Genre Fiction
![Eva Carter - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B08CL4N2XP.jpg)
How to Save a Life: A Novel
In this moving love story, three friends find out what it really means to save someone.
"Aheart-stopping, heart-wrenching, and heartwarming story that kept me reading well into the night."-Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
Kerry Smith is going to save lives-and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working toward medical school, they are about to take 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 longtime crush. And for nearly eighteen minutes, Tim is too shocked to help. 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. Ensnared 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, How to Save a Life shows us that there is more than one way to save a life-and more than one path to finding meaning in your own.
"Aheart-stopping, heart-wrenching, and heartwarming story that kept me reading well into the night."-Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
Kerry Smith is going to save lives-and so is her best friend, Tim Palmer. After years of working toward medical school, they are about to take 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 longtime crush. And for nearly eighteen minutes, Tim is too shocked to help. 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. Ensnared 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, How to Save a Life shows us that there is more than one way to save a life-and more than one path to finding meaning in your own.
Editorial Reviews
"How to Save a Life is so rich and fully rounded-a sweeping, brave, epic love story. I was hooked from the very first page! I loved it. All the stars!"-Josie Silver, New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December and The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
"Grey's Anatomy meets The Light We Lost in this page-turning drama about three friends whose lives are irrevocably changed by a split-second decision. This sweeping saga illuminates the heartbreak of unfortunate romantic timing, the steadfast sacrifices we make for the ones we love, and the strength it takes to overcome the impossible."-Hannah Orenstein, author of Head Over Heels
"I was absorbed by this enthralling love story from the very first page."-Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted
"A gripping love story that doesn't shy away from the mess and complexity of real life. I couldn't put it down until I reached the final page."-Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare and The Switch
"I was completely swept away by How to Save a Life, which truly is a salve for the soul. It's a beautiful book, full of drama, passion, and truth: You'll remember Joel, Kerry, and Tim long after you finish reading their story."-Rowan Coleman, author of The Day We Met
"How to Save a Life is an epic novel that starts with one life-or-death event and then follows the lives of three complex people to show how that moment changed everything. And this novel will change you. It's extraordinary-a very, very special book indeed."-Julie Cohen, author of Dear Thing
"Carter delivers plenty of drama. Readers will champion these characters' efforts to find themselves."-
"Grey's Anatomy meets The Light We Lost in this page-turning drama about three friends whose lives are irrevocably changed by a split-second decision. This sweeping saga illuminates the heartbreak of unfortunate romantic timing, the steadfast sacrifices we make for the ones we love, and the strength it takes to overcome the impossible."-Hannah Orenstein, author of Head Over Heels
"I was absorbed by this enthralling love story from the very first page."-Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted
"A gripping love story that doesn't shy away from the mess and complexity of real life. I couldn't put it down until I reached the final page."-Beth O'Leary, author of The Flatshare and The Switch
"I was completely swept away by How to Save a Life, which truly is a salve for the soul. It's a beautiful book, full of drama, passion, and truth: You'll remember Joel, Kerry, and Tim long after you finish reading their story."-Rowan Coleman, author of The Day We Met
"How to Save a Life is an epic novel that starts with one life-or-death event and then follows the lives of three complex people to show how that moment changed everything. And this novel will change you. It's extraordinary-a very, very special book indeed."-Julie Cohen, author of Dear Thing
"Carter delivers plenty of drama. Readers will champion these characters' efforts to find themselves."-
Readers Top Reviews
Leigh ForbesKindle
Loved this book. It kept dragging me back to read when I should have been doing other things. The characterisation is great and the plot – with all its complexities – is very clever. It is also a sobering reminder of how fragile life is, and an important reminder of how useful we could all be in a time of crisis (if we just take a few minutes to learn how). Then there are intricate consequences of any given moment in time. Fascinating really.
Cassie Reader
This is an epic love story that spans 18 years. It is also a terrific study of what shapes a person. I love the way Eva Carter develops her three main characters Kerry, Joel and Tim from the rawnesss and confusion of their 17/18 year old selves to the different people they become in their mid-thirties. They are all changed by what happens on New Year's Eve 1999 when Joel suffers a cardiac arrest. It is fascinating to see how this was a life-changing event for all three of them. It fundamentally impacted on their sense of self and their future life direction. They are flawed, three dimensional people and there are plenty of mistakes and misunderstandings along the way which kept me turning the pages, willing them to see what they needed to be happy. Eva Carter makes us care about Kerry, Joel and Tim. Very satisfying and highly recommended.
