Scan barcode
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
"because sometimes we only see what we want to see, don't we?"
This was a hard read but a great story. Liz works in an emergency in the pediatric unit. She's working when a friend comes in. Jess, a mommy group friend she knows well, is cradling her youngest daughter saying she is acting odd but she thinks she might be over-reacting.
Quickly, Liz notices that the young child has a serious injury - it looks like she has had an internal head injury and is hurting. And just like that, it's all out of everyone's hands. The police, social services, more doctors and nurses - they all swarm in to try to understand what's happened.
I loved the main character, Liz, although you also get Jess, Jess's husband Ed and few other POV's. Liz was an easy character to like and I found getting to know her brother, husband, kids and mother interesting. I also liked getting to know more about the mommy group and how their group met and worked together as their kids grew older. It's a good read and I appreciated the ending. I wish the cover better conveyed what the story was actually about.
An e-ARC was provided to me by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This was a hard read but a great story. Liz works in an emergency in the pediatric unit. She's working when a friend comes in. Jess, a mommy group friend she knows well, is cradling her youngest daughter saying she is acting odd but she thinks she might be over-reacting.
Quickly, Liz notices that the young child has a serious injury - it looks like she has had an internal head injury and is hurting. And just like that, it's all out of everyone's hands. The police, social services, more doctors and nurses - they all swarm in to try to understand what's happened.
I loved the main character, Liz, although you also get Jess, Jess's husband Ed and few other POV's. Liz was an easy character to like and I found getting to know her brother, husband, kids and mother interesting. I also liked getting to know more about the mommy group and how their group met and worked together as their kids grew older. It's a good read and I appreciated the ending. I wish the cover better conveyed what the story was actually about.
An e-ARC was provided to me by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
annieruokayy's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of the “Little Disasters” ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Little Disasters is shelved under “Mysteries and Thrillers” although I don’t quite know if I would consider this book that genre. Honestly, I thought the book was great-but let it be known that it should come with a huge trigger warning. I read the book relatively quickly while holding my two month old baby and I cried at the child abuse fantasies. I’m not a crier. 4 out of 5 stars.
Little Disasters is shelved under “Mysteries and Thrillers” although I don’t quite know if I would consider this book that genre. Honestly, I thought the book was great-but let it be known that it should come with a huge trigger warning. I read the book relatively quickly while holding my two month old baby and I cried at the child abuse fantasies. I’m not a crier. 4 out of 5 stars.
marshaskrypuch's review against another edition
5.0
While this novel is a page-turner it would be a disservice to call it a thriller because it is so much more than that. Just like in her previous novel, Anatomy of a Scandal, Vaughan peels back the layers of a disaster so awful and distant in many ways, yet one we all are likely just one or two people removed from, at most.
Mental illness, postpartum depression, malice, accusations of the worst kind, and how a family can spiral out of control by an accumulation of innocuous-seeming decisions.
I like Sarah Vaughan's spare yet precise way of showing us her characters and her achingly compassionate depiction of children. She lets us explore the unfolding events from a variety of characters' perspectives and this allows the reader to get a ton of story without too many words.
Depth, emotion, nuance, compassion. This novel has it all.
Thank you, #netgalley for the e-review copy of this book.
Mental illness, postpartum depression, malice, accusations of the worst kind, and how a family can spiral out of control by an accumulation of innocuous-seeming decisions.
I like Sarah Vaughan's spare yet precise way of showing us her characters and her achingly compassionate depiction of children. She lets us explore the unfolding events from a variety of characters' perspectives and this allows the reader to get a ton of story without too many words.
Depth, emotion, nuance, compassion. This novel has it all.
Thank you, #netgalley for the e-review copy of this book.
mbjrose99's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Books like this (that cover topics th as t people don't talk about) are so important. Someone I know realised as I read this that this experience wasn't unique to her and that it didn't make her a bad person to have had these thoughts
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
A book that looks at the dark side of motherhood: postpartum depression, OCD, mental health, child abuse, narcissistic parenting, etc. I think it was a really well-done and thorough explanation of these things, and very well-researched and honest.
I will note however that all these things occur within the framework of a group of friends of well-off white women, meaning the characters all have access to assistance, as well as the benefit of the doubt when it comes to authorities investigating. The story would have been VERY different without the class/race aspect of it. Not to say this was a failing on the book's part, or that this should have been written differently - just that these issues were handled within a very specific framework.
