Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal I was really looking forward to reading Little Disasters and I was not disappointed. It deals with difficult issues but does so with sensitivity and empathy. Liz is a doctor in paediatrics and when a patient admitted is a friend’s baby who presents with a suspicious head injury she cannot bring herself to think the worst. Reluctantly she has to involve Social Services and the police and so begins the difficult investigation to establish what has occurred.
The story is told from a variety of viewpoints but the main thrust of the story is how difficult it is to cope with a baby in those early months and how unrelenting child care can be, particularly on the parent who has responsibility for the majority of the burden. There is an interesting exploration of the friendship which exists between this group of mothers whose only common link is that they were all pregnant at the same time.
It is a very well written book which shines a spotlight on how trying parenthood can be and it is also an excellent psychological drama as we unravel how Betsey sustained her injuries. I will be recommending this at my book groups and I wish to thank Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Liz Trenchard is a busy, experienced paediatrician. So when her friend Jess turns up at the emergency room one night with her baby girl and an inconsistent story as to how her daughter was injured, Liz is put in an impossible position. As the baby's doctor, Liz has a duty of care to report what looks like a suspicious injury; as Jess's friend, Liz knows that reporting the injury will open a whole can of worms and draw unnecessary attention to her friend's parenting. Jess would never hurt one of her children...would she?

This - in a good way - wasn't the book I was expecting, which was a psychological/domestic thriller with lots of twists and turns. Rather it was a well written and complex exploration of motherhood, responsibility, mental health, loneliness, and love. 

The characters are well written and believable, and emotional topics explored with sensitivity and skill. I enjoyed watching the story unravel, and loved the turn the story took towards the end. 

A beautifully written and well-plotted novel - I look forward to reading more from this author.NB: I was provided with a free ARC copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that this is not one of my typical books that I read and enjoy. It is a very good book however and if you are into books where you know that what happened cannot be as straightforward as it appears. then it will appeal if you are a reader like me then you may find the book a bit on the slow side although the last 25% do make up for earlier lack of pace and action. So, if you like the summary of the book then do go for it as i am sure you will not be disappointed.

This is a fast-paced and twisty drama centred around a doctor, Liz, faced with an ethical and personal dilemma when a woman comes into her A&E department with a baby she suspects has been mistreated. The problem is, the baby's mother, Jess, is one of Liz's closest friends.

As the situation develops, it becomes clear that more than one person is lying, and Liz is forced to try and unravel the mystery at the same time as treading the fine line between a valued friendship and her duty of care.

It's a gripping and pacey book with well-rounded characters, that provokes some powerful questions.

What a brilliant book - I was excited to read this as I really enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal.

Initially I was put off by the first couple of chapters as it sounded like it was going to be just about child abuse & the ensuing investigation - which as subject matter does not appeal - but I kept going as I knew her books are not just one dimensional. Am I pleased I did.

As usual Sarah weaves a compelling tale that draws you in. She really develops the characters well so you feel as involved as them in the process.

It has a real unexpected twist at the end - which suddenly makes sense!

Would absolutely recommend to anyone who likes a suspense thriller that has a real human touch.

Very compelling reading!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC..
This is just such an interesting read. Dressed as a psychological thriller, this story exposes the nightmares of postnatal depression and parenting disasters. It is well researched and totally absorbing as the real truth of a toddler's accident is gradually revealed.

Jess appeared to be the most organised of mothers, with two young boys, Kit and Frankie - who displays behavioural difficulties -, her family was completed 10 months ago when she gave birth to Betsey. Now, her friend Dr Liz Trenchard, is examining Betsey late at night in A & E. Jess says she accidentally fell but her story doesn't add-up. She has a fractured skull, but Liz can't let herself believe Jess would ever hurt her child. Nevertheless, the nightmare continues as Social Services and the police become involved.

Told from the points of view of Jess, Liz and Jess's husband Ed, we learn of past traumas, haunting memories of childhoods, and how warning signs were missed amongst a group of friends.

This is thought-provoking and emotional as the main characters examine their own thoughts and feelings. Beautifully written.

I read the author’s last book, Anatomy of a Scandal, which was a good read so when this one came available I accepted the invitation for a copy.

Liz is a pediatrician, on shift one Friday evening she is called to see a patient in A&E who turns out to be the baby daughter of one of her close friends Jess. Betsy had a head injury but Jess’ account of how it happened and why this perfect mum didn’t bring her straight in doesn’t quite add up. Liz is left with the dilemma of whether she raises her concerns with her boss and then involving social services. She knows she has no choice and the authorities are called, Betsy is really poorly with a fractured skull.

What happened to Betsy? Jess’ husband Ed is protective of his wife, but he also has concerns as to Jess’ version of events and also her behaviour of late. What has happened to the mum of 3?

Liz has her own sub story with her Mum and her less than easy up bringing. The story explores the frailties of the mind and Liz can sympathise and see similarities to Jess’ position to that of her own experiences with her Mum and growing up. There is also a lot of guilt being felt in this book by Liz and Jess.

