The Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood

To get an understanding of what this review is based on, a little about me… I love a thriller. I thoroughly enjoy spotting the clues, looking for the hidden hint, and solving the whole thing before anyone else. Seriously, eight minutes in to The Sixth Sense, and I gave everything away to my unsuspecting, quickly annoyed, husband sat beside me. With ‘The Day of the Accident’ it took my until 82% through the book before I solved everything – then by 84% through, I’d been proven completely wrong.

I have never read Ms Ellwood’s work before, but I will be looking for her regularly now. This book is an outstanding entanglement of mystery and intrigue, with hints of a thriller placed strategically. Wonderfully written I clicked it open on my Kindle about lunch time and finished it the same day – I couldn’t put it down. The characters were written to evoke emotion, some to pull at your heart, while others needed strangling – or at least shaking. The great focus on detail, regarding the leads and background, make the story-line fully engaging.

I won’t be discussing the story itself as the book description and blurb covers the key points accurately. I would hate to give away anything, the twists and turns in the story part of the amazing creativity in Ms Ellwood’s writing.

I didn’t solve it before the end. So, I challenge you to do so…

Oh wow, what a book. I enjoyed this read.
It is a gripping thriller that will have you guessing. what the hell is going on it so good. so many twists and turns I didn't see coming.
This is my first book by this author and will not be my last.

Wonderfully descriptive and kept me guessing until the very end. Would definitely be interested in this authors future works

This book kept me guessing!! I felt like I wasn’t sure I knew the narrator well at all because of the air of mystery about the accident throughout and how she was trying to pick up her life years after her daughter’s death. The pace really picked up towards the end and it was gripping. Very nicely done. Thanks to Nethalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really exciting book to read. Having read this book genre for many years I can say that I didn’t see the twist coming until I was nearly at the point of reading. Excellent story telling and good characters with a really good plot and storyline.

I really enjoyed this book. Maggie comes out of a coma to be told the worst news anyone could hear. She has no memory of what happened. Slowly small glimpses come back to her but she fails to piece it back together and make sense of that awful night. This story ripped at my heart strings and the tears flowed. The twists will leave you gasping.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an unusual story that at times frustrated me, due to her inability to cope (understandably) with the trauma she had suffered. You felt that someone could surely help her.
However the story ended in a rather unusual way that I had not seen coming.
A very good story.

A fascinating twist packed thrill of a read. Great plot and characters. Rbis book will consume your day. Brilliant.

This book had me gripped from the opening chapter and it is real page turner. The writers style is excellent and this is a true thriller with a proper believable ending.
Maggie wakes up in icy to discover her beloved daughter Elspeth is dead and she can't remember what happened. She knows something isn't right about the story but what? As she gradually recovers her memory we learn more about her as a mother and her past and the story has lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing right up until the final few chapters.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

very enjoyable book, you were kept guessing if she would ever remember how the accident happened. would recommend.

Not so sure that I liked this book because it is so twisted!!!
Dark and moody with a sense of desperation throughout, it stayed with me for some time.

This is a book where I found myself on the edge of my seat, not wanting it to end. Heart racing for the characters.
It had me hooked from beginning to end. I really cannot wait to see more from this author.

Thank you for letting me review this book Netgalley!

An engaging psychological drama that keeps you thinking throughout.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book

* i received a copy of this through netgalley in response of an honest review*
The novel begins with Margaret Allan, Maggie, entering a plea to a crime of manslaughter. The story itself then begins with Maggie waking up from a coma, which she has been in for six weeks since the day of the accident.
She is told that her daughter, Elspeth, was killed in the accident and her husband has since disappeared.
this book was a thrilling read that had me hooked from beginning to end.
4/5 stars
thank you netgalley, penguin UK and the author.

Fantastic book. Great twists and good characterisation. Enjoyed the differing characters viewpoints throughout

When Maggie wakes up from a coma, the police tell her that her daughter Elspeth is dead. That she drowned when the car Maggie had been driving plunged into the river but Maggie remembers nothing.
When Maggie begs to see her husband Sean, the police tell her that he has disappeared. He was last seen on the day of her daughter's funeral. This is bad enough but the drama is not finished yet. No spoilers here but hang onto your seats as the suspense is not finished yet! I enjoyed this book and for once, I was content with the ending. Try it!

An engaging and well thought out story. From the waking up from a coma and not knowing what has happened to you or where your daughter and husband are. Maggie struggles with reality as she tries to recover from an ordeal that she cannot fully remember. A haunting story that I found quite harrowing. Letters written that describe a child lost in a world she does not understand, is this Elspeth writing or Maggie.

If you liked Hawkins’ “The Girl on the Train” this might be your next read. The same sense of ongoing confusion runs throughout, with a flawed character who is a little more likeable than Rachel. I wasn’t entirely satisfied at the end but it did the job.

Nualla Ellwood has leapt the hurdle of the sophomore novel effortlessly and gracefully. The Night of the Accident is an intriguing, compelling and surprising thriller, with a deliciously complex plot, and realistic characters I didn’t exactly trust, but liked and rooted for nonetheless. It was like drinking hot chocolate before bed – it kept me awake for hours. I simply couldn’t put it down.

When Maggie wakes from a coma, she learns she was in a horrible car accident and her daughter Elspeth is dead. But she can’t remember what happened that night. Struggling with her fragmented memories and her heart-breaking past, this twisty novel seamlessly moves between Maggie’s search for the truth and letters from a child to her mother, pleading with her to come and take her home from the place she’s been left at.

This is one of those books you just don’t want to end but will stay up well into the night because you need to know what happens. I have no doubt it will be on many top thriller lists for 2018.

Enjoyable but not riveting l think the plot was a little contrived lots of characters with agendas and l found the ending weak and a little too “neat”for my liking: