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The Day She Died
After a traumatic head injury, Eve questions every memory and motive in this mind-bending psychological thriller.
Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock ― it’s what comes after.
Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie ― and one suspicious death ― at a time.
As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.
Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock ― it’s what comes after.
Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie ― and one suspicious death ― at a time.
As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2021
5 people are currently reading
2520 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Freedman
5 books100 followersS.M. Freedman studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and spent years as a private investigator on the not-so-mean streets of Vancouver, before returning to her first love: writing.
Her debut novel, The Faithful, is published by Thomas & Mercer. It's an International Amazon Bestseller, reached the Quarter Finals in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and was selected by Suspense Magazine as a "Best Debut of 2015.” The sequel, Impact Winter, was published in 2016, and she is currently working on the third and final instalment in the series. Her standalone psychological suspense novel, The Day She Died, about a woman who is hit by a car and wakes with a brain injury that leaves her doubting the spotty memories of her dark past, will be published by Dundurn in April 2021 (the audiobook will be published by Tantor Media) .
She is represented by Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary and lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. She’s a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.
Her debut novel, The Faithful, is published by Thomas & Mercer. It's an International Amazon Bestseller, reached the Quarter Finals in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and was selected by Suspense Magazine as a "Best Debut of 2015.” The sequel, Impact Winter, was published in 2016, and she is currently working on the third and final instalment in the series. Her standalone psychological suspense novel, The Day She Died, about a woman who is hit by a car and wakes with a brain injury that leaves her doubting the spotty memories of her dark past, will be published by Dundurn in April 2021 (the audiobook will be published by Tantor Media) .
She is represented by Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary and lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. She’s a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 14, 2023
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 Blood Atonement, 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 The Dig or would there be victim-blaming and pedo-redemption like None of This Is True??? 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 Blood Atonement, 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 The Dig or would there be victim-blaming and pedo-redemption like None of This Is True??? 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
May 14, 2021
EXCERPT: Eve Gold wasn't surprised to die on her twenty-seventh birthday. The Angel of Death's greasy fingers had been pressing against her spine for ten years - maybe longer - and in the underground of her mind where truth squirmed away from the light, she knew it was just a matter of time before press turned to shove. No, death wasn't much of a shock. The real surprise was everything that followed.
ABOUT 'THE DAY SHE DIED': Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh birthday proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock — it’s what comes after.
Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always wanted: a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie — and one suspicious death — at a time.
As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.
MY THOUGHTS: I have abandoned this audiobook at 30%.
Part of the reason is the narrator whose voice, I feel, is totally unsuited to the narrative. Her men's voices are atrocious. She has a very narrow range of tonal expression and inflection, and really, I would rather that she had just read the book in her own voice.
But the main reason for abandoning this is that at 30% I just couldn't get involved in the story or feel anything for the characters. The narration jumps between the past and the present, bouncing between Eve's childhood birthdays and a very confused present day, in no particular sequence. It is absolutely confusing when listening. Whether it would be any better when reading is debatable.
At 30% I found that I just didn't want to pick this up again. I was bored and had no interest in wherever it was heading.
Reading is a personal and subjective experience, and what appeals to one may not please another. So if you enjoyed this excerpt from The Day She Died, and the plot outline appeals, please do go ahead and read it. Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean that you won't enjoy this as others have.
⭐
#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: S.M. Freedman studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and spent years as a private investigator on the not-so-mean streets of Vancouver, before returning to her first love: writing.
She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. She’s a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Day She Died, written by S.M. Freedman and narrated by Lauren Ezzo for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'THE DAY SHE DIED': Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh birthday proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock — it’s what comes after.
Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always wanted: a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie — and one suspicious death — at a time.
As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.
MY THOUGHTS: I have abandoned this audiobook at 30%.
Part of the reason is the narrator whose voice, I feel, is totally unsuited to the narrative. Her men's voices are atrocious. She has a very narrow range of tonal expression and inflection, and really, I would rather that she had just read the book in her own voice.
But the main reason for abandoning this is that at 30% I just couldn't get involved in the story or feel anything for the characters. The narration jumps between the past and the present, bouncing between Eve's childhood birthdays and a very confused present day, in no particular sequence. It is absolutely confusing when listening. Whether it would be any better when reading is debatable.
At 30% I found that I just didn't want to pick this up again. I was bored and had no interest in wherever it was heading.
Reading is a personal and subjective experience, and what appeals to one may not please another. So if you enjoyed this excerpt from The Day She Died, and the plot outline appeals, please do go ahead and read it. Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean that you won't enjoy this as others have.
⭐
#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: S.M. Freedman studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and spent years as a private investigator on the not-so-mean streets of Vancouver, before returning to her first love: writing.
She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. She’s a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Day She Died, written by S.M. Freedman and narrated by Lauren Ezzo for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 20, 2022
For a book that has received such extreme ratings (mostly 5 stars or 3 stars), I should have known that my journey with the audiobook wouldn't be straightforward. This was me during the audiobook: 👉🏻 Go till 10% and restart.
👉🏻 Reach 31% and restart from 10%
👉🏻 Go till 60% and restart from 30%.
👉🏻 Finally reach the end because I really wanted to be done with the book!
No, don't get me wrong; the book isn't bad. It is simply, absolutely confusing! And when you are hearing it rather than reading it, you don't have the luxury of flipping back through the pages or using the search function to recheck something. So to get the criss-crossed timelines straight in your head is a big challenge.
Eve, our protagonist, begins the story on her 27th birthday when she becomes the victim of a near-fatal car accident. As she recuperates in the hospital through many painful injuries, she knows she wants to live a better and fuller life in this second chance she has. But due to her brain damage, her mind seems to be playing weird games with her and she soon loses track of what's real and what's imaginary. As the story progresses through flashbacks and the present, Eve's dark past and deeply buried secrets keep revealing themselves. And we find ourselves in Eve's position, wondering what's reality and what's imagination.
