59 Minutes by Holly Seddon review

About The Book

Book: 59 Minutes
Author: Holly Seddon
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date (UK): 25th September 2025

🔍Standout Read. Awarded to books I highly recommend.

My Review

59 Minutes is a thriller with an incredibly unique premise. The book opens with an “If” section explaining what would happen if bombs and nuclear torpedoes hit the UK. We are told: “The following story is fiction, the above details are not.”

Picture this: everyone’s phone chimes at the same time. It’s not hard to imagine, is it, given the recent test emergency text alerts? You check your phone and read the words: “Severe alert. Nuclear missile threat to South England. 59 minutes until impact. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a test.” What would you do?

The chapters span the time from receiving the alert to the final minutes leading up to the attack and the aftermath, with viewpoints from Carrie, Frankie and Mrs Dabb.There is fast-paced, relentless tension as the book explores how people would react: would anyone take advantage of the chaos to commit heinous crimes? Could the news be too much for some to handle? It’s gut-wrenching and really reminded me of the 2013 film THESE FINAL HOURS.

There is fast-paced, relentless tension as the book explores how people would react: would anyone take advantage of the chaos to commit heinous crimes? Could the news be too much for some to handle? It’s gut-wrenching and really reminded me of the 2013 film These Final Hours.

There is a reveal in the book that I didn’t see coming at all and it took me a while to realise how it could have happened. However, I loved how unique the book was overall. I definitely haven’t read anything like it before and I doubt there will be anything else quite like it either.

Thank you to Holly Seddon for kindly sending me a copy as a competition prize.