The Brennan family have recently moved from Tasmania to New South Wales, and they are still adjusting to their new lives when tragedy strikes. When he was briefly left unattended, the family’s two-year-old son Toby, somehow wanders into the closed off pool area and drowns before either of his parents find him. Finn and Bridget, as well as their teenaged son Jarrah, are shattered by Toby’s unexpected death and all of them seek answers about what really happened that day. The local police also want to know if Toby’s death was a tragic accident or the result of negligence. Finn decides in the immediate aftermath that he will take the blame for leaving the gate to the pool area open – sparing Bridget from blaming herself for briefly leaving their son unattended and also (in his mind) making up for a past transgression that nearly ruined their marriage. Turning against her husband, Bridget seeks comfort in surprising places. And Jarrah is thrust into adulthood – forced to face the loss of his brother and his own identity.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE is an emotional, heartbreaking drama about every parent’s worst nightmare – the death of a child. The fact that the author lived through a similar tragedy – her sister drowned when they were children – makes the story all the more real. The novel is told from three separate points of view – Finn’s third-person perspective, Bridget’s second-person perspective, and Jarrah’s first-person perspective. At first, Bridget’s second-person perspective was a bit off-putting since that POV is so rarely used – everything was described as “you did this” and “you felt this.” After a while, I got used to it and even enjoyed it as Bridget tells the story to herself. Finn’s third-person perceptive was a bit detached as it showed him from the outside looking in on the events. Jarrah’s first-person perspective was very abrupt and immediate – much like a teenager would think.

I enjoyed the novel – it was very emotional, and I enjoyed the three different points of view. That being said, there were certain aspects of the novel that I did not enjoy. I did not like the parents at all – especially since they basically dumped their toddler onto their teenage son. I was in no way surprised when Toby drowned as neither parent seemed interested in watching him. Finn was the usual caretaker, but he was too busy working on his art to pay attention. And Bridget…well, she hardly seemed to know how to take care of her child. I was also concerned about Jarrah’s love for his baby brother causing him to question his sexuality. I had no problem with his journey to discover his sexuality, but there just seemed to be an underlying pedophilia thing going on. There was also nothing about Jarrah that led me to think he was gay aside from some random mentions about a boy he used to know who accused him of being gay. A bully called him gay – something that teenage bullies do all the time – and somehow that makes Jarrah gay? Given, the teenager still swims naked with his parents…that could explain some things.

Wow. I loved this book. Brilliantly written I highly recommend it.

It deals with grief and loss. Based loosely on the authors own experience of Loss it is heartbreaking.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read it.

4* Tragically Broken Stars

This book was incredibly emotional and heart wrenching. The authors’ writing is so deep and heartfelt that I was overwhelmed with sadness through most of the story.

The story centres on the Brennan family, Dad Finn, Mother Bridget and their 15 year old son Jarrah who are totally broken and the journey they have to take to overcome the tragic accident that they have all experienced with the loss of their beloved Toby who was only 2 years old.

The story is told from the POV’s of Finn, Bridget and Jarrah. It was interesting to see how each member of the family was coping with the tragedy and to what lengths they went to for healing and acceptance. I struggled to like and accept Bridget as I thought she was incredibly selfish and uncaring.

If you are in the mood for a highly emotional story about dealing with grief, forgiveness and family then I highly recommend this powerful read.

Many thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my copy to read and review.

The Brennan family leave Hobart to move across the sea to Murwillumbah in New South Wales. It is meant to be a fresh start for the family after having been shaken up and left reeling. Mother Bridget is successful in her interview and the boys find an ideal home for the family, complete with a swimming pool. They are all unused to the wearying heat: the purple house is just what they were looking for, right down to the pool for a refreshing dip to cool them all down.

