5 Stars from me

Holy Moly. How to do this book justice?

I take my hat off to Nancy Tucker - all through this book I just wanted to scoop up little Chrissie and take her home. Bath her, feed her, make her feel safe, make her feel loved, make her feel wanted. 

This read more like a fly on the wall documentary than like a story, it felt real and it felt hauntingly plausible. I wonder how many Chrissie's there are out there (and how many there were at the time when people were less attuned to reporting abuse and less inclined to speak up). Had any of many people who noted that Chrissie wasn't being adequately cared for spoken up properly and stepped in, it does appear that her life would have been so different. 

There were so many chances for the right thing to happen. So many chances for this hungry, dirty, and unsafe girl to have been rescued from her life and provided with the basics that the majority of children are fortunate enough to be able to take for granted.

I felt angry at the teachers, at the neighbours, at the shop keepers at the many medical staff and of course at her mum and dad. Bizarrely, I didn't at any point feel angry with Chrissie. When of course, I realise I should have despised Chrissie - I should have found her abhorrent and wanted her locked away for ever. Nancy Tucker - how did you achieve this, it's like you have woven alchemy into the pages of this book! 

It surprised me that she was allowed to keep her own child - and yet it didn't surprise me that she was a good mum. Albeit one who continually doubted herself and scored herself against other mothers. I wonder how her own daughter will turn out with her slightly stilted mum - ultimately though, Molly knows that her mum loves her and most of the time that is 99% of what children need, just pure, accepting, unconditional love.

Got to love Linda, what a sweetheart.

An absolutely riveting book, heartbreaking, yet brilliant.

** spoiler alert ** It feels wrong to admit you enjoyed a book thats about a child killer. But I did.

Chrissie is 8,and she's being failed by everyone. She's neglected by her mother,in the most shocking of ways,and the community do not step up at any point.
When boiling point eventually hits,she lashes out.
When I say boiling point,its actually quite creepy how calmly she goes about life.
Future Chrissie seems far more human,having had her edges soften by becoming a mother.

I had a lot of pity for Chrissie,and found some genuinely touching moments in the book.

Grim subject matter,but told with feeling

What an emotional read and I’m still not sure how I feel about this book.
It’s very well written and will definitely stay with me for a long time. There were lots of times that I was willing the story to not go in the direction that it went as it was heartbreaking.
I felt anger, sympathy, disappointment and shock at various stages in this book.
I’d definitely recommend it though as it’s one of the best books that I’ve read this year.

‘The First Day of Spring’ is a very powerful read. The murder of a child is always going to be a harrowing story and the idea that the crime has been committed by another child goes against everything we are taught to believe. Sadly, as the occasional news story reminds us, this is sometimes reality.
Nancy Tucker has organised her narrative so that the reader is taken to and from the past where unkempt, uncared for and unloved Chrissie commits the crime and the present where, as the adult Julia, she is also a mother to Molly. When Molly falls, breaking her wrist, Julia assumes that she will no longer be able to keep her daughter and the two run away to avoid a meeting with Julia’s social worker.
From the outset it is clear that Chrissie is clever, manipulative and cunning. However, this feral eight-year-old is also utterly neglected and desperate for love. Her mother as good as ignores her and her father is often in prison. Starved of food and starved of love, she relies on being milk monitor so that she can finish off her classmates left-overs.
The author allows her readers to understand just why Chrissie behaves as she does. The novel highlights ways in which school, the police and social services sometimes fail to see the obvious and, whilst some mothers in the community ‘put up with’ Chrissie’s presence at their tea table, this smelly, rude, sharp girl is rarely treated kindly. Interestingly, it is the Home where Chrissie is sentenced to that is the making of her. She appreciates the structure, the food, the kind words, feeling safe, so much so that when her sentence is over, she is bereft.
Tucker’s depiction of Julia’s relationship with Molly is finely drawn. There is no doubt that their bond is very strong and yet it’s so difficult for Julia to demonstrate this. She has learnt neither the language nor the physical expressions of love. This could have been a sensationalist, tawdry read, given the subject matter. However, it is the polar opposite. It feels genuinely authentic. Whilst respectful to all those who suffer and fully aware of the agonies felt, ‘The First Day of Spring’, nonetheless, holds a message of redemption.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This story unfolds via a dual timeline; alternating perspectives between Chrissie, a severely neglected and emotionally abused 8 year old girl, and her grown-up self still recovering from the traumas of her childhood.

This is a difficult book to synopsise because much of what happens is actually emotionally and internal. It’s not about events per se – especially as the main event (Chrissie’s murder of a toddler) is well known before you even turn the first page. Instead, it’s a book that for me, was about feelings, and the reader’s emotional response to what happened to Chrissie, what Chrissie did and ultimately whether society can forgive and move on.