This is not an easy read in terms of story, but it is compelling. It is brilliantly written and you can really feel for the main characters. It is a really good reminder of how much of s struggle life and in particular parenting can be.

I received this book as a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. I give this book 5/5.

A well written book about a difficult subject. It places you in the head, firstly of Liz. Does she report her good friend to the police for suspected child abuse? She is an overworked paediatrician, and then the head of the mother suffering from post natal depression. There are other subplots some of which I felt did not add to the story. Overall a well researched novel and interesting read.

This is a drama about motherhood, post natal depression and frendship. Liz, a paediatrician finds her personal and professional lives collide when her friend Jess's baby is admitted to her ward with a suspected head injury. Jess is investigated for alleged child neglect. The story is told from the viewpoint of several characters and this makes the narrative very powerful. I enjoyed Sarah Vaughan's previous novel and this was an engaging, sensitive and thoughtful read

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy. I was delighted to have the chance to read this book as I loved Anatomy of a Scandal. This book didn't disappoint. Another cracking good read from Sarah Vaughan.

A very good portrayal of the impact of post natal depression that was engaging to read but also left me with a sense of understanding for this cruel disease.

The author depicted very well the relationships in this book and especially those between the mothers, who are part supporting and part judgemental depending on their own lives, a spot on representation of the relationships between women.

Thanks for letting me review this book

This book feels very real.
"Accidents" involving infants and children are a common headline today. The pressure on the doctor treating an injured child coming through the doors at A&E , maintaining objectivity and compassion at the same time is demanding.
Is there such a thing as an childhood accident or are accidents causal and due to neglectful circumstances or carelessness of an adult.
Sarah Vaughan has the ability to bring us a difficult situation in a graphic and intriguing way. I fully appreciated the events as they unfolded and the resolution.
Truly interesting and compelling read.

Unfortunately I couldn’t read this as the text was scattered with the same sentence. Shame. First time it’s happened and I know it’s because they are uncorrected proof

My mind is still reeling and my heart beat is still erratic after finishing Sarah Vaughan’s latest book Little Disasters in the early hours of the morning and now having the time to fully digest and think about what I have read, I can confidentially report that this book is a powerful and thought-provoking tale.

Liz Trenchard, a paediatrician at the local hospital, is faced with an ethical and personally difficult decision when her good friend Jess comes into A&E with her youngest daughter Betsey, aged 10 months. Betsey has suffered a serious and potentially life changing head trauma, yet Jess took over 6 hours to bring her to hospital and is vague and cagey about how the accident happened. With a duty of care to the baby, Liz and her team have no alternative but to report this to the authorities, bringing social services and the police in to investigate.

The story is then revealed layer by layer by several narrators keeping the reader gripped and totally engrossed in this powerful and often highly emotional story. Both of the main characters are brilliantly portrayed and utterly believable. Liz is struggling with her guilt having called the authorities, questioning her professional and personal observations as a doctor and a friend to Jess. Could this accident have been avoided? Was Jess struggling with three young children? With her own demons to battle having had a very unhappy childhood and a strained relationship with her own mother Liz is even more determined to help Jess.

Reading Jess’ account of the accident and the lead up to what happened and why is utterly and completely heart-breaking especially as a mother, however Sarah Vaughan’s brings Jess’ mental health issues so vividly to life that all readers can’t help but feel emotionally affected by the situation.

There were several times in the book that it was glaring obvious to me what Jess was doing and I felt let down by her friends and husband who hadn’t picked up on her emotional distress, and my heart melted when reading her son, Frankie’s chapters.

This is another brilliant, thought-provoking tale of motherhood, friendship, guilt and shame and it kept me totally gripped throughout.

I really loved Anatomy of a Scandal when I read it a couple of years ago so I was really looking forward to getting my hands on this book and I have to say that my expectations were well and truly met.
We follow Liz as she works as a pediatrician at a busy hospital. One night, her friend Jess turns up with her baby girl and, as Liz starts her examination, it starts to look like the story behind what ails the baby does not match the story Jess is telling. So she does what she has to do, what she is trained to do and reports this anomaly. She is also very confused as what she has been presented with, what she suspects, what she believe may have happened, do not correlate with what she knows about Jess and her family. After all, they's been friends for years, their children all play together etc etc...
This is a fast paced family drama which hit the ground running for me and didn't let up until the very last page, engaging me completely throughout. And talk about emotional. What a roller-coaster there too. But as is par for the course with this genre of book, scratch the surface of the lives that we present to the world and a whole host of secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour comes flooding out.
Several times throughout my time reading this book I thought I had it all worked out. I was actually quite smug at one point... until that is when my "oh so clever and bound to be right" theory was blown out of the water and I was back to square one. Darn-it! And I never saw that version at all!
Plotting was tight and excellently executed with wholly believable characters that were easy to connect to / emote with. As already mentioned, the story was fast paced and got on with itself very well without the need for any superfluous waffle.
All in all, a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book via net galley and Simon & Schuster UK. This is a harrowing story and not necessarily an easy read. The author has captured the discomfort that people feel when faced with potential child abuse and crafted it into soothing that the reader too feels. Three strand make up the storyline - a mother who hurts her baby daughter, who has another child with undiagnosed issues and also probably suffering from Post natal depression but there is so much more to the book. Each character is more than the person they display to the outside world. Sarah Vaughan has opened their internal flaws and poured them into the story line. Almost like in her previous novel Vaughan starts to open up a second option for what really happened - an option that really had me catching my breath and racking up my discomfort. Yet there is more to come and the story develops right up to the last pages.

