“If you knew you had fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love would be lost forever, what would you do with that time?

It’s an ordinary evening. People are coming home from work, cooking dinner for their children, cuddling on sofas with their lovers. And then the message arrives, shattering everyone’s worlds:

Missiles are set to destroy England in fifty-nine minutes. Everyone should seek immediate shelter.

59 minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families. The journeys should be simple, but with a lost schoolchild seeking help, a teenage daughter suddenly going missing, and dangerous criminals on the prowl, there is peril at every corner.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon. 59 Minutes was published by Orion Books on Thursday, 25th September 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of 59 Minutes but that has in no way influenced my review.

Holy moly, what a book! I saw 59 Minutes available as an eARC a while ago now. The cover grabbed my attention, the blurb confirmed it was definitely my sort of book, but at the time I had a mountain of other books to read (‘mountain’ being an understatement). So I gritted my teeth and moved on. Then I saw it again. And again. And again. It felt like fate. It felt like something somewhere wanted me to read this book. So I did. I threw caution to the wind, turned my back on my teetering TBR (teeth still gritted) and downloaded a copy. Thank goodness I did. What a brilliant, brilliant book! Emotional, terrifying and with a twist that will knock your socks off. I loved everything about 59 Minutes.

Nightmares really do come true. A warning is sent out across the UK. A nuclear missile has been launched. It is due to hit London and the south of England in an hour. You have 59 minutes to find shelter. The clock is ticking…

The story is told from three points of view; Carrie is desperately trying to get home to her partner, Emma, and their three-year-old daughter, Clementine. The alert sounds around 5pm. Everyone in London has left the office for the day. The tubes are immediately closed, people are trapped, stranded, and pandemonium runs riot. There is chaos at every turn, and no clear way to get home. People are desperate, and desperate people do scary, stupid things. On Dartmoor, Frankie and her boyfriend, Otis, are having a mini break away from home (home being somewhere up north). Moments after Frankie announces she’s pregnant, the alert sounds. They’re stuck in a place they don’t know. With people they can’t trust. Mrs Dabb has just discovered her thirteen-year-old daughter bunked off school hours earlier, claiming to have a doctor’s appointment. No one, least of all Mrs Dabb, knows where Bunny is. Utterly terrifying, impossible to put down and totally engrossing from start to finish.

Wow, this book really got under my skin. You can’t help but feel for the characters. Put yourself in their shoes. Although let’s face it, none of us knows how their situation actually feels (and let’s hope we never find out!). But the reader does feel the mounting fear the characters experience firsthand. It’s palpable. Unavoidable. Quite stressful and very unsettling, but oh my gosh, thrilling in its delivery. Each chapter is told from one of the three women’s point of view, along with an ever-present countdown to impact, which only adds to the already palpable tension. The reader watches as life begins to unravel at a frantic pace for all three women. What I found really interesting was how the news of what was happening affected society in general. Seddon shows the far-reaching horror of such a situation, how quickly and easily people forget their morals, the law, and take risks they wouldn’t otherwise even consider. Truly shocking and utterly mesmerising.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. 59 Minutes is a terrifying, gripping, immersive, and unforgettable book. Without a shadow of a doubt, it will feature on my books of the year list. What an experience! The characters’ fear leaps off the page at you. It’s heartbreaking, emotional and thought-provoking. Brilliantly written from start to finish, with all threads being neatly, if shockingly, tied off as the end of the book approaches. There is a slight change in pace in the last quarter or so, but it’s necessary and, if anything, only adds to the impact of the entire story as a whole. An outstanding book which I think about often. Particularly in early September when the UK government carried out a test of the emergency alerts system, sending a practise message to all UK mobiles. Too close to home perhaps…? All in all, 59 Minutes is a thrilling, cleverly written tale with fascinating characters and bucketloads of heart. Thought-provoking, nerve-racking in the best way possible, and nigh-on impossible to put down. I bloody loved it! Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of 59 Minutes. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

59 Minutes by Holly Seddon was published in the UK by Orion Books on 25th September 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Holly Seddon is the international bestselling author of TRY NOT TO BREATHE, DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, LOVE WILL TEAR US APART, THE HIT LIST, THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE and THE SHORT STRAW.

After a childhood spent moving around the English countryside and obsessing over books and music, she later became a journalist and editor. She has lived in London and Amsterdam and now lives in Kent with her family. She has an MA in Creative Writing.

Alongside fellow author Gillian McAllister, Holly co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast. You can find her on Twitter @hollyseddon, Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor.