I loved this debut novel by Sarah Easter Collins! This is full of deep character studies, and lives overlapping and intersecting and cycling others in a way I find truly satisfying to read. In that sense, I was reminded of Station Eleven at times. And regarding what is implied towards the end: good for her.

If publishers see this: I believe there’s a typo of “manged” instead of “managed” at 67% (on my Kindle).

Wow, what a read. I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the synopsis so approached it with an open mind. Not exactly a psychological thriller, more of a domestic drama although that doesn’t really do it justice.

The complexity of the sisters was so well drawn and whilst some of their actions and those of their mother were frustrating, it was impossible not to feel a keen empathy for the miserable life festering beneath the trappings of wealth and privilege. The father was a despicable character; even though his acts of violence and cruelty were largely glossed over, you could keenly feel the power he wielded and abused at every turn.

Some of the plot developments were a little convenient but I was able to suspend disbelief enough not to let that impact my enjoyment of the story.

Overall I’d give this 4.5, rounded up to 5. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a book! For me it started slow and got a tad boring, but it picked up. A story of a missing sister, love & heartbreak. Robyn and Willa are good friends. It is Willa's sister, Laika that has gone missing many years ago. At a dinner party, the story unfolds in flashbacks telling what has happened to Laika as the truth comes out. A brilliant story with plenty of red herrings and the characters are likeable.

This was well written and easy to read with well drawn characters, but
in the end there are only so many unbelievable twists and coincidences you can present to a reader before they give up, and sadly I found that in the final third the author reached my limit and it just became silly.
2.5 rounded up to 3
Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

I read Things don't break on their own in one sitting. The characters were well written and the story intriguing. Grief, guilt, first love and the complexities that is family.
the chApters fall into three voices Robyn, Wills and finally Claudette and how Laikas' disappearance affects each of them. I was hooked from the first page, each character being written with the pain that each of them had to deal with.

A sisters life is blighted by the unsolved mystery of her sister’s disappearance 25 years earlier. Unresolved issues related to a domineering bully for a father and compliant mother leave her struggling to maintain relationships. Memories are complicated in that she struggles to differentiate actual memories from what she has been told and over time accepted as fact. Then the storyline opens UP to a big get together where drink flows, inhibitions cast aside and the past and present collide. The author deftly dips into the past tantalising the reader with snippets of incidents from the past that collide with the recollections of our .confused and troubled protagonist. The thoughts and pointed barbs of a guest is the catalyst that escalates events towards a conclusion that resolves and clarifies a long festering wound of a missing child from a dysfunctional and abusive family. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for ARC.

Loved It.

This is a great book I loved every page easy to get into and told through the eyes of 3 people. The 1st 2 are Robyn and then Willa with a mixture of interactions,. .. The guest at the dinner party at up an all intriguing set of possibilities and lives will be interesting after this.

Willa's sister went missing and as you can guess her life and her Mum and Dad's are never the same again. When she meets Robyn well she meets a friend that will change her life as well. I'm not going to ruin the story for you but the interaction between the 2 is great the story line is awesome and the characters are what you want Or I do to for a wonderful read. I absolutely love the ending and the hidden story that could would make an excellent secule but its not a cliff hanger but it is a read that will stick with you.

So as you may guess I want to highly recommend this fantastic read and hope you enjoy it as well.

I loved this. Very original twist on a classic missing girl story. The characters are very realistic and the story moves at a good pace. Despite the subject matter and one particularly nasty character the story is gentle and sympathetic to the flaws of the personalities in the story. I did not see the twist coming at the end. Many thanks to Netgalley and Kayla at Penguin for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Nobody ever found out what happened to Laika Martenwood, the girl who vanished on her way to school one morning. For her sister Willa, her life shattered into tiny pieces that she's never managed to put it back together. Willa sees and looks for Laika everywhere, even travelling across the world to find her. It's been twenty-five years, and the only thing keeping her going is the thought that she's still alive and somewhere out there. When a dinner party conversation about memories spirals out of control, a shocking revelation is revealed by one of the guests and slowly piece by piece the real story emerges.

This is a heart-wrenching tale about grief, trauma, guilt, first loves, and family. This is told in three perspectives by Willa, Robyn, and Claudette and how Laikas' disappearance affects each of them. This had me hooked from the first page, and each character was written with such feelings that you could feel the pain that each of them had to deal with in their life. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend.

