I'm trying to figure out how to feel about this book. Should I give it five stars for trying so hard to pull on my heartstrings or be honest and go with the middle ground of 3 stars? Hell with it...3 stars.

Rae is a ten year old girl who lives with her single mom. Her mom is gone (Not a spoiler) so Rae has to be very self sufficient with her dog Splinter. All the while hiding the fact that she is living with no supervision.
She then befriends the next door neighbor Lettie-who has a whole lot of problems herself.

So looking around...people love this book. I did also but it was to a point. I kind of felt manipulated by too much sadness in this sucker. I loved the writing and the characters are top notch. I just thought it was way over the top with sadness and I just had to stretch my imagination too far for some of it to be believable.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

As a proud card-carrying member of Generation X, I can clearly remember walking to school alone or with classmates as early as the first grade. And this school wasn’t exactly close, either. I had to go all the way down Brett Lane to the walking path, which wound its way through the woods, past the tot lot and up a hill before reaching Steven’s Forest Elementary.

Can you imagine a child doing that today? Of course not. The police would get involved. Child Protective Services would come out. A child alone is a child in danger!

In A Million Things, Australian writer Emily Spurr’s heartbreaking debut, 10-year-old Rae is used to walking to school alone.

To read the rest of the review, click on the link below.

This is a debut novel from an Australian author. Set in Melbourne in present day, we are introduced 10-year-old Rae. It has always been Rae and her single mom, but one morning Rae wakes up to find her mom has disappeared. Rae continues on as always and tells no one she is now living alone, with just her dog Splinter for company. Her older neighbour Lettie has her own secrets and the two form an unlikely friendship. This story is one of resilience, what makes a family and deals with issues of mental illness. It is a wonderful recommendation for readers who like emotional reads.

Fifty five days of Rae may not have been enough for me.
There’s something that hits me hard with a story of a lonely child and ten year old Rae is so alone. We don’t know where Rae’s mother is, but she only has her dog to keep her company until she finds friendship in the older woman next door.
With themes of death, isolation and mental health, this short book is heavy with the subject matter, but this story of resilience and how the family we make was a stunning read.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, & Penguin Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

This book wrecked me in the best and worst ways - at the same time. Following this precocious 10 year old as she took care of herself for 55 days while her mother was gone was such an emotional journey, but man oh man was it excellent.

(Knowing it's 55 days from the offset was such a good narrative plot choice
- from the get go you are reading your way closer and closer to that 55 day mark, knowing that something is coming, just not what.)

It's not an easy book to read, subject matter wise, but it's written in a way that is so engaging and makes it almost impossible to set it down. I loved Rae's voice, and I loved how resilient she was, even as she spent more and more time looking out for herself with her mother gone. I will say I knew where her mom went pretty early on in the book, but it doesn't hamper the emotional portions at all. The relationships in this book are all so well drawn and unflinchingly real - and as we are meant to, I especially loved Rae & Lettie's. (Rae & Splinter were also a great pair!)

I genuinely loved this (debut!) book, and I will for SURE be keeping my eye on Emily Spurr for more novels.

Two notes:
One, I have seen some criticism / questioning over the feasibility of a 10 year old being able to take care of herself the way that Rae does, but to me it felt realistic. Kids are capable of amazing things - even if they shouldn't have to be.
Two, (the dog lives!!!) but Day 48 was pretty rough, involving a car accident and a close call with Rae's pup, Splinter. If you find it hard to read about animals in pain, maybe skim that chapter.

Another beautifully written five star debut novel to add to your tbr.

I was deeply invested in Rae. This is a coming of age story that will pull you in. It’s also very heartwarming, you want to jump inside the book and hug Rae, her dog Splinter and Lettie the neighbor. It’s the story of a mature and resilient 10 year old little girl, her struggles and tenacity when her mother disappears as she covers it up by continuing her routine as if all is normal. You’ll shed a tear or two.
Safe to say you can read the synopsis because you’ll feel the real emotion as the story unfolds.

