A mystery/thriller in the mould of The Girl on the Train, pacy and addictive. Willa’s sister disappeared years ago on her way to school and Willa and her mother are left in limbo, never knowing if she is still alive or if she was killed.
The narrative moves between the past and the present day and switches viewpoint between Willa, her schoolfriend Robyn and her sister, Laika.
The first section, the current day dinner party, felt quite generic and didn't hook me although it was competently written. It wasn't until the story went back in time that it picked up the tempo and, the dinner party scenes revisited near the end of the book worked much better.
The unreliability of memory is a big theme and Easter Collins is great at pitting the recall of different characters against each other, creating a tangled web of viewpoints which leaves you questioning what really happened.
The multi-stranded plot reveals its secrets gradually and keeps you guessing right until the end.
Founded on a dark premise, the book is nevertheless upbeat and satisfying. A definite beach read and a great debut.

A dramatic mystery tale with its plot surrounding a dysfunctional family. It’s both traumatic and heart wrenching whilst delivering the mystery feel in which, let’s face it, we all love to read! Hitting queer love, multiple timelines, and different POV’s, this book is a mystery that will have you wrapped around it’s little finger
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Thanks to the publisher for the early copy!!

One day Laika Martenwood walks to school but never arrives and never returns home .
There is a large police hunt for her and a tv campaign but she is never found and is believed to be dead.
Willa is Laika’s sister and she feels guilty because they usually walked to school together , but the fateful day she would follow on after her .
Her sister’s disappearance shapes the rest of her life .
Moving on twenty five years there is a dinner party Willa is invited by her first love Robyn and her wife Cat .
This dinner party will leave many questions to be answered.
The writing style of this story is excellent it’s told from the point of view of three women and moves on seamlessly .
A fantastic read and a very satisfying ending.
A fulfilling and enjoyable story.
A must read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK - Fig tree .

This is a story of heartbreak, crucial loss and the mending of broken things. Things Don’t Break On Their Own follows the timeline of a present day dinner party that rehashes old traumas and is expertly written and very well crafted.

There is a strong message of why and how things fall apart but also how important things can also be fixed. Whilst reading, the reader can easily feel like they are part of the conversation. There is acceptance in the room and it is palpable.

The end is warm and satisfying and gives the closure needed.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!

OMG! WOW!. Just finished reading this phenomenal book. It's one hell of a wicked read. All the characters are well rounded, plot ties together nicely and there's definitely a few shocking twists. The book is brilliant from beginning to end, completely unputdownable. It would make a great film. Huge congratulations to Sarah Easter Collins. Can't wait to see what she writes next

A compelling read that is very well written and full of curious characters. It's an emotional journey with a satisfying conclusion.
Due to the nature of the story check trigger warnings just in case.
I'm not sure what category this belongs in - it's not a thriller (so I understand why some were disappointed if they went into it thinking it was) - but I really enjoyed reading this one and would look to read more from the author in the future.
With thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

After reading the blurb I was really expecting more of this book but I was left feeling bored and deflated. It was really slow going and not the thriller I was expecting. I got to around 15% and skipped to the end. It was a good ending.

A fresh new voice in the world of fiction ... and definitely one to watch!

Willa has never forgotten the sister who vanished on her way to school during their childhood; how could she? Laika figures in her dreams and her daily life and she sees her everywhere ... only, it's never actually her. Then, at a dinner party of all places, something happens which makes her rethink everything she knows . . .

Well, isn't this full of surprises? The scene is set beautifully, the characters are well-drawn and I was very surprised by the turn of events. This is a well-crafted novel which pulls the reader in from the beginning and keeps them there until the very last word. Both exciting and surprising, I really enjoyed this one and will definitely recommend it. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

EXCERPT: Over dessert, Liv tells us about her research into memory and now I really start to listen. We all do. It's riveting stuff - everything depends on it. To my amazement she tells us how fallible our memories can be, how our minds rework things, how key things we remember from our childhoods may not even be true. Wow, I think, that's a strange thought. No, worse, it's a horrifying thought. I think back to all the things I remember happening as a child, things about which I've always felt so sure. Now I think, 'but what if those memories are wrong?' What if there's another story. buried somehow, underneath the one I think I know?

