How to Save a Life

by Eva Carter

In this heartfelt love story, three friends find out what it really means to save someone.

Kerry Smith is going to save lives--and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working towards medical school, they are about to sit for their entrance exams. But on the eve of the new millennium, a classmate goes into cardiac arrest, changing everything.

For nearly eighteen minutes, rising soccer star Joel Greenaway is dead. For nearly eighteen minutes, Kerry performs CPR on her long-time crush. And for nearly eighteen minutes, Tim is too shocked to help. And though they don't yet know it, those eighteen minutes will change the next eighteen years of their lives.

Because as it turns out, saving a life doesn't always guarantee a happy ending.

With his soccer career cut short, Joel lashes out and breaks Kerry's heart by ending their burgeoning relationship with a cruelty that derails her future, while Tim struggles to reconcile his dream of becoming a doctor with the reality of failing to act. As each struggles to move on from the events of that fateful New Year's Eve, their lives can't seem to stop colliding year after year. Pulled by their shared histories and her big heart, Kerry soon finds herself picking up the pieces after both broken men. But when Kerry is the one who needs saving, will anyone be there for her?

As Kerry, Tim, and Joel discover what it means to love, to forgive, and to find your calling, this sweeping novel shows us that there is more than one way to save a life--and more than one path to finding meaning in your own.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Adult, Adult Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2021

About the author

Eva Carter was inspired to write How to Save a Life by her own experience of giving CPR to her partner, who was successfully resuscitated, as well as her mother’s stories of work as a trauma nurse.

Eva Carter is a pseudonym for internationally bestselling nonfiction and rom-com writer Kate Harrison, who worked as a BBC reporter before becoming an author. She lives in Brighton on the south coast of England and loves Grey’s Anatomy, walking her dog, and running very slowly on the seafront.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay... Hands down. The author is hell of a brilliant storyteller! But I wished I could relate with the characters she created so reading it wouldn’t be a rough patch for me to get through!

A person’s life could be changed in only few second as he/ she sees the thin line between life and death. In this book: it changed three young people’s lives: as one of them fights to survive , the other ones struggle to save his life!

We have three narrators, our tormented MCs we follow their lives for 18 years. Not simple, smooth, peaceful lives they’d dreamed to live! Those lives are full of angsts, dramas, sadness push them use drugs, losing control, making millions of mistakes. At some parts I want to shake some sense into them. They pissed me off a lot just like the people who act like martyrs punishing themselves ! ( Yes, Joel, I’m exactly talking about you!!!)

I’ll dig into more plot and give you more clues why I couldn’t empathize with the characters!

The story starts at the New Year’s Eve on 2019! Kerry and Tim are close friends since childhood, working towards medical school, planning to save lives, becoming true heroes. Then Joel, popular athlete of the school collapses on the floor, having heart attack. Both of them are trained for CPR. Kerry acts without thinking, beginning first aide, doing CPR as Tim freezes, shocked, numbed. When Kerry gets exhausted to do CPR, he slowly gathers himself to help her. Joel’s life is saved but he still needs a critical surgery which means he can say goodbye his dream to become a football star!!

But this traumatic experience changes trio’s lives, haunting them forever.

Throughout the years they involve each other’s life stories and their rekindling love triangle.

Tim always acts like manipulative, demanding, self centered prick! And even though they hate passionate relationship, Joel breaks Kerry’s heart into million pieces, acting like honorable man who is not good enough for Kerry. And Kerry never wants to hurt Tim’s feelings but she also yearns for Joel’s attention whether he acted like prick!

I don’t know how many I want to yell at, punch, kick, shake the characters but I couldn’t stop reading their story because I was hooked, writing style is still riveting, keeping my attention alert. The conclusion of the story was semi-satisfying but it wasn’t illogical.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and intriguing story telling skills but I want to hire contracted killer to punish her characters.

As a result I’m giving three stars! But I have to admit, I still want to read more works of the author. I know next time she’ll give us more pleasing characters! I keep my hopes up!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this arc copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Save a Life is the first novel from an experienced journalist, written under a pseudonym, about three broken young people working out what they need from life. Set in Brighton, it’s like a cross between One Day, and Normal People, but with a strong medical focus, which is what attracted me, as I generally avoid love stories. I actually can’t believe the author is not a doctor herself as she got so many details about medical life just right. I thought this was heading for 3 stars, as for most of the book I didn’t like any of the characters, but they won me over in the end, so 4 it is.

