"Things Don't Break on Their Own" by Sarah Easter Collins is an emotionally gripping and well-crafted mystery that delves deep into family dynamics and unresolved grief. The story centers on Willa, whose sister Laika disappeared 25 years ago, an event that has haunted Willa ever since. As Willa navigates her complex relationships and personal struggles, she remains convinced that her sister is still alive, driven by an unbreakable sisterly bond.

Collins expertly weaves together past and present, using multiple perspectives to slowly reveal the layers of this haunting tale. The dinner party that brings together Willa, her former lover Robyn, and other significant characters serves as a catalyst for uncovering long-buried secrets. The character development is particularly strong, with each person vividly portrayed, making their interactions compelling and believable.

The narrative explores themes of loss, identity, and the impact of childhood trauma, all while maintaining a suspenseful pace that keeps readers engaged. The shifting timelines and fragmented memories create a tapestry of intrigue that culminates in a satisfying resolution, answering the lingering questions about Laika’s fate.

Overall, "Things Don't Break on Their Own" is a powerful debut that balances emotional depth with a captivating mystery. Sarah Easter Collins' lyrical prose and keen insight into human relationships make this novel a standout in the genre. Highly recommended for those who appreciate character-driven stories with a touch of psychological suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC.

Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins is a slow burn suspense that starts in present day at a dinner party. Robyn and her wife Cat host a dinner party for their siblings and Robyn's best friend from school Willa. From there we are told the backstory of Robyn and her boarding school roommate Willa and both of their families. When they were girls, Willa's younger sister Laika went missing on her walk to school and was never seen again. This has of course profoundly affected Willa and her entire family. Touching on lots of issues of family dynamics, grief, loss, abuse, and more, Sarah Easter Collins has written a beautiful and heart breaking debut novel with well developed characters.

This book is not a thriller. It’s a story of grief, abuse and also a lesbian relationship. For me I went into this thinking it was a thriller and it moved to slowly for me. A lot of people are loving it and I’m the odd one out.


Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this arc.

I didn’t find this book to fit into the mystery/thriller genre. The book was well written but I did find myself losing track of the characters. This book dealt with a missing daughter/sister and how dysfunctional her family was.

Willa and her mother are constantly searching for missing Laika. 20 years later Laika has reinvented herself as Claudette and is at a dinner party with her friend Nate and her sister is there too. She finally reveals herself and the family minus the father have reunited.

I finished the book but it was a struggle.


Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m still not quite sure how I feel about this book. It was absolutely not at all the book I was expecting from when I read the premise.

To summarize it was presented as Willa, whose young sister went to school 25 years ago and never was seen again. Where did she go ? What truly happened all those years ago? I thought I was in for a wild thriller with a lot of secrets and twists and turns. That is not at all what you get in this book. In fact this wasn’t “thriller-y” at all to me. What I will preface this with is trigger warnings for domestic and child abuse. This book takes you through multiple POV’s, their memories and recollections of events, and extremely complex family dynamics. The memories are extremely raw, gritty, and unnerving. (And difficult for some to read)

Obviously you do find out the big reveal (what happened to Willa’s sister all those years ago, but in a very different story and unraveling of events than I expected. This to me was more of a literary work than thriller. I did find it hard to get through it. It was definitely a good debut novel and I look forward to see more from this Author, but in different styles.

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and Crown Publishing for the ARC!

This book did not interest me and I did not finish it at 20% read, and skimmed ahead to the end to find out some of the resolution to the main mystery which I had already developed a good idea for. The description made me think it would be mostly mystery/thriller, and there were the elements of that but it is more literary than mystery and the story moved very slowly. I also found the change between narrators was distracting and broke what little flow I had going. I struggled to get excited to read this one and felt myself forcing myself to keep going so I decided to call it quits.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

This felt a little derivative to me, and wasn't really up my alley.

Based on the description, this book wasn't really what I was expecting it to be. Although presented as a mystery or thriller, I didn't think it really fit either genre as this was more a tragic tale of a very dysfunctional with a lot of abuse throughout the story. I liked how the whole story was told around a dinner table with different points of view from each character. The writing was very well done and flowed wonderfully but it was difficult to really get into this book because it just wasn't what I was led to expect.
Thank you, NetGalley. for the chance to read this ARC.

