A heart wrenching read that leaves you wondering what you would do if it happened to you. Families hiding secrets they are too scared to share.

Having read Anatomy of a Scandal and loved it, I was super excited to read 'Little Disasters. Unfortunately I was left disappointed by the storyline. The opening started off well, setting the scene for what could have turned out to be a thrilling storyline, as a mother is at the end of her tether with her baby and thoughts of harm aren't far from her mind at all. Of course we aren't aware as to which mother it is, as the storyline switches between the POV's of Jess, Liz, Liz's mother (at the end) and Ed.

I found it all to be too predictable - a mother covering for a loved one, lying to protect them, landing herself in trouble with people thinking the worst of her because everything is pointing towards her as the culprit. There was too much filler between the main parts of the book that, in my opinion, didn't seem at all relevant to what was happening at all.

It was a shame because I was really looking forward to reading this, and I had high hopes for it, but for me it didn't hit the mark at all and fell flat.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was a very enjoyable read, it’s full of twists and turns throughout with plenty of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters were great, the story itself is fantastic and the style of writing was perfect. I have read many of this authors books so will be keeping my eye out for more in the future. The would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a honest review.

A good read, which kept my attention throughout. I would recommend this as a good holiday reading book. Very enjoyable.

I’ve read Vaughan’s most well-known book, Anatomy of a Scandal, and very much enjoyed it. I admittedly read it quite a while ago now, but I still mostly remember the enjoyment I got from the book and the overall vibes, even if I have mostly forgotten the plot. I went into Little Disasters not knowing much about it, as I don’t typically read blurbs for thrillers, and that is what I thought this book was.

It is not a thriller. My bad! Little Disasters is more of a domestic suspense, or literary suspense… I’m not exactly sure what the genre would be! It’s a long and slow read, nothing like a thriller book, but nevertheless I enjoyed my time with it.

I didn’t find much to connect to with this one as I’m not a mother and don’t plan to be, and the entirity of this book is focused on the mums and what they were or were not hiding. That said, I still really enjoyed the mystery of the whole thing. I read this in just a few sittings because I was super curious about the outcome. I wanted to know what really happened to the baby.

I would recommend looking up trigger warnings for this book because there are a lot of them, mainly involving children and mental health. I didn’t have a tough time but I think some people might do.

Overall I think Vaughan’s previous book was stronger, but this one was still enjoyable and I’d definitely read more from this author in the future.

"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."

I found this story a little bit difficult to stomach, an uncomfortable read in places about motherhood and the emotions, angst and terrors that come along with it, and I could not finish the book.

Another great read by Sarah Vaughan! I loved that she delved into the underbelly of motherhood brining to light the harsh reality that motherhood is not all rainbows and roses. I did see the first twist coming a bit, but was blind-sided by the second twist. Brilliant! With wonderfully crafted characters that I loved and a domestic setting that felt familiar, the story felt relatable and has lingered with me well after I finished. Easily an auto-buy author for me.

A hard one to review - this book is advertised as a thriller but for me it was ‘thrilling’. It’s more a woman’s fiction book or a domestic drama, but not a thriller for me. I think this altered my views of the book as I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it never came.

However, it was well written and covers a lot of important issues. Had my expectations been different, I think my view on this book would have changed.

