The Valley of Lost Stories is Vanessa McCausland’s second novel. It tells the story of 4 school mums who head to a reclusive hotel for a getaway with their children . The hotel has history and the story is told from the prospective of the 4 mums and flashbacks from the past . It was an interesting story, with a bit of mystery. Well worth a read . I will be looking for more from this Australian author . Thankyou to netgalley and Harper Collins for a digital copy to read and review .

The Valley of Lost Stories is a wonderful, atmospheric story set in a ghost town over the Blue Mountains. Capertee Valley, once a thriving shale mining region now only houses a beautifully restored hotel, built in the 1930's. A group of school Mum's and their children venture into the Valley for a relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. Things start out idyllic but then their perfect holiday together starts to unravel. I loved this book full of mystery and heartache and look forward to reading Vanessa McCausland's previous novel. With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy.

I read and loved The Lost Summers of Driftwood, so I was very much looking forward to this one and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I devoured this book in a weekend, it was so captivating, I couldn’t put it down, unable to turn the pages quick enough, I needed to finish it.

Initially I did get a little lost trying to keep up with the main characters and who was who’s partner and child, but that soon fell into place, and by this point I was completely hooked.

I am still struggling a week later to express just how good this book is. The struggles of motherhood is a very strong theme through out the book, and the bond mothers other mothers form with each other. This certainly hit home, and all mothers out there know just how hard it can be on so many counts. I loved the history of there area that was weaved into the story and the description of the location has me keen to visit when travel becomes a bit easier again.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for gifting me this ARC.

I read and loved Vanessa’s first book, The Lost Summers of Driftwood, and was therefore full of anticipation to read her latest release. Here she has proven, yet again, that she is a skilful writer capable of creating true atmospheric stories with locations that will draw her readers in.

‘And don’t you feel it? There’s something about this place. This whole valley. After all, I'm not spiritual, but I don’t know ... I can’t really articulate it. I feel like anything could happen. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, given I live such a boring life.’

Set in two timelines (which Vanessa handles seamlessly) a mystery slowly unfolds. This is a book with a number of themes. Foremost is the theme of friendship with the four women who go away, and tied into that of course, are the issues each of them face and how these are brought to the surface through their interactions. Whether it be parenting or marriage issues, Vanessa covers all bases with each of her Mums. I also very much enjoyed the second yet shorter narrative on Jean from the 1940s and her sad plight.

‘The dark cliffs loomed above her, a reminder of just how far they were from everything. There was no sound save the movement of leaves in the breeze and the occasional hoot of an owl. But she sensed the thrum of life under the inky blanket. She looked up. The sky was clear and star-strewn. There was a brightness to the night sky that you didn’t get in the city. It was like looking to the edge of the universe. Perspective. How tiny her worries. How small her
world. She took a deep breath. They really were in the middle of nowhere.’

Perhaps, however, the highlight of this book, which sets it apart from similar ones, is the true gothic feel Vanessa brings to it. The location itself is critical to the tale and when cleverly combined with key aspects, the reader has an old school gothic mystery in their hands. Locked doors, possible ghost sightings, no phone coverage, go hand in hand within this remote Australian bush refurbished hotel.

Whilst I did not find this as strong a read as Vanessa’s first book and parts of the mystery are somewhat easy to deduce, there is enough on offer through other aspects of the story with its subplots to keep the reader turning the pages. A little mystery in both a historical and contemporary context with a set of female mother/friend issues is quite an undertaking but Vanessa certainly pulls it off.

‘So many stories lost, steeped into the soil, into the valley’s soul.’






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

This book is described as ‘Big Little Lies meets Picnic at Hanging Rock’ on its blurb. Well, for once, it’s not a bad comparison.

Four school mums decide to take a small holiday together, with their children but no husbands. McCausland uses the atmospheric setting of their holiday destination to great effect. They stay in a hotel which in its heyday of the 1940s was frequented by a clientele of the rich and elite. However, the fortunes and popularity of the hotel faded (along with the popularity of the surrounding once-thriving townships) when the local mine near it closed. And now it only opens for the occasional event -- the isolation of the hotel's Blue Mountains valley location blamed for the frequency of those.

I pretty much liked all four of the mums. Of course, all four have issues they are attempting to hide from the world and, as the story moves along, the reader soon learns they all struggle to make sensible decisions in relation to their lives/issues. But it's not all a big soap opera. McCausland adds a mystery/thriller plotline when one of the women goes missing (which, obviously, causes the troubles of the other three to escalate to another level).

Besides the four mums, we also follow the plot of Jean, a resident of the town in the 40s. Although I found Jean a bit annoying at times, I was still intrigued enough to find out how her story, and also that of another woman who went missing from the hotel at the same time that Jean visited, would connect with the present.

