Little Disasters: A Novel

This story was soooo long and nothing really happened. It was fine, but there are better book out there

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.

The author did a good job depicting the challenges of a new baby and the dangers of post parturition depression. The characters were interesting and that kept my interest, despite the predictable plot.

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

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!

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.

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.