Mallory is a social worker for at-risk youth. When one of her patients is found dead, Mallory takes it very hard almost to the point of a breakdown. So her boss and friend Jevet puts her on a leave of absence for the summer. With not enough funds to go anywhere else, Mallory heads home to spend the summer even though she has a very tense relationship with her mom, Helen. While home, she runs into her high school sweetheart, Aiden, and learns things she never knew about her mother. She is tempted to flee. Will she run or will she stay and reconcile? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis is a highly recommended domestic drama.

Mallory Ward is a social worker who works with at risk youth in Boston. Due to a tragic and stressful situation there, Mallory is encouraged to take time off from work. She decides to returns home to Little Harbor, Rhode Island, and stay with her mother, Helen, a death doula who cares for terminally ill clients. The two have had a tense relationship but hopefully they can mend it.

Making Mallory's visit more complicated is that Aiden is back in town visiting his mother, Estelle, in the house next door. He was the love of her life who who broke off their wedding plans ten years ago. The two have unresolved issues.

This is an extremely well-written novel which examines the complex relationship between mothers and their children, dying with dignity, repairing broken relationships, and confronting long held secrets. The narrative is told through Mallory's point-of-view as well as Helen's which include long descriptive letters she wrote to the love of her life who is gone.

The characters are fully realized, complex, and depicted as unique individuals with strengths and flaws. The past and present experiences of these characters all contain mistakes and secrets, but they all also long for a resolution and connection. What they seek may vary depending upon the relationship, but they all must admit to or confront their past to obtain the trust and reconciliation they currently need.

There are several big reveals and twists in this family drama. One huge twist was surprising but it also required setting a large amount of disbelief aside. Helen's long letters were also a bit too lengthy at times. Every Precious and Fragile Thing started out strong for me but lost some momentum along the way.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This book was an emotional one, but in a good way. There were lots of broken relationships in the beginning:

Aiden & Mallory
Aiden & Estelle, his mother
Mallory & Helen, her mother
Helen & Estelle
Mallory & Estelle

10 years have passed since Mallory & Aiden lost their baby and Estelle maneuvered the end of their relationship. Now they are both back home at the same time and inevitably cross paths.

Through the book, the broken relationships are explored, and we get to see beautiful stories of forgiveness and redemption.

The end of this one had me in tears. Davis has a natural way of writing deeply emotional stories and I loved this one.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for an advanced eARC of this book!

I love Barbara Davis and was so happy to see she had a new book! I became a huge fan thanks to 'The Echo of Old Books' and 'The Last of the Moon Girls.'

After social worker Mallory is asked to take a leave from her job following the death of a client, she retreats to her childhood home despite a strained relationship with her mother. Next door is her ex-fiancé and his mother. Mallory most definitely does not have any closure from this relationship.
We quickly find Mallory's mother sharing parts of her past to which Mallory had not been privy, but it's clear to Mallory some key pieces are missing.

As much as this story is about Mallory, it is about her mother, Helen. As her story unfolded through journals, it was clear my predictions were incorrect and such a beautiful story played out. Saga-like truly, but in a more manageable length ;)

Themes of love, loss, second chances, and death with dignity and respect contributed to a moving story and was just what I was needing to read.

Thank you to Barbara Davis, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would call this book an engaging study of relationships, family dynamics, and what keeping secrets and manipulations can do to them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt for the characters and their various dilemmas. While not exactly a mystery, there are some surprises along the way, which made the book more interesting and intriguing. I would recommend this book to my friends, though not all of them will appreciate some of the turns that it takes. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read book.

I am not sure where to start. This is the most amazing book I have ever read! It is the story of a mother and daughter who are mostly estranged. Neither understands the other. Mallory travels home very seldom but something happens at her workplace so she decides to go home for the summer to think about her future. Mallory’s wedding plans to Aiden fell through but she discovers he is back home. Estelle is Aiden’s mother and has always disapproved of Mallory and her mother. But a tragedy abruptly changes everything for all four of them. It is a most beautiful story of love, loss, forgiveness, grief and family. This story touched my soul and will stay with me forever.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the emotional story of Mallory as she deals with trauma related to her work as a social worker with at-risk youth, and as she confronts her past when she goes back home for an extended leave. She tackles tensions with her mother as well as ghosts from a past relationship that ended poorly. But, Mallory begins to sense that feelings may change as she starts to watch her mother's unique line of work, and begins to engage with the community herself.

I have read a lot of Barbara Davis's books. I think Every Precious and Fragile Thing is one of my favorites. This is about a love story on so many levels, regrets, loss and second chances. This was such an enjoyable read that you just can't put it down.
Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is her 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. Mallory doesn't realize her ex-fiancé is also back in Rhode Island until she runs into him in the local book store. Mallory just wants to run back to Boston and not face the pain that she experience 10 years before. Her mother convinces her to stay. Will this be the right decision or should she have left. The characters will have you loving them and the stories from their past. You will love this as much as I did and find it is a must read!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sometimes it’s OK to judge a book by its cover. This book has beautiful cover, and I also was intrigued by the title which led me to request it. This book really digs in deep to all different types of relationships. It does a nice job of telling the stories of the different characters by taking us into the past and showing us what happens in the present. There’s definitely a theme of forgiveness that I think works well with the plot. It takes you through a lot of different emotions and even made me laugh a couple of times. It was a good read, and I would recommend it to my friends. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ” Every Precious and Fragile Thing” in exchange for my honest opinion.