The book had a very gothic feel to it. McCausland did a great job of making the hotel, and its staff, very creepy. Locked doors, ghosts, torrential rain causing roads to flood, no internet or phone coverage -- McCausland managed to up the chills pretty well. The vastness and remoteness of the Australian bush/landscape were also key factors in pulling off the 'in peril but isolated' trope too.

There were quite a few themes covered in amongst the thrills, such as domestic violence, alcoholism, adultery, bullying, homophobia, and Aboriginal genocide.

If I had a whine about the book, it would be that the ending felt a little rushed and some parts of it were summed up a little too fast. It wasn’t an information dump, per se, but it could have actually explained some of the plot points in a less condensed way, I thought. The climactic scenes could have been stretched out more. Perversely, I thought some of the scenes before the climax could have done with tighter editing/cutting.

Overall, though, I would recommend this book and it’s another solid start to my reading year. 4 out of 5

A compelling story with a dark edge. Beautiful written and unputdownable.

The Valley of Lost Stories by Vanessa McCausland is told in two timelines the historical part being 1948. The story has an element of mystery and an atmospheric setting. How beautiful is the cover design?

When four school mums and their children get together for a short ‘getaway’, relationships become strained and they really get to know each other’s personalities and flaws. Even the most luminous looking life could be an illusion as they soon find out. There is much insight into human character in this tale as the mystery unfolds.

The valley west of The Blue Mountains, now a ghost town is a remote place of unparalleled natural beauty and it has a rich history. An old restored Art Deco style hotel from 1939 with its own resident ghost is the only business not in ruins and the women and their children end up staying there after their beach house booking falls through.

I found this an excellent read and would recommend especially to anyone that loved Big Little Lies and the themes of family and friendship dramas with murder and intrigue.

Vanessa Mclausand has created another wonderful story with a beautiful cover to match.

The Valley of Lost Stories is all about motherhood and while I couldn’t personally identify with the characters thoughts about motherhood (I’m not a mum yet!) I could certainly sympathise with their struggles and I think there will be a lot of Mums out there sipping their wine and reading this book going “I know that feeling!”

I loved the mystery and history in this book, it was this aspect I enjoyed most about the story. The images Vanessa’s words conjured in my mind of Capertee Valley were so vivid. I saw so clearly all the decrepit buildings of the abandoned mining town and the historic old hotel and how the area created such a spooky atmosphere for the characters. I read in the author’s notes that this is a real town and then instantly got lost down the google rabbit hole searching the place.

‘There’s something about this place. This whole valley....I feel like anything could happen. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad....”

When Emmie wins a week’s holiday on the coast from a school raffle, she impulsively invites new friends Nathalie, Alexandra, Pen, and their children, to join her and her daughter. Each woman has a different reason to look forward to a break from their hectic lives so when the accomodation falls through and a client of Alexandra’s generously offers an alternative they leap at the chance. Considered the jewel of Capertee Valley when the area was home to a thriving shale oil mining operation, the Valley Hotel now sits isolated on the outskirts of an abandoned town. The women, and their children, are initially charmed by the hotel’s faded Art Deco elegance, and ready to embrace a week of relaxation, but the Valley is a place of secrets, and when Pen vanishes without a trace one morning, the third woman to disappear in mysterious circumstances in the hotel’s history, they are all forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

Unfolding from multiple perspectives, across two timelines, The Valley of Lost Stories by Vanessa McCausland is a captivating women’s fiction novel with a thrilling edge of suspense.

McCausland deftly explores the complexities of self, motherhood, friendship, love and loss in The Valley of Lost Stories. Her four main protagonists are struggling with a variety of challenges associated primarily with marriage and motherhood, which also affects how they see themselves, and each other. Several of these issues are forced into the open during their stay in Valley Hotel, straining their friendships with one other. The characters are richly developed, and there is an honesty to their thoughts and behaviours which women, and mothers in particular, will recognise.

There is a growing sense of unease that McCausland carefully cultivates even before Pen’s inexplicable disappearance. In part this comes from the storyline that takes place in 1946 and explores the fate of a woman named Clara Black who walked into the night and vanished during a dance at the hotel. In the present timeline, Pen’s son claims to see a ghostly apparition on their very first day, Macie, their hostess, begins to behave oddly soon after, and tension develops between the friends. When these elements are combined with an understanding of the tragic history of the area (involving the horrific massacre of an Aboriginal tribe), the gothic impression of the hotel, and the author’s vivid descriptions of the abandoned mines and town surrounded by the dense bush of the Blue Mountains, there is a feeling of dream-like anxiety that snaps sharply into focus when the women realise Pen is gone.

Brilliant and beguiling, The Valley of Lost Stories is an absorbing and atmospheric tale, beautifully told, I’m happy to recommend.

