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lit_with_leigh's review
4.0
Thank you Dundurn Press for my gifted copy. IYKYK, my reviews are ALWAYS honest.
Writing: love it | Plot: intentionally confusing | Ending: the weakest part :/
SYNOPSIS
After a traumatic brain injury, Eve struggles to remember the events that led to a suspicious death in her past, which may lead to danger in the present.
MY OPINION
After issuing the banger alert [b:Blood Atonement|59785373|Blood Atonement|S.M. Freedman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640554464l/59785373._SY75_.jpg|94167677], Dundurn Press was lovely enough to send me this book, but unfortunately I was NOT lovely and took waaaaay too long to read it. Firstly, this is the amnesia trope, which I know people have a lot of strong feelings about. Yeetage of disbelief is FULLY required. Secondly, I would NOT recommend reading this via audio... It is waaaaayyy too confusing and I probably would've given up.
This is a book you either HATE or LOVE—no in between. The story in not linear and this is pure show, show, show, so you will feel just as confused as Eve. Freedman makes you feel like you're also suffering gaps in your memory, which readers will either enjoy and lean into, or find unnecessarily complex. I am steadfastly the former. Confuse me with the prose. Don't confuse me with plot holes.
Tbh I was gonna toss up the niche banger alert, but the ending went a lil too silly season. It felt like Freedman lost steam at the end and slapped something together. Due to this, I had to knock it down to a four because it was just too whackadoodle for me.
I found the characters to be well-constructed, and I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Eve's mother and grandmother. It's told in a way that makes you wonder who's really telling the truth; I honestly think it can be both. It's not unheard of for shitty parents to become fantastic grandparents cashing in on the opportunity to 'rewrite' their past mistakes. However, I'm not going to be defending Donna anytime soon. And the reason for why she was so salty about Eve was like... ??? NOBODY MADE YOU HAVE THIS KID???????
SPOILERS ALERT. SCROLL TO BOTTOM.
I was nervous how Eve and Leigh's 'relationship' would play out. Would she try to normalize this like [b:The Dig|61275053|The Dig|Anne Burt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659433100l/61275053._SX50_.jpg|95050959] or would there be victim-blaming and pedo-redemption like [b:None of This Is True|62334530|None of This Is True|Lisa Jewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686092508l/62334530._SY75_.jpg|98147299]??? Thank FUCK this was handled with grace and empathy. Freedman executed what I suggested Lisa Jewell should've done: acknowledging that her trauma as a CSA victim has led her down a dark path while simultaneously acknowledging that she did something wrong and hurt a lot of people. Surprise! You can do both! I was really impressed with how Freedman handled the reveals around Leigh's predatory ways and the treatment of Eve by the detective. Major kudos.
SPOILERS DONE.
All in all, I can't recommend this with chest. It's really a coin toss. I would say if you're more a traditional thriller girlie, give this one a skip. If you've liked some odd, lowly rated books in the past, give it a try. But I can't promise you that you'll enjoy it.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: unique writing that captured Eve's voice really well across all ages and put me in Eve's wishy washy shoes, nuanced characters, sensitive topics are handled well
Cons: ending went completely west
___
Check out my YouTube and my TikTok
Writing: love it | Plot: intentionally confusing | Ending: the weakest part :/
SYNOPSIS
After a traumatic brain injury, Eve struggles to remember the events that led to a suspicious death in her past, which may lead to danger in the present.
MY OPINION
After issuing the banger alert [b:Blood Atonement|59785373|Blood Atonement|S.M. Freedman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1640554464l/59785373._SY75_.jpg|94167677], Dundurn Press was lovely enough to send me this book, but unfortunately I was NOT lovely and took waaaaay too long to read it. Firstly, this is the amnesia trope, which I know people have a lot of strong feelings about. Yeetage of disbelief is FULLY required. Secondly, I would NOT recommend reading this via audio... It is waaaaayyy too confusing and I probably would've given up.
This is a book you either HATE or LOVE—no in between. The story in not linear and this is pure show, show, show, so you will feel just as confused as Eve. Freedman makes you feel like you're also suffering gaps in your memory, which readers will either enjoy and lean into, or find unnecessarily complex. I am steadfastly the former. Confuse me with the prose. Don't confuse me with plot holes.
Tbh I was gonna toss up the niche banger alert, but the ending went a lil too silly season. It felt like Freedman lost steam at the end and slapped something together. Due to this, I had to knock it down to a four because it was just too whackadoodle for me.
I found the characters to be well-constructed, and I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Eve's mother and grandmother. It's told in a way that makes you wonder who's really telling the truth; I honestly think it can be both. It's not unheard of for shitty parents to become fantastic grandparents cashing in on the opportunity to 'rewrite' their past mistakes. However, I'm not going to be defending Donna anytime soon. And the reason for why she was so salty about Eve was like... ??? NOBODY MADE YOU HAVE THIS KID???????
