I'm not a mother, but this book shows just how far mothers will go to protect their children. This book is very thought-provoking and written so well.

A great thriller that keeps you on edge! The author crafts a thriller that just when you think you have it figured out, you quickly find out not all is what it seems!

The thing that Little Disasters does quite well is portray postpartum depression and anxiety (as well as postpartum OCD). If anything, it was almost alarming at how easily I could relate to Jess and her intrusive thoughts (and I was lucky enough to receive help fairly early).

However, the big let down was the unneeded twist ending. The twist lent absolutely nothing to the story and instead felt completely unnecessary. If that was left out completely, I could have easily given this five stars.

So, while the ending misses the mark, it was compulsively readable. I definitely recommend it.

* This book was received from Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. * (less)

I went into this one expecting more of a thriller, but what I found instead was a mix of family drama/mystery. This book dives into the issue of postpartum depression and how that can affect families and friendships. Overall, I liked it...but didn’t love it.

First off like I do each and every time I like to think the publisher Atria/Emily Bestler Books for inviting me to read and review Little Disasters , as well as Netgalley for letting me read it, because after read this I have no idea why it took me so long to pick it up because after I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. I had to know what really happened. Also I'm post a trigger warning about some of the topics that the author using in her story from depression, to infant death, to child abuse, which are topics that should and need to be talking about but still I need to just put that out there that if you think they might trigger you then you might not want to pick this one up. I do have to say even though there are and is some heavy topics , the author does an amazing job of handling it. Other thing is how she fast paced suspense that is non stop from the very story to the very end, how she made the characters come to life and how she bright to life the story itself . Even though there was times I didn't like sorting characters and others I just felt sorry for.

A great read right to the end. An anxious mom brings her fretful toddler into urgent care spies a friend who attends to the child. A routine check uncovers that the child has a bump at the base of her head and the mom is not as forthcoming as to how the child was hurt. Doing her do diligence the friend a doctor with her own bump in her past follows channels and the mother is under suspicion and the child under child services care. So begins a nightmare of mother’s everywhere. Just a minute that’s all it takes for your life to twist around an unimaginative bend. Hoping just for a moment to herself results in her life spinning out of control. The saying “even the walls have ears” well here it’s the eyes that have it. Happy reading

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the second book I've read by Sarah Vaughan and I really like the way she writes. She manages to write such thought-provoking, emotionally charged psychological mysteries that really manage to get under your skin.

I loved that this one was more character-driven than plot-driven. It's one that you will find yourself quickly consumed by and thinking that you know exactly where it is heading, but believe me when I say, you do not.

I loved that the book was told from multiple points of view, giving us a better look at all those involved. It also moves back and forth in time, from when the group first met to the present. It explores motherhood and all it's complexities, specifically the sacrifices one takes and the lengths one will go to protect those we love.

The suspense builds all the way through and I found myself unable to put this book down once I started it. While it is at times not an easy read, it is completely engrossing and the small twists keep you engaged. I highly recommend picking this one up and cannot wait to see what comes next from this talented author.

A baby is hurt but what actually happened? This is the story of a group of friends and the events that occur after one of the woman's babies is hospitalized after an injury. This book touches on the ideas of friendship and the stress of motherhood. I really wanted to like this book but found it a bit repetitive and redundant. I was unable to relate to the characters and didn't find any of them likeable.

A family drama about two best friends that think they know everything about each other. There are secrets that keep coming out after a tragic event changes everything. This is a gripping tale that you won't be able to put down.

This was well-written, but I'm probably not the target audience for stories about overtly maternal feelings.

Liz and Jess have been friends since they met in a prenatal group over ten years ago. So Liz, a doctor in a pediatrics hospital ward, is of course anxious when Jess brings her youngest daughter, baby Betsey, in with a head injury. But the worry turns to further concern when Betsey's injury appears suspicious and Jess's explanations of how it occurred are insufficient. The incident in the ward sets off a series of events that will change the two women's friendship--and lives--forever.

"A voice singsongs in her head, like a child desperate for attention--You're a bad, bad mother--and she tries to shove it away."

