2.5

Why is the traffic gridlocked one Saturday afternoon? The emergency services arrive and peoples hearts sink. One motorist goes to look and wishes he hadn’t. The accident victim is a seven year old boy, a yellow balloon floating high above the scene. What has happened?

This is a mixed bag read for me. First the positives as I see them! The countdown to the accident is done very well, at 30 minutes prior there’s mother Anni and son Tobi at a party where all the seven year olds are wild and high on sugar. Tobi is of course, the light of Anni‘s life. At 20 minutes and at 10 minutes we are in a pub garden with Carl and Jo for life changing decisions. The five minutes prior and the accident are hard to read especially as you know what’s coming. Some emotions are done well especially that of Jo and Annieas are the ramifications of the accident on peoples lives. I do not expect the ending which is all to the good.

It is a good premise and I like what the author is trying to do but he doesn’t quite pull it off in my opinion. We get some repetition via Carl, Jo and Anni’s perspectives and there’s quite a bit of over explaining which removes any traces of tension and there are also statements of the obvious. This isn’t helped by the fact you know the truth from the start so I guess the reader is a fly on the wall.

The writing feels monotone, it’s dot to dot writing that should have been suspenseful but it was it’s all a bit bland and at times rather ploddy.
There are accident aspects of both the accident and afterwards that seem to be highly implausible although I fully accept this is fiction.

However, I seem to be out of step with other reviewers so be sure to check those out too.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Inkubator Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

When Anni's little boy Tobi is killed by drunk driver Carl she had no idea that 6 months later she would become friends with Jo who holds a secret about that tragic day.

I previously read "til death do us part" by this author and absolutely loved it so when Netgalley had this ARC I had to request it (big thankyou to netgalley).

The story was really easy to get into and the characters were believable and easy to connect with and sympathise with. Throughout this book my thoughts changed and my opinions on how the characters were behaving changed a hundred times. you really don't know who to route for and it definitely gets you thinking about prison and right from wrong. there is also a strong message about do 2 wrongs make a right.

absolutely devoured this book I started it at 3am and it was finished by 12:30pm the same day even with working for 2 hours. couldn't put it down

Definitely deserved 5 stars highly recommend

The Accident by Daniel Hurst was a fantastic read. By far the best Daniel Hurst novel to date. Wheew....what a wild ride! I have always been a fan of his but this novel knocked it out of the park! Not to mention all of his novels are always under $2 on kindle even his new releases....I love how he keeps it so affordable for his readers yet his books keep getting better and better.

Carl is at the pub with his girlfriend. The woman he intends on leaving his wife for. At the pub him and Jo have a few beers and glasses of wine but Carl goes a lil overboard; he needs some liquid courage to tell his wife he's leaving her for another woman. Carl and Jo head to the car as he needs to drop his girlfriend off and go home and break the news to his wife. Jo realizes how much Carl really had to drink and tries to take his keys so he can't drive. Instead of calling a taxi Jo decides she'll just drive considering she had way less to drink than Carl did. She only had two big glasses of wine....better than Carl driving as intoxicated as he was rite? WRONG! as they head towards home a 7 year old Tobi runs into the street chasing his balloon. Him and his mother (Anni) were walking home from a birthday party and he let go of her hand and darted in the street after his balloon. Anni had no chance in catching up to him before the unthinkable happend. Unfortunately Tobi died at the scene and Carl tells Jo to get out of the car and run. Carl takes the fall. He lies and says he was driving home from the pub by himself when he accidentally hit and killed Tobi. So Carl is sentenced to prison time and Jo is scott free. Her and Carl stay together and she visits him in prison every Sunday. She lost everything including her job after what happend so she lands A new substitute teacher position to keep afloat until Carl is released from prison. Low and behold one of her work colleagues happens to be none other than Anni.....Toby's mother.

Will Anni ever find the peace she longs for? Will Jo pay for her sins in the end?

Make sure to grab a copy of The Accident by Daniel Hurst this summer. This book is sure to be one of summer 2022s hottest reads. Let's all cross our fingers for A sequel from Mr. Hurst.

