After 14 year old Laika goes missing, her mother and sister don't know how to continue living normally as there is this huge hole that has been smashed into their life. Willa, her older sister goes to live at a boarding school to evade the press and it is there that she meets Robyn, who will become her best friend. Now don't be misguided by the mention of a missing girl, as this book isn't a thriller. First it dissects what happens to a broken family, and the influence of the press and the public. Then we get a taste of different settings, different families who all are somehow related to the disappeared Laika. There is the family life of Robyn, so different of that of Willa, the old neighbor who is slowly losing her memories, the life of Robyn and Cat in their messy but warm house. It feels like all characters are connected like being on a train, and we get glimpses of their life through each carriage.

Not only is it very interesting, and somehow reminiscent of Reservoir 13, but it is also very beautifully written. Especially the depictions of Robyn's childhood home were very heartfelt and warming. The point of view is sometimes very raw, and then sometimes distant and somehow adrift and dreamlike. I loved the writing style and I found it astonishing that it is the author's debut. If there is one small point of critique, it would be about a plothole, or maybe more precisely a incredible coincidence that I just don't see realistically happening. But it is easily forgiven, as it is a small issue in an otherwise very exquisite book. If you are looking for a beautifully written account of different family dynamics, grief and its repercussions, and human condition in general, I would gladly recommend this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I truly had no idea what to expect when I started this book - I hadn’t really heard much about it and didn’t read any reviews beforehand, it was just one that drew my eye on Netgalley and there was obviously a reason for that! I love finding gems that you may not have otherwise come across and Things Don’t Break On Their Own is such a brilliant story, I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read it.

The story begins at a dinner party hosted by Robyn and her wife, Cat. Among the handful of attendees is Robyn’s long time best friend Willa and her partner Jamie. It is obvious that there are tensions afoot but it is only as the story travels backwards through various dinner guests’ lives that the reader is clued into the reasons behind them. One of the main sources of uncomfortableness is the subject of Willa’s sister Laika, who has been missing for 20 years, seemingly vanishing into thin air on her journey to school one day.

I think one word to sum up this book is compelling: no matter whose perspective I was reading at the time, I was always intensely focused on what was happening and really eager to discover more about the characters. There were many surprising twists that I didn’t spot heading my way and the mystery element of the plot kept me coming back to the pages at every available opportunity. This is a cracking debut by an author who I’ll absolutely be looking for more work by!

Thank you to Viking & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was complex and surprising with a real sense of true human emotion. The characters were very well drawn, particularly Willa and Laika. I also liked the theme of memory and how unreliable it can be - I thought that was really interesting and the book explores it subtly but well. A really good read. With thanks to the publisher for access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Really loved this, it’s beautifully written with different narrators and time lines but not in a confusing way. It’s a story of family and love, hope and fear and what to do when it all goes wrong. This is a skilfully crafted mystery come family come love story that kept me engrossed.

The unsolvable disappearance of Laika- no CCTV, no witnesses and no evidence.
The characters in and surrounding Laikas family are so well written they step off the page and into your imagination. Each relationship is given just the right amount of background to make the character an integral part of the story without giving too much away and the interactions at the dinner party and subsequent flashbacks to the past are well woven.
A slow burner but with clever reveals.

Thank you for sharing this copy with me, it was such a fantastic book to read and one that I have thought about frequently since. The development of the characters is fantastic, feels natural, unforced and believeable. The way in which the story builds from varying perspectives based around one night is handled really well and gives a really interesting context to the book. I would definitely recommend this.

So I was invited to read this and was in-between books so thought I'd give it a go. And,wow. This book had me gripped. It was nothing like I expected, the blurb gives nothing away. You're taken on a journey told from different, intriguing characters,told over different time periods. The author drip feeds you information which keeps you guessing and keeps you turning the pages. I engulfed this book and will be recommending it to others. I'm looking forward to what this author writes next.

A mix of psychological family drama and mystery Things Don't Break On Their Own is beautifully done and a bit of a page turner.

A missing sister and a life spent searching intermingles with a multi layered look at an odd and toxic family dynamic. What I liked about it was it doesn't follow the path of least resistance but rather entangles the reader in the various characters lives that are lived in contrast,the good and the bad.

Overall a great read.