ABOUT 'THINGS DON'T BREAK ON THEIR OWN': Twenty-five years ago, a young girl left home to walk to school. Her younger sister soon followed. But one of them arrived, and one of them didn’t. Her sister’s disappearance has defined Willa’s life. Everyone thinks her sister is dead, but Willa knows she isn’t. Because there are some things only sisters know about each other—and some bonds only sisters can break.

MY THOUGHTS: Simply stunning!

Things Don't Break on Their Own is a beautifully written character-based story featuring the mystery of a child belonging to an extremely dysfunctional family who simply disappears from the face of the earth.

I quickly became caught up in the lives of the main characters - Willa, sister of the disappeared Laika; Robyn, Willa's schoolfriend and lover; and later Claudette, Robyn's wife's brother's girlfriend. Don't worry - that's as complicated as it gets. The timeline switches between the past and the present as the story of Laika's disappearance is slowly unraveled.

The truth, when revealed, is both brutal and stunning, yet quite exquisite.

Things Don't Break on Their Own begins quite slowly and it is not until the character of Claudette is introduced that the tension is ramped up. A quietly written story of grief, family violence, friendship, sexual awakening, and the bonds between sisters, this debut novel is best gone into with no more information than is given here.

I can't wait to read whatever Sarah Easter Collins writes next.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#ThingsDontBreakOnTheirOwn #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Sarah Easter Collins grew up in Kent and studied at Exeter University before moving to Botswana and later Thailand and Malawi. A mother to a wonderful son, she now lives on Exmoor with her husband and two dogs. When not writing, she works as an artist.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Penguin General UK for providing a digital ARC of Things Don't Break On Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

When a young teenage girl goes missing one day on her way to school, the family are left wondering for over 2 decades what actually happened on that fateful day that lead to her disappearance. The media speculation and the pressures we regularly see can be relentless and scarily judgemental, fuelling the media fire, but rarely helpfully so.

Indeed, things do not break on their own, there is normally a cause and honesty surrounding that is based on how a family or friends ‘operate’.

I found many areas of this fictional novel very metaphorical, how desperation and fear prophesizes repetition of cycles and mistakes in life and how preconceived perceptions are problematic and seldom accurate. But sometimes there are things we need to do to survive.

This thriller was incredibly gripping, right from the off.

Laika Martenwood was 15 when she disappeared on her way to school. No-one knew where she was?
Her sister Willa never gave up hope that she was still alive and saw her everywhere.
Then one night at a dinner party she sees her. And it is her, really her but what happens now

I cannot believe that this is a debut novel, the writing is so mature, rounded and compelling.
An amazing read that defies putting into a type or genre.
Covering some very serious issues this character lead read tells the story of two sisters, Laika and Willa and Robyn, Willa’s childhood friend. Laika goes missing at 13 and told from their individual perspectives the book covers the devastating effects that has on the characters.
A truly unique and engrossing read that will stay with me long after I've finished it.

Twenty five years ago Willa's younger sister Laika vanished on her way to school and Willa has never got over it, convinced she's not dead but still out there somewhere she sees her everywhere she goes and she won't rest until she finds out what happened to her.

The story begins with a dinner party, Robyn and her wife Cat have invited family and friends; Robyn's brother Michael and his girlfriend Liv, Cat's brother Nate and his girlfriend Claudette and Robyn's old friend Willa and her fiance Jamie. The author then alternates between this and the sisters' childhood and how Willa and Robyn met. It's a tale of a dysfunctional family, which touched on delicate subjects such as abuse, relationships, self discovery and grief. It's a well written, compelling read which is described as a thriller but, even though there is a mystery element to it with Laika's disappearance, I would say it's more a domestic\family drama. This is a story that kept me intrigued throughout and finishes with a very satisfactory ending. A great debut novel.

