A great story, well written and unexpected. I liked the different angle rather than just a straight school shooting and the backstory was really interesting. Recommended.

Day One deals with a school shooting in a Lake District village school. The dialogue jumps about between the victims before the shooting, a lying 'witness', relatives of the victims and conspiracy theorists convinced that the whole thing is a hoax. I found the jumpy timeline very confusing and disorientating. Just as I began to understand one character I was whisked away to another point of view at a different time. I did finish the book but it was touch and go at times. If I remember rightly I felt the same way about the author's first book Girl A so perhaps this authors writing style is just not for me. Still, a difficult topic dealt with in an original way.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Girl A so when I saw that Abigail Dean had a new book I was keen to read it. Thanks to the publisher for the chance and opportunity to provide a review.
The story takes place in a quiet Lake District town I found easy to picture, when a small community is rocked by a school shooting. I found the elements of characters relationships with the killer and disbelieving he could do such a thing well thought out along with the lengths people will go to believe what they want to believe in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Trent for example was much easier to relate to as a victim than villain.

However I did find the book quite slow paced and drawn out. There were also too many smaller characters who were less fleshed out and therefore sometimes difficult to remember who they were related to or their relation to the incident. There were others I would have liked to learn more about. I also found the timing quite confusing with the constantly shifting from day 1 to month 3 to year 8 to month 6 quite hard to keep straight.

The author’s first novel – Girl A – remained with me for a long time after I read it. The author chose a tricky subject then and continues in similar vein with her the subject of choice in this, her latest novel. She looks at the aftermath of a shooting in a small primary school in the Lake District.

This is a tiny town that feels like a very regular place and nothing untoward ever really happens. Until now. During an introduction being given to the new in-take of pupils next term, all hell is let loose.

When something this shocking has taken place, the whole community is affected. The aftermath ripples through from those were directly involved in the incident, to others who need to be in place to pick up the pieces and to those who sought more involvement than perhaps was their due. The author explores the personal experiences of a couple of specific people involved and examines the reliability of memory as the days pass, and delves into the motivations of some of those directly and indirectly involved. This is a well told story with a strong narrative of different points of view.

Inevitably the whole devastating story is hijacked by conspiracy theorists who promulgate the notion that this was all a hoax. This we have seen, of course, in the Sandy Hook massacre but the perpetrator there behind those lies has now been fined a record breaking sum of money for spreading his heinous misinformation and causing so much harm.

There is much in this novel about reflexive memory contrasted with wilful fabrication, which makes for an interesting exploration.

This is a well written, at times slightly ponderous story, that tackles a very difficult subject in a thoughtful and interesting way.

The novel is set in the Lake District but perhaps the backdrop is more about small town dynamics than setting.

Another good read from Abigail Dean and although initially the book for me started a bit slow and wasn’t so sure I was going to enjoy it. The main focus of the read is a school shooting which is one heck of a challenging subject to take on but it’s done with care and empathy by the author who doesn’t sensationalise it but treats it delicately and I really admire her for that. Told from different points of view the story enfolded in different ways and although as I said it’s a slow start but the changes of character keeps the story flowing.
I loved the setting as is very near to where I live, the characters were well crafted and overall this was a good read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Abigail Dean is an author who makes reading about the most horrific things so engrossing. I loved Girl A and I loved this too

An ok read based on a shooting in the school. Maybe it appeals more to the American market, I was not able to identify with much of it.

Set in the beautiful Lake District in North West England, Ava Ward a much loved teacher prepared so much for a school play, with a class she adores. However it doesn’t go to plan, and ends in tragic circumstances.

Ava’s daughter Marty, makes her way to the school hall - she’s running late for the play but arrives just after catastrophe strikes; running from the hall she is seen, and accosted by local tv journalists and gives her account of what happened inside. Throwing her into a media limelight… only her account isn’t all that true.

As news of the massacre at school goes nationwide, a country is in mourning. Trent a former Stonesmere resident and internet blogger, realises he can jump start his career to new heights by looking into what really happened at Stonesmere, and knows Marty is lying. He will do anything to uncover the truth and forms allies with others with more extreme beliefs on the incident.