However, one thing I did think was super dumb was the fact that the least likeable woman in the group of friends is described as literally looking like a witch, and specifically described as not pretty. Which was such a bizarre trope to fall into when everything else in the book was so well-done and thorough? It was like "and yes, the worst of them....shall be UGLY." Honestly, the description of her physical appearance really took away from any depth the character could have had.
Otherwise, I do recommend this book!
I will note however that all these things occur within the framework of a group of friends of well-off white women, meaning the characters all have access to assistance, as well as the benefit of the doubt when it comes to authorities investigating. The story would have been VERY different without the class/race aspect of it. Not to say this was a failing on the book's part, or that this should have been written differently - just that these issues were handled within a very specific framework.
However, one thing I did think was super dumb was the fact that the least likeable woman in the group of friends is described as literally looking like a witch, and specifically described as not pretty. Which was such a bizarre trope to fall into when everything else in the book was so well-done and thorough? It was like "and yes, the worst of them....shall be UGLY." Honestly, the description of her physical appearance really took away from any depth the character could have had.
Otherwise, I do recommend this book!
caszriel's review against another edition
4.0
Slight issue before we begin this review: I just found out about the cast for Anatomy of a Scandal and I am so excited (read my thoughts on the book here). Anyway, onto Little Disasters; this book reminded me a bit of [b:Playing Nice|53409131|Playing Nice|J.P. Delaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589404742l/53409131._SY75_.jpg|72728190] in terms of the context and characters (also, the UK setting) but it was also very different.
The main thing with this book was the way that all the characters interconnected in the end, with their originally divergent narratives converging in shared experience. Throughout the book I felt like there was something darker and more sinister underneath the layer of domestic intrigue, and the darkness shone during the last part of the book. Liz and Jess are both extremely interesting characters, and Sarah Vaughan expertly navigates the domestic world and everything that could go wrong.
The main thing with this book was the way that all the characters interconnected in the end, with their originally divergent narratives converging in shared experience. Throughout the book I felt like there was something darker and more sinister underneath the layer of domestic intrigue, and the darkness shone during the last part of the book. Liz and Jess are both extremely interesting characters, and Sarah Vaughan expertly navigates the domestic world and everything that could go wrong.
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
3.0
This was an emotional read, one that I did not entirely connect with but I was still pulled along for the ride. It deals with motherhood & postpartum depression and it not a lighthearted read. While I found it compelling & I had to know what happened, at the same time I found it to be a slow, boring trudge through the story. I feel that if the story was just focused on what happened to Betsey & what Jess was trying to cover up, it would have felt more cohesive. I didn’t really feel that Liz’s childhood memories & the storyline with her mother really added anything apart from unnecessary drama.
aschae's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a book to be reading for Mother's Day!? Without spoiling any of the details...
Jess appears to be the perfect stay at home mom. A beautiful person, with a beautiful home, unlimited patience with her children ... the "perfect life." Until one moment changes it all. Suddenly nothing she does or says makes sense make any even the people closest to her and left without knowing what to think.
Incredibly tragic and heartbreaking. This one pulled at every motherly string in my and left me gasping for breath. A book I won't soon forget and I'll surely be back for more!!
Jess appears to be the perfect stay at home mom. A beautiful person, with a beautiful home, unlimited patience with her children ... the "perfect life." Until one moment changes it all. Suddenly nothing she does or says makes sense make any even the people closest to her and left without knowing what to think.
Incredibly tragic and heartbreaking. This one pulled at every motherly string in my and left me gasping for breath. A book I won't soon forget and I'll surely be back for more!!
bobinsbooknook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a harrowing depiction of post-natal depression and was not what I had initially expected. There are are multiple POVs which at times felt a little disjointed but overall focuses on the core 3 characters.
It is far from a light read in terms of context and enjoyed how the tense a lot of the scenes/chapters felt.
The book takes a handful of twists and turns which I didn’t predict which was a nice surprise although the end resolve felt a little flat.
It is far from a light read in terms of context and enjoyed how the tense a lot of the scenes/chapters felt.
The book takes a handful of twists and turns which I didn’t predict which was a nice surprise although the end resolve felt a little flat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Mental illness