I'd like to thank Penguin General UK for inviting me to read this debut, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Wow. What a brilliant, beautiful and emotional mystery debut. I absolutely loved this book.
A twisty story about loss and longing, of the ache of the unknown and the drowning.weight of past trauma.
When thirteen year of Laika Martenwood vanishes on her way to school, her sister Willa’s life is shattered. Willa sees Laika everywhere. She believes her sister is alive. Somewhere. Twenty years later, at a dinner party the conversation turns to childhood memories which goes on to reveal the truth of what really happened. Piece by piece.
The story is told in different timelines, past and present through the perspectives of Robyn, Willa and Claudette. It’s so well written. A intriguing character driven story that just draws you right in and is very descriptive. Laika’s story was heartbreaking.
It’s easy to follow, a real page turner I couldn’t put it down. Definitely one of my favourite books to read in 2024. Highly recommend.
I look forward to reading more from @saraheastercollins
With thanks to #NetGallery #PenguinGeneralUK @penguinfigtree for an arc of #ThingsDontBreakOnTheirOwn in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 20 June 2024.

I liked the premise of this novel. However, I found the narrative pace too slow and there was too much over writing in places. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I went into this one totally blind as I hadn’t heard anything about it but I think that worked in my favour. Certainly not a book that is easy to slot neatly into a genre!

I thought the premise of this story was really cleverly done. A group of siblings and friends meet for a dinner party and slowly they look back at the disappearance of a sister 22 years before. What do they remember and is what they remember accurate?

This was slow to start for me but once I got into it and wrapped my head around the characters, it was an engrossing read. It’s a slow burn but that works so well for this story and gave me time to engage with the characters and their perspectives.

There’s a couple of twists along the way and it built to a really satisfying ending

Thanks to Penguiin and Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

This was a slow burner for me, which I grew to love and in which I became thoroughly invested.
When 10 year old Laika goes missing one day on her way to school, big sister Willa does everything she can to find her over the next 20 years. Willa is sent away to boarding school, to escape the interest from the press, where she is given Robyn as a room mate, becoming best friends until the day of their final exam.
Some time later, they get back in touch, which is how we arrive at the dinner party at the start of the book.
The book is cleverly written. It starts with a dinner party and keeps returning to it as we gain more knowledge about the main characters.
This book would make an amazing film. An easy 5 stars.

I loved this book, it was so well written with characters I really felt invested in.
There are scenes of abuse in the book which were difficult to read at times; Laika’s story was heartbreaking.
I particularly loved Laika, Robyn and her family, and Frieda.
I thoroughly recommend this book.

I was intrigued by this book’s premise – a thirteen-year-old girl, Laika Martenwood, going missing, casting a permanent shadow over the life of her older sister, Willa, who still believes she sees her everywhere, even though more than two decades have passed.

The story opens in the present day with a dinner party, hosted by Willa’s childhood friend, Robyn, and her wife, Cat. As the drink flows and the conversation turns to how the human brain processes (and often distorts) memories, things take an interesting twist.

I would hesitate to call the book a thriller – it is certainly extremely dark in places and some of the details are harrowing, but it is moreover a character-driven story, which for me is the most important consideration for any novel. It was such an immersive read, and I found it difficult to put down, always anxious to know what was round the next corner. I found myself constantly thinking about the story in between reading - always a positive sign! The protagonists are well crafted and jump from the page, and I had a vivid picture of each of them in my mind’s eye.

The narrative flits between past and present, told from the perspectives of Willa, Robyn and latterly, Laika herself, and gradually the reader gains a fuller picture of what was actually going on in the Martenwood household in the build-up to Laika’s disappearance. Parts of the book made me flinch, and there are certainly elements which could be potentially triggering (domestic violence and animal abuse).
Ultimately it is a life-affirming story and the ending felt satisfying, if slightly bittersweet. The description of how Robyn’s mother dealt with her father’s illness was incredibly poignant and brought tears to my eyes. The prose throughout is exquisite and the attention to detail meticulous. I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who enjoys character-led, descriptive fiction.

This is a triumph of a debut and I look forward to reading whatever Sarah Easter Collins delivers next. An easy five stars from me! My thanks to the author, Viking/Penguin General and Netgalley for the chance to read.

I loved this novel. Superbly written modern story set in the Uk with current and previous timelines regarding a family, friends and a missing daughter. Rich characters. I hope this author is planning to write more. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.