This authors work is obviously very well received but for me again this was a DNF, I am not really sure if was the writing style or the actual story but wasn’t for me,apologies

I am afraid this book was a disappointing read for me. The start got me feeling interested in the teacher and the pupils, but as the story went on I found myself losing interest in the characters and towards the end I really disliked them. I do not feel it was an absorbing read despite the lovely location. I feel that the story had an unpleasant underbelly running through it that made it difficult to enjoy. I also found the style of writing rather staccato.

I didn't love Girl A as much as everyone else did so was interested to read this.

There is a shooting in a school in a small town and looks at how it affects everyone in the village

I enjoyed the book although not a happy topic

Well written

3⭐️

Having been wowed by Girl A I was excited to read this book.

This books looks at the tragedy of a school shooting in a small village in the Lake District.
The main characters Marty who was at the school where her mother was killed by the shooter.
Trent becomes interested as he falls under the spell of a media personality and his theories.

The story is told from several POV and time frames. It concentrates on the aftermath more than the actual event although that is segmentally revealed.

I loved the premise of the story, with a different take on a school shooting. However I found the pacing too slow, the storyline didn’t have enough happening,I struggled to stay invested. There was a lot of repetition.
Unfortunately this one didn’t grab me

Stonesmere is a small town where life just plods along, nothing remarkable happens. Then one dreadful day, during a play which is being performed for the four year olds who will be starting school next term, a shooter walks in and the lives of many will be devastatingly changed forever.

The story follows the aftermath and looks at how it affects the victims families. The reader slowly discovers what really happened that day, as the author explores the unreliability of memories.

I was a huge fan of Girl A so I was very excited to read Day One. I think Abigail Dean is an impressive emerging thriller writer and I am excited to read more of her work.

After the success of Girl A and how good that story was I was really looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately I was very disappointed and it may even soon become a Did not Finish which is a first for me. I am finding it very hard to get into with too many people’s viewpoints and too many characters in such a short space of time, it’s hard to focus on the story unfolding. I think it would have been a much better and easier read if it was from only two viewpoints.
I have seen a few others have also said similar, a real shame but I’m sure there are many who would still enjoy this read just not one for me in this occasion.

This follows a similar structure to Dean's earlier book, Girl A - where something awful has happened - in this case a school shooting during a primary school performance - and as the book goes on it flicks between timelines and different people's point of views until at the end of the book the full reveal of what has happened - and to an extent why is explained. There were so many lies and secrets between the characters in this story - nobody was particularly likeable and it was hard to feel sympathy towards any of them - even grieving family members. I requested this almost a year ago based on enjoying Dean's previous work but I regret reading it - had it not been an ARC I wouldn't have finished it - in part due to having a primary school aged child and not wanting to think on the main story point too hard.

Day One is a well written page turner with such a clever plot. It is so interesting to read the different characters point of view and thoughts of the events in the book. This is a gripping suspense filled read that you will be pulled right into dying to reach the conclusion. I would highly recommend.

This is a very difficult subject to write, and read, about and I was interested to see if Ms Dean was able to add new insights. Sadly, although I enjoyed her writing style, I found it really difficult to engage with the characters and the rather chaotic and confusing timelines. Not one for me I'm afraid although I'm sure many other readers will enjoy it.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a well written, slow burning tale, featuring a host of well-developed yet unpleasant characters and a wonderfully atmospheric setting. The chapters mainly alternate between two troubled teenagers - Marty (Martha) and Trent, over multiple, non-linear timelines. We quickly learn that all is not how it appears to be and, for most of the book, it's unclear who should be viewed as a trustworthy narrator of the tragic events that took place at Day One.

This book has left me conflicted. As I have said, it is well-written with well-developed characters, but I personally felt it was too long, with the conclusion being overdue before the reveal. I also struggled to comprehend what had actually happened and when, due to the ever-switching timeline. All in all, I liked this book – but I didn’t love it.

What a fantastic read! The detailed writing regarding the horrific school shooting from Day One unravelling in a continuous wave until we also witness the aftermath.
The various points of view were well written, as we the readers, slowly are allowed to find out what happened that fateful day. The detail in what each character was doing and feeling as events spiralled out of control is enthralling.
A real thought provoking novel.

Abigail Dean was one of my favourite authors after reading Girl A. I was therefore surprised, unfortunately, about how much I struggled with this second book. The subject matter is very interesting and reminiscent of the Dunblane school shooting and so I was very interested in seeing how such a difficult subject matter was dealt with. Unfortunately, I feel like it fell short. The mix of different perspectives and characters are confusing and though the interwoven storylines is something I would normally enjoy, I felt that this time it fell a little short of expectations. Not for me this time, unfortunately.