I truly don't like giving a book a negative review, but I REALLY did try to get into this!! The description of the book is fantastic, however, when I started reading, it wasn't doing it for me. Sorry...but thanks for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley, and Crown Publishing for the copy of Things Don’t Break On Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins. I was completely mesmerized by the story right away and the writing was so enthralling I didn’t want to stop reading. This book was not what I expected at all and I don’t want to give anything away because I loved the surprise of getting more than I bargained for. While this isn’t a traditional mystery or thriller, it's a book with three-dimensional characters and a deeply emotional story that will be on my list of favorite books of 2024. Five enthusiastic stars.

Robyn and Willa met at school. They are at a dinner party with their current partners. Robyn's wife Cat pokes fun at her because she knows that Willa was Robyn's first love, they bonded after (Cat, James) Willa's sister Leika went missing. Cat has also invited her brother Nate and his partner Claudette. I suggest you write down these names so that as time jumps and perspectives shift you remember who is who. May be harder to follow if you listen to audiobook.

This is probably the most tragic, saddest mystery I have read this year. There are themes of abuse and neglect. I didn't follow all of the character's motivation, but I did appreciate the queer love story that is interwoven through the main plot. This being set in the UK, it does not seem to follow the pattern of more US based mysteries. No reveals throughout the story, no twists/turns. This is a more straightforward unfolding.

I read this because the author of my favorite mystery this year wrote a blurb for this one, "End of Story." I am glad I did, it was an engaging, if slow starting, mystery. Will pick up the author's other works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC.

It felt more traumatic than a true thriller for me. There is definitely some suspense, but this wasn't for me.

Willa and Laika are as close as two sisters can be. One day, Laika disappears and those left behind must pick up the pieces. Can Will discover what happened to Laika? Fans of psychological suspense will devour this.

There is a depth to this book that is hard to articulate. On the surface, it is a story about a family, with a cruel father, just trying to survive. The layers happen when the mother and daughters each find their own way to happiness. I will be digesting this story for quite some time.

Like the Japanese art of putting broken pieces of pottery back together in the manner of which they are more beautiful than the original, the characters in this book have to piece back together their lives that have inadvertently been broken whether it is themselves or others that do so. Laika is at the mercy of her father and his emotional and physical abuse could actually be qualified as torture. In some ways, it was a blessing that he gave her the passport so she could go to France and reinvent herself as Claudette. Willa is broken by the disappearance of her sister and the fight she has to find her as she always felt she let her down by not sticking up for her as her father deemed her the golden child. I thought Liv and Michael made astute observations when it comes to memories as all experiencing the same event will have different interpretations later. As we are all bombarded with social media, are memories embellished as they take on others or are they deliberately created? Did Willa create memories of Jamie despite the fact he was a despicable and boorish man? Was Robin's memory of Willa and their time together at school slightly skewed to the point that she couldn't see her great love, Cat, right in front of her? This book is truly insightful as to how a person truly can overcome anything to get what they need and deserve. Love comes in many shapes and forms but at the end, the only person we can save is ourselves.

This didn’t feel super thriller-y to me. It was traumatic and emotional. Overall I liked it but I had different expectations going in vs what it actually ended up being. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is such a beautifully written, powerful and emotional book. It's so well written that I truthfully have trouble writing a review that will give the book justice. It's special and rare and a treat to read.

A dinner party that takes a direct course toward disaster provides the frame for this mystery centered around domestic violence and the long-term grieving of a missing child. Collins is a highly competent writer, gradually revealing the plot's outcome through the back-story interactions between the principal characters. Revolving narration between the three works well in filling in the details of a teenage girl's sudden disappearance. Though not exactly a thriller, it will appeal to fans of domestic suspense.

"Things Don’t Break on Their Own" by Oliver Shah is a compelling and insightful read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Shah's investigative journalism shines through as he delves into the intricate world of high finance and corporate power. The book's meticulous research and engaging narrative kept me hooked, offering a deep dive into the dramatic downfall of prominent business figures. While some parts were dense with financial jargon, the overall story was both enlightening and gripping. It's a well-crafted, thought-provoking book that provides a fascinating look into the complexities of the financial world.

Thing Don't Break on Their Own was not what I expected and was not prepared for what I read, however it was a good read. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.