The Day She Died by S.M. Freeman kept me on my toes. It was a great book with a twist at the end that I did not see coming. Great Read.

NetGalley provided me with an advanced reader copy of the audible version of the Day She Died” in exchange for an honest review. Although the storyline was promising, the audible left a lot to be desired. The character development was excellent and I believe had I read it myself or had the audible been better quality this book could be a 4 star.

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

Narrator 5 stars
The narrators voice was really soothing and she did all the characters really well.

Story 2 stars

I found it really hard to get into this story. There were alot of unlikeable characters in this book including the main character. I just felt very neutral to the entire story.

**please note this review will not be left on social media platforms as it is under 3 stars and I did not pay for this book**

Given a free copy from netgalley for my honest review, Very, different. thought it was going one way, gladly it wasn't and yet, i could still again! the ending was great,

I enjoyed this book! I did not predict that ending coming! The story line was great, but hard to follow in audiobook form it was a little all over the place. I think I would have enjoyed it more in book form

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 4.5 Wow ngl that was not what i expected, not a book i'm likely to read more than once but would highly recommend

I felt like this book was more of a stream of consciousness than it was a novel. I just really couldn't connect with this book and for that reason had to shelve it as a DNF at 54%. I thought the premise was great but just did not love the execution at all.

I finished this book earlier today, but wanted to sit with it a while before writing a review. The Day She Died really got me thinking trying to solve it! I got a little confused with the jumping timeline, but once I got used to the format, I got really invested in the story. There were some great twists that I did not see coming!! I found myself looking for chores, so I could keep listening! I thought the narrator did a great job. She had a great, soothing voice, and did great with a more childish voice for younger Eve, which helped with the audiobook. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but not one of my favorites this year.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was a little bored by this whodunit. It was fine, but pretty predictable. The character development was a little weak, I like to be kept guessing a little more.

This is the story of Eve; and her relationship with her best friend and her friends family. But ultimately it is a story about facing up to the decisions we make and how we must come to terms with them. Alternating between the past and present. We learn that Sarah died young, but what really happened and what role did Eve play. And what about Sarah's brother? An enjoyable read!

Thanks NetGalley, S. M. Freedman and Tantor Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook of The Day She Died.
After a fatal accident, Eve Gold's memory gets messed up. She must figure out the truth about her life amidst these muddling memories of her.
Twisted tale with treacherous characters and too much timeline alterations. Lauren Ezzo nicely narrated the tale. Sadly, I didn't find it engrossing.

**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.

Gripping, suspenseful and twisty.
Wow, this story was a wild ride from start to finish, and what an amazing ride it was.
Alternating between past and present this thriller will make you guess the whole time.

This fantastic story by S.M. Freedman releases tomorrow April 27, 2021.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

OMG this audio was so good. I immediately liked Eve, i felt so sorry for her. I kinda envied the friendship Eve and Sarah had. Eve and Lee seems so good together. It was a bit confusing at times but the audio flew right by. I'm sure if you liked All The Missing Girls you'll love this book too.

The Day She Died was a great book! The entire book is written from the perspective of Eve the main character. Eve was raised by an uncaring mother, had her best friend pass away, and only really felt loved by her Grandmother Button. As a reader you are feeling her pain, confusion, and emotions. I really like the way it flashes back to her earlier birthdays and events of present time to fill in her entire story. Great closure and ending. This is a must read!!

I just reviewed The Day She Died by S.M. Freedman. #TheDaySheDied #NetGalley

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% and 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 love than what she had so far in this serving chance at life. 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 as against 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; she was simply 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.

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!

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.

This book sought to make the reader as confused as Eve. Eve, who suffers a traumatic brain injury and no longer knows what is real. Eve who had a tragic childhood. Eve who never faced the truth of her own past. I liked all of that about it.

The back and forth was disorienting at first. Eventually, I had an easier time following the thread and applying the memories to the present as the book went on. I felt for Eve, too. Her mother was cold and hard. Her childhood best friend died tragically. Her childhood sweetheart comes back to her but is not what he seems.

The ending, I think, was meant to be a twist. To me it really wasn't. It was the natural conclusion to everything that had happened up to that point. Eve spends the last pages facing her truth. That was the closure this story needed and anything else would have been a twist.

The author walked a fine line that wasn't always successfully balanced. Still, I found the listening to be engrossing. The narrator did a fine job of keeping the characters straight and moving the story along even though it was nowhere near linear. Thanks to Netgalley, SM Freeman, and Tantor Media for the advanced copy of the audiobook.