Cover Image: In the Blink of an Eye

In the Blink of an Eye

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Member Reviews

This book sounded interesting from the write up but I was disappointed and couldn't get into the storyline or the characters.

It didn't feel like a story just someone reaming words off, a bit like a report as someone has already said and I did give up on it just after the middle.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

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If you want to walk out of your life and into another, feel the love, the pain, the loneliness, the entire gamut of emotions of someone other than yourself, even if only for a glimpse, this is your book.
The subject is a difficult one to write about. A family loses their two-year-old in an accident when he drowns in the family pool. Sadly, this is a common occurrence but not many authors will attempt to put it on paper. Jesse Blackadder wasn’t afraid. She exposes human nature; the ugliness, the sacredness, the harsh reality, and the will to live that’s kept us in perpetual motion for centuries.
I strongly recommend this book, this author, and I salute her for her honest portrayal of human angst.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for making it available.)

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The story sounded good, interesting. A tragedy falls over a family, everyone's life is impacted and changed by what had happened. There is sadness and guilt and confusion, and I'd expected that it's a book full of emotions. It is, yes, but unfortunately, they weren't getting to me. The way it's written feels like a report, even though I'm a big fan of the different POV-telling. Not here. It's too much but not the "right" much. I'm sorry. I want to thank the publisher for the ARC!

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I was invited to read, sounded like a good book.
started reading...
Introduction compares swimming pool functions to a human body.
I was intrigued.
Very descriptive- loved wording and descriptions.

Time is measured in before and after the event.
I can relate to that viewpoint.

60 seconds can change a life and the ripple effects will forever be changed.

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Finn is working on a wood project but hes suppose to work on a clock.”he’d left the kids to their own devices and now she was home and it was Friday . That meant a bottle of wine with dinner and probably she’d want to make love to throw off the week and he’d want to make love because the sensuality of the wood under his hands all day.” Finn and his family lives in a purple weather board house after move many miles away.



Jarrah: dad distracted by art “mum busy and important and not home from work,me trying to do homework and Toby trying to stop me changing towns hadn’t changed that.”

“Two reasons he was my bestimate friend.first the obvious .he was the only one who never judged me.never looked at me weirdly never thought something was wrong with me.” “Noone would have blamed me for being jealous of toby.the second reason the one I kept secret .I wished my voice could pull him out of his dreams and back into this world. I wished he loves me most the way I loved him wished he asbmine. ” I thought it weird the whole family swam naked . I loved seeing how family reacted to tragedy and the different points of view. I was wrapped up in their world and couldn’t stop reading.

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I just couldn’t get engaged with this book. The story revolved around the same trauma throughout the entire novel. I kept wanting for a twist... like who kept the gate open?
I could imagine this tragedy happening, but nothing described in this story was a surprise.
I feel empathy for the author and their experience. But, this novel didn’t have the X factor.

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In the Blink of an Eye# NetGally#
Jesse Blackadder
St Martin’s Press

This was the first book that I have read by the author, Jesse Blackadder. I was thoroughly involved in the storyline right from the start. Imaging what it would be like to lose a child in such tragic circumstances made it hard to read in some parts of the story. The story is told by the three main characters: the Mum, Dad and teenage son.
I found myself sympathing with each character at different times in the story. But, I had a hard time understanding the mother the most. She came across a little bit cold and self centered and it was hard to warm to her. Toward the end I found myself cheering for the family to come to a cohesive conclusion and mend their family. I did not realize until the end that the author had experienced this same loss of a child in her own family. That brings it close to home and a difficult topic for her. I thoroughly champion the campaign to bring safer control over backyard swimming pools. 4 stars
I wish to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGally for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

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In the Blink of an Eye is a pretty good read. It is not an easy read but one that I could not put down. I give it four stars.

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In the Blink of an Eye is the latest book by Jesse Blackadder. Ms Blackadder tells us the story using points of view from the three main characters. In the Blink of an Eye isn't a feel good novel. At times I found it very dark and heartbreaking. I was given an early copy to review.

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Originally titled Sixty Seconds! Two-year-old Toby is a late addition to the Brennan family. His parents Finn and Bridget had given up hope of having another child when he arrived, fourteen years after his brother. I "ached" for each of them.

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Can't read this book. It goes from 5% to 17% then to 67 and 100. Cannot rate a book that you can't read.

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Like our earlier mystery, this book allows the reader to look behind the scenes at a family, to see dysfunction and the truth, no matter the cost. It takes a tragedy like no other to show the cracks that are turning into ravines in the Brennan family. And once opened up, can they be fixed, or is there a permament divide. It may be up to the courts to decide the family's fate. This is an interesting look at what happens to a family when what is normal changes overnight to a surreal nightmare they can't seem to escape from, and one you will not want to put down, once you start it!