This book unfortunately became lost in a batch of titles on my 'to read' pile - possibly due to its content making it a book you really need to be in the right frame of mind for. Post-natal depression is a strong issue throughout the course of this book which can be a trigger for some readers. My advice: proceed with caution.
The story is based around a group of friends who came to know one another through an ante-natal group, their eldest children all due within a matter of weeks of one another in the later weeks of 2007. Jess is the only one lucky enough not to have to return to work, the one with the calm, instinctive approach to parenting; she's also the only one among the mums to go on to have a third child. But all is not well behind closed doors for Jess and her family, and it's about to get a whole lot worse.
Fast forward to early 2018 and one of the other mums, Liz, is at work as a doctor in her local hospital in west London. She is called to the emergency department to assess the condition of a little girl, 10 months old who has been brought in by mum. It's not until she reads the patient's name that she gets concerned: Betsey Curtis, daughter of her friend Jess. Once she has examined Betsey she realises what a difficult position she is in, and reluctantly calls her senior consultant for advice. An arrogant, old-school kind of consultant Liz's boss is quick to get social services involved due to the nature of Betsey's condition, a decision which inevitably causes bad feeling between Liz and Jess's wider group of friends.
As the chapters switch between timeframes and characters, we slowly but surely get the background to events leading up to Jess needing to take Betsey to the hospital. The difference in how society supports mental health issues in recent years compared to the stigma which surrounded it not all that long ago is explored and put into context, at some points making for an emotional read.
I don't want to go into too much detail as this would ruin the whole storyline. I did get an inkling of what had happened but there were still sufficient twists in the tale to lead the reader down a couple of diversions before the end. I felt that the author presented realistic reactions from the various authorities and friends within the group and had clearly researched processes within health and social care settings so that the story remained credible. The pressures put on the parents of young families these days are demonstrated well too - the way we all feel that we need to put on a public face that everything is fine when really, we should say that we're having difficult day or need some extra support occasionally.
It seems inappropriate to say I liked this book, more so that I respect the author for tackling some extremely sensitive content in a way which makes it a far less taboo subject and felt satisfied by the outcome.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Little Disasters is a very complex and nerve wrecking story about motherhood, but also about friendship and how difficult it is to really know what is really going on behind someone's "perfect" life. I read it just before being a mother myself and although the story really touched me, I think that if I reread it now being a new mom, I would care even more for these characters and understand them even better.

Sarah Vaughan keeps surprising me with her stories, I think her writing makes every new novel special but her characterization just keeps getting better and better. I am really curious to find out what she is working on next, as she always manages to keep me glued to the pages of her books.

As I mentioned, this story has motherhood at its core. We get to know four different women who got to meet each other when they were expecting and from there, they have followed very different paths and approaches to motherhood and family life. Through it all, they have been friends and tried to support each other, but it is never easy to always be supportive and always try to understand another person's point of view, is it?

Little Disasters is a story that really makes you think and wonder what you would do in certain scenarios. I think it is difficult to find other stories that speak so openly about the struggles for new families and how we try to hide any small failure from others.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book but for me it didn't work.
I kept reading reviews which said it was fast paced but I didn't find it that way. It was also definitely not impossible to put down and took me over a month to read.
I don't think mummy dramas are for me - dull and decidedly boring.

I get what this book was trying to do, but for me it didn't work. I keep reading reviews that said this was fast paced and impossible to put down. But I found it was the total opposite. I ended up skimming through the book in order to get to the end. Maybe I've read too many mummy dramas recently for this one to make an impact. But it was slow, a bit dull and just did not work for me.

This is a fast paced drama that was such a fast read.
The story was multi layered full of twists and turns.
Perfect for fans of well written character led books

Ugh.

As with other reviews I've seen, I came into this expecting a thriller but it is more of a domestic drama. That in itself is no bad thing and, actually, I thought the majority of this book was a thought-provoking and compassionate look at mental health which really focused on motherhood and post-natal depression.

Had this book only been the first 90%, I'd have chalked this down to being a pretty decent book that was perhaps mis-sold as a thriller but had merit outside of that to be worthwhile reading.

Unfortunately, the last 10% of the story tacked on one of the most predictable "twists" I have read. It's signposted almost from the beginning and so I guess you could say "Why did this annoy you if you knew it was coming?" but Sarah Vaughan spends so long making the subject matter non-thriller in tone (and rightly so, to be honest) that when she brings in the twist, it cheapens the story as a whole.

I got on board with Little Disasters being a book about the struggles of motherhood and the taboo of mental health with new mothers but I couldn't get off the train quick enough when it descended into yet another thriller with a "shock" ending. Disappointed given how much I enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review.

I was thrilled to receive this after loving Vaughan's debut, Anatomy of a Scandal.

This is a great psychological thriller that highlights issues faced by mothers.

Vaughan's portrayal of the desperation felt by a mother trying to soothe an constantly screaming baby shows how anxiety can morph into the debilitating symptoms of intrusive thoughts and obsessive/compulsive behaviour. As someone who has experienced and tackled OCD since my late twenties I felt these mental health problems were very well handled.

The fear and doubt that is raised when Jess takes baby Betsey to A&E with a head injury was excruciating to read, I felt that all sides of the situation were presented, the duty of care required by doctors, the intrusive nature of well-meaning social services adding to a mother's anger and claustrophobia.