Kerry and Tim, both 17, are best friends and are both planning to go to medical school. On Millenium Eve, they are hanging out at the beach with their schoolmates when they see Kerry’s secret crush Joel, who is wealthy, popular, and a gifted footballer, collapse. Rushing to his aid, Kerry starts CPR, saving his life, while Tim freezes. The consequences of this moment are life-changing for all three, as their lives intertwine over the next eighteen years, facing love, loss, friendship and heartbreak.

This was very well written in first person from all three characters - unfortunately all in present tense which did spoil it for me somewhat. I generally hate love triangles and didn’t want Kerry to end up with either selfish loser. I’ve read reviews from people saying they hated Tim, whereas I had a lot more sympathy for him even when he’s being a complete idiot. I related hugely to young Kerry, but then disagreed with most of her life choices - although it’s easy to do so when you’re no longer a young adult. There are some heavy themes - drug abuse, difficult parents, and meeting their expectations, suicide attempts and life-threatening illnesses, but it’s not depressing, and Carter navigates these with aplomb. I wouldn’t consider this specifically a young adult novel, it could appeal to readers of any age. There are moments of humour, and the plot builds to an exciting last quarter and satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review.
How to Save a Life is published on May 27th.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerry Smith is going to save lives -- and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working towards medicl school, they are about to sit for their enterance exams. But on the eve of the new millennium, a classmate goes into cardiac arrest, changing everything.

Kerry and Tim are doing St. Johns Ambulance training on New Years Eve when oel goes into cardiac arrest and his heart stops for eighteen minutes. These eighteen minutes were to connect them forever. The characters are lkeable and a little flawed. We follow the characters from when they are young adults and we get to know them a little better as the years go by. This is a story of survival, friendship, grief, love and a bond that was sealed that New Years Eve. The chapters are told alternately by one if he characters. The story also covers addiction, depression and a few other health issues. Throughout the book there is instructions on how to give CPR which might help someone someday to save a life.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #PanMacmillian and the author #EvaCarter for my ARC #HowToSaveALife in exchange for an honest review.

[Eeva · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book was SO interesting and I couldn't have been more excited for this book.
Unfortunately my high expectations were met with a brick wall.
This book takes place over 18 yeras and, believe me, reading it felt like it. The idea is fascinating, but the execution is just plainly dull. Every chapter felt like a chore and every chapter was a hard decision to go on which I regretted later.

Also, never have I ever read a book with 3 POVs out of which I hated every single one.
Every character is unlikable with Tim being The King of Twats. I honesly couldn't stand him and hoped that maybe, just maybe, he'd die and relieve me from this misery.
Joel is a git and a horryble person to Kerry.
Kerry is a doormat and I loathed that.

This book is not a "heartfelt love story" as the blurb wants you to believe. It's a depressing book about destructive people that do not deserve a book being written about them.




I received this bookd from the Publisher in an exchange for an honest review

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me feeling sad, oh so very sad. Something happens and lives of our three main characters are affected by it. Yes, the event was traumatic, yes, it was life changing, and, yes, I do understand that it was bound to affect them but why oh why did they have to become so miserable and so self absorbed? There was a lot of self pity, a lot of self commiseration. Was it necessary? I don't think so. I'm slightly annoyed because it's not a bad book. It's just a book that I feel didn't give me any likeable or relatable characters. Sad, oh so sad.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley, this gift has not impacted my review.

I've never had such a hard time picking between three and four stars. This book, while not without its faults, was an easy and interesting read. Starting in 2000, the strike of the millennium, we meet Kerry and Tim, two somewhat nerdy want to be doctors partying the new millennium by drinking on a beach watching Joel Greenaway and his friends play football. That is until Joel's heart stops. Kicking into action, Kerry saves Joel's life. For 18 minutes she gives him CPR, and those 18 minutes, without her knowledge will define her whole life. Over the next 18 years, we watch as these characters run into one another, meeting as young adults, older adults and everything in between. This is a story of stupid decisions, drugs, unwanted conditions, and three people who continue to save one anothers lives in some way or another.

