Six Days

by Dani Atkins

Two people. One love story. Six days.
He loves me... He loves me not... He loves me...

Gemma knows that she and Finn are destined to be together. They are soulmates. But then, on their wedding day, he never arrives at the church.

Gemma is convinced Finn wouldn't abandon her like this, even though he has disappeared once before. But back then he had a reason. She feels sure something terrible has happened, but no one else is convinced. Even the police aren't concerned, telling Gemma most people who disappear usually turn up in a week... assuming they want to be found, that is.

For the next six days Gemma frantically searches for Finn, even though every shocking revelation is telling her to give up on him. Before long, even she begins to doubt her own memories of their love.

How long can she hold on to her faith in Finn if everyone is telling her to let him go?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks, Chick Lit

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2023

About the author

Dani was born and brought up in Cockfosters- a small London suburb at the end of the Piccadilly Tube Line.

This served her well for commuting into the city, where from the age of 18 she worked in a succession of secretarial positions in companies as diverse as a BMW car dealership to the BBC. Dani spent her two hour commute avidly reading and dreamed that one day she would become an author herself.

When her two children grew up and left home, Dani set about turning this dream into reality and devoted her time to writing. She now lives in a rural Hertfordshire cottage with her husband, a soppy border collie dog and a haughty Siamese cat.

Her first novels FRACTURED (called THEN AND ALWAYS in the US) and THE STORY OF US published in 2014. In January 2016, her third novel, OUR SONG was published.

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is "Six Days" ANOTHER "bride gets left at the altar" book?

NO WAY!

Even though the bride in "Six Days" does get left at the altar, "Six Days" is NOT your typical chick-lit book.

Instead, it's chick-lit with an edge.

Did the groom in "Six Days" get cold feet and pull a "no show" at the wedding?

Or did something horrific happen that prevented him from attending his own wedding and communicating with the world for six days?

This book is a "whydunnit" book that's also a heartwarming and uplifting tale of love, loss, perseverance, and empowerment.

This was my first Dani Atkins book and it will not be my last.

I especially enjoyed the author's endearing and on-point characterizations and the book's fast-paced, cleverly-crafted plot.

I listened to the audiobook and narrator Charlie Sanderson did an over-the-top job with the narration.

4.5 stars rounded up.

[Veronica Brandao · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so bad but unfortunately it was not for me🥺

[Canan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabın konusunu okuduğumda gizem-gerilim havası almıştım. Kapağa bakınca ise tam bir romans izlenimi vermişti. Ve sanırım her ikisine de sahip olduğunu söyleyebilirim.
Finn ve Gemma'nın mutlu günü ile başlıyor hikayemiz. Bir düğün ve gelini mihraba götürmek için hazır bir babanın duygusal konuşmaları... Hayatlarının yeni sayfasına adım atmak için heyecanlı gelinimiz Gemma kötü bir sürprizle karşılaşır. Damat ortada yoktur. Tüm aramalar cevapsız kalır. Ve akla gelen ilk şey evlenmekten vazgeçtiğidir. Ama herkes yanılıyor, Finn böyle bir şey yapmaz. Gemma bunu kalbinde biliyor. Ama Finn'i aramak için çabaladıkça fark ettiği, öğrendiği şeyler şüpheye düşmesine sebep oluyor. Yine de yolundan dönmesi mümkün değil...
Hikaye günümüz ve geçmiş arasında gidip geliyor. Kişisel olarak en nefret ettiğim kurgu çeşidi zaman geçişleridir. Benim için hikâyenin akıcılığını, okuma hızımı ciddi anlamda düşüren bir unsur bu. Keşke dedim hikayeyi geçişli değil de sırasıyla yazsaydı. Daha çok zevk alacağımı düşünüyorum. İlk tanışmalarında ki o çekişmeleri ve yanlış anlaşılmalar, bir sonraki seferde -ki aradan üç yıl geçmiş- bambaşka bir duygu ile birbirlerine bağlamaları... O tek gecenin ömürlük bir hissiyat vermesi... Sanırım doğru insan, yanlış zaman dedikleri gibi..

Finn'den sadece son sahnelerde bölümler okusak da çok başka bir insandı. İç dünyasını, düşünme şeklini daha detaylı okumak, irdelemek isterdim. Yaptıklarını daha iyi anlamamı sağlardı görüşündeyim.Gemma'ya oranla daha pozitif, kaygısız izlenimi verse de duygusal açıdan daha zayıftı diyebilirim. Gelişimini kesinlikle görmemiz gerekirdi. Bu açıdan ve aslında çiftin ilişkilerinin dinamiklerini anlamak için daha fazla detay eklenebilirdi bence. Birde bazen Finn'in yaşadıkları için onu bir tık anlasam da çoğu zaman sopalayasım geldi. Pislik! İyisin, hoşsun da yani kaç yıl beklettin be paşam!