The story is presented through alternating narratives between the present and various birthdays in the past. In fact, almost every key event takes place on some character's birthday. This reminded me of Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", where Eddie's past birthdays seem to be action-filled days every time. But that's where the similarity ends. This book is much darker and more twisted than Albom's work.
While "The Day She Died" isn't a thriller per se, it still provides you with enough of an unresolved mystery to keep you glued. Author SM Freedman does a great job of maintaining the suspense from start to end. Through her convoluted narrative, she ensures that the reader stay focused on every page lest some clue might be missed out on. The only thing I didn't like about her writing was her repeated use of the verb "said" for direct speech. Maybe this repetition was all the more exacerbated because I was listening to the book rather than reading it. To hear "... Eve said... Sara said.....Eve said.... Sara said" does sound banal after a point.
Furthermore, I feel that this book didn't lend itself well to the audio format. Let me clarify that the narrator Lauren Ezzo is fantastic with her enunciation, dramatic narration and voice effects. The fault isn't from her side at all; she was marvellous. But the storyline is such that the audiobook makes the plot even more intricate and it's difficult to keep the various threads of the story in order and untangled. Though the audio version was just a little more than 8 hours long, I think I must have spent at least 4 hours extra on it through my rewinds.
All in all, I did enjoy this story and the narration, but I'm sure that I would have loved the physical/digital version better.
Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
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👉🏻 Reach 31% and restart from 10%
👉🏻 Go till 60% and restart from 30%.
👉🏻 Finally reach the end because I really wanted to be done with the book!
No, don't get me wrong; the book isn't bad. It is simply, absolutely confusing! And when you are hearing it rather than reading it, you don't have the luxury of flipping back through the pages or using the search function to recheck something. So to get the criss-crossed timelines straight in your head is a big challenge.
Eve, our protagonist, begins the story on her 27th birthday when she becomes the victim of a near-fatal car accident. As she recuperates in the hospital through many painful injuries, she knows she wants to live a better and fuller life in this second chance she has. But due to her brain damage, her mind seems to be playing weird games with her and she soon loses track of what's real and what's imaginary. As the story progresses through flashbacks and the present, Eve's dark past and deeply buried secrets keep revealing themselves. And we find ourselves in Eve's position, wondering what's reality and what's imagination.
The story is presented through alternating narratives between the present and various birthdays in the past. In fact, almost every key event takes place on some character's birthday. This reminded me of Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", where Eddie's past birthdays seem to be action-filled days every time. But that's where the similarity ends. This book is much darker and more twisted than Albom's work.
While "The Day She Died" isn't a thriller per se, it still provides you with enough of an unresolved mystery to keep you glued. Author SM Freedman does a great job of maintaining the suspense from start to end. Through her convoluted narrative, she ensures that the reader stay focused on every page lest some clue might be missed out on. The only thing I didn't like about her writing was her repeated use of the verb "said" for direct speech. Maybe this repetition was all the more exacerbated because I was listening to the book rather than reading it. To hear "... Eve said... Sara said.....Eve said.... Sara said" does sound banal after a point.
Furthermore, I feel that this book didn't lend itself well to the audio format. Let me clarify that the narrator Lauren Ezzo is fantastic with her enunciation, dramatic narration and voice effects. The fault isn't from her side at all; she was marvellous. But the storyline is such that the audiobook makes the plot even more intricate and it's difficult to keep the various threads of the story in order and untangled. Though the audio version was just a little more than 8 hours long, I think I must have spent at least 4 hours extra on it through my rewinds.
All in all, I did enjoy this story and the narration, but I'm sure that I would have loved the physical/digital version better.
Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
May 5, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***.
The Day she Died is a fantastic but confusing book by S. M. Freedman that I wish I'd read in paperback but also glad I didn't as the audio version is amazing and the narrator did a fantastic job with the voices and book as a whole! A paperback bout have been easier to flick backwards with to certain points in the book.
In The Day she Died we meet Eve who is the main character. Eve has brain damage which causes her to become confused and muddled with time and events in her life which leads her to think her mind is playing tricks on her. After sustaining painful injury from a near fatal accident, Eve decides she wants to live a more full and fullfilling life.
As the story progresses it jumps back and forth between the present and the past and Eves secrets and dark past begin to reveal themselves, but what is truth, what is imagined and what is real?
This is a fantastic thriller stroke mystery which has you gripped until the very last minute and still leaves your head spinning after it finishes.
***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***.
The Day she Died is a fantastic but confusing book by S. M. Freedman that I wish I'd read in paperback but also glad I didn't as the audio version is amazing and the narrator did a fantastic job with the voices and book as a whole! A paperback bout have been easier to flick backwards with to certain points in the book.
In The Day she Died we meet Eve who is the main character. Eve has brain damage which causes her to become confused and muddled with time and events in her life which leads her to think her mind is playing tricks on her. After sustaining painful injury from a near fatal accident, Eve decides she wants to live a more full and fullfilling life.
As the story progresses it jumps back and forth between the present and the past and Eves secrets and dark past begin to reveal themselves, but what is truth, what is imagined and what is real?
This is a fantastic thriller stroke mystery which has you gripped until the very last minute and still leaves your head spinning after it finishes.
June 28, 2021
It’s hard writing a review for a book that just didn’t work for me. I always go into a story hoping for the best but it’s not realistic that I will love every story I read. The Day She Died is an example of this. I read the blurb and thought it would be a gripping thriller. As I listened to the audiobook, though, I found myself lost in the plot, often trying to orient myself to the timeline. I also found the protagonist to be one note, never really understanding who she was or connecting to any redeeming qualities.
Sometimes the narrator can save a plot with their brilliant acting but I found this particular performance to be one note too. I’ve listened to this narrator before and find her voice pitch to sound somewhat hysterical when she acts out the MC. She also seems to have only one male voice and for some reason I don’t find that voice appealing.