Abigail Dean writes so well. Utilising a real life incident she weaves a clever story with many interesting characters. This has a feeling of the Dunblane school tragedy about it. Her characters feel real wth all their insecurities and imperfections. A recommended riveting read

The opening of this book details a shooting in a primary school by a masked gunman. The story is written from the perspective of many characters but primarily by Marty, the daughter of a murdered teacher and Trent an aspiring journalist, both born in the town. It also jumps through many timelines, which actually made the story too disjointed for me. I found it too slow with the actual events drip fed throughout the different timelines. Not for me I am afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy of this book.

Abigail Dean made a name for herself with her debut, Girl A, which was reminiscent of the horrific Joseph Fritzl story and her new novel has shades of another relatively recent heinous crime, this time a shooting at a primary school in a town in the U.K.

The story is told through multiple timelines, for the mostpart by Marty, the previous school headgirl and Trent a semi social-outcast, both with links and ties to the town where the tragedy happened.

The storyline is cleverly interwoven across the alternating chapters; all is not how it appears to be and for most of the book it's unclear who should be trusted as the reliable narrator. Dean dripfeeds the reader little snippets of what really happened that awful and subsequent days following the shooting.

This book is best enjoyed without too many spoilers, it's a complete page turner and a great follow up to Girl A, which was widely lauded and I have no doubt this will be enjoyed by many.

The stereotypical thriller isn't usually my thing, but this is very well portrayed and excellently told without any nonsensical whiplash twists and turns, just a good honest tale of tragedy, bad decisions and the power of forgiveness.

Many thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC via netgalley in return for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which is out in just a few short weeks and on pre order now for 28th March.

4 stars

Day One is the story of a picture perfect little tourist town, where nothing bad happens. Until it does. On the morning of Day One, the traditional annual performance at the local primary school, a lone gunman invades the hall, and the unthinkable happens.

I’m not sure whether it was the author’s intention to create such unlikeable characters, but this made it very hard for me to become invested in the book. A few of the characters bordered on narcissistic. The constant desire to be seen, to be special, thinking they had more power than others somehow, despite the horrific situation was galling.
I also appreciate that conspiracy theorists by their nature see things where others don’t, but I found them confounding and infuriating.

I know it sounds unlikely, but the book is a slow burn, despite starting with a school shooting, but One Day is. The book felt too long, the explanation of what had actually happened was greatly overdue before the book got there. I contemplated stopping reading, but by then, I had invested time, and I wanted to know whether the end would justify the journey.

As the book nears it’s conclusion, the narrative still moves backwards and forwards between Day One, 6 months and 8 years. As opposed to bringing more tension, or giving more salient detail, I felt it just stretched unnecessarily the point at which we had the big reveal of the story.

There was a beautiful, poignant chapter in the book, nervous little Kit Larkin’s. My heart went out to him, and I loved his review of Five Have A Mystery to Solve.

I’m sure there are many others who will love this book, but I’m not one of them. Just 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

I loved Girl A and was excited to read Day One. Dean's writing is excellent and in this new novel she takes a horrific school shooting crime and grips the reader from the first page. The story is told from multiple perspectives, but in the most part from the deceased school teacher's daughter Marty. The storyline was very well done focusing on the aftermath. It can be slow moving in parts, but on a whole I was gripped right through to the final page.

This book is a slow burner The timeline jumps back and forth so be sure to take note of the chapter headings otherwise it is very confusing. Follows the aftermath of a tragic event at a local school and a lie that spins out of control. Ok read but lacks something for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

A gunman enters a Primary school and kills pupils and a teacher. This is told mainly by the daughter of that teacher and how it affects her life. Then it seems there are inconsistencies in some of the reports and people start up with conspiracy theories.
Interesting characters and a compulsive read

It's a pity that the blurb gives the plot away because it robs the brilliant first chapter of its poignancy. Dean's gently humorous depiction of Ava and her fondness for the children she teaches makes the shooting all the more powerful I will be reviewing this book but I wish people could come to the book with no expectations so that they can feel the full impact of this carefully constructed first chapter. That said, this is a careful, considered and gripping book with just enough uncertainty about the truth of the event to keep the plot ticking along whilst not allowing it to sensationalise the thoughtful investigation of trauma and different responses to it. Dean's first book, Girl A, pipped this one to the post for me. I found the first person narrative of Girl A more immersive and didn't think the changing viewpoints had the same immediacy, However, I was reading this on Kindle which I always find less absorbing than a hard copy. The characters and situation made me think of Sarah Moss and Jon McGregor, but more commercial and less literary, with the same sort of tone as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A solid, well-written and ultimately redemptive thriller.