TW: Child abuse, animal abuse, kidnapping, drug use



To jump straight in, Little Lovely Things is a novel that was really difficult to read and if I was a parent, I'm not sure I would've made it past the first few chapters. In fact, there were parts of this book that, while not being extremely graphic, were terrifyingly sickening. Think Behind Closed Doors sick-to-my-stomach (though I sincerely loved that book and will read anything B.A. Paris writes). This one was really tough at times to push through, though it was a pretty great book.


This book follows Claire, a wife and mother to two young girls, who is working on her doctorate program residency. After a required vaccine causes an allergic reaction in Claire on her way to take her daughters to childcare for the day, she wakes up on the floor of a gas station bathroom with her car and children missing. The story takes place over the immediate weeks and years following the kidnapping/car theft, and the impact of those involved.


I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book, which I would describe as genre-bending. It's not quite thriller or suspense, but it's more than just literary fiction. The chapters are written in the viewpoints of several different characters, which is a format I typically enjoy and I thought it worked very well in this case, as well.




I also really enjoyed learning a little more about some different cultures than my own - though this book was written by a White woman, which can become touchy in cases of White folks writing about cultures that aren't their own. I was a little concerned about some of the more negative aspects of the characters with different cultural backgrounds, but I think the book did a good job of portraying flaws and insecurities in each of the different characters' development and traits.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book though it was difficult to get through at times (not because of the writing or story-telling, but because of the subject matter). I think fans of All the Ugly & Wonderful Things and Where the Crawdads Sing would enjoy this one, too!




Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆
















*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.