As the children at Stonesmere primary school begin a special performance called Day One, a lone gunman enters the school, opens fire and kills beloved teacher Ava Ward and ten of the children. This, obviously sends shockwaves through the small community where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is touched by this most dreadful of incidents.

The story revolves mainly around Martha (Marty) Ward, daughter of Ava, and Trent Casey a former resident of Stonesmere. While Marty grapples with the aftermath, Trent becomes involved with a group known as the “truthers” who believe the whole massacre was a hoax, and Marty, in particular is lying.

I found this an uncomfortable read, especially the sections concerning Trent and his accomplice, Susan, and their nefarious activities to unearth the “truth”, so exposing the residents of Stonesmere as liars and cheats.

The main difficulty I had with this book is the construction as it hops back and forth, making it disjointed and difficult to follow at times. The ending left me with the feeling that the author herself didn’t quite know what to do with her characters.

I am about a third of the way through Girl A, this author’s first book, so it will be interesting to see how it compares.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC download.

This is the first book I have read by Abigail dean and will certainly look out for her next book.

It starts with a school shooting and slowly over the course of the book the events of the day and also the events after unfold.

The characters come to life through the pages with little details added throughout the book which add depth.

Really good read about a town sone characters within the town and what happened on and after day one

Loved this authors first book and this one was just as good! Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy of this, really interesting plot.

Abigail Dean has pulled off an incredible feat with this unforgettable, searing but compassionate novel about a horrific tragedy- a shooting at a primary school in which eleven people, including children and their teacher, are killed. The beautiful village of Stonesmere in the Lake district is the kind of place where everyone knows each other and which relies heavily on tourism, and where nobody could possibly visualise an incident like this happening. Dean avoids sensationalism and undue sentimentality by focusing on the reactions and actions of the people affected and not on the actual detail of the killings or the devastating sorrow of the relatives. She conveys that grief might not always look like we would expect it to, and that the sense of loss is often tangled up with regrets and guilt. Unfortunately, some discrepancies in accounts of what happened and misunderstanding about the response of some of the bereaved lead to accusations from conspiracy theorists who, unimaginably, claim that the shooting never happened, that the mourners are actors and that the dead children never existed. The cruelty of this is breathtaking, but Dean handles it thoughtfully, showing how people who do not feel they have a place in society can find validation and purpose through involvement in such groups, and how they can be swayed into believing the unthinkable when persuaded by a charismatic leader who uses them to achieve power for himself. At the centre of the story is young Matty, daughter of the teacher who died trying to save her class, and who knows things about that terrible day that she hasn’t been honest about. Through different timelines before, during and after the tragedy, the full story is pieced together- and it will break your heart. Even then, there is hope for the future in this powerful, raw yet tender book.

I loved this book, the characterisations were excellent and I really did not like Marty during the book! But the plot and how people in a small village deal with new comers was brilliant. Perfect thriller!

I was excited to see a new book from Abigail Dean as I’d really enjoyed Girl A, and it was another great read. An interesting concept executed well in a UK setting, the multiple narratives added depth (and doubt), and I thought the internet harassment received by the families of the victims was well examined and used effectively within the plot.

Thanks netgalley for early review Copy.

There was something caught my eye of the cover and the books didn't disappoint. So glad it read it.

Having found Girl A to be a really good read I was keen to try Abigail Dean's new book. The story of the effect a school tragedy has on a small town and the people within it was told well without sensationalising the subject. The pacing meant you were keen to read on at the end of each chapter and I cared about the lives of all the main characters. Recommended. (Copy received via netgalley in return for an honest review.)

A hard, terrible tale told in a different way, with multiple points of view and timelines. I found the first half of the book drew me in so that I read it quickly, for me, over 24hrs, however I struggled more with the second half. The storyline was interesting enough to keep me wanting to know the outcome, but was just a little slower, with hints dropped in here and there. Clever way of moving backwards and forwards in time with different characters building up the story, just maybe needed a bit more oomph for me to be completely enthralled. I almost found the characters to be detached and cold, which may have been written that way on purpose, and in some ways understandable with the unfolding story but also makes it more difficult to become invested in them at times, and so despite the horrible circumstances, I almost forgot about what had happened. Overall I did really enjoy this book, and appreciate the opportunity to read it, thank you, and would recommend it.

I both loved and hated this book, it’s that’s kind of story! Would I recommend this book? 100% yes and leave it to the reader to have their own opinion of it

Day One charts the story of school shooting in a Lake District town. It maps the complications in telling the truth of the story, the interconnectedness of victim and perpetrator, and the parasitic nature of deniers of the happenings.

