Day One is a chilling, compelling very well written page turner of a book. Had I not known of the conspiracy theorists following the Sandy Hook outrage then I would have considered the 'Truthers' to be very far fetched indeed, but of course, as we know there's nothing quite like the human psyche, but even so...sickening!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy, I will now make it my business to look for Dean's previous works.

Beautifully written with huge emotion albeit in a very disjointed and jerky timeline. It skips from character to character, backwards and forwards in time and needs to be read in large chunks so as not to lose track of what's happening. However this is very easy as it's gripping from start to finish, very character driven and quite a slow burn. Just misses being 5-star because of the 'foreshadowing', it's a personal dislike of mine when the main character knows something but is not disclosing it to anyone, including the reader. The friendship between Leah and Marty is deep and beautiful, one of the best parts of the book for me.

A heartbreakingly great story that keeps you shrouded in mystery just trying to understand one main question.... Why?

Thoroughly enjoyed this and could not put it down!

Day One
Abigail Dean
Publication: 28th March 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, let me thank Netgalley, the publishers and author Abigail Dean for the chance to read an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Deans' previous book 'Girl A' so as soon as I saw she had a new book coming out, I was chuffed and was so looking forward to reading it - I requested it on Netgalley straight away and was delighted to get approved an ARC.

I liked this book but I didnt love it I'm afraid. I defo enjoyed Girl A more. This one, while theres no denying its well written, just read very slow for me.
I like a thriller read or a fast paced book that has me dying to read on to find out what happened - this was neither of those things. It can not in any way be described as a thriller. So dont go in expecting that. Unfortunately thats what I thought and I was left disappointed and didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think my expectations were too high after Girl A.

I liked the sound of the blurb and there's no denying the writing was fantastic. You could feel the grief and loss the town felt after the Stonemeres school shooting (made all the more harrowing because you could see the real life element aswell - As we all know, School shootings do happen and it really makes you think about the huge effect they have on anyone involved at the time and any lasting effects in the aftermath of such a massacre). The story was told really well but just fell a bit flat for me and read too slow for my liking.

Overall, the story was good and Abigail Dean is a fantastic author but I blame myself for not reading the blurb properly and expecting a thriller. Dont let my mediocre 3 star review put you off though, its a great read just a bit too slow paced for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Day One performance at the local primary school is a looked forward to yearly event. Mrs Ward’s class are up first, and there are lots of butterflies and stage fright. All this turns to terror when a man with a gun appears at the back of the hall.

The followings days are recounted from the POV of several characters, particularly Martha/Marty, who is Mrs Ward’s daughter. Turmoil, anger, loss and trauma, as expected, are to the fore. And when the conspiracy theorists get involved, tensions get stretched even further.

The plot travels backwards and forwards, so attention to chapter headings is advised!

First off I must say I really enjoyed Girl A, and looked forward to reading this latest offering from Dean. However, this book was a bit of a struggle. The constant backwards and forwards, very choppy, was a challenge, as was the mentioning of characters without any introduction. Though these all became clear eventually, it did not make for an easy read. I also think a bit more background to the killer might have helped. For main character he was a little lacking in depth.

The subject matter is a matter of division. The author is a great storyteller, so a more original plot would have been welcome. As it is, this is a somewhat uncomfortable read, too close to home for many readers.

Thank you NetGalley.

I needed a couple of days to write this review; Day One is a work of fiction but strongly echoes a couple of real life events, and it evoked a lot of different emotions.

Told from multiple POVs (but mainly focusing on Marty and Trent’s stories), this novel skips back and forth between various points in time, so pay attention to the chapter headings or you’ll lose the plot! No twists or turns or anything like that, this is a slow burn that oozes tension from the horrifying opening chapter, and then finishes with a sucker punch right to the heart. Day One is a hard read perhaps because for too many people the story will be uncomfortably close to their lived experience. (Definitely check the trigger warnings first)

The ‘Truthers’ - Trent included - provide some respite from the pressing sadness that permeates almost every aspect of this story by evoking SO MUCH RAGE, demonstrating a cruelness that I wish was only the stuff of fiction. Their conviction that the shooting didn’t happen, that the whole thing is some big government cover up, and - worse - that the children didn’t even exist in the first place seems utterly ridiculous, but sadly is an apt portrayal of many pockets within our society today. Their heartless attacks on grieving families add another dimension to this (already depressing) tale; however they also allow for some of the background characters to shine through. Kit’s father in particular has some extremely moving reactions to the Truthers that really tug on the heartstrings.

I adored the writing in Day One. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I found it so beautiful and eloquent, and somehow it really fit the bleak nature of the story…the beauty of the words was such a stark contrast against the horror of what they were describing.

All in all, an excellent albeit hard-hitting read. Hit me right in the feels and is still on my mind several days later. Always the sign of a good book for me ♥️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for my advance copy of Day One in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻

Thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Full review to follow.

A mystery following a school killing and Marty, who is the daughter of one of the teachers who sadly lost their life. Marty tells a lie which spirals
I enjoyed this to start, but lost interest slightly as it jumped through time and different character point of views.

A primary school in a beautiful Lake District town. A gunman walks into the middle of a school play and guns down staff and pupils.
Marty's mother is one of the teacher's murdered. Was arty there, what did she see, what does she know?

