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Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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This book was real. At times it was uncomfortable. Post-partum depression can happen to anyone. The subject matter is so important. It is not discussed enough. Women suffer in silence. ⁣⁣⁣
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⁣Jessica’s baby is brought to the hospital suffering from a head fracture. Once the baby is cared for, the attention turns to Jessica. Her version of events doesn’t fit in more than one way. It is clear that there may be more going on behind closed doors than people otherwise realized.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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While I implore everyone to educate themselves on this topic, to speak about it openly, to normalize it, I did not enjoy this book. It is listed as a mystery/thriller, but it felt like it had been miscategorised. Yes, there are elements of unknowns in the book. But, at its root – it is about a woman who is struggling alone and is so afraid to let down the guise of being the perfect mother, wife, friend etc. It is a story about mental health and the stigma that surrounds it. It is a story about how drastically wrong things can go because mental struggles are not given the same attention that physical ailments are.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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This is all to say. The story of a woman struggling with post-partum depression is noteworthy. It needs more words on pages to help women realize that they aren’t bad mothers. They are not alone. But for me, this book didn’t work. The unknowns (which led it to being a dubbed a thriller/mystery) were so minimal that it felt like a footnote. An afterthought.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The bulk of the story made me feel like a spectator of a woman suffering and making decisions fuelled by struggling in silence. I wanted to insert myself in the narrative and tell her that while my struggles were not identical, I understood. I’ve suffered. My friends have suffered. ⁣
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So while I will not encourage you to rush out and read this one, I do ask that you check in on one another. That together, we make a conscious effort to recognize that life is hard. That it is okay to not be okay.

This is my first book I have read by Sarah Vaughan, and I am now interested in reading more. This book is well-crafted and engaging. I had a hard time putting it down.

This is a story mostly about two mothers, both part of a friend group that bonded over childbirth. Liz is a doctor, and while on the job one evening, she must attend to Jess's baby, who has been brought in with a head injury. When Jess's explanation of how the injury occurred does not add up, Liz must report her friend to the authorities, which leads to an investigation and causes ripples in the relationships between the mothers.

I find the plot of this book to be very interesting. I found myself wondering how I would behave in the situation that Liz is in. Would I report my good friend to the authorities? It's quite a difficult situation in which to find oneself. I also find the relationship between Jess and her husband engaging. The husband finds himself questioning whether his wife could hurt their child. It's all rather intriguing.

While I would not describe this book as "action-packed," I nonetheless struggled to put it down. I wanted to keep reading to see what really happened to this baby girl and what would happen to these families and friendships.

I highly recommend this book to fans of domestic thrillers that deal with motherhood. It's a solid 4 star read for me.

A suspenseful family mystery/drama!

Jess is struggling after giving birth to her third child, Betsey. Motherhood seems so much more draining this time around & she's worried about wanting to harm her child. One night, Jess takes Betsey to the ER with a head trauma. The pediatrician is no other than her friend Liz, although they have grown apart a bit over the past year. Now questions are being asked & Liz is put in a tough situation between her duty as a caregiver and wanting to protect her friend.

The story is told in both Jess & Liz's points of views, which allows the reader to see a story unfold in both present & past. How do our previous choices & past experiences shape who we are now & the decisions we make? Sarah Vaughan crafted an honest story about friendships, motherhood, and postpartum depression.

Thank you Sarah Vaughan, Atria Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#LittleDisasters #NetGalley

This is one of those that was OK. The characters, the plot, the tension...they were just OK I didn't really care much about why these people were behaving the way they were and the entire plot seemed pretty predictable. I finished, but I can barely remember much about the book 2 days later.

This book was very different for me, it was fast paced, had a small cloud of mystery, and tons of friend and family drama. This book was different because it mentioned postpartum depression, which is something that can happen to mothers with new babies, and if left untreated it can do lots of harm. I started to really feel horrible for these women, but towards the end I loved the way they came together as friends to help one of their own by being supportive.

The big mystery is, what really happened to Betsey Curtis. Her mother Jess goes to the hospital, and doesn’t understand by her baby girl is in heavy distress, luckily one of her close friends Liz is a pediatric doctor and she was able to help her out, but something isn’t adding up, and Liz had to take matters into her own hands, even though she knows Jess very well, she knows she is an amazing mother.

