I absolutely loved this, the plots, the characters and the twists....

Great storyline to this one, loved the lead character she is one that any mother can understand and empathise with, stressed and tired while trying to hold it together best she can and be a good mum.

When her child gets injured and she goes to hospital the proverbial hits the fan!

Fantastic book and a must read of 2020, it’s not to be missed for sure and one you’ll love to get your teeth into 😊

Little Disasters drew me in right away and I wanted to read it every spare minute I had. As a mum and grandma it really resonated with me. Parenthood isn't easy as this book shows. I found this book very emotional and felt sad for Jess' mum, even though she probably didn't deserve my pity. It looks closely at mental health too and why women find it so hard to ask for help , especially after childbirth. The one person my heart ached for in this story was little Frank, I wanted to give him a big hug.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This was my first sarah Vaughn novel and I can understand why people like her as she writes so well .
This for me personally was less of a thriller and more a journey on someone’s overwhelming feelings of motherhood and how our mind spirals to self doubt judgement and hopelessness
How we as observers judge others as we may have preconceived ideas on how well someone is managing
I found that at the end the thriller bit was thrown in when really maybe she just wanted to write of the subject matter itself as most of the novel is about that .
I found the ending good as had guessed part of it and was pleased we had a new revelation but for the most part this is a mothers journey of society’s expectations ,that experienced mothers are seen as able and all conquering while it’s easy to then turn the other way and not ask the relevant questions needed or offer the support that may be lacking from our own assumptions .

Sarah Vaughan tackles a tough topic in her emotive and blindingly good thriller, Little Disasters. Sarah’s protagonist, Liz, is faced with a tough decision when her good friend, Jess, arrives at the hospital, where Liz works as a nurse, with her young daughter. Jess’s daughter, Betsey, has suffered head trauma, but what is even more perplexing to Liz, is Jess’s lack of empathy or concern about the situation. Why didn’t Jess rush her daughter to the hospital when the accident first happened? Why won’t Jess open up to her about Betsey’s accident? Liz has to reach an uncomfortable decision then when she has to decide if Betsey is safe in Jess’s care.

Sarah Vaughan’s writing has a really addictive pull to it, and I was immediately sucked into the story. I really felt for Liz when she was put in the situation right at the beginning. I could see that she wanted to help her friend in the best possible way, but I could also see that she had to think professionally about the situation and that she had to think of Betsey as her patient and not as her friend’s daughter. You can see here that the next steps Liz chooses to take will have a huge impact on their friendship for the rest of their lives.

We hear from both Jess and Liz’s point of view. I really struggled to stay on Jess’s side right at the beginning of the book, and I thought that Sarah Vaughan built her story and Liz’s well as the book progressed. There is tension on every page. As I struggled to see Jess’s side of the story, after Liz first interrogated her, I could never be sure if she could actually be dangerous, especially to other members of her family, while Betsey was being treated in hospital. It was the questions about Jess which I still had in my mind which kept me turning the pages and the tension turning up a notch.

This is also a multi-layered story. Liz’s personal story is complex, as well. Sarah Vaughan gradually reveals details about Liz’s past and the devastating events in her childhood which continue to have an effect on her in the future. You can begin to see why she makes some decisions that she does in the present.

I thought both Liz and Jess were two, very well rounded characters whose stories kept me gripped.

Little Disasters is a cleverly constructed page-turner, with the theme of motherhood at its heart that will keep you invested the entire way through. A solid five stars from me!

This is a powerful story about a very difficult but important topic, postnatal depression. I really enjoyed the writing style & would recommend this book.

