This is a love story with an abundance of emotional drama and countless regrets.

Mallory’s heart was broken when her wedding plans took a back seat with Aiden ten years ago in a seaside town near Newport, RI. She now had a challenging job as a social worker in Boston. When she needed to get away, there was only one place to go in the summer of 1999: back to her beautiful childhood home.

Aiden was a concert pianist and just happened to be in town. They bumped into each other and everything felt different this time. Both of their single mothers had a significant influence on their lives.

This book had all sorts of complexities with relationships, careers, health issues and with Mallory, Aiden and their manipulative mothers. Plenty of readers could no doubt relate to some of the hidden secrets and mistakes which they made in the past.

Mallory’s mother, Helen, was a death doula. She said instead of bringing souls into the world like midwives, she helped ease them out. She was one of the most interesting characters with her beliefs in coincidences, signs and affirmations.

The story was well written with lively characters. There was a fair share of unexpected twists. However, the letters by Helen were long-winded. She could have wrapped her thoughts up in a few paragraphs. At the end, there’s a list of discussion questions.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book with an expected release date of February 18, 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC for review. This was the perfect book to read at the holidays. It’s not a lot all a holiday book, just a family story and what makes a family. Full of family secrets, kept me reading and I read this in one day. I e read 1 Barbara Davis book before, but after reading this second book, I downloaded the rest of the author’s collection to read soon.

The storytelling was unique on this one, with three points of view intertwining but only one of them in first person. I found this a little confusing, because the book opened with the character Mallory in third person, but then switched to first person when the mom character was introduced.
There was a very big twist, that to be honest made me feel a little betrayed. It was not the kind of twist you could anticipate, and it recolored all the earlier chapters in a way that was kind of disorienting. I also found the subject matter a little dark. The mom character is a "death doula" and there are a lot of morbid undertones.
The book was definitely elevated by the prose, which was rich and made some of the more disturbing material easier to swallow. The book held my attention, but I'm just not sure I can say that I liked it. Ms. Davis' last book was so heartwarming, maybe I was just expecting more of that and so was a little disappointed.

This is a touching, emotional story that I adored. These characters will long remain in my heart for quite some time.
The novel is about many things, but I came away with the needed reminder that "each and every moment is precious"and to be fully enveloped.

Helen Ward is a death Doula and works with those who are ending their earthly journey.
Her daughter Mallory is a social worker and though she loves her mother, she never accepted nor understood what Helen's job entailed and why she felt the need to do this type of work. There is a lot of hurt.

There is much to uncover as we read these pages and get caught up in this mother/daughter duo and their lives both past and present day.

Barbara Davis has written a beautiful, detailed novel that invites us to look, read and explore our own values and feeling on an emotional subject that is never easy to face, but definitely a fact that one day we will all be in this spot. How nice it would be to have a friend name Helen Ward to be with us..
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review, 10 stars!!

For social worker Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is a calling. But when one of her clients is tragically killed, she finds herself at a crossroads. Despite long-held resentments toward her distant mother, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast to contemplate her future. Instead, she’s confronted by her past, not only in the renewed tensions with her mother but in the unexpected appearance of a familiar face―and the wrenching losses that drove her away a decade ago.

Helen Ward’s home is filled with precious keepsakes from her patients, a testament to decades spent caring for the terminally ill. Her work has always come first, though, leaving little time to connect with her daughter. Over the years, the rift between them has become a chasm, so when Mallory appears unannounced, Helen sees it as an opportunity to repair their broken relationship.

But hidden among Helen’s mementos are the keys to her past…and a terrible secret that threatens to destroy the fragile new trust between them forever.

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This book is not one I usually go for but as it was the first on available after creating my Net Gallery account and decided to give it a go. Barbara writes beautifully and about powerful emotions related to Family and Forgiveness.
The Helen and Mallory story is very interesting to say the least.

Like I say this is not really something I would go for but for a first read it kept me engaged and to some degree hooked.
A solid 4 stars from me, onto the next one...

Another masterpiece by Barbara Davis. She writes beautiful stories with characters that pull on your heart. I will forever read anything she writes.

4.5

This was a beautiful exploration of motherhood and womanhood how they converge into a dynamic and fraught mother-daughter relationship.

While one of the reveals may come unexpected to many, those who have lived that life could see it from a mile away and it was one of my favorite parts of the book because it was foreshadowed in such a way that constantly had me feeling “wait is this really what I think it is?”

The only reason it’s not a 5 star read is because it becomes a tad convoluted with the addition of a certain element that veers it too far into the soap opera territory.

Overall a beautiful story and one that I personally will always hold dear. It was nice to be seen.

Despite a heart breaking start to young adulthood, Mallory lands the career of her dreams in a big city and thinks she's overcome her past and running away tendencies. Her world comes crashing down when a forced work vacation granted by her boss/bestie leads Mallory back to her home town, facing all the things she left behind.

This was a hard mini summary to write, since Davis takes the book in almost every direction possible genre-wise. There are murder mysteries to solve, police procedural moments to be discussed and an unsettling thriller vibe that parallels with a coming of age story and a second chance romance. All of the components on their own are written very well, making me feel terror or concern or love in just the right spots.

That being said when looking at the work as a whole, all these pieces lead to a very random story. I have to rate it in the middle because although the roller coaster ride was fun for a while, I got sick of it by the end and wondered when I could be let off. If you are a reader looking to shake things up and be constantly surprised, this novel is for you.

