Member Reviews

Ahhh this book was so good, and it's safe to say I'm obsessed with Sarah Vaughan! I loved the characters, the superbly executed story line. The words just flowed seamlessly, written in a very good pace.

Was this review helpful?

A terrifying tale of just how skewed your vision of the perfect family can be!
You never really know what goes on behind closed doors do you?
And how much can you really ever trust anybody especially your friends?
Author has masterminded an absolutely fabulous story , with great characters and written so eloquently.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5

I really enjoyed Sarah Vaughan's last novel Anatomy of a Scandal, so I was pretty excited to pick up Little Disasters even though it took me a bit. I think if you are a parent, especially a mother, you will be able to connect to the story and characters and possibly like it a bit more than I did. I had never heard of maternal OCD prior to reading this, and you can't help but feel bad for Jess throughout the novel. I was really intrigued by the ethical battle Liz has to deal with being a doctor and having Jess bring in her hurt child to where she works. Their friendship is tested and the book touches on not only motherhood and maternal bonds, but also female friendships as well. I didn't feel like there was anything all that new to this story that I haven't heard before besides maternal OCD, so in that respect, the book fell a little short for me. I hate using this word, but I also found it to be rather boring, and it didn't hold my attention all that well. The end has a couple of fairly large reveals though and that helped me to enjoy it more.

I listened to the audiobook which has a large cast and is narrated by Sophie Roberts, Esther Wane, Elliot Fitzpatrick & Sarah Feathers. I mostly really enjoyed the audio, but unfortunately, there were some mouth sounds in it with certain characters and that is something that always bugs me. If it doesn't bother you then I think the audio is really worth checking out since besides that it was really well done. One of my favorite parts of the audio is what they did for phone calls, they sounded very realistic and it was a nice touch. I really think that if you are a mom there will be at least one thing for you to connect to in Little Disasters, and it could potentially be very emotional. I would have loved a bit more going on to really keep me interested, but there were still parts that managed to hit me as a childless female. The twist at the end was really well done and unexpected, and if you like slower burns that have a very literary fiction feel, then I would recommend this book to you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This one just has too many of my personal triggers for me to let go and enjoy it. It was too dark and depressing for me so I stopped in the middle. Love the authors writing style though!

Was this review helpful?

This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book. I unfortunately will be DNFing this one, as it has not captured my attention enough to warrant continuing (made it 23% through). Rating this 3 stars to stay in the middle,

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book but I would consider it more of a drama than a thriller. The book is definitely thought provoking and treads on issues that are so important. Post partum depression, mental health, dementia and child abuse are the issues in this story and the author tackles them well.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a kind of fast paced mystery plus drama in some bits – there were portions which kind of slows down the storyline, but overall this was an interesting read.
Mother of 3 kids, Jess shows up at the hospital where Liz works and says that her youngest does not seem to be keeping well and when asked questions Jess is a bit evasive and Liz starts to worry that there’s more than what Jess is revealing.
Almost 75 or 80% into the book is when it’s revealed as to what happened – and it was not such a shocking revelation. But the story holds together as we learn about all the characters in the past and present story narration.
3.5stars
#netgalley #littledisasters

Was this review helpful?

Wow- this was not what I expected, but I appreciated it so much.

I have a soft spot for books that feature mental health and PPD, so I was glad to see it repped here.

A slower burn that anticipated, but very well done!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book. It drew me in and kept me speeding through to find out what happened. I didn’t see the twist coming either.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I was so excited to read this book, I love the genre and the concept sounded so intriguing. I was not disappointed, this was one of my favorite reads of this year.

Was this review helpful?

What a book, I did not see that twist coming! Gosh, had me turning pages at lightening speed to find out what was happening.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thought provoking. Emotionally Charged. Heavy. Well written. These are a few terms I'd use to describe Sarah Vaughan's novel Little Disasters.

