Flew through this book pretty quickly. Lots of emotions, twists, turns, great character development.

This book wasn't really what I expected based on the synopsis, but I still enjoyed it. The first half of the book was a little difficult to read, it was pretty heavy, I actually almost stopped reading it altogether. The book touches on postpartum depression and things a mother might do if suffering. However, the book takes a turn and I almost felt relieved when reading the rest of the book. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster I wasn't expecting.

Overall, this one was engaging and enjoyable. The factors for the star reductions were the following; too much of a slow-burn got my taste, felt dragged out; I think the author could have gotten to the point quicker and in less pages, and I felt unsatisfied by the ending.

I enjoyed this title but I think it’s more of a family drama than a thriller. It focuses on motherhood, friendship and mental health. There are several twists which I enjoyed. Thank you NetGalley

I went into this thinking it was a thriller, but to me, it was more of a mysterious drama. The author did a great job making the two main characters relatable and believable. The book touches on post partum. Jessica and Liz are friends and Things get a little tense when Jess brings her baby into the pediatrician office, where her friend Liz is the pediatrician. There were several twists that were entertaining. If I'm being honest, I enjoyed the read okay but I didn't fond it memorable.

Little Disasters
A Mystery
Sarah Vaughan, author

This is the first book I've read by this author. I found it very interesting and enjoyable. A story that details the struggles of postpartum depression and the difficulties of isolation and loneliness that accompanies it.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley, the publisher and the author. Many thanks. I left this review of my own volition.

I went into this expecting more of a thriller than I received. The author’s writing seemed to improve more as the story went on. If I had gone into this more thinking of a women’s fiction I may have enjoyed it more.

Liz, a pediatrician, is called to the ER to review a case. When she arrives there she finds her friend Jess with her baby Betsey who appears to have a head injury. Is it possible that her friend, a model mother, could have harmed her child on purpose? From there we learn about the struggle Liz has had since the baby's birth.
I felt for Liz's position as a doctor trying to protect her patient but also for the constant fear jess is living in trying to protect her children from outside danger and from herself.

I appreciated receiving this copy in exchange for my honest review. And to be honest, it just didn't strike my interest. Which is a shame because the premise was excellent so I should have loved it. But it took for forever to finish and I had to really make myself complete it.

Perhaps I'll go back one day and try it again, or I'll just wait until the author's next book and hope I like it more.

Thank you so much for my copy.

Jess, an overwhelmed mother of 3, is challenged with her youngest child Betsey who seems overly needy, cries constantly and probably colicky. She brings Betsey to the emergency room and we are surprised to learn that Betsey has a significant head injury that Jess cannot explain. In addition, Jess' friend Liz is the pediatrician treating Betsey and begins to question the story that Jess is trying to spin regarding the head injury. While much of the book is the unfolding of how and who caused the injury to Betsey, it is also an emotional journey of how motherhood, especially for the isolating role of stay at home mom is a difficult one. The ending was satisfying and was one I didn't anticipate. A raw look at the hard path of motherhood and raising children.

A pediatrician sees her best friend’s daughter in the ER one night, and discovers a mysterious head injury. Did her best friend, the model mother, hurt her child on purpose? Why didn’t she bring her in sooner? Is she covering for someone else? What is she hiding? This domestic tale of suspense, friendship, and motherhood is an intriguing read.

“Motherhood is a choice you make every day, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own. To teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing, even when you’re not sure what the right thing is…And to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong.”
My good friend posted this quote and I ironically found that I too highlighted this one myself while reading. This book was HEAVY and very thought provoking. Although I am not a mother, I was still able to find the characters relatable and I was educated more about the hard truths of postpartum depression, postnatal anxiety, and/or maternal OCD personally. I felt for Jess and I wanted to cry for her. I can relate to mental health issues in general but these topics take it to a whole new level. Sarah Vaughn respectfully touched upon these topics throughout the book. I enjoyed the writing style with multiple points of view and timelines. It was still easy to follow despite this.

The depth of themes was incredible. Readers are introduced to complex levels of guilt and forgiveness across multiple generations. Relationships between parents/children, spouses and mother friends are all tested when a tragic event happens to a child.

Synopsis: Jess shows up in the ER room with her baby, Betsey, who has been sick. Both mother and daughter seem in a right state, and alarms bells go off in Liz’s head, after all she’s a professional, trained to notice things that are not quite right. Carefully examining Betsey, Liz spots an injury at the back of the baby’s head, but Jess’s explanation of what happened seems flimsy at best. Torn between staying objective and focussing solely on the child’s best interests on the one hand, and having faith in her friend on the other hand, Liz decides to withdraw from the equation, and opens a can of worms in doing so. What happened to Betsey on this fateful day, and what is Jess hiding?