Conspiracy theorists involve themselves. Who is speaking the truth?

A fabulous book that has you gripped from the very first page (not said lightly!). A compelling plot that shocks in the first instance, and then each chapter unfurls a new perspective; a new interpretation of the events that occurred, narrated by the different key witnesses and characters involved. I particularly enjoyed the way that Abigail Dean relays the story from the build up to the actual event, to the day itself, the immediate days after and finishes with an update eight years later. Abigail Dean has the brilliance of an author who can ensure that each voice is individual, and does not merge or get lost with others.
One review mentions that the story is quite slow, but I personally consider that the pace is perfect as it draws you in, and engages and although you want to know exactly who did what, who saw what, who impacted the events and why....; you also take a personal interest in every single person involved.
Highly recommend and "Day One" would be a great Book Club suggestion.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely be looking out for more of her work.
It handled a sensitive topic well and I enjoyed how the true events of the day were slowly revealed. I thought I might get confused with the timeline jumping back and forth but it was easy to follow and I found it an interesting and different way of story telling.

I really enjoyed this book although it does take a while to get into the different time jumps and characters.
It has shades of a Jodi picoult novel without the huge twists just a sad and moving story. Recommend

This book is based on the shooting of primary school children in a small village. It is debatable if that is an appropriate topic for a book. The killings lead to conspiracy theories varying from those who believe that the whole thing was concocted and never happened to more accurate questions about the actions of adults who were there but whose role is uncertain. Marty is the daughter of a mother who is killed but exactly what she was up to on the day is open to question. A whole list of characters are involved in the book which makes it difficult sometimes to follow. It also goes back and forward in time. I didn’t find that the quality of the story justified using a shocking event as the basis of a fictional story.

My first book by Abigail and will be looking out for her next. I enjoyed this book. The plot was so intriguing it draw me in and I couldn’t put it down. It was like a huge puzzle and I didn’t know what piece went where. Loved how it’s set in the Lake District I love it there The characters made you feel the emotions were so strong I felt like I was hurting, it’s told from multiple points of view which i actually liked

This book is more of a character driven read with not so much mystery and suspense!
Although I was eager to read I can’t really say the content was enjoyable as the subject matter was very delicate! Got a but confused at times with the multiple time lines and told from so many perspectives.

As the children at Stonesmere primary school begin a special performance called Day One, a lone gunman enters the school, opens fire and kills beloved teacher Ava Ward and ten of the children. This, obviously sends shockwaves through the small community where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is touched by this most dreadful of incidents.

The story revolves mainly around Martha (Marty) Ward, daughter of Ava, and Trent Casey a former resident of Stonesmere. While Marty grapples with the aftermath, Trent becomes involved with a group known as the “truthers” who believe the whole massacre was a hoax, and Marty, in particular is lying.

I found this an uncomfortable read, especially the sections concerning Trent and his accomplice, Susan, and their nefarious activities to unearth the “truth”, so exposing the residents of Stonesmere as liars and cheats.

The main difficulty I had with this book is the construction as it hops back and forth, making it disjointed and difficult to follow at times. The ending left me with the feeling that the author herself didn’t quite know what to do with her characters.

I am about a third of the way through Girl A, this author’s first book, so it will be interesting to see how it compares.

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC download.

This is the first book I have read by Abigail dean and will certainly look out for her next book.

It starts with a school shooting and slowly over the course of the book the events of the day and also the events after unfold.

The characters come to life through the pages with little details added throughout the book which add depth.

Really good read about a town sone characters within the town and what happened on and after day one

Loved this authors first book and this one was just as good! Thanks to netgalley for an advanced copy of this, really interesting plot.

Abigail Dean has pulled off an incredible feat with this unforgettable, searing but compassionate novel about a horrific tragedy- a shooting at a primary school in which eleven people, including children and their teacher, are killed. The beautiful village of Stonesmere in the Lake district is the kind of place where everyone knows each other and which relies heavily on tourism, and where nobody could possibly visualise an incident like this happening. Dean avoids sensationalism and undue sentimentality by focusing on the reactions and actions of the people affected and not on the actual detail of the killings or the devastating sorrow of the relatives. She conveys that grief might not always look like we would expect it to, and that the sense of loss is often tangled up with regrets and guilt. Unfortunately, some discrepancies in accounts of what happened and misunderstanding about the response of some of the bereaved lead to accusations from conspiracy theorists who, unimaginably, claim that the shooting never happened, that the mourners are actors and that the dead children never existed. The cruelty of this is breathtaking, but Dean handles it thoughtfully, showing how people who do not feel they have a place in society can find validation and purpose through involvement in such groups, and how they can be swayed into believing the unthinkable when persuaded by a charismatic leader who uses them to achieve power for himself. At the centre of the story is young Matty, daughter of the teacher who died trying to save her class, and who knows things about that terrible day that she hasn’t been honest about. Through different timelines before, during and after the tragedy, the full story is pieced together- and it will break your heart. Even then, there is hope for the future in this powerful, raw yet tender book.

I loved this book, the characterisations were excellent and I really did not like Marty during the book! But the plot and how people in a small village deal with new comers was brilliant. Perfect thriller!