I was lucky enough to get to read an ARC copy of this book right in the middle of COVID 19 self isolation, when a true mental escape into a book that transports was much needed.. And The End of the Day definitely transports to a world that spans the lives of three women, from three very different socio economic backgrounds who are linked by secrets. It jumps between each of the women's perspective, and keeps the secret from the reader up until nearly the end. Bill Clegg's writing was super narrative in that I could envision each character, the settings, the giant mansion that sort of ties it all together. Loved it.

“I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it's like I'm someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could just come in, I swear I'll leave.
Won't take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me.”
- The House That Built Me, written by Tom Douglas and Alan Shamblin

Families and relationships are funny things. A few words, a few simple choices, can change everything. But it’s what comes after those things, when we decide how we’re going to handle the aftermath, that creates the lives we finally lead. At the end of it all we’re left wondering what's real and what isn't, and what of any of it really matters.

Bill Clegg has done it again in his new novel, The End of the Day. As in his other beautiful book, Did You Ever Have a Family, he has entwined the lives of so many people with their hopes and dreams, with their hurt and sorrow, with their pleasure and contentment. Like the young woman who wants nothing more than to be a wife to her teenage crush, like the childhood best friends whose differences become more and more apparent as they get older. Like the solitary young woman who gave up what she needed to give up because there was no other way for her. And like the young man caught in everyone’s world without even knowing it.

There were a lot of characters in this novel. I must admit, at first there were too many for me to keep track of. At a third of the way through, I had to go back and start over, because the names and relationships were confusing to me. After I did that, though, everything fell into place and I couldn’t put the book down. I’ll also say that the confusion may have been because I had to interrupt my reading for a couple of days and then came back to it, so remembering everyone and their parts in the drama was a bit challenging. Others may not find this to be a problem at all.

The prose was beautiful, and I became as entangled with the story as the characters were with each other. The ending was just as life is, not necessarily perfect, which made it the most perfect ending of all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you for the ARC! This was a well detailed introspective novel spanning years of family, friendships, and trials amongst them all. While I enjoyed the story line, there were times I got confused not just due to the POV writing style, but the time spans switching. I had to reread portions to make sure I knew what was going on. I felt like the first half of the book moved more quickly, then started to drag some in cumbersome details. It was a pleasant read, and I was satisfied overall.

Bill Clegg is a masterful storyteller. If you read Did You Ever Have A Family, you will know what I mean. His ability to put words and sentences together to form a plot, is dizzying. His storytelling capabilities are off the charts.He also has a way of developing true-to-life characters. They are characters you can form a clear picture of in your head. I love it when I can think.. "oh that is how that character must look".

This was an epic, pageturner that I will be recommending in the future. It blew me away! I am already counting the days until Bill Clegg writes another book.

Highly, Highly Recommended!

Not student-appropriate...but a good personal read. I will definitely recommend to friends and colleagues.

Did not finish this book. Several interconnected stories spanning 50 years. Several jumps back and forth between characters and decades in no particular order. Very confusing and none of the characters made a solid impression or created a cohesive story arc.

This was an extremely engaging read! At first, I was frustrated by how nothing seem to connect. As I continued to read, the pieces all game together, unraveling an engaging story full of drama and intrigue that shows how one decision can impact numerous people.

This I was an enjoyable read that shows connections and disconnections in people’s lives. It is about love, hope, friendship, and tragedy. The author manages to weave this all together in the story.
Many thanks to Gallery Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book of how one day affects so many people. Well written with well developed characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of people centered within and around a privileged family make up the characters in this novel. All of the intersections that occur of which the characters know some but not all of the happenings lead to a somewhat tied together ending.

Bill Clegg is a master at slow, quiet stories. His Have You Ever Had A Family blew me away so of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy.

As with his previous novel, I read it with admiration and all kinds of emotion. He is a brilliant writer.

In this novel, matters from 60 years ago come to the surface. The End of the Day is about how Dana, Jackie, Floyd and Lupita were interconnected all those years ago, and how their decisions and life choices affected Alice and Hap.

On the Pro side, I enjoyed the character development for some, but others left me flat. Well done was the contrast between Dana, who lived in a world of wealth, and the others. The highs and lows of friendships were interesting and all too true.

On the Con side, the constant flipping between places and time periods (flashbacks) within chapters became confusing to me. There were many issues thrown in but very little cohesiveness. It felt like a mish mash of narratives. The ending tied up storylines for some of the characters but left others implicit.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The End of the Day in exchange for an honest appraisal.

