My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Many Thanks to Net Galley, Atria Books and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan is an incredibly thought-provoking book for a MOTHER. I have not read Anatomy of a Scandal; it is still pending in my TBR so had no idea what to expect with Sarah Vaughan’s writing. Thankfully the low expectations paid back rich dividends as the mystery aspect of it was purely a part of it and not the core plot and am sure, if I had gone in expecting a heart pounding thriller, would have felt disappointed.

Little Disasters focusses on the struggle of a woman to be a good parent to their child, some of us juggling careers and feeling guilty of never doing enough and not being present for a momentous occasion of the child coz of course let’s face it there’s only so much juggling one can do. We have all been there where a screaming new born have left us tearing our hairs out in frustration and a friend’s child seem angelic in comparison and the friend itself the perfect epitome of a saintly mother. This story is what made it relatable for me but left me wondering if at all everyone reading it, would feel the same.

This had a rich plot with a crooked narrative mixing up the past and present in a haphazard way thru Jess, Liz and some parts of it thru Ed and also a chapter in Janet’s POV. It should have felt disorienting but other than a time or two, when I had to check the sequence of dates, there was no confusion at all. Post-partum depression, loneliness, disconnection with your child, anguish, obsessive love, parental abuse, highs and lows of friendship and so much more gets discussed in this brilliant narrative that one is left pondering about one of the toughest jobs in the world, that of a mother.

The final plot twist when revealed was totally unexpected when I had guessed at the first twist in the tale. It was a brilliant move by the author for which it deserves an extra star.

Highly recommended for all mothers!

This review is published in my blog, https://rainnbooks.wordpress.com/ ; Amazon India, Goodreads and Twitter handles.



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A new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.

You think you know her…but look a little closer.

She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.

Then one moment changes everything.

Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.