Aside from that Liz is also going through her own struggles, mainly with her own mother, who hasn’t really been a great mom to her and to her own brother. But then Liz’s mother fills in the blanks of her crazy childhood and the little sister she never got to full know.

There are so many secrets in this book, and lots of things left unsaid, that right when you thought that the happy ending was the happy ending, there are more holes to the mystery, because the mystery of Betsey Curtis extends to even more people in their circle. The lengths a mother will take to protect her child are endless.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Interesting story of three mothers who all meet at their first Lamaze class. They carry that friendship forward a decade. Then one of them has her infant admitted for a head injury and questions arise as to the cause. Cue the next mother who also happens to be a pediatrician and the police and social services are called. It takes until the very ending to get to the whole truth of what happened. It is also a good reminder that we never really know what is going on with another and we should strive to be kinder.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan is a suspenseful thriller about families, friends and what it means to be a mother and how important that is but also how it is not always credited as such sometimes. Jess is struggling. After the birth of her daughter, she feels overwhelmed. She wants to be a good mother but it can also be draining. Now her daughter is in the ER and questions are being asked. What happened and why? Told in Jess and her friend, Liz, a pediatrician, point of views, we see a story unfold about choices and past experiences affecting who we are now.

I found Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan to be an honest and raw story about motherhood, postnatal depression and friendships with an edge of your seat aspect!

Happy reading!

Little Disasters is my second book by this author. I would classify this as a combination between mystery and domestic drama. The story takes place in the UK and it is very British (lots of British terms are used).

The main narrator is Liz (1st person POV). There are also a bunch of 3rd person POVs. The main one of these is Jess. The story also jumps around a bit in terms of the timeline. Much of the story takes place starting in January 2018. But there are also a few chapters from the past. And as the story progresses the author sometimes goes back to something that happened on January 19th 2018.

Liz is a pediatric doctor in London. A child whose family she knows is brought in to the emergency room. And what happens from there is quite interesting.

Liz and Jess (the narrators) met when they were each having their first babies. They became part of a friend group with Mel and Charlotte (who were also having babies).

The book focuses a lot on what it is like to try to balance a demanding professional career with kids. But it also really looks at the difficulties that stay at home moms can experience. There are some really important topics that are examined in this book. And there are many things that readers will not be able to stop thinking about.

I was very intrigued by everything that was happening in this book. It was a good mystery/drama.

Little Disasters, Sarah Vaughn's newest release, questions how well we know our friends and neighbors and how far we will go to protect our carefully crafted narratives. Sensible, pediatric physician Liz is working a shift when a younger resident asks her to consult. Surprised to see her friend Jess with her 10-month old baby, Betsy, Liz examines the baby and discovers a head injury. This sets the stage for flashbacks, semi-truths and a mystery. Jess and Liz's friendship has strained since the new baby was born, with Jess feeling overwhelmed but not confiding in her friends. Liz, having experienced a difficult childhood of her own, struggles to understand what happened to Betsy and how her friend or her husband could possibly be responsible. While an investigation is underway it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Will the truth emerge? And if it does, what are the consequences left in its wake?

With well-developed characters and a detailed background, Vaughn's newest is a great read. While difficult at times with the sensitive nature (trigger warning for abuse) it is handled with sensitivity. Solid 4 stars!

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

picked up this book ready to devour a thriller last weekend, but this was so much more than what I expected. Little Disasters is a deftly written, suspenseful family drama. Jess is suffering from postpartum depression, and no one seems to notice how much she’s struggling. Reading this was almost painful for me at times, her thoughts and her actions felt so real. It was brilliant how the author had me so fully engrossed in Jess’s thoughts, wondering where this book was going. While suspenseful, it was very emotional and heart wrenching at times.
I’m long removed from new motherhood and still felt the angst of postpartum depression as I read this. If you’re a new mother or suffer from anxiety, this may not be the right time to read this book.
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The Prologue of <b>Little Disasters</b> by Sarah Vaughan set the tone for what turned out to be a gripping, tension filled drama which I simply could not put down.    There we met an unidentified woman at breaking point.   It was clear her lack of sleep and her inability to stop her baby from continuously crying was causing her to experience dangerous thoughts about "silencing" her child.      If I'm honest I didn't like the prologue for its raw and dangerous emotional impact.   It was not light or easy reading, however from the very first page of chapter one I was invested in the characters and the story being told.   So good was it that there was no doubt in mind I would finish this book today.

