Member Reviews

This is the first book by Sarah Vaughan that I've read but it certainly won't be the last! This was such a compelling novel. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, I was proven wrong. Which is just what I love in thriller novels. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys books from this genre.

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"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.

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This book was a kind of fast paced mystery plus drama in some bits – there were portions which kind of slows down the storyline, but overall this was an interesting read.
Mother of 3 kids, Jess shows up at the hospital where Liz works and says that her youngest does not seem to be keeping well and when asked questions Jess is a bit evasive and Liz starts to worry that there’s more than what Jess is revealing.
Almost 75 or 80% into the book is when it’s revealed as to what happened – and it was not such a shocking revelation. But the story holds together as we learn about all the characters in the past and present story narration.
Good narration by Sophie Roberts; Esther Wane; Elliot Fitzpatrick; Sarah Feathers

3.5stars
#netgalley #littledisasters

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I loved Sarah Vaughn’s first book and I was, therefore, desperate to read Little Disasters. This one is fast-paced, compulsive and full of tension. I really enjoyed listening to it and felt it worked really well as an audiobook

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I have read the authors book anatomy of scandal and didn’t realise this book was by the same author. I wasn’t disappointed and the author writes with a flowing style that rings so true. So worth the read!

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I was drawn into this book quickly but I felt like the pace was a bit slow for my liking. This is definitely more of a mystery than a thriller. The characters were likeable and well developed. These type of books aren't real something I go for; family drama books on motherhood etc, and I think this one falls into the same 'not my thing' Category.

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Interesting premise of a group of friends caught up in a medical ethical dilemma. Writing with a page-turning style that employs multiple narrators, the book builds to a big reveal.

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I was drawn in by the author and intrigued to listen to an audiobook with so many narrators.
The narrators work well and helps keep the different POV come across clearly and considering I found this book to be so much longer than really needed, quite long winded or big sections with nothing really happening. A little repetitive, maybe just to cover the different characters but unnecessary.
Thriller, this book is not, drama, women’s fiction is more like it. The subject is one that has to mean something to you otherwise it would make for a difficult maybe even impossible read to complete, I could relate to the drama and the characters and I still found myself zoning out as it dragged on or was repeating sections of the story about what had happened.
This is a thought provoking subject and I wish I had found it to be better written to make it more engaging

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Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. The characters were very well developed and very realistic. The twists were relentless. Would defo recommend.

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Unfortunately this was a non-working file for me so I am unable to give feedback. Please see other reviews for an overview of the book itself.

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This was a very enjoyable read/listen.

I was very impressed with the audio narration, the story was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat, I needed to know how it would end.

A very character driven story that delves into Post Natal Depression and the consequences that can occur.

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Little Disasters was narrated by four voices. All clear and engaging, they made it very listenable.

When Liz is called to the A&E department during her shift to deal with a paediatric case, she doesn't expect to find her friend Jess and her 10 month old daughter Betsy. Liz has to detach from her biased personal feelings and remain professional.

The story was instantly absorbing and beautifully written. Sarah Vaughan explores the emotive subject of post natal depression and the engulfing effects of it going overlooked. The narrative emotional and heart wrenching, the characters are substantial but I feel the story is bigger.

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Little Disasters is a family drama about relationships, friendships and motherhood. I found it quite tedious and depressing. The characters were realistic but not very interesting and I didn’t really care what happened to them in the end. This was an okay book but not a memorable one.

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This book was quite an easy read although I felt it was significantly longer than it needed to be. There were sections of the book that didn't move the story forward, which could make it quite tedious at points. This story was more of a domestic drama than a psychological thriller but that being said it was quite eye opening and interesting.

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Can't fault the narrator she was excellent and I also liked the storyline and the conclusion. However I found the middle of the book dragged somewhat. Nothing much happens for a long time and then suddenly another piece of the puzzle is revealed. It was a good listen but I did find myself tuning out quite regularly.

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I'm not 100% on this one, I felt it was more fiction than thriller. Maybe going into this book differently and not as a thriller title I may have enjoyed it more. I did enjoy parts of the book, the beginning and the end where quite strong and kept me interested but somewhere in the middle I lost interest at times. I did find it help to listen to it as an audiobook to keep the story moving along. I don't think this is a bad book it's just not what I was expecting. But I did enjoy it overall.

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Wow! This book was FANTASTIC!

I have read other books by Sarah Vaughan and she is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. This was so gripping that I read it in a single sitting. The characters were interesting and the plot was fast-paced. Would highly recommend!


Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy and audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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In this audible review of LITTLE DISASTERS by Sarah Vaughn, I wish to convey my findings and experience. Firstly, for me, the narrator/s make or break an audible book.  i am relatively inexperienced with audible books and hope to find out if I enjoy this experience.   
LITTLE DISASTERS has four narrators, three female and one male, and information of their names is on the front of the audible book and was compelling listening from the start.  Each chapter is narrated by a different character, male and female. I enjoyed the way the book flowed. The storyline had me intrigued as the listening experience was excellent.  I enjoyed the interaction of narrators voices as the story continued and the ending took me by surprise.   However, the experience of 15 hours listening could have been shorter. The story was predictable, shocking, unsettling and touching. The story of four female friends, Liz, Jess, Charlotte and Mel, who met at university and continued to remain close friends.  Their friendship is tested by an incident involving their children. The genre made listening uncomfortable in parts.  I put myself in the characters position and wondered, what would I do?  I found myself unable to answer that question. 

I would recommend this AUDIBLE BOOK and give a 4 star rating.      


I WISH TO THANK NERGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READINGAN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS AUDIBLE BOOK

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'Little Disasters' is the latest thought-provoking thriller from Sarah vaughan, which focuses on how far a mother can be driven by jealously and also the need to protect her child. The story is told from the different perspectives of the main characters invovled in the situation:
Jess - the mother
Liz - doctor and best friend
Ed - Jess's husband
and a few other characters who speak less frequently - but none the less important.
Liz is busy working the local NHS hospital when a junior doctor calls her for assistance. The patient is Jess, or rather Betsy, her baby daughter. Liz soon realises that Betsy is showing the signs of a brain injury and that Jess's story makes no sense at all. The situation quickly escalates when the consultant orders that the police nad social workers are called and a white-knuckle ride commences as I was torn between sympathgising for Liz, who was following protocol and at the same time feelign annoyed wiht the group of 'friends' who did not notice how badly Jess wa struggling, As for Ed, oh goodness, I wanted to give out to him for suggesting that Jess spent less time on cleaning and more time with their children. Why couldn't he see through the facade?
This is part of the skill of Vaughan's stoyrtelling - she absolutely draws you into the plot line and you find yourself taking sides, almost as if you know the characters yourself. There is a 'twist' towards the end involving Liz's mother, which I could see coming, however, that did not actually take from my enjoyment of the story as the family dynamics are well-handled and there is plenty more to hold your attention.
It's also eye-opening to read about the pressures faced by Jess because while a work of fiction, there is no-doubt that post-natal depression, and indeed the pressures of society are often crushing for mothers. So, reading a novel where such issues are brough to the forefront is welcome.
Much credit must also be given to the narrators for their expert work of distinguishing between the characters and setting the perfect tone for this book.
Another fantastic nbook from Sarah Vaughan and I totally recommend listening or reading 'Little Disasters'.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Simon Schuster Audio UK for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a brilliant audiobook, a domestic drama by Sarah Vaughan. I loved her legal thriller, Anatomy of Scandal and was thrilled when the ebook was offered to me as a NetGalley widget. However when I listened to the NetGalley audio sample recently, I loved it and requested the audiobook, as I knew I’d enjoy it even more in that format and I was not disappointed!

The story is mostly told by Liz, a doctor working in A&E paediatrics in an NHS Hospital and Jess, an old friend and stay home mother of three children, plus Ed, Jess’ husband. Further on into the story there are points of view from other characters.

Liz and Jess they first met at antenatal classes, but hadn’t seen each other for months, mostly due to Liz’s work commitments. They meet each other again in very surprising circumstances, when Jess brings in her fractious baby to A&E and Liz really wants to believe the best of her friend and not the worst! Following hospital procedure she has to call in social services and the police, much to Jess’ horror!

What a dilemma, but what a fantastic story, that gripped from the start and kept me hooked all the way through it’s 10 Hours, 52 Minutes, 33 Seconds! I was desperate to find out what really happened to Jess’ baby.

There were flashbacks from when Liz and Jess first met, and other moments through their shared history with other families in their friendship group. I loved the slow dissection of their lives, exploring the theme of mental health, particularly post natal mental health.

I don’t normally enjoy domestic dramas, normally because the one’s I’ve read in the past don’t have any likeable characters. Fortunately the characters in this books were more likeable which made it such a powerful audiobook! Whilst listening I kept thinking back to when I was a new Mum and how scary everything was and hard it was to open up to anyone about those fears. I could really sympathise with Jess. most of the time, but also really felt for Liz.

There were four narrators for this audiobook, Sophie Roberts, Esther Wane, Elliot Fitzpatrick, and Sarah Feathers. All these narrators were new-to-me even though they’ve all narrated audiobooks before. I really enjoyed their portrayals of the different characters and would definitely listen to more audiobooks read by any of them.

This book really does confirm to me that Sarah Vaughan is definitely an must read/listen author for me! I highly recommend this one if you enjoy contemporary domestic dramas, exploring mental health themes.

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