Blink Once Review

Blink Once

-       Cylin Busby

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Copy Courtesy of Bloomsbury

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him until an accident leaves him paralyzed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, slipping in and out of consciousness, West is terrified and alone. Until he meets Olivia.
She's the girl next door—sort of. A patient in the room next to his, only Olivia can tell what West is thinking, and only Olivia seems to know that the terrible dreams he's been having are not just a result of his medication. Yet as West comes to rely on Olivia—to love her, even—certain questions pull at him: Why has Olivia been in the hospital for so long? And what does it mean that she is at the center of his nightmares? But the biggest question of all comes when West begins to recover and learns that the mysterious girl he's fallen in love with has a secret he could never have seen coming

West wakes up in hospital unable to move. He can hear what is going around him but can’t communicate with the nurses, the doctors or his mother. That is until the girl in the next room, Olivia stops by and suggests he can talk by blinking yes or no. Soon Olivia is the one that is keeping West going through all the trials of hospital life, but she is keeping secrets of her own. Secrets that could break apart their fragile relationship...

Finding yourself trapped in your own body, unable to move, unable to talk is one of the scariest things I can imagine – and it terrifies me even more after reading Blink Once. The description of what West feels as he discovers what happened to him and how much has changed is raw and as such very moving. Not being able to ask questions, just learning slowly from what people say what happened – not even sure if people are aware you are awake. I found that haunting and heartbreaking.

The relationship with Olivia is the centre of the story with two people so ill managing to find something special within such a hopeless ward. Olivia is mysterious and moody, but she seems to instinctively understand West and their conversations are really the core of West’s life now. His mother’s visits and his old friends give a contrast of the person West used to be and that they all want back, but Olivia seems to understand who he is now. The final third of the book explores more the mystery behind their relationship and asks whether it survive.

This is a thought-provoking and emotional tale about relationships that define certain parts of our lives. I found the first half of the book the stronger part – and definitely more creepy, but there is a satisfying conclusion that could need tissues!

Recommended for fans of Sophie McKenzie and Jenny Han. 8.5 out of 10