In the Blink of an Eye

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

This was a beautifully written book and I'm so pleased that the download problems were sorted out. The author got into the skin of all of the main characters and they were depicted realistically and believably. The Australian atmosphere was also captured well and I could feel the heaviness of the air in Murwillumbah which echoed the feelings of the characters. Although the book is a work of fiction, I felt so much for the author as she had been through a similar family tragedy and can imagine the impact it would have had for her and for each member of her family throughout their lives.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I will look out for more works by Jesse Blackadder.

What can happen in the blink of an eye? Look away for one minute and your world can fall apart. This is a devastating story of tragedy, loss and grief. It is the story of the far reaching effects that one single moment can have on the lives of those involved. It is also the story of love and hope and how these emotions, although buried deep during the aftermath of the tragedy, can resurface and help to begin the healing process. Well-written and highly recommended. Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the Blink of an Eye is a thought provoking story about a family confronting an unimaginable tragedy. Finn and Bridget live in Australia with their two sons. Jarrah is fifteen and dotes on Toby, his two-year-old brother. The family lives in a home with a swimming pool and one morning when Bridget is distracted Toby disappears.
Though the plot is excruciatingly sad, Blackadder's skilled writing encourages the reader to hope for a positive outcome. In the Blink of an Eye is a fresh outlook on a tragic story.

In the Blink of an Eye is a novel that will break your heart - and help you find forgiveness and closure as you work through the grief, and find ways to aid others to achieve acceptance and the path to serenity as you yourself must do. Jesse Blackadder writes from a place of personal knowledge, and her very sincerity can help the reader find peace within. I started out reading a fictional account of a tragedy and ended finding answers long hidden in a tragedy of my own. Thank you, Jesse Blackadder, for sharing with us your understanding of grief. The first thing your mind does in an instant of life-changing pain is looking for blame. And you can always find a reason to blame yourself. This is a book I am grateful to recommend to friends and family. It is a story all parents should read.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jesse Blackadder, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

n "In the Blink of an Eye", Jesse Blackadder takes the reader inside the Brennan family; Finn, Bridget, and sons Jarrah 15, and Toby, 2. Newly moved from Tasmania to New South Wales, they each are trying to find a way to adjust to their new climate and life.

When the unthinkable happens, and little Toby is lost to them, their lives are turned upside down. In the face of overwhelming grief, they each begin to isolate themselves from the other family members, unable to bear up under anything but the weight of their own emotions.

Told in the alternating POVs of Finn, Bridget and Jarrah, Blackadder presents the reader with a finely drawn character-driven novel that is heart-wrenching, highly emotive and entirely believable. It is hard at times, to be part of this intense look into grief, love, letting go and starting to move on. A very good read indeed!

My thanks to Jordan Hanley of St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was emotionally charged with scenes that would cause most parents to hold their children a little tighter and watch them a little closer. Anyone caring for a child knows how much trouble toddlers can get in if they get out of sight for just few minutes, but imagining how horribly devastating it would be to have your child die because of such short lapse is unbearable.

The author captured the characters emotions so vividly, I couldn’t help but feel much of this is how a tragedy would play out in real life. This is definitely a gripping, 5 star book.

This was a gut-wrenching, emotional novel that follows a family’s grief after a tragic accident. It’s told from three different perspectives with one being first person (Jarrah), one in second person (Bridget), one in third person (Finn). I’m not a huge fan of reading in second person, but I also feel that Bridget was the least likeable character so maybe reading her story in second person was meant to make her a little more likeable. I liked that it shows everyone grieves in different ways and there is not only one proper way to grieve.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. The author does a great job of making you feel the emotions of each character.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for the invitation to read this title through Netgalley.

Finn & Bridget Brennanand their two sons, Jarrah and Toby have recently moved to Murwillumbah, New South Wales. Everyone is still getting adjusted to new schedules and places, not yet had the opportunity to make any close friends. Then tragedy strikes in the blink of an eye, and their youngest son Toby is found dead in their pool.
What follows is blame... blaming each other, blaming themselves, not really knowing who or what is to blame.

This book was so sad. I really felt for Finn, Bridget and Jarrah, It was hard to read, but so worth it.

In the Blink of an Eye was an interesting book. I'm not going to summarize it; there are reviews aplenty that will do that for you. I'm just going to tell you what worked for me and what didn't.
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First, the good stuff. Now, this took a minute (or ten) to get used to, but once I adjusted I really liked it: the perspective of the speaker switches depending on who was speaking. First person ("I did this, I went here," etc) was Jarrah, the teenaged son. Second person ("you" (meaning yourself) "went here; you did that") was Bridget, the matriarch of the story. And that leaves Finn, the husband/father of the story, in third person ("he did this, he said that"). Now, for me this worked on two levels. One, it made it so that no matter who was speaking, you could tell just by that detail alone who was speaking. That was fantastic for those of us (or maybe it's just me?) whose eyes are sometimes faster than their brain so they don't always catch who's speaking. It also worked on the level that in each voice you still had access to both actions and thoughts without even noticing sometimes that you did. That must have taken forever to get right and I applaud the author for taking it on.
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Now for the bad. I didn't think of it as that bad, because I still liked the book, but I feel I didn't fully connect with Bridget. Her obsession with the pool was too much for me (I'm trying really hard to convey meaningful information without spoilers, which is no easy feat here, by the way). If I were in her shoes, I would not have done any of what she did. And that's all I'll say about that. However, I did think Jarrah was written convincingly. And I also really liked his character, which is not always the case with teenage boys.
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All in all, I give this a 3.5, rounded up to 4 because I really did like the different perspectives.
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Thank you to NetGalley, Jesse Blackadder, and St. Martin's Press for the early review copy.

Masterpiece of fascinating writing and storytelling. Enthralling and captivating.

This is a family drama that explores, through 3 view points (the mother, father and son) how the painful and hard walk to forgiveness after a tragedy can be extraordinary. This book a fast paced thrilling read and I finished it in two days. I was very invested in each character and enjoyed the writing style of Author Jesse Blackadder.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good family drama, superb writing and fast paced reading. I give this 4 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Impressively beautifully written but golly it's sad and it doesn't get lighter. Finn, Bridget, Jarrah, and Toby are living the good life in New South Wales in their lovely house with a pool and a studio for Finn to make his art. Just as things are about to take off for Finn, Toby wanders away while Bridget is in charge of him and ends up drowned in the pool, despite the unique security system they have for the fence. The impact of Toby's death is huge, as Finn, Bridget, and Jarrah all become unmoored. It's told from all three viewpoints but Jarrah's resonates the most, perhaps because he was already struggling as a teen. Finn takes the blame for the accident and then is charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence but was he responsible? This isn't about that and it's not about the trial (which is almost a throwaway), it's about a family in grief. There are some nice touches, such as Tom's comments, but I have to admit that I almost gave up on this because it was so unrelentingly sad. I'm glad I didn't. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Talk about an emotional read! I love a good family drama book and this one set the bar. We see a family have moved to a new town when suddenly tragedy strikes and now the questions start to mount. What really happened? Who is to blame? I loved this book from start to finish and was pulled in from the very start. A great read with compelling characters and a great storyline!

This is a cathartic novel about the aftermath of unthinkable tragedy. I can't say that I enjoyed reading it, but more than I was consumed by it. The death of a beloved toddler unfolds in the alternating perspectives of parents Finn and Bridget and their teenaged son, Jarrah. That Toby was acutely loved is never in doubt, but how each surviving family member handles the loss is unique and poignant. An intimate portrait of a family whose loss could have torn them apart and very nearly does.