An interesting plot that should have been packed with emotion, but emotion did not quite fill the suitcase.
Claire Rawlings doesn’t have time for the nausea overtaking her. But she pulls into a gas station, runs to the bathroom and passes out. When she wakes up, her car―and her daughters―are gone.
There were moments that got me. But as a mother, I was expecting to be gut punched with emotion over this story. However, I found myself skimming a good portion of the book because it just seemed to drag on and on with nothing of substance happening.
I found the ending to be abrupt, though it did bring tears to my eyes. There just needed to be more. There wasn’t much “meat” to the rest of the story and in my opinion, there might have been more “meat” if the story had continued just a bit further. I don’t feel like the author brought full closure to the Rawlings’ story. If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, you know I’m the reader who needs it all spelled out, who wants that complete full picture. An epilogue would have gone a long way, if done correctly, to making me a happier reader.
For a debut, this wasn’t awful, but I hope Connolly’s next story will show some improvement.
Advanced copy of Little Lovely Things provided by NetGalley.
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: Little Lovely Things
Author: Maureen Joyce Connolly
Release Date: April 2, 2019
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