Love!!!!! This is my first book by this author and I will absolutely be back for more. Her ability to fill a page with beautiful descriptions transporting me right into the book was exactly what I needed!

Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis is set on the Rhode Island coast and features two families who life next door to each other in this wealthy community. Mallory Ward is a social worker working with at risk teenagers and when one of her clients is murdered Mallory goes back to Rhode Island to contemplate her career. Mallory and her mother have a tense relationship and it is whether on this return home they will be able to resolve their past and move forward.
Meanwhile next door there is another person who has returned home, Mallory’s former fiancé. After Mallory suffered a miscarriage Aiden goes off to resume his pianist career, it is ten years before they meet again.
Helen Ward is Mallory’s mother, she is also a death dula by trade and has spent her life caring for terminally ill patients who have no family left to look after them. On Mallory’s visit home, she unexpectedly becomes friends with Estelle Cavanagh, Aiden’s mother when she is terminally ill.
The summer is a time of reconciliation and the time to give up the secrets of the past, so that all four people can begin to move on with the next stage of their lives.
Highly recommended

I wanted to love this one. Loved Mallory, but boy oh boy was this a slow moving book that at times I wanted to DNF. It had so much potential but I think the execution just didn’t work out. However, I will check out more of the authors work in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed Every Previous and Fragile Thing and gave it 4 stars! The tension between the characters was wonderfully crafted, keeping me engaged throughout the story. The foreshadowing and subtle hints sprinkled along the way added depth, and the twisty reveal was perfectly timed and cleverly concealed until the right moment.

If you're a fan of complicated family dynamics, strong character development, and real-life struggles, this book is an excellent choice. Barbara Davis does a fantastic job of weaving together these elements into a compelling read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just ok.

I felt like the story dragged in places and there was a 'big secret' that I had guessed way before it was revealed.

There was a lot going on - family drama, dealing with death/dying, romance, past secrets, etc. It just never came together that well for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A typical read by this author. She is a master at familial drama and unraveling the mysteries of complicated family relationships.
This was a good book about the relationship complexity between mother and child
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

I really enjoyed my first book by this author, The Echo of Old Books , and it had taken me by surprise that I had never read her before. In my review of that title I had written it wouldn’t be my last. As soon as I saw this on NetGalley I grabbed it and am I ever glad I did.

Even though they are sort of on the outs and have a very strained relationship Mallory goes home to get over a tragedy. Not only does she have to deal with her estranged mother but she also has to deal with the ex-boyfriend next door. As usual, Davis writes characters that I care about and feel invested in. Even though they had their flaws I loved being on their journey of personal growth. The pacing of the book had me flipping pages and saying “Just one more chapter” over and over again.

Even though the book deals with death and loss it's a very heartwarming book at its core. I felt so many emotions while reading it and that's what the author is known for. This one is about motherhood, coming to grips with our mistakes and how keeping secrets isn’t always a good idea. The story and characters captivated me and it was hard to put the book down so the 400 pages just flew by. Barbara Davis does it again and in this thought-provoking story she asks…are we defined by our past? Can we learn from it or does it have to shape our future? It was a very powerful book and once again I'm looking forward to reading another book by Barbara Davis. She has won me over.

A heart wretching story of a mother/daughter relationship that will leave the reader in tears. A mother who has spent her life helping people with terminal illnesses and her daughter, a social worker, are reunited after the daughter returns home after a devastating event that involved one of her clients. Hidden secrets between the two main characters. friends reunited, and what it means to be a family are explored in this novel. This would be a good book choice for your next book club, highly recommendable.

My Review
💜💜💜💜💜

A captivating story from the beginning to the end.

mother and children fiction.💜

This story was written with heart and soul.
The author always writes books that keep me intrigued. Her books are simply amazing.

The name of the book is perfect. It's simply a beautiful story.
I love books with journals, history of the story. I'm reading. This one is just a beautiful story.

Love and loss, and so much more along the way.

This author's work I've loved each book i have read of hers.

I loved everything about this Story.
Thank you Barbara Davis-author

This is a very difficult book to review because how it started doesn't really relate to the story as a whole - the beginning felt like a crime novel but then the rest of the book was an emotional, romance, life-affirming type story and I feel as though the editor should have helped the author to smooth it out.

The main story I didn't understand really at all - how two people could still be so caught up in each other ten years on, to the extent that they haven't been able to live their lives properly and then when they're together again after ten years there's some kind of tension which then quickly just goes away and they can go from that to suddenly talking of marriage so quickly. I just didn't buy it, nor did I feel or SEE any passion. It didn't make sense.

The part of the story I really liked was Estelle's story, her character was fantastic, it was emotional and well written.

I don't like the sense that when someone is dying it's pretty much all is forgiven and everyone moves on - that isn't believable.

Overall, the story was OK but flawed.