I am going to. be real honest, I slightly judged this book by it's cover and was happily surprised by the depth of the story I found underneath. I truly wanted to give Rae a hug, as a character she went through so many hardships but was still somehow such a strong little girl. Her relationship with Lettie, even further pulled at my heartstrings and I was truly so invested in their journey. At times this book was hard to read. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but more so along the lines that it just had a way of pulling at your heart and then slightly breaking it. I work in foster care, so I am faced with a lot of children who are Rae in their own way. So I especially thought that the authors ability to encapsulate what it is like to be a child who is forced to act as an adult was really well done. I wanted nothing more than for Rae to have a healthy and happy childhood and for her mom to get better. The part with Splinter truly crushed me. I think that overall this book has a way of making you feel all of the emotions and then being left even more impressed that Rae wasn't constantly breaking down in her environment. This might have been a book I thought would be different, but I truly would change a thing about it in the end. It was so powerful.

This well-written, emotional debut novel features a coming-of-age tale with a precocious and resourceful main character. It also portrays themes of found family and explores the effects that mental illness has on all members of a family, as is further discussed in the author’s note at the back of the book. My favorite thing about this book is the strong representation of the human- animal bond. Rae and Splinter’s relationship feels authentic and really shows just how vital our pets can be for our survival. Splinter is more than a dog to Rae- at times he is closer to a surrogate parent but mostly he is like a younger sibling.

I feel this novel is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine & A Man Called Ove. Staying up late to finish this story and a big ugly-cry at the end were inevitable for me. Content warnings apply: graphic injury to an animal; abandonment; suicide.

This is probably going to end up as one of my top books of 2021

I adore the too mature for their age stories that can break your heart and make you feel all the feels.

I adore the curmudgeonly elders befriending lonely children and uncovering their history and their life story.

This book, then, was set up to be a must read. Beyond just being up my alley it was an amazing story with excellent writing that drew me in and held me through to the end. It's a book that after I shut my kindle I just needed to sit for a few minutes to process my feelings and grieve over leaving behind the characters who had taken up residence in my heart.

At times I felt as if my heart was breaking as I read Rae's story. With her dog Splinter, she navigates things that no 10 year old should. Her neighbor, Lettie, is a busybody and a hoarder but somehow they find one another in the mess. I feel like my heart has been ripped out and gently replaced. Much of the first third I read with a feeling of foreboding and near horror as I imagined what this child was going through in her life.

A Million Things is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story about a young girl growing up with a mentally ill mother. I can’t believe this is a debut author as this book read like a seasoned storyteller.

Like in Room or Only Child, this book is also told from a child’s POV, ten-year-old Rae. She will steal your heart. Rae has been left alone for chunks of time or many days at a time, based on her mother’s need for alone time. She’s only knows this way of care but isn’t prepared when her mom doesn’t return. After she figures out what happened to her mother, she is focused on not letting anyone else know and her and her dog’s survival.

Told in sections by days alone, we see her struggles and successes. We feel her fright and tension. As her time alone progresses, we see relationship form with her unusual, lonely, and nosy neighbor Lettie. Lettie is much older, with some mental health issues of her own, yet the two learn from each other in astonishing ways.

Dog lovers will appreciate this story as Splinter is an important characater – he’s Rae’s most trusted companion. He represents the unconditional love dogs have for their humans. The foreboding shed was more than a location, it also served as a stagnant, menacing character.

I loved when Lettie calls Rae a “kiddo” and Rae called her “goato” in response. This book will bring on all the feels, tears of joy and of sadness. Well done debut!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

Oh wow. This book was a punch in the gut. The story was told from the perspective of an unusually mature and well-spoken 10-year-old, and serious topics like depression, hoarding, and PTSD were covered in an accessible and relatable way. My heart broke for Rae and Lettie, her elderly neighbor with whom she develops an unlikely friendship, many times over, and don't even get me started on Splinter! Many tears were shed while reading, and it definitely wasn't an easy read, but it will stick with me for a while. 4.5 stars.

This book had me feeling all kinds of emotional. Mae has always relied on her dog, her routines and her mom. Her mom may leave for days at a time but she always comes back. (Which truly sounds horrifying.)
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When her neighbor Lettie falls and needs her help, her routines are disrupted and she’s nervous about someone finding out her mom has disappeared. This book is a deep journey into mental health, creating your own family and resiliency. It is a heartbreaker of a book but beautifully written.
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I went into this book without reading the synopsis and wow…this book was so captivating and emotional, i had a very difficult time putting it down and when I did manage to do so it was all i could think about.

