One Minute to Midnight [Paperback]

At this time of year you only have to walk into a bookshop to see the abundance of Christmas books that are released during the build up to Christmas and so what first struck me about One Minute to Midnight is that this is a book about New Year. New Year is a time that tends to be overshadowed by the excitement for Christmas something that's also apparent in the book industry. And so reading a book about New Year and the new beginning's that come along with it was a very welcome breath of fresh air.

First things first I have to say don't be fooled by this book's beautiful- but undeniably girly- cover. This isn't your typical chick-lit read. One Minute to Midnight is a realistic, hard-hitting, tug on your heartstrings novel that covers topics such as domestic violence, grief and death and is about a group of less than perfect friends and their complex relationships with one another.

Our leading lady is Nicole and straight away I found her fascinating to read about. She's smart, feisty and is a woman with a past. There are a lot of skeletons in Nic's closet and secrets that not only is she keeping from her husband Dom but us readers too. The book alternates from the present build up to New Year to the New Year's Eve's of Nicole's past beginning in 1990 when Nicole is thirteen and spends her first New Year's Eve with Julian Symonds unbeknownst to them starting a tradition and friendship that will see them through many New Years to come. With the book being told on the same day each year One Minute to Midnight had a certain One Day feel about it which I loved especially as it gives you the feeling that you really know these characters that you've watched them grow up.

I found the characters in this book to be so well developed. Every one of them felt so real and even the secondary characters stood out. They've all made mistakes, some that have hurt each other, but no matter what they done I couldn't not like any of them because Amy Silver has this way of making you understand her characters and their actions. Their mistakes, regrets and secrets are slowly revealed as the book goes on. Ultimately this is a book about the characters finding new beginnings, forgiveness and redemption themes that tie in perfectly with New Year.

Amy Silver writes like a dream and has the ability to make you both laugh and cry. The prose is so organic with some truly heart felt moments particularly between Nicole and her father, and her husband Dom. One Minute to Midnight is definitely a book that touches your heart and I can certainly see myself pulling this off the shelf for re-reads in the future. One Minute to Midnight is such a wonderful book that is so much more than just chick-lit. Definitely add this to your Winter reading piles this year, this is my first of Amy Silver's novels and it definitely won't be my last!

Really enjoyed this book, I could not put it down.

It starts on Boxing day 2011 with Nicola and her husband Dom. We then go back to New Years Eve 1990. This is where the story really starts to take shape. Nicola and her family are having a house party where things take a turn for the worse. The story jumps back to 2011 and then back to a couple of years after 1990. This the whole time is build the story up to where Nicola is in her life now. She has fallen out with her best friend Alex, her marriage is not in a very good way with Dom, Aiden the love of her life wants her to go work for him and she has to deal with the fact that her father has cancer.

The way this book is written between the years works so well and you just want to know what is going to hapen next. Highly recommended book.

I am beginning to think the run up to Christmas can not begin without an Amy Silver book. I really had forgotten how much I love a good chick lit book and I was definitely in need of this one. What I love most about Amy Silver's books is that the characters and situations they are in are believable and real. It isn't all marshmallows around the fire with this author, oh no, she writes a book that hits you hard and leaves you breathless and near to tears in certain parts. Her books are about real people with real problems.

This story unravels over the period between Boxing Day and New Years Day, with reflections on past New Years events throughout Nicole's life. The reflections are really revealing, allowing you to judge Nicole's state of mind on the present lead up to New Year.

From the first few pages, you are convinced that Nicole is keeping secrets from us, which are unravelled like Christmas presents as the story progresses. Even though she is keeping secrets, you find yourself staying right by her side, hoping that everything will work itself out for her, as you find out why she is really in the situation she is. All the characters were believable and I felt like I had stepped into a book where I knew everyone from the start. I was the absent friend who only supported them via email as I couldn't be there physically. I was desperate for each of them to find true happiness, even though they had aired their imperfections. I came away loving Aidan, Julian and Karl,wishing they were in my life for real. The characters stay with you long after you finish reading the book.

The ending took me by surprise as it wasn't the one I was convinced it would be. However, I was rather pleased with how the story turned out and I imagine in the same situation I would have made similar choices to Nicole.

I did have a little bit of a awe struck moment, when the story mentioned the Highline in New York, which has fascinated me ever since I found out about it. Highline is an elevated park that used to be a rail line, which runs all around New York. It is definitely something I intend to visit, should I ever get the pleasure of visiting New York. Here is a video for you to see how fabulous it is yourself - [...]

I truly loved this book and will be keeping it as one of my permanent collection. I envisage myself reading it again and again in the future, as I move into the festive season. If you haven't read a book yet by Amy Silver then I would definitely recommend this one or All I Want For Christmas as I have really loved them both. Get your journey to Christmas off to a good start with an Amy Silver novel.