I don’t know what’s more disturbing: a child so off kilter she becomes a murderer; or a mum who is such a bitch you don’t need to wonder why the kid is so messed up.

The First Day of Spring ‹ Literary Hub The First Day of Spring ‹ Literary Hub

The story takes us from Chrissie's new adult identity of Julie with flashes of the past as Chrissie. Julie, 25, now has a child, five-year-old Molly, and is very afraid to lose her. We see the person she used to be and what she has become. Feelings are conflicted from poor Chrissie to what a shitty little child you are, Chrissie. Should child murderers be incarcerated like adults or be viewed as children that made mistakes and deserve a second chance?Once again we have my favourite style multi-POV and multi-timelines. We are treated to the world via Chrissie’s eyes at age 8 and also 20 years later (name now Julia). The sections that are written as child Chrissie you would think are lifted exactly out of a transcript of a child’s mind. At first you could be mistaken for thinking that Chrissie truly believes she is the best, with no worries, and no fear… but as you read further to see the underbelly of her life.

THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING | Kirkus Reviews THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING | Kirkus Reviews

She’s a painter,” I said. Mam cried out a big, loud wail. Ann raised her eyebrows. “Sometimes her paintings don’t go how she wants them to go,” I said. So, the week before my audio version was ready to borrow via overdrive I was approved for an e-ARC, but decided to hold off so I could listen instead of read. I suspected this was going to be an amazing audiobook though, because when my loan became available, the no. of days I was allowed the title had been reduced from 25 days to 20, due to popular demand. And I take my hat off to the gifted narrator, Kristin Atherton, as this was one of the best audio listens ever! Applaud! Applaud! Gotta love an East Irish accent. Her voices for the children – Chrissie, Molly, the neighbourhood kids – were incredible. I would definitely listen to this audiobook again, and plan to buy myself a copy via audible.

The hunger, abusive mother and sense of being so poor you don’t know what will happen next is all a very real (thankfully distant) memory for me, needless to say this book gave me all the feels. Know your limits though because the subject matter is uncomfortable and devastating at times so take care. Tense, addictive and powered by an unforgettable narrative voice, The First Day of Spring gives us not just a window into the confused psychology of a child driven to violence, but a thoughtful consideration of the redemptive power of love and friendship." - Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

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Julia is the other narrator, she is Chrissie now aged 25 living under a different identity having served time in a juvenile home from the age of 9 to 18 and now a mother herself to a 5 year old daughter called Molly. When a phone call from her past threatens everything Julia now has, she has no option but to face up to her horrific past before the authorities take away her daughter.Book Genre: Adult, Adult Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Thriller I wasn’t able to put this book down, it burrowed deep under my skin, leaving me breathless and sad. I know this is a book of fiction, but Chrissie/Julia became real to me. The murder of the innocent little 2 year old was an act of absolute evil. Chrissie’s thoughts and behaviour were painful to read as a mother and as a human being. This is an incredibly powerful psychological novel which examines what compels a child to commit a heinous crime. This is the story of Chrissie aged 8 and twenty years on as Julia with a child of her own, it is told in a dual narrative. In the Julia sections of the book, Chrissie is barely holding it together, having grown up (for a huge portion of her life) in a child’s detention centre she was thrust into the world after her incarceration an “adult” in name only. Chrissie is used to having her whole world decided for her so when she is fending for herself she reverts to doing so in a childlike manner. Drinking litres of coke at all hours of the night until her teeth ache, eating whatever sweets she likes instead of real food and generally living a child’s life.