I received my copy of this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

From the comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and the blurb I was expecting something similar to ABC’s Pretty Little Liars, but more grounded in reality. That’s not what this book turned out to be at all, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you wanted to read a novel which really delves into the daughters personal life, and the lives of her friends.

What we are primarily presented with instead is a mother dealing with the events of her life before her daughter was born, and it is in these moments where The Accident’s strengths lie. The flashback diary entries are harrowing and incredibly uncomfortable to read, and make Sue's fear feel very real in the present day.

The plot twists and turns felt more conveniently placed to extend the story than cleverly executed, with the outcomes relatively predictable. I would not recommend reading the blurb on the back of the book prior to reading, as it caused me to work out the ending within around 60 pages or so. I’m unsure whether to level this as a complaint towards the book for having predictable plot tropes inspiring its ending, or place blame on whoever wrote the blurb and book descriptions, but it did make the rest of the book feel like a chore to complete and led to a very unsatisfying conclusion when I wasn’t left shocked or surprised by the ending. The book is not redeemed by fantastic writing, and lacks side characters who have any depth to give them life outside of their purpose in the narrative. Overall, an unfortunately disappointing read.