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.

A look at the collision between conspiracy theorists and mourners in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy.

Stonesmere, a small town in the Lake District, is the kind of place where everyone knows each other and where only second generation inhabitants are called newbies. Day One is a school concert that has been happening every year since forever, but on this Day One a horrific event occurs. The media are everywhere and Marty Ward, a beloved Stonesmere resident, is the first interviewed except in that moment Marty does not tell the truth.

I really loved Girl A so I was excited for this novel but I didn’t think it was nearly as good. The concept is solid and the clash between the lying mourner and the conspiracy theorists is brilliant but I couldn’t get on with the way it’s written.

Similarly to Girl A, it flits between the past and present and ends in the middle but in Day One this built confusion rather than tension. There were too many points of view and it made it really hard to grasp who everyone was and where everyone was when the event occurred. The past and present in each character’s case was also really confusing.

On the one hand, I think the chaos of multiple view points is really representative of the event itself but as a reader it’s quite hard to follow and to emotionally invest in.

There were parts were I was hooked but this was very fragmented and I did feel a lot like I just needed to get on and finish it.

Some good bits, good idea but a bit disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc.

Thank you for giving me a chance to read this book prior to publication. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like it. I was really looking forward to reading, despite the tragic story, as it was set in the Lake District. However, it didn’t really matter where it was set. I was really disappointed.

It took me a while to get into this storyline. Although it was a disturbing and sad incident that took place, it was an intriguing read. It did jump about too much for my liking, time wise and character wise. I am still in two minds whether i liked it or not but i did finish it. I had higher expectations i guess but sadly it let me down a little. It’s the first book I have read by this author but i would read another.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

I received a free copy in return for a review from netgalley and just finished reading Day One.
I enjoyed this book, although it’s the story of a horrific incident and is written from the point of view by various characters, this did almost become too confusing.
The main characters both had traits I didn’t like but it added layers to them.
This was a well written and intriguing book.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
I just got to read Day One by Abigail Dean, author of Girl A.
I really enjoyed this book, but the story is based around an horrific incident.
I liked the way it was written from two main points of view but others also. I enjoyed learning about the characters, even though they weren’t all really likeable. The main characters both had traits I didn’t like but it didn’t take from the story.
I found a little too much use of certain punctuation. Too many “-“ and “:”. This just distracted me a little but it wasn’t a major issue and maybe will be a bit improved in the final copies.
Day one is out on April 3rd 2024 and is well worth a read!
Trigger warnings for a school shooting and some domestic violence.

Day One, in the village of Stonesmere, is the last day of the school year, where the eldest children in the local primary school would perform a show to the four year olds who would be joining the school the following September. The first day in September would therefore actually be the second and so not half as new or scary.

This year, however, during the production, a gunman enters the hall and takes the lives of several people.

The story follows several characters, at several points, up to eight years after the attack. We experience the events from the perspectives of people who were there or who become involved later on. Stonesmere, it seems, is almost a character itself and seems to maintain links with people even long after they've left.

I took a little while to get into this book, mostly because there is so much jumping around. Abigail Dean must've had pages of timelines in order to keep track of where each character was and at times, I thought about writing out my own. It did become easier once I had a better understanding of the characters and Stonesmere.

All in all, I found this to be a really gripping, pacy novel and I found the media, grooming and radicalisation themes, particularly interesting, particularly as this wasn't from a religious angle, as often seems to be the case on TV.

A thought-provoking and tragic story. Sadly i really struggled with it as the story line seemed to jump around so much. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy. Hopefully others will find it easier to follow.

I loved this and had to force myself to put it down a few times so as not to gulp it.

I was thinking about what makes it work so compulsively- apart from the superlative characterisation and settings - and I think it’s that Ms Dean has chosen a relatively new form of terror for the UK, something we have yet to import from America - and then she has mined it for emotional impact rather than cheap thrills.

I never thought I’d say this, but she’s delivered something even more compelling than Girl A. This is not to take away anything from the excellence of Girl A. Just that the chorus of POVs and the range of experiences spoke more to me I guess.

I suspect Day One might be easier to make into a Netflix as well. I so hope this is already underway.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for letting me see an advance copy.