The book is narrated through multiple characters but the story is told through the lens of Marty, the daughter of the teacher who dies along with a number of her class. It tells her fall from golden girl in the community to pariah, and why she acts as she does.

I struggled to finish this book. I found it to be quite confusing and I wasn't a fan of the author's writing style. It also felt rather depressing. Thank you Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a teacher and a mother (of a child about to start primary school no less) this was a tough read. Dean does not shy away from harsh and painful topics and her writing style is great. A solid second novel- I couldn't put it down.

I enjoyed the author's first book but she does seem to specialise in rarefied and extreme events or situations, and this was no exception. It's hard to put yourself into the shoes of someone who has suffered a mass shooting but the author just about managed it!

The problem I found, especially in the first few chapters, was a slight unevenness between the story and the pace. The subject matter - a shooting in a primary school - kicked off the book quite dynamically but the narrative was slow and detailed, so while we were wishing to rush along with a fast moving situation we were kind of tied into quite turgid internal monologues. This worked later on as introspection was necessary but I felt the author had taken any impact out of the horror of the massacre by writing this way.

But as I say when we got into the minutiae of people's lives the author's observations were spot on and I really felt like I understood everyone's motives, back stories and emotions.

It was an interesting read and I was keen to find out what happened to all of the characters and loved the timeline jumps to show us and then back to the journey.

Loved this! The little flash forwards and back could be a little confusing but did start to link together the more you read

This book is set in the beautiful village of stonemere and centred around a devastating school shooting. The book is written from the perspectives of Ava, her daughter Marty and Trent. Ava is a teacher at the school who is tragically killed in the shooting While trying to save her pupils. Marty her daughter is pictures running out of the school after the shooting. The world and media want to hear her story. Trent is a wanna be writer who along with a group of conspiracy theorists believe the shooting never really took place. The story jumped between perspectives and time lines to uncover what happened on that fateful day. The premise of the book is absolutely heartbreaking, however o didn’t enjoy the writing style and the constant switching of the characters and timelines which I found really confusing. This made it one of theirs books that you have to really concentrate on.

A decent read, although it unfortunately didn’t hold the attention in a way that some titles do. Took a few pages to get really into it.

A story about a school shooting in a fictional small town in England. The story is based around the main character Martha/Marty (whose family seem to appear as perfect in the town) and where she was at the time of the shooting. The story is told from the perspectives of a few different characters but mainly Marty. These can be present day or flashbacks. I read the book in a number of days as I wanted answers. There is a subplot of an online group who believe the shooting didn’t happen and it is a conspiracy. The topics of the book are unfortunately very real and was difficult at times to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

A slow burn thriller with themes of truth, lies and belief, set in the aftermath of a school shooting. It draws on the Dunblane Massacre, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the court case around far-right conspiracy theorist/radio host Alex Jones. It's not as compulsive as Dean's debut, GIRL A, but perhaps more compelling. The many perspectives of those who were (or weren't) there at Day One create a tapestry of narratives that keeps you wondering to the end. A must read.

There is a school shooting in a village called Stonesmere. Marty (Martha) helps at the school is supposed to be at the school watching her mother’s Day One class at school which is being performed for the 4 year olds who will be joining the school next term. The children have to pick out of a hat a country which they have to talk about, dress up in the national customer and say a few words of their language. Ava, the teacher, is liked by all and is very sympathetic particularly to Kit whose mother had passed away and is very anxious. He feels determined to get his part correct and practices all the time with is dad who is a Police Officer. Day One arrives and the children get ready, suddenly the Day One performance becomes a nightmare. A gunman has made it into the school and suddenly the gunfire begins. The Police arrives and unfortunately they then have to collect the bodies including the teacher Ava. The Police start investigating and there is a discrepancy with Marty’s story. Over the next few months there is a theory that this tragedy did not actually occur and a would be journalist, Trent Casey, starts to investigate. Eventually a guy called Ray Cleeve starts to try and get people involved to believing that the whole thing was a hoax and decides to come to the village on the anniversary. The story continues and Marty decides to eventually tell the truth in what she knows having not told the Police the truth in the first place. It is all a mystery and the story comes together really well. I felt for Trent who is easily led and could not decide about Marty but grew to like her as the book goes on. I thought the book was good and would recommend it. The story all comes good and definitely worth a read