I am but one reviewer though, so would encourage others to form their own opinions. And I wonder if reading the book would’ve been better as the author successfully weaved a strong dose of intrigue into the story. It was just hard for me to stay invested.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes the narrator can save a plot with their brilliant acting but I found this particular performance to be one note too. I’ve listened to this narrator before and find her voice pitch to sound somewhat hysterical when she acts out the MC. She also seems to have only one male voice and for some reason I don’t find that voice appealing.
I am but one reviewer though, so would encourage others to form their own opinions. And I wonder if reading the book would’ve been better as the author successfully weaved a strong dose of intrigue into the story. It was just hard for me to stay invested.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2021
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.
December 8, 2020
Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
This book was mind bending indeed, it took me a while to get into the rhythm of it, but once I did, whoa, what a great read. I won't go into the details of the story, because I might let spoiler details slip.
It starts with our protagonist, Eve, being hit by car so badly, practically every bone in her body is broken and her brain is severely damaged.
We go back and forth between earlier times and the present, meeting Sarah, Eve's best friend, and her brother, who Eve has a crush on.
Filled with dark memories, guilt, possible murders, child neglect and hallucinations, I literally couldn't stop reading till the stunning ending. Highly recommended for readers of intelligent psychological mysteries.
This book was mind bending indeed, it took me a while to get into the rhythm of it, but once I did, whoa, what a great read. I won't go into the details of the story, because I might let spoiler details slip.
It starts with our protagonist, Eve, being hit by car so badly, practically every bone in her body is broken and her brain is severely damaged.
We go back and forth between earlier times and the present, meeting Sarah, Eve's best friend, and her brother, who Eve has a crush on.
Filled with dark memories, guilt, possible murders, child neglect and hallucinations, I literally couldn't stop reading till the stunning ending. Highly recommended for readers of intelligent psychological mysteries.
December 29, 2020
Yes, yet another one. Categorized by the publisher under thriller and women’s fiction. Because there aren’t enough of those out there. Everyone wants to write one, the author in this instance has more experience to go off of than most, having worked as a private investigator in the wild and dangerous streets of Vancouver, Canada. But the trick to distinguishing oneself in the overpopulated genre is to do something original, so the main question is always…did she do it?
Well, yes and no. I know, I know, a wishy-washy answer, but this book really is a mixed bag. The main thing here is that the character writing is really good, you have these complex layered individuals and genuinely well crafted female relationships and off balanced and creepy male/female ones. The plot, though, is thoroughly muddled by all the time traveling it does. The dizzying skips in chronology by an already addled brain of the protagonist leave something to be desired, although they are essential to the orchestration of the genre prerequisite plot twists. I’m not sure how they should have been handled and I completely understand that the muddleness was meant to be representative of the protagonist’s mental state, but ideally it would have been somewhat more streamlined.
So onto the plot…Eve Gold died. Young. And then ten minutes later was brought back to life. This second chance includes a built in romance with her childhood love (this isn’t as adorable as you might think), a cute kid and a burgeoning art career. But…her traumatized mind won’t let her enjoy it all and memories, like the bodies, just won’t stay buried. And why are people dying around Eve? From her best childhood friend to her mom? What is it that her mind is trying to protect her from? Well, read and find out, after all, it’s all about Eve.
So there you go, a mystery thriller with the classic unreliable narrator. Someone who can’t remember basic things from day to day, let alone her darkest secrets. With a protagonist like that, you pretty much expect the author to mess with you and yet the ending twist is kind of a cheat. Can’t go into it, don’t want to give too much away, but it’s the sort of thing, a narrative trick, that just cheapens the entire experience. You still get all your questions answered and all that, but the wrap up is somewhat less than satisfactory. And it’s certainly been done before. It might have blown someone’s mind the first time around, but not anymore. Now it’s too easy.
And so, there you have it, an overall decent thriller, with above average dramatic writing and average down the line and somewhat clichéd plotting. It’s entertaining enough, certainly, and it goes to some very dark avenues the way some of these thrillers are precluded from by all that extra estrogen of the women’s fiction and it has a terrific grandma named Button, but in the end it doesn’t do enough to elevate itself above the midlevels of the homogenous genre entries. It does read very quickly. Thanks Netgalley.
Well, yes and no. I know, I know, a wishy-washy answer, but this book really is a mixed bag. The main thing here is that the character writing is really good, you have these complex layered individuals and genuinely well crafted female relationships and off balanced and creepy male/female ones. The plot, though, is thoroughly muddled by all the time traveling it does. The dizzying skips in chronology by an already addled brain of the protagonist leave something to be desired, although they are essential to the orchestration of the genre prerequisite plot twists. I’m not sure how they should have been handled and I completely understand that the muddleness was meant to be representative of the protagonist’s mental state, but ideally it would have been somewhat more streamlined.
So onto the plot…Eve Gold died. Young. And then ten minutes later was brought back to life. This second chance includes a built in romance with her childhood love (this isn’t as adorable as you might think), a cute kid and a burgeoning art career. But…her traumatized mind won’t let her enjoy it all and memories, like the bodies, just won’t stay buried. And why are people dying around Eve? From her best childhood friend to her mom? What is it that her mind is trying to protect her from? Well, read and find out, after all, it’s all about Eve.
So there you go, a mystery thriller with the classic unreliable narrator. Someone who can’t remember basic things from day to day, let alone her darkest secrets. With a protagonist like that, you pretty much expect the author to mess with you and yet the ending twist is kind of a cheat. Can’t go into it, don’t want to give too much away, but it’s the sort of thing, a narrative trick, that just cheapens the entire experience. You still get all your questions answered and all that, but the wrap up is somewhat less than satisfactory. And it’s certainly been done before. It might have blown someone’s mind the first time around, but not anymore. Now it’s too easy.