I really loved Vaughn's last two novels, but this one was kind of missing the spark and intrigue of 'Anatomy of a Scandal' and even 'The Art of Baking Blind'. Whilst its themes of the dark side of motherhood are intriguing, they're not wholly original. I didn't especially like the back and forth of the narrative between different time periods (I'm beginning to discover I really don't like this in novels) and it failed to hook me in after the info dump of the first couple of chapters. Sadly, not one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Vaughan. I thought it was a slow starter at first when I began reading, and found the more I read the more I was drawn into the story and it’s characters. I think the author wrote this book really, really well. It covers mental health, post natal depression, OCD and is very descriptive and honest about the main character’s (Jess) thoughts, feelings and emotions. Four women and their partners meet at an antenatal class and keep in touch after they have their babies. Jess, a stay at home mum goes on to have her 3rd child in a traumatic birth and has undiagnosed post natal depression. Her baby daughter is rushed to hospital with a fractured skull and the Doctors question the delay in bringing her in and how the injury occurred, putting Jess and her family under suspicion. I really liked Jess, Ed and their family, and Liz, friend of Jess and the Doctor treating Betsy in hospital. The book was a great read and did pick up pace after it’s slow start. It flowed between past and present times effortlessly and kept and held my attention. The author writes about Jess and her fears, rituals in such depth I really felt for her character. A few good twists and turns in the story, most I expected and one I didn’t. On the whole I enjoyed reading this and would recommend. Would look at reading other books by this author. 4 stars.

#LittleDisasters #NetGalley
It was good.
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 hospital with 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 holding so many secrets. 
As the truth begins to emerge, Liz is forced to question everything she thought she knew: about Jess, and about herself. 
Read this book to know more.
Narration of the story is ok.
Characters were good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster for giving me an advance copy of this book.

This is a powerful story about a difficult subject that Sarah Vaughan handles extremely well.
The dynamics of friendship are examined, at the centre of which is an injured child. Although the subject is difficult it was never too harrowing to read – the balance between description and emotion was exactly right and the twists and turns in the story made it into a ‘who dunnit’ in places.
A great read – strongly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for a copy of this book.

This book deals with motherhood and post-natal depression,told through the story of Jess and her friend Liz,who is the doctor on duty when Jess's child is taken to the A and E unit with what turns out to be a skull fracture.The fact that Jess waited 6 hours to take the baby to hospital arouses suspicion and has serious repercussions for Jess,her family,and her friendship with Liz.
The story unfolds slowly,and details emerge which continue to change the reader's perception of events throughout the book.
It's a powerful examination of the effects of post-natal depression which arouses sympathy for all concerned.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as Anatomy of a Scandal,but it's worth reading.Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.

Every parent's nightmare: arriving at A&E with a poorly infant and then being suspected of having harmed your own child. This novel takes a scenario which has often been played out (but usually only at a mild, superficial level) among parenting circles, but twists it to its most extreme consequences. Friendships are questioned, sides are taken. Hugely relatable and engagingly written.

This is my first read of Susan Vaughan and it was brilliant. I will definitely be seeking out any previous novels.

‘Little Disasters’ centres around a group of friends who met at a pre-birth class and continue the friendship afterwards. It delves into the complexities of parenthood and all that entails with particular reference to the struggles a mother goes through.

Liz is a paediatric doctor and one evening on her shift one of her friends from the group, Jess, brings in her daughter who has a bad concussion with little or no explanation as to how it has happened. Within a short period of time the situation snowballs with Jess being blamed and the life of her family being turned upside down.

The storyline reverts back to the initial meeting and many of the encounters along the way. It addresses a difficult subject with care and emotion without allowing for unnecessary sentimentality. An absolutely astoundingly well written analysis of the fickle side of human nature.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Susan Vaughan for my ARC in return for my hones review.

Excellent Read. Recommended.

