This is gripping and intriguing. I loved the characters.
It has elements of time travel. It has elements of science fiction.

Finally I read it, and I have to say, there was no way to tell by looking at the author's brilliant writing style that this was her first published book. Kelley McNeil's storytelling style was mind-boggling, exciting, poetic, and compelling all at once.

The main twist of the story was that it was an unintentional journey from one dimension to another where the main protagonist, Annie Beyers, finds herself in the wrong situation. With each passing day in this new dimension, Annie’s remembered past and unfamiliar present begin to blur. Haunted by visions of Hannah (her only daughter), and with knowledge of things she can’t explain, Annie wonders... is she getting sick like her mother, or is it all a big lie?! The real thrill of this book was finding the answers to all the questions. Me, as a mother of a 7-year-old girl, I could feel her pain, frustration, and hopelessness throughout the book. And somehow, I have realized many things through her journey. Honestly I got much more here than I expected and had a great time with this mysterious book.

What would you do if you wake up from a car accident and your whole life is not what you remembered. Annie remembers her daughter Hannah but when she wakes up from the car accident that her and Hannah were in she is told that there was no one in the car with her. Annie knows Hannah is out there and she must do everything she can to find Hannah and uncover what happened. The story travels from before the accident and after. The story was easy to follow in the dual time lines and kept me guessing as to where Hannah is. I enjoyed A Day Like This and recommend this read.

I was immediately drawn to this book when I read the description because it reminded me of something I had read on Reddit once. It was about a man who had dreamed so vividly of a life with a wife and child that when he woke up he was depressed and didn't understand how it wasn't real.
Something very similar happens to Annie Beyers in A Day Like This. She so vividly remembers having a little girl and being married and living in a beautiful rural home. But when she wakes up after a car accident she learns that none of this is true. She's divorced, lives in the city, and never had a child. She struggles to understand how these memories could be only made up in her head.
It was a great story and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I want to call it a thriller, but it's not like most of the thrillers I read in that, no one's life is really at stake. It is definitely suspenseful though. And maybe has a hint of magical realism? Pick this book up for yourself and get lost in the wonderful story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review!

This was quite interesting and a great book to cozy up with during our winter storm. The cover portrays the story very well! The painting's blurred lines are a nod to Annie's fuzzy memories and also her being a professional artist. This debut novel is top notch, characters are authentic and real, the plot was well thought out. The touches of mysticism and otherworldly were a great bonus, I love how the author incorporated it into the story without ruining the entire novel, I hate when that happens. She's got a lot of talent. The story isn't just about amnesia and trying to recover memories after a head injury - there's plenty of books and movies with that plotline. This book explores a little known phenomenon called The Mandela Effect and parallel universes, and it's done in such a way that you hope, for Annie's sake, it's real. The ending was a bit too neat, very clean cut, and I didn't like that so much, but I'm not mad about it. Great book, especially for a debut! 5 gold stars 🤩

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡

I received a complimentary copy of this book "A Day Like This" and all opinions expressed are my own. I really liked this book. I love a touch of mystical, unexplained stories. Very unique.

In a Nutshell: Quite an interesting debut novel with a challenging concept. But it aims too high and thus struggles to tie the story together neatly.

Story:
Annie is living a happy life with her loving husband Graham and her adorable five year old daughter Hannah in the small country farmhouse. One day while taking Hannah to the paediatrician, her car meets with an accident and Annie wakes up a few hours later in hospital. When she asks about her daughter, the doctors tell her that she was alone in the car. Further confusion comes from the fact that there seems to be no evidence of Hannah’s existence. Also, Annie now supposedly stays in Manhattan, her marriage to Graham is almost over, and her estranged sister is now very close to her. Annie is convinced that Hannah exists but no one around her believes her. Are they all lying to her, or has Annie lost her mind after the accident? Was Hannah just a figment of her imagination?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Annie.


I am not sure how to review this without giving too much away. But I must say that the correct genre of this book isn’t yet present in its currently-assigned GR tags. I guessed the right solution for Hannah’s mystery quite easily so it was just a matter of time before the story started filling in the gaps. Most avid readers will be able to guess the suspense easily, so better not read this as a mystery but as general fiction.

The cover suits the book perfectly. The haziness of the picture represents Annie’s blurred memories. Plus, its ethereal painting-like quality fits Annie’s profession of being an artist.

For a debut novel, its scope is awesome and the narrative, quite convoluted. I appreciate the imagination of the author as she incorporates the concept of “what-if” beautifully in her book. The story is quite emotional at times, and you will empathise with Annie’s situation as she struggles to find the truth of why Hannah exists only in her mind. There are a lot of beautiful descriptions of nature, especially of lilac bushes, that attracted me at first but I soon started skimming through them as they began getting repetitive. At the same time, they add a dark atmospheric aura to the story.

The main problem with the book was that it attempts too much and thereby, the story becomes quite entangled within its own threads. For instance, there is a track about Annie’s mother that wasn’t really required. As is usual in this genre, there are many things left unexplained. I also didn’t like the ending; it seemed like too neat a finish.

The writing seems to be quite quick-paced at first, but until about 60% or so, I felt like no matter how fast I was reading, the percentage indicator wasn't moving upwards fast enough. Only towards the end did I finally manage to surge through it. It took me four days to complete this <300 page book.

Overall, I still liked the book, though I didn’t love it. It is worth a read, in spite of its teeny flaws, for its imaginative storyline. Just keep away your disbelief and your scientific mind to enjoy it better.

3.5 stars.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of “A Day Like This”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Amazing! Loved it and will for sure be reading more by this author! Will make sure to tell others about it as well!