And so, there you have it, an overall decent thriller, with above average dramatic writing and average down the line and somewhat clichéd plotting. It’s entertaining enough, certainly, and it goes to some very dark avenues the way some of these thrillers are precluded from by all that extra estrogen of the women’s fiction and it has a terrific grandma named Button, but in the end it doesn’t do enough to elevate itself above the midlevels of the homogenous genre entries. It does read very quickly. Thanks Netgalley.
August 6, 2021
Like I have previously mentioned elsewhere, listening to thrillers as audiobooks can be pretty tricky for me since I have to be extra vigilant in listening as to not miss out on anything. The Day She Died was such a case for me. It is one of those books that I think I would have liked better if I had read instead of listened to it. The dual timelines of past and present in this book were pretty confusing to keep track of. When I initially started this audiobook, I took a bit of a break in between but then I had to restart the audiobook again because I got a bit confused as to what was happening with the plotline. The story is decent and the writing is good as well but it was difficult keeping up with the narration since I could not keep going back and forth like I normally would with a written book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Tantor Audio and the author S. M. Freedman for the audio ARC of the book. The audiobook has been narrated by Lauren Ezzo.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Tantor Audio and the author S. M. Freedman for the audio ARC of the book. The audiobook has been narrated by Lauren Ezzo.
January 19, 2021
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.
November 10, 2021
I enjoyed the way that this story was written. A bleak existence is written in the story to be a little bittersweet instead and like a strange dream rolled in one. I can't say the end was not a surprise but still mysteries unfold and keep my interest throughout.
May 2, 2021
Book 30 is a soon to be released book called The Day She Died by S. M. Freedman. Thank You to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the advanced copy.
This book jumps around in time quite a bit, I had to re-listen to parts to give myself an appropriate timeline. The story kept me wondering and questioning so in that aspect I'd say a good thriller. The narrator is a bit unreliable though which by the end left me frustrated. All in all a quick interesting read. 3.5 stars
December 18, 2021
Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Eve suffers a head injury in a accident. She starts to have flashbacks from her troubled life. I found this story a little confusing and disappointing. Unfortunately it didn't work for me.
June 4, 2021
I went into this book completely blind, just knowing it was a chilling psychological thriller…
That was an understatement!
“The Day She Died” quickly pulls you in and you can’t let go until the very end.
Eve Gold has suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by an accident and ever since she has been having memory issues as well as questioning the things she remembers or that she thinks she remembers.
The book takes us back in forth, from her childhood into adulthood, always on her birthday (or around her birthday), given that on her 13th birthday a tragedy happened…
But as you go on through the book, even you start to question if things are what they seem, what she remembers or even what people have told her. And you spend the entire book thinking the title refers to one thing and then get smacked with the ending of the book and discover it was all about something else.
The book did get confusing at times with all the moving back and forth in timelines and years, as it wasn’t even chronological, but someway around the middle of the story you start to put little pieces of the puzzle together and get confronted with a gruesome and very difficult story to hear or read.
It was dark, it was sad, heartbreaking, it was shocking and it was not an easy story to get through, but it was worth it in the end.
I do have to say this book may not be for everyone, because it has severe trigger warnings for abuse (I won’t specify what kind here as that would be an immediate spoiler) throughout the entire story, so take that into consideration before reading the book or listening to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my review and honest opinion.
#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley #AudioBook #Thriller #BookReview
PS: If you'd like to know exactly what kind of severe trigger warnings I'm talking about, feel free to send me a message. I don't want to share them publicly so it doesn't spoil the book for everyone, but I also don't want someone to go into the book and feel uncomfortable and triggered by it blindly.
That was an understatement!
“The Day She Died” quickly pulls you in and you can’t let go until the very end.
Eve Gold has suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by an accident and ever since she has been having memory issues as well as questioning the things she remembers or that she thinks she remembers.
The book takes us back in forth, from her childhood into adulthood, always on her birthday (or around her birthday), given that on her 13th birthday a tragedy happened…
But as you go on through the book, even you start to question if things are what they seem, what she remembers or even what people have told her. And you spend the entire book thinking the title refers to one thing and then get smacked with the ending of the book and discover it was all about something else.
The book did get confusing at times with all the moving back and forth in timelines and years, as it wasn’t even chronological, but someway around the middle of the story you start to put little pieces of the puzzle together and get confronted with a gruesome and very difficult story to hear or read.
It was dark, it was sad, heartbreaking, it was shocking and it was not an easy story to get through, but it was worth it in the end.
I do have to say this book may not be for everyone, because it has severe trigger warnings for abuse (I won’t specify what kind here as that would be an immediate spoiler) throughout the entire story, so take that into consideration before reading the book or listening to it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my review and honest opinion.
#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley #AudioBook #Thriller #BookReview
PS: If you'd like to know exactly what kind of severe trigger warnings I'm talking about, feel free to send me a message. I don't want to share them publicly so it doesn't spoil the book for everyone, but I also don't want someone to go into the book and feel uncomfortable and triggered by it blindly.
May 25, 2021
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.
May 27, 2021
Nothing is ever quite as it seems in Eve Gold's life. Or in her death.
The tale starts on her 27th birthday with a chance accident and elides backwards as well as forward. Grim future is filled with hospital rooms, rehabilitation and a deep dive into traumatic brain injury. The past segments are lyrical, multi-sensory - their Elysian shimmer not-quite shielding our eyes from the ragged, often wretched childhood beneath.
There's more than one mystery being pieced together here, and a touch of paranormal. The writing is sound, and Eve is a character who engages the reader's sympathy. But there's no denying this is a hard read, dealing with tough topics: child abuse, toxic parenting, mental illness, and physical as well as psychological trauma.
A gripping journey that will have you thinking about death, memory, and the fluidity of time.
