"These days, in Stonesmere, there was always somebody a little sadder than you"

In picture postcard Stonesmere, Lake District its tradition for the older children leaving primary education to welcome those about to start their first year with a Day One presentation. For years much loved Teacher Ava Ward has guided her nervous pupils through their moment on stage and calmed their last minute nerves. But this year their moment in the spotlight turns to tragedy as a lone gunman enters the hall.

A heartbreaking read that starts with a bang but quickly becomes a multi-faceted, compelling look at the community, the people and their lives, the events that led up to that fateful day and the aftermath, when fingers were being pointed, questions were being asked and the media and conspiracy theorists besieged the local population.

Moving backward and forward in time and told from different perspectives I didn't find this the easiest book to get into and several chapters in totally confused I went back to the beginning and started again paying careful attention to the chapter headings this time which certainly helped.

I loved this book, the scene setting, the characterisation and the way the author slowly brought it all together. I wanted to knock a star off for my initial confusion but I can't, this novel moved me to tears and broke my heart. It was gut wrenching, bleak and extraordinarily powerful - my standout book of the year so far.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the advance review copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

I love the premise of this book, and the author has clearly done a lot of research on mass shooters and the aftermath of those events. There were elements of it that really worked (Day One for example, the setting, the idea of it being the aftermath & more of a whydunnit) but I just didn’t find it compelling and struggled to finish. There just wasn’t a clear hook for me - I wasn’t sure why I was reading it. The writing was excellent however.

I love a bit of controversy, so was drawn to Abigail Dean's Day One due to its very much taboo subject matter. The tale of a school shooting in northern England it takes us through multiple characters and timelines, but focusses on Marty - the grown up daughter of a school teacher caught up in the tragedy and Trent - a conspiracist with links back to the town and alleged shooter.

The fast paced jumping between players and times can be a bit jarring at first, as is the odd use of first person for some of Marty's (but not all) and third person for everyone else even though the story does not feel narrated. But the story is well crafted, heart felt and genuinely intriguing as we find out more about the fateful night with each chapter that passes.

As a fan of character and relationship movies I can imagine this would be exactly the kind of film that I would enjoy and I always see that as a good barometer of my enjoyment. If I can see the film running in my head and am still there as the credits roll, then I have spent my time well.

I will most certainly be checking out Abigail Dean's other novels soon.

Amazing book. Very well written. I was hooked and stayed up late so I could finish it. Really reccomend.

Day One is about a mass shooting at a primary school and the mess of its aftermath: secrets, conspiracy theories and guilt.
Abigail Dean writes as brilliantly as she did in Girl A - flawed but realistic characters and a tense and tragic plot. However, this novel didn't quite get into my soul like Girl A did. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I thought she didn't quite capture the grief of the families; and the final 'twist' also fell a little flat. This said, it was still a great read which I expect will do well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Abigail Dean and the publishers for an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just as she did in Girl A, Dean's chief focus is on the psychology and motivation of those involved rather than the horror of the event itself, drawing a nuanced, emotionally sensitive portrait of the residents of the Yorkshire village where the shooting took place. It's a privilege extended to Trent, whose unofficial reporting of the crime turns up the lie that encourages the 'truthers' to insist the event never happened. The rest of that faction, however, are represented as caricatures of right-wing populists and conspiracy theorists, which is a bit of a shame. A gripping read nonetheless.

It's taken a while for me to recover from reading this book. Having read Girl A, I knew I would also want to read this , so I didn't read the synopsis first. This probably increased the impact as the plot unfolded.
I can still remember where I was,sitting in a car pregnant, and with my two children strapped in as reports of the Dunblane shooting. There are obvious echoes in this book.
It makes for grim reading and couldn't be described as enjoyable but it was compelling. There was a real sense of place and I felt that I had walked into the setting.
Thanks to Netgalley.

Switching between various timepoints from before to Day one and beyond and told from multiple viewpoints this is a heart-wrenching tale of loss mired by the insistence of a group of deniers that the tragedy every took place and that the information reported in the news is all falsified.
Stuffed full of well rounded characters this is a real page turner.

Day One is a chilling, compelling very well written page turner of a book. Had I not known of the conspiracy theorists following the Sandy Hook outrage then I would have considered the 'Truthers' to be very far fetched indeed, but of course, as we know there's nothing quite like the human psyche, but even so...sickening!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy, I will now make it my business to look for Dean's previous works.

Beautifully written with huge emotion albeit in a very disjointed and jerky timeline. It skips from character to character, backwards and forwards in time and needs to be read in large chunks so as not to lose track of what's happening. However this is very easy as it's gripping from start to finish, very character driven and quite a slow burn. Just misses being 5-star because of the 'foreshadowing', it's a personal dislike of mine when the main character knows something but is not disclosing it to anyone, including the reader. The friendship between Leah and Marty is deep and beautiful, one of the best parts of the book for me.

A heartbreakingly great story that keeps you shrouded in mystery just trying to understand one main question.... Why?

Thoroughly enjoyed this and could not put it down!

Day One
Abigail Dean
Publication: 28th March 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, let me thank Netgalley, the publishers and author Abigail Dean for the chance to read an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Deans' previous book 'Girl A' so as soon as I saw she had a new book coming out, I was chuffed and was so looking forward to reading it - I requested it on Netgalley straight away and was delighted to get approved an ARC.

