*DISCOVER THE YEAR'S MOST PAGE-TURNING THRILLER AND THE GUARDIAN 2021 BEST CRIME AND THRILLER PICK*

'Gorgeously written' PANDORA SYKES
'I loved this book' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'A darkly dazzling debut . . . gripping' LISA JEWELL
'Sharp-edged and highly discussable' BOOKLIST
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'So that was all it took,' I thought. 'That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all.'

Chrissie knows how to steal sweets from the shop without getting caught, the best hiding place for hide-and-seek, the perfect wall for handstands.

Now she has a new secret. It gives her a fizzing, sherbet feeling in her belly. She doesn't get to feel power like this at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Fifteen years later, Julia is trying to mother her five-year-old daughter, Molly. She is always worried - about affording food and school shoes, about what the other mothers think of her. Most of all she worries that the social services are about to take Molly away.

That's when the phone calls begin, which Julia is too afraid to answer, because it's clear the caller knows the truth about what happened all those years ago.

And it's time to face the truth: is forgiveness and redemption ever possible for someone who has killed?
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'Perceptive and compassionate' GUARDIAN
'A stunning debut' WASHINGTON POST
'Compulsively readable' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
'Compelling . . . stunningly powerful' GRAZIA
'An unforgettable narrative voice' PAULA HAWKINS
'An extraordinary and heart-rending novel' OBSERVER
'This is outstanding . . . so powerful' TRACY FENTON
'A gripping, unsettling debut novel' ABIGAIL DEAN
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READERS LOVE THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING . . .

*****'A powerful, distressing, haunting, but ultimately brilliant read'
*****'Such a heartbreaking and powerful psychological drama that will stay with me for a long time'
*****'An incredible book'
*****'A thought provoking, dark and compulsive read... Highly recommend'
*****'You DO NOT want to miss The First Day of Spring!'