This was an okay story but I don't feel like Susan Mallery did a good job of pulling in the reader. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I guess Women's Fiction just isn't for me.

I am generally a fan of Susan Mallery, and of course the craft here shines through (she's nothing if not a great writer). But the Mischief Bay series is not my favorite.

One of the reasons I tend to shy away from women's fiction and stick with romance is I've noticed a trend with women's fiction where characters act pretty selfish and crappy until they get their somewhat happy ending. Not really my thing; I really need at least one sympathetic character I'm straight rooting for (not that they need to be perfect or anything), and this story really lacked that character for me.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

I loved this book so much. I always tend to connect with author Susan Mallery's characters so much and this book was no different. I had so many emotions when reading that I had to put the book down several times to just take a breath. To me that's an amazing book!

When Zoe Saldivar accidentally gets trapped in her own attic without her phone, she realizes just how isolated she has become. Her best friend Jen, is so obsessed with her son, Jack, that it could be weeks before she notices that she hasn't heard from Zoe in a while. Her dad might miss her, but he tries not to get in her space too much. As she tries to work the mechanism to release the steps of doom, she vows to make some changes in her life, so that at least SOMEONE would miss her if she didn't show up.

Jen Belden knows something is wrong with her son, but no one else believes her. He has hit every milestone like clockwork, except he doesn't talk. If one more person tells her "He's fine" she's going to come unglued. When her best friend, Zoe, and her mom, Pam, stage an intervention, it's the last straw. The two people she expects support from are anything but. When her husband's partner, Lucas, gets shot protecting him, she takes him in to recuperate. Will Lucas' insights carry more weight than those of her husband, best friend, mother and brother? Will Jen find help, not just for Jack, but for herself?

Just as Zoe's life starts to look up - she's exploring a new job, has a new man, and has some new friend prospects - a mistake she made months ago comes back to bite her. Will she be able to figure everything out, or will her secret destroy everyone around her?

It's life's Million Little Things that make us see the love and support all around us, or that take us places we don't want to go. I loved each of the characters in this story. Each had a unique part to play in Zoe's life, and Mallery shows each with their strengths and their flaws. Gotta say, Jen drove me nuts. She was so over the top in her thoughts of what a "good mother" should be, that she neglected the most important thing - her marriage. I'm so impressed that her husband, Kirk, didn't throw in the towel. Zoe's dad was a charmer, and Lucas was surprisingly insightful for a confirmed bachelor. I kind of wish I had read this before Sisters Like Us, because Lucas was a main character there, and this story gives more of his back story.

Romance readers who like a little angst, will love A Million Little Things. Susan Mallery doesn't disappoint!

I am a fan of Susan Mallery. Her stories always leave me with a positive emotion, usually related to love.

A Million Little Things is about everything and anything that could happen in a lifetime. For me, this book was about coming full circle, and accepting things that are out of our control. A Million Little Things, and the rest of this series isn't like other series that I've read of Mallery's, but the Mallery-isms are there.

I enjoyed reading about Pam again. Out of all of these characters, she was my favorite. I'm happy with the story that was given to her, regardless of the unfortunate circumstances in the first book. There is something very mature about moving on, despite the love that was first felt. But second love is just as lovely, and Pam's story was just that.

I felt for Jen. As a mother, it isn't easy to go through parenthood without comparisons and reference.. I felt that kinship with her, and I enjoyed reading about her struggles and joys . Zoe and I didn't connect as much, but I liked her story well enough.

Overall, I liked the story and felt it was a good ending to the series.

Although I read this book and passed an enjoyable enough time with it, it has not stayed with me at all. I think it is fair to say that my opinion is that Susan Mallery's best work is to be found in her series where she has time to develop both character and plot much more satisfactorily.

I love going to Mischief Bay and meeting all the girls again and meeting new ones along the way. Plus we get to see a new side of Pam that gives me second thoughts about her.

This book focuses on Zoe, Jen and Pam. Zoe works from home and incident that had her trapped in her attic with her hungry cat made her come to the realization that she is completely alone.

Jen is the daughter of Pam and recently turned a mother herself. Jen finds herself constantly obsessing over her son and the things that can harm him.

We all know Pam (if you've read the series from the beginning). We've been with her when she wanted to get her groove back and through the loss of her husband. Nguy.

Watch as these ladies discover a new side of themselves that they never knew existed in their fun new adventures in Mischief Bay.

This book was an eye opener to a side of Pam I never knew existed. But before I get into Pam's story let's talk about the first woman we were introduced to in the book.

Zoe is a new name to me from Mischief Bay. She has not had the best of luck when it comes to her life. She gave up her life (in a way) to accommodate her relationship. A relationship that should have ended before it even started I might add.

Zoe has been living in a kind of daze until she locked herself in her attic with her hungry cat and it made her realize that she was alone and wasting her life. After she freed herself from the attic, she wanted to get some advice from her best friend, but there was a problem.

Her best friend has become nuts. She's obsessed with her kid and has this fear that her husband would die on her or worse, cheat.