The story hinged around four couples who met ten years ago at the prenatal classes they attended prior to the births of their first children.    They've remained friends ever since however readers rapidly come to learn that their friendships are about to be tested in the most brutal way possible.    Liz is a Paediatric doctor in the middle of a busy ER shift when she's called to attend a baby who happens to be the daughter of her good friend Jess.   During her consultation Liz can't deny the existence of several red flags but her friend is a great mother who would never harm her children.  <spoiler>Despite this knowledge  she reluctantly follows her instructions to involve social services. </spoiler>

Not only did this present a moral dilemma for Liz,  it made me question how I would respond in this situation.   As the perspective alternated from Liz to Jess my allegiances were torn.   I liked both characters, I liked their families and didn't want any of them to be in the situation they found themselves in.     But as we saw flashbacks to certain integral moments, suspicions were cast and re-cast.    I was completely caught up in the story,  speculating constantly and hoping for certain outcomes.   


Throughout it all the author drove home messages about friendship and motherhood.   Her story opened readers eyes and minds to the dangers <i>"... and the strain of pretending everything was fine..."</i> when the reality was an inability to cope.  She also put a bit of a spotlight on support networks which despite best intentions can fail miserably with dire results.        It was an incredibly good story which I found realistic throughout.    There were a couple of twists to keep readers on their toes but thankfully it ended on a note of hope.   

I haven't read Sarah Vaughans other novels but Anatomy of a Scandal sounds impressive so I'll be trying to get my hands on it in the near future.   My thanks to the author, to Atria Books and to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my absolute pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars on GoodReads.

I'm really REALLY not liking this and I don't think I'll be able to finish it. it's just starting off so slowly and the language used feels so odd and inorganic, it's difficult to get through. seems like it is more of a familial drama than a mystery/thriller which I am really not into. can see why other people may like this, but it is not for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Sarah Vaughan for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a fan of The Anatomy of a Scandal so I was excited to start this one. 4.5 stars rounded up for a compelling book that I couldn't put down.

A group of women meet at a prenatal class and have tried to maintain their relationship. Liz, a busy pediatrician, and happily married mother of two, always feels like she's not quite as good a mother as others because she works. She is still carrying the scars of her childhood and tries hard to always do the right thing. Jess is a stay-at-home mom struggling with postpartum depression after the birth of her third child, even though she is always put together and puts on wonderful social events. A tragedy brings these two friends to opposite sides and much more than their friendship is on the line.

This book would be perfect for a mother's bookclub to read - everyone paints an instagram perfect view of motherhood and family life but the reality is quite different. By always trying to put that best face forward, we don't acknowledge true feelings - that motherhood can be hard and definitely not glamorous. Plus, we let our friends take the fact that we say we're okay at face value instead of digging a little deeper if they feel something might be wrong. This also looks at the traditional family roles and how easy it is to only see what we want to see as well as how the scars of our past change us and how we can learn to live with them.

Little Disasters is a dark and emotional story about the never-ending and sometimes all consuming challenges of motherhood, the pressures women place on themselves (and, unfortunately, each other), the need for support and understanding, and the tragedies that can occur when that need is not met.

Jess, Liz, Charlotte and Mel have been friends since they attended pre-natal classes together as each prepared to give birth to their first child. Now, ten years later, they still get together, but are not as close as they once were. Liz, a pediatrician, is working her fourth night shift in the ER when Jess arrives with her infant daughter, Betsey. Liz calls in another doctor to handle the case because of her friendship with Jess. Examination shows Betsey has a head injury which could not have been caused by what Jess has told them. Child Protective Services is called in, and an investigation begins.

There are multiple POVs used to advance the story, with the primary ones being Jess and Liz. What follows is an examination of past events leading up to this point and the impacts of the investigation on each of the women and their families.