This story follows Rae, a ten year old who is left to fend for herself and her dog after her mother’s disappears, again. Rae is incredibly resourceful for a ten year old and is able to roll with the absence of her mother for quite a while which is so sad when you think about it.

Rae finds support in her neighbor Lettie. And Lettie is such a riot, she’s struggling with her own hoarding and mental health issues while being so good to Rae, it’s really heartwarming but also…so sad.

The story is not an easy one to read, as things develop and the story unfolds it becomes harder for readers to hope for the best and then, when all is said and done there is a little bit of hope for all of the characters struggling though their stuff.

I absolutely recommend this book to people, but i feel obligated to inform everyone that even though it is worth the read, it’s not and easy one. This story focuses so much on mental illness and how it effects not only the people who live with it but also everyone in their life.

A young girl, 10 years old, with a mom who leaves her home alone so she can go clear her head. Rae, the young girl, was amazing. I cannot imagine being left to fend for myself at age 10. She had to get herself to school, feed herself, take care of their dog, and not let on that she was living alone. The things that she did were way above her 10 years, yet she did what had to be done just to get through her days. Rae’s neighbor, Lettie, was a unique character. She had her secrets and I HATED how she was treated by the neighborhood busy body. Yet, by having her faults brought to attention it made her a stronger and better person.

A Million Things was not an easy read. I wanted to reach out and protect Rae from the world that was crashing in around her. I wanted to give her the guidance to get the help she needed but mostly I just wanted to hug her and let her know that she was loved.

The ending left me needing more. I felt like that was so much more to Lettie’s character and her relationship with her family. The true reason Rae was alone was not real well explained, I would like to know more about her mother and their family.

This book begins with an emotional bombshell that leaves a ten-year-old girl named Rae standing in the crumbling debris. She’s far stronger and wiser than she should ever be at such a tender age. But in her heart, she’s just a child who longs for the warmth of a mother.

“Sometimes I’d flip through the fat blue dictionary, looking for the right word for it, the feeling inside. Agitated was almost right, but it didn’t quite fit. It matched the chill of the tiny bubbles popping in my chest but not the stillness. Aimless felt close: floaty. I floated, but I always had something to do. When it was summer we’d go outside and I’d cut the grass. Or weed the veggie patch you liked in theory. And sometimes we’d just lie in the sun, Splinter’s big head on my lap, and I’d watch the swirling red behind my eyelids. I guess I was ambivalent. But that wasn’t right either because it hurt, you being gone. I never did find the right word.”

Rae strikes up a unique friendship with an elderly neighbour. Both are broken and flawed in ways that no one else could ever understand. Yet together, they manage to find shelter from the cold world outside. Because reality is slowly creeping in and with it comes the terrible knowledge that nothing will ever be the same again.

“Heard you got into some trouble.”
I take a sip and swallow before answering. “Yep.” I keep my gaze on the ground.
The chair creaks as she shifts her weight in it. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with me, would it?”
I watch the tear drip off my nose and disappear into the hot chocolate. You used to say salt made chocolate taste better. “I’m sorry, Lettie.” It comes out quiet, but I can tell by the stillness in her that she heard. I clear my throat and glance at her chin. “About what I said to you.”
She nods. “I know.”
I look at her and she gives me a half smile. “I was mean.”
“Well, at least you didn’t punch me in the nose.”
I can’t manage a smile. “How d’you know?”
“His mum came to see me when she couldn’t get hold of anyone at your place. Seems you and I are seen as a bit of a team.”

In A Million Things, Emily Spurr masterfully paints a perilous world through the eyes of a child. With a deep mix of sorrow and determination, she creates a landscape where family is lost and found. A place where being left behind both obliterates and strengthens.

It’s a story that demands to be felt and I absolutely did. Right down to my bones…

A Million Things by Emily Spurr started very slowly for me, but it was hard to put down once I was engaged. It was an emotional read that was heartbreaking in so many ways and had me crying and getting a sinus headache as a result.

