#BookReview: LITTLE DISASTERS by Sarah Vaughan @SVaughanAuthor @simonschusterUK @jessbarratt88

Publication: 2nd April 2020 – Simon & Schuster UK

A mother in crisis
A doctor’s duty
What is the truth about that night?

Liz and Jess have been friends for ten years, ever since they both started a family. But how well do they really know each other?

When Jess arrives at A&E with her baby girl and a story that doesn’t add up, Liz is the doctor on call.

Jess has devoted her life to family and home. But she is hiding so many secrets.

As the truth begins to emerge, Liz is forced to question everything she thought she knew: about Jess, and about herself…

**********

The new novel by Sarah Vaughan is not an easy and light read. It’s a thought-provoking, compelling, and gripping story that addresses serious and relatable themes. At the center of the novel there are parents and it shows how difficult and life-changing parenthood is. Jess, a mother of three who is struggling after the birth of her third child; her husband Ed who is trying to figure out what is going on with his wife; and her best friend, Liz, a paediatrician who starts to question not only her friend’s life, but also her own and her past.

When Jess arrives at the hospital with her injured baby girl and a story doesn’t make sense, Liz struggles with her need to protect her friend and her duty to report her to authorities. In the meantime, Ed knows he should have been more present at home, but his work takes all his time. Should he have noticed his wife’s strange behaviour? And did Jess harm their baby? And did Liz make the right choice?

The characters are very well-drawn, relatable, and genuine and so well-drawn that you feel almost like you know them. They are every parent as they question their own parenting, as they wonder if they are doing the right thing when it comes to their children, as they realize how hard and consuming it is to take care of a child.

Once again, Sarah Vaughan wrote a fantastic novel that leaves you affected and questioning things. If you are looking for a thriller, then this is not the right read for you. It’s more a family drama with a lot of tension and a few twists that take you by surprise. The story progresses at a slow and perfect pace with different points of views and a few flashbacks that keep the reader completely engrossed. Some of the scenes are heart-breaking and moving, but there are also moments of joy and forgiveness that make this a beautiful and excellent read.

Little Disasters is a superb, realistic, and brilliantly written novel about parenthood, friendship, and mental health and it’s out next week. Highly recommended!!!

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for providing me with a proof copy of this fantastic novel.