I really enjoyed the first 50 or so pages of this one, but once the plot switched to after the accident I found myself struggling to stay interested in it.

The premise was very unique and had promise but unfortunately just didn't end up working for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I wasn't sure where this book was heading...I really wanted Annie to have everything!! Such an interesting concept.

Flubber Blubber! 😳😳

From the very first page, I was yanked into this incredible novel. I don't even know where or how I'd place this on any of the genre scales but it does have elements of everything. Annie has it all - the quaint home, a loving husband, Graham and her gorgeous daughter, Hannah. But then a car crash happens on the way to a doctors appointment and Annie wakes up asking for Hannah. But Hannah, & her five years of memories of her never existed, including all of the rest. Reality and visions haunt and blur together making it difficult for her to trust anyone and question everyone. The ending was unbelievable and totally unpredictable and the entire journey had me captured. Absolutely adored this book!

I give this 4.5 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

Thank you to netgalley for this fantastic read!

I really enjoyed this book! It was different and the characters brought the story to life! Crazy what the brain can do. I rate this book 3.5

What if you woke up after a car accident and everyone told you that what you remembered of your life and of your daughter was not true? Your daughter did not exist! Can't say much more about the story as I wouldn't want to give away anything. Keep you thinking long after the last page and had a satisfying ending.

3.5/5 stars

Annie Beyers has everything she has ever wanted, a beautiful home in the country, a loving husband, and a daughter whom she loves more than anything in the world. Her world comes crashing down when one day on her way to take her daughter Hannah to the pediatrician, her car crashes. When Annie wakes, she is stunned to hear the doctors say she does not and never has had a daughter. Annie soon learns that her life is the opposite of what she remembers, no Hannah, her husband and herself are separated and she is a successful artist living in the heart of New York City. Every day Annie is haunted by the images of Hannah to which she feels to her core is real. In her search for answers, Annie discovers the secrets kept form her and truth about her life.

The plot of this story initially caught my eye as it is very interesting, and I was intrigued to see how the author would spin the answers as to how and why Annie’s life become completely flipped. It was a little hard for me to connect with the characters I wish there was more to the story especially a little more insight into what was happening to Annie and her mother’s connection to it. This was a quick sweet story of a mother’s love for her child and the ‘what if’s’ of life, if we were faced to choose between two different paths, which one would we take knowing the consequences and rewards of each choice. This is a difficult review to write since I do not want to give away too much and spoil, this story gave me The Midnight Library vibes, I just wish the explanation was a little more impactful.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil book was a heavy read. It begins with Annie Beyers who is living her best life in a happy home with her husband and daughter. But, after a car accident with her daughter Hannah, Annie wakes up asking for Hannah and confused doctors tell her she has no daughter. The life that Annie remembers is not her reality and so begins a life that is not as happy as the one that she remembers.

This book definitely takes you on an emotional adventure but can get a slow in places. A solid read that is more of a mystery as to what is happening in Annie's life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This could be a love It or hate it proposition because the reader must suspend belief and go along with Annie. She's not sure herself what has happened in her life but she's certain about her daughter Hannah even when everyone else is not. Is she being gas lighted, is she mentally ill, is there a dual universe thing going on? I fell in the middle- intrigued by the premise and twists and liking Annie but still not certain about the plot, especially the end. That said, it's an interesting read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

"Every life has choices. Do we take the job or don’t we? Do we buy the house or not? Do we break off the engagement or go through with the wedding? Do we go through the yellow light or wait? Our path— the people we love, the life we lead— is forever altered by each decision large and small."

This story follows Annie, who one day, while driving with her daughter Hannah, gets into a car accident. She has a happy life where she lives in her yellow dream home with her husband Graham. Except when Annie wakes up, she's told she's never had a daughter, and that she's in the process of divorce from her husband? And she has a thriving career as an artist, something she had given up years earlier. How could this be? She's made to see a psychiatrist, who tells her it's a form of selective amnesia. But Annie knows things - about Hannah, about her other life - that she couldn't know without having lived it. So Annie goes across the world, investigating similar stories to her own.

I do wish the author had delved more into the science fiction aspects of this. But I was satisfied with the explanation, and with the ending.

What an amazing read, and from the "read now" section of netgalley! Thank you netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a book. I am still sat thinking about this book even though I finished it a few days ago. I cannot write a review to do this book justice. I was hooked from the first page. The writing is superb and enthralling and overall, I just loved this book.

Annie Beyers wakes wakes after a accident and everything she remembers has gone, a loving husband, beautiful house and a much loved young daughter. She wakes up to a husband she has just separated from, a small apartment in the city, no loved daughter but a successful career as an artist. Is she experiencing mental illness like her mother? Or is the an alternative universe?
I’ve always found the premise of ‘what if’ fascinating. This is not really a time slip novel, more of the hint of what could be as Annie tries to understand what has happened as she searches for answers.
I found the 1st half of the novel quiet slow and a little repetitive. I understand that she was grieving her daughter, especially since no one believed she even had a daughter but it was the ‘perfection’ of those memories that I found annoying/repetitive. Once Annie started her journey to find answers, I flew through the novel and really enjoyed it.
It came to a satisfying conclusion for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

There’s a very promising start to this novel and then it veers off into the Twilight Zone with lots and lots of attention to detail and endless descriptions of an assortment of meaningless twaddle.. I continued reading as I thought it was going to go somewhere.

I suppose the finale brought most things together, but even then it was obvious that the story was only halfway in reality with the other half firmly still in the Twilight Zone. It just didn’t fit together.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I wish the author well and hope that it will be a great success.