This is a novel about three mothers dealing with significant life challenges. Joanna moves her family to Wetherby, Connecticut for a fresh start, but they struggle to fit in. Her husband battles depression, and her son, Kieran, has behavioral issues. When Kieran is invited to a birthday party for Bella, the seemingly perfect daughter of Eleanor, a tragic incident leaves Bella in a coma and Kieran blamed. Eleanor stays by her daughter's side in the hospital, while Natalie, another supervising mother, is wracked with guilt and worry for her own daughter. As secrets unravel, the mothers' relationships are tested. The story explores the perspectives of Joanna, Natalie, and Eleanor, as they navigate the fallout from the accident and face real-life issues.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this one. Wow!! It had lots of Mom drama. It is so realistic on how it feels to be a parent and a parent of a child that doesn’t fit the mold. It’s so hard to be a parent who just wants their child to fit in but to add moms who seem so perfect and have “perfect” children, it’s even worse. Then add in an incident at the perfect Moms house and it is your child’s fault, well, look out because that is the worst feeling. This was so good that I could not stop reading it.

Liked ✅
- Multiple POV’s
- Character introspection
- Epilogue POV

Didn't Like ❌
- Slow paced

Thoughts 💭
Off the start this book gave me Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty vibes. After the initial incident I realized how each character played a far more in depth role in the events leading up to the incident.

The story is told from multiple povs showing us traits and habits from all the characters that led to mistakes that could have been prevented. The character introspection was my favourite aspect of this book. As a reader you witness growth and massive changes in all of them.

I did find the pace of the book on the slow side. The book was not meant to be a mystery like I originally thought, and I loved that quality of it. I also loved the POV of the epilogue, it brought another layer of truth to the incident.

Heads up to Kindle readers the last 15-20% of the book is promotional excerpts and descriptions of other books by Kate Hewitt. It threw off my percentage and how long the book was actually going to take.

In the Blink of an Eye by Kate Hewitt is engaging and has a well-written plot.
I loved the way the author built the suspense. It kept my attention and had me wanting to keep reading.
The story line was intriguing and fresh. The character building was just right and makes you feel connected to each character. Loved the suspense and mystery.
The character development was very well done.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I loved this book! I have read several of Kate Hewitt's previous books so I was looking forward to reading this one. I have enjoyed the others (light, fun, rom com reads) but this was on a very different level. A class of seven and eight-year olds have gathered for a birthday party, overseen by two of the mums. The unthinkable happens - whilst both of the parents are distracted, one of the children is seriously hurt. During pick up and drop off at the school playground over the next few days, fingers are pointed at one particular child. Kieran. He is new, and is clearly struggling to fit in, and some 'incidents' at school are all it takes for some of the parents to turn against him and his mum, Joanna, despite the events at the party being unclear... Told from three different perspectives (Eleanor, the holder of the party and class 'supermum', Natalie, Eleanor's best friend and the other mum at the party, and Joanna) once I started this novel I couldn't put it down and read it in two sittings over one weekend! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy (this has not affected my review).

In my opinion, this is not a thriller, but is just an unraveling of the events of a children’s birthday party. When Bella is found face down in the pond, questions arise. How did she end up in the pond? Was she pushed? Who could be responsible? This is a story of the differences in children and shows how many parents can be fake.

I’m a huge fan of the author’s historical fiction so was looking forward to reading In the Blink of an Eye. This sounded like the kind of twisty thriller I can get behind. I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the fact the book is narrated by three different first person’s POV’s, all mother’s involved in a tragedy. I related to Jo the most, her son has special needs and seems to be blamed for what happened by everyone else. I wasn’t 199% sure this was the case so I had to keep reading to find out. I liked the twists in the book but they weren’t too intense. I enjoyed this a lot and would recommend it.

I enjoyed this book, it was very emotional and intense. I love how the women are differently flawed, there were times it made me upset just how some of the adults treated Kieran, just because he was just standing there. But, it reminds me of today's world and how easy it is to judge and blame others. The moral of the story is not to jump to a conclusion before getting to the other half.

Whew! Lives change In the Blink of an Eye. It only takes a moment, and nothing will ever be the same again! I found In the Blink of an Eye to be gripping, thought provoking, emotion evoking and well thought out. I found myself feeling for each character involved in this moving and wonderfully written book. Three mothers and their children will find their lives changed after a child's birthday party.

Eleanor presents as not only having it all together but as having it all. During her youngest daughter Bella's birthday party, Bella is injured, and accusations are hurled. Natalie is Eleanor's friend and mother of Freya who is Bella's best friend. Natalie is helping Eleanor at the birthday party when tragedy strikes. Joanna is Kieran's mother. They are new in town and Kieran is struggling to make friends and fit in at school. He attends the birthday party for Bella and as Joanna arrives to pick him up, he is accused of causing harm.

Wowza! This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I wanted to give several characters a hug while chastising others. This book touches on many things such as friendship, marriage, secrets, bullying, mental health, social and emotional issues, communication and motherhood. This book also serves as a reminder about making assumptions and placing blame to name a few. I had a hard time putting this book down. I had to know how things were going to play out.