Hikaye de Finn'in kaybolması akabinde Gemma'nın bulduğu şeyler, ortaya çıkan sırlar üzerine geçmişten hatırladığı sahneler okumamızla ilerliyor. Güzeldi, bu yüzden çifte dair kesitler değilde daha uzun, detaylı sahneler okumak isterdim. Sanki yeterince bağ kuramadım gibi. İçlerinde değilde, dışardan birinin anlattığı bir olaya şahit olmuş hissiyatı vardı. Bu dediğim gibi benim zaman geçişleri ile ilgili düşüncem üzerinden yorumum. Yoksa belirttiğim gibi güzeldi.

[Diane Merritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute stunner of a book. I could not put this one down...it had all the feels as the tears were streaming down my face I fought through them with blurry eyes to not stop for a minute...best book I've read in awhile.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart sank for poor Gemma when she was left alone at the church on her wedding day. How could her fiancé Finn let her down when he was supposed to love her so much. But theirs is not a straightforward romance and Six Days takes the reader back and forth to the start of their relationship and its ups and downs.

I was expecting an emotional read from Dani Atkins and I wasn’t disappointed. I was mostly on Gemma’s side, although there were times when I thought for her own sanity she should give up on her relentless search for Finn and much like those around her, I considered him to be a heartless rat. But this is a story of shades of grey and whilst I was frustrated with Finn at times, I could empathise with him, especially when his backstory was slowly revealed.

Gemma and Finn make fabulous leading characters, with Gemma’s best mate Hannah winning the award for best supporting friend. So many of her observations and asides made me smile and she added a definite lightness to the story as well as always being there for Gemma.

I really did enjoy this one. The relationship between Gemma and Finn was superbly handled and I was totally invested in finding out why Finn had seemingly done a runner. Gemma’s absolute faith in Finn was almost heartbreaking and even when others believed the worst of him, quite understandably, she kept on believing. The story is told from Gemma’s perspective with clear date timed chapters and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how their relationship developed – or not. In many ways Finn seemed a perfect boyfriend however to say he had issues would be an understatement. When he rocked up and whisked Gemma off in style to a fabulous first date at The Manor House, I was was so envious. I hope it’s a real location as I want to go there, it sounds so wonderful. The other luxurious date setting overlooking Hyde Park I recognised as I have been there and I can attest that it is every bit as good with outstanding views as described in the book (and fantastic food!)

Six Days is a moving story of a complex relationship. It has humour and emotion with a cleverly written touch of mystery to keep you guessing. I haven’t read a book yet by Atkins that I haven’t enjoyed and I highly recommend this one. If you enjoy books by authors such as Jill Mansell, and you’ve never read Dani Atkins before, then I’m sure this would be a good one to start with.

[Brogan Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was truthfully quite painful to read. The pace was so slow, it was infuriating waiting for the big reveal. I didn’t believe in their love story or like Finn at all. Some of the timelines didn’t make sense to me, and so many details were missed.

I was gifted the book from the publishers with no obligation to read or write a review, and I really wanted to love it from the blurb and others reviews, but it really wasn’t for me.

[Sibel Gandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 / 5

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Slight spoilers ahead**

This was a really underwhelming read for me. I didn't really care about the characters and it is odd because it doesn't feel like a romance to me. It is a story of Gemma and Finn, but...I don't know. I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't feel like a romance to me. That and I hated Finn. Seriously f that guy. I don't know why Gemma liked him so much and forgave him for everything without him even apologizing. Like he ghosts her for years then when he shows back up she just gets together with him without even talking about what happened. He treated her like garbage multiple times in the story and it just...was okay? Because she was so in love with him or something. They also need to learn to use their words. The reasons why things happened were fine, but not the way they were implemented. You can talk to people, especially people you are falling for/are in love with and still get help with struggles you have. I really hated Finn and yeah that didn't help in my enjoyment of this story.

Now for the most part this book was just meh for me. I considered putting it down early on even though it wasn't the worst thing ever or anything, but I kept reading to see what happened to Finn...and by the time we got to what happened I didn't care? It felt like a letdown somehow...For as much as this is supposed to be a romance and you get the flashbacks of Gemma and Finn meeting and their relationship, most of the book was really just Gemma trying to find him or living her life in the past without him so...