The tale starts on her 27th birthday with a chance accident and elides backwards as well as forward. Grim future is filled with hospital rooms, rehabilitation and a deep dive into traumatic brain injury. The past segments are lyrical, multi-sensory - their Elysian shimmer not-quite shielding our eyes from the ragged, often wretched childhood beneath.
There's more than one mystery being pieced together here, and a touch of paranormal. The writing is sound, and Eve is a character who engages the reader's sympathy. But there's no denying this is a hard read, dealing with tough topics: child abuse, toxic parenting, mental illness, and physical as well as psychological trauma.
A gripping journey that will have you thinking about death, memory, and the fluidity of time.
December 28, 2020
"May your cloak be thick enough to shield your sanity, and thin enough to expose the gift of each breath."
I received this novel as an ARC from the publisher.
This was a decent read, though I found it difficult to get into, and the wording was odd. It's an interesting mystery bouncing between the past and present, revolving around Eve's violent death. Murder, abuse, and guilt fill insidious memories, keeping the pages turning through to the end--a shock and a half.
I received this novel as an ARC from the publisher.
This was a decent read, though I found it difficult to get into, and the wording was odd. It's an interesting mystery bouncing between the past and present, revolving around Eve's violent death. Murder, abuse, and guilt fill insidious memories, keeping the pages turning through to the end--a shock and a half.
April 26, 2021
**This ARC was provided by NetGalley**
This was a difficult one to rate.
Spoilers ahoy!
The story follows Eve through her various birthdays, along with her friend, Sarah. Each chapter begins with a new birthday to slowly give you a detailed story. Eve struggles with memory loss from an accident that we're not aware of, but these memories haunt her as the days go by.
The first half of this book was slow. Slow to the point in which I wasn't enjoying it. The constant flitting between past and present wasn't pleasant, as I had a tough time keeping track of everything that happened and that was happening, and the first half wasn't filled with much story to keep me wanting to read on, but I pushed through.
Eve is fairly one-dimensional for the majority of the book, which I understand, given her mental state after an accident, yet it was increasingly difficult to empathise with her. The only thing that kept me going was to find out what happened to Sarah, Eve's close friend.
Eve's grandmother, buttons, is a pleasant character to read, as I can picture her with such clarity that she became my favourite character, despite not impacting the story at all. Buttons helps Eve take on each day as though everything is normal, even when Eve's mother, Donna, forces Eve into situations that can only have a negative impact on Eve's mental health.
The only time I found myself enjoying this book was towards the end, when everything is revealed, telling you that perhaps Eve isn't as innocent as she claims, and perhaps there is a reason people around her suffer, and the revelation of what happened to Sarah, that Eve was responsible for Sarah's death, was interesting.
Yet, I can't help but think this all could have been done a little better. There is too much back and forth with these chapters, confusing the story a tad, and once we finally get to figure out what happened with Sarah, I didn't feel as sorry for her as much as I should have, because we never really learn much about her.
But, the ending twist, though I half expected, was enjoyable - Eve has been living a life of "what if", as she is in a coma from the accident, and now is her time to move on, even though she longs for her child, despite him not being real.
This was a difficult one to rate.
Spoilers ahoy!
The story follows Eve through her various birthdays, along with her friend, Sarah. Each chapter begins with a new birthday to slowly give you a detailed story. Eve struggles with memory loss from an accident that we're not aware of, but these memories haunt her as the days go by.
The first half of this book was slow. Slow to the point in which I wasn't enjoying it. The constant flitting between past and present wasn't pleasant, as I had a tough time keeping track of everything that happened and that was happening, and the first half wasn't filled with much story to keep me wanting to read on, but I pushed through.
Eve is fairly one-dimensional for the majority of the book, which I understand, given her mental state after an accident, yet it was increasingly difficult to empathise with her. The only thing that kept me going was to find out what happened to Sarah, Eve's close friend.
Eve's grandmother, buttons, is a pleasant character to read, as I can picture her with such clarity that she became my favourite character, despite not impacting the story at all. Buttons helps Eve take on each day as though everything is normal, even when Eve's mother, Donna, forces Eve into situations that can only have a negative impact on Eve's mental health.
The only time I found myself enjoying this book was towards the end, when everything is revealed, telling you that perhaps Eve isn't as innocent as she claims, and perhaps there is a reason people around her suffer, and the revelation of what happened to Sarah, that Eve was responsible for Sarah's death, was interesting.
Yet, I can't help but think this all could have been done a little better. There is too much back and forth with these chapters, confusing the story a tad, and once we finally get to figure out what happened with Sarah, I didn't feel as sorry for her as much as I should have, because we never really learn much about her.
But, the ending twist, though I half expected, was enjoyable - Eve has been living a life of "what if", as she is in a coma from the accident, and now is her time to move on, even though she longs for her child, despite him not being real.
Read
October 20, 2021One cannot put THE DAY SHE DIED into the category of supernatural fiction, but it does have many moments that has ghost-like elements. This is what gives the book its intrigue as S. M. Freedman has crafted a most interesting character study about life and what happens during our existence. The main character is Eve Gold, a Vancouver artist who is about to celebrate her twenty-seventh birthday. It is a big day for her, and as she stands in front of a shop a car careens onto the sidewalk and hits her, driving through the window of the shop. One would imagine that would be fatal, but Eve manages to survive. Most of the bones in her body are broken, and she lies there helplessly in the hospital. It is obvious the rehabilitation will be lengthy.
She has suffered a brain injury as well. In the days to follow she suffers from a variety of symptoms that include confusion, forgetfulness and much more. The book is about the past and present, as Eve’s mind wanders back to past birthdays and the not so pleasant part of her existence. She had certainly lived an unfulfilling life according to her remembrances, and somehow the bad seems to outnumber the good. She had horrible memories of her mother Donna, but it was her grandmother that she called Button, who seemed to be the most stabilizing part of her life. Donna was cold and cared about her life more than Eve’s, but Button was the woman who was more like a mother to her.
