Little Disasters: the compelling and thought-provoking new novel from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal

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There is little that's more lonely than being at home with a distraught baby and an unraveling mind. Sarah Vaughan delivers another masterful page-turner, this time tackling early motherhood at its least joyful. Fans of Anatomy may miss the courtroom tension, but the psychological portraiture in this absorbing study of motherhood is just as rich. I think it’s always useful to read a book that explores the darker sides of motherhood, and does not rest on so many of the stereotypes of “perfect mothers” common in women’s fiction.

The focus is on a mother of three who takes her eleven-month-old girl to the hospital, concerned that she threw up. This is my first Sarah Vaughan book and I’m looking forward to read more works of her as soon as I start trimming my frightening Mount TBR! And I genuinely appreciate Vaughan’s efforts to increase awareness and understanding of postpartum depression. You will have to keep reading to see what I mean about the author’s own story down in an article that I included from Publisher’s Weekly. Just when I thought I had things figured out, Sarah throws us a curveball which turns everything on its head.

There are just certain things that are hard to read about but it's also why it was easy to feel invested in the story. The calm, capable Jess has been replaced by a Jess incapable of making a rational decision, a Jess who knows that she is a bad mother. It captures the moments when even the best of parents can find themselves trapped in an endless cycle and it can be overwhelming without support. My instant international bestseller, Anatomy of a Scandal, heralded a shift in genre: part courtroom drama, part portrait of a marriage, part psychological thriller, it draws on my experience as a political correspondent, court reporter, and student at Oxford to explore power, privilege, and consent. I was surprised by several twists, and impressed by how real the author made every character in the story.

Secondly, the narrative feels cluttered with an overabundance of repetitive thoughts and unnecessary observations of the characters. At times this story was upsetting to read, but I think the situation Vaughan puts forward is believable and wholly realistic. This was a good character study viewing a side of the other side of parenthood we often tend to push to the side. Little Disasters marks my introduction to the work of Sarah Vaughan but I have her international bestselling previous release, Anatomy of a Scandal sitting on my TBR shelves.

Her 4th novel, Little Disasters, will be published in France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the UK on April 2 and the US on August 18. MY THOUGHTS: Sarah Vaughan has written a heartwrenching and honest novel about a mother suffering from postnatal depression and anxiety. By coincidence Liz is the attending doctor on the day that Jess brings in her daughter for medical attention. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Sarah Vaughn for the advance copy of this book, which was at times a tough read, but a good one.

Her friend, Jess, is a stay-at-home mom of three children, who, on the surface, seems to be a loving, caring mother.The story alternates between different characters, mostly Liz and Jess, and also goes back in time quite a bit so you get the full picture. It turns out baby Betsey has a fractured skull, and Jess's only explanation is that Betsey was trying to pull herself up on the refrigerator and fell. She has always been careful to hide her anxieties, but one ill advised decision has opened her Pandora's Box, and now there's no shutting the lid again.

Up until that point it felt like fictional story with substance but then it veered into messy territory. I think this would make an incredible book club read, as it could lead to a lot of great discussions involving motherhood, mental health and the societal expectations placed on women. Sarah Vaughan’s latest release offers a candid glimpse into motherhood, parenting, child rearing, childhood injury, friendship and blame. From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal – a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us. This particular author is new to me but it sounds like she has written a number of Regency romances but from a smaller publisher and it looks like she has quite a fan base established and I am super excited to share more about this upcoming series with you guys today!Although both Liz and Jess share narrating power with the other characters thrown in from time to time, I must confess that Jess was by the far the most fascinating character. But at the same time, I feel I should also mention that the last section of the novel – the shocking twist – is significantly and substantially better written. Little Disasters is a book that rips open the modern practices and potential myths of present day parenting.