Friendship vs professional integrity, accident or child abuse, loyalty and betrayal all seep out from one accident.

Tense and thought-provoking, I enjoyed the social commentary and the twists.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I adored Anatomy of A Scandal and couldn't wait to read Little Disasters - I was not disappointed. A tough but honest read on how hard it can be to be the perfect mum you think everyone expects you to be especially when struggling through PND.

From the outside looking in, Jess is the perfect stay at home mum. Her three children want for nothing, her house is immaculate and her husband always comes home to a home cooked meal but Jess is struggling mentally. Overwhelmed, emotional and sleep deprived she is sleep walking through life and especially finding it hard to cope with "needy" baby Betsey. She also struggles with the guilt that she isn't sure she ever wanted a third child and that she feels she can't keep Betsey as safe as she should. As a reader I wanted to scream and shout at Jess' husband and friends for not realising how distraught she was. When all this comes to a head with Betsey being rushed to A&E with a suspected head injury all fingers point to Jess...

I was GRIPPED from beginning to end with this book and it gets all the stars from me!

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Child Abuse

Little Disasters is a story of motherhood, friendship and secrets we all hold.

I can't explain how well this was written. To me, as someone with no childern, I wasn't expecting to understand any of the mother day to day concerns but it's so well done you can clearly see the troubles a mother can go through even after multiple children. I have seen that mothers with multiple children are expected to be 'professionals' but that obviously is not the case. It doesn't always get easier.

All characters in this had a purpose and were layered. Featuring more than one mother in this was also a great decision. Having the comparison between the extremes of motherhood was perfect to help the reader understand how different mothers can cope.

The only thing that's keeping this from being a 5 star for me is towards the end things felt rushed. I felt myself flying through the book prior to the ending even though there was so much happening. After around chapter 40 things would happen so suddenly and then it would move on quickly to something else which is very differnt to the rest of the book.

I have seen people mention a 'twist'. To me there wasn't anything shocking in terms of exactly how things happened. They were hinted at just before half way but maybe I just caught them where others didn't.

Wow this was so good. I will be picking up more of Sarah Vaughans work in the future! Highly recommend.

Never before has a book opened my eyes into the world of motherhood - its trials, its hardships and its bone weary exhausting challenges of pure chaos - than LITTLE DISASTERS by Sarah Vaughan. It's not really a mystery or a thriller...but rather a thought-provoking and compelling analysis of predominantly two women's lives, and that of their children. It falls more into contemporary fiction and maybe a little domestic suspense, questioning a woman's natural maternal instinct, her endurance through sleep deprivation whilst providing love and care for her child despite being plagued with feelings of not being good enough.

The story opens with a confronting prologue. A mother trying to soothe her 11 week old baby who refuses to settle. The pleading with the child to stop, the crying that intensifies, the overwhelming feeling of being so incredibly alone day after day and night after night of non-stop crying. Why won't she stop? Why won't she stop? WHY WON't SHE JUST STOP? It is hard hitting and confronting as the reader is left to wonder just what the mother does.

January 2018: Late one evening just as her shift is about to end, hospital paediatrician Liz Trenchard is called to A&E to take a look at a child that has presented with some puzzling symptoms. Walking into the cubicle, Liz is surprised to find her close friend Jess Curtis with her ten month old daughter Betsey sitting there. It seems Betsey has not been too well this evening and after her husband found her in her cot covered in vomit, he urged Jess to bring her in as a matter of caution. Liz examines Betsey and is shocked to discover a soft depressed area of her skull that is tender to the touch, prompting the child to scream. And so after the necessary scans, Liz diagnoses Betsey with a skull fracture. Jess is horrified.

Questions begin to rise immediately as to how Betsey was injured and as Liz questions her, Jess closes herself off and her answers become vague. Liz has no alternative but to report the incident to social services who then alert the police.

But Liz knows Jess, surely. She would never hurt her own child...or any child for that matter. She has always been a cautious mother, even over protective at times, alert to anything and everything that could harm her child. Liz knows Jess is a good mother. But, due to the demanding nature of her profession, Liz hasn't been as present in the past several months since Betsey's birth - who knows how Jess is coping?