Sorry not my type of book it seemed to go and on and not much happening I found the characters quite complicated as didn’t know who was the man and who was the woman their names should have been more accurate with gender as thought Robyn was a man.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC

What a lovely but disturbing story. I really enjoyed reading it, and had trouble putting it down. The plot was very well constructed and well written. The disturbing bits involved the two main male characters, especially the father, although it was paramount to the storyline line that he was a serial child abuser. Will certainly read more from this author.

I found myself drawn to the mysterious and emotional world of Things Don't Break on Their Own. This novel explores themes of mystery, family, and sisters, With its complex characters and intricate plot it's a must read debut. I will certainly be looking out for more by this Author.

This book was beautifully written but I have no idea what category I would put it into!

I had thought the book was a thriller but I didn’t get that vibe from it at all. There were a few times where I thought of just giving up, leaving it until later to finish as I wasn’t gripped.

However, the story gripped something in me and, even though it wasn’t thrilling or exciting, I found myself wanting to know what happened.

If you don’t mind reading novels that don’t hook you and make you need to read on to solve a mystery, this one is actually good.

A very enjoyable vacation read over the summer. The story starts off in the dinner party scenario, and then moves back and forth in time and told from various perspectives. Oftentimes bleak and heartbreaking, it's well written and a good page turner. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

This was a really clever story about a woman who is dealing with the trauma of her sister going missing when she was a teenager and how that has impacted her and those around her during her life.

I really enjoyed the way the author used the readers perspective to change the dynamic of the conversation, you start out thinking one character is saying something shocking but when the rest of the conversation is revealed you come to understand the context and it makes much more sense but was a very clever way of making you apricate that you need to know more than one perspective to get the whole picture.

My only criticism is with the blurbing of this book, going in I expected a really atmospheric dinner party with shocking twists but that is not what this book was at all, in fact the dinner party its self was probably only mentioned across 20 pages in total.

“Things don’t break on their own” is the story of how a dinner conversation among friends triggers a re-evaluation of how Willa remembers the disappearance of Laika, her 13 year old girl sister.

Sadly I DNF this book, and it is sad because I really wanted to like it. It has several really interesting elements: firstly, how fickle memories are and how things that at one point are remembered as one thing, end up not being that at all. Second, I like how the main characters have a sweet romance that transforms into friendship through the years. Both of them being women is so important as I think more queer stories are needed in literature. Third, I like how the story is told by different characters’ point of view. I really enjoy stories told by different people across different years and this book has that element too.

What I didn’t like and what led me to not finish this book is the pace of the story. In my opinion was too slow and too descriptive of details. For example, several paragraphs were dedicated to explain the process of how a vase is made from scratch (sculpting, putting it in the furnace, cooling it down, etc.). While the process might be interesting for some, I would have liked either a stronger connection to the story or a shorter explanation.

From the part I read, the only trigger warning is mentions of domestic abuse.

I think this book can be a great read for people that enjoy a slow burn and want to take their time savoring details.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Easter Collins, and Kayla Fuller from Penguin General UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Things Don’t Break On Their Own will be published in 20 June 2024.

I adored this book, Sarah Collins is a masterful story teller and the story and characters weaved in this book are gripping. Would thoroughly recommend

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a read that is both horrifying and beautiful all at once. It tore at my heartstrings as I started to comprehend the full horror of what had transpired so many years ago. I really enjoyed the ups and downs through this book.

When Willa’s younger sister Laika goes missing on her way to school it sparks a nationwide search and means Willa has to change schools to avoid press attention. It’s at this new school that she meets Robyn and so we have the story of the lives of these 3 young women.

This is a fascinating book that took me along many different paths. Totally absorbing.

Laika Martenwood goes missing. The story picks up 22 years later with his sister Willa, attending a dinner with a large group of friends. Their conversations revolve around false memories and strained relationships. Laika was 13 years old when she went missing. The tale reverts back to Willa and her dysfunctional parents and her relationship with Robyn, a school friend. The past hangs over every conversation and the story neatly knits past events with a satisfying ending.

Twenty five years ago Willa`s sister Laika followed her to school and disappeared on the way, everyone thinks she is dead but Willa thinks she is still alive.
The present is set at a dinner party of Robin`s who is a friend of Willa with Nate Willa`s brother and his French girlfriend who looks familiar to Willa.
The past brings up Willa and Nate`s dysfunctional family.
Some good twists to keep you reading.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.