**Spoiler alert**
My other big issue with this story was the kid issue. Finn didn't want to ever have kids and Gemma definitely does. Again these two never talked about this until not long before they were supposed to get married. And once Finn realized she doesn't want kids he realized this would never work between them. I mean kids are a big deal and one where there is no compromise. You can't just have kids some of the time (unless you are divorced and have that arrangement). And if they are a deal breaker either way then that is a major issue. I know people who have gotten divorced because one person said in a few years they would want kids so the other stuck around only to find out they never expected to actually have kids. They thought it would just somehow resolve itself...which it doesn't. I know plenty of people who have broken up because they are not on the same page regarding kids. So in the heat of the moment when Gemma finds out Finn doesn't want kids she is all fine! If you don't want kids that is fine with me! Which sure, that sounds romantic like it can just be the two of you, but you at least need to spend some time really thinking it over. You can't just decide in the heat of the moment because you don't want to lose your partner right this minute and then expect the future to be sunshine and roses. If you take the time and are really willing to give up on having kids then it could work, but you need to make sure you are really okay with that. You should try and be sure you won't just resent the other person in a few years. So then everything was fine I guess...and then, of course, at the end of the book when Finn is found and everything is perfect it is revealed that somehow, suddenly Finn decided he did want kids. Hooray! Everything is wonderful *cue huge eyeroll*

So yeah. This book was meh overall but had a few things I really didn't like which knocked my rating down.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book

[Pheadra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this through my online bookclub Pigeonhole and felt utterly frustrated by it's painful slow burn, characters and lack of pace. Add to-ing and fro-ing between then and now to explain why Finn (groom) doesn't turn up for his wedding, jilting Gemma at the alter and the story comes across as chick-lit mixed with young adult. The story was also at least 25% too long.  By the time the big reveal came, I actually didn't care and was relieved to be done with it. Add Finn ghosting Gemma for years, making huge decisions about her life, not wanting children though she does, and in a heartbeat she's okay with this and any romance the story might have had, shrivels. 3 stars at most.

[Jennifer (Jaye) (trying to catch up, so behind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Breathtakingly Beautiful*

This is a tale about Gemma who loves to write and wants a creative writing job in journalism. On going for the interview in the car park waiting for a space and someone as bold as brass drives into it, don’t you just hate that? They have a few cross words that seem to roll off his back and of course he has to run because he has an interview. Gemma does too. Well she finds out his name is Finn and there is a comical moment when she acts out a mock up of what she would say in the interview, she thinks she is alone while she is waiting in a room only for him to walk in probably thinking she is talking to herself as she pretends to shake someone’s hand lol 🤣🤣🤣

That aside to cut a long story short they go on a date. The date comes to a halt when he announces he is going to Australia as he has managed to secure some funds that enable him to write. Saddened by this Gemma decides to randomly turn up at the airport before he leaves. They say goodbye but there is definitely a spark between them.

Over time he is back in the U.K. and they start to date. Things go from strength to strength until the day of the wedding.

The six days detail what happens because he didn’t show. Armed with the knowledge that Finn has a habit to self sabotage relationships or anything good that happens to him. Is this the case? While others think he had cold feet, Gemma is the lone voice believing that this is not the case. She bombards the police and virtually everyone wants her to get on with her life but she knows better in her heart as others roll their eyes.

We get two points of view from Gemma & Finn, will her dogged determination pay off? Or will she have to draw a line in the sand and find a way to heal her heart.

This book touched my heart, Dani Atkins’s writing especially her descriptions of emotions really moved me.

[Naaytaashreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I receive a free copy of this book for an honest review.
Thank you, @definitelyboks, for this copy! #pansing

Is it possible to love an author's writing but hate the character's so much?
I don't think I ever had this feeling before.
I've dislike character's before, due to their personality or how they treat the other characters but Finn was another level.

Of course, due to the plotline, we are following a romance where the groom did not show up for his wedding.
I enjoy the concept of the mystery Gemma is going through.
I love her journey of trying to regroup herself, find her purpose and find the love of her life.
But I feel like we realise she didn't need Finn at some point.

From the start, Finn was already portrayed so negatively.
Following along with their romance, I feel like there was more antagonistic to Finn than positive, which made me think, " WE DON'T NEED TO MARRY THIS MAN."
It gave me that she deserves a better kind of vibe.

Circling through the end, I wish for more closure. Finn was trying to live up to the fact that he is a good person to the reader, but it ended pretty like, "OKAY, HAPPY ENDING, THE END."