The story flips between character points of view, set over various timelines. Abigail Dean’s writing style is always impressive, and I stop and admire some of her descriptive writing skills whilst reading.

The books starts strong, a horrific tragedy which keeps you glued to the pages. I found lulled during the middle of the book… a bit dragged out, but I really enjoyed the ending and how it all came together.
The text set different periods of time adds to the suspense of what really happened that day and ultimately why. I enjoyed this book in particular the location - as it’s not too far from where I live so could picture it perfectly. I did also like Abigail Dean’s other novel ‘Girl A’ so it’s definitely an author I will keep my eye out for.

Thanks Netgalley for this free ARC of the book, in return for an honest review

A horrific tragedy in a quiet Lake District village is the setting for this fast paced book. From the first page it made for a compulsive read. Thankfully Abigail Dean did not dwell too much on the incident itself, more so on the aftermath and how it was percieved and handled. I enjoyed reading and realising the truth as it slowly unfolds. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley.

Day One is a book that is challenging and though provoking. It is emotional in parts, anger inducing in others. Dealing for the most part, with the aftermath of a school shooting in a rural Cumbrian community, the book takes readers from that fateful day in which all of their lives will be irrevocably changed, through the attempts of the community to understand what happened. Add in a bunch of online conspiracy theorists, and a witness who may not be telling the whole truth and it makes for quite a compelling read. Not quite a thriller, probably aptly described as literary crime.

This is not about investigating the who – they are all too well known – and more about what it does to a once proud family and tight knit community, It is beautifully written, the narrative packed with all manner of emotions. From just the first few chapters I become totally invested in the character of Ava Ward and the children of her class, so much so that in just those too brief paragraphs what was to come made a real impact upon me. It is never easy to consider the subject of a school shooting, especially of children who are just on the cusp of graduating junior school with so much of the future ahead of them, but I really did feel the impact of their loss, an impact explored in the remainder of the book to great effect.

The story itself switches between different perspectives and various moments in time. From spending time with some of the victims or their families on that fated day, the day of the schools Day One performance, through the days and weeks following the shooting, to eight years following the tragedy, we slowly build a picture of what happened. The chapters told of the aftermath are told in chronological order, but broken up by day one testimony and the odd scene from ‘Year Eight’, as in eight years later and not to be confused with a school year. It serves to remind readers of the victims, both those lost and the families left behind, and does make quite the impact at times.

Now this is not just about the town of Stonesmere, and much of the action also centres on a former resident of the town who, along with many others, is convinced that there is some bizarre cover up going on. With claims ranging from the children did not exist, through to the killer was set up, it has a huge impact on the residents of the town but is scarily believable given the propensity for the spread of hate and misinformation online these days. There are many people like Trent Casey to be found on line, most not very carefully hidden – just look at your average day on X for a start – but the lengths to which they go really did make me feel angry and incredulous. Not because it didn’t feel real, because it felt tragically so. The story is littered with secrets and half truths which feeds their rhetoric, but the way in which the whole thing unfolds is still quite shocking.

If you are looking for an intense, in the moment school siege kind of read, then this is not it. It’s not about the act in itself which, to be honest, makes it a little easier to read. It was hard enough getting to know the victims for such a brief moment in time. But the exploration of how a town is, or isn’t allowed or expected to grieve in our far too connected world, makes for compelling, if occasionally uncomfortable reading.

The writing of this book is outstanding. The story however, I found quite slow and so very sad!
If definitely read this without again, I think it was just the storyline that makes it a difficult read as a parent

This was a HARD read.
Following the aftermath of a school shooting, Day One revolves around the retelling of that life changing day through the eyes of families and survivors.
Unfortunately there is a group of people who have banded together and are adamant that the whole thing is a hoax and that the victims never even existed.

A really tough read but I found myself totally immersed from page one. Lots of tears where shed!

An intriguing read. For me, the first half of the book was more gripping. I felt that it it could have been shorter and the moving backwards and forwards between people and times has the potential to be confusing. For this reason, I think that the book needs to be read in a couple of sittings.

There was a great deal of information that was drip-fed in and this irritated a little. I didn’t really gel with any of the characters except perhaps for Larkin, as to me the author really captured the essence of his grief.

Overall, I would award this book 3 1/2 stars.