Vaughan gives us an excellent read here--powerful, sad, and real, covering a variety of serious topics that are not always discussed. Child abuse, postpartum depression, martial strife: it's all here, in a heartbreaking novel that is, surprisingly, a compelling thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page. Little Disasters is captivating, offering us front row seats into family tragedy and strife. Secrets are uncovered as the pages turn--not only for Jess and her husband, Ed--but also for Liz, as we learn more about her past and her own troubled mother, who had a dark history as well.

Vaughan expertly weaves the past and present together, giving us a taunt and compelling narrative, part mystery, part insight into relationships and motherhood. This wasn't always easy to read, given the difficult subjects, yet I found myself desperately wanting to know what happened to Betsey and what would become of the two women. Overall, this is a well-done thriller and enjoyable in its original plot and emotional realism. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

I loved Anatomy of a Scandal; it was one of my favorite books when it came out. This book wasn't quite as good - but I still really enjoyed it. Vaughan does a great job of writing fast paced novels!

I loved the family drama in this book, it was very real and relatable for a lot of families struggling with traumatic events. The stressors of full time jobs, family. money and marriage were all portrayed well in this book. The only downfall was that a lot of the information did seem repetitive.

This was an intriguing concept and synopsis and I overall enjoyed the book. I think my main issue is that the book is just way too long (over 400 pages) and it really drags on after the first half.

This began with a riveting dilemma; Liz, paediatrician and friend of Jess, one of the best and most caring and involved mothers she knows, is faced with having to report that Betsey, Jess’s baby has head injuries that don’t align with Jess’s story of how she got them. The story raises many issues around motherhood and warns us never to take good mothering for granted. It explores the effects of postpartum depression, extreme postnatal anxiety, maternal OCD, and the changes that come with motherhood. (Also read the wonderful memoir by Catherine Cho, ‘Inferno’ about her own terrible experience of postpartum psychosis.)

Liz, who feels she should know better, has to ask herself how could she not have seen her friend was not coping with this third baby? Was the baby’s head injury an accident? This is a domestic drama with some elements of suspense and a twist at the end. For me it was not as good as Sarah Vaughan’s other exceptionally good novels, especially the wonderful ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ and ‘The Farm at the Edge of the World, ’ but it was still head and shoulders above most novels. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This was a sad read for me of a Mother in Post Partam depression that was desperately losing control until her children suffered. It is a heartbreaking story and not for the faint of heart where children are concerned . I found it difficult to read. It seems a very real story that I am sure young Mothers of multiple children can relate to .

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher.

#netgalley. #goodreads. Edge of your seat book. Liz a pediatrician who works at a hospital has a group of friends whose kids are all around the same age. One night her best friend Jess comes into the ER with her Infant daughter. Liz notices a bruise on the back of her head. Jess doesn’t seem ‘right’ Things are put into motion that will change these friends possibly forever.

Emotional novel about being a mother! It explores the complexities of motherhood. The worry of keeping our children safe, by monitoring their environment and doing the right thing. But it also explores the more difficult times. The emotional well being of the mother. The secrets and darkness people hold. I enjoyed the women in this story. And their relationships with their friends and both their husbands and their children.

I was unable to get into this book - finished about 25 pages and decided to put it down. Not really sure why but no interest in it. Sorry!

Book: Little Disasters (Release Date: August 18, 2020)
Author: Sarah Vaughan
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Rating: 3.5 🌟 🌟 🌟 and a half

This is a heart wrenching story that is more drama than thriller. There is also some mystery and suspense. A mother dealing with postpartum depression and suspected case of child abuse. It only makes sense, right?-Mother at her wits end…hurt baby… As Vaughan takes us on the mysterious journey of what happen to little Betsey, you can’t help feeling so sad but angry at the characters involved. I loved the reveal within the last 15% of the story. It pushed the story from a 3 to a 3.5.

Trigger ⚠️ Postpartum depression, abuse
Thank you to @NetGalley @AtriaBooks and @SVaughanauthor for an advanced copy of @LittleDisasters

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