I thought I was going in for a thriller but I got more of a domestic suspense/family drama...and it was great! The book explores the complexities of motherhood and mental health issues specifically post partum depression. It keep me interested from start to finish and had a plot twist that I didn't see coming.

Definitely recommend this one but you do have to know what you're going in for. I will also be checking out more of the author's work as this was my first book by her.

Was this review helpful?

This book gives a really good look into postpartum depression and the loneliness and struggles of the condition. Overall I really enjoyed it. My only complaint and the reason for a lost star is the very ending. The author spent the whole book getting into the nitty gritty, but pulled back at the end to give readers a more palatable villain. It felt a little lazy to me and in contrast with the rest of the book. I would still recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this one. Didn't see the twist. A solid 4 star for me. Was a little hard to read as a soon to be parent.

Was this review helpful?

A gripping and thought provoking read, full of emotion.

Liz, a pediatrician is called into the ER to help with a baby who was brought in with a skull fracture. Liz is shocked to find out that it is her friend, Jess's baby. Liz . As the baby's doctor, Liz has a duty to report suspicious injuries. Something just isn't right and so an investigation is prompted.

Liz, a pediatrician is called into the ER to help with a baby who was brought in with a skull fracture. Liz is shocked to find out that it is her friend, Jess's baby. As the baby's doctor, Liz has a duty to report suspicious injuries. Something just isn't right and so an investigation is prompted.

It's been a while since Jess and Liz have hung out together. Jess just doesn't seem like her normal self. Liz knows something is wrong and that Jess is hiding something but doesn't know what.

The investigation seems to be pointing towards Jess for causing the injury. Will Liz be able to help Jess before it is too late and they take her children from her?

Was this review helpful?

Jess is a mother of three, struggling to keep her life together. On the outside, everything seems fine. But on the inside, she is battling depression and trying her best not to have a breakdown on a daily basis.

Liz, her best friend, has been putting Jess to the side after Jess's third baby, Betsey, was born ten months ago and Liz's career as a nurse became more demanding. But when Jess shows up at the hospital with Betsey one night, and Liz notices Betsey has some head trauma, Liz starts to question how her friend is actually doing since the newest addition to their family. And, was Liz the one who hurt Betsey, or was it someone else? Was it an accident, or was it on purpose?

I really liked the storyline of this book. It grabbed me from the beginning and had me worried about Jess and hoping that Liz could figure out what really happened to Betsey. And of course, had me hoping that Betsey would be okay.

I thought Vaughan captured the struggles of motherhood perfectly. As a mother myself, I could definitely relate to the feelings of helplessness, exhaustion, trying to hold everything together, and not have a mental breakdown. Some days are more taxing than others and it takes everything you have to keep it together.

As much as I liked this story, I thought it had a lot of repetitive parts. I don't necessarily think the book was too long, but I do think there were some chapters that could have been either scaled down or removed completely because it just felt like it was repeating what had already been said at least once before. Maybe that was intentional to make the reader think the story was going one way instead of another, but honestly, I had a pretty good inkling what happened and the repetition didn't throw me off, just slowed me down with trying to finish the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked Vaughan's writing style and the story held my attention for the most part. Some moments were intense and I had to know what happened next. I liked that the story was also told from alternate points of view, so there were multiple narrators, not just one.

I don't know that I would consider this book a thriller, maybe more of a family drama. But it was worth the read and it will be one that sticks with me for a long time. 4 stars!

Was this review helpful?

Thought it was okay. I think I wasn’t in the middle for this kind of thriller. Definitely think it’s more of me thing then not actually liking the book.

Was this review helpful?

Little Disasters is one of my best read of 2020. Sarah Vaughan wrote one of the best thriller book. The book really took my imaginative thinking into some kind of wholesomeness. I love how the plot is presented and how the characters act naturally in the book It shows some kind of traumas that is very hard to handle. The presentation on story phasing is amazing! This book is a real gem!

Was this review helpful?