I found myself trying to put myself in the place of each mother. What happens is gut-wrenching. All the women have their own burdens to carry. Each will be affected (as will their children). Each is presented with an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. I enjoyed how Kate Hewitt provides the POV of each mother. This was a very nice touch and made the book more moving for me. It was nice getting into each mother's thoughts, struggles, doubts, concern, and emotions.

This book is dramatic, riveting, moving, and tense at times. I look forward to reading more books by Kate Hewitt.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of In the Blink of an Eye. EXCELLENT!!!!! Kate Hewitt always invokes emotions in each of her books. The tenseness I felt at the party was so real, I felt I was actually there. Jo was my favorite character but in the end, ALL found themselves and it was a Great ending. I am sorry it’s over, this was a book that could have kept going because it could have happened in real life. I have already started telling friends about this one. Thank you again.

What a gripping and emotional story!
Female friendship and betrayal are the key elements of the story.
A child’s accident at a birthday party. The families involved will be changed forever. Can they find resolution in the end?
A fast, quick read that kept me engaged throughout the story.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book, which was hard to put down from the beginning.

When a new family move to a new place, it’s hard for them to get used to the surroundings, and their son is also finding it hard at school.

One of the girls, Bella, from his class is having a birthday party, and isn’t keen to invite the new boy, but, she gives him the invitation she’s handed out to all the others.

During the party, as there’s a lot of children, it’s not easy keeping watch over them and an accident takes place, and Bella is the injured child at the pond.

The story covered some sensitive issues. The mystery of how Bella was found at the pond tests friendships between some parents.

The twist in the story, I didn’t expect.

I highly recommend this book.

I was immediately hooked as soon as I opened this book, it kept surprising me over and over, great read overall!

This story is an emotional roller coaster with so many twists and turns. So many events leads to an accident, but who is to blame?
I loved this story. During reading you get to know the characters and discover the secrets they have.

This was a really fast and easy read, I couldn’t put it down and I really wanted to know what happened at the birthday party.

Written in multiple POVs, this thriller dives into how parents see their children and how they navigate through that and through their marriages. I really liked the characters development and I totally didn’t see the twist of what truly happened coming, the epilogue was pretty surprising.

3.75 ★

Thank you Kate Hewitt, Bookouture & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

#InTheBlinkOfAnEye #NetGalley

Kate Hewitt has written another wonderful and true-to-life story. Everything happening in this book is happening all over at school yards, within friendships and even marriages. Very heartfelt!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

In The Blink Of An Eye is a compelling novel that follows three mothers who are all going through tough battles in life. Wanting a fresh start for her family, Joanna finds herself moving to Wetherby, Connecticut to create a new life. Unfortunately, things are difficult and her family struggles to fit in in their new community. Joanna's husband is battling depression, her son, Kieran, has behavioral issues, and Joanna is just trying to keep it all together.
One day, Kieran is invited to a classmate's birthday party. Bella seems to be the perfect child, so when things take a turn for the worst at her party, Kieran is automatically the one to blame. Bella's mother, Eleanor, finds herself in the hospital alongside her daughter, patiently waiting for her to wake from a coma. Natalie, another mother who was supervising the party, finds herself filled with guilt and worried for her own daughter. As the truth unfolds, secrets are revealed and relationships are tested. Will it ruin these families?

This book is a good drama, one where our main characters face real-life issues. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I connected with any of the characters and most of the story seemed repetitive. There was little excitement and the climax points weren't as eventful as I thought they'd be. It is an entertaining read however, but it just was not my favorite. 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kate Hewitt for this ARC!

This amazing book is told in 3 different viewpoints.

A tragedy happens at a birthday part and one of the sons is being blamed. Friendships are tested, marriages are at odds, will they make it out ok? These are the questions you ask while reading this book.

I want to thank Bookouture and the author for including me in this tour.

I just finished reading this book and couldn't put it down. I was completely engrossed. The story is told from the perspectives of three mothers with different children, and centers around an accident at a birthday party involving a little girl. This leads to a lot of issues, with one boy in particular being blamed for the accident. I really sympathize with Kieran's mom and how her son is being unfairly blamed. As the newest member of the neighbourhood, it's understandable that he's singled out.

During one of the children's birthday parties, a tragic incident occurs in an instant, leading to widespread blame among the parents, both internally and externally.

This touching story had many surprising twists as it delved into these delicate issues. Kate Hewitt is well-regarded for her portrayal of family drama in her stories, and this one certainly lives up to expectations.




#Bookouture #FamilyDrama #Parenting #Community #Inclusion #Empathy #BookLovers #Storytelling #MustRead

Pediatric and adult mental health issues, family dysfunction and the complexity of female friendships are at the core of this story. It was certainly an emotional read which at times felt like a punch to the gut.

Told in three alternating point of views, we meet three mother’s and their eight year old children, all of whom are struggling personally and within their family. At one of the children’s birthday parties, something goes terribly wrong in the blink of an eye and blame becomes pervasive for each parent on both an internal and external level.

This moving story had several twists as it dealt with these sensitive issues. Kate Hewitt is known for her exploration of family drama within her stories and this one did not disappoint.