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.

Abigail's previous book Girl A was such an absolutely thrilling book and I was so hoping she would produce another one, and so I was excited to get to read this. If her previous book was anything to go by, I knew this would be thrilling and unique, and couldn't wait to jump in.

Many years ago, I read Jodi Picoult's book Nineteen Minutes, about a school shooting, and I've never forgotten it, and it still remains my favourite Picoult novel. And this is the second book I've read about a school shooting, and I think it is going to have the same impact; one that stays with me for years.

What I found really interesting is this is set at a school in the UK, which is unusual for a school shooting, and I think that adds to the thrill of it, as it's (thankfully) not something we experience. I just wish this was just a fictional tale, and school shootings were this fantasy thing that only happens in the pages of a book.

We have various POVs. I won't spoil it by saying exactly who they all are and how they relate, but we have children who were there at the time, relatives, parents, strangers, friends, neighbours, victims, perpetrators. It gives us a full 360 degree look at how this event changed everything for everyone in this small community; the kind of community where things like this just don't happen.

What I liked about this was that Abigail has used the viewpoints of both children and adults. Adults are meant to move on, not show emotion, manage the children, but they're being torn apart. Children are meant to be innocent, and yet they're facing the dead bodies of their friends, and having to live with survivors guilt.

It also shows how something like this stays with you. We revisit the day it happened, the immediate aftermath, the months after, even the years after. Because things like this don't go away by the next day. But it's not a linear narrative. We go forwards and back. It teases scenes yet to come, and harks back to those already been. It explores the ide of conspiracy theories, and how a potentially dangerous train of thought can gain power and make it even harder for the victims.

There's very little preamble. There's enough to gain an understanding of the setting and introduce characters, but the shooting happens almost immediately, which leaves a good 80-90% of the book documenting what happened after. That's a brave move I think, because usually you would build up to an event, set the scene, build the tension, and then have the aftermath. This is mostly aftermath, with some flashback scenes. n I think that's what makes it so good because she's had to find a way to make the aftermath as exciting as the big event.

A book of this length I can usually read in a day, maybe two, but this took me a few days. And it's not because it's hard to read - although at times the topic makes it so - but because it felt so important and so vital to focus on every word, rather than do a bit of skim reading like a lot of us do.

I will say that it is less haunting than Girl A. It is still a thriller and has really dark bits, but with Girl A, it was the physical things that were harrowing, whereas with this, it is implied, and it's more of a mental harrow, rather than the physical. It is about human nature, and how we would react in the most horrific of circumstances.

Abigail doesn't write easy books, that's for sure. They're uncomfortable and unpleasant and violent and terrible and horrific. They're about situations we don't ever want to imagine. But I think part of their horror is not just the actual physical goings-ons, but the fact they are about humans. We read this and go "how could someone possibly go and shoot children" and then someone does. You say "how can someone possibly keep their children as prisoners", and then someone does. And so it forces you to take a look at yourself, and at your community, ad that gets uncomfortable at times.

As bizarre as it sounds given the topic, it wasn't a full on thriller for me. It was quieter than that. It didn't hand all of its thrills on a silver platter, you had to work for it. It's more of an internal, psychological thriller, than all guns blazing - if you'll excuse the bad choice of words.

I'm sure I'm not alone to say that I often compare an author's newest book to ones I've read before, and I did at times ponder as to whether I enjoyed this or Girl A more. But I realised I didn't want to compare them. I loved Girl A, I thought it was exceptional, and there are elements of it I preferred to this one, and vice versa. But overall, I think they're both fabulous in their own way, with strengths of their own, and I didn't feel the need to come to any conclusion about it. I enjoyed both, they're both well written, and I know I'll be looking forward to Abigail's next novel just as much as I was looking forward to this one.

Completely different to what I was expecting from her, but epic all the same.

The storyline is based on an Active Shooter attack on a school and the aftermath, including the affects it had on the community and families involved. Quite topically it also introduces the conspiracy theorists and the damage and distress they cause. Based mainly around two characters Marty, who's schoolteacher mother is one of the victims, and Trent, a so called Truther who becomes involved in trying to prove the shooting and killings are a lie. A good story, well written but I found there was too much jumping backwards and forwards in time making it difficult to formulate what actually happened when.

A gripping book, which was powerful, and I got fully immersed in.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

When a lone gunman enters a primary school in a beautiful Lake District town, the effects of the tragedy radiate through idyllic Stonesmere with devastating consequences.
At the epicentre of the tragedy is Marty, daughter of the teacher who dies trying to protect her pupils. Her actions in the immediate aftermath change the trajectory of her life forever.

I don’t say this often but I loved this book. I enjoyed the phrasing and descriptions. The characters are real and three dimensional. They are unhappy, misguided, and most of all, human. It’s one of those novels that grows on you and I found it slow to start but then impossible to put down. This is a work of art. A study of the human psyche. Brilliant writing.

Really well-written book about a very hard topic the after math of a school shooting in a small town and different personalities that come into focus due to their relationship with the event. Sad but worth reading.

A good story covering a difficult story to write about.
Well written & I will recommend this book to others.

I am really conflicted on this book.

It is well written , the characters were intriguing and believable and the plot fell on the right side of believable. It is a dark story and while I have no issues with dark book generally speaking I will always predominantly judge a book on how it makes me feel and this book made me feel a sense of deep unease and I was uncomfortable reading it. I found myself forcing myself to return to it for no fault of the writing or story just for the sense of heaviness that accompanied me as I read this book. This is testiment to the strength of the writing to be fair it just left me feeling quite sad and bleak.

A timely book with regards the position of and actions of the " truthers" and the division in particular but a deeply sad book, a sadness I found difficult to shake off.

3 stars.

Although I enjoyed this book, at the beginning, the jumps between the timelines became more and more confusing, and with the introduction of the online conspiracy theories, and websites relating to these I was unable to continue. I found it really disjointed and hard to mentally build relationships with the characters.

5 star read - I was hooked from beginning to the very last word. Beautifully written, immersive storytelling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.