Ms. Vaughn handles a dark subject with compassion and clarity. This book serves as a reminder that no matter how we see ourselves or others, in truth, we are more alike than the differences we tend to focus on.

I rate this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Vaughn, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this ARC!

CW: child abuse

Little Disasters is a domestic thriller written by Sarah Vaughan.

Liz, a pediatrican, is thrown for a loop when her good friend Jess brings her baby to the ER with a head injury that she did not notice and her story arouses suspicion.

The story is told through different perspectives as you try to uncover what really happened. Meanwhile, the women look back to their own childhoods to reflect on the mothers they have become.

The book has excellent pacing and each perspective reveals just enough to keep you interested and wanting answers. It was difficult to put down! It’s definitely a page turner.

Liz Trenchard, a pediatric physician, was working her rounds at the hospital when she was paged for a consult. A baby had been brought in with a head injury from a skull fracture. When she arrives in the room, she realizes the mom is one of her best friends. As they question Jess about what happened to cause the head injury, she becomes evasive, and the doctors become suspicious. Child Services, and then later the police are brought in to try to get to the bottom of what happened.
The story goes back and forth between past and present, slowly dishing out bits of the story leading up to what happened to baby Betsey, The book deals with topics like postpartum depression and child abuse, so just be aware if those are sensitive issues for you. It comes to a dramatic conclusion with a surprising twist at the end that will leave you shocked. This was an excellent story and I highly recommend it.

Little Disasters was a book I read in one day! A quick read for me. I loved this domestic thriller/suspense read about four friends. Liz, Jess, Mel, and Charlotte all met at a prenatal class and became fast friends. Ten years later, Jess has three children and one is brought into the ER for vomiting. Liz is the attending physician and attends to Betesy, Jess's daughter. This book had some tough scenes to read as a mother of two children but I would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a quick suspenseful read. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

How well do you know your friends? Liz has been friends with Jess for ten years and their friendship will suddenly change after Jess’s child is brought to the ER, suffering from a severe head injury. Jess is acting defensive and being evasive when asked questions, while Liz struggles with her ethical obligation to inform the authorities. What follows next is a well-thought out, gut-wrenching story that touched me deeply.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan is a novel that highlights the stress and impossible task of being a perfect mother. I am proud that both my adult sons are happy healthy productive members of society. I would be lying if I said I knew it would turn out that way. It took a village, prayer and a lot of luck surviving their childhood.

That being said there is much in this story that made me cringe as a mother and upset with a society that doesn't provide help for a mother suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety until someone is hurt.

Jess is a very tired mother of three whose new born daughter is colic and she has no breaks from the 24 hour crying child. When Jess brings her to the E/R because she is vomiting everything changes when an X Ray reveals the baby has a fractured skull. Jess has no good answer for how it happened.

What follows is horrible accusations, self loathing and self doubt and an impulsive act of kidnapping that only adds to this family's turmoil.

It seems everyone associated with Jess has deep rooted childhood issues and the end revealing the truth of what happened to this poor baby was a surprise but not a satisfying one for me. No one comes out unscathed at the end and I found it all rather exhausting.

The novel does a great job of showing how even the most together person can feel overwhelmed with a crying newborn and toddlers demanding your complete attention. Jess is a very sympathetic character though at times she could be her own worse enemy. As a twisty psychological drama this works. It was hard to read at times because of the physical and emotional scarring left on the children in the story. In fairness, this scarring is a reality.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a new author to me, but one for my to read list. Sarah Vaughn writes a very dramatic story of how the responsibilities of parenting can overwhelm even the most stable of women, especially when they pretty much shoulder the experience with little help.
Jess is the mother of 3 young children, with an infant that requires more attention than her two boys had. Her husband is supportive but not always available. A trip to the ER with the baby, raises suspicions, and so begins the questions of childhood abuse and trauma.
A Story of lifelong friends that never really know what goes on when the doors close behind them and what secrets they live with, that can inevitably shape their lives and their relationships and parenting. This one took several twist that left me reeling. A must read for those who like drama and suspense.
My thanks to Net Galley and Edelweiss Publishing for this fascinating read which I received as an ARC. All opinions are my own.