A twisty one. When Veronica meets Scarlett it seems a though a light that went out when her daughter was killed in an accident is back on again, But then someone begins doing nasty little things to poke at her. Who? Why? The why is more important. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Great book. Well written. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will be looking out for more from this author in the future.

The accident by Dawn Goodwin.
Veronica Pullman's comfortable suburban life comes to a shuddering halt when her young daughter, Grace, tragically dies in a car accident.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read In one sitting. 5*.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

My 3* review for The Accident by Dawn Goodwin which I read after being allowed to download it on NetGalley.

"Veronica Pullman's comfortable suburban life comes to a shuddering halt when her young daughter, Grace, tragically dies in a car accident. Months later, unable to come to terms with her daughter's death, detached from her husband and alienated from her friends and family, a chance encounter on a rainy street pushes her into an unlikely new friendship. Scarlet is everything Veronica could've been: feisty, adventurous, unpredictable. But as she approaches what would have been Grace's 10th birthday, it becomes clear to Veronica that the friendship she thought was saving her life could be costing her everything. Consumed by grief and left questioning her own sanity, is there anyone she can really trust or is someone out to torment her as part of their twisted game?"

From the synopsis of the book, I was really looking forward to reading another great psychological mystery thriller by a new Author to me.

The book is very well written with lots of suspense and strange goings on that make you wonder what happened in The Accident to leave Veronica so consumed by guilt, grief and detached from everyone, except this new friend Scarlet that appears at just the right time in her life.

Unfortunately I was slightly disappointed with the book for several reasons. Firstly, I thought the book lost it's way a bit in the middle, secondly I found it a bit too predictable and thirdly, the ending seemed very rushed. All the way through the book I was eager to find out what happened in 'The Accident' to set the wheels in motion for Veronica to unravel the way she did and understand and empathise with her better. However, the details of the accident, the title and therefore one of the main aspects of the plot, were left until the last few chapters and left me feeling cheated. I would have liked to have known about it earlier and in more detail to fully immerse myself in the characters of the book and completely understand the story.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Veronica is stuck in a depression after a tragic accident. She endures every day meaninglessly until she meets Scarlett who is a salve to her pain.
I am sorry to say this wasn't for me and I struggled to get into it at all. I really wanted to enjoy it but I couldn't.

A really enjoyable book, I enjoyed the way it was written. Veronica and her husband have lost their daughter Grace aged 10. The story follows Veronica's life dealing with the massive blow that losing Grace has left her. How do you cope with something like that? While trying to cope she pushes away her husband and friends but finds a new friend who is everything she needs. I did guess what was happening but that in no way detracted from the story. A great read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Veronica, was so damaged and lost since the accident. As I read the book, I sympathized with her and then started to wonder if she truly was losing it; who knows how any of us would react if we lost a child, our only child. Veronica had given up a career happily to raise her child and ended up so lost without her, the friends that she spent so much time with are people she probably wouldn't even like if they didn't have children and no one knows how to treat her, not even her husband, the scenes between them were heart breaking. When you realize that someone might be messing with her, I started suspecting everyone and kept coming back to the same person, I was correct. The book was a little dragging in the middle, but the ending was great.

I would recommend this book, it had a great storyline and the characters were well written and I will definitely be looking for more books from this author.

Not my favorite. This is a fast-paced read with some twists and turns but I found the characters to be a little one-dimensional and the writing was predictable. Still, if you just want an easy, exciting beach read, this would be a good book for you.

Veronica Pullman has lost her daughter Grace in a car accident and is struggling to come to terms with her life. She has had a happy marriage but cannot talk to her husband Tom who immerses himself in his work as a doctor and they become two people living under the same roof and just going through the motions.

Veronica has always had a good circle of friends but is unable to deal with their sympathy and ends up pushing them away. She spends her days cleaning her house and pretending that her daughter is still alive even going to the school some days pretending she is still doing the school run.

It is on one of her rare outings that she encounters Scarlet who is everything Veronica isn’t, unpredictable, vivacious, wanting to go out and have a good time. Veronica begins to enjoy her nights out with Scarlet and has found someone who she can talk to. However, she begins to spiral out of control, shoplifting, drinking too much and generally losing control of her behaviour, all of which is being encouraged by Scarlet.