The reason why I finally settled on three stars is because these characters were not good people despite the author wanting you to think they are. All three of them, Kerry, Tim and Joel, were selfish characters, never thinking beyond their own nose. Kerry and Tim thought that because they wanted to be doctors that they were good. Kerry blamed her failure of her A-Levels on Joel. Joel blamed Kerry for his football career failing. Joel treated Zoe like rubbish. Kerry treated Tim like rubbish. Tim used everybody. They were toxic to one another from the get go, I felt like every time this book started to deal with their toxicity, it just enhanced it even further. Out of the three of them, I feel like Joel really was the most palatable in the end, he stepped up and admitted to his mistakes that he had made along the way. The drugs, the baby, the using, the selfishness. He kind of steps into his own but what I don't agree with is him being so willing to drop his life that he had with Liv to go with Kerry because he "loved her".

These characters were doomed from the beginning and that's why I can't rate this book higher. Despite this, I did enjoy this book. I thought it was an easy enough read.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Intendi il bacio della vita?» Un pensiero orribile mi attraversa la mente. «Tim mi ha fatto la respirazione bocca a bocca?»
«No, me ne sono occupata io.» Le guance le sono diventate di un rosso vivo, ora. «Non si tratta di un bacio vero, ma solo di trasferire aria dai miei polmoni ai tuoi attraverso la mia…» esita, «be’, la mia bocca.»

Il bacio della vita si basa su quelli che sono i cicli della vita, le andate e i ritorni della sorte, con quella serie di eventi che ci aiutano a crescere, a sbagliare, a maturare, a cadere e (si spera) anche a rialzarci.

Kerry ha quasi diciotto anni quando salva Joel, il ragazzo bello e ricco della scuola, nonché futuro campione calcistico. Senza saperlo, quel gesto legherà le loro esistenze, insieme a quella del terzo lato del triangolo, il loro coetaneo Tim, che aiuta Kerry e finisce per prendersi un po' il merito del salvataggio.
Kerry e Tim hanno un sogno comune, diventare medici, ma dopo che i destini dei tre si sono uniti niente va come prima: i sogni diventano impossibili o cambiano o vengono disconosciuti.

E mentre gli anni passano e i tre procedono, li avrei spesso presi a sberloni per quanto sono lenti a decifrare la realtà intorno a loro e a prendere una decisione.
Sembra quasi che avere avuto una seconda occasione (a prescindere che si tratti della vita stessa o della carriera professionale) sia un motivo per autodistruggersi, anziché risorgere e ricominciare.
Tim nel suo egoismo è detestabile (anche se non è cattivo), Kerry è la classica buona che viene calpestata (anche se non è sempre colpa sua), Joel è il figlio unico viziato che non viene punito abbastanza, ma sempre perdonato (pure lui non è mai volontariamente cattivo).

Credo che, al di là dell'importanza di imparare le manovre di salvataggio, il messaggio del romanzo risieda proprio in questo: la vita non è un contentino, non è un calendario dentro cui trascinarsi, una serie di fatti a cui sopravvivere, lasciando che siano gli altri a condurci.
Un tema diverso e originale, per una storia certamente sofferta, e certamente urticante in certe evoluzioni, ma vera.

«Sei così bella, Kerry. Non ti farò male. Giuro.»
Lei mi sorride. «Anch’io prometto che non ti farò male.»

[Vanessa Menezes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s nearly midnight on the eve of the millennium when eighteen-year-old Joel’s heart stops. A school friend, Kerry, performs CPR for almost twenty exhausting minutes, ultimately saving Joel’s life, while her best friend Tim freezes, unable to help.

That moment of life and death changes the course of all three lives over the next two decades: each time Kerry, Joel and Tim believe they’ve found love, discovered their vocation, or simply moved on, their lives collide again.

A heartwarming character driven story that follows the lives of the three main characters. It covers their journey as they deal with their emotions, challenges while exploring and rediscovering their bond friendship.

Overall, an absorbing read!

Thank You NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Mantle for this ARC!