I have enjoyed both the books i have read by this author and would definitely read more

Jess brings Betsy, her 11 week old, third child, to A&E., she having been vomiting and distressed for several hours. By chance, a friend Liz, a Doctor, who has seen her less frequently of late, is on duty and notices Betsy's name on the register. She examines Betsy and then calls for a second opinion. Jess appears very strained and diffident and Liz endeavours to reassure and comfort her whilst Betsy, who wont be comforted, is being examined. Professionally questions begin to surface. The child has a bump on the back of her head, Why did the mother delay seeking help or bringing her to A&E sooner? Jess is far from convincing with her responses. Could this be a case of child abuse? What follows includes a police investigation to establish what has happened. Has there been an accident or deliberate harming of the child?
A depressed Jess agonises about her inadequacies as a mother. Betsy has been so more demanding than her older siblings. Has she let her down? Is it all her fault? She has made mistakes and not revealed all. Is she too protective? We learn that Liz's life is not all you might expect and neither are those of other friends with children of similar ages. All generally display self confidence and success but all can be judgmental of one another.

Sara Vaughan weaves an intricate story through their lives over the next 6 weeks. The forensic detail is all there but the ending still came as a surprise to me.

If you enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal you wont be disappointed with Little Disasters. High quality prose which sucks you in.

Highly recommended..

This story centres around Liz Trenchard and Jess Curtis when their lives tangled up as Jess brings her little baby girl to A&E with an inexplicable blow to the head. The book is narrated mostly by Jess and Liz and it starts with the incident and then follows the characters stories to reveal what truly happened.
Its my first book by Sarah Vaughan but I’m thoroughly impressed with her compelling prose. This book is thought provoking especially if you are a mother in this modern society when you are expected to be a mother and juggle everything else too.
It’s an authentic portrait of what it’s like to be a parent nowadays as well as a reminder of how our personalities are moulded not only from our childhood but due to outside pressures.
I also enjoyed how the author was quite faithful to the hospital policies that are in place (probably as I work in the field) and how the emotions are so wisely and masterly played with throughout the book.
There is suspense, tension, emotion and lots of plot twists to keep you completely ravelled in this novel.
Despite not being completely my favourite genre to read, with believable characters that provoke strong feelings and a multi-layered sorry, this book certainly captured my interest and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological/domestic thriller.
Thank you #netgalley and #simonandschuster for the opportunity to read #littledisasters prior to its publishing date on 01.05.2020 in exchange for an honest review.

This book got my attention from the start. It is about a seemly happy family whose daughter has a fractured skull and there doctor friend who sees them in the hospital suspects the injury looks like abuse.
I thought early on I had guessed the twist at the end only to find I only suspected a part of it.
Although the subject of possible child abuse is not nice to read about it turns out to be a lovely book with a happy ending.
Thanks to Net Galley for this book.

This is another brilliant book written by Sarah Vaughan. A novel about motherhood, it doesn’t always come naturally to be a mother, will you be a different mother to what your own mother was?

Throughout the book there seems to be a clear message that motherhood or good parenting doesn’t always come naturally.

When Jess takes her young daughter Betsey to Accident and Emergency the doctor on that night is Liz a paediatric registrar and friend of Jess, Liz asks all the usual questions, as to what happened and when, are there any other symptoms, just the routine questions, but Jess’s answers don’t match with the injury Betsey has sustained. Because Liz is friends with Jess she has to call her boss, as she is not allowed to treat friends or family. The two Drs agree that something isn’t right, with the injuries and information given by Jess, Legally they have no option but to involve social services and the police, as their obligation is to the patient and safeguarding.

The police and Jess’s family try to work out what had happened, how had Betsey got a fractured skull, a chain of events happens where lives begin to unravel, secrets come out and relationships are pushed.

The chapters are written from the perspective of one of the characters, Liz’s chapters are written in first person, the chapters are mostly at the present time but some do jump back to the past, letting the reader know how the characters met and their friendships and relationships.

Having had 4 children myself, I could relate to some of this story, I had also had postpartum depression with my third son, he had also sustained a fractured skull after his dad put him in his high chair but hadn’t strapped him in, he had fallen and hit his head, little did we know he had sustained a fractured skull until, he went into a coma. The looks and the guilt you feel at the time was awful.

There is also a good focus on how women are after giving birth, adjusting to life with the responsibility of a child, whether it’s through the help of friends and family. Or do they find themselves In the depths of despair with postpartum depression, or even more serious mental health issues.

Some great characters, which as a mum and now grandmother I could totally relate to, they were believable, relatable, being a parent is one of the hardest jobs there is. I highly recommend this book. A great story.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Simon&Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.