Trigger warnings: substance abuse, child endangerment/hard, self harm, postpartum depression, OCD, anxiety

This is my first novel from Sarah Vaughn and I was truly impressed. Highly recommend you getting your hands on this one! Thank you @Atriabooks and @netgalley for this advanced ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars.

I found this book to be a bit misleading. I was expected something more along the lines of a thriller. It was indeed a mystery in the fact of how did Jess’ baby’s skull get fractured, but the focus was more on the social issues of postpartum depression and the bonds of friendship.

I found the content to be relevant, but I found the book dragging on a bit.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Sarah Vaughan for providing me with an ARC.

When Jess Curtis brings her crying baby girl to the emergency room, she’s confident everything will be alright. And why wouldn’t she? Her friend Liz is the pediatrician on duty. Of course she’s in good hands. So how did everything spin so horribly out of control, even requiring the involvement of Police?

Could Jess have possibly harmed her own baby? After all, she’s been having those dark thoughts about doing exactly that. But did she actually take the next step and act them out? She’s just been so exhausted. And the baby wouldn’t stop crying...

This is a truly unique and clever domestic thriller. Sarah Vaughan focuses the spotlight on exploring new motherhood and post-partum depression.

But don’t think you’ll be getting off that easy! The storyline is not as straightforward as you might think! Major curve up ahead! Even in super-sleuth mode and detective cap on, I was so sure of the direction that I started getting annoyed that I had figured it out so quickly!

Ummm..... let me be the first to humbly say how wrong I was!🙋🏻♀️. My detective’s cap now hangs in shame. 😞🕵🏻♀️

Stay on your toes and don’t get lulled in as I did.

Toggling back and forth between the written and audio version, I enjoyed both equally. There were multiple narrators for the audio which I always think adds so much more depth.

My second read/audio from Sarah Vaughan and looking forward to more in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books for an ARC to read and review.
Audio provided by Simon and Schuster Audio

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan is a domestic drama story that I found myself sucked into from pretty much the very beginning. The subject matter is delicate, a baby taken to the hospital with what turns out to be a severe head fracture, but handled very well by the author. The story is told present day, but also going back to the main character's (Jess) past and that of one of her best friend's (Liz). Liz also happens to be the doctor on call when the baby (Betsey) is brought in. Liz, due to her conflict of interest, transfers the case to another ER doctor, but stays involved to try to figure out what went on to cause this injury since what Jess is saying does not quite match up. Little Disasters is a thought-provoking story that you will not soon forget.

To start, if you don't have medical training, some of the language might be hard to understand. I am a registered nurse so it was completely comfortable to me, but I could see the average reader missing some of the details. Those details don't really matter to the story, so it's not like you will feel lost in terms of the plot, but you may miss some of the nuances and not quite understand the severity of the situation. It's not a huge issue, it happens here and there through out the plot, but it is something to consider.

Overall, I really enjoyed this conversation on the difficulties of motherhood and the complexities of mental illness. I'm an adolescent psych nurse who deals with difficult children with a multitude of mental/behavioral health issues, so this story was right up my alley. I'm not often drawn to straight up women's fiction, so I'm glad this did provide some suspense as well as the medical terminology to keep my interests hooked. At it's core, this really is a story about motherhood, relationships and how children can affect every aspect of a person's life (both positive and negative). I thought the author did a really good job of being empathetic to the mothers while still remaining staunch in the (correct) opinion on child neglect and abuse. This was a well written and crafted story that really allowed you a glimpse into the mind of the characters. It is told from different view points and is very easy to follow. This had the potential to focus heavily on the drama and potential court room antics, which worried me, but in reality it's a heartfelt look at the trials and tribulations of being a mom and what that means to an individual's perception of themselves. Highly recommend if you can handle the trigger warnings and are looking for an interesting take on motherhood.

This was a slow paced domestic suspense book. This is a story about postpartum depression, friendship, and trauma. When Jess begins having thoughts about harming her baby she makes the poor decision to leave her children home alone for a few minutes while she takes a quick break. Her baby daughter then shows signs of trauma later in the evening. At the hospital it is determined that Betsey has a skull fracture. How did this happen and who is to blame? Jess is showing all the signs of postpartum depression but everyone initially misses seeing this. As the story evolves more issues come to light. This is a compelling and heartbreaking story. Ultimately many of the characters need to find forgiveness in order to move forward. I thought this was a well written book and will read more from this author.

