Willa’s sister Laika vanished one day when she was 13. This has haunted Willa’s life for years, setting up a website devoted to her and the desire to find her. Then one day, as a grownup, Willa goes to a dinner party and they all start talking about earliest memories and false memories.
The first half of the book mostly flits between the perspective of Willa and friend Robyn. The second half of the book is more so from the perspective of one of the guests at the dinner party. I much preferred the second half where the story got into fruition and accelerated into its climax. The first half of the book set up the background, but in the second half I loved the story from the dinner guest. The two half’s did tie together nicely though and it gave a nice insight into the going on of people’s minds and their thought processes

Read this book in about 2 days over Christmas as it did draw me in from the beginning.

It was an interesting read, however, I didn't feel that the summary reflected the actual plot of the story. From the summary I had assumed that there would be a huge reveal all ending, however it was slightly anticlimactic for me.

Apart from that I did enjoy reading and the plot itself I found engaging.

2.5 stars

This book didn't quite work for me. What promised to be an interesting plot was hindered massively by a structure that dragged particularly in the middle. While the relationships between Willa and Laika, and Willa and Robin had a lot of promise they ultimately felt unfulfilling and quite one dimensional by the end. Even the big twist was quite anti-climactic in that SPOILERS it still allowed for all wrongs to be righted and for them all to live happily ever after.

I can certainly see what the author was going for, with references to kintsugi and the strength of a once broken thing throughout, but this unfortunately didn't translate on paper for me. It was by no means a bad read, but not one I would recommend or revisit.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book. Told in different timelines about 2 sisters and how one of them Laika goes missing leaving Willa and her mother searching for her over the years. The storyline of the sisters and a controlling and abusive father then the relationship between Willa and Robyn kept me gripped and I couldn’t put it down. This is the first book iv read by this author and I will definitely be looking for other books by her now. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy.

I found that this book had a slow start and almost gave up reading it but I persevered and I’m glad I did!
There are bits that are a bit unbelievable but, on the whole, this developers into a story that keeps you hooked. The tale of two sisters separated when they were young and who find each other again by chance, told in flashback with tantalising clues about what actually happened along the way. I enjoyed this one.

A dinner party romp I thought to begin with. So wrong.

The main character of the book is Laika who’s sister disappeared on her way to school years ago, her trials and tribulations through the years. Her unacceptance of what seemed to be the facts.

Then the girls father is shown for what he really is power hungry individual, but you hope it backfires. The end of the book is totally unexpected, complete with a total twist of the facts.

Thank you to Penguin General - UK and Sarah Easter Collins for the opportunity to ARC review Things Don't Break On Their Own in exchange for a fair and honest review. An interesting premise of a story with lots of turns and turns featuring around the disappearance of a child and the impact it can have on a family and the quest to discover the truth of what happened that fateful night.

A gritty, dark read with a horror element of a breaking family lost in grief. Told across multiple points over 25 years with flashbacks, which felt a little disjointed with some of the flashback points. The characters for me weren't always likeable or relatable, I felt disconnected from the characters involved in this story, which made it hard to accept some of the brutality on the page. Sadly, this wasn't the thriller read I hoped for.

I hope this story gets picked up as a movie or television series, I think it would suit the medium better.

Clever and intricately woven, this story draws you right in as Willa seeks answers to a mystery from the past. Revelations at a dinner party lead to uncovering clues that might reveal the circumstances around Willa's sister Laika's disappearance during their childhood. A thrilling and enthralling read.

I expected this to be set at the dinner party but it was actually small part. However the storyline was captivating and compelling.

Really enjoyed this one. The differing storytellers and timelines told the story in a very engaging way. Although you suspect there is a sinister undertone to the mystery, the twist at the end was quite unexpected.

Willa is sent to boarding school following the disappearance of her sister Laika after being abused by their sadistic father.
She becomes friend and lover to Robyn, a kind girl from a lovely family, but breaks up with her just before their final exams.
Willa's life becomes a search for Laika.
The story is told by several characters, going backwards and forwards through their lives leading up to a dinner party with a lot of unspoken revelations. Then afterwards, how their lives move on after this. The group of friends are lovely, they care for and support each other. Highly recommended.