[D'ale lui Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

O carte cu și despre adolescenți, despre visuri, despre cât de mult contează să știi ce să faci, să te implici și implicit să reușești să salvezi viața unui om, o carte despre decepție, renunțare, regăsire.
O carte despre planuri pentru viitor, muncă, învățat, sacrificiu, despre familie, școală, despre alegeri (privind alcoolul, drogurile), unele potrivite, altele nu ce duc acțiunea cărții spre altă direcție față de ce mă așteptam.

În pragul Mileniului Trei, Joe suferă un stop cardiac, iar norocul lui a fost intuiția lui Kerry, ce se afla în preajmă și a STIUT ce să facă în cele 18 minute până a venit salvarea și astfel a reușit să-i salveze viața.

✍️Oamenii nu se reîntorc din morți, asta se întâmplă doar în cărțile lui Stephen King.

Pentru a împiedica (un nou atac) este supus unei proceduri medicale, dar acest lucru mai înseamnă și să renunțe la fotbal pentru că aparatul pus nu este compatibil cu sportul profesionist ,iar ce crede el nu poate fi luat în considerare :

✍️"Atunci când o să am nouăzeci de ani și o să fiu cu un picior în groapă, cineva o să trebuiască să oprească aparatul ăsta sau o să-mi tot aplice șocuri să mă readucă la viață."

Iar pentru Joe, acest fapt îl face să simtă ca viața lui s-a sfârșit exact la finele anului 1999, "viața fără fotbal înseamnă moarte"

Nefericirea lui o afectează și pe Kerry, deoarece " iubirea te urcă, iubirea de coboară " sau doboară în cazul ei, notele luate la examene sunt mult prea mici, mai mult de atât, se sacrifică pentru ca Tim să poată el reusi.

Și avem parte de o poveste despre viața celor trei, o poveste ce întinde pe durata a 18 ani, cu puține suișuri as zice eu, și cu multe coborâșuri, un montagne russe, exact asa cum e și viața.


O carte inspirată din realitate.

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joel is 18 when his heart stops and Kerry saves him, he now has a box under his skin to get his heart going when it stops because of this he misses out on his dream and this sends him spiraling down, he looses hope for his future.
Kerry and Tim - who also sort of helped bring Joel back to life make good and bad choices through the length of this book.
It's an up and down story set over many years and it is fun to see how the characters change their ups and downs. A good story.

I wanted to read this because my heart stopped, I was spoilt because I was in hospital so I got help very quickly and then I was rushed into theater to have a pacemaker put in my chest and yes you can feel it under the skin. My pacemaker works all the time for my bottom chamber because I had a complete heart block so without it I would be dead. I am 55 years old.

This story has information on how to save a life, which was so good of the author to do so because it is important to know just incase. Joel finds it hard to adjust to having something under the skin, he is right it does take some getting use to but you have to see it as a blessing not a curse.

[Dale Harcombe]

DNF so no rating on this one.The premise of this sounded interesting.
It definitely highlights how important that more people know how to do the kiss of life and learn CPR. Joel, a popular athlete, collapses. Both Tim and Kerry, trained in first aid are on the scene to help. Kerry is quick to act. Tim not so much, as he freezes. But that is not the story everyone is told. What impact will this event have on the lives of these three?
The story is told from the points of view of Kerry, Joel and Tim. Basically I got so far and then thought why am I reading this? I found all of the characters unlikable and didn’t care enough about any of them to keep reading to see how the story was resolved. No doubt, there will be others who will enjoy this novel but it wasn’t for me. I was content just to give up.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gripped me from the minute I read the first line, it lost me a bit in the middle but hooked me in again towards the end.

We have 3 main characters.
Kerry and Tim have been best friends since they first met and both are planning on being doctors. Joel is the up and coming football star. Although they go to the same school, they don't run in the same circles.

Millennium Eve and all three are in the same place when Joel falls to the floor. As her secret crush, Kerry had been watching him anyway and as his friends think he's faking, Kerry runs across to him and realises that Joel is actually dead. Kerry performs CPR on Joel while Tim is too shocked to do anything.

For 18 minutes, Kerry performs CPR on Joel and those 18 minutes have a long lasting effect on all of them.

Over the next 18 years, all three drift in and out of each others lives but always making an impact - whether in a positive or negative way.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of these 3 characters and I loved it.

We see the decisions that each of them make and the reasoning behind it. The good and the bad.

