"One moment" by Becky Hunter

An audio book.

Evie (29) and Scarlett (fashion designer) live together. Scarlett dies in an accident because she went in the road to help Nate, who went through a red light on his bicycle. We get Evie's PoV and Scarlett's afterlife PoV. Evie has M.S. Will (Evie's ex, who dumped her) turns up to see if she needs company. They have sex and he leaves. Astrid (13) and her mother move into the flat opposite Evie's. Astrid's learning the violin. Evie had wanted to be a violinist until her diagnosis. She helps Astrid. Nate, a journalist, invites Evie out on some of his jobs. He's found out who was driving the car that killed Scarlett - Tessa. When he was 15 his older brother killed himself. He invites her to a family meal. She gets some tips on bereavement. Scarlett can go back in time (or recall very well). She recalls her affair with her cute boss. She knew he was married. He confessed his love. She'd asked him to choose.

Evie's never met her father. Scarlett and Evie had met at A&E while they were at different junior schools. They'd been friends ever since. Evie finds a letter to Scarlett which makes her think Scarlett was planning to move out, but Scarlett was hoping that they'd both move out. Scarlett realises that if she hadn't died, Evie would never have met Nate. Because of Nate, Evie feels she's not broken after all. Jason had made a dress for Evie from designs left by Scarlett. He wants to start a posthumous designer label.

Nate asks Scarlett if he should leave for Australia. She doesn't answer. On the day of the flight he asks her to come with her. She does. At the end Scarlett hints that there may have been a hint of suicide.

Having a ghost instead of an omniscient narrator solves some problems. I believed in Evie's MS more than her sadness about Scarlett

Other reviews

• fivesentence (The premise of this story is compelling, but I found myself frustrated as (especially during Scarlett’s narration) the message was spelled out repeatedly for me rather than trusting me to figure it out for myself. The dual perspective, although valuable for showing the backstory and full picture, also gave away so much that I never really got to feel surprised; the events played out just as I expected they would. ... This is a sweet story exploring how sadness and happiness can be intertwined, and if you’re looking for a straightforward celebration of friendship and love, this might be the right book for you.)