“A shattering adventure.” — Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the OceanA mother’s chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent’s worst nightmareIt is the wrong time to get sick. Speeding down the highway on the way to work, her two little girls sleeping in the back seat, medical resident Claire Rawlings doesn’t have time for the nausea overtaking her. But … Rawlings doesn’t have time for the nausea overtaking her. But as the world tilts sideways, she pulls into a gas station, runs to the bathroom, and passes out. When she wakes up minutes later, her car—and her daughters—are gone.
The police have no leads, and the weight of guilt presses down on Claire as each hour passes with no trace of her girls. All she has to hold on to are her strained marriage, a potentially unreliable witness who emerges days later, and the desperate but unquenchable belief that her daughters are out there somewhere.
As hopeful and uplifting as it is devastating, Little Lovely Things is the story of a family shattered by unthinkable tragedy, and the unexpected intersection of heartbreak and hope.
Perfect for readers of Watch Me Disappear and After Anna!
Additional Praise for Little Lovely Things:
”Little Lovely Things is an insightful and moving read that is well worth the journey.” — Vivian Schilling, bestselling author of Quietus
“Combining the suspense and razor-sharp outlook of a Gillian Flynn novel, Maureen Connolly’s debut sizzles. I finished Little Lovely Things in one heartbreaking, tear-batting gulp. Connolly takes risks that make the reader’s heart start anew. Finding shards of hope amidst the chaos of tragedy is a testament to both the writer, and the characters she creates.” — Jenny Milchman, USA Today bestselling author of Wicked River
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What an emotional book! This book will grip you from the very beginning. You’ll follow Claire and Glen through the emotions of a parent’s worst nightmare. You won’t want to put this book down because you need to know what happens next. Will they find their children? Will they give up hope? I gave this book 4 stars because the ending came to an abrupt end and I would have liked an epilogue dated about 5 years in the future to see how they all were doing.
I was stunned to realize after enjoying Little Lovely Things, that this is the author’s first novel. It was so very well done that I just assumed she’d been at this for quite some time.
I greatly enjoyed the characters that the author created. Claire, Glen and Jay were all so very real that if I met them on the street, I wouldn’t be surprised. I had so many feelings for what they were each going through and wanted things to turn out well for them.
The way the story unfolded was done well. The pace was steady and I found myself wanting to find out what was going to happen, yet at the same time, I didn’t want this book to end. When it did end I still wished we could turn back the clock and find a different ending for sweet Lily.
If you like interesting stories with great characters and just enough suspense, this is your book. While Ms. Connolly is a new author, she obviously has what it takes to enter the thriller world at the top. I am already anxiously awaiting her next book and hope she writes quickly!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for approving me for an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own.
“Little Lovely Things” a debut novel by Maureen Joyce Connolly it is a book that you can’t put down but you do and then you pick it up again because you want to know what happens next. You are drawn in from the first page. This book pulls out every emotion and makes you feel so many emotions. I times I had tears in my eyes; then other times I had a smile on my face. With this mystery and suspenseful novel there are so many twists and turns. This book is so well written and paced just right. The characters are well developed and the vivid descriptions make you feel you are right there living this nightmare. I found this book captivating from the beginning and wasn’t able to turn the pages fast enough. This book sucks you in from the first page, and you have to keep reading until the end. I highly recommend this read. I hope to read more of her books in the future.
I love this author’s style of writing. It made the book so enjoyable to read. This is the kind of book I love, the kind of book that you can’t put down and yet I kept stopping because I didn’t want to see what I thought was going to happen next, but picking it back up to see what would happen next! There is a sense of anticipation throughout the whole book! Every mother’s nightmare, a family tragedy, but while I read, I cheered for this mother. I hoped for her, I cried for her, and felt her every emotion! Such a great read! I would love to see a sequel, there is so much more to be written about Claire and Glen.
Difficult story to read evoking strong emotions. The characters were well developed and the reader can easily follow them. The material is sometimes very difficult making the characters all that more human. Very good!
Release date April 2, 2019
Unputdownable…is that an actual word? It needs to be, if not.
This was a crazy, wild ride-the story and the characters grab you and don’t let go until the last page. Claire is the superwoman we moms try to be, terrified that one mistake could cause all to collapse. You will go through so many emotions while reading Little Lovely Things-horror, overwhelming sadness, joy-get ready for a roller coaster!
I was completely spellbound by this book…a riveting and heart-wrenching story that illustrates how our lives can change in an instant. One minute Claire is the mother of two daughters, happily married, a busy medical resident, in the next moment she is grief-stricken, a shell of her former self. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, turning pages so quickly it was as if they turned themselves. Along with a compelling story, the characters are so wonderfully written that their emotions became mine, as if I were in their skin. This is a beautifully written story as well, lyrical at times but always keeping the story moving at a fast pace.