Finn is the house husband while Bridget puts her enthusiasm and considerable skills into her work, paying the bills and affording them an easy lifestyle. Finn is an artist hoping to break through and make it big as a sculptor. He has just earned a valuable commission and things are looking very bright with another possible customer showing interest in his work. He’s an excellent Dad to Jarrah and Toby, the baby of the family at only two years old. They had almost given up all hope of a second child when Toby arrived thirteen years after Jarrah. He was their gift from the angels and the two boys are extremely close.

With Finn needing to work hard to complete his commission on time, Bridget arranges childcare for Toby and agrees to take some time off work as well. That first morning is such a rush for the family with Bridget unaware of the daily routine. She has already sent Finn off to his work shop. Jarrah has left for school so she rushes upstairs, taking her eye off Toby for only a few minutes, having left him on the floor reading his book. But when she returns Toby is missing. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. She hunts for him, hoping he is playing at hide and seek. She glances out of the window and there she sees her baby face down in the water. She is devastated. She cannot revive him, even though Finn reads the resuscitation protocol to her. Finn collects Jarrah from school and the nightmare begins. They are broken, not able to help each other it seems. Then the police call in to the family home with even more bad news.

This story is based on the true story of Jesse Blackadder’s two year old sister who lost her life in a similar accident. It is captivating and beautifully written, full of raw and unmitigated grief, paralysing the once happy family that had everything to look forward to then lose it all. It is heart breaking to the upmost extreme but also thought provoking and addictive. Jesse writes with compassion and empathy, laying the facts bare. She has meticulously researched her facts and created perfect characters to enhance her story. I felt stricken for the family and hoped against all hope that they would come through this devastating trauma. Their grief, anger, forgiveness and loyalty are stretched to the limits. The three narrators are bewildered and nothing makes sense to them. Their plight just melts your heart.

I received a complimentary copy of this excellent novel from publisher St Martin’s Press through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to read and review this novel. Jesse Blackadder has a huge talent and has used her personal trauma to inform her impassioned writing. She knows the damage done in the blink of an eye will be far reaching and inform the future of this poor family, once four individuals, but now only three. She has a huge talent for this genre. It’s a mighty 5* review from me.

This novel was first published in Australia in 2017 when it was published as ‘60 Seconds’

This book is just not for me. I couldn’t get into the characters or the story. It has a great cover which will draw readers in but I didn’t like the way the story was being told. Did not finish.

I read this book via my Kindle voice view, this was a different genre than my normal historical fiction but due to the reviews I was looking forward to a change. The story is told by the four members of the family, Toby, Finn, Jarrah and Bridget, they all go over the unfortunate events of a family tragedy, how it has affected each one, how they perceive the events of the day and finally how they try to move forward.
This family was broken and dis-connected before the tragedy, they just never took the time to realize how broken they were. Toby was holding this family together, I won’t go into the many issues nor want to give away any spoilers, but, I was disappointed in the depth, I found Bridget completely self-centered, Finn wasn’t much better, but he was trying to do the right thing and they both were so consumed with their own problems, they were missing Jarrah’s struggles.
I felt the best part of the book was the ending, this is a drama filled, basically sad story. I see that I am in the minority on the reviews of this book and may have missed some of the beauty, but unfortunately it just wasn’t one of my favorites.
I was given an advanced copy from St. Martin’s Press through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 3***’s.

This is a very emotional story of how it feels when it happens as opposed to why or what happens.

I felt so utterly broken after reading this that I was speechless.

So I did the unusual and wrote my review in a form of a poem:
It’s not the first or last sentence
The tears roll on and on
The most unbearable repentance
All three narrators feel on and on
Painfully detained events that come
After the uttermost horrifying unmentionable
Brain succumbs to a soothing hum
It’s just a story, just words that feel factiously imaginable
Except they’re not just words
They’re thoughts written down
They’re true feelings broken out in herds
That have no equivalent in nouns
My heart breaks into a million parts
When I read the last note by the writer
So much remorse, years worked on her arts
Seconds pass, days go by as my heart goes out for her life to get lighter

Thank you St. Martin's Press - you broke my heart but you also gave me the insight (this book ironically traveled into my horizons right after we'd said NO to relocating to Australia) and introduced me to an amazing talent that is Jesse Blackadder. My heart goes out to your family!

