Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kate Hewitt for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Every now and then I find a book that’s so relatable that I just can’t put it down. In the Blink of an Eye was just such a book. The story in some ways is nothing surprising, but the observations here were so on target that I was compelled to finish it just to see how it was resolved in the end.

When I began reading, I sort of groaned. The setting was the near-perfect suburban-rural town of Wetherby, Connecticut. The houses here are expensive, and the first people who are introduced seem near perfect. Eleanor is a stay-at-home Mom who seems too good to be true. She’s involved at school including the classroom and PTA. She is beautiful and has a handsome, seemingly perfect husband as well as two daughters. They eat all the best and healthiest food, much of which she makes herself.

Her best friend is Natalie, who is separated from her husband although she’s not really sure why. She loves her husband a great deal, but one day he said he just couldn’t do it anymore and moved out. It’s been hard on her daughter, Freya. To make matters worse, the friendship between Freya and Eleanor’s daughter, Bella, is not a healthy one, although Natalie doesn’t see it.

Kieran is a new kid in school. He has some behavioral issues that have the school on high alert. His mother, Joanna, is trying to balance everything between working and taking care of her son, as well as her husband, Tim, who suffered a breakdown.

The story is told from each of their perspectives, trading off the point of view in each chapter. From this, though, we get some interesting insights on what it’s like being a parent in this day and age. I see my own daughter struggling to be “perfect” under the microscope of social media and all of the pressures that come along with it. In a town such as Wetherby where it seems they are all trying to outdo each other, it’s even worse.

I could also relate to the difficult relationship between the two girls who are supposedly “best friends.” I had a similar situation when we lived in suburban New York with my oldest daughter and it’s hard to navigate when you’re in such close proximity. Hewitt gets the situation so perfect as Natalie wants to do something but she’s not sure how to handle it in such a closed community.

Eleanor decides to invite the entire class to Bella’s birthday party to be held in their backyard. It’s a step back from the competitive birthday parties they’ve been having. Kieran is invited, although reluctantly. It’s only Eleanor and Natalie supervising 28 third graders. Tragedy strikes when Bella is found face-down in the pond with Kieran standing over her. Eleanor immediately assumes Kieran did something to Bella.

Much of the story is not really that original. I’ve read other stories with a similar storyline. What Hewitt does, though, is capture just how hard it is from the perspective of a parent, particularly a mother. Eleanor is driving herself to be perfect, at the cost of her own well-being. She’s afraid of making a misstep that will lead to criticism from her husband. At first, it seems that he is demanding that perfection, but it’s really more her putting that pressure on herself. These women all carry baggage while they are trying to navigate their place in a world that still demands a false existence.

I do recommend In the Blink of an Eye to anyone who enjoys this type of fiction. It’s extremely relatable and the story is well-written. I devoured it in a day.