Every Precious and Fragile Thing begins with Mallory Ward a social worker who loses a client due to a tragic death. The reader experiences heartache and shock right along with her and reader discovers this isn’t the only time she has been faced with lose of life in more ways than one. Not only that, Mallory and her mother Helen’s relationship is tattered and Mallory holds on to resentment beginning from her childhood into adulthood. She refuses to see that she is spiraling and her boss (who is also a friend) forces her to take the summer off work to deal with her unresolved issues and healing. With no where else to go, Mallory returns to childhood home on the Rhode Island coast and she is immediately is confronted with her fragile relationship with her mother and an unexpected person from her past that drove her away long ago.
Helen Ward has devoted decades of her life caring for the terminally ill and helping people prepare for their last moments on this earth. Her home is filled with keepsakes from her clients and she has always put her clients and work first leaving her daughter to feeling neglected and unloved. Unexpectedly Mallory appears and Helene has a chance to mend their relationship.

This story is told in multiple point of views with dual timelines that reveals secrets, horrible assumptions, loss, and heartache that threatens the healing of two families. Will they be able to forgive each other and come together to heal what is broken before it is too late?
I felt every thread of the character’s emotion at the very core of my being. There were moments in the story that my vision was blinded by tears and as I write this now, I’m tearing up.

There are layers of themes in this story and one in particular is a something that has been on my mind for a long time: mortality. Over the years I’ve been studying many time periods in our world’s history and how approaching death or how one’s last moments in this life varies over time. Our relationship with death and how we approach those last moments shapes the very fabric of civilizations. This story put me front and center of this theme was superbly weaved though it’s pages.

I can not praise this story enough and find myself still playing the scenes in my mind that impacted me so. You know a story is worthy and unforgettable when it has moved you so much, you hold the characters in your heart.

Book review for Every Precious and Fragile thing by Barbara Davis. This book is so good. I love the relationships in the story. The relationship between family, with friends and romantic. It’s heartfelt, emotional and full of surprises, and also some sorrow. If you’re a mother or daughter, a person who hopes, a person who loves, a person who grieves or feels alone. This book is for you. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read early! #bookstagram #booktok #ilovereading #barbaradavis #everypreciousandfragilething #hope #goodread #NetGalley

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of Every Precious And Fragile Thing.
Like every other book written by Barbara Davis, this one pulled me in so quickly and made me want to keep reading.
It makes you think about your own life choices and how you handle the mistakes you have made in your life. It's a heartwarming read. Another great read by a wonderful author.

This was a very emotional book for me. There’s so much heartache and pain, but also healing and love. What a wonderful story!

When I say that this book deserves so much more than 5 stars, I absolutely and positively mean it! I have read many of Barbara Davis’ books and enjoyed them all but Every Precious And Fragile Thing is definitely my very favorite and I believe it’s her best work yet! How she takes 2 different storylines and converges them into one heartfelt and heartbreaking emotional read is beyond me. The characters are so well fleshed out, I could literally feel every pain and nuance they were feeling. I don’t believe I’ve teared up this much from reading in a very long time. There was a part to one storyline that was a complete and total surprise, I was actually shocked by it because I had not seen it coming but because of it, it brought the whole story together. This is a book that I’m sure will stick with me for a very long time and it’s one I’ll be recommending to all of my reading friends. I know I’ll even be buying myself a physical copy soon after release day to add to my home library of favorites. I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. But most of all, I’d like to thank Barbara Davis for writing such a beautiful and heartfelt story for us to read and enjoy. I’m giving this a 5 star rating although I truly believe its deserving of so much more!

I quite enjoyed this book and thought it was very well written with an emotional story . I loved the characters flaws and all . I was expecting a few more twists and turns but maybe this wasn’t that type of book . It was well worth reading though and I would definitely recommend this book , four stars from me

3.5 stars rounded up. This novel tells the story of Mallory and Helen (mother and daughter) who have always had a somewhat strained relationship. When Mallory takes a leave of absence from her social work job, she returns to her mother’s house, which just happens to be next door to her ex-fiancé.

This novel explores different relationships and versions of love. The themes of forgiveness and the fragility of life are also prevalent. I did not really connect with either main character but appreciated the author’s skill in weaving the stories together. I thought the last quarter of the book was the best part.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

The lyrical writing is beautiful. The characters are well descirbed and develops very nicely, it's so well curated and I can really feel the author's love for her work in the words. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Barbara Davis writes words and they just sing, her writing is so lyrical and heart touching. This was just as good as her other novels like last of the moon girls etc. as someone with a strained relationship with my mom myself I found this to really resonate with me and also give me a different point of view also. A book about closure, love, loss, grief, and moving on.

After only hearing praise for Barbara Davis, I jumped at the chance to read/review this novel. And what a brilliant experience it was!

This is the story of Mallory who travels back home to stay with her mother after a tragedy linked to her job. There’s tension between the two women. Mallory’s ex boyfriend lives next door and their unresolved issues haunt them both.

Heavy themes are discussed with dignity adding such value to the story. The multiple POV worked. I looked forward to each character’s POV (which is rare for me). Beautiful plotting and near perfect pacing had me enamored. I was glad I didn’t know anything about this one going in. The narrative shifted in many directions and I was completely hooked. Avoid spoilers for this one!

This was a lovely read. It is about love, loss, trauma and truly forgiving someone. The first 50% was a slow burn but after that the story truly got me and I couldn’t stop reading until the ending.

It had well developed characters and was told in two peoples perspectives, Some of which were told via letters which I enjoyed reading as we learn about her past. Then, to finish off there were some discussion questions at the end which really got me thinking about what I had read.

My first book by this author me definitely not the last.