stunningly tragic episode from her real life. Very much recommended.

[eliz12_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

About one-third of the way through this book I found myself skimming the text more often than not. The cutesy names quickly become tedious: Oz, Chloe called "Clover," a girl named Finn, Maureen, always called "Mo." This story is told through the eyes of a teen, and the text and scenes - such as when the narrator encourages her best friend to sleep with the new man of her dreams, or describes hearing her parents having sex - might appeal to a young adult audience; I found it all silly. There's very little character development, and while I'm fortunate enough to never have a child die, I found the mother's reactions - throwing out every item that belonged to the dead, and then insisting her husband do the same - bizarre. (The parents seem to recover remarkably quickly from their children's deaths in any case.) Sentimental, predictable and unbelievable - if that kind of book is your cup of tea, here you go. Otherwise, I would encourage you to pass this by.

[penny_l-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A compelling suspense novel, this story of survival in a dire circumstance makes you wonder - who could you trust in the wake of a disaster? Are your friends really who they appear to be? What are seemingly good people capable of when they think no one is looking?The beginning is a bit slow, but important, as it sets the stage for the harrowing experiences the characters endure in the aftermath of disaster. Using an all-seeing third person narrative, the author weaves together the stories of two families as they face tragedy, peril, and the physical and emotional struggle to move forward. The suspense builds as the spirit is forced to watch helplessly as her loved ones lives hang in the balance, secrets are kept and lies are told.The frightening tale of human nature is made more shocking as you read the author's notes at the end of the story. This is one the best psychological dramas I have read!*Thank you Amazon First Reads, Suzanne Redfearn and Lake Union Publishing for the early reading opportunity.