Really enjoyed this latest book from Vanessa McCausland, although it didn’t quite have quite the same intense feelings and sense of time and place, that the author’s first novel had for me, which I absolutely loved.
Nether the less it was still a great read of contemporary female friendships, even if they were in newly formed and although long past, I can remember the trials of young children and ‘keeping things together’ and my friendships that helped me through. I feel this book will be quite relatable to a lot of people.
With a little bit of mystery of two women vanishing from the valley over the last 70 years, a resident ghost and stories of an old town left to decline this kept my interest well. I loved the descriptions of the valley and surrounding area, including the old Art Deco Hotel, that on finishing the book I promptly Googled Capertree Valley, where the author based her story in.
It is now firmly on my ‘must visit’ and camp list.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Vanessa McCausland shows that stories about women’s friendships can really be spiced up with an element of mystery and a spooky atmospheric setting – I loved this even more because her descriptions of the Australian landscape were so vivid and relatable. I wasn’t surprised to read that the place she describes in her latest book was inspired by a real valley she visited with her daughter before writing the novel. I felt instantly transported there!

Lovers of Liane Moriarty’s books featuring female friendships will be pleased to hear that THE VALLEY OF LOST STORIES offers an equally compelling tale. Four women who are each facing their own challenges in their marriages and motherhood role are thrown together in an impromptu holiday in a grand hotel in a secluded valley near the Blue Mountains. And even though the trip was meant to give them an escape from their present troubles, they soon find themselves embroiled in a century old secret that has left its mark on the abandoned mining town.

If you have read and loved McCausland’s previous book, THE LOST SUMMERS OF DRIFTWOOD, then you will be pleased to hear that the author uses her skills to create another beguiling atmospheric backdrop to her latest book. Among the four different protagonists, there will be one every reader will be able to relate to at some level, even if it’s just the theme of female friendship dynamics. Although my kids have long grown up, I could instantly recall those days of early motherhood, beautiful and yet sometimes utterly exhausting and so very lonely had it not been for some amazing friends who listened and understood. I appreciated the author’s honesty without ever straying across the lines of soppy, whiny or preachy, as each character stayed true to herself and utterly relatable. It’s not an easy balance to achieve by any means!

THE VALLEY OF LOST STORIES encompasses a mix of genres that will appeal to a wide audience. Part mystery, part historical fiction, all wrapped into a compelling story about female friendship and motherhood against a spooky atmospheric backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great summer read.

Review - The Valley of Lost Stories - Vanessa McCausland

I read Vanessa’s debut book because it was available at the library at a time when I needed something to read. I liked the cover, the premise seemed intriguing... yeh sure; I’ll give it a go. And if you caught my review of The Lost Summers of Driftwood earlier this year you’ll know that I fell hard for her incredible story building and the subtle and atmospheric way Vanessa created a vivid and mysterious story that still haunts me.
Her follow up, The Valley of Lost Stories is not just a premium follow up, it’s possibly even better and I am so grateful to @netgalley @harpercollinsau and of course @vanessamccausland for allowing me to read the arc for it.
By way of synopsis, this story is about five mothers, their children and a fateful holiday in the epic Capertee Valley NSW. Nathalie, Alexandra, Emmie and Pen are all struggling in their lives for different reasons, questioning their ability to be mothers, wives and people, they’re exhausted with the myriad of masks they have to wear, the roles they have to play and the lies they have to tell. And when an opportunity to get away for a while in an idyllic setting is presented, the opportunity seems to good to be true. And it is because when you receive the opportunity to step outside of your line; you sometimes become faced with what you’re truly doing with it.
Layer upon layer of nuance, atmosphere, relationship and history goes into this story and every angle is mysterious and intriguing. I got shadows of Chandler Bakers Whisper Network in the building of relationships as well as the mothers instinct that you’ll find in Adrian McKinty’s The Chain. And here’s the thing; as a mother and a wife , I have felt so much of what these women feel that this story becomes a classic example of fiction that may not be fact but is definitely truth. And if that’s not proof of how much I loved this book, I stayed up until after 11pm to finish it - what toddlers mother does that!
Vivid, yearning, beautiful, mysterious; an excellent excellent story with something in it for every reader. Release date is 2 December this year, perfectly in time for Christmas and I can’t wait to afford a copy of this for my self.
Lastly and incredibly important, there are depictions of the deaths of native Australians in this book which can be a sensitive topic for some. I can say (it’s in the authors note) the Vanessa has consulted Native Australians in the creation of this part of the story and it shows. She’s respectful, heartfelt and timely with the depiction . There are also elements of domestic violence, substance abuse and suicidal ideation within the weave of this story, in case this is of concern for any reader :)

Not as good as her debut novel but ok. Seemed to drag a bit and then the ending felt rushed.
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book for an honest review.