I’m sorry to say this one was a poor choice for me. There were far too many similarities with the Dunblane shooting. As I was a primary school teacher less than 40 miles from Dunblane, I just didn’t feel comfortable reading it. Additionally, I’m not keen on the style of writing as I feel it’s disjointed and jumps around too much. I didn’t finish reading it.

My thanks to the author, to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5
Abigail Dean, author of Girl A returns with a compelling retelling of a mass school shooting aftermath in a quiet suburban town around the English Lake District. Through various character perspectives we go back and forth to events that lead to the tragedy and its many victims. The story is told mainly through the perspective 0f Marty who survived the incident but whose Mother died trying to save her pupils . We also have various conspiracy theorists and opinions on what happened before and after the unthinkable tragedy.

The concept and character development is solid and thought provoking . We get multiple points of view and insights into how everyone deals with trauma differently ,however the format was a little disjointed and didn't quite come together seamlessly .

Trigger warnings for the events that happened On Day 1 and scene of a graphic nature.

Gripping and well plotted, it kept me on the edge even if I found it a bit too slow at times
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.

I love what the author was trying to capture - the appalling violence that exists targeting the most innocent of us (schools) is the first part, but then to capture the audacity of naysayers questioning the truth in the first place is what made this story truly unique. A great social commentary and exploration on how a reality can be twisted and re-perceived.

During a school play, a disguised man enters the hall and murders 11 people, and severely injures many others. While the town tries to grieve and adjust to its new reality, the media questions whether it happened at all, or whether it was staged by a group of actors. The impact on the lives of the towns people is heartbreaking.

So, no complaints about the story, which was gripping and tragic and explored an unusual angle. However, I found the first 15% extremely slow and kept wondering if there was more to the story than grief. I also found it very confusing as it flips back and forward in time, with multiple POVs. I did eventually adjust but found it a taxing cognitive load. And when I did the book became quite gripping.

Not as gripping as girl A but still an interesting read with twists and turns and interesting to see a British school shooting rather than an American one

Split narratives, flashbacks and non-linear timelines, several anagnorises and moments of climax…in any other book, this would create tension, mystery, suspense, but for Day One it goes even further: you’re on tenterhooks because you have no idea who to trust and believe. With all the different narrators, moments of time we get to witness, varied perspectives, we still don’t know the full picture! What a great way to keep the curiosity and intrigue.

Fully enjoyed!

4 stars as I was on the fence about the ending. Maybe the last scenes promote forgiveness and empathy (as Trent’s and Marty’s story could have happened to anyone?), which could quite possibly be the message of the novel: how important it is to belong, and what it does to your identity if you do/don’t belong…definitely sparks questions about how society can help to prevent individuals turning to the worst of themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A overall good read. I was expecting it to be darker! And the twist at the end didn't felt bug enought. the previous book by the author was better.
Still a very interesting subject and worth a read.

This was a powerful and thought provoking book that I couldn't put down. Beautifully written and at some points quite harrowing.
I would recommend

I absolutely loved this. It's that rare combination of beautifully written AND pacey. Dean's characters are so well portrayed. They feel very real. It's a gripping story, masterfully told.

A lone gunman opens fire during a school play in the picturesque town of Stonesmere in the lake district.
The story is told from various perspectives, and each person has a different account of the events of that fateful day.
I loved the character of survivor Marty, who's own mother was killed in the shooting, and I was eager to learn more about what happened to her that day. Although I enjoyed the book overall, I did find it a bit slow in places.

having enjoyed a previous book by Abigail Dean I was looking forward to this new novel.
unfortunately I found it a bit confusing and thought it was an average story.

Oooh, I really wanted to love this one! I absolutely loved Girl A and went in with high expectations.

The premise is emotional and harrowing. I wouldn't categorise this as a thriller, but more of a detailed character study on grief and conspiracy theories.

The main vein of this story is the tragic and timely focus on shootings in the US, particularly following the aftermath of a mass shooting at an elementary school - an unfortunately all too real occurrence.

While I felt great empathy, I also felt that there was a lack of depth. The duel timelines often seemed disjointed, and was at times difficult to connect with it and some of the (unreliable) characters. It’s a tragic and powerful story that often pulled me in with palpable, emotional tension and other times pushed me away with uncertainty … all the while stirring up feelings of tremendous anger.

