Such a heartwrenching story of the intricacies of family dynamics, friendship, special needs and bullying. In this case I think the parents have a lot to answer for, it is no wonder that the children are playing up. A mother goes to pick her child up from a birthday party to discover a little girl has been seriously hurt and her child is being blamed. The book is so powerful that it is impossible to put down. The mystery of what happened at the party had my attention riveted. The twist is surprising and the ending had me reaching for the tissues!

Quote: "Maybe every friendship has its course to run, I reflect, no matter how long or short, how straight or twisted."

In the Blink of an Eye by Kate Hewitt is told from three points of view:

Natalie - mother of Freya
Eleanor - mother of Bella & Lizzy
Joanna - mother of Kieran

Natalie and Eleanor are best friends. As are Freya and Bella. We begin with Eleanor wanting to throw a class birthday party for Bella. However, there's one problem, she doesn't want to invite Kieran. Kieran is considered to be the troubled new kid in town. Natalie tells her that she cannot exclude one kid. Eleanor reluctantly agrees to invite Kieran.

Fast forward to the day of the birthday party. So much happens before, during, and after the party. During the party, right before the cake, tragedy strikes. Something terrible happens involving Bella, Freya and Kieran. Who's to blame?

In In the Blink of an Eye, friendships will be stretched to the limit. Marriages will be put to the test. Parents will question how well they know their children.

Will marriages survive?
Will friendships stay intact?
Is Kieran really the monster some think he is?
What really happened at the birthday party?

Quote: "Some secrets are worth keeping."

I definitely recommend In the Blink of an Eye by Kate Hewitt. Especially, if you enjoy family drama, friendship drama, parenting struggles, and small-town drama. Also, if you like clean books with no to very little foul language, this is a good book for that. I don't recall any foul language. As a reader, I really appreciate that.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review In the Blink of an Eye by Kate Hewitt.

This was a fun read told in 3 different POVs. As a mom, I loved the parent drama. It gave me a lot of Big Little Lies vibes - which I think it may have been name dropped in the blurb and that's why I requested this :) I think people will eat this one up!

This was a quick read and I enjoyed reading it. The end felt kinda rushed but it was still an interesting story and it was hard to put down!
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this arc.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ written by Kate Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Eleanor is arranging a class party for her daughter Bella’s 8th birthday and has invited twenty-eight children. While Eleanor’s in the kitchen preparing the food, her friend Natalie whose daughter Freya is Bella’s best-friend is told to watch the children in the garden but she’s distracted as she has to take an important phone call. Then screams are heard and a child is found lying face down in a muddy pond. Fingers are pointed and blame assigned although no-one really knows what happened.

‘In The Blink Of An Eye’ is the moving story of Eleanor and Natalie who meet Joanna and her son Kieran at the school gate when they move to Wetherby. The story is told in alternate chapters by the three women whose lives aren’t what they appear to be. It’s a lovely story, beautifully written by an author who writes wonderful heart-warming and insightful novels. I liked the three women and although I initially thought Eleanor was rather selfish she changed as the story progressed, and Natalie and Joanna were just nice women who I believe I could be friends with in the real world. But my favourite character was Kieran, a lovely boy who finds it difficult to be understood, and I’m really pleased he was able to give his point of view in the Epilogue. This is a delightful novel that I’ve enjoyed very much.

"In The Blink of an Eye" is a book brimming with emotion, suspense, and tension, providing an intriguing read overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

A couple and their son move to a new town for a fresh start. Their son has a hard time adjusting to his new school and classmates and is acting out. Bella, a classmate, has a birthday party coming up and naturally doesn’t want to invite him but gives him an invitation. With so many attending the party an accident happens. Bella is found hurt at the pond. This gripping page turner kept my attention.

the blink of an eye - Kate Hewitt

Diolch i @netgalley a @bookouture am y copi cyn cyhoeddi.

Roedd y llyfr yma yn teimlo ychydig yn ara deg i ddechrau, er fy mod yn gallu uniaethu â’r gwahanol deimladau wrth gwrdd â’r mamau amrywiol wrth fynd â’r plant i’r ysgol! Ond wrth i’r stori ddatblygu roeddwn ar bigau’r drain eisiau gweld beth oedd am ddigwydd nesaf! Mae’r nofel wir yn dangos effaith ein perthynas gydag eraill, a’r sgîl-effeithiau a ddaw o’n cysylltiad a’n hagweddau tuag at eraill. Mae’n dangos effaith ein geiriau wrth i blant glustfeinio ar ein sgyrsiau ac yn dangos sut yr ydym yn tyfu i fod yr hyn ydym yn dilyn ein profiadau fel plant. Nofel sydd yn ymdrin ag elfennau beunyddiol diflas ein bywydau gan agor ein llygaid i sut y gall rhywbeth syml fel parti pen-blwydd merch fach arwain at gymaint o gymhlethdodau, brwydro, beio, dealltwriaeth a derbyn.


Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

This one started off as a bit of a slow burner for me, although I could relate somewhat to the different feelings as we met the various mothers on the school run! As the story developed I was on tenterhooks wanting to know what would happen next! This novel truly shows the impact of our relationships with others, and the side-effects of our attitudes towards others. It shows the impact of our words as children overhear our conversations, and shows how we become who we are and the impact of our childhood experiences on who we become. A novel that presents the mundane elements of daily life but also opens our eyes to how something as simple as a child’s birthday party can cause such difficulties, conflict, blame, understanding and acceptance.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE by Kate Hewitt
⭐️ rating: 7.5/10

read if you like:
🏡 family dramas
🧒 child dramas
📔 books by Jodi Picoult

summary:
I went on a bender reading Kate Hewitt’s books a couple of years ago, because they pull you in so quickly and cause you to think so deeply. So when I saw this ARC, I knew I wanted to read it.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE is about three children, Bella, Freya and Kieran, told from their POV’s of their mothers, Eleanor, Natalie and Joanna. Eleanor is the seemingly perfect mom and perfect wife, throwing Bella a quintessential 7th birthday party. Natalie, struggling from the recent separation from her husband, is Eleanor’s best friend and second in command, trying to help out at the party as best she can. And Kieran, a boy new to town struggling with his social and emotional issues, is invited to the party, only because he’s a part of the class and despite Eleanor’s wishes. When an accident happens at the party, all three moms are faced with the dilemma of what role their child played in the incident, and what really happened.

This book alternates between the three women’s POV’s, and is raw and emotional as we learn about their vulnerabilities as mothers and friends. All throughout the book I felt so deeply for all three of them struggling with their own realities, and even though I don’t have kids, they felt so relatable. Some parts of the book felt a little unrealistic or rushed, but it artfully made you think about what role parents play in their childrens’ personalities and behaviors. The role their husbands play is also so interesting - I love books with a strong female character and all three women were clearly the “alphas” in their marriage and their husbands struggled with how to adapt to that in their own ways. I was glad the ending came together like it did — with some self realization, some commitment to growth, and some hope for the future.

Kate Hewitt’s books always pull at your heartstrings and this was no exception! Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for the advanced copy. If you love Jodi Picoult and books like hers, check this out when it releases on July 1!

I liked the boon but wasnt in love with the whole story. It was interesting but it was out of my comfort zone so maybe if I was more into this genre it would have been a different outcome for me.

I was so happy as I called along as I had to go get my boy he was at a birthday party
But as I got there they was an ambulance
And the other parent told me it was all my fault for letting him come here
I had an ARC

This quick paced suspense novel was a fun read! I loved that it was told from three POVs and that it was done in a way that you were learning new information without feeling like you were rereading the same event over and over. There are a lot of mini side-plots going on that add to the overall sense of mystery. All of the loose ends are wrapped up by the end, which is always nice.

Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

Have your tissues ready & be prepared to feel all the emotions in this one! Kate Hewitt writes in such a way that the reader feels as though they are a part of the story in In The Blink of an Eye. Heartfelt, heartpounding……. Intense! Full of emotions and edge of the seat suspense, you won’t be able to put this one down!

Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A novel full of emotions and suspense. With the story told fom multiple points of view you get a much fuller picture and as the witnessess are children the facts are much more difficult to verify. But gradually the picture becomes more clear, or so you think. Very cleverly done.

Jo mom to Kieran, Natalie mom to Freya, and Eleanor mom to Bella tell this story of what happens at a 8th birthday party, Kieran has issues but would he hurt a little girl? This is focused as much on the family back stories as it is on the event (which is, of course, over in a flash) and what comes after. The characters are interesting even if the scenario is familiar. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was an interesting rainy day mystery, with three different points of view that slowly merge across the course of the story. The mystery that eventually unfolds is certainly interesting and multi-faceted, and not too anxiety inducing for those of us who rip through pages to work out the ending when it's really high drama.

I feel like this book might have benefited a bit from cutting the POVs down, or at least making them a bit more distinct. I found the first half of the book a little tough to get into, and honestly, the second half was miles better as the threads knitted together. I thought this was a really interesting story, but it could have done with expansion in some places and some editing in other places.

I will say I was a little surprised as well by the amount of the book that was a preview for another book, and also how much of it was promos for other books again. I think it's fabulous that there are so many others to read, but nearly a quarter of my app copy was taken up by the previews and promos, which was a little bit much.

All in all, this was a fun little mystery with some interesting twists and turns, and well worth a quick weekend read!

These books are my favorite! I love how the author tells the story through three first person stories. It gives a new aspect and allows the reader to see the story through each person's eyes. It also leaves the reader second guessing who is behind the tragedy! It also reminds the reader that everything can change in the blink of an eye.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

In The Blink of an Eye follows 3 different moms POVs. Jo has a son named Kieran, Natalie a daughter named Freya, and Eleanor a daughter named Bella. The kids are all in the same third grade classroom. Eleanor is known for throwing big parties for her kids. But for Bellas 8th birthday, she kind of wants to do something smaller. She invites the whole third grade class. But a tragic accident happens, and a kid ends up hurt. Was it an accident, or did someone do it on purpose?
As a mom of a speacial needs kid, I found myself relating to Jo the most with her situation with Kieran and trying to fit in with the circle of moms. The story felt to me a bit repetitive, but it will still have you hooked with trying to figure out what happened at that birthday party. I definitely didn't see the twist of what actually happened coming.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I would probably categorize this as a suspense novel. There were some twists but nothing revolutionary. I don't think it was meant to be a jaw dropping ending type of book (which is what I'm typically into) and I didn't really miss that usual shock factor. It was a story that touched on pediatric mental health, unbalanced adult relationships, compassion for others (or lack thereof,) and spousal difficulties which are all really important topics. We always compare ourselves to others and I felt this book was a good example of why we shouldn't. We all go through "things" and that is okay. I liked the ending to this story as well. It felt cathartic. I felt relieved. The pressure from my chest lifted. If you want a well written book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend In the Blink of an Eye. This was my first book by Kate Hewitt and now I feel I have to go read all her others too.

When the 8 year old birthday girl is hurt at her party by the new to the neighborhood 7 year old boy with behavior issues, who is to blame? Told in alternating POV of the three main characters, this book was a rollercoaster full of emotions!