[Pauline]

Gemma is devastated when Finn fails to turn up for their wedding. She can’t understand why he would do this to her and she believes that something bad has happened to him.
The storyline has a duel timeline which I don’t normally enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Head Of Zeus for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Norrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, just no. Finn was throwing up more red flags than a communist parade. Whatever the reason was for the dude not showing up at the wedding, does not negate the fact that he was ghosting, breadcrumbing and stringing along Gemma for years, while also making executive decisions about her life without consulting her and Gemma thought this was the most romantic thing on the planet. Yuck. Gemma grew nothing as a person and learned nothing from the whole thing.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of, Six Days by Dani Atkins. I usually love books by Dani Atkins, but not this one. It did not have her usual flair of making me cry. I did not like the language in this book and did not care for Finn.

[sadece1hediye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bayıldım bayıldım 🥹
Gemma 🤍 Finn

[Bruna Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rate: 3.5

Gemma is getting married to the love of her life and everything is perfect, but then when she gets to the church, he's not there. Everybody comes to the obvious conclusion: he got cold feet and ran away, like so many other grooms, but Gemma insists he would never do this to her and looks for him despite of all of the evidence that indicates he just left her.

The book alternates between past - when they first met and started their relationship - and the present where she relentless looks for him.

I knew it was going to be a more dramatic book, since I've read other books by her, so I was already expecting that tone and I think the author can build dramatic moments very well. Sometimes I think it was too over the top for my taste, but most of the times it worked for me.

My favorite parts were the past when they were getting to know each other since it was a bit of enemies to lovers (my favorite trope) and it was cute to see them falling in love.

The present which had the most dramatic tone was not as interesting for me since it was a bit slower. What really kept me going was wanting to know if something had really happened to Finn like she insists.

As a whole, it's a pretty cute and predictable read and I recommend it ir you're into this kind of book

[Lisa Whittaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fab book by Dani Atkins. I’ve not read a book by her that I haven’t loved and this one was no exception. I went through such a rollercoaster of emotions reading this and read the last few pages through tears. Dani has this amazing ability to create characters that make you feel so much empathy towards them and care for them greatly. I’m not even sure if that description is right.

A brilliant, emotional read. Loved it. 5⭐️’s.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is so good at writing a very emotive book which pulls on the heartstrings. I loved this story, I definitely recommend it.

[bookishcharli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows Gemma and her fiancé Finn, the pair are so in love and excited to get married, yet Finn doesn’t turn up on the wedding day. So what exactly happened? Why didn’t he show up? Gemma gives herself six days to get the answers to all of her unanswered questions about Finn’s disappearance. I can’t say any more than that for fear of spoilers, but this was a great mix of mystery and romance that had me turning the pages trying to find out exactly what happened. We get flashbacks to around 4/5 years ago in the story and see how Gemma and Finn were when they were just two people dating (which made me dislike Finn at the time… seriously Gemma, you could do better), but we slowly unravel Finn’s history and I’ll admit I ended up feeling just a tad sorry for him.

This is a great read if you’re looking for a nice romance with a hint of mystery to it. The pacing was great and kept you invested in the story, and who doesn’t love a good dual timeline?!

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a proof in exchange for a review, and for having me on the blog tour.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

This started of and intriguing, I liked the writing too. But just before half way I got bored.. there was so much fluff in the story that was unnecessary between when finn went missing and to him being found. Sometimes yhe way it went back and forward and her thinking about the past got abit confusing to me, I had to ask myself a few times if this was around when they first met or when he was hack from Australia.

I would also say Gemma gave me proper creepy vibes towards finn she almost seem obsessed with him and very clingy.
I got back into the story and liked reading Finns view as he was trapped in the car. Alot of the ending focused on mushroom cottage so when Finn was found I expected a little bit of them settling into their new cottage and having a dog and kids seen as Fin changed his mind on wanting kids but it ended so abruptly I was like huh!? But overall a cute story..just could of been shorter.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dani Atkins books are the best. This had Gemma trying to find Finn when he went missing on their Wedding day. She had to find him before she could file a missing report with the cops. The story went back in time, unfurling all the ups and downs of the relationship. A great page turner, the writing kept me hooked as they dealt with the dynamics of a relationship, evoking all my emotions. A great read.

[Danielle McGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about genuine and unwavering love and trust. I think I want to have my own Mushroom Cottage.

I believed in the love story (I am a hopeless romantic!) but there were sections that were a little long winded!

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & Head of Zeus for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

3.5 stars

Atkins writes a seriously gripping story. I honestly had no idea what to expect and struggled to decide whether Gemma's faith in Finn was inspiring or misplaced. The tension is well-balanced with flashbacks of their love story, and I was totally on board for the whole rollercoaster of emotions.

