A review by bookedbymadeline
Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

thank you to netgalley and Viking/Penguin UK for the eARC!

Intrigued by the start but it took a couple of chapters to be pulled in and fully engaged. 

I devoured this book in 2 days, I didn’t want to put it down and wanted to watch the story unfold! I did however guess the twist within 5% of the book 😭

I can’t say too much without revealing most of the plot points. It’s one of those books where the bare bones synopsis and going in without a lot of knowledge makes for a more enjoyable reading experience!

I will say that I enjoyed the complex, flawed characters. I also loved the flashes between past and present, and switching character POVs. There’s much less focus on the dinner party than I was expecting and also not as fast paced/thrilling as I hoped (especially given that this is marketed as a thriller when I didn’t find that to be an accurate depiction at all).

Overall it was an interesting, engaging story which made for a very quick read! It only took 2 days to read 😃 I would say it’s less a thriller and more of a literary novel with a quiet mystery added in. I’d recommend for anyone wanting a quick read with complex characters, coming of age, or discussions on memory, family, and identity. 

Rep: sapphic relationship 
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