I was misled by all the claims that this is a mystery or a thriller. Okay so we do have to find out who dropped the baby and part of the book works around this, but a far greater part is spent on social issues surrounding post natal depression, relationships, and the need for more support for vulnerable new mothers. This is not a bad thing but it is not my thing and I was not the best audience for this book.

Nevertheless I can see it is a good book, well written and dealing with important social issues. I guessed early on who was the most likely culprit but then the author added a twist at the end. It was interesting to have an epilogue to inform readers of what happens in the future, but it did seem a little bit too saccharine after the main content of the book.

To anyone planning to read Little Disasters please do not be put off by my opinions! It is a good book - just not my cup of tea.

Wonderful examination of motherhood and friendship. There were several twists I didn't anticipate. I was satisfied with the ending.

3.5 stars

I’m not gonna lie.

Motherhood is HARD. It’s stressful. It’s chaotic. It gives no rest to the weary.

It. Is. The. Most. Trying. Challenge. Of. My. Life.

But never would I wish to change a single thing about it.

And when I think back to the “baby years” with my two boys, I smile with love and fondness at the memories. But I also shudder. For I remember --

The never-ending sleepless nights and debilitating fatigue.
The irrational fear and anxiety.
The feelings of isolation and sadness.
The uncontrollable tears.
The overwhelming, crushing sense of responsibility.

For some women like me, motherhood has a lot of bad mixed in with the good. And Sarah Vaughan brings the dichotomous complexities of the experience into sharp focus in her newest novel, “Little Disasters.”

Liz, a hospital pediatrician, is surprised to find her close friend, Jess, in her ER one evening, asking for her ten-month-old daughter, Betsey, to be examined. Jess claims that Betsey had not been feeling well after taking a minor tumble at home and that her husband had asked her to bring the baby in out of an abundance of caution. To Jess’ horror, Liz quickly diagnoses Betsey with a severe skull fracture.

Questions immediately arise as to the nature of Betsey’s injury. And when pressed by Liz, Jess is oddly vague, evasive, and unable to provide a satisfactory explanation. Liz has no choice but to bring Betsey’s injury to the attention of the authorities – and Liz and Jess are soon caught up in an unimaginable nightmare from which they hope all those involved will survive unscathed.

Settling on a rating for “Little Disasters” has been a bit of a struggle. Because on the whole, it’s a compelling and compulsively page-turning domestic drama/mystery. (Readers should note it is NOT a thriller, as it has been mistakenly labeled.) The pace is steady, if not swift. The narrative is never boring, and the novel reads quickly. The characterization may not be fantastic, but it is solid enough that great empathy is felt for Liz, Jess, and the cast of supporting characters.

And to be fair, the novel does provide a fairly realistic depiction of postpartum depression and anxiety. As I alluded earlier, I suffered a mild touch of it, myself, after giving birth to my first son. From personal experience, I can vouch that the postpartum emotions and behavior of the ill women in the novel ring true, along with the narrative examples of the disastrous potential outcomes that can arise if the disorder is severe and left untreated.

But despite all its positive attributes, it is extremely difficult to ever stay fully immersed and connected to “Little Disasters.” The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, Vaughan’s prose is sometimes clunky and does not always flow smoothly. Secondly, the narrative feels cluttered with an overabundance of repetitive thoughts and unnecessary observations of the characters. Too often, my concentration would break, and I would suddenly be dropped out of the narrative simply because I encountered an awkward patch of writing or a section that I felt I had read before. Another round of editing to pare the novel down would have served it well, I think.

Moreover, Vaughan inadvertently lessens the overall impact of the novel by unwisely making a last-ditch effort to drive the narrative into thriller territory. Instead of wrapping the story up at what is an obvious and natural stopping point, she blows right by it and throws in an unneeded twist that, while startling and surprising, ultimately weakens and cheapens the story.

But at the same time, I feel I should also mention that the last section of the novel – the shocking twist – is significantly and substantially better written. Vaughan’s prose is noticeably more fluid, and the narrative isn’t so crammed with extraneous filler. She writes with a leaner touch, thereby breathing new life and excitement into the conclusion.

It’s a shame that Vaughan’s best writing is only displayed during the last ten percent of “Little Disasters.” Had she written the entirety of the novel in the same deft manner, I believe I would be awarding it a much higher rating.

Nevertheless, I do still recommend the novel, caveats and all. I cannot deny the fact that I did enjoy it. And I genuinely appreciate Vaughan’s efforts to increase awareness and understanding of postpartum depression.


I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions included herein are my own.


**This review has been posted on Bantering Books (my blog), Goodreads, Facebook (my personal profile page and multiple book-related groups), Edelweiss, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.