While I definitely wouldn't classify Gemma and Finn's relationship as instalove, the emotions are sky-high pretty quickly when they start liking each other. I didn't particularly like either of them as characters, and their complex relationship had some red flags (on both sides), but if these flags didn't exist, there wouldn't really be a story here.

Six Days is a good representation of messy and complicated lives. Everyone has a story, and nothing is ever as simple as it first appears.

Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.

Blog | Bookstagram | Reddit | Twitter

[Thera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek lees je het liefst in één ruk uit! Het heeft alles in zich: hoop, romantiek, spanning en drama. Vlot geschreven, met humor en dusdanig beeldend dat het je in het verhaal slurpt. Oh, en toffe personages! Lezen dus!

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting at all, Gemma was left at the altar but refuses to believe her fiancé Finn would just not turn up, even when everyone was telling her that’s what he’d done.
Gemma didn’t give up trying to find out why! Six days covers both current and past events, I really enjoyed it and got invested in the storyline.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ ik heb me aan verschillende zaken geërgerd, zoals schrijfstijl, (ver)taalfouten en hoofdpersoon zonder persoonlijkheid. Twijfelde zelfs om te stoppen. Heb doorgezet en me uiteindelijk toch wel prima vermaakt.

[Maristela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Bücher von Dani Atkins fesseln mich immer wieder aufs Neue, auch wenn ich ihren Schreibstil und das Genre inzwischen kenne und daher genau weiß, was mich erwartet - oder vielleicht genau deswegen.
Jedes ihrer Bücher beginnt wie eine scheinbar klassische Liebesgeschichte, welcher dann ganz schnell ein Plotttwist nach dem anderen folgt und dich unvorbereitet auf ein absolut unvorhersehbares Ende zusteuert.
Wirklich wirklich schön!

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Finished reading: August 29th 2026

"You're trying to turn this into something they make Netflix movies about. This was no meet cute. It was more of a meet want-to-punch-on-the-nose."

REVIEW

WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion!!

Oh boy, I definitely didn't expect this to happen... It seems like Fickle Frieda was determined to ruin yet one more reading experience this month. I had heard a lot of great things about Six Days, and I liked how this book seemed to mix romance with a dose of mystery. I've been meaning to try this author for a while now, and the fact that this book fitted more than one challenge made me decide on Six Days as my first Dani Atkins book. I now wonder if I chose wrong, because this wasn't exactly the best introduction to her writing for me... This book mostly made me feel very angry and frustrated instead. The worst part is that I actually did love the writing itself, and I can understand why so many people seem to love this story. It just wasn't a good fit for me... This had a lot to do with Finn, who I basically hated from the very beginning and I just never felt a true connection between him and Gemma. The romance felt all just rather one-sided for the most part, and basically Finn had SO many red flags and zero apologies for his flaky behavior. The fact that Gemma never acknowledges this behavior and keeps inventing excuses made me SO angry, and I honestly lost all respect for her. Having to read about how bad Finn treated Gemma over the years honestly wasn't my idea of a good time... I can't deny that the plot took a direction I wasn't expecting in the end, but by then it was too little, too late for me. I might try another Dani Atkins book since I did love the writing style, but Six Days definitely wasn't the book for me.

[Eloise Stroud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gemma knows that Finn is her soulmate. They are meant to be. Yet when Finn doesn't turn up on their wedding day naturally it raises a lot of questions. Determined to find answers, Gemma looks back on their relationship and clues in the present day to see if she can uncover the mystery behind Finn's disappearance.

The general premise of Six Days was one that I enjoyed and I was certainly intrigued to uncover the truth behind Finn's disappearance. The chapters of both the past and present tense worked well and watching their romance blossom was sweet.

For me, there were a couple of issues with the book which is why the rating is a 3 star rather than a 4 star. As a 28 year old, I personally found Gemma's voice a little unrealistic. In the past tense she is 29 and present day 33 and for me some of the things she said just did not fit with someone of that age, to me she read a lot older than she was supposed to.
I also was not a huge fan of either character. In my opinion, Finn's treatment of Gemma was average at best when they were "dating" and the fact she fell in love with him... hmm Gemma hun know your worth! Now I've finished I can see the reasoning behind some of what happened (sorry for the vagueness but no spoilers!) but honestly their romance was not one that I was head over heels for.

A solid romance/mystery read that kept me intrigued, thanks to the publisher for sending me a proof of Six Days.

[Fay Flude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too predictable and way too far fetched
Gemma Fletcher was an annoying character although her steadfast refusal to accept what anyone else would have understood as being jilted at the altar, did save her fiancé's life, so I guess we'd all want a rescuer like Gemma if we found ourselves in dire straits.
TBC