I liked this book but I didnt love it I'm afraid. I defo enjoyed Girl A more. This one, while theres no denying its well written, just read very slow for me.
I like a thriller read or a fast paced book that has me dying to read on to find out what happened - this was neither of those things. It can not in any way be described as a thriller. So dont go in expecting that. Unfortunately thats what I thought and I was left disappointed and didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think my expectations were too high after Girl A.

I liked the sound of the blurb and there's no denying the writing was fantastic. You could feel the grief and loss the town felt after the Stonemeres school shooting (made all the more harrowing because you could see the real life element aswell - As we all know, School shootings do happen and it really makes you think about the huge effect they have on anyone involved at the time and any lasting effects in the aftermath of such a massacre). The story was told really well but just fell a bit flat for me and read too slow for my liking.

Overall, the story was good and Abigail Dean is a fantastic author but I blame myself for not reading the blurb properly and expecting a thriller. Dont let my mediocre 3 star review put you off though, its a great read just a bit too slow paced for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Day One performance at the local primary school is a looked forward to yearly event. Mrs Ward’s class are up first, and there are lots of butterflies and stage fright. All this turns to terror when a man with a gun appears at the back of the hall.

The followings days are recounted from the POV of several characters, particularly Martha/Marty, who is Mrs Ward’s daughter. Turmoil, anger, loss and trauma, as expected, are to the fore. And when the conspiracy theorists get involved, tensions get stretched even further.

The plot travels backwards and forwards, so attention to chapter headings is advised!

First off I must say I really enjoyed Girl A, and looked forward to reading this latest offering from Dean. However, this book was a bit of a struggle. The constant backwards and forwards, very choppy, was a challenge, as was the mentioning of characters without any introduction. Though these all became clear eventually, it did not make for an easy read. I also think a bit more background to the killer might have helped. For main character he was a little lacking in depth.

The subject matter is a matter of division. The author is a great storyteller, so a more original plot would have been welcome. As it is, this is a somewhat uncomfortable read, too close to home for many readers.

Thank you NetGalley.

I needed a couple of days to write this review; Day One is a work of fiction but strongly echoes a couple of real life events, and it evoked a lot of different emotions.

Told from multiple POVs (but mainly focusing on Marty and Trent’s stories), this novel skips back and forth between various points in time, so pay attention to the chapter headings or you’ll lose the plot! No twists or turns or anything like that, this is a slow burn that oozes tension from the horrifying opening chapter, and then finishes with a sucker punch right to the heart. Day One is a hard read perhaps because for too many people the story will be uncomfortably close to their lived experience. (Definitely check the trigger warnings first)

The ‘Truthers’ - Trent included - provide some respite from the pressing sadness that permeates almost every aspect of this story by evoking SO MUCH RAGE, demonstrating a cruelness that I wish was only the stuff of fiction. Their conviction that the shooting didn’t happen, that the whole thing is some big government cover up, and - worse - that the children didn’t even exist in the first place seems utterly ridiculous, but sadly is an apt portrayal of many pockets within our society today. Their heartless attacks on grieving families add another dimension to this (already depressing) tale; however they also allow for some of the background characters to shine through. Kit’s father in particular has some extremely moving reactions to the Truthers that really tug on the heartstrings.

I adored the writing in Day One. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I found it so beautiful and eloquent, and somehow it really fit the bleak nature of the story…the beauty of the words was such a stark contrast against the horror of what they were describing.

All in all, an excellent albeit hard-hitting read. Hit me right in the feels and is still on my mind several days later. Always the sign of a good book for me ♥️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for my advance copy of Day One in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻

Thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Full review to follow.

A mystery following a school killing and Marty, who is the daughter of one of the teachers who sadly lost their life. Marty tells a lie which spirals
I enjoyed this to start, but lost interest slightly as it jumped through time and different character point of views.

A primary school in a beautiful Lake District town. A gunman walks into the middle of a school play and guns down staff and pupils.
Marty's mother is one of the teacher's murdered. Was arty there, what did she see, what does she know?

Conspiracy theorists involve themselves. Who is speaking the truth?

A fabulous book that has you gripped from the very first page (not said lightly!). A compelling plot that shocks in the first instance, and then each chapter unfurls a new perspective; a new interpretation of the events that occurred, narrated by the different key witnesses and characters involved. I particularly enjoyed the way that Abigail Dean relays the story from the build up to the actual event, to the day itself, the immediate days after and finishes with an update eight years later. Abigail Dean has the brilliance of an author who can ensure that each voice is individual, and does not merge or get lost with others.
One review mentions that the story is quite slow, but I personally consider that the pace is perfect as it draws you in, and engages and although you want to know exactly who did what, who saw what, who impacted the events and why....; you also take a personal interest in every single person involved.
Highly recommend and "Day One" would be a great Book Club suggestion.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely be looking out for more of her work.
It handled a sensitive topic well and I enjoyed how the true events of the day were slowly revealed. I thought I might get confused with the timeline jumping back and forth but it was easy to follow and I found it an interesting and different way of story telling.

I really enjoyed this book although it does take a while to get into the different time jumps and characters.
It has shades of a Jodi picoult novel without the huge twists just a sad and moving story. Recommend