This is a review that is hard to write. We the reader are privy to everything that is going on, we are the fly on the wall in these characters' lives. This book wasn't what I was expecting, it is not a bad book but it isn't the phycological thriller like the cover suggests, it isn't twisty either. The blurb practically tells the whole story and gives everything away. It didn't get really exciting until the very end and then it was all over. Usually, I complain that books are too long, but at 261 pages on my tablet, this one felt way too short and unfinished. It ended just when it was starting to get really good. I feel like I only got half a story so I can only give it half the stars.

The story quickly starts with a colossal tragedy. The backwards timeline lets the reader know that something terrible is about to happen and even as we see what it is, we are powerless observers to the worst thing that could ever happen to a mother. Anni is a single parent to her young son Tobi. Following a painful divorce, she has done her absolute best for him, even at the expense of her own needs. Tobi is her life. In an instant, in the worst kind of “perfect storm”, her life as she knew it is shattered, along with the lives of the others in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fate (or a suspension of disbelief) puts one of these other people, Jo, squarely back in Anni’s life. The Anni/Jo story, built on a foundation of lies, is a timebomb and we are just waiting for the explosion, tick, tick, tick. When it finally blows, it is a jarring end to a tragic situation where arguably, no one was at fault, yet many paid a heavy price. The story raises questions about what makes a good parent, can/should secrets remain secrets, and is there any redemption to be found in revenge?

Despite many of the decisions made by the book’s characters not ringing true or realistic to me and the coincidences being a bit hard to believe, it was an interesting, readable book.

I am a massive fan on Daniel Hurst and his books are always top of my to read list but this one didn't really do it for me. It wasn't really much of a thriller which is what I'd expected, it was pretty much just the story of 3 people connected by tragedy and lying to hide their past. I got through it in a cpl of hrs, it felt incredibly short for some reason. In saying all that, I liked the overall premise and was really excited it was a new book from an author I love. The book is very character driven and you get the story unfolding from various character povs. These aren't the most realistic of characters or choices made. I dont want go give any spoilers but it was all a bit outlandish and the characters made very odd choices. It's well written though, as per usual. There are one or two massive twists that literally come out of nowhere and I was hooked to find out what would happen once all was revealed and everyone confronted each other and so on and so forth and i absolutely wasn't let down with that aspect. A very quick and easy read and perfect for by the pool.

Thank you NG for allowing me to read this before the release. I thought this was an ok book. I was a bit disappointed that more didn’t happen. I thought that more would happen between Anni & Jo or Jo & Carl.

Another brilliant book from this author, a nice easy read that held my interest throughout and I can thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Incubator Books for this ARC.

I quite enjoyed this book. I love books that tell the story from each characters perspective and this book has that. Not to mention, the twist at the end. Did not see that coming!

Another great read from Daniel Hurst.
Great detail is given regarding each character and they are also given there own chapters for the reader to understand there point of view.
Plenty of twists during the book and just when i thought i knew the outcome.......i discover i don't!

Well worth reading.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy and i have left my honest review.

Just love this author, the 1st book I’ve read of there’s and it’s a great book.. This book grabbed from the moment I started reading it. It’s a great page turner and am sure people won’t be able to put the book down once they start reading it. I absolutely love the cover of the book it’s so intriguing and catches your eye the moment you see it. I would definitely recommend people reading the amazing book. I will be definitely be reading more of this authors work in the future

The author has made a name for himself among the thriller readers and authors and this story shows why he is so well sought.

I found the story really interesting from the beginning and the main characters are sometimes a bit more than intriguing because honestly I had no idea how they will behave, what their next steps will be in this twisted story.

Especially Anni when she finds out the truth about who killed her son in that tragic car accident.

The ending was great and it left me wanting to go back and look up more books by the author.

The Accident by Daniel Hurst is another page-turner from this prolific author, and I was more than gratified by this latest offering.