Secrets and regrets abound in Barbara Davis’s newest gem.

We meet Mallory, Aiden, Helen, and Estelle - all tied together because of a broken engagement and all with secrets kept from each other.

Mallory is a social worker who had come home because one of her girls was murdered.

Aiden is home because of an accident that ruined his hands and kept him from playing the piano and is so depressed he doesn't even want to compose. His success was over in his mind.

Helen and Estelle are Mallory’s and Aiden’s mothers who never got along.

How will everyone’s life turn out?

EVERY PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE THING will pull you in and pull at your heart strings and have you bonding with the wonderful characters as you rush to the end to see how it all ends.

This book is a heartbreaking, but BEAUTIFUL read that will have you thinking about your life, your decisions, and what you know you should do and should have done long after you turn the last page.

Do not miss Ms. Davis's newest. 5/5

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Overall an intriguing book. Love the story line of Mallory and Helen. The plot twist with them was very interesting. Helen is a very interesting character, in fact most of the characters have a good backstory and present and are well rounded.
I was hoping for more of a love story with Mallory and Aiden. Like a big revelation. But it was expected.

Overall decent story, good characters and an ok plot twist.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy.

Talk about getting you into your feelings! This book sucked me in and didn’t let me go. I was so invested in this story. This was about so many relatable things like secrets, forgiveness, and embracing things as they are. Barbara Davis can do no wrong and this is a must read!

Wow! This is a beautifully written heartbreaking book. A truly captivating novel with so many secrets. Love, loss, mother child relationship, complex family dynamics, personal growth, trust and how the past shapes our choices in life.
A story of being there and supporting loved ones with a terminal illness.
Two flawed mothers and the choices they made and how lives can be destroyed with secrets withheld.
A powerful novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this emotional, hard to put down novel

This book is heartbreaking and heartmending at the same time. It teaches forgiveness, acceptance and holding on to what we feel is precious. It's a emotional mystery embedded with family drama.

I have loved every book by Barbara Davis that I have read. This one was no exception. After reading many thrillers and getting stuck in a book rut, this book drew me out of that, and what a heartwarming story it was. I highly recommend this for any fan of books that you just want to curl up with and bond with the story. 4 stars.

Wow, this book broke and mended my heart. It explores loss, grief and regret, but at its core is about forgiveness and love.

Mallory returns home after a tragedy at work, only to be faced with pains from her past everywhere she goes. Every character is flawed, has made difficult choices and had to live with the fall out. As secrets come to light, they all have to learn what it means to truly forgive someone, to stop letting your past haunt your present, and to love unconditionally. The heartache they all go through is beautifully written, switching between multiples povs and timelines. The final few chapters and the epilogue are particularly moving.

It also examines relationships between mothers and their children. The choices mothers make, right or wrong, to protect their kids. Children growing up and realising their mothers were people before they were parents, imperfect and with histories of their own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The novel explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the enduring power of family ties. It raises thought-provoking questions about the legacies we inherit and the choices we make.

I am going to be pressing this book to all of my friends. This book was one of the best stories I have read this entire year. I would like to welcome you into the lives of Mallory and Aiden. Teenage lovers with a tragic break up. After 10 years, both of their lives lead them back home. I rarely read a book for a second time and I am considering doing that to ingest this story one more time. If you are on the fence about this book, I urge you to put it on your TBR. Thank you to Net Galley and to Lake Union Publishing for bringing this book into my world.

What an absolutely beautiful story with so many layers and so many different relationships to be explored. I loved the twists and turns this story took, while keeping the pulsing beat of its heart at the center. Mallory, Helen, and Estelle all had an important journey to navigate and Barbara’s prose easily swept us into each individual story and made us deeply care when those stories began to intertwine. A story of love in so many facets and the bonds of motherhood. Every Precious and Fragile Thing is one of those stories that stays with you long after it’s over. Every book I’ve read from Barbara Davis has been a five star read! Pick this one up right away, you’ll be glad you did!

This book definitely sucked me in and kept me reading, even though the story was fairly predictable. It's a beautiful look at second chances and what it means to love someone.

Plot: Mallory is going through a tough time at work, and her boss/close friend sends her on a vacation. She goes home, where she hasn't been in years, to recuperate. She doesn't have a good relationship with her mother, Helen, which makes the whole thing strained.
To make matters worse, her former fiance is back as well. What will happen? (wink, wink)

It's told with intermittent pieces from Helen's diary. There's definitely a secret in there, and we know it's going to come spilling out and affect their relationship.

As I said, it's really a lovely read, and although you kind of know what's going to happen, you want to read and see it happen. There is a twist in the middle, although I think you can see it coming from pretty far.

I didn't love Mallory as a character. She was somewhat inconsistent, weak-willed but abrasive. She made a lot of decisions that didn't make too much sense but were needed for the plot, from the beginning when she went back home, even though she knew it wasn't a good idea. Aiden isn't so compelling, either. Neither of them says what they really want to. Somehow, at the end, they seem to find the words, but the progression wasn't gradual enough; it was just a revelation. There is also a little too much "telling" in the dialogue and characters' thoughts.

If you love a good romance with some suspense thrown in, you will adore this.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union, and Barbara Davis for an advanced copy for review.