ORShopper
This is a touching, if complicated, love story that unfolds over a two decades. On the brink of the new millennium, Joel Greenaway literally drops dead on the soccer field. The victim of a sudden cardiac arrest, he is resuscitated for eighteen agonizing minutes before his heart returns to a normal rhythm. Those eighteen minutes have a ripple effect through three young lives – bonding them in a profound way and changing forever their perceptions of themselves and each other. Kerry Smith, a classmate of Joel’s, is the first to respond by initiating CPR. Another classmate, Tim Palmer, is incapable of responding beyond feeling paralyzed to take action. In the aftermath, each one copes with the trauma in their own way – one losing a promising professional career in sports, one delaying a life-long dream of becoming a doctor and one harboring severe doubts about his ability to become a competent physician. The storyline is told from the perspectives of Kerry, Joel and Tim in alternating chapters. The timeline is a bit erratic, but it does not detract from the cohesiveness of the plot. The characters are well-developed and engaging in their progression from adolescence to adulthood. The emotional landscape is rich in scope – running the spectrum from joy to despair and every nuance in between. At times, the flawed nature of their relationships is a bit frustrating, if understandable, but the ending is satisfying. Ultimately, To Save a Life goes far beyond the physical treatment of cardiac arrest (death) to embrace the emotional and mental consequences for all involved. According to the Authors’ Note, this book is based on her own personal experience of saving a life through her resuscitation efforts. To that end, it is not only an interesting work of fiction, it also serves to educate the reader about the need for an immediate response to save a life through CPR and defibrillation. My thanks to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.
Joanna J
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 abhor 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.
Short Excerpt Teaser
1
Kerry
December 31, 1999
Six minutes.
I have six minutes left to be kissed.
Three hundred seconds and counting, if I don't want to end another year-let's face it, an entire millennium-as the only seventeen-year-old in Brighton who has never snogged another human being.
Most of the girls in the sixth form have gone all the way. You can tell from the way they move: dancing wildly on the shingle beach, wearing heels that keep sinking into the gaps between the pebbles, unsteady and sexy and-
"Which do you think will implode first, the National Grid or air traffic control?" Tim says, passing me the can of Diamond White cider. When I raise it to my lips, all that's left is apple froth.
I look up at the sky. "You probably shouldn't be quite so excited about the idea of the world ending."
He grins. "I can't help it if I crave a bit of drama sometimes."
You and me both.
"We don't have long to wait to get our share of it."
This time next December, I'll be at Manchester Uni. And, impossible as it seems now, the odds are that by then I will have been kissed-and hopefully a lot more. But the prospect of finally losing my virginity isn't even the most exciting thing about the year 2000 because in a year's time, I'll be training as a doctor. With a bit of luck, and the right questions on his physics exam paper, Tim will be doing the same.
"If Y2K doesn't wipe us out . . ."-he looks at his Swatch-"five minutes from now. Makes me feel quite reckless, being on the brink of disaster."
Reckless isn't Tim's style, but his eyes are bright: I can see the beach fires the hippies have lit reflected in them. Except it's not just the flames. There's something else in his face, an intensity . . .
Oh shit.
He's going to try to kiss me.
He mustn't.
Maybe it wouldn't be the absolute worst thing, if we did it in private. We've rehearsed slings and burn dressings on each other, so why not kissing? Both of us want to be prepared for when it really matters.
Except I don't think he's thinking of it as a rehearsal . . .
I move backward and break eye contact, staring resolutely over Tim's shoulder to where Joel and his mates are having a knockabout on the lawns, lit by the Victorian lamps that line the prom. The frost has set the earth like concrete but the boys don't seem to notice. They're too busy trying to outrun Joel, even though they know they never will.
He moves twice as fast as the others, the football always at his feet. He was in the same class as me until we were sixteen. While Tim and I stayed on at school, Joel hit the big time, starting a professional football apprenticeship with our city club, the Dolphins. He's one in a million. Everyone either wants to be him or be with him, me included. I think Tim might be the only person I know who doesn't care about Joel one way or the other.
". . . Perhaps we can blame the Pagans. You know, for deciding New Year should happen in December," Tim says, embarking on a new lecture. I let the words float toward me, without taking them in. "Or I suppose it might have been the Romans."
"Maybe." I stay far enough away that he can't reach. Everything has to be clear for Tim: he's one of the smartest kids in the sixth form but sometimes he's also the densest, and I can't let him convince himself it's a good idea to kiss me.
Kiss me.
I imagine saying those words to Joel. Let myself believe for a moment that instead of laughing in my face, he might do as I ask.
On the lawns, Ant makes a clumsy attempt to tackle Joel but falls over his own big feet, and Joel vaults across his best friend's legs to score again.
The ball flies over the two Gap sweatshirts laid as goalposts.