SPOILERS ALERT. SCROLL TO BOTTOM.
I was nervous how Eve and Leigh's 'relationship' would play out. Would she try to normalize this like [b:The Dig|61275053|The Dig|Anne Burt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659433100l/61275053._SX50_.jpg|95050959] or would there be victim-blaming and pedo-redemption like [b:None of This Is True|62334530|None of This Is True|Lisa Jewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686092508l/62334530._SY75_.jpg|98147299]??? Thank FUCK this was handled with grace and empathy. Freedman executed what I suggested Lisa Jewell should've done: acknowledging that her trauma as a CSA victim has led her down a dark path while simultaneously acknowledging that she did something wrong and hurt a lot of people. Surprise! You can do both! I was really impressed with how Freedman handled the reveals around Leigh's predatory ways and the treatment of Eve by the detective. Major kudos.
SPOILERS DONE.
All in all, I can't recommend this with chest. It's really a coin toss. I would say if you're more a traditional thriller girlie, give this one a skip. If you've liked some odd, lowly rated books in the past, give it a try. But I can't promise you that you'll enjoy it.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: unique writing that captured Eve's voice really well across all ages and put me in Eve's wishy washy shoes, nuanced characters, sensitive topics are handled well
Cons: ending went completely west
___
Check out my YouTube and my TikTok
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
The Day She Died by S.M. Freedman is an intriguing novel with a unique premise.
Eve Gold is struck by car and suffers a traumatic brain injury. After several months of recovery, she continues to suffer the aftereffects. Eve must cope with memory loss and losing time throughout the day. She is also an artist and her paintings take a dark turn in the aftermath of her accident. Eve reconnects with a childhood friend’s brother and he is more than willing to assist her during her recovery as is Eve’s beloved grandmother.
A sense of unease underlies Eve’s life in the present and this appears to stem from her childhood. She and her mother, Donna, live with Eve’s grandmother who happily takes care of her granddaughter. Donna puts all of her energy into her career as a lawyer and she is indifferent to the point of neglect in regards to her daughter. Since her mother makes no attempt to hide her antipathy toward her, Eve is close to her grandmother. And after making friends with Sara, the two children are thick as thieves as they run in and out of each other’s homes explore the outdoors.
The Day She Died is an engrossing mystery that weaves back and forth in time between events in the present and Eve’s childhood. The characters are well-drawn with distinct personalities. Eve’s narration offers an up-close perspective of her brain injury and her lack of clear memories in the past or present. With a bit of a mystery hanging over Eve and events in her life, S.M. Freedman brings this clever novel to a twist-filled conclusion that answers most of these questions.
Eve Gold is struck by car and suffers a traumatic brain injury. After several months of recovery, she continues to suffer the aftereffects. Eve must cope with memory loss and losing time throughout the day. She is also an artist and her paintings take a dark turn in the aftermath of her accident. Eve reconnects with a childhood friend’s brother and he is more than willing to assist her during her recovery as is Eve’s beloved grandmother.
A sense of unease underlies Eve’s life in the present and this appears to stem from her childhood. She and her mother, Donna, live with Eve’s grandmother who happily takes care of her granddaughter. Donna puts all of her energy into her career as a lawyer and she is indifferent to the point of neglect in regards to her daughter. Since her mother makes no attempt to hide her antipathy toward her, Eve is close to her grandmother. And after making friends with Sara, the two children are thick as thieves as they run in and out of each other’s homes explore the outdoors.
The Day She Died is an engrossing mystery that weaves back and forth in time between events in the present and Eve’s childhood. The characters are well-drawn with distinct personalities. Eve’s narration offers an up-close perspective of her brain injury and her lack of clear memories in the past or present. With a bit of a mystery hanging over Eve and events in her life, S.M. Freedman brings this clever novel to a twist-filled conclusion that answers most of these questions.
bc7ate9's review against another edition
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this was a dark and haunting book, but a quick and kind of crazy read. It was unlike anything I’ve read recently and I quite liked it.
sweet_dee_reads's review
This one was a DNF for me! There were just too many things I felt were triggering for me. I should have read more content warnings for this one. Definitely suggest doing your research before diving into this one!
missiejacobson's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting take in a life flashing before your eyes. I was confused at times and then at the end got an "makes sense" but just seem to just drop off. Still interesting book just not a favorite.
vj2411's review
3.0
The Day She Died is an exciting but confusing novel about a woman who experiences an accident that causes a brain injury. The chapters switch between her life recovering from this injury and the memories of her childhood birthdays. She has had multiple people close to her pass away under mysterious circumstances and the reader gets small snippets of the events that lead to these deaths.