The women met in ante-natal classes ten years ago when they were pregnant with their oldest children and along with two other mothers, Mel and Charlotte, have remained friends throughout. They have regular get togethers talking about their children and their milestones as well as socialising together with their respective husbands. But Jess went on to have a third child, where the other women had just two...except Charlotte, who only had the one, and even that was with great difficulty. The women saw each other at the school gates but didn't seem to find the time to check in with each other as much as they used to.

And now, with Betsey in paediatrics ICU and Jess' story about Bets pulling herself up on the fridge and then falling...just doesn't add up. Liz is sure that Jess is hiding something. So what isn't she telling them? She wants to be there for her friend but she also knows that she can't discuss Betsey's case with her...making it especially difficult.

To make matters worse, Jess' private battle is exacerbated by her husband's previous friendship with Charlotte, whom he knew at university. She doesn't believe Ed would be unfaithful to her but Charlotte does have an air about her that speaks volumes...insinuating that their friendship was something more. Should she be worried? But she doesn't have time to worry. Not with the police investigating her for child neglect and possibly injuring her baby girl. Not with all these thoughts racing through her head and her incessant need to ensure her children's safety with the aligning of her rings. One. Two. Three.

Despite her desire to help her friend, Liz knows she must also maintain a professional distance...which isn't helped by her worries for her mother who appears mentally unbalanced as well as drinking herself into oblivion each day. When her mother is rushed to hospital and diagnosed as terminally ill, Liz is confronted with the horrors of her past and old memories begin to resurface. And then on her deathbed, her mother confesses to something so horrific...

How can Liz correlate what her mother has told her with the current circumstances her closest friend now finds herself in? How can she find compassion for a mother that was habitually cruel and abusive towards her and her brother throughout their lives? And how can what has happened to Jess and baby Betsey ever be mended?

But the truth is far closer than anyone thinks. And when Liz uncovers what really happened, there is a collective sigh of relief all round. But is that truly the end of it?

A compelling and emotional story, LITTLE DISASTERS is slow burning but in encapsulates you from very early on that you are invested in what happens from the very beginning. The multiple narratives are cleverly woven together between the past and the present - mainly between Liz, Jess and Ed with the addition of a couple of others throughout that provide their own version of events.

A complex tale about one of the most difficult jobs in the world, LITTLE DISASTERS also highlights the realities of post natal depression and anxiety. A woman's body goes through a multitude of changes throughout pregnancy, giving birth and then thrust into motherhood without an instruction manual, despite having done it twice before. Every pregnancy is different, every birth is different and every baby is different. A woman's mental health is tested to the limits throughout all these changes and sometimes it just becomes too much. It doesn't make them weak or inferior or a bad mother. Hormonal imbalances create a wealth of problems for one's mental health and pregnancy and motherhood is probably one of the biggest challenges of them all. So with my own experience with mental health, I am sure this book provides an accurate and realistic depiction of post natal depression an anxiety.

I am not a mother and yet this book makes me, in some ways, grateful that I am not. I'm not even maternal...unless it has four legs, a tail and goes woof. I was told by my specialist many years ago that I would find motherhood incredibly difficult due to my underlying medical conditions, one of which is my mental health. And in reading Jess' plight in this book I could really identify with her despite not being a mother myself. Those frightening thoughts, that incessant feeling of exhaustion, the never ending cries, the uncontrollable tears, the isolation and the overwhelming feeling of not being good enough...all entwined with her feeling of being out of control. I've no doubt that motherhood is hard...and this book really highlights its difficulties whilst trying to balance everything and find some normality again.

The twist, when it comes, is fairly expected. I'd long since figured out the several twists purely because this isn't a mystery or thriller and if you look hard enough you will see them too. While they are foreseeable, they are still shocking and ultimately still a satisfying end.

Overall, LITTLE DISASTERS is a thought-provoking read that is realistic and heartwrenching at times. Anyone who is a mother will surely recognise the emotions in all its overwhelming glory and quickly identify with Jess and her story.

I do thoroughly recommend this book. It is an eye opening look into the world of post natal depression and anxiety in the form of a thrilling page turning contemporary domestic drama.

I would like to thank #SarahVaughan, #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchusterUK for an ARC of #LittleDisasters in exchange for an honest review.