Then strange things begin to happen and Veronica starts to question her sanity and realises that someone is deliberately trying to hurt her.

This book is full of twists and turns and you find yourself wanting to know what is happening. However not only is this a brilliant plot but it is also so well written and you really empathise with the main characters and can understand what a terrible effect such a tragedy could have on a family.

This is the author’s first book and what a good debut it is. I will certainly look out for any further books by Dawn Goodwin.

Dexter


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

What a great debut this was! Veronica is suffering from extreme depression after her daughter Grace was involved in an accident. She is dealing with her sadness and anger and dealing with friends who still have their healthy children is heartbreaking. Suddenly Veronica has a new friend in her life and seems to be pulling herself out of her depressive world but is this friend helping or hurting? Great read with engaging characters gripped me from beginning to end!

Thanks Netgalley for an opportunity to read this new psychological mystery. The main character Veronica has lost her daughter in a car accident and she and her husband struggle to overcome their grief. When a new friend arrives in her life it provides plenty of questions and Veronica needs to find the answers to help her recover her relationship with her husband.

Review I received a free ecopy of this book from Aria Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. This was a very enjoyable suspenseful book. The main character, Veronica, is unable to get her life back on track after the tragic death of her daughter. Veronica is mired in grief and depression and it is affecting all facets of her life. She has lost contact with her friends and her marriage is falling apart. A new person comes into her life and Veronica starts to act very erratically. Her new friend Scarlett encourages her to get out and start living life again. The problem is, many of the decisions Veronica makes from here on are so out of character and at times dangerous. There is a twist in the book which you suspect early on but it is still a very good book that keeps your interest. I would recommend this book for readers that enjoy a good suspense story.

A great psychological thriller page turner. Featured as part of the Sarah Hurley Book Club / Book Blog Tour.

A jaw-dropping chiller that will leave readers breathless, The Accident is an exceptional debut novel grip lit fans are going to devour!

Veronica Pullman’s perfect suburban life came to a juddering halt when her daughter Grace was killed suddenly in a tragic car accident that had plunged her deep into an abyss of grief and despair from which there seems to be no way out. As darkness continues to envelop and overwhelm her with each passing day, Veronica’s marriage begins to suffer as her husband shuts himself off from her and throws himself into his work, her friendships begin to fall by the wayside and her family seems unable to get through the wall of sadness and misery which she has built around herself. But could a chance encounter on a rainy street be the salvation which she has been searching for? Or is Veronica only setting herself up for further heartbreak and unconsciously entering a dangerous world that could destroy her life once and for all?

Scarlet couldn’t be more different from Veronica. She is feisty, opinionated, daring and absolutely fearless, and despite the differences between them, the two soon strike up a friendship and become the best of friends. As Scarlet’s influence begins to penetrate the shell which Veronica had built around herself, Veronica begins to feel alive for the first time since Grace’s death. But is Scarlet all that she seems? Or will she lead Veronica down a path that could see her lose everything?

As Veronica begins to question her sanity, she begins to wonder whether she is the victim of a cruel and twisted game and whether there is anybody left in the world whom she can trust…

In her debut novel, Dawn Goodwin has managed to write a gripping, compelling and nail-biting thriller that will keep readers riveted from the very first page whilst also tackling difficult issues such as grief, loss, bereavement and toxic friendships. Dawn Goodwin draws her readers in from the off and it is very hard to put this engrossing and heart-pounding thriller down.

Fans of Nicci French and SJ Watson are going to love Dawn Goodwin and I look forward to what else this talented writer has in store for readers who like their thrillers to be intelligently written, dark, twisted and impossible to resist!