Honestly, while I did enjoy this book, it was pretty confusing to read as every chapter would be set in a different time and trying to keep up with what was happening and the different story lines took me out of the story. The premise itself was really cool and I wish that it was written in a way that made a bit more sense for the plot.
3/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this copy to review.
Honestly, while I did enjoy this book, it was pretty confusing to read as every chapter would be set in a different time and trying to keep up with what was happening and the different story lines took me out of the story. The premise itself was really cool and I wish that it was written in a way that made a bit more sense for the plot.
3/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this copy to review.
francica's review against another edition
4.0
This is only the second time I listened to an audiobook in my life because I was not sure if I would ever like listening to a book over reading the words. Now I know that audiobooks can be just as and even more exciting than reading.
The Day She Died by SM Freedman was indeed a Psychological Thriller.
Eve, a victim of a terrible accident is plagued by what appears to be memory loss because of trauma caused by head injuries. While recovering, Eve keeps remembering key events from her childhood especially what happened to Sarah, her best friend. This is indeed a book you need to read till the end because it took quite a turn.
Lee was such an important, well written character in the book.. You just wanted to believe that Lee was a good person and that he truly loved Eve. I just could not wrap my head around Donna at all, why was she treating Eve with such hate?? But you know what? In the end I really felt for her.. What was amazing is how similar events shaped both mother and daughter's lives more than they realized. Button bless her heart was your typical grandmother just trying to keep her small family together with love. Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! I was on edge waiting to hear what happened to her and my God that part really made me emotional.
I really enjoy meaningful stories like this. So rich with entertainment and a strong message.
Thanks very much to Netgalley for this audiobook. ARC. I loved it.
The Day She Died by SM Freedman was indeed a Psychological Thriller.
Eve, a victim of a terrible accident is plagued by what appears to be memory loss because of trauma caused by head injuries. While recovering, Eve keeps remembering key events from her childhood especially what happened to Sarah, her best friend. This is indeed a book you need to read till the end because it took quite a turn.
Lee was such an important, well written character in the book.. You just wanted to believe that Lee was a good person and that he truly loved Eve. I just could not wrap my head around Donna at all, why was she treating Eve with such hate?? But you know what? In the end I really felt for her.. What was amazing is how similar events shaped both mother and daughter's lives more than they realized. Button bless her heart was your typical grandmother just trying to keep her small family together with love. Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! I was on edge waiting to hear what happened to her and my God that part really made me emotional.
I really enjoy meaningful stories like this. So rich with entertainment and a strong message.
Thanks very much to Netgalley for this audiobook. ARC. I loved it.
lbenton's review
3.0
I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I found this extremely confusing.
The story follows Eve, our main character who has a TBI as a result of an accident. It jumps back and forth throughout her life and weaves in life events. While I do think the base of the story line has potential, the manner in which it jumps around leaning you utterly confused (and almost checked out at times) is what warrants the 3 star review for me
I found this extremely confusing.
The story follows Eve, our main character who has a TBI as a result of an accident. It jumps back and forth throughout her life and weaves in life events. While I do think the base of the story line has potential, the manner in which it jumps around leaning you utterly confused (and almost checked out at times) is what warrants the 3 star review for me
autoreleasefool's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
fizah's review
1.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don't what happened. Eve lived with her mother and grandmother, her mother doesn't like her and her love for art, so her grandmother takes care of her and her hobbies. Sara is her only friend out there. Leigh is Sara's big brother and Eve's childhood crush. This story kept jumping from past to present, mostly on Eve's birthday. There wasn't any pattern so it was hard to focus and keep events in a sequence. Eve survived an accident but lost fragments of memory and struggling in remembering things.
This book was a quick read despite all of the to and fro jumping. I kinda enjoyed the start of the book but with the time everything got out of the control. The ending was a disaster and lacking so many things. Things kept happening and so many events didn't make sense. In short, this book was a huge mess.
I don't what happened. Eve lived with her mother and grandmother, her mother doesn't like her and her love for art, so her grandmother takes care of her and her hobbies. Sara is her only friend out there. Leigh is Sara's big brother and Eve's childhood crush. This story kept jumping from past to present, mostly on Eve's birthday. There wasn't any pattern so it was hard to focus and keep events in a sequence. Eve survived an accident but lost fragments of memory and struggling in remembering things.
This book was a quick read despite all of the to and fro jumping. I kinda enjoyed the start of the book but with the time everything got out of the control. The ending was a disaster and lacking so many things. Things kept happening and so many events didn't make sense. In short, this book was a huge mess.