There were lots of things I liked about this book, the author writes in such a skilful and descriptive way. I usually love multiple timelines and POVs, but I found it was a little too chaotic for me this time around. That said I still enjoyed reading and would read more by this author.

So I was in the minority of people who didn't get on with Girl A and I wanted to give the author another chance, but unfortunately this book didn't connect with me either. I just found it dull and really struggled to engage with it. I know that I am in the minority and please do not let my opinion stop you from reading this! It is important to remember that reading is subjective and I really hope that everyone else loves this book! It just wasn't for me sadly.

Day One is about the devastation caused to a small town called Stonesmere after a shooter opens fire on a primary school ‘Day One’ concert killing children and their teacher. It is told from multiple POVs, mainly Marty (the teacher’s daughter) and Trent (a conspiracy theorist), and moves forward and back in time so that the events of that day only become clear towards the end. It is an excellent premise and examines the culture of fake news and conspiracy theorists very well through the character of Trent. There were points that the different POVs and timelines became a bit tedious and clunky for me but overall I thought it was well written and concluded well.

We follow the account of Marty after the Stonesmere school shooting as she was interviewed just after she fled from the scene of the crime, but some things just don't seem to add up. There are many conspiracy theories surrounding what actually happened on that day, but as we follow different accounts and the story jumps forwards and backwards in time the truth slowly begins to unfold. It kept my hooked and uncertain up until the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have such mixed feelings about this one, much as I did her first novel. I can’t decide if I really enjoyed it or if I was bored. So I’m going middle ground and I’ll explain why.

The plot was based around a primary school shooting - very tough topic. It was dealt with sensitively and I do think the aspects surrounding its impact were well done. But I think the opposite side to the story, the conspiracy theorists, just didn’t work for me. I don’t think I even understood why they felt so strongly that it hadn’t happened.

Some parts I was so into, the speed picked up and so did the intrigue. But then would come another lull and I was just a bit like why? I’m not sure if it was because of how disjointed it all was.

The story is told from a lot of different POV’s, which can work but for the purpose of this one, I don’t think it did. But I think that lends to the amount of different timelines we were working on. Just felt like a lot of being thrown around from this person, in this time to that person in that time - over and over.

Although I was interested to finally work out what had really happened. Especially as I felt it ramped up towards the end. I have to say I was a little dissatisfied with the ending. I felt it was coming with a bang and it fizzled out before we get there.

The book is really well written, it was interesting and definitely made me want to keep reading. But something got lost along the way for me. Perhaps great idea just not executed as well as it could be.

This story is about what happens after a gunman enters a school and the affect that it has on the staff and children. It has a number of characters and is a little bit confusing in parts. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was very good.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

Wow! Like totally WOW!

This is a highly addictive and haunting tale.
A lone gunman walks into a Lake District primary school during the annual performance of the play"Day one" and opens fire on the children then on himself. This heartbreaking yet compelling story is predominantly told after the events of Day one.
The story follows Marty, the first person spotted fleeing the school after the event, who's Mum was the class teacher killed during the fatal shooting. The other main character is Trent, a naive local boy and conspiracy theorist, who is sceptical of the reported version of the events.
So many engaging storylines, such a gripping, engrossing book bravely tackling such disturbing, delicate topics.

😷Abigail Dean wrote this during lock down at a time when she felt conspiracy theories were taking over the world. She says this is a story about grief, friendship , family and memory ....but also about the Conspiracy theories, the people that believe them, the people that peddle them and the people they hurt.

If you're looking for a book that you could finish in one sitting then this is the one for you, I literally couldn't not put this bad boy down!

I have found this story very difficult to read, i cannot get any sense of continuity. The chapters all focus on a different character and also have different timelines. I feel that i still don’t ’know’ anyone in the book and can’t engage with the characters.
Definitely not one for me

Despite the many 4 and 5 star reviews for Day One, I struggled with the multiple time frames and POVs. Very early on the culprit was signalled which made the remainder of the book quite tedious. I didn’t like Marty and none of the other characters were strong enough to have an opinion on. The writing was excellent in places - particularly about grief and also about how young minds work with their insecurities and fears. I’m sorry but I can only give this book a 3 star review.