OH MY! A parent’s worst nightmare!
Claire is a busy mother with two beautiful little girls. She is finishing her residency program and is finally almost able to see herself as “Dr. Rawlings”. Life is so good.
Then… The unthinkable happens.
Her two daughters are kidnapped!
Claire cannot believe that they are gone! How will she go on? Can her marriage survive? How does she begin to put her life back together?
This is a story of survival, hope, guilt, blame, renewal and friendship.
Each chapter is told by different characters in this journey. Each person has an important role in this book as it spans over 4 years.
I was quick to finish this story to find out how it would all end while holding my breath so many times as I was reading. Definitely kept me turning the pages!
Oh my! This books is such a page-turning, heart-rending book. Claire has just enough time to pull into a gas station and stagger into the bathroom before she passes out, when she wakes up her car and her daughters are gone. The police have no leads, but Claire refuses to give up hope that they will find her daughters. This one is hard to put down!
So, this was my first audiobook and I’m really glad that it was! I think for my tastes the only types of audiobooks I would like are suspense/thriller type of ones. It just makes it spooky and makes me want to find out more. Since this was my first one I went through some ups and downs of figuring out how I like to listen to it best. I started off at normal speed and that was just a bit too slow for my attention span. Then I messed up and sped it up too much and couldn’t understand anything. Then, just like Goldilocks, I found the perfect speed in the middle.
This is definitely a story that will pull at your heartstrings. I mean, two missing children is every parents worse nightmare. Plus how realistic this book is, I feel like it’s something I would watch on 48 hours, makes it even more terrifying. This is just one of those completely horrifying situations that the main character thought it was just a bad dream at first. It’s definitely a story that looks into the darker psyche of people and how we handle literal worst case scenarios. It is also definitely a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat needing to find out what is going to happen next.
I really liked how the author approached this story. She utilized multiple perspectives, and while I’m not always a fan of this I think it really worked for this story. It helped round out everything that was happening and keep you captivated as you wait for everything to come together. It also added so much depth to the motivations behind all of the characters. The only thing that I am still mulling over in my mind is the character Jay. I appreciate the Native American representation yet I’m not sure how much I like the use of so many stereotypes with him. But that’s just me nitpicking and possible being oversensitive.
A mother’s chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent’s worst nightmare.
I really enjoyed reading this book! I was thinking this was going to me more of like a thriller, but it was actually more of a gripping, tear jerking story about 2 little girl’s being abducted! Their mother, Claire Rawlings, is driving with the girls in the back seat, having an allergic reaction, she suddenly needs to pull over because she feels sick and runs into the bathroom at a gas station. She passes out, and when she comes to, her car and her children are gone! The police have no leads. This story tells about how a family deals after such a tragedy! The guilt and heartache that they feel! This was so emotional to read. Connolly is a great writer and she really made me feel the connection to this family. I can’t fathom having to deal with this situation myself! It’s very heartbreaking and definitely made me feel so sad!! You get multiple viewpoints in this novel which I did really like! I was pulled in right from the beginning, and couldn’t wait to pick it back up each time! I can’t wait to read more books by this author!!
Wow, what a great book. I cannot imagine being a mother and having such an incent happen. As you read this book, you feel for Claire, her heartbreak, guilt, and willingness to hold on that her daughters were out there when no one else believed. This book takes you through all those emotions and more. Since this is told in different viewpoints we, as the reader, know more than Claire, and I found myself at points being frustrated she wasn’t real and I couldn’t tell her what was going on.
This is a great book with a lot of feels and I highly recommend it. A four star read.
Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and the author for the review copy of this book.
This is a riveting story about a mother and a medical resident, Claire Rawlings, who was driving with her 2 daughters, 15 month old Lily and 4 yo Andrea, who suddenly becomes ill stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom. Claire was so ill that she passes out in the bathroom and later finds that her car and both her daughters in it disappeared without a trace.
The police have no leads except for an unreliable witness from a Native American drifter who may have some knowledge about the disappearance. As each hour passes, the guilt envelops Claire and subsequently results in her troubled marriage as she desperately hangs on to the hope that her children are still alive somewhere.
The writing of this debut novel was raw, gripping and at the same time hopeful and uplifting. I enjoyed the story as told in multiple points of view which adds to this well written and well paced story. The story was written with a novel approach to the psychological trauma of the victims, the strains in relationships, feeling of hopelessness, guilt and blame.