Such an intriguing book! A real page-turner.
Story starts with an invitation to dinner. A group of friends get together and secrets have a way of slipping out. The novel then gets back in time to how two of the main protagonists met. This was definitely my favourite part of the book.

After her 13-year-old sister Laika inexplicably goes missing one day, Willa Martenwood never really recovers from that trauma. Years later, she still sees her sister in the faces of others - on the streets and around every corner.

Having met her soon after the tragedy took place, Willa's new friend Robyn (whom she meets at boarding school) and Robyn's brother Michael understand better than most just how affected Willa continues to be.

But nobody has any idea of what is about to happen when a dinner party consisting of friends and siblings gathers together, and a discussion around the nature and limitations of memory sparks a conflagration that will finally make it possible for Willa to understand what really happened to Laika, and who was responsible for her sister's disappearance...

This book is interesting, unusual and well-written. Points also for using the Japanese practice of repairing beloved broken objects, Kintsugi, to great effect. It is the kind of story that has the potential to haunt the reader long after the last page has been turned. It gets 4.5 stars.

Brilliant book, will definitely be shouting about this one.
I loved this story so much- so much unwritten which makes it such good quality.

LOVED!!! Fabulously delivered and written. I gobbled this up in 2 sittings & that was only because I had to get some work done (and sleep a little) in between. Such an engaging author and the way we see differing perspectives is also very interesting and thought provoking. This is a novel I’ve added to my “purchase asap” list!

Twenty years ago Willa’s 13 year old sister Laika left for school and never came home.
This book follows for the most part Willa’s life and relationships after her sister disappeared up to present day where she attends a dinner party with her friends and an unexpected guest.

I loved Willa’s relationship with Robyn.

I liked how the book was written from different characters point of view.

I found the beginning a little slow but then something just clicked and I couldn’t put the book down!
I loved the twist towards the end of the book.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Penguin UK and Viking Books UK for letting me read the advanced reading copy of this book.

This book had me hooked! The writing was thrilling and beautiful . I really couldn’t put it down.I loved the relationship between Willa and Robyn. Highly recommend this.

Captivating, heart warming and a brilliant read.

The idea of a thrilling mystery centred around a dinner party is a theme I always gravitate towards. So for me I was onto a winner. What the book actually delivered however was far beyond my expectations. I simply couldn’t put it down. Rather than the psychological mystery with twists and turns I was taken through three different perspectives of two very different childhoods. One of emotional and physical abuse experienced by the two sisters Willa and Laika and the other full of genuine love and acceptance Robyn’s.

The book opens with a dinner party and we quickly learn how the two central characters met. Through flashback we learn that Willa’s sister Laika disappeared at the age of thirteen and how her parents moved her to another school to avoid speculation and media. It is here that she meets Robyn and forms a lifelong friendship. The two become lovers at their private school and begin to experience the family dynamics of the other through a summer visit.

Their lives post school are relayed through individual chapters and we see how their friendship is reignited as well as their personal lives.

The book shifts to one of the other guest, Claudette’s perspective, when she joins in the game of misplaced memory. It is here that we witness a truly traumatic experience. I wont say any more at the risk of giving too much away.
I particularly enjoyed the little hint of murder at the end.

(4.25 stars)
This gripped me entirely, the writing was beautiful and moving at times - especially for something that would be classed as a thriller / mystery! I enjoyed the way the story switched between different characters and gave us many different viewpoints, I could nottttt put this down - I found myself reading not wanting to look away in case I distracted myself from even a minute detail. Would really recommend this! The ending is *chefs kisssss* !!!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and publishers for an #ARC of #ThingsDontBreakOnTheirOwn.
There is mystery intertwined in every sub story of this book, I enjoyed the story and the family dynamics that were truly horrifying, the friendship between Willa and Robyn and that final twist at the end……