Little Disasters: A Novel Paperback – August 18, 2020

Little Disasters is a compelling family drama. Once I started reading the novel and the traumatic events narrated, I couldn't stop. The story gradually unfolds with plenty of unexpected twists and diversions right to the last chapter.It's a heartbreaking and brutally honest representation of a group of young mothers and fathers coping with full time jobs, marriage, and our increasingly complex lifestyles which sometimes lead to helplessness and desperation. It brings home eloquently the challenges of raising a family and parenting. Lots of food for thought.I listened to the audio version which was brilliantly read, but I also enjoy reading through the chapters on my kindle. It's very well written and researched.

This book is good but it just DRAGS. Took me FOREVER to finish it. I can appreciate setting up the scene and painting the picture for me as a reader, but it really just made me less interested in the book. I finished because I started it

An interesting premise, but really dragged out and over-explained. I still finished it. Some parts were difficult to read, but these things DO happen.

Sarah Vaughan is now my favorite psychological thriller author. I read her Anatomy of a Scandal and loved it. She surprised me totally at the end. Little Disasters had me guessing through the whole book. It's amazing how she unfolds the story. Her books definitely don't disappoint!

You think you know her…but look a little closer. She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess. Then one moment changes everything. Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.My Thoughts: When little Betsey Curtis suffers an unexplainable head injury and is hospitalized, questions come from the hospital, the police, and even the people closest to the mother, Jess Curtis. What creates the most doubt is the sense that Jess is hiding something, which is why her story doesn’t add up.The ER doctor who first saw Betsey is Liz Trenchard, who is a friend of Jess, so she is taken off the case. But she can’t stay completely out of searching for answers, albeit unofficially.Little Disasters takes us back and forth in time, revealing the ins and outs of the friendships between the characters. As we follow the timelines and the clues, we slowly come to know what happened. But who will be most damaged if the full truth comes out?As we follow along with Jess’s internal monologue, woven with her dark fears, we also glimpse Liz’s past and something that happened in her childhood. Can anyone be truly exempt from blame when bad things happen?As we sort through the clues, we soon realize the emotional issues that plague Jess, and even how Liz’s own childhood traumas affect her now.A sly character adds a menacing layer to the story, and when all is revealed, much can be resolved. 4.5 stars.

My sister recommended this book for me. She is an avid reader and thought I would like this. I did. Twist and turns and keeps you on your toes. Don’t try and figure out the end before you get there.

Really good story. A lot of research into post-partum depression. A great story outlining what could be and the need for help.The issue that took away one star is the use of obscure words in descriptions. I am a voracious reader and love to learn, so I look up any word of which I am unsure. That is usually 2 or 3 words at the high end, but with this book there were probably 25. IMHO, it took away from the story. It was like a vocabulary lesson when it was only meant to be a book.

A look at what happens when mothers are overwhelmed and when we don't do a good enough job of listening to children

Apresenta os relacionamentos pessoais, familiares, sociais e profissionais do dia a dia de forma magistral, acrescentando suspense e expectativas a cada capítulo.Leitura fácil, e desfecho brilhante!

it was a good book, good story, good topic and a great ending

Sarah Vaughan tackles a tough topic in her emotive and blindingly good thriller, Little Disasters. Sarah’s protagonist, Liz, is faced with a tough decision when her good friend, Jess, arrives at the hospital, where Liz works as a nurse, with her young daughter. Jess’s daughter, Betsey, has suffered head trauma, but what is even more perplexing to Liz, is Jess’s lack of empathy or concern about the situation. Why didn’t Jess rush her daughter to the hospital when the accident first happened? Why won’t Jess open up to her about Betsey’s accident? Liz has to reach an uncomfortable decision then when she has to decide if Betsey is safe in Jess’s care.Sarah Vaughan’s writing has a really addictive pull to it, and I was immediately sucked into the story. I really felt for Liz when she was put in the situation right at the beginning. I could see that she wanted to help her friend in the best possible way, but I could also see that she had to think professionally about the situation and that she had to think of Betsey as her patient and not as her friend’s daughter. You can see here that the next steps Liz chooses to take will have a huge impact on their friendship for the rest of their lives.We hear from both Jess and Liz’s point of view. I really struggled to stay on Jess’s side right at the beginning of the book, and I thought that Sarah Vaughan built her story and Liz’s well as the book progressed. There is tension on every page. As I struggled to see Jess’s side of the story, after Liz first interrogated her, I could never be sure if she could actually be dangerous, especially to other members of her family, while Betsey was being treated in hospital. It was the questions about Jess which I still had in my mind which kept me turning the pages and the tension turning up a notch.This is also a multi-layered story. Liz’s personal story is complex, as well. Sarah Vaughan gradually reveals details about Liz’s past and the devastating events in her childhood which continue to have an effect on her in the future. You can begin to see why she makes some decisions that she does in the present.I thought both Liz and Jess were two, very well rounded characters whose stories kept me gripped.Little Disasters is a cleverly constructed page-turner, with the theme of motherhood at its heart that will keep you invested the entire way through. A solid five stars from me!

Enjoyed this book. Smooth storytelling

I loved Anatomy of a Scandal and this is similarly compelling. Well written. Having been through all the babyhood/children stuff myself, a lot of it rang true. The doctor was the best character, I'd have liked more of her story and her relationship with her husband, in fact I'd have liked more of the male perspective. I honestly think the author had more to say and was probably writing to a word limit. It did feel like the ending was a little rushed.But overall, a good read.