Veronica has the life she wanted, married to the successful Doctor but then things change when her daughter Grace dies when hit by a car. She struggles to cope with her loss, distancing herself from her friends and husband, drinking to excess and staying out partying.
There are a number of twists to this psychological thriller. The author keeps the reader in suspense providing more background information on the characters once you are well into the book which in my case made me re-evaluate the entire scenario of what was happening. Hard to put down. An enthralling novel. Recommended

The Blurb :
Veronica Pullman's comfortable suburban life comes to a shuddering halt when her young daughter, Grace, tragically dies in a car accident.
Months later, unable to come to terms with her daughter's death, detached from her husband and alienated from her friends and family, a chance encounter on a rainy street pushes her into an unlikely new friendship.
Scarlet is everything Veronica could've been: feisty, adventurous, unpredictable. But as she approaches what would have been Grace's 10th birthday, it becomes clear to Veronica that the friendship she thought was saving her life could be costing her everything.
Consumed by grief and left questioning her own sanity, is there anyone she can really trust or is someone out to torment her as part of their twisted game?

My Thoughts :
Veronica Pullman is unable to move on with her life after losing her daughter Grace in a car accident. Husband Tom, throws himself into his work and is attending Therapy. Their marriage is in trouble and Veronica feels her network of friends are all talking about her. She rarely leaves the house but on the times that she does she keeps bumping into a stranger, Scarlet. Scarlet, who seems bubbly and friendly is just the treatment Veronica needs and they soon become friends. When strange things start happening to Veronica, she feels someone is out to hurt her.
Its hard not to say too much without giving away any spoilers, but be prepared for some twists, turns and surprises along the way. This is one gripping thriller that will have you eagerly turning the page to get to the end to find out what happens.
A great debut from Dawn Goodwin that covers loss, grief and tragedy. I look forward to more to come from this Author.

This is another great thriller!

Veronica is an unreliable narrator, which makes her story all the more compelling. It's difficult to tell when she's telling the truth. Fairly early on, I could tell that things weren't adding up, but I couldn't be sure if I was wrong. There were also hints of someone else playing tricks on her, but it wasn't clear who it was until the end. 

I had figured out everything by the end but it was still an exciting story. Even though I could predict things that needed to be told at the end, I didn't know how they would come out. (I don't want to give spoliers but if you read the book, you'll know what I'm referring to.)

There were clever hints as to what was happening to Veronica. There is one particular flashback to Grace that I really liked. 

I enjoyed this story. I recommend it if you want to read a psychological thriller!

The Accident is the story of a perfect suburban family that is torn apart and destroyed by the death of their daughter in a car accident. Months after her death, Veronica and Tom are still trying to come to terms with their loss and are drifting further and further apart. Veronica has cut herself off from all of her old friends and has basically become a recluse. There's finally a glimmer of hope for Veronica that life can get better when she bumps into Scarlet and their friendship quickly blossoms. Scarlet encourages Veronica to stop locking herself in the house all the time and to get back outside and live again.

Shortly after meeting Scarlet, Veronica begins noticing things around her house that remind her of her daughter, Grace, things that have been put away and the memories all come flooding back. As her daughter's 10th birthday approaches weirder things happen and Veronica spends more and more time with Scarlet out drinking and becomes more and more reckless. She begins to question if the friendship is really good for her and begins to wonder if Scarlet is responsible for the odd reminders of Grace that keep popping up.

I found The Accident to be a quick and enjoyable read with an interesting ending. I originally felt that there should have been more backstory to Grace's accident earlier in the plot as the accident is already disclosed in the summary of the book. The story line kind of skirts around this leaving the reader questioning what happened throughout the book (if you hadn't read the summary) but as I got closer to the end, I began to understand why Ms. Goodwin chose to do this which I won't disclose due to potential spoilers. Just be warned you might find yourself screaming "tell me more" in the beginning!

I enjoyed that the author navigated between narrators in order to give a more rounded story and did not find this method was confusing at all. Most of the chapters are told from Veronica's point of view but a few are slipped in from the point of view of Tom, Grace and a few others. I felt this just added to the book and gave more depth to the chapter, basically a story-within-a-story.

Upon finishing the book, I found myself wishing that there was another chapter or even a sequel. I found myself so absorbed in the characters, that I wanted there to be a continuation so I could see how they proceed with their lives. Again, I won't go into detail as I'm trying to keep this review spoiler-free, but the book does leave you hanging a little bit.