Ultimately, this is a difficult one to review, and it would be remiss of me to not say that Dean’s thoughtful and unique prose certainly conjured up some deep feelings … which in itself is a sign of a good book - But …
I’ve seen some outstanding 5 stars for it, so I may be an outlier. It’s compelling and definitely worthy of reading, if for nothing else other than to form your own opinion.

* Please heed TWs!

Many kind thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-arc.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
At the beginning it seems like it starts half way through a story and you are trying to catch up and work out who everyone is.
They described the character of Martha and then someone called Marty and I know its obvious but I didnt twig at first they were the same person!
I felt like this could have been shorter.
I liked that it jumped back and forth between storylines, enjoyed the middle, but found the beginning a bit confusing and found the end a bit of a let down. There wasn't any twists and turns like Girl A and not much drama happened.
Didn't really like Marty or Trent so didn't really sympathise with either of them and it just sort of ended.
I loved Girl A and I liked the concept of this book. I read it quite quick but I think that was just to finish it. It was an ok read, just was expecting more.

This is the second novel I have read by this author. Set in the beautiful location of the Lake District this is about a horrific mass shooting in the local primary school. The story is told through multiple points of view and I found it difficult to keep up at times. I found it very slow and disjointed and didn’t really engage with the characters. I much preferred this authors first novel.

I wanted to love this book…and at times it was gripping, but overall it was mediocre. There were no big twists, no revelations. The ones you think are coming turn out to be damp squibs.

A story of a school shooting that barely spends any time focused on the shooter. The time line jumps around and it is told mainly from the POV of one of the victim’s daughter and from Trent, a wannabe journalist.

I felt a bit deflated by the end, no real revelations and no real insight into the shooting…but maybe that is the point as I guess these tragedies are never explained?

What an incredible read!There are a variety of viewpoints to this tragic event, as well as different timelines. This enables the reader to gradually builds up a complete picture of the event and the reasons for the actions of individual characters.

Abigail Dean writes convincingly real, flawed characters and easily evokes the readers sympathy for both the victims and the survivors. ‘Truthers’ were quite disturbing with their grasp on ‘reality’ showing an unnerving fanaticism.

The descriptions of settings were effectively threaded throughout the story, as I was able to easily build up pictures of the village in the Lake District and the school.

The plot itself is cleverly layered. I was left me with plenty to reflect back on, the huge emotional impact of being involved in a tragic event and the aftermath being powerfully portrayed, giving the reader a unique view of ‘survival’.

This book is a real slow burn, character driven story. capturing emotional turmoil so brilliantly I found it a totally absorbing read.

I really enjoyed this book, Abigail Dean is a great author and I can’t wait for her next one. I’m still thinking about this book today.

This is a very different book to Girl A and what grabbed me in the first instance was the Lake District setting (my home county) . I loved the small town community atmosphere , makes a nice change for a crime thriller type of novel to be set outside of a large city.

The novel is very slow paced yet something kept me reading , there's this feeling of tension, not knowing what this answer to the question 'what happened on Day One' is. However it does jump around a lot which can be confusing at times.

It's a good read but not a great read BUT would make a great TV series !

Day One is the day that the local primary school is famous for, showcasing it's pupils talents class by class, delighting the local community. It's a day that every remembers and talks about, for all the right reasons.

Until it's not.

One fateful Day One, a lone gunman enters the hall and aims at the stage where the young performers and their teacher are in the middle of their performance. There are gunshots, screaming, chaos and then its over. People are dead and nothing will ever be the same again.

Marty was there, saw what happened. At least that's what she tells the local Police. Her Mother was among the victims and Marty cannot bear to face the truth of the tragedy.

Trent Casey, an inspiring journalist sees an opportunity amongst the tragedy, a place to make his name. In his search for the truth about what really happened on that day, having realised he knew the shooter long ago, he becomes entangled in the world of conspiracy theorists and begins peddling some awful content.

This novel is full of interesting characters, some interesting, some dangerous, and some not at all what they seem, but the author forces us to invest time in each and every one of them to get to the bottom of what really happened on Day One.

This isn't an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, but it deals with it's subject matter sensitively and thoughtfully. It certainly isn't a fast paced thriller, more of a literary slow burner. But worth it for those who persevere.

While some found the interweaving narrative provided by the multiple point of views confusing, I loved it! Examining the dark and psychological impact of school shooting will be emotive but definitely feels underrepresented within British media understandably and feels ripe to be examined.