The chapters tell of horrible experiences that Eve was part of. Her mother even made her go to a psychiatric ward for a while. Her best friend Sara died on her seventeenth birthday. The mystery aspect of this was whether the death was accidental or did Eve somehow contribute to this? There are other deaths that occur, and soon one wonders if Eve was an innocent teenager and adult, or has the accident conveniently suppressed those memories?
The jumping back and forth in years adds to the mystery, and prepares us for the conclusion that many might have guessed but still will be surprised by. It makes THE DAY SHE DIED a very entertaining tale, with a little bit of everything to add to the story of a young woman's sad life.
She has suffered a brain injury as well. In the days to follow she suffers from a variety of symptoms that include confusion, forgetfulness and much more. The book is about the past and present, as Eve’s mind wanders back to past birthdays and the not so pleasant part of her existence. She had certainly lived an unfulfilling life according to her remembrances, and somehow the bad seems to outnumber the good. She had horrible memories of her mother Donna, but it was her grandmother that she called Button, who seemed to be the most stabilizing part of her life. Donna was cold and cared about her life more than Eve’s, but Button was the woman who was more like a mother to her.
The chapters tell of horrible experiences that Eve was part of. Her mother even made her go to a psychiatric ward for a while. Her best friend Sara died on her seventeenth birthday. The mystery aspect of this was whether the death was accidental or did Eve somehow contribute to this? There are other deaths that occur, and soon one wonders if Eve was an innocent teenager and adult, or has the accident conveniently suppressed those memories?
The jumping back and forth in years adds to the mystery, and prepares us for the conclusion that many might have guessed but still will be surprised by. It makes THE DAY SHE DIED a very entertaining tale, with a little bit of everything to add to the story of a young woman's sad life.
May 4, 2021
The Day She Died
S.M. Freedman
To say the least The Day She Died has a unique plot. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past but not in an orderly fashion; the memories/birthdays jumped around. Each chapter is one of Sarah’s birthdays. We learn who about Eve’s childhood, her best friend Sarah, and Sarah’s brother, Leigh. Eve’s childhood was strange, her mother was harsh on the verge of mean. Her grandmother, Button was her advocate and tried to encourage Eve. We are slowly introduced to Eve’s memories. She lives with remorse, delusions, and bleak recollections.
Eve is a talented artist. Her mother scoffed at her talent and insisted it was a waste of time, but Eve’s grandmother encouraged her and created a studio for her. A head injury leaves Eve questioning everything. On her twenty-seventh birthday she was struck by a car. Virtually every bone in her body was broke and her brain was severely injured. She was dead for ten minutes before being resuscitated. When she comes to Leigh was by her side. Eve had long had a crush on him. Her artwork changes.
It seems that people around Eve die, her mother, Sarah, and a pervert in the park.
The genre of The Day She Died is thriller, mystery, and suspense. Through out the book I questioned Whether Eve was insane or a murderer. Her damaged mind made it difficult to discover the truth. Author S. M. Freedman surprised me with a twist at the end of the book. I found the plot confusing. Even now I’m not sure what happened to Sarah. I’m not sure about Eve’s child. I relistened to this book 3 times. You can’t say I’m not a fair reviewer. Maybe it would have been less confusing if I had read the book instead of listening to it.
S.M. Freedman
To say the least The Day She Died has a unique plot. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past but not in an orderly fashion; the memories/birthdays jumped around. Each chapter is one of Sarah’s birthdays. We learn who about Eve’s childhood, her best friend Sarah, and Sarah’s brother, Leigh. Eve’s childhood was strange, her mother was harsh on the verge of mean. Her grandmother, Button was her advocate and tried to encourage Eve. We are slowly introduced to Eve’s memories. She lives with remorse, delusions, and bleak recollections.
Eve is a talented artist. Her mother scoffed at her talent and insisted it was a waste of time, but Eve’s grandmother encouraged her and created a studio for her. A head injury leaves Eve questioning everything. On her twenty-seventh birthday she was struck by a car. Virtually every bone in her body was broke and her brain was severely injured. She was dead for ten minutes before being resuscitated. When she comes to Leigh was by her side. Eve had long had a crush on him. Her artwork changes.
It seems that people around Eve die, her mother, Sarah, and a pervert in the park.
The genre of The Day She Died is thriller, mystery, and suspense. Through out the book I questioned Whether Eve was insane or a murderer. Her damaged mind made it difficult to discover the truth. Author S. M. Freedman surprised me with a twist at the end of the book. I found the plot confusing. Even now I’m not sure what happened to Sarah. I’m not sure about Eve’s child. I relistened to this book 3 times. You can’t say I’m not a fair reviewer. Maybe it would have been less confusing if I had read the book instead of listening to it.
September 3, 2021
The novel, The Day She Died, moves between past and present following Eve and the dark path her life has taken and the twists and turns along the way.
Our story starts with Eve and a near-fatal accident, she must begin the slow recovery and the chance that she will never be the same again. We are brought back to her childhood, her teens and the present as we learn the difficult history that makes up her young life. She loses not only her best friend but her Mother – and as we learn, she is a suspect in these murders, which is almost unthinkable. Her Grandmother, Button, is her source of strength, happiness and love in all of her darkness. But even Button can see something is wrong after the accident, and how Eve is not quite the same. Most of these changes can be seen in her artwork, but many times it is evident in her actions, her personality changes and her demeanor.
This is the story of a young girl who trusted those older than her to keep her safe, protect and to love her. Instead, she is met with hostility, manipulation and abuse. Many times throughout the novel, you had the sense that something was not quite right in her relationships but you could not put your finger on it. When you learn the truth, it feels like the chair is pulled out from under you. You feel anger and hurt that someone can do this.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. At times, I did have to go back a few pages or to the start of the chapter to confirm what time period in her life we were in but I found that these glimpses at each stage of her life added to the story. It gives us just the right amount of information at just the right time to help her story along. I had to finish this story in one sitting, as it was such an unique plot that I had never read before.