This is the first book I’ve read by Nancy tucker, and I have to say there is no way it will be my last. Her writing blew me away – her ability to move seamlessly between old Chrissie (I mean young Chrissie … if that makes sense), and the new adult-version of her. The change in tone, but the authenticity to the person who remained underneath, was really interesting to see and should be commended.

It takes guts to write a book like this – one that does not seek to condemn, but merely seeks to lay the “facts” at your feet and ask you to understand and make your own decisions. Personally, I found it impossible not to feel for Chrissie, not to wonder what a different life might have done for her. It takes skill to create sympathy for a character who, by many definitions, is evil incarnate.

Not an easy read – though not graphically disturbing – it is simply not a pleasant topic at all. Those triggered by child abuse or perhaps those with complex relationships with food, may struggle somewhat with this, so be mindful of that.

A very rare gem – a 5 star from me.

Wow. This is such a compelling read. It tells of Chrissie, a young impoverished girl with parents who leave her lonely and hungry. She goes off the rails in spectacular fashion but something about her upbringing leaves you with some sympathy for her.
Cut to years later and she is now a parent and living in fear of losing her beloved daughter due to her past.
It’s a great read, I couldn’t put it down and really gives a great sense of time, love and redemption.
Wonderful

I found this book interesting, often harrowing and thought-provoking. It is also really well written and structured, with alternating chapters - young Chrissie and then adult Julia (her new name) now herself a mother. Eight year old Chrissie has such a hard life and is let down by all the adults who know her - her parents most of all but also her teachers and her friends’ parents. She commits a terrible crime. Despite this and her often unappealing behaviour, it’s hard not to warm to her as a narrator. She is witty and resourceful, and I felt she so wanted someone to look after her. It’s a very sad story but well-handled and I keep thinking about it. I particularly enjoyed the friendship between Chrissie and Linda. This is a book that will stay with me.

It's a very good storyline that pulls you in from the beginning. Curiosity makes you want to read more.

It was engaging and kept me turning those pages.

I look forward to reading more of this author and appreciate the opportunity to review this one!

This is an unusual and in many ways uncomfortable theme for a book. The basic storyline is clear. A girl murders a neighbour’s baby and then, later, another child. After time in a secure home she has her own daughter Molly whom she wants to care for. By then Christie has become Julie which is a bit confusing. The story is sad, demanding and not really fit for a novel. It is too hard going to be a good read.

I loved this well-written, darkly beautiful and captivating novel which could have been a sensationalist thriller but is instead a sensitive, moving and unflinching exploration of murder - specifically child-murder - and it's consequences. Chrissie is eight years old, largely neglected at home, and ruler of the roost in the streets - bossy, dominating, and brash. Then Chrissie kills a young toddler, and she realises that her power over others is even greater than she thought.

Fast forward, and we see that Chrissie is now Julia, with a young daughter of her own, and the novel switches back and forth between the past and the present, with the full consequences of Chrissie's actions revealed gradually. I loved that the author wrote Chrissie so beautifully - a character that could have been a cookie-cutter villain is developed into a complex character you can't help but both pity and fear, and Julia tugged every heartstring I had. But neither does the author shy away from showing the dark underbelly of the character(s) - while Chrissie is certainly a victim of her circumstances, the reader is left to decide for themselves whether nature or nurture (or both) play a part in her behaviours.

Beautifully written, gripping, dark, but ultimately redemptive - I loved this novel, and cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, a little strange when written from the child's perspective and it certainly made me think. I didn't want to like the main character but I felt sorry for her feeling unloved and uncared for which must be very hard for a small child. I would be interested to read more by this author.

This was a strange book to read. I had to try hard not to like the main character and not to relate to her. It wasn’t an easy book overall and I struggled with parts of it but it well-written and the author has definitely done a lot of research on the subject matter.

I really don’t know how to start as this book filled me with an array of feelings.

Following 8 years old Chrissie point of view as a child and also as an adult, Julia, now a mother as well, I really wanted to say that I couldn’t empathise with them but that wasn’t the case.

This book bring to light so many important subjects and problems in our culture and lives. I felt that even though it was fiction it was really interesting to reflect on most of the issues that this book explored throughout the story.

It was impossible to like Chrissie but it wasn’t difficult to empathise with the character either, especially considering everything you learn about her.

With Julia, her own fight trying to cope as a mother and obviously still punishing herself for her past... I don’t even know what to say expect that this book was really thought provoking and had left me with a lot to think about.

Very different than what I normally read but also incredibly interesting, I would definitely recommend this book!

