Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins is broken up in three parts and told by different points of view from three women. First Robyn tells how she spent the first summer with Willa, her roommate at a boarding school. Willa and Robyn were each other's first loves but Willa wont ammit that she has feeling for Robyn. Willa is still broken from her sister Laika's dissapearance when she was 13 years old. Willa looks for her sister in everyone she meets including the two new girlfriends of both Robyn and Cat's brothers. Claudette is French and when she hears Cat introduce everyone at the party she needs to get a better look at Willa to see if it is her sister and likewise for Willa. This book shows what life is like for the wealthy (Willa and Laika's parents) and what a tragady losing a sibling does to a family and the people that souround them. I want to thank both NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

This book isn’t for me. We start off with Robyn and her wife Cat preparing to host a dinner party with their friends. As the friends arrive we’re briefly given a short intro to each person and how they connect to Robyn and Cat. Willa is Robyn’s best friend from boarding school and she’s also semi-famous for the disappearance of her sister some odd 20 years prior. As the dinner party gets going I started to feel engaged by the characters and the conversation of memories and how each person’s brain perceives them. Then just as fast as I became Invested were ripped from the dinner party and thrown into Robyn and Willa’s childhood, switching POVs. This is where it lost me. Overall just not as interesting as I anticipated. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

The story of two friends, one of whom has a sister who disappeared into thin air when she was a teenager.
A story told as a dinner party unfolds in the present with flashbacks to their youth, I found this book to be beautifully written and it kept me invested from the very beginning. As the story went on I found myself feeling nervous as I waited to see how the entire thing would come together at the end.
For a more in-depth review please check out my spoiler free YouTube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyQuLR9aSx8

The blurb for this book leads one to think of a completely different story than what is being told. Sarah Easter Collins is a talented writer and the overall story of the missing sister is compelling....until the let down.

This is more of a story about trauma and memories. One of the characters leads a group into a discussion in false memories. There is also internal drama and turmoil within all of the characters that is explored.

I think my biggest issue is the back and forth and back again nature of the story. While it does add intrigue, it was too much. The multiple POVs also didn't quite help the situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I tried really hard to get into this book but I just didn’t enjoy it. It didn’t feel much like a thriller/mystery to me as it was described and I found that very disappointing. There were too many characters introduced right away, and some of them did not seem necessary to the story making for a somewhat confusing plot line as a reader

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I love this novel!

Two sisters live with their wealthy parents in a seemingly ideal situation. Behind closed doors, things are not going well. One sister goes missing and the other is left to deal with her loss. There are so many secrets.

The ending is amazing!

"Things Don't Break on Their Own" is beautifully written, with lyrical sentences, rich characters, and insight about trauma and abuse. The most difficult part for me was when the abuse started to escalate in the flashbacks. It was written well enough to be disturbing, and I needed to skim over some parts. Readers who enjoy rich characters, nuanced writing, and psychological insight will enjoy this. Heads up for child SA. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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This gripping tale delves into the intricate dynamics of a complex family, woven with elements of mystery, grief, and queer love. Robyn and Cat, along with an eclectic group of guests, come together for a family gathering that unravels buried secrets and unresolved traumas. Central to the story is Willa's quest to uncover the truth behind her sister Laika's disappearance, a mystery that has haunted her for years. Through shifting timelines and diverse perspectives, the narrative peels back layers of hidden emotions and long-buried secrets, culminating in a satisfying and conclusive resolution that ties up all loose ends. Despite a slow start, the story unfolds into a deeply emotional exploration of family bonds, love, loss, and the complexities of grief. This compelling blend of mystery and family drama is skillfully crafted, offering a poignant and engaging read that I highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this beautifully written mystery.

Well, I really wanted to like this one. It's a little too drawn out. Too many words. I did like the story, The ending was lackluster, author could have done better on the ending. Very underwhelming.

Willa can't move on with her life since her sister disappeared twenty-five years ago. She sees her everywhere. What happened all those years ago? Is she still out there? A solid title to add to any mystery collection.

This was a good book for me. Literary rather than a true mystery. The mystery can be figured out rather quickly. However, I enjoyed the characters studies, which were well written. There is a lesbian theme, as well as parental abuse which was difficult to read. Overall though a solid read. Recommended.

Things don’t break on their own. This book helps to show the closeness of sisters love. How the bond of a sister will never be broken

I’ll be honest, this wasn’t what I was expecting and a lot of my disappoint stems from that. It was definitely more literary than thriller. I don’t even feel like it was a thriller at all. It was barely even a mystery. I saw the potential from this author but it just felt a bit overwritten.

