Thrillers can go either way for me, especially in audio format, and The Day She Died has left me smack in the middle. It's not a bad story, but it is a confusing one. The back and forth in the timeline is hard to keep up with and if your mind strays even a bit, you're rewinding to figure out what's going on. Several times, I didn't realize I'd missed something until far enough in that I had to relisten to more than I'd have liked. That's unusual for me. In most cases, I either can't stop listening or it just doesn't work for me. I don't normally fall in the middle lane with audiobooks. The confusion and pacing of this one may have been just as daunting with me reading it as listening to it, or maybe it's just me. Whatever the reason, I feel like the premise here was good, it just didn't really work out for me.

The Day she Died is a fantastic but confusing book by S. M. Freedman that I wish I'd read in paperback but also glad I didn't as the audio version is amazing, and the narrator did a fantastic job with the voices and book as a whole! This was a confusing novel about a woman who experiences an accident that causes a brain injury. The chapters switch between her life recovering from this injury and the memories of her childhood birthdays. She has had multiple people close to her pass away under mysterious circumstances and the reader gets small snippets of the events that lead to these deaths. This was a good enjoyable listen but a bit confusing.

This was quite a twisty read and had a lot timelines so sometimes it was a little hard to keep track of through an audio book. But overall it came together in the end. Overall it was a sad book and not one that I really cared for, just made me sad. The narration was good.

Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Eve suffers a head injury in a accident. She starts to have flashbacks from her troubled life. I found this story a little confusing and disappointing. Unfortunately it didn't work for me.

I really struggled to get into the story with this one, and though the premise seemed interesting, the development failed to deliver. I DNF'd this one at about 40% through the audiobook. The narrator was fine, though did nothing to add to the enjoyment of the book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Like I have previously mentioned elsewhere, listening to thrillers as audiobooks can be pretty tricky for me since I have to be extra vigilant in listening as to not miss out on anything.  The Day She Died was such a case for me. It is one of those books that I think I would have liked better if I had read instead of listened to it. The dual timelines of past and present in this book were pretty confusing to keep track of. When I initially started this audiobook, I took a bit of a break in between but then I had to restart the audiobook again because I got a bit confused as to what was happening with the plotline. The story is decent and the writing is good as well but it was difficult keeping up with the narration since I could not keep going back and forth like I normally would with a written book.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Tantor Audio and the author S. M. Freedman for the audio ARC of the book. The audiobook has been narrated by Lauren Ezzo.

I did not like this book! I hate to give reviews when I really dislike a book, but a lot of other people have the same comments that I do. I listened to it as an audiobook and boy, is this narrator AWFUL! Her voice is actually grating - almost nails on chalkboard level grating! I don't understand narrators that have to speak with perfect pronunciation and such ... it comes off as fake, boring and contrived. And her voices for the other characters in the story? Atrocious. Narrators can really ruin stories!

In terms of the story itself, the first half was snooze-inducing. Really boring and too much back and forth to keep track of. It's not a good sign in an audiobook when you can't figure out what time frame is being discussed - past or present day. It seemed to get a bit better towards the end, but honestly, I just checked out and didn't really even listen to the end.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I tried desperately hard with this book.

Audiobooks are usually the format that convinces me to read a book even if I dislike it. In this case, I couldn't continue it even then. Its difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The premise was interesting, but the book itself was terribly confusing and dull. The narrator's monotonous tone did not help either. Perhaps this book will appeal to others, but unfortunately, it did nothing for me.

DNFed at less than 10%.

It’s hard writing a review for a book that just didn’t work for me. I always go into a story hoping for the best but it’s not realistic that I will love every story I read. The Day She Died is an example of this. I read the blurb and thought it would be a gripping thriller. As I listened to the audiobook, though, I found myself lost in the plot, often trying to orient myself to the timeline. I also found the protagonist to be one note, never really understanding who she was or connecting to any redeeming qualities.

Sometimes the narrator can save a plot with their brilliant acting but I found this particular performance to be one note too. I’ve listened to this narrator before and find her voice pitch to sound somewhat hysterical when she acts out the MC. She also seems to have only one male voice and for some reason I don’t find that voice appealing.

