Review: Blink Once by Cylin Busby

Title: Blink Once

Author: Cylin Busby

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Publication Date: September 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Synopsis can be found here.
NetGalley review.

Review:

West wakes up to a girl crying and a totally different world. After an accident, West is paralyzed, unable to communicate or move. But then he meets Olivia, the girl in the room over and she gives him the hope and strength he needs.

I don't want to say too much about the story because I don't want to spoil it. A fast read, I was very involved in West's story, his world and his difficult situation. I liked West's voice, a seventeen year old boy, struggling with a very scary new world around him. The way he viewed Olivia was refreshing. Beautiful, but with a dark edge, West was fully aware something wasn't right.

I enjoyed the writing, getting into West's head and the descriptions of his complicated feelings and fears. The love story was sweet and tender, though honestly, through a lot of it wasn't exactly sure how I felt about Olivia. It's apparent that there is a deep sadness about the girl, and some of the conversations with West reveal a fully flawed, yet warm hearted character. I don't know if I felt romance, per say. I saw it as more of a very strong friendship, though I know it was supposed to be romantic. I also felt a bit empty from the twist and ending. I saw it coming from about a quarter way in and was disappointed that I was right.

That said, Blink Once is a quick, mysterious read. It deals with some very hard issues and Busby does a beautiful job expressing West's complicated situation.

Rating: 6 Good, but wouldn't own a copy