A Day Like This: A Novel

Annie Beyers is not the person we think we know. Annie Beyers has a secret, and even she does not know it, right away. The life Annie is living, or the lives she is living to be more exact, requires time and trouble to figure out.I am not a reader who likes other dimension stories, and this is one of them . However, I found this storyline intriguing. If you are a kindred spirit, you will love this book. It is a story that is difficult for me to believe. And, yet, at times I wonder. It has opened the possibility of other lives, other times, and am I being stodgy?The author has given us enough information to put together the lives of Annie Beyers. However, at first ,we wonder, is this woman cursed, mentally ill or at least off balance medically? Time will tell and it does take time. If you have lost a child this book may be unsettling to you, so prepare for some disturbance. Well written, it drew me in just enough to keep me off balance, should I continue or should I stop. Read and keep an open mind.Recommended For Some. prisrob 10-01-2021

“A Day Like This”, by Kelley McNeil, is a terrific first book. Main character, Annie, is someone you’ll build empathy for in short order. She reminded me of a good friend and the other characters were just as believable.This isn’t a story that requires deep development. Most of the action happens in the now or in Annie’s mind or a dream or…Don’t panic if you’re one who doesn’t like paranormal stories because this isn’t really that genre either. There are hints of spirituality, mental illness or options you’ll consider in your own while trying to figure out this curious conundrum; none is overtly prominent. It’s also not any of the other genres Amazon used to describe it. Those topics exist in the storyline but aren’t the story.Annie had an accident. Something happened that has caused her to loose or confuse her life’s storyline and or memories. She’s on a mission to find what’s lost whether it’s medical, metaphysical or maniacal.What’s spectacular about this book is the dialogue. It’s crisp, natural, emotional and unique by character. You’ll know who’s speaking without the obligatory “said Annie” or “quipped Graham”. This story is propelled strongly forward by dialogue with no slow spots or boring info dumps. The transitions from past to present work. The entire story works to an abrupt but surprisingly satisfying conclusion📚

... give this story's intriguing premise a Twilight Zone-ish flavor. It begins with a Norman Rockwell painting of Annie's picturesque life.Then the accident & waking up in the hospital, only to be told she has paramnesia when she questions about her daughter - false memories. And just like that, the life she thought she knew is gone.It seems like she's suffering from trauma caused by a concussion from her accident. But there are some odd things that keep popping up...Like most mysteries, it feels like you can't stop reading because you have to find out & the pages don't turn fast enough - is she imagining things or are they real?The story is thought-provoking & emotionally satisfying. The ending has a sweet sort of twist, though you can expect to be left with some questions.***CONTENT****Language: moderate use of common swears + 2 f-bombs*Religion: a few dozen uses of God's Name trivially (ie in vain) + once as a curse, sadly & unnecessarily

A DAY LIKE THIS held me captive, grabbing my full attention, in the way only a really good book can. I started it and did little else until I finished it.I felt a lot of empathy and compassion for our storyteller, Ann, a woman who is in a car accident, and wakes up to find she has lost everything that matters to her. She is told that her beloved daughter never existed. The home she loves has been sold. The husband she adores has moved away and is awaiting her signature on the divorce papers. Everything that she remembers about the last five years of her idyllic life has been contradicted by others and by the evidence.A DAY LIKE THIS, with two timelines and two realities could have become confusing in the hands of another author, but Kelly McNeil pulls it off seamlessly. There is some magical realism at play and a hint of a ghost story --things that are not usually "my thing". In this case, though, the overwhelming theme and message is so optimistic, and real, that the vague paranormal references were overshadowed. The takeaways were: No life is PERFECT." & The most important thing you can do to be happy, is appreciate what you DO have, right here, right now.

I was absolutely absorbed by this book from the first page and read it in two days. The characters were so well written, I felt a connectionto each of them. When Annie wakes after the accident and can't find her daughter, I actually felt her pain and cried, the writing is so emotive.I won't rehash the story here, I don't want to spoil the book. But if you are open minded, and want to try something different to the usual love, divorce, happily ever after stories, then this is a great one to read. A story that has had me thinking and googling after finishing the last page... some very interesting theories out there!

Best First Reads book for ages for me .I was really pleasantly surprised. I was really drawn into this story. You do have to suspend your disbelief, but I think we readers do that every time we step into a new book. The story was original, really different, the lead character was believable and likeable, and the story swept me along. I read a lot of thrillers and spent quite a lot of the books looking for clues so that I could try and solve the mystery before the end. But it really wasn't that sort of book, and I gave up, and just went with the flow in the end. I loved this book it was beautifully written, and it swept me along. So jump on that magic carpet and let it take you into a different world and enjoy the ride !

I read this intriguing book in two sittings!A Day Like This, is a book that makes you stop and think about time and space. What if there are parallel worlds?I am so pleased with the ending and how the jigsaw came altogether. Unputdownable!

I picked this as my October First Choice for October as I didn’t fancy any of the others, and I’m surprised that I actually raced through the first eight chapters without stopping (very unusual for me) as I was so intrigued and drawn in. I couldn’t wait to find out how Annie could possibly be suffering such weird amnesia following her accident. But for me a book has to be believable, or at least logically possible, and I’m afraid this book isn’t. There may very well be true cases of people living in parallel universes, but I’m not convinced. However, I continued to the end, the book held my attention throughout, and it was very well written with vivid descriptions of characters and situations. It also made a refreshing change to read a book narrated by the same character throughout without jumping back and forth between time zones, which seems to be the trend with authors these days.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, suffice it to say that I was gripped by this book, and read it in one sitting. I was left with a lump in my throat, but you will need to read it to find out why. A brilliant book.....I loved it.