I am a big fan of Bill Clegg's prior novel, Did You Ever Have a Family, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

The book is beautifully written and tells the story from multiple POVs and across decades, but all tying back to one fateful day. The narrative entwines family history and complicated friendships and includes conflicts caused by both misunderstandings and misrepresentations. Two of the central characters were close childhood friends who haven't spoken in nearly 50 years. Dana, a rich girl from NYC, and Jackie, who lived next door to Dana's country house, spent nearly every weekend together as children, but their relationship is fractured not long after high school graduation. One morning Dana arrives at Jackie's doorstop setting things in motion that will reveal secrets that have been hidden for decades.

What's good about this book is how the author pieces together the lives of the characters, so much so that at some point reading the story breaks your heart, at some it makes you hopeful while building upon situations that one can relate to.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

The End of the Day is the latest book by Bill Clegg. This isn't an edge of your seat thriller. Mr Clegg gives us a story that is heartwarming at times and at other times heartbreaking. Mr Clegg manages to bring the pages to life with the reflections of his character's lives. I want to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the early copy of this book to review.

When someone from the publisher contacted me with an ARC of Bill Clegg's new soon to be published book I leaped at the chance. I had previously read "Did You Ever Had A Family", and loved it.
One of the most wonderful part of Mr. Clegg's writing is his wonderful characters! They are so true to life. So complex, and so believable. Some very fragile, some so like people that I'm sure read his books. This book is no different.
The book is alternating chapters from the main characters, and covers the complexity of several families throughout a long period of time. Beautifully written, Clegg has told his story through interconnected stories. This style is a favourite of mine.
I will always be an avid reader of this authors work. This book did not disappoint.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster/GalleryBooks/NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I haven't read enough of BIll Clegg [only Did you Ever Have a Family] so was delighted to be able to read this book prepub.

Billed as: "...a deeply moving, emotionally resonant second novel about the complicated bonds and breaking points of friendship, the corrosive forces of secrets, the heartbeat of longing, and the redemption found in forgiveness"--I agree to some extent.

Rotating voices in chapters mainly of Dana, Jackie, and Lupita with an occasional Alice and a rare Floyd and Hap--who are both pivotal to the story.

Taking place in the course of a day though with many flashbacks and a back story [to cover more than 50 years elapsed], it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the book and see the various [inter]connections. That said, what grabbed me from the start was the beautiful, descriptive language. But as the book continued, I lost some interest [particularly in the last quarter; perhaps I was waiting for it to tidy up].

Among the characters : a retired widow in rural Connecticut, a son with a distant relationship to his father, a taxi driver in Kauai, and former best friends. Sometimes confusing--until it was not!

There is guilt, regret, betrayal, forgiveness, family drama, dysfunction, lies, jealousy, and more. Money is divisive and determinative.

There were many phrases/sentences I loved:

an assisted-living facility: "...why anyone would make a building that was little more than a pit stop before death look so much like a tombstone."

"...dark, gold glamour of a week in the sun."

"traffic-stopping breasts"

"Her rendition of Mom--an inextricable knot of scold and worry."

AND SO MANY MORE.

I pretty much sailed through but got bogged down at the end--which disappointed.

3.5 but cannot pull the trigger on rounding up. Still, I'd recommend because it was so beautifully written.

Interesting read. I found it a little confusing, especially towards the end as the POV shifted back and forth between characters at different points of their lives. This small town in New England seems over filled with scheming dramatic figures, each assuming that their lives are central to the story and damn the consequences. The characters are interesting and interact well together but it seems a bit disjointed when a couple characters are focused on for a large portion of he book and then some of the other ones are brought back in whom we haven’t really heard from since the beginning. I think this is just a little to contemporary for me but I was interested enough to read through to the end. Thank you to #netgalley for #theendoftheday to read and review.

This book was not for me.

I found it difficult to keep track of and remain interested in the numerous characters and endless historical detail.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advance copy to read and review.

This book was a deeply moving read. It felt melancholic at times, but also it felt hopeful through forgiveness and redemption. The author really delved into the break up of a friendship and the characters' disconnect with each other. The two friends have not seen each other in over 50 years after a tragic event and the affect on their lives and the others in their circle. There were at times when it was hard to keep track of what's what but with focus, one can feel through this author's writing, the pain these characters suffered. This is a beautifully written story about family and friends.