Family Drama for Teens: 'Blink and We'll Miss It'

If your teenager is looking for a fun summer adventure with some depth, Leslea Wahl recommends you check out this novel by Ginny Kochis. 

Blink and We'll Miss It

By Ginny Kochis

Review:  

Mae has been through a lot in her 17 years. Uprooting your life and dealing with a mom who suffers from mental illness makes it nearly impossible to lead a normal life.  

Following her mom’s latest relapse, Mae not only must deal with the guilt she feels for enjoying her life and missing the signs of trouble, but she’s also forced to go live with her grandparents in a little town in North Carolina—a place she didn’t think she’s ever be again. A place where she left a trail of destruction when she’d left a few years earlier. 

Stuck where she doesn’t want to be, Mae reluctantly spends her summer caring for her mom, mending fences with friends she had abandoned, uncovering a mystery from her family’s past, and worrying about her own mental health. 

Those curious about the book will be happy to know that the author has a second book in this series that explores the storylines from the past that are mentioned in this book. I’m excited to delve further into the intriguing story with its multi-layered characters. 

Blink and We’ll Miss It is not specifically a Catholic novel, but Christian morals and values are woven throughout the story. This is a great summer novel for teens filled with wonderful characters, a beautiful setting, and lots of interesting topics, such as, mental health issues, the bonds of friendships, and complicated family situations. If you’re looking for a fun summer adventure with some depth, Blink and We’ll Miss It would be one to check out.  

Summary: 

Mae Griffin’s last blink was six hundred and fifty-three days ago, when she left Minnesott Beach, North Carolina, for good. 

It might have been the move. It’s probably the lack of stress now that her mom is stable. All Mae knows is that her world no longer shifts. She doesn’t glimpse people from the past or fall headlong into their private moments. As long as she can go to school, keep her friends at arm’s length, and make sure Mom takes her medication, she’ll have a pretty solid end to junior year. 

Except stability breeds complacency, and when Mae’s not looking, life falls apart. Reeling from a tragedy she should have seen coming, Mae returns to her grandparents’ centuries-old house on the Carolina coast, to the friendships she destroyed and the stoic, dark-haired boy who makes her heart ache. 

Back to the blinks that plague her mental health. 

As Mae’s blinks ramp up in intensity and frequency, she discovers an unsettling truth. Her greatest fear is the key to healing old, brutal wounds and unearthing family secrets that sparked a bitter feud. Torn between loyalty to the friends she once loved and protection from the pain of starting over, Mae must decide if she can open her heart. Not just to the life she let go, but to the parts of herself she’d rather keep hidden. Blink and We’ll Miss It is a poignant, swoon-worthy novel about finding the strength to forgive, the courage to move forward, and the vulnerability to fall in love. 

Order Blink and We'll Miss It from Amazon.com.

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Copyright 2025 Leslea Wahl
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