Blink Once, by Cylin Busby

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.

Imagine waking up in a strange place, unable to move or speak, see outside a small space around you, and there's no one you know around you. But there's this girl...

As someone who doesn't deal well with the feeling of having no control over a situation, I can't imagine being in anything like West's situation. The not speaking is what would get to me...how I am I supposed to tell you what I need?

Busby and her father wrote The Year We Disappeared, a memoir of the year after her police officer father was brutally shot while on duty. It's a memoir and a very good one. (If you haven't picked it up, you should.)

But Blink Once is nothing like it. Amazon.com actually has it tagged in YA horror---seriously? Not even close. I can't give you much without giving it away, I really don't want to do that, because it's worth the read.

West, for being a coma patient who cannot speak is AMAZINGLY well-developed, as are a host of secondary characters in there (particularly one the nurses, Nelson). Everyone is vivid and believable. The story has a twist I never saw coming (and I'm CLASSIC for ruining stories for myself) and does keep you wrapped up in it. You won't put this one down, by any means.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Bloomsbury Children's Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”