Six–nil to Joel. I've been counting.
". . . but why didn't they choose the summer solstice to mark a new year?" A speck of cider foam sits on Tim's top lip, and I'm about to lean over and brush it away. Except . . . what if he thinks I'm flirting?
I want it to go back to how it's been since we were seven: in and out of his garden and ours; every Tuesday, checking each other's vital signs in the Scout Hall. I hate the new us: how he guffaws at my jokes when they're not funny and gives me sideways looks as though he's only just noticed that I'm female.
"Summer solstice would make for a better party. Sacrificing virgins, roasting pigs. Or the other way around."
I get so twitchy now listening to his meandering monologues. I imagine walking away from him and heading onto the playing field, the icy blades of grass spiky through my tights....
Kerry
December 31, 1999
Six minutes.
I have six minutes left to be kissed.
Three hundred seconds and counting, if I don't want to end another year-let's face it, an entire millennium-as the only seventeen-year-old in Brighton who has never snogged another human being.
Most of the girls in the sixth form have gone all the way. You can tell from the way they move: dancing wildly on the shingle beach, wearing heels that keep sinking into the gaps between the pebbles, unsteady and sexy and-
"Which do you think will implode first, the National Grid or air traffic control?" Tim says, passing me the can of Diamond White cider. When I raise it to my lips, all that's left is apple froth.
I look up at the sky. "You probably shouldn't be quite so excited about the idea of the world ending."
He grins. "I can't help it if I crave a bit of drama sometimes."
You and me both.
"We don't have long to wait to get our share of it."
This time next December, I'll be at Manchester Uni. And, impossible as it seems now, the odds are that by then I will have been kissed-and hopefully a lot more. But the prospect of finally losing my virginity isn't even the most exciting thing about the year 2000 because in a year's time, I'll be training as a doctor. With a bit of luck, and the right questions on his physics exam paper, Tim will be doing the same.
"If Y2K doesn't wipe us out . . ."-he looks at his Swatch-"five minutes from now. Makes me feel quite reckless, being on the brink of disaster."
Reckless isn't Tim's style, but his eyes are bright: I can see the beach fires the hippies have lit reflected in them. Except it's not just the flames. There's something else in his face, an intensity . . .
Oh shit.
He's going to try to kiss me.
He mustn't.
Maybe it wouldn't be the absolute worst thing, if we did it in private. We've rehearsed slings and burn dressings on each other, so why not kissing? Both of us want to be prepared for when it really matters.
Except I don't think he's thinking of it as a rehearsal . . .
I move backward and break eye contact, staring resolutely over Tim's shoulder to where Joel and his mates are having a knockabout on the lawns, lit by the Victorian lamps that line the prom. The frost has set the earth like concrete but the boys don't seem to notice. They're too busy trying to outrun Joel, even though they know they never will.
He moves twice as fast as the others, the football always at his feet. He was in the same class as me until we were sixteen. While Tim and I stayed on at school, Joel hit the big time, starting a professional football apprenticeship with our city club, the Dolphins. He's one in a million. Everyone either wants to be him or be with him, me included. I think Tim might be the only person I know who doesn't care about Joel one way or the other.
". . . Perhaps we can blame the Pagans. You know, for deciding New Year should happen in December," Tim says, embarking on a new lecture. I let the words float toward me, without taking them in. "Or I suppose it might have been the Romans."
"Maybe." I stay far enough away that he can't reach. Everything has to be clear for Tim: he's one of the smartest kids in the sixth form but sometimes he's also the densest, and I can't let him convince himself it's a good idea to kiss me.
Kiss me.
I imagine saying those words to Joel. Let myself believe for a moment that instead of laughing in my face, he might do as I ask.
On the lawns, Ant makes a clumsy attempt to tackle Joel but falls over his own big feet, and Joel vaults across his best friend's legs to score again.
The ball flies over the two Gap sweatshirts laid as goalposts.
Six–nil to Joel. I've been counting.
". . . but why didn't they choose the summer solstice to mark a new year?" A speck of cider foam sits on Tim's top lip, and I'm about to lean over and brush it away. Except . . . what if he thinks I'm flirting?
I want it to go back to how it's been since we were seven: in and out of his garden and ours; every Tuesday, checking each other's vital signs in the Scout Hall. I hate the new us: how he guffaws at my jokes when they're not funny and gives me sideways looks as though he's only just noticed that I'm female.
"Summer solstice would make for a better party. Sacrificing virgins, roasting pigs. Or the other way around."
I get so twitchy now listening to his meandering monologues. I imagine walking away from him and heading onto the playing field, the icy blades of grass spiky through my tights....
