(This review is also on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).

I bought this book as a gift to myself because, well, I can never have enough books! The synopsis of the book sounded really good, and I was kind of right.

West ends up in hospital paralysed from the neck down after a biking accident. He thinks that life will never get any better until he meets the alluring Olivia who is in the next room. Soon, she's sneaking in to his room to see him whenever she can. He communicates with her by blinking his eyes once for yes and twice for no. West starts having some strange dreams whilst in hospital. He can't but help to feel that his dreams and the hospital he's in are somehow connected. And what's the deal with Olivia? Why is she in hospital?

I thought the title of this book kind of suits it. West does use blinking for communicating, but that's about it. I don't really see the significance of the title "Blink Once." The author could've chose another title that's better suited to the book, but I suppose Blink Once suits it a bit.

The cover, like the title sort of suits the book. It's just a picture of a girl laying down, possibly sleeping. I'm assuming it's Olivia. It seems that most YA books these days take the easy route of picking out a design for their cover but just putting up a photo of one of the main characters. Meh, like I said, it's an okay cover, but it could've been better. It does relate to the book though so I suppose that's something.

There's not much to say about the setting. About 98 percent of the book takes place in a hospital. The other places the book takes place is in memories in West's mind for the most part.

The pacing started out so so so slowly. I was thinking how disappointed I was in this book especially as I actually paid money for it. I had to force myself to read it, but I'm glad I did. About 65 percent of the way through the book, the pacing of the book picks up. It becomes a fascinating read. Of this, I was very thankful. Once I got to where the book had decent pacing, I couldn't put the book down. I was wondering if I was actually reading the same book as the pacing was totally opposite for awhile.

The dialogue is good for a young adult book. There is some swearing in this book, but it's not too much. I liked the way the characters, especially the boys, came across as being "real" teenagers, as in talking about how hot a girl was and that sort of thing. A lot of YA books seem to make their teenage characters appear to be more adult. It was so refreshing to see the characters acting their age.

As for the characters, I must admit, at first I couldn't care less about what happened to West and Olivia or what was going to happen to them. When the book actually got going, I started falling in love with West and Olivia. I loved their relationship. You can definitely feel that they've got something special. Olivia does come across as a bit needy, but I think that helped me relate to her. She doesn't come across as an annoying needy girl. It's a bit hard to explain.

This book will make you question certain things. I won't tell you what because I don't want to give too much away. It made me feel like I shouldn't ever take anything for granted.

I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 16 .

Blink Once by Cylin Busby gets a 3.5 out of 5 from me. ( )

http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot.com/

West hasn't always been popular and good looking but when he's starting High School he has a friend in Mike. Mike a curly red haired wannabe ladies woman who rides bike. Mike saved him from being this geeky outcast when he saw potential in him. He had gotten his braces off, got contact lenses, and grew taller. West like Mike is also a bike rider and when doing one of his tricks to impress Allie his girlfriend he lands... wrong. He becomes paralyzed.

Now you may be wondering what's up with the girl on the cover? I was to but don't worry. There is a girl the same age as him. A very odd kind of scary girl that he can't help but like. She's constantly trying to get rid of her feeding thing... I forgot what's it's called but basically it's because she's anorexic. She wants to become friends with him. He can't really do anything about it since he's strapped down and can't move but he looks forward to her visits and likes to even write about something's that are bothering him like the strange nightmares that plague him about a girl full of blood and a man as the culprit.

I loved this duo. I loved this story. I sort of kind of loved the ending. West is very lovable. Thank goodness even if he's a pretty boy that he doesn't let it go to his head. He does care about his girlfriend Allie. Allie who he hasn't seen and when he does... She's just not like Olivia. Olivia is the girl next door by the way and I sort of thought right along with West that she might be a bit crazy and at one point trying to kill him. Seeing everything from his point I would feel that way about everyone. But she's a little bit special. She really wants him to stay and be friends with her. Her mother hardly ever comes over and her so called friends never come over so she acts jealous sometimes and angry at West but not in an irritating sort of way. She's just sad and you get that but she isn't a very mopey type like I explained before she acts... different. But that's good! It's always good.

There's this mystery with West and his nightmares. They all mean something even if you don't know it or think about it right away. It all concludes to this crazy ending yet kind of satisfying ending. I didn't even think about different possibilities as how the ending was going to be like or how the story is. It's caught me by surprise and I know I usually am but I do have some different ideas but I guess I was just going with the book and too mesmerized by it to think of anything else. It's an absolutely amazing read... it's just that it's sad... I kind of want a sequel but I know it's not going to happen. Sad to see the book go but happy I got to enjoy the ride. ( )

http://bookscorpionslair.blogspot.de/2015/01/blink-once.html ( )

Blink Once by Cylin Busby was an intriguing story of West who wakes in the hospital to find that he is paralyzed completely. He has many visitors from his parents to his friends but it's only Olivia, the patient in the next room, whom seems to be able to understand that his blinks are his way of communicating. Olivia and West soon become more then just patients next to each other as they share intimate details of their lives, who they are and what they hope to do when they get out of the hospital. When West's parents opt for a risky surgery to help West recover Olivia is convinced that West won't come back for her after he recovers. When West does recover and go back for Olivia he is shocked by what he finds.

I would have preferred a different ending then what the author devised but I'm a sucker for a happy ending; not that the ending wasn't happy; it was satisfying just not the sappy endings I prefer.
( )

THIS IS SO BORING. I really want to know what the big twist is but fuck if I'm going to sit through this boring cycle of dream/awake/Olivia for the next century to find out.