Our story starts with Eve and a near-fatal accident, she must begin the slow recovery and the chance that she will never be the same again. We are brought back to her childhood, her teens and the present as we learn the difficult history that makes up her young life. She loses not only her best friend but her Mother – and as we learn, she is a suspect in these murders, which is almost unthinkable. Her Grandmother, Button, is her source of strength, happiness and love in all of her darkness. But even Button can see something is wrong after the accident, and how Eve is not quite the same. Most of these changes can be seen in her artwork, but many times it is evident in her actions, her personality changes and her demeanor.
This is the story of a young girl who trusted those older than her to keep her safe, protect and to love her. Instead, she is met with hostility, manipulation and abuse. Many times throughout the novel, you had the sense that something was not quite right in her relationships but you could not put your finger on it. When you learn the truth, it feels like the chair is pulled out from under you. You feel anger and hurt that someone can do this.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. At times, I did have to go back a few pages or to the start of the chapter to confirm what time period in her life we were in but I found that these glimpses at each stage of her life added to the story. It gives us just the right amount of information at just the right time to help her story along. I had to finish this story in one sitting, as it was such an unique plot that I had never read before.
May 12, 2021
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.
January 23, 2025
the reviews for this book had me concerned, but i am very glad that i did not listen to them. though a bit hard to follow at first, i began to understand and follow about 30% through. i found this story to be entrancing and thrilling, with an impending sense of sadness.
our MC, eve gold, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident with an impaired driver, and the story follows a journey through her now fragile mind, alternating between past and present. eve loses time, she has trouble remembering her day-to-day, she is haunted by events in her childhood like the death of her best friend, sarah, and her relationship with sarah’s older brother, lee. she had a very troubled relationship with her mother, donna. donna’s distaste for eve is a major theme in this book. eve’s lovable grandmother, buttons, became my favorite character in this book. button’s endless support for eve was refreshing in the chaos of eve’s upbringing.
she’s fearful for a large percentage of the book. she’s definitely paranoid. the time changes make it a bit hard to follow at first, especially when listening to audio, but i did eventually begin to understand. i don’t want to give anything away, but this book brought out a lot of emotions. there are trigger warnings for abuse, so be mindful of that and read/listen with care.
i definitely recommend this book. just push through the first 30% or so until it starts to click. loved this book. the only reason for the 4 stars was for the rough beginning.
our MC, eve gold, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident with an impaired driver, and the story follows a journey through her now fragile mind, alternating between past and present. eve loses time, she has trouble remembering her day-to-day, she is haunted by events in her childhood like the death of her best friend, sarah, and her relationship with sarah’s older brother, lee. she had a very troubled relationship with her mother, donna. donna’s distaste for eve is a major theme in this book. eve’s lovable grandmother, buttons, became my favorite character in this book. button’s endless support for eve was refreshing in the chaos of eve’s upbringing.
she’s fearful for a large percentage of the book. she’s definitely paranoid. the time changes make it a bit hard to follow at first, especially when listening to audio, but i did eventually begin to understand. i don’t want to give anything away, but this book brought out a lot of emotions. there are trigger warnings for abuse, so be mindful of that and read/listen with care.
i definitely recommend this book. just push through the first 30% or so until it starts to click. loved this book. the only reason for the 4 stars was for the rough beginning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2021
I like novels that tell a story in both the present and the past. When an author uses this shifting perspective it’s like getting two mysteries for the price of one. And S.M. Freedman delivers on both in her newest thriller, The Day She Died (Dundurn Press, April 2021).
The book begins with Eve surviving a car crash, just barely. She’s broken just about every bone that matters and suffered a severe brain injury. But despite this she manages to recover, albeit somewhat damaged, just as she did from her childhood which was a vehicle wreck of a different sort. She would have been lost during those years without her best friend, Sara, and Sara’s handsome big brother, Leigh. Leigh rushes to Eve’s bedside after the car crash in the present day, but something appears to have happened between them all those years ago, and perhaps more importantly something happened to Sara. But Eve can’t remember, and Leigh won’t talk about it. Hmm.
This book has more twists than a Yoga Spine class and is evocatively written in a way that can hold its own with literary fiction (think Ashley Audrain’s The Push). Highly recommended.
Full review at https://www.shekillslit.com/2021/04/0...
The book begins with Eve surviving a car crash, just barely. She’s broken just about every bone that matters and suffered a severe brain injury. But despite this she manages to recover, albeit somewhat damaged, just as she did from her childhood which was a vehicle wreck of a different sort. She would have been lost during those years without her best friend, Sara, and Sara’s handsome big brother, Leigh. Leigh rushes to Eve’s bedside after the car crash in the present day, but something appears to have happened between them all those years ago, and perhaps more importantly something happened to Sara. But Eve can’t remember, and Leigh won’t talk about it. Hmm.
This book has more twists than a Yoga Spine class and is evocatively written in a way that can hold its own with literary fiction (think Ashley Audrain’s The Push). Highly recommended.
Full review at https://www.shekillslit.com/2021/04/0...
August 15, 2022
The most challenging aspect of writing a review of THE DAY SHE DIED is the potential for spoilers.
There are none here, so don't worry. TDSD is not your average crime/mystery novel. It opens with a car crash and it is told in flashbacks and memories, both real and fabricated. You just never know where you are as a reader, and I loved every minute of it.
Eve, the main character, struggles throughout the book with remembering/forgetting secrets. As a reader you're never quite sure what is a secret being remembered or rewritten so that something can be forgotten. The psychology, and perhaps psychiatric effects of secret trauma, is a big part of the novel. About half way through the novel, Button, Eve's grandmother talks about her faith and learning at the knees of her own grandfather, a rabbi. She says Eve grew from "those roots of belief", but those roots are buried in soil that is drenched with the trauma of the Holocaust and other abuse, so we know as a reader who Eve is: she is trauma.