When a chance decision becomes a catastrophic event, this book Little Lovely Things narrates the unthinkable nightmare no parent ever wants to go through. I highly recommend this book.
This is such a fabulous book a page-turner for sure.
80 pages in and this is a book you won’t want to put down it’s that good.
Oh my goodness the things that happen already in this book not one you will want to put down if you haven’t read this book definitely pick it up and check it out loving this story..
Sad. But really a good book.
A story about a mother who was in a hurry .
But in route to her destination became very sick. Made a pit stop at a gas station. Left the car running with her two little girls in the backseat..
This changed, Her whole life.
When she emerged from the restroom car and children gone.
Moria and Eamon are such a part of this story. Things that will take place. Unreal.
Claire and Glen.
The parents of these two young girls go through so much.
Losing two young daughters.
But will they find their way back to each other.. and well there’s more to this story it’s one that I read into settings kept me up till 3 a.m. I guarantee you this is a good book.
I definitely loved this book we’ll be looking for more books by this author…
Audio Review:
My Mini Thoughts:
This was my first audio book. I’ll admit that I was hesitant because I’ve tried audio before and found some of the narrator’s voices to be too slow. All that changed when my husband showed me how to speed up the narrator’s voice. Now I’m a fan!
I think I went through all the feelings while listening to this book. Anger, heartbreak, hopeful, anxious….you name it I probably felt it.
This book had one of the things I really like in the story which is different points of views.
I knew it was going to be hard to listen to Claire’s, the mom, point of view. The narrator did a really good job of grabbing your attention and giving a glimpse of the pain she was feeling. How everything that wasn’t work before now requires effort like eating, taking a shower, and smiling. Even the toll her marriage took. I have read that when a child dies or is missing, divorce rates are high. I can’t even imagine going through something like this.
If you’re looking for a quick listen, this one comes in at just over 10 hours.
LITTLE LOVELY THINGS
By Maureen Joyce Connolly
I started off reading a parent’s greatest fear. The disappearance of their child/children without any clues as to where they may have gone or if they are okay. The writing embodies a sense of fear, grief, unknowing and loss all at once. It begins with a storyline of what happens during those distraught times and feelings of emptiness and not knowing where to turn. Relationships like marriage are sure to suffer when blame is felt or given. Ms. Connolly’s writing made me question myself and how I would judge others. This was an emotional read in so many ways; happy, sad, with laughter, with horror. This book is a definite page turner that will have you wanting more.
Told in 3 alternating viewpoints, I was captivated by what was happening in each character’s lives. Eventually they would all interweave and the resulting effect comes in waves of human insight.
It all starts when Claire Rawlings, in a rush to get to her medical residency, becomes sick; almost faint and must pull off the expressway to the nearest gas station before she passes out. She has her two daughters, 15 month old Lily & 4 year old Andrea in the back seat sleeping. She makes the suffering decision to run to the bathroom where she ends up passing out. When she comes to, the door she left open is now closed and when she looks, her car with her precious daughters is gone.
Eamon and Moira, the couple that have taken the girls, have a story of their own and you get detailed information on which to decide how you feel based on how they were brought up. Not wanting to spoil anything; I’ll leave this for the reader. It is a thriller.
A police investigation begins and somehow a Native American drifter, named Jay becomes involved in their lives and with the investigation bringing about some clarity and visions that is attributed with his Native Heritage.
As with any stress on a marriage, the stress fractures begin to surface with Claire and her husband Glen’s marriage. You so strongly feel that these two do not deserve what they are going through and just pray their marriage can withstand the uncertainty.
You can’t pass this book up. It’s a must read; a definite 5 Star. You will leave your current surroundings and get lost in this story. And when you return you will feel so fulfilled like a great book is supposed to make you feel.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
This is one of my favorite books – such a page turner and the writer is incredible. The characters are so relatable and the plot is riveting. Truly love this author and cannot wait for the next one from her.
Heartbreak! Sadness!! Too real
I couldn’t stop listening!
Great audible
Although not great subject matter, I really enjoyed this book. Some parts were difficult and graphic but the author helped you to really get to know the characters. For most of the story, I was not able to put this book down. Some characters were easier to like than others. Jay and Andrea/Colleen being my favorites. We read this for my book club and were very fortunate to have Maureen Connolly come to our most recent meeting. Such a talented author and she was also very open to hearing what we loved and didn’t love about the book. Looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
It kept me interested right from the start, and the ending was not exactly as I thought. events that I imagined would result in finishing up the story were left out, and very cleverly. Almost red herrings, but a twist I didn’t expect.