Sarah Vaughn never fails to deliver a good book in my opinion. This book tackles the subject of post natal depression & friendship of 4 very different women but when 1 is accused of abuse its difficult to determine the truth. Beautifully written & I devoured it quickly. Loved this book so much xx

This book sucked me right in! As mother's we are placed both as angels and demons sometimes all in the same breath. Our judgement and child rearing motives are placed under constant scrutiny, if not by ourselves most certainly by others. The struggle is real people! I felt for all the characters as I watched them question everything, their own best judgement, questioning if they really knew who and what they where dealing with. If you've ever wondered how well you know any of your mommy friends READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a proof to read.
I loved Vaughan's first book, "Anatomy of a Scandal" and have been saving this, her second.
It is a little like a Moiarty tale: domestic accident with overtones of fear and emotional complication.
Four women meet at ante natal classes before the birth of their first child. They remain friends and we step into their lives after one of them, Jess, has her third.
A head injury to one of the babies leads to legal accusations of negligence complicated by post-natal depression. Liz, one of the mothers, is a paediatric doctor and finds herself unravelling the chain of events leading to the injury.
The title "little disasters" suits the plot. It is an oxymoron: the apparent triviality of a memory can domino into a personal disaster; a not-quite affair can lead to emotional grief.
Vaughan captures the women's feelings well but the plot feels disjointed. Perhaps it is meant to be as the traumas are all significant but there feels to be just a little too much explaining towards the end;. A "false end" needs to be addressed and it seems we need to see happiness return for most of the women. But the cost of this is the authenticity. This is a compelling read but uneven in the resolution. .

I've just finished this book and I have a dilemma on my hands because I honestly don't know how I feel about it. Yes, it kept me turning the pages but I'm not sure it wasn't in that macabre way that people can't take their eyes of something shocking. The subject matter was quite disturbing and I was horrified by how quickly Jess was demonised by her so called friends. I have to say though that the twist at the end was inspired, I really didn't see that coming.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

In LITTLE DISASTERS (April 2nd), Sarah Vaughan delves into the complexities of motherhood with its various aspects, by featuring the narrative of a mother when she admits her 10-month-old baby to the hospital, leading up to the main, most unsettling question, “Is Jess Curtis really capable of hurting her own child?”

The story gains more depth with every few chapters and becomes even more tense when we start to get to know Jess, and see her point of view months after giving birth to Betsey. Why does she keep being haunted by these strange, disturbing thoughts? She’s certain no one would understand her; no one knows that she sees danger everywhere, that she can’t help but go through the overwhelming feeling to fear for her children, the continuous need to protect them from harm.

And through Jess’ perspective, the reader gets a glimpse into a real, eye-opening aspect of maternal parenting.

But Jess is hiding something, and all this is causing a strain on her friendship with Liz - a doctor who was on call when the baby was admitted. What should Liz do in this situation? Be professional or act as a friend? So, there’s also the interesting notion of priority between parenthood and friendship, which the author discusses meticulously.

Little Disasters is a well-paced, emotionally-charged story that will keep you engrossed from the very first page.

What a good read
Captivating with realistic characters
and a believable plot
looking at parenting and the pressures of everyday trails and tribulations
with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings.

Thank you netgalley, Sarah Vaughan and Simon Schuster for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is a gripping but uncomfortable read that explores motherhood with a raw honesty that will resonate with so many women. It is a difficult subject to open the doors on, but Sarah Vaughan does a wonderful job of balancing the narrative without judgment as she delivers some complex characters who have all been affected in different ways by becoming a mother. Liz is a working parent, struggling to cope with night shifts and the tiredness they bring with them and although her husband is supportive she still has to cope with her guilt about working and her feelings about her own mother who was a negligent single parent. She is put in a difficult position when her friend Jess brings in her daughter to the A&E where she works and has to do “the right thing” as her job expects her to. I found Jess very easy to relate to even though she’s a very closed book to those who are investigating what happened to baby Betsey.
I think this book will be a huge bestseller in 2020 as in my humble opinion it’s even better than Anatomy of a Scandal. It’s not an easy read but that is probably because nothing is held back and the truth is often harder to stomach. But it is never depressing even through the darkness of a very heartbreaking story and it even managed to surprise me with a twist that I hadn’t been expecting.
One thing I do expect though is for this book to be on my favourite reads of 2020 list at the end of the year. It is stunning!

A fantastic intriguing book that I ran through. Fully satisfied by the ending despite lots of red herrings. Fully recommend