I am but one reviewer though, so would encourage others to form their own opinions. And I wonder if reading the book would’ve been better as the author successfully weaved a strong dose of intrigue into the story. It was just hard for me to stay invested.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book completely blind, just knowing it was a chilling psychological thriller…

That was an understatement!

“The Day She Died” quickly pulls you in and you can’t let go until the very end.

Eve Gold has suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by an accident and ever since she has been having memory issues as well as questioning the things she remembers or that she thinks she remembers.

The book takes us back in forth, from her childhood into adulthood, always on her birthday (or around her birthday), given that on her 13th birthday a tragedy happened…

But as you go on through the book, even you start to question if things are what they seem, what she remembers or even what people have told her. And you spend the entire book thinking the title refers to one thing and then get smacked with the ending of the book and discover it was all about something else.

The book did get confusing at times with all the moving back and forth in timelines and years, as it wasn’t even chronological, but someway around the middle of the story you start to put little pieces of the puzzle together and get confronted with a gruesome and very difficult story to hear or read.
It was dark, it was sad, heartbreaking, it was shocking and it was not an easy story to get through, but it was worth it in the end.

I do have to say this book may not be for everyone, because it has severe trigger warnings for abuse (I won’t specify what kind here as that would be an immediate spoiler) throughout the entire story, so take that into consideration before reading the book or listening to it.


Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley #AudioBook #Thriller #BookReview

I love a creepy thriller! This one did just that. It was a little slow in the beginning but picked up quickly and finished off with a bang

This was a difficult book for me. There was too much back and forth and it was a bit confusing to keep up with everything. I felt a bit lost

This is only the second time I listened to an audiobook in my life because I was not sure if I would ever like listening to a book over reading the words. Now I know that audiobooks can be just as and even more exciting than reading.

The Day She Died by SM Freedman was indeed a Psychological Thriller.

Eve, a victim of a terrible accident is plagued by what appears to be memory loss because of trauma caused by head injuries. While recovering, Eve keeps remembering key events from her childhood especially what happened to Sarah, her best friend. This is indeed a book you need to read till the end because it took quite a turn.

Lee was such an important, well written character in the book.. You just wanted to believe that Lee was a good person and that he truly loved Eve. I just could not wrap my head around Donna at all, why was she treating Eve with such hate?? But you know what? In the end I really felt for her.. What was amazing is how similar events shaped both mother and daughter's lives more than they realized. Button bless her heart was your typical grandmother just trying to keep her small family together with love. Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! I was on edge waiting to hear what happened to her and my God that part really made me emotional.

I really enjoy meaningful stories like this. So rich with entertainment and a strong message.

Thanks very much to Netgalley for this audiobook. ARC. I loved it.

The narrator for this audiobook was great and made the story enjoyable to a certain extent. This story follows Eva after a traumatic head injury and had a promising storyline. However, this book was so confusing and didn’t grab my attention like I wanted. It wasn’t for me.

I’d like to think that if I physically read this book as opposed to just listening I would have enjoyed it more. Maybe that would have allowed me to go back into the story for reference because there were times I was very confused. The disorienting flip flop in time presentation never seemed like a smooth transition to me and required a mental recap every chapter.
   There certainly were some twists at the end that made me perk up, but again, made me aware of what I had missed in the time travel storytelling.
    While it received high praise from others, this book was just not for me.

I received a copy of this audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I found this extremely confusing.
The story follows Eve, our main character who has a TBI as a result of an accident. It jumps back and forth throughout her life and weaves in life events. While I do think the base of the story line has potential, the manner in which it jumps around leaning you utterly confused (and almost checked out at times) is what warrants the 3 star review for me

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***.
The Day she Died is a fantastic but confusing book by S. M. Freedman that I wish I'd read in paperback but also glad I didn't as the audio version is amazing and the narrator did a fantastic job with the voices and book as a whole! A paperback bout have been easier to flick backwards with to certain points in the book.
In The Day she Died we meet Eve who is the main character. Eve has brain damage which causes her to become confused and muddled with time and events in her life which leads her to think her mind is playing tricks on her. After sustaining painful injury from a near fatal accident, Eve decides she wants to live a more full and fullfilling life.
As the story progresses it jumps back and forth between the present and the past and Eves secrets and dark past begin to reveal themselves, but what is truth, what is imagined and what is real?
This is a fantastic thriller stroke mystery which has you gripped until the very last minute and still leaves your head spinning after it finishes.

