In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearne

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?

REVIEW: I'll start by saying I chose this book as one of my Amazon FirstReads (so it was free) and I honestly didn't know what to expect -- the description was intriguing, so I gave it a shot. I found myself really liking Finn (the main character) and her best friend Mo, but most of the other characters, including Finn's parents, were fairly awful. I understand that Finn was coming to terms with the fact that all humans are deeply flawed, including her own loved ones, but these people were unredeemable. Finn also apparently had the insight of a PhD-trained psychologist with a lifetime of experience and post-accident omniscience, which felt unrealistic at best and supremely irritating at worst. The writing style was approachable and the plot movement was fast-paced, which I appreciated, but the author's portrayal of grief felt as irresponsible as it was removed from reality. Overall, I was glad to finish reading and I wouldn't pick it up again. 2.5 stars.