One day, a gunman enters a local primary school in Stonesmere, changing the town forever. Marty lost her mother, a teacher who died trying to save her pupils and shortly after she gives an interview that will change the course of her life. Trent is a young man who becomes obsessed with the events at Stonesmere and soon becomes intertwined in the many conspiracy theories springing up. We go from day one through the aftermath and fallout of these events, and see just how everyone is affected.

Honestly, what a book! A hard read at times due to the content but it was also quite interesting. I found Dean's writing to be both frank and captivating so I was invested from the first chapter. Conspiracy theories are all over the internet these days, there's no getting away from them so to see a book introduce them into its plot was clever. It added a level of reality to the book, you see how these ideas are planted and take shape so fast, it's quite scary. The alternating POVs was initially confusing as there were quite a few characters introduced but once I got into the swing of the book, it was fine! If anything, all of the different insights made it into the page turner it is!

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins and Abigail Dean for this gifted copy! Day One is out on March 28th!

* Please look up trigger warnings before reading *

I felt very much the same about this book as I did Abigail’s first book. Parts bored me and parts I enjoyed. I was so excited about the blurb it left me feeling quite disapointed

I enjoyed this and I think deserves the same profile as Girl A. It’s a page turner. You cannot help but feel like you are reading about the Sandy Hook case, albeit in the UK, so you feel like you know how it is going to turn out. The big reveal isn’t really a reveal as we’ve been brought along the journey overall. The ending is satisfactory but could have been better. The story is told with multiple voices over various time periods, so definitely one for me to read rather than listen to. Don’t think I liked any of the characters, but this did help me focus on the story. The main gripe I have is with the mother, mothering everybody but her own daughter, and I need some help understanding what the last few pages meant.
I got a Digitial ARC from Harper Collins UK, via @netgalley. It’s published on 28th March.

I tried but just couldn't get into this book, it's one of very few that I couldn't finish. It's beautifully written with obviously a harrowing storyline. However for me it was the characterisation of the daughter and conspiracy theorists that I just couldn't get on with.

This story follows the aftermath of a school shooting. It explores how it affected the families life’s, and people’s responses to the disaster outside of the community. Reading about the shooting was so devastating and reading about the people who ‘didn’t believe it happened’ was infuriating. I think knowing how often that sadly happens often in real life in some countries made it harder to read.

I’m not usually one for true crime or crime fiction, but after reading and loving Penance by Eliza Clark in 2023 I was convinced to dive a little bit more into the genre. I’d seen a lot of good reviews for Abigail Dean’s first novel, Girl A, which combined with the description of Day One and prompted me to request her second book which comes out on the 26th March.

In a small town near the Lake District, the primary school does a annual introduction to the new children due to start in September - Day One gathers the town’s community together and maintains a spirit of connection. One year, that community is shattered by a horrific event - and the effects of that Day One ripple through the town for years.

Day One was compulsive reading; I couldn’t put it down and sped through it faster than I was expecting to. It’s easy to get swept away in the portrayal of a small town that Dean creates, and in that sense it is very similar to Penance. Marty, our protagonist, is our main window into Day One and it’s aftermath - she is very much an unreliable and often unlikeable narrator, but Dean builds a sense of connection with her that carries the novel through. The themes throughout of conspiracy theories, right wing politics, and the terrifying ways those two combine, was also gripping throughout.

Overall though, I finished this novel feeling like I’d been an unnecessary watcher to what should have been a private event. Parts of the book feel like they were lifted from news articles about the real-life events that undoubtably inspired Dean’s writing, but I don’t know that these events should necessarily be fictionalised for our reading pleasure. There is potentially something to be learnt from a fictionalised version, but I don’t know that Day One delves far enough to really handle them well.

Well, that grew on me.

An absorbing plot with some great complex and flawed characters. It is definitely the characters and their evolutions that drives the narrative and makes for great reading.

I battled a bit with the writing style at the beginning, failing to grasp context and narrative at times, but that certainly changed as the story progressed. Abigail Dean seems to often make use of a collection of short pointed sentences that lost me a bit at the beginning, but left me appreciating the depth that they provided when relaying certain points.

All in all an enjoyable read

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for a Review Copy.