Interesting and enthralling I think it reads more like a novel than a thriller. Nevertheless there's a mystery running throughout and it held my attention and kept me engrossed with a surprising outcome. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

I found this an easy and enjoyable read. Th story unravels a historical missing person situation, cleverly returning to the same event three times as told by different characters, eventually revealing the identity of one of the guests.
This for me, is the main focus of the book. The rest of the story tells the reader what happened after the reveal. I found the first part of the book more interesting than the neat and tidying up later chapters.
The story also explores the effects of living with a bullying partner, looking at the behaviours that develop.
I found the final chapters a bit too tidy as they progress to the happy ending.
Recommended

Things Don’t Break On Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins

Twenty-five years ago, Willa’s sister Laika vanished on her way to school and was never found but ever since Laika went missing Willa thinks she sees her everywhere. Willa will even go up to complete strangers asking, no demanding, like a crazy person, to know if they are Laika but they never are…..until one innocent night while dining at her good friend, Robyn’s house, Willa finally learns the truth of what happened to Laika.

I loved this book and did not want to put it down. I think Sarah Easter Collins is my new favourite author and I cannot wait to read more of her books.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin General UK for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review

This book didn’t do anything for me. It was supposed to be a thriller but more a drama really.
I found it slow. Didn’t like the bad language and I’m not interested in reading about same sex relationships.

The story of a dysfunctional family with a bit of a mystery thrown in, this is a a character driven story about love, trauma and finding your way in life against the odds.

Told in the present in the form of a dinner party and in the past of the attendees, we get told the story from various viewpoints.

I really enjoyed this one. It was very character driven so they needed to be well written and believable and thankfully they are. Some really vivid characters and settings, the writing here is beautiful without being too wordy.

At under 300 pages it’s also the perfect length for the story it tells.
It’s does border on being over sentimental towards the end but by that time you are so caught up in the characters and their plight that you don’t mind it at all.

A very strong 4 stars from me. This is an author I will be looking out for in the future.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Viking for this arc copy

Reading the synopsis of this book, was totally not what transcribed whilst reading this story. It wasn’t a thriller that I was expecting it to be more of family bonds, drama and psychological process of grief.

Although I enjoyed reading this book and loved the author's choice of underlying topics and themes, there were just a few too many issues that meant I couldn't rate this higher.

However, I did particular liked reading about the relationship between Willa and Robyn, and the inclusion of queer characters, which is not very common in thriller type novels.

This book started off with alot of promise but as it was advertised as a thriller I expected more,it actually reads more as a family drama..At times it seemed as if some characters were thrown in just for the sake of it and their presence did nothing for the story.
Told between different characters points of view.
The twist at the end was no surprise and sadly a read ill easily forget.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC.

I found this a compelling and beautifully-written book about two sisters - Willa and Laika - and Willa’s close friend Robyn from boarding school. I loved the writing style and couldn’t wait to get back to the story. The present day opens with a dinner party full of interesting characters, including Willa whose sister Laika went missing when she was 13. This novel is a page turner throughout. I did find a few scenes upsetting though. The author writes so well about many things including emotion, loss, family ties and never giving up hope. I will remember this book and the characters for a long time.

Things Don't Break On Their Own revolves around the lives of 3 girls, Robyn,her best friend and boarding school roommate, Willa and Willa's sister Laika. Robyn has an idyllic childhood with loving parents ,while Willa and Laika's is the complete opposite as they tread warily around their volatile bully of a father,who rebel Laika can't stop herself from provoking. One morning Laika disappears.
25 years later Robyn and her wife Cat hold a small dinner party where the conversation turns to the subject of childhood memories, triggering Willa ....there with her boorish husband....with thoughts of the past.

This is a very accomplished debut from Sarah Easter Collins,a dark tale of secrets,memories,relationships,grief and loss. It does require suspension of belief occasionally but overall it's a great story that is often moving, just as often horrifying. The ending is far from predictable with quite a few subtle but effective red herrings along the way.
A great book from a new author .

I read this book in almost one sitting and felt a huge book hangover after I finished. The characters are well described, believable and more importantly, you invest in them. The book is set between then and now. Now is a supper with friends/family and a new girlfriend is introduced to the group. The then is when Willa’s sister disappears and her life is never the same again. We get to understand the dynamics of Willa’s home life and the effect her sister’s disappearance had on her family. This book is about love - sisterly, same sex and friends and family, it’s about never giving up hope, it’s about controlling relationships and also ultimately about resolution. I cried but I also cheered!

A missing schoolgirl, a family torn apart, hidden secrets and the devastating impact of the unknown are all explored in this debut novel.

Liaka Martenwood disappeared on her way to school over 25 years ago and since then her sister Willa and her mother have been desperately searching for some trace of her,

A dinner party attended by four couples, one of which is Willa and her boyfriend unlocks hidden truths which may give answers to the mystery.

The author describes the events leading up to the disappearance and since in such detail that I felt I knew all the characters even though my theory was completely wrong. The characters all had their own backstory which intertwined adding to the storyline’s enjoyment.

The heartbreak of a missing family member is unimaginable and this was explored beautifully! I really didn’t guess the ending and this added to the enjoyment of the book for me!

A book which had me page turning, searching for answers and applauding the storytelling.