There are hard hitting issues covered in this book, death, addiction, guilt and of course forgiveness. The author, pulls no punches when dealing with these and for that, I was very grateful.

This is going to be a massively popular book and deservedly so.

[Avalon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up not knowing it was a romance, and I don't like romance... but the premise seemed incredibly interesting. What I got was very shallow and medically inaccurate discussions about the topics of near death experiences, trauma and guilt and a whole lot of love triangle. Bumped down to one star for the weird thoughts about virginity and womanhood. What kind of medical student genuinely thinks having sex is what makes you an adult woman? Creepy and aphobic. (Plus, doesn't that imply she was a child when the sex act started? Gross.)

[Citesc Si Calatoresc · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This is a long book that kept my attention all the way until the end. The character development is slow and realistic, especially after all they have experienced

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this arc copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I wished I could relate with the characters she created so reading it wouldn’t be such a chore for me to read, but Eva Carter is a really good writer!
From 46 members it was apparently five stars.
And well... I was astounded. this book, in my opinion wasn't very good.. I’ve never taken such a visceral dislike to a fictional character before but the character of Tim.... HATED him. So much that it felt painful reading the chapters from his point of view...

[Elísa Sif Rannveigardóttir · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5 stars. Dnf at 54%

I couldn’t care less about these characters. There is NO plot as it is extremely character driven book, and since I just genuinely hate them with every fiber of my being,- I won’t torture myself any longer. Thank you

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I really wish I hadn't waited so long to read this book. The audio is brilliant and well worth dedicating time to.
Told in multiple narrative in alternating chapters we follow 3 friends as their lives through the highs and lows over a 20 year period.
Kerrie and Tim are watching a football match when their friend Joel collapses whilst playing. They both are in St John's Ambulance, but where Kerrie excels and starts CPR, Tim freezes.
So begins a story of many traumas. This isn't for the faint hearted, a lot of triggers are talked about, but it never felt like too many for some reason.
Yes, I disliked Tim with a passion for how he treats Kerrie, but I couldn't stop listening to this one and would definitely recommend it.
Please note as it covers 20 years starting from 2000, there are also mentions of big world events that could cause triggers too.

[Ashley *Booksbrewsandbarks* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish this book had been cut down a solid 100-150 pages. I believe it would've made a positive impact on the story instead of feeling very repetitive in drawn out in places. While the plot of the story is solid, taking place over 18 years between 3 characters after 2 of them saved the life of the 3rd, the spread of the timeline feels a bit uneven. In the beginning, mere months pass between the chapters but, as time goes on, the jumps are much wider and less comprehensive of what occurred during these timeframes. I get the feeling that someone realized the book needed to be edited down but did so somewhat haphazardly instead of putting the time into shaving down the parts that needed it and cutting down on the repetition.

I will say that I remained pretty interested in how the story would all turn out for all three and in general, I was pleased with the outcome, although the ending angered me a bit simply because it was more of the same back and forth with the characters that there was already too much of previously.

If you are a fan of a truly character driven story, you will probably enjoy this book for the most part. Everything was very easy to visualize and I really did enjoy the journey of the main character for the majority of the story.

[Spadge Nunn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dude, this book was painful. And a mission. And a lot. I need to hibernate to recover.

The school heartthrob, Joel, suddenly drops down dead on New Years Eve while playing football. Kerry performs CPR to keep him alive for a whole 20 minutes before the ambulance arrives. In the last 5 minutes her best friend Tim finally takes over to help and somehow ends up taking all of the credit.

This event, including the life-saving misunderstanding, changes all 3 of their future careers, and the overall paths their lives take from there.

I’m not sure if it was a personal misunderstanding after reading the blurb (and previous reviews) but it was not “an easy read” or “a light hearted read” and I didn’t “blast through it in one day”, and the only romances that happen are the most unhealthy and frustrating kind. I’m not sure what those other people are reading!

The characters are all terrible, terrible people. And the topics are incredibly heavy. There’s serious medical malpractice, drug addiction, homelessness, unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, forced rehabilitation, slow deaths from pancreatic cancer, endless, endless lies, miscommunication and selfishness from all people involved. You have to follow 18 years worth of this living nightmare.