I would like to thank Random House UK, Hutchinson, Cornerstone as well as Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

#TheFirstDayofSpring #NetGalley I was messaged asking if I fancied giving this book a go and based on the storyline thought why not?? It's written from the point of view of an 8 year old and also as an adult years later. She's got a loveless home life, no one that takes care of her and basically has to fend for herself, she hides her feelings showing a tough exterior which makes her unpopular with many of the adults she comes into contact with at school, shops and other parents. She is neglected terribly and lots of the things she does is to get
attention and envy from the other children. She goes on to do some terrible things but without the full understanding of her actions. The story is told with the thoughts and feelings during this time as a child and much later as an adult once she has grown up. It's a real thought provoking read that gives an insight into how treatment and upbringing can have an impact on your actions and the way it can impact your own self worth and opinions. It also looks at the different reactions of other people and their treatment of her. It's a harrowing but very interesting story.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure what to say about this book, I finished it, cannot say it was great but it was just okay

I wasn't really sure what I expected from this book. I obviously knew from the synopsis that the story would deal with the subject of a murder committed by a child, but I wasn't sure whether the narrative would sympathise with the killer or condemn them. Instead, Tucker has created a narrative that does, neither, and so much more.

'The first day of spring' is told in alternating chapters from the POV of Chrissie at age 8, and Julia in the present day. Chrissie's chapters begin in the immediate aftermath of her committing the murder and continue in a linear fashion, whereas Julia's are more varied, encompassing the events of the present day but also reflecting on her life after her crimes were discovered. If I'm honest, I expected to hate both the child and the woman she became, but if I'm honest, I struggled to. Yes, her crimes were heinous, but reading about the life she had lived until that point, and the child-like logic in why she chose to end a life was almost heartbreaking at times. Yes, Chrissie is a rough character - she is manipulative, cruel, a bully, a liar, a thief, and ultimately a killer. Yet she is also a child who was neglected, mistreated, and failed by everyone in her life who should have cared. Now I'm not saying that's an excuse for murder, but I was impressed by how the author created sympathy for a character who's introductory scene is her reminiscing over how much she enjoyed murdering a toddler.

Julia's sections were initially less engaging, as she struggled to cope with life as a mother. Initially, she felt very one dimensional, which with time you realise is intentional, and she has made herself into a shell of a person, determined to gain no joy from life as a way of atoning for her past. When I first began reading her chapters, I struggled with the idea that after just a few years in a secure unit, she was able to go and live her life, but the more you read the more you realise that she has not got off that easy, and instead her entire life is based around keeping her daughter safe whilst also keeping her at arms length, just in case she gains too much happiness from her, something she knows she took away from another woman and has struggled with ever since having her own child. Julia's sections for me raised very interesting questions about punishment and rehabilitation, especially of young offenders and those who have committed the worst crimes.

Ultimately, this was a very thought provoking novel about what leads a child to do the unthinkable, and whether such an individual can truly be reformed and rehabilitated, plus whether they are deserving of a normal happy life. At times heartbreaking, at times horrifying, 'The first day of spring' is a truly one of a kind novel that will stay with me for a long time. The writing was fantastic, the characterisation incredibly, and Tucker is definitely an author I will watch out for.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This book wasn’t for me I found it very depressing and couldn’t warm to any of the characters it was very disjointed the story is about a troubled 8 year old who is neglected by her mother with dire consequences also about eating disorders didn’t like the book at all. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy

This is a difficult book to read, since it is so easy to feel sorry for Chrissie, but then you remember she has done something horrible.

She is a young child who deals with horrible neglect from both of her parents, who desperately tries to get attention and to get someone to love her. This culminates in her killing a young boy, and keeping mum about that while the investigation is ongoing.
I could practically feel her misery. How jealous she was of her friends who had loving mums, how she eats sugar out of a pack because she is so hungry, how she is out until the wee hours of the night, cause at home there is nothing for her.

When we meet Chrissie as Julia, she is a mum herself, and the anxiety she has over this pours from the page. Molly is her daughter, and she worries that her child would be a bad seed like herself.

Wonderfully written!

Chrissie killed a child. Julie tries hard to care for her daughter, Molly. But Julie is Chrissie and she can’t forget her past.

This book made me so sad. Chrissie was a neglected child with the weight of the world upon her shoulders. It’s no wonder Julie finds life with Molly so daunting!

The story is dual timeline and we learn what Chrissie did and why as we watch Julie panic and run from a meeting from social services. I liked the character Linda and I really loved the friendship bond between them. The book is well written and decently paced but I found it disturbing and upsetting due to the subject matter. It’s a good idea for a story, nicely executed and I’d look for further books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Chrissie is an 8 year old severely neglected child. Set in an English Northern town this tells the story of her childhood and her life as an adult and the horrors in between.
So horrific and yet so so sad, (not the same at all but James Bulger’s murderers came to mind).
There was one part in the story when I had to put my kindle down to prepare my self for what came next. It’s not a nice story but it’s well worth reading.