This book covers so many emotions: forgiveness, healing, relationships, death. Mallory finds herself returning to her childhood home to deal with her doubts about her ability to continue counseling at-risk children. Returning home means spending time with her mother who she is essentially estranged from. The story is very well told and you can feel all the old and new emotions. As Mallory learns more about her mother’s life she finds out more about herself as well. This book was nearly impossible to put down after about 50 percent. If you like emotionally charged women’s fiction I recommend this book. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll be looking for more. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a pleasant enough read but a tad dull in places. The characters, aside from Estelle, aren’t particularly memorable and the plot didn’t grab me. I’m sorry to not be able to give this a more positive review, but I just struggled to connect with it.

This story really grew on me as I read. There are so many dynamic plot lines to this story! Truthfully, I didn’t love the beginning of the book. The prologue opens with a very confusing and vague scene between two people. I had no idea what was going on I had to go back and read it over again once I was done reading the rest of the story. However, the vagueness was intended and the author did a great job connecting all the moving pieces in the end.

The story revolves around a woman named Mallory who has (not) been dealing with some major events in her life. For ten years, Mallory has been guarded and pushing everyone in her life away, including her mom and ex-fiancé, Aiden. Eventually, Mallory has to face her past and those who mean the most to her. Mallory and her mom might actually be more similar than they realize. Mallory has changed, but she might not be so different from the young woman who fell in love with the next door neighbour. And that neighbour boy… he might still be feeling the love there too.

I was rooting for Mallory and Aiden’s love story. They were both guarded and angry at the world. They needed each other but couldn’t let their guard down until they were forced to confront their fears and their past because time was running out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the advanced reader copy of this book. I plan to add more books from this author to my TBR list!

“Every Precious and Fragile Thing” by Barbara Davis is an absolutely awesome book! This novel is about the importance of being there and supporting people diagnosed with terminal illness. It is heartfelt, emotional and profound. The characters are so beautifully written I felt like I knew them personally. The story revolves around two mothers and their adult children, and delves deeply into the imperfect choices we all choose on the journey of our lives and how long held secrets can destroy trust.
This novel is a powerful reminder of the importance of forgiveness that comes from reconciliation and understanding. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe how great this book is other to say this is a “must” read for everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Whew! This novel requires heavy lifting emotionally. While the focus is on the strained relationship of a mother and her adult daughter, the storyline explores many facets of love and its challenges when secrets are kept and miscommunication flourishes. Additionally, there is a backdrop of end-of-life care with the intention of supporting a dignified transition for the terminally ill. This latter theme is made more poignant by reading the author’s note at the conclusion of the book. While she was writing this novel, her husband was diagnosed with cancer and underwent therapy, which thankfully was successful. The shock and stress of living through that process and simultaneously creating this heartfelt story lends deep credence to the compassion and understanding embedded in the writing. I have admired the author’s work for some time and this book solidifies my admiration for her honesty and bravery in approaching a sensitive topic.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This is my first Barbara Davis novel and won't be my last!

Mallory comes home due to a forced leave and has to deal with several issues from her past, including a broken off engagement with Aiden and a strained relationship with her mother, Helen.

This novel alternates between the POVs of Mallory, Helen and Estelle. I loved the alternate POVs, especially Estelle's and would have liked Aiden's to be included. I loved how Davis revealed the narrator's memories of the past and their honest reflections on those memories and how they influenced the people around them for better or worse.

This was a slow burn novel that unwrapped many layers of secrets throughout to the pages to keep the reader engaged. It had a solid surprise ending which I did not see coming.

I particularly appreciated how Davis left the relationship between Mallory and Aiden - maybe a sequel?

Overall, I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading other works by this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In “Every Precious and Fragile Thing,” social worker Mallory Ward faces a life-altering moment when one of her at-risk youth clients is tragically killed. This incident forces her to confront her own unresolved issues, particularly her long-standing resentment towards her distant mother, Helen Ward. Seeking solace, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast, hoping to find clarity about her future.

A poignant tale that delves into the struggles of a mother-daughter relationship against the backdrop of personal tragedy and long-buried secrets. It highlights how deeply ingrained resentments can affect connections while also offering hope for healing and understanding.

Luminous, hopeful, and emotionally powerful, EVERY PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE THING is the kind of novel that will have you taking stock of all the small, priceless moments in your own life with renewed gratitude. Davis has crafted a tender, moving story of living well, dying well, and the legacy of love we leave behind.

I wanted to love this one but I just didn’t. I really loved Helen and Poppy’s story—it was gut wrenching and pulled at my heart strings. Mallory and Aiden’s story was just… meh. I found it so weird there wasn’t any communication from them and their relationship just fell apart after losing their baby. I get that they were young, but it just felt like an easy ending/pause for them.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

Every Precious and Fragile Thing

By Barbara Davis

A great story of the bonds between mothers and their children. This story, written from the point of view of Mallory, her mother Helen and their neighbour Estelle as they reminisce and learn from their pasts.

Mallory, forced to return to her home town after years away, is faced with not only her mother's secrets but also the ex she ran away from years before. Helen faces a twist of her own when trying to spend time with her daughter provides her with a new opportunity and friend. Estelle facing her own grief must face her mistakes of the past.

I found this story truly gripping and hard to put down. The characters were so easy to relate to that even faced with the many twists of the plot and the mistakes they have made, I found myself never failing to hope for a happy ending for them all.

Thank you Netgalley and Barbara Davis for this ARC read.