Robyn and Willa meet as college roommates. Willa is still suffering trauma from her younger sister vanishing one day on the way to school. Impatient with Laika's dawdling, Willa begins the walk to school by herself that day since she does not want to be late. That's the day that Laika disappeared. Robyn and Willa begin a relationship which Willa knows will not be accepted by her very strict and abusive father. Since Laika always pushed the limits with their father, Willa begins to wonder if he had anything to do with her disappearance and the sudden need to pour a massive concrete foundation for a new conservatory for their posh home. More than twenty years go by and still no one has found Laika but Willa is never going to give up the search.
The book bounces back and forth between Willa and Robyn's families as well as back and forth in time. We learn how abusive Willa's rich father is and gentle and caring Robyn's poor family is. We learn about relationships, break ups, misunderstandings and forgiveness. At a dinner party given by Robyn and her wife, Cat, Willa appears to be fixated on one of the other guests. Could she be Laika? This woman is French though, so perhaps not? Having mistaken strangers before for her long-lost sister, Willa isn't sure..
A tale for those who believe that the arrogant will fall one day and the meek shall find the inner strength to take back their lives and even the score once and for all.

A bit of a far fetched turn, but barring that it was a well written book. I thought the exploration of the different psychological impacts of abuse and trauma was fairly well done.

Willa’s sister Laika disappeared 20 years ago and Willa has tried to find her place in the world without her. Even though there are so many unanswered questions surrounding the incident. Not knowing if she is alive or dead. When Willa goes to a friend’s dinner party things turn upside down. This is a really good story about family and love and letting go of the past.

This book is told by different POV. The main story focuses on Wlla and her family. Her sister goes missing at 13 and it causes her continuous pain for decades. The author explores themes of being “broken” literally and figuratively. Willa, her mother and sister experience so much heartbreak and trauma, it was sad to read. This book held my interest and came together nicely in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc for my review!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this to read.

I wasn't expecting this to be a heart breaking tale loss and i may or may not admit to crying.
I thought it would be more of a mystery but its a light mystery.

This book is a traumatic, heart-wrenching mystery tale of a dysfunctional family, heartfelt grief, and an unfinished queer love story with a well-executed blend of different timelines and multiple perspectives, all presented in a balanced pace to reveal the vulnerable faces of characters hiding behind invincible facades.

Robyn and Cat, a queer couple with three children (one daughter and twin boys), invite people to a special family gathering, including Robyn’s brother Michael with his new girlfriend Liv, a psychiatrist specialized in false memories. Cat’s brother Nate brings his French girlfriend Claudette, who seems quite different from his regular choices in partners. Also attending is Willa, Robyn’s longtime friend and first lover, who left medical school after their breakup, and her fiancé Jamie, who gives off hostile vibes throughout the dinner gathering.

Throughout the dinner, we realize Willa is still trying to cope with the years-long trauma of her sister Laika’s loss. Laika disappeared when Willa was 13, and for decades, nobody has solved the mystery of her disappearance, despite efforts such as a website dedicated to gathering information. With her sister’s disappearance, Willa also lost pieces of herself and cannot have a fulfilling life until she finds out what happened to her. The dinner gathering may bring out unresolved feelings and help her find surprising closure, as someone at the table holds important information.

The author takes us on a journey between past and present, explaining how Robyn and Willa met at a young age, their family lives, their love story, Willa’s denial of her sexual orientation, and her complex family life before and after her sister’s disappearance, revealing the secrets they harbored behind closed doors and Willa’s desperate search to find out what happened to Laika.

I loved the mystery that gives you an eerie feeling from the beginning, keeping you worried about something tragic happening to Laika that will break your heart. Thankfully, there’s no open ending; the author wraps up the mystery, filling in all the holes, answering the questions, and providing a satisfying conclusion (at least, I'm truly satisfied with how things were revealed and concluded, giving my best happy Villanelle laugh).

Overall, this story starts a little slow, and it takes some time to connect with the characters and their perspectives, but it is a well-developed, honestly written family drama and mystery exploring sisterly bonds, marriage troubles, sexual exploration, and the psychological process of grief. I truly enjoyed it and recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with this well-written mystery's digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

At its core are two intriguing characters: Willa, whose life has been shadowed by the disappearance of her younger sister Laika and Robyn, a close friend and ex-romantic partner of Willa.
Willa, depicted as her father's "golden child," contrasts sharply with her sister, who suffered under their under their father’s harsh treatment.
The narrative unfolds years later at a dinner party hosted by Robyn and her wife Cat. The author uses this event to bring together old friends and new characters, and to charge the weight of every interaction and the weight of the past.
The unresolved question of Laika’s fate lingers till the end.