This is a very different mystery novel.
S.M. Freedman
There are none here, so don't worry. TDSD is not your average crime/mystery novel. It opens with a car crash and it is told in flashbacks and memories, both real and fabricated. You just never know where you are as a reader, and I loved every minute of it.
Eve, the main character, struggles throughout the book with remembering/forgetting secrets. As a reader you're never quite sure what is a secret being remembered or rewritten so that something can be forgotten. The psychology, and perhaps psychiatric effects of secret trauma, is a big part of the novel. About half way through the novel, Button, Eve's grandmother talks about her faith and learning at the knees of her own grandfather, a rabbi. She says Eve grew from "those roots of belief", but those roots are buried in soil that is drenched with the trauma of the Holocaust and other abuse, so we know as a reader who Eve is: she is trauma.
This is a very different mystery novel.
S.M. Freedman
April 22, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Freedman for an advance listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Content warnings at the bottom of the review - this is a pretty dark-themed read for those that are sensitive to certain topics.
I've been torn on this review, because I can't decide if I loved it or hated it - all because of a twist at the end. I enjoyed the book, the writing, the plot, the narration. I finished listening to it in two days because I was so interested in the story.
However. The book lands on a not completely surprising, but for me, disappointing and probably least favorite story trope. I know some readers won't mind it and will probably love the book all the way through, but for me, it really changed my perspective on the story.
I'm going to give this one three stars though, because up to that point, I really enjoyed it, and I can't reflect too negatively on a plot twist that other readers typically like.
content warnings: child abuse, child sexual abuse, death, self-harm, suicidal thoughts.
I've been torn on this review, because I can't decide if I loved it or hated it - all because of a twist at the end. I enjoyed the book, the writing, the plot, the narration. I finished listening to it in two days because I was so interested in the story.
However. The book lands on a not completely surprising, but for me, disappointing and probably least favorite story trope. I know some readers won't mind it and will probably love the book all the way through, but for me, it really changed my perspective on the story.
I'm going to give this one three stars though, because up to that point, I really enjoyed it, and I can't reflect too negatively on a plot twist that other readers typically like.
content warnings: child abuse, child sexual abuse, death, self-harm, suicidal thoughts.
November 22, 2021
This had SO much potential but I think it fell flat on the execution. I listened to the audiobook version, so perhaps reading it would lend a different result, but the more I listened, the more I found myself lost in the plot, often trying to re-orient myself to where we were in the timeline. I love thrillers that bounce back in forth from POVs or periods in time, but this one bounced a bit too much and the order in which this was told seemed completely illogical. It just didn't make sense why it wasn't bouncing back in order of the events so I found myself very confused at times of which period we were in. The ending was okay, nothing that saved the book for me. Perhaps if you read the hardcover it would make it easier to follow this. I didn't feel very satisfied at the end and didn't feel like the characters got good conclusions. Overall, this wasn't for me but perhaps it will sit better with other readers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2021
I did not like this book! I hate to give reviews when I really dislike a book, but a lot of other people have the same comments that I do. I listened to it as an audiobook and boy, is this narrator AWFUL! Her voice is actually grating - almost nails on chalkboard level grating! I don't understand narrators that have to speak with perfect pronunciation and such ... it comes off as fake, boring and contrived. And her voices for the other characters in the story? Atrocious. Narrators can really ruin stories!
In terms of the story itself, the first half was snooze-inducing. Really boring and too much back and forth to keep track of. It's not a good sign in an audiobook when you can't figure out what time frame is being discussed - past or present day. It seemed to get a bit better towards the end, but honestly, I just checked out and didn't really even listen to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and S.M. Freedman for an advanced copy of this book.
In terms of the story itself, the first half was snooze-inducing. Really boring and too much back and forth to keep track of. It's not a good sign in an audiobook when you can't figure out what time frame is being discussed - past or present day. It seemed to get a bit better towards the end, but honestly, I just checked out and didn't really even listen to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and S.M. Freedman for an advanced copy of this book.
April 6, 2023
Thrillers can go either way for me, especially in audio format, and The Day She Died has left me smack in the middle. It's not a bad story, but it is a confusing one. The back and forth in the timeline is hard to keep up with and if your mind strays even a bit, you're rewinding to figure out what's going on. Several times, I didn't realize I'd missed something until far enough in that I had to relisten to more than I'd have liked. That's unusual for me. In most cases, I either can't stop listening or it just doesn't work for me. I don't normally fall in the middle lane with audiobooks. The confusion and pacing of this one may have been just as daunting with me reading it as listening to it, or maybe it's just me. Whatever the reason, I feel like the premise here was good, it just didn't really work out for me.
April 22, 2021
I received this as an E-ARC audio version from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book follows Eve who was in a terrible accident. Accidents seem to revolve around Eve. Her best friend was killed in a tragic accident during their early life. The plot jumped time frames and was very hard to keep up with audibly. The narrator of this audiobook to me was an incorrect choice. She has a great voice but it did not go well with the characters description and was very light. Her voice made it difficult to listen and pay attention, I almost feel asleep several times. I would like to possibly re-read in book form as it may be easier to follow that way.
Thank you to NetGalley & S.M. Freedman for the free audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book follows Eve who was in a terrible accident. Accidents seem to revolve around Eve. Her best friend was killed in a tragic accident during their early life. The plot jumped time frames and was very hard to keep up with audibly. The narrator of this audiobook to me was an incorrect choice. She has a great voice but it did not go well with the characters description and was very light. Her voice made it difficult to listen and pay attention, I almost feel asleep several times. I would like to possibly re-read in book form as it may be easier to follow that way.
Thank you to NetGalley & S.M. Freedman for the free audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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