Anni suffers any parent's worst nightmare when her young son darts into the road and is killed instantly by an oncoming car. Carl is awaiting police as they arrive and is quick to admit his guilt. He receives a prison sentence, although it is little comfort to Anni who will never stop grieving the loss of her precious child. But alas, all is not as straightforward as it seems. A new teacher at Anni's school, Jo, knows more than she is letting on about the fateful day that cost young Tobi his life, a day that changed the lives of both Anni and Carl forever.

I am always elated to see a new release from Daniel Hurst, and will happily continue to devour whatever he is dishing up. If you are unfamiliar with this brilliant author, do yourself a favour and pick him up, you will not be disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

Just love this author, every book I’ve read has been fabulous. This one didn’t grab me quite as quickly as his previous however was still a great page turner!

The Accident
by Daniel Hurst
Thank you, NetGalley, and Inkubator Books for the advance copy for my honest review.

One moment. Three lives changed forever. I was so saddened, and angry this had happened. I don't see any one winner, but 3 people. In parts, I felt such anger, such sadness. I wanted to dislike JO so much, but she was heartbroken and living in her own prison. I loved the book, it was one I do not often feel so invested in. Well done to Daniel Hurst for this brilliantly written work.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Inkubator Books and Daniel Hurst for letting me read “The Accident” in exchange for an honest review.

I have heard a lot about Daniel Hurst but only recently read one book by him. I was really excited for this one.

I really like the cover. We speak too less about covers. It’s on the dark site, looming, gloomy and brooding, like the accident we are waiting for to happen. Then there is the red balloon (shouldn’t it have been yellow?!). How does that relate to the story, I wondered? Now I know.

Possible trigger warnings: cheating, death of child

We mainly get three points of view, Anni, who looses her young son Tobi in an accident, Carl, the drunken driver who caused the accident, and Jo, Carl’s mistress. That’s what we are supposed to believe. Three stories fuse smoothly together. Later we will also get some chapters from the POV of a reporter. I am not sure if I needed that, but ok.

Anni is grieving and realises, she has to move on at some point. So she makes a new friend,Jo, of all people, who stated teaching at the same school. She has no idea that she is connected to Carl, who is serving in prison.

The story is really easy to get into. Daniel Hurst’s style is fluent and easy to follow. The story itself is really interesting, so I got to read this in one sitting. This is a well written domestic thriller. I did like all of the characters - most of the time-, even when I am probably not supposed to. The thing is, you get invested in them.

The book being in the shorter side, we got thrown away right into the “action”. Though it’s very subtle. This is not your action packed thriller, that you might suspect from the title. It takes us (deeper) into the minds of all three main characters. You start caring for them, the next second you dislike them. There are no mind blowing twists and turns. It’s a pretty sad story actually. While I liked the characters, I could not make my mind up, what to feel for them. One second I was feeling bad for Carl, then I was not. I had such mixed feelings for all of them. None of them were really innocent. The end did not surprise me. I am torn about it as well. While it was fitting, I’d have hoped for something more.

I expected something different but I am happy with what I got. I did like the book. I will definitely read more by Daniel Hurst.

Daniel Hurst has established himself as a reliable author in the thriller genre, known for his three-dimensional characters and realistic plots. THE ACCIDENT is every mother's worst nightmare. Told in alternating points of view, single mom Anni is having a heated phone conversation with her ex over a rearranged visitation schedule of their young son Tobi. In a split second, Anni's attention on Tobi is lost, and he chases his errant balloon into the street, directly into the path of Carl's car. Carl is speeding and has had too much to drink, so he's quickly arrested and pleads guilty, relieving Anni the horror of having to sit through testimony,

As Anni returns to work as a teacher after a bereavement period, she befriends Jo, a substitute teacher she finds crying in the bathroom on the first day of classes. As Anni extends her friendship, she can't help but feel that Jo is keeping something from her...and she's right. Jo knows exactly who Anni is, and she knows more about the worst day of Anni's life than she will ever divulge.

As Anni becomes more and more suspicious, Jo becomes desperate to hide her secret. Will she dupe this grieving woman, or will a mother's grief turn to vengeance if she ever learns the terrible truth?

You won't have to wait long for THE ACCIDENT, as it publishes July 3, 2022. Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for this suspenseful early read.