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.

A beautiful emotional read.A group of friends who have known each other for sixty years .Their lives captured in one day so much going on so many feelings.A book I thought about after I read the last page.Highly recommend.#netgalley#Theendoftgeday.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“The End of the Day” is a story of friendship, adoption, betrayal, forgiveness, domestic violence, bullying, and some homosexuality. The setting primarily is in Wells, Connecticut. This story is two plots that become interwoven. Two friends in entirely different socioeconomic levels and the life cycle of the friendship is prevalent throughout the book. The story ebbs and flows between the teen and into senior years.

It has a constant “who dunnit” in a different sense (no spoilers!). Each chapter is written from a character’s perspective and keeps the reader guessing on how the two plotlines relate. It was well written where I felt compassion and anger for certain characters. I enjoyed this book and the author tied the loose ends nicely. I recommend this book!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Bill Clegg is a wonderful writer. I didn't enjoy this book in the same way that I did his other book, "Did You Ever Have a Family"; however, I'm still happy to have read it. The characters in this one were memorable and Clegg is great at balancing several characters at once (strong character development) without forgetting who is who. I will definitely recommend this to friends looking for a strong storyline, well-developed characters and a voice similar to Elizabeth Strout (one of my favorites!)

Bill Clegg is a master when you want to read about people, their life situations and how they navigate through difficult situations. The book will take you through difficult feelings of regret, guilt, sadness, and sorrow while doing it with much integrity and grace. Beautifully written.

The author wrote a novel that realistically captures the highs and lows within the relationships of people that are related or friends over a 60 year period. Some of these connections aren’t immediately known, but all keep the reader invested. This was such a great read that I highly recommend.

Over a single day in the interconnecting lives of five individuals stories, secrets, trauma and regrets spanning decades are revealed. Masterfully written.

This is a masterpiece of a story. Intensely intimate. Tells the story of individual people living their lives in disconnection. Little do they know that one even will brings the wall crumbling down around them to show how connected they really are. Estranged friends for 49 years are brought together. A young man learns his life has been nothing but lies. They are all connected. The lies and secrets that have been kept are unlocked. They discover, each individually, that what they have showed so shall they reap. Good or bad the choices they've made is the story they leave behind.
Truly excellent read!!

Bill Clegg is an editor by trade, which I think gives him a leg up when it comes to writing a novel. Several years ago I read Did You Ever Have a Family – and loved it – so when I had the opportunity to read the ARC of his latest, I jumped at it. And I wasn’t disappointed. Once again, Clegg demonstrates a deft ability to create unusual but believable characters and use them to render poignant insights about what brings us together and keeps us apart.

Following several different story lines that eventually come together, Clegg brings to light the significant ramifications of what seemed at the time to be inconsequential decisions in the past.

Dana, burdened by the contents of a briefcase, embarks to set the record straight after decades of estrangement from her teenage best friend. She thinks Jackie needs to know what really happened between them, but is Dana’s truth even accurate?

Lupita has been running for years, thinking she’s done the best she can in an impossible situation. With the past now calling, what responsibility does she have to spill the secrets that seem to be catching up?

At 41, Hap can’t seem to leave his father’s death-bed even if it means missing out on his newborn daughter’s first hours. How can a man that he hardly knows have such a pull on him?

What most of these characters don’t know about their histories has important implications for how they move into the future. Complicated by class and race, the stories of Dana, Jackie, Lupita and Hap delve into issues our country is still struggling with today. Clegg uses insight honed by years of reading manuscripts to bring fresh insight to friendships and family, how to make amends, and when to just let go.

Bill Clegg reminds us how choices—to connect, to betray, to protect—become our legacy. How one day can change everything.

Deeply observed and beautifully written, this novel is a feat of storytelling, capturing sixty years within the framework of one fateful day.

Well written with gorgeous storytelling and characters you’ll never forget.