The writing felt awkward in places too. At one point a 17 year old boy is supposed to describe his own football goals as ‘my most dazzling practice goals’. And the characters go through a lot of major personality transformations.

I spread this book out so as not to depress myself too often. The positive reviews were the only reason I pushed through, but I don’t recommend unless you want to feel depressed and frustrated.

How to Save a Life will be published on the 27th May 2021 if you want to read it for yourself.

[Eloise Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book.
Kerry and Tim are best mates, destined to be doctors. Out celebrating New Years Eve with the rest of their classmates just before they take their exams, suddenly their class mate Joel goes into cardiac arrest. The promising footballer and Kerry's secret crush, is just lying there while his friends panic. Kerry immediately dives into action and begins to perform CPR for 18 minutes, whilst Tim is frozen to the spot. What the three teenagers don't realise, is the impact those crucial 18 minutes will have on the rest of their lives.
Each deal with the event in their own way, why does Joel find himself initially depressed? Why does Kerry find her heart broken? Why did Tim freeze - should he be a doctor?

I'm a bit lost words now I've finished this book. Told in different POVs of the three main characters, we follow their lives from 1999-2018 and watch them grow, mature, find happiness, loss and everything else in between. The writing is so clever, as the years pass so does the maturity in the writing, reflecting the character's inner thoughts. Everything flowed beautifully and I felt a genuine connection to both Joel and Kerry. Tim irritated me almost from the first page, but I even enjoyed his chapters over the years. Everything flowed, and reading it was enjoyable from start to finish, I couldn't put it down.

This is a story of love, loss, realisation and growing up and how saving someone's life doesn't always equal happiness.

Make sure you add this beauty to your TBR pile as it is bloody brilliant !

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Soukaina Oujdad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: All the stars
Where do I start with this book!
I know it's categorized as a romance, but it got more to it than that. this is a beautiful story about longlasting friendships, second chances, bravery, and how it truly is to start a new career.
The storyline is a series of events involving 3 characters: Kerry, Tim, and Joel. Following their journey through life, in a period of 18 years, beginning with the grim incident that kickstarted it all: a cardiac arrest.

I was hooked from the first chapter. I barely stopped myself from rushing to the ending. I seriously couldn't stop reading it. I didn't feel, to me, like a work of fiction at all! It was more like reading a memoir. I'm just in awe of the AMAZING character development, and the writing, that was SO fluid it felt like it was written by 3 different people.
I genuinely think It will make a great movie.
I really adored the rawness of every emotion that the characters experienced. I couldn't root for one character only. I sympathize with all of them (a little less with Tim). But every one of them was real and flawed.

[Tara Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I’ve said this many a times on here, but I love a good multiple narrative and multiple timeline and Eva Carter delivers with this one! And even though 18 years is a long time to span a novel, the pace for it is just perfect. Although we hear from the three main characters, I feel that Kerry and Joel are the main protagonists in this one, maybe because they were the ones I was rooting for most. Although, don’t get me wrong, I was happy with how Tim’s story ended too!

I really enjoyed this book, but there were so so so many times I wanted to grab the characters and shake them and say what are you doing?! Why are you okay with this?! And I know that life doesn’t always go the way you want it to, but there were times I just wanted things to go so differently for these three! But I guess that just shows how invested I was in the characters.

I loved the little mentions of real life through the years this was set in, not making them a part of the story line, but dropping them into the chapters to remind us of when it was set. 9/11, the London bus bombings, the Manchester arena terrorist attack, all subtle reminders of the timeline of the story.

I loved this one so much, and what I loved even more was the lessons you learn from it. Literally, how to save a life among other things.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important book. Absolutely gripping.

I really liked the 3 point of views that switch from Kerry, Joel and Tim. The story starts when Kerry saves Joel's life when he goes into cardiac arrest. The story then follows on from that night in 1999 to 18 years later.

Such an emotional read, full of important information regarding what to do if someone has a cardiac arrest, and how it's crucial to act fast and start cpr.

I really enjoyed the fast paced writing, I was gripped, and couldn't wait to keep reading more! I found myself thinking of the story, long after I had put it down for the day.

I didn't particularly like the 3 main characters (Kerry, Joel and Tim) ,but I did feel attached to them, and could really relate to their struggles.