Now, this brings me onto Jen the aforementioned crazy lady. Ever since she had her first child, Jen has become obsessed with keeping him safe. Her obsession was serious and no one can talk to her about it since she immediately goes on the offence and cuts off contact with said person.

Her obsession has moved onto the fact that all the baby books say that her child is at the right age to talk but, he was not talking. This worried Jen EXTREMELY and would get frustrated at everyone that tells her that he would talk when he's ready. Jen needed to take a chill pill seriously.

Now we have Pam, who also turned out to be a crazy lady, but I can't really talk about that part without giving away a good part of the book. You have to read it to see what I'm talking about with Pam.

Other than her turning crazy, Pam has gotten better at missing her husband and channels all her energy into helping others. The person she chose to help this time also turned into her friend name Zoe (see how everything connects) and Pam likes her so much that she decided to hook Zoe up with her son. And I'm telling you no more about this.

I love how +Susan Mallery writes stories that make you feel as if you are a part of the story and that it was your friends that were hurting. I liked Zoe the most in this story, I mean, how can I not and Pam, Woah, Pam.

I know I keep saying that a lot, but Pam really surprised me in this book. You'll still love her, but... can't say any more, sorry.

Welcome back to Mischief Bay guys. Hope you enjoy your stay and please tell me how you enjoyed it.

Susan Mallery does is again. She is the queen of make you feel good. Her characters are always so relatable.

I absolutely adore this author’s work. Her stories are filled with believable characters, captivating stories and full of so many wonderful feel moments that you can not help but get caught up with it all while reading it. I laughed, cried, cheered and growled my way through A MILLION LITTLE THINGS and loved every minute of it. The characters are what draw you in and steal your heart. We met Pam and Nicole in The Girl’s of Mischief Bay (book 1) and I loved revisiting her in book 3. It was fun to see how they are doing now and see how their lives are changed. Meeting some new characters-Jen. Zoe, Zoe’s dad, Miguel and more helped me love this small town even more. The story moves at a fast pace but doesn’t take away from story that connects Zoe, Jen and Pam.

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS is fun, sweet, tender and by god, totally addicting. This is an author who knows how to reel their readers in with each page flipped and subtly steal their hearts in the process. I loved seeing Zoe, Jen and Pam learn and grow as the story unfolded while I laughed at some of of the scenes with Miguel and Kirk’s partner, Lucas. Those scenes helped bring some joy and lightness to the story even as the reader winds their way through the storylines and falls even more under this author’s spell.

If you haven’t tried this author’s work before you need to race to get the books in this series or any of her other ones. All are amazing and you won’t resist after reading just one of Ms. Mallery’s book for another book of this author’s. I am eager to see where she goes next for her readers to enjoy and look forward to visiting Mischief Bay again in the future.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Nice heartwarming book about relationships of all kinds. While most books of this genre revolve around romance, this one also touches on friendships, family relationships and more. It's a wonderful continuation of the story of our friends in Mischief Bay!

Another superb book by Susan Mallery. When you read her stories they are keepers. She does not disappoint.

I really enjoyed this novel of three women - Zoe, Pam, and Jen. The book gives us their relationships to one another, their family relationships, and romantic ones. It had good characters, and interesting storyline, and lots of great dynamics. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mischief Bay.

I haven't read Susan Mallery for a while, but remember her as being a pretty frothy, humorous romance writer who I thought was consistently above average. I was in the mood for something light, so it was this book's turn.

The book is third in a series (something I hadn't realized going in) but I didn't feel like I missed any story threads by not having read the first two.

There are three main plot points, all intertwined.

First: Zoe Salvidar is bored and feels like her life is going nowhere. She begins a relationship with Steven.

Jen, Zoe's best friend, is Steven's sister. She's got a young boy at home and is winding herself tighter and tighter with making sure that he is absolutely safe and everything is controlled. Jack, her baby, isn't talking yet, and she's convinced something is horribly wrong with him.

Pam, Jen's mother, arranges things so that Zoe and Steven meet. She's living her life happily enough, but has no intention of dating again until she finds herself spending more time with Zoe's smooth-as-tequila father.

It's all very low stakes. Zoe is pleasant enough. The image of Pam in my head, I was startled to discover, looks exactly like Susan Mallery. Jen becomes annoying very quickly with her anxious spiraling thoughts and I wished heartily that she'd discover medication for herself.

If you want a book where everything comes out okay, here you go. It was definitely soothing, and it was kind of nice to read about characters with no real problems that were not of their own making and with no problems without solutions. It was nice to read about romantic relationships without a lot of drama, where people didn't keep secrets to generate plot tension and where everyone was reasonably considerate.

But... I ended up not caring a lot about anybody. I felt mild annoyance at times, and complacency most others. There wasn't as much humor in this book as I'd expected- it was more women's fiction than romance. It was sort of like literary Prozac. That's why I ended up just skimming about 200 pages in. I wanted to see the wrap-up, and the pace was just slow. If you want a book that you can live in for a while and aren't worried about moving on to the next thing, you might have more patience than I. I enjoyed my stay in Mischief Bay, but I don't feel the need to return.

This is a powerful book. It gives you things to think about. It is a must read.