The Day She Died
S.M. Freedman
To say the least The Day She Died has a unique plot. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past but not in an orderly fashion; the memories/birthdays jumped around. Each chapter is one of Sarah’s birthdays. We learn who about Eve’s childhood, her best friend Sarah, and Sarah’s brother, Leigh. Eve’s childhood was strange, her mother was harsh on the verge of mean. Her grandmother, Button was her advocate and tried to encourage Eve. We are slowly introduced to Eve’s memories. She lives with remorse, delusions, and bleak recollections.
Eve is a talented artist. Her mother scoffed at her talent and insisted it was a waste of time, but Eve’s grandmother encouraged her and created a studio for her. A head injury leaves Eve questioning everything. On her twenty-seventh birthday she was struck by a car. Virtually every bone in her body was broke and her brain was severely injured. She was dead for ten minutes before being resuscitated. When she comes to Leigh was by her side. Eve had long had a crush on him. Her artwork changes.
It seems that people around Eve die, her mother, Sarah, and a pervert in the park.
The genre of The Day She Died is thriller, mystery, and suspense. Through out the book I questioned Whether Eve was insane or a murderer. Her damaged mind made it difficult to discover the truth. Author S. M. Freedman surprised me with a twist at the end of the book. I found the plot confusing. Even now I’m not sure what happened to Sarah. I’m not sure about Eve’s child. I relistened to this book 3 times. You can’t say I’m not a fair reviewer. Maybe it would have been less confusing if I had read the book instead of listening to it.

EXCERPT: Eve Gold wasn't surprised to die on her twenty-seventh birthday. The Angel of Death's greasy fingers had been pressing against her spine for ten years - maybe longer - and in the underground of her mind where truth squirmed away from the light, she knew it was just a matter of time before press turned to shove. No, death wasn't much of a shock. The real surprise was everything that followed.

ABOUT 'THE DAY SHE DIED': Eve Gold’s birthdays are killers, and her twenty-seventh birthday proves to be no different. But for the up-and-coming Vancouver artist, facing death isn’t the real shock — it’s what comes after.

Recovering from a near-fatal accident, Eve is determined to return to the life she’s always wanted: a successful artistic career, marriage to the man who once broke her heart, and another chance at motherhood. But brain damage leaves her forgetful, confused, and tortured by repressed memories of a deeply troubled childhood, where her innocence was stolen one lie — and one suspicious death — at a time.

As the dark, twisted pages unfold, Eve must choose between clinging to the lies that helped her survive her childhood and unearthing the secrets she buried long ago.

MY THOUGHTS: I have abandoned this audiobook at 30%.

Part of the reason is the narrator whose voice, I feel, is totally unsuited to the narrative. Her men's voices are atrocious. She has a very narrow range of tonal expression and inflection, and really, I would rather that she had just read the book in her own voice.

But the main reason for abandoning this is that at 30% I just couldn't get involved in the story or feel anything for the characters. The narration jumps between the past and the present, bouncing between Eve's childhood birthdays and a very confused present day in no particular sequence. It is absolutely confusing when listening. Whether it would be any better when reading is debatable.

At 30% I found that I just didn't want to pick this up again. I was bored and had no interest in wherever it was heading.

Reading is a personal and subjective experience, and what appeals to one may not please another. So if you enjoyed this excerpt from The Day She Died, and the plot outline appeals, please do go ahead and read it. Just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean that you won't enjoy this as others have.

⭐

#TheDaySheDied #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: S.M. Freedman studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and spent years as a private investigator on the not-so-mean streets of Vancouver, before returning to her first love: writing.

She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. She’s a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Day She Died, written by S.M. Freedman and narrated by Lauren Ezzo for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This was super confusing. Maybe it would be less confusing if I had read it instead of listened to (half of) the audiobook. There is a lot of going back and forth in time and the main character seems to have brain damage. I couldn't finish it because I had no idea what was happening

***I was given a copy of the audiobook by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.