Some of the main themes in the book include, death, heart failure and heart conditions, drug addiction, overdosing, alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts, homelessness, miscarriage and medical conditions, caring for a parent and medical training, including surgeries. This book really touches on so many subjects, in a real raw and honest way.

Full review to come.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my earc, in exchange for an honest review.*

[Dee Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I type this with tears in my eyes. This was a hard book to read, my husband suffered a heart attack a little over a year ago. After the first chapter or so, I wasn't sure I could continue, but I did. I'm so happy to have read this, even if it made me cry, numerous times.

This is a beautifully written book, kudos to the author!

Put this on your must read list!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts to follow, but oh my heart ❤

[misswortverliebt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! Es war so so schön dieses Buch zu lesen!❤️

All diese Gefühle! All der Schmerz! Und all die Hoffnung!

Ganz großes Kino!!😍

[rina dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Save A Life is a beautiful, poignant novel that is based on life and death decisions, and how being brave isn't always about the stuff that happens at that moment but often dealing with the aftermath.

Close to midnight on the eve of the millennium Joel Greenaway's heart stops beating, eighteen years old with a promising football career ahead, he has always been fit and well but he now needs CPR. When Kerry his school friend steps in to try and restart his heart its all down to her as her best friend Tim has frozen in fear.
Joel's heart finally restarts, but nothing will ever be the same for all three of them. Over the next two decades their lives will collide.

Oh my goodness I loved this book! Its full of heart (excuse the pun) but this book just has everything I love in a story. The characters are so well written. In the end I loved them all but my mind frequently changed on who was my favourite. You really feel like you are going on a journey of self discovery with them and become so invested. Its almost like you grow with them.
The different povs were always interesting and I really enjoyed the dynamic between them, especially how Kerry, this quiet school friend who was quite introverted and nobody really paid much attention to became such an integral part of the story.
Theres a lot of important topics raised in this book and Eva manages them all with such compassion and care, I always think you can tell when an author takes the time to write tough subjects sensitively and this is defintely the case here. I really loved the theme of recovery, not just physically but mentally too that runs throughout the plot.
How To Save A Life broke my heart and then put it back together again. Its a wonderful novel that is in equal parts uplifting and important.
Theres real detail about how to actually perform CPR in this book and if you read the author's note you will understand why. I honestly couldn't of loved this book more!

[Catriona Fyfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑩𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒊𝒕? 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔“

On the New Years Eve of the millennium, aspiring doctors Kerry and Tim and uprising footballer, Joel’s lives change forever with Joel suddenly collapsing with a heart problem. Over the course of 18 years, the trio’s lives intertwine and it all comes back to that one night on the football pitch. This beautiful novel highlights the importance of life and what a precious thing it is to save.

I absolutely adored this book. I’ve seen it be compared to Normal People and One Day and I definitely can see the similarities. I loved how informative the novel was around the risks of heart conditions and the steps needed to take in order to do CPR correctly.

After reading the author’s notes to discover the book was inspired by her own experience of saving a life, I found this book even more powerful. The lives of the trio are messy and demonstrate how not everyone’s future is linear and how plans can change suddenly due to circumstances. I was really rooting for Kerry to have the medical career she always wanted and for Joel to find inner peace with how his heart condition controlled his life.

Overall, I genuinely loved this book. It was such an inspiring and heartwarming read

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a novel that I had been meaning to read for a while; I am not at all sure what took me so long. Here is a story about three friends, their hopes, their realities and their interconnected lives.

Tim, Joel and Kerry are schoolmates who are finishing up their educations. Tim and Kerry are taking their A levels and hope/plan to study medicine. Joel, on the other hand, is an upcoming football (soccer) star.

A lot happens between this description and the very early events in the novel. What will happen to the three as they move into their post school days and life does not (always) cooperate?

The interrelationships among Kerry, Joel and Tim are complex. Will they be able to help one another through? Those who have recently entered this stage of life will relate to this novel. Others who have passed through these developmental phases will either look back with nostalgia or be glad to be in a different life moment.

This is a book about growing up. It is a story of trying to find one’s way.

A note: The author shares that her husband’s life was saved when he received CPR. She is very much an advocate of people learning this procedure. Readers will see how this fits in with the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballentine for this title. All opinions are my own.