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This is a poignant story of tragedy, loss and the aftermath. We hear the story from fathe, mother and brother. The characters were complex and their interaction, or sometimes lack of it, were well explored. We could empathise with them all. A very well told story.

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This fascinating novel, based on the authors own experience with loss, shows the different stages of grieving the family members- mother, father, teenage son have to go through to come to a kind of equilibrium. It also shows how within ‘the blink of an eye’ the normal life of a family can be forever lost. I felt all the l emotions from guilt, remorse and blaming are clearly and convincingly depicted. Nevertheless, it is not a depressing book as acts of incredible kindness and forgiving play a major role. I could not put it down as I got engaged and wanted to know how this family coped.

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"In the Blink of an Eye" takes you through the stages of grief and blame. Jesse Blackadder takes us along on the journey no parent wants to travel.. The family suffers an unthinkable loss, and we can feel their pain and loss. It is a well written and thought our journey that you will not be able to put down until you know how things well turn out for the family that you have come to care about because Jesse Blackadder made us care for them.

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This was a well written, interesting, sad book. An unspeakable tragedy and how it affects each member of this family. Unfortunately, the family wasn't very likeable, with the exception of Finn. I didn't care for Bridget, I found her self centered and mean. Jarrah was your typical angst ridden teenager, and his self discovery was no big whoop. While I found the story quite compelling, I just couldn't really care about them, or what happened to them. My favorite thing about the book was the setting in a part of the world I know nothing about, and I spent some time googling to find out more. This book wasn't a stinker, but it wasn't a hit either. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

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In The Blink of an Eye is a beautifully written poignant story about the Brennan family and how each member survived after being crushed by a catastrophic loss.

After being betrayed, Bridget decided that a move to, far away subtropical Murwillumbah, NSW was necessary. Fifteen-year-old Jarred and two-year-old Toby had no say, in the matter. And, Finn, didn’t dare voice his opinion.

The Brennan’s were just finding their rhythm and enjoying their new start in life, when a tragedy, so great, struck, forever changing each one of their lives.

To protect his wife, from crumbling under the heavy weight of guilt, Finn took the blame for the horrific accident. Bridget could hardly look at Finn, and banned him, from their marital bed. Jarred coped by withdrawing into his lonely adolescent existence. That was, until a friend, comforted Jarred; opening his eyes, shattering his world, but setting him onto the road to acceptance.

In The Blink of an Eye is a gripping, heartwrenching story, crafted with larger-than-life characters, raw emotion, and hope. Although this story is poignant, it is also heartfelt and enlightening. Bridget bathes in the healing love of Finn’s selfless sacrifice, Finn rejoices in Bridget’s forgiveness, and Jarred discovers freedom in acceptance. And I, closed this bittersweet book, with a smile on my face. This is the first book that I have read by this talented author, but it won’t be my last. Highly recommended.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I loved it.

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This book is terribly sad and hard to describe. The family is very dysfunctional. Of all the characters, I like Jarrah the most and Finn the least. Jarrah - the oldest son - is basically neglected throughout the book and Finn - the father - seems to make so many decisions based solely on his own feelings and needs.
I do understand that a terrible tragedy took place, but the book seems a little rushed or short or something. There were too many stories going on. I think the reader might be better served if the pace were slowed down a bit. Everything takes place in about 5 weeks.

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This is a deeply moving book written in an engaging, compelling style that almost begs to be read and understood. The unspeakable tragedy which shakes the Brennan household happens out of the spotlight, as these things tend to do, but the aftermath is visible, raw, shared with all and sundry, again as these things tend to be.

As a species we need to apportion blame, but when that blame is so all encompassing, so soul destroying we also need to find redemption. In a period of just over a month we see how one tragedy, suffered by three individuals in a similar way effects them all differently.

I loved how the author used perspective for each character. First, second and third person narratives aren't usually put side by side so successfully but here it gives the reader an insight into feelings, emotions and reasoning as individual as the characters themselves.

Losing a loved one sets you apart, how do you deal with it, how do others deal with you? This is captured in some of its many forms and I found myself warming to those on the periphery of the story as much as those right in the middle.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this novel thanks to Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review and recommend it highly. I was a little wary to start with as having suffered a loss, not the same but potentially as devastating, I was unsure if my experience would somehow be lessened or magnified by reading a fictional account of a topic I've tried to avoid. I needn't have worried however, as the writing, the understanding, the acceptance of there being no right or wrong way to handle things kept my memories where they've always been and I am so glad I took the chance to read and enjoy this beautiful book.

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Stunning and heartbreaking. Lives can change so quickly. In the blink of an eye. This book was very emotional and had me engaged from page one. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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