I loved loved this book. Zoe feels so alone, but yet she isn't. I loved Zoe's father, not so much Pam. Jen Zoe's best friend is obsessive.

I recommend this book for everyone young and old alike.

Susan Mallery has the gift to weave charming stories and this one is no exception. She seems to always choose subject matter that is relevant to today's challenging times and that makes the characters more relatable. I like books such as this one, where I can relax and escape for a while without having to think too much. Even though I found this book a little slow in spots, it was still an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed her books in the past

Zoe, her friend Jen, and Jen’s mom Pam are all at different stages of life – Zoe is living alone after a much needed breakup, Pam is afraid to love again after losing her husband, and Jen is getting used to married-with-a-baby life. Life is complicated for each of them, and made even more so because of the dynamic among the three ladies.

This is a cute story filled with cliches and stereotypes… predictable but enjoyable. I liked Jen’s brother and his lovely way of wooing Zoe without being obnoxious. Pam annoyed me with her meddling, and Jen annoyed me with her self-centeredness. However, I’ve acted just like Pam and Jen in various circumstances, so their ways are pretty realistic!

A Million Little Things pales in comparison to Mallery’s past novels, but it’s worth a look if you enjoy light women’s fiction.

https://randombookmuses.com/2017/04/02/review-a-million-little-things-by-susan-mallery/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1960156348

Readers are treated to another story from Mischief Bay. A continuation of the story in the first two books, A Million Little Things introduces readers to a few new characters and brings back a few characters we already know. Overly emotional stories are not my favorite, so I actually like A Million Little Things a little more than The Girls of Mischief Bay and The Friends We Keep. Susan Mallery entered the Women's Fiction realm a few years ago, and while I prefer her Romance novels, she's definitely making her own space in Women's Fiction.

Another entry in Susan Mallery's women's fiction series, this book was pleasant but perhaps a bit too angst-ridden. I always enjoy her characters, and here all of the heroines face serious issues in which the journey is not very pleasant, although most things get resolved. One secondary character I loved is Lucas and I am hoping he will be featured in a future entry in the series. Susan Mallery always delivers a thoughtful and ultimately engaging book.

You have three women: a widowed mother, her high-strung daughter, and her daughter's somewhat floundering best friend, plus a couple of middle-aged lotharios, a devoted husband, a caddish ex-boyfriend, an almost too-good-to-be-true suitor. Throw in a couple of dogs, a judgmental cat, and a toddler, and you have the mélange in Susan Mallery's latest book.

Pam's husband unexpectedly died after they'd been together over thirty years, and while she appears to be doing fine, those surface appearances belie her struggles. The precariousness of life makes her want control where she can't have it. Her daughter Jen also demands control. The mother of a nineteen month old who does not talk, Jen has decided that Jack would talk if he were served organic foods, if she used all natural cleaning products, and if he were kept safe from any germs or other nefarious articles. She and husband Kirk, a police officer, hardly connect any more. In fact, Jen hardly connects with anyone - period. Her best friend Zoe finds herself at an emotional and professional crossroads: she recently broke up (for good this time) with her ex-boyfriend, and she thinks she needs more out of life than working from home. Zoe doesn't so much seek control as she seeks guidance. Unlike Pam and Jen, Zoe suffers more from allowing herself to be controlled than to do any actual controlling of others.

The three women will learn some tough lessons, perhaps Pam (somewhat ironically) more than any of them. You will struggle with liking Pam and Jen. Pam turns positively vicious and cruel, almost to the point of feeling out of character. Jen, too, has her moments of cruelty, which she justifies as being in the best interests of her son. Zoe, meanwhile, is the more pleasant of the three, but her storyline feels rushed at times.

Susan Mallery's pacing is inconsistent in this book. Sometimes it moves painfully slowly (do we need to know all of Pam's travel details?), and sometimes it seems to almost race past more important plot points (particularly Zoe's). This is frustrating because I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. Too much time was given to Pam's and Jen's bitchiness, I guess, rather than Zoe's sweetness.

The male characters are left undeveloped, something that's a bit unusual for a Mallery book. Jen's husband is like a ghost - you will learn next to nothing about him - and her brother Steven is almost too good to be true. Zoe's father is more entertaining, but he is too opaque. You're left wanting to know him better. The only well-developed male is Lucas, Kirk's partner. In fact, out of all of the characters in this book, Lucas is the most interesting.

The romances are sweet (if not occasionally frustrating), and the family dynamics are interesting. Pam and I are about the same age, and I rooted for her so hard until she turned into someone far too vituperative.

I still love Susan Mallery's books. I just didn't love this one as much as I'd hoped.

******* Scheduled for publication on the blog on April 1

Oh my! I was totally drawn into A Million Little Things from word one. Pam, of course, was a big draw for me. I’ve loved her in all of this series but her personality and love in this one was so mothering, but so flawed, that I couldn’t help but feel her heart. Mine broke for her yet again as I was reminded about my humanity and control issues… a million little things that I need to fix…

I also really liked Zoe and knew just where Jen’s thoughts and feelings originated. It was like watching several different aspects of my personality coming together in one incredible book.

It helps that I needn’t have read the previous books to love this one… but it sure made me love it even more!