Rae is ten years old, and her mother has abandoned her. She’s more mature than expected and seems to be pretty world savvy. Rae somehow is able to take care of herself and her dog, the house, the yard, pay bills, feed them both, get herself to school and buy food. Of course, she doesn’t fully understand the concept of money and having enough for all her needs, but neither do many adults. She befriends an older neighbor who has her own problems and is all alone. Although Lettie isn’t aware of everything going on in Rae’s life, just the little bit that Rae spills, they bond and are there for each other. When they are, things start to look up for both of them, or does it?

There are several twists and turns to the story, with everything having importance to the story even if it’s not right away. Rae talks with her mother in her mind, remembers things they’ve said and done, and uses some of it as a reminder of how to live her life. It was a rollercoaster of a ride with nosy neighbors who are sometimes more caring than expected, lots of smells that don’t belong, fear, sadness, injuries, and those looking and needing to communicate with her mother.

Ms. Spurr wrote the characters with such a depth to them, and we get to know them and about their lives a little at a time. Rae’s dog was a powerful addition to the story and seemed to understand what Rae needed at times. There is sadness with the closure, but there are also some promising moments.

And kudos to the cover designer. I absolutely loved the cover!

A Million Things is the debut novel by Ms. Spurr. I hope to read more of her books with her writing style since it definitely grabbed me and didn’t let go until “The End.”

55 days. In 55 days the 10-year-old protagonist, Rae, experiences more than most of us do in a decade. It’s just her, her dog, and her mum; mum disappears a lot but always comes back. Until she doesn’t. Rae and splinter are pretty self sufficient and they do fine for a while but then things start to fall apart. Rae and her next door neighbor Lettie, a hoarder with her own story, become friends despite being loners, but the nosy neighbor across the street starts noticing things aren’t what they should be. Well written with good character development, amazing first navel.

"I know you're not one thing. Knowing you is not one thing, it was never one thing. It's a million things. And now the place holding them together is me."

Two things you need to know if you're going to read this book (which I highly recommend you do):

1. Make sure you don't have any plans because you won't be able to put it down
2. Have tissues handy

This beautiful debut completely stole my heart. A story of grief, resilience, compassion and the power of friendship, it grabs you from page one. Spurr's writing is sparse but insightful and the way she slowly unveils Rae's world is riveting.

Like "A Man Called Ove" and "The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett" (two books I adore), A MILLION THINGS centers on a friendship between a precocious kid (Rae) and her grumpy older neighbor (Lettie) but it's ultimately about so much more. I felt all the emotions as I spent the 55 days of the story with the 10-year-old, her dog Splinter and Lettie, and as much as I wanted to know what was going to happen, I also never wanted the book to end. I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters and wish I could have reached through the pages to give them all a big hug. Make sure you read the Author's Note - the background to the story is almost as moving as the book itself.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to review.

A Million Things is heart-wrenching, in all that Rae goes through, trying to keep everything “normal” when it’s anything but. It is comforting, in the neighbor that Rae eventually leans on. And it is disheartening, in how few people notice a ten-year-old’s life falling to pieces. Have your box of tissues ready, because you’ll shed a tear or two.

This is a story of mental illness and its devastating effect. Rae’s mother has a history of leaving when things get overwhelming, but she’s always come back. You get glimpses of the better times, and the not-so-great times, through Rae’s memories as she wishes things were. Rae’s neighbor Lettie deals by hoarding, so much so that her house is inhabitable and she’s resorted to “living” on her front porch. And your heart cracks as you watch these two slowly learn to interact, and how Rae’s compassion and empathy help her help Lettie learn to let go – all while dealing with her own problems.

Like figuring out how much is in the bank account, can she get food for Splinter & herself? And how meticulous she is in getting ready for school, so nobody notices anything amiss. And how clever she has to be, taking it day by day, to make it over a month before her world comes tumbling down.

And you can’t help but be proud of Rae as she finds the strength to stand her ground even as everything’s gone to heck in a handbasket, and cheer her on as she finds her way.

If you read or follow my reviews, you know I hardly ever give a book 5 stars, but A Million Things is that, and more.

drey’s rating: Outstanding!