My life will never be the same.

I’ve read sad family stories before and laughed and cried along with them. This book was just not my cup of tea. It is a family drama. It is sad but there are some lighter spots in it. The family consists of Finn, the father, Bridget, the mother, Jarrah the older son and Toby, the younger son. The story is told from the perspective of each of the parents and the older son. To me it was somewhat hard to follow and difficult to follow each of the threads to their ends. I think others will find this book very interesting it just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Devastating emotional heart wrenching.Life changing in a moment life will never be the same.A book that drew me in took me on this sad ride a book that stays with you literary fiction at its best. #netgalley #stmartinsbooks.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreaking novel about the loss of a child through accidental drowning.

In the Blink of an Eye is a compelling and emotional read. Jesse Blackadder is a master at the words that flow beautifully across these pages.

Finn, Bridget, and their two sons Toby and Jarrah move to New South Wales. They're enjoying their new house as a family and the amazing pool in the backyard. The 16 year old son Jarrah is having a hard time at his new school making friends and has a wonderful relationship with his 2 year old brother Toby.

A tragedy strikes early on in the novel for this family and they're absolutely broken. The author does an amazing job portraying how grief and loss affects each individual differently. The novel alternates between perspectives of Bridget, Finn, and Jarrah.

The story was beautifully written but found it a tad bit slow towards the 60 percent mark and was wondering where the story was going.

I did find the ending to be quite strange.... I think the author left it up to the readers interpretation?

Overall, I enjoyed this emotional story of this family and would definitely check out more from Jesse Blackadder.

3.5 stars rounded up :)

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 3/19/19
Published to Goodreads: 2/8/19

This was a totally different kind of book for me and at times I wasn't quite sure if I was really feeling it, I think it's maybes because I am used to something a little more exciting. The story is about a family that lose their baby son in an accident and how it affects the life's of the mum dad and older brother. Unfortunately I can only give this book two stars :(

Pretty good but I feel like this story has already been told multiple times in multiple ways. It did, however, keep my interest.

In The Blink Of An Eye is a deeply emotional, intense drama about a family that crumbles after a terrible tragedy. It’s about a family fighting to make it through an unbearable grief, while attempting to protect and not blame each other. It is well written and is a fascinating read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This is a heartbreaking, yet moving story. Bridget and Finn have moved to a new area in New South Wales with their children, Jarrah, a teenager and Toby, a toddler. The story is told from various POV’s which makes it more interesting. Jarrah is struggling as a teenager, struggling with his emotions and his sexual identity. He is very close to Toby, caring for him as a father would. Bridget works full time and is the main earner in the family while Finn is a struggling artist. A tragedy strikes when Toby wanders into the pool in their back yard and drowns. The story is then mainly about how each struggles with their grief and self-blame and their struggle to remain a family. I particularly enjoyed each POV.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

A must need accessory for reading this book….Tissues. I must have gone through half a box. A very powerful and emotional story about a family struggling to make it through tough times. As the title states, “In the Blink of an Eye”, so much can change so fast even I wasn’t prepared for this one and I found it hard to put the book down because I needed to know what was going to happen and everything was going to be okay. This was a very raw and compelling story that I would recommend.

Incredibly well written story about loss and the grieving an entire family goes through and how they manage. How "in the blink of an eye" your life can be tragically turned upside down. I felt everything. Every single emotion, every bit of pain. It was gut wrenching but it was heartwarming. I could not stop until I finished because I needed to know they would all be okay in the end. I will not soon forget this story.

Thank you for the gifted book Netgalley, the writing was wonderful. You really get to know and feel for the family. It was an easy read and I flew through it.

The writing was so good that I felt I knew this family and was living their story with them.I especially liked the oldest son and really sympathized with him.I did find it a little slow in places, but I am an impatient reader, overall a very realistic and moving read.Thanks to netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC.