EXCERPT: Something like cold electricity shot through Claire and she gripped the steering wheel. The dream. It now returned to her with perfect clarity. The girls surrounded by white, playing on a frozen pond, dressed only in summer clothes. Frantic at the thinning surface, Claire called to them, but each crack running from their feet was a delight, another reason to press further from the shore. She watched her daughters grow smaller, tiny as seeds in the distance until finally they were swallowed into the silence of ice. And in that frozen landscape, both girls were outfitted exactly ass they were now: Lily in her yellow overalls and Andrea in the charm dress.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: A mother’s chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Claire Rawlings, mother of two and medical resident, will not let the troubling signs of an allergic reaction prevent her from making it in for rounds. But when Claire's symptoms overpower her while she's driving into work, her two children in tow, she must pull over. Moments later she wakes up on the floor of a gas station bathroom-her car, and her precious girls have vanished.

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.

MY THOUGHTS: We all make dozens of small decisions every day, almost without thought, and mostly with little consequence. But when things go wrong...things go wrong. I would recommend that if you suffer from anxiety, don't read this book.

Told from multiple perspectives, this book chronicles the fallout from a momentary bad decision, one that probably many of us would have made under the circumstances. It explores the stress placed upon a family when their children go missing: the guilt of the parent who was caring for the children, the ultra-careful dancing of the other parent, careful not to outright blame his wife.

I liked the inclusion of Jay White, an itinerant Native American, who offers his help. Along the way we learn some of his tribes customs and folklore.

This is a book that had me plunging between emotions of hope and despondency over the fate of these two little girls.

An extremely satisfying read, and a surprisingly good debut novel.

****

THE AUTHOR: Maureen is a former owner of a consulting firm that helped specialty drug companies to develop medications for ultra-rare diseases. Maureen received her Bachelor’s degree in physiology from Michigan State University and her Master’s degree in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University. Her background in science and love of the natural world informs and inspires her writing. LITTLE LOVELY THINGS is her debut as a novelist. She is also an award-winning poet, published in diverse outlets such as Emory University’s Lullwater Review and Yankee Magazine.

Maureen is a foodie and appreciates interesting recipes. She also enjoys painting (especially flowers and sycamore trees), competing in races with her dragon boat team (Go Fierce)!, and reading (of course). She relishes spending time with her three children, her husband and her pets; a ridiculous terrier named Huckleberry, and a plump orange cat, Pumpkin.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connelly for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

An incredible debut novel!!!

I had seen many positive comments on this book and knew I had to see what all the buzz was about. Did it live up to those rave reviews?

It's 1991 and Dr. Claire Rawlings, on her way to work, with her 2 daughters in the back seat, is having a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine she received and has no choice but to stop due to her severe symptoms. After passing out in a gas station's bathroom, she comes to but realizes that her car has been stolen with the 2 girls inside.

With feelings of extreme guilt, Claire and her husband Glen, try getting through each day in the hopes that their children will be returned.

The writing was fluid and so descriptive that I was pulled in from the first page. The type of book that had me so engrossed that I became one with the story. At times, the suspense was so taut that I found myself holding my breath. I could create vivid imagery of both the characters and scenes and feel the emotions of each member of the cast from the amazing descriptive narrative.

Was all the buzz about this book correct? Absolutely and then some!!! Putting this author on my radar!

A book that was hard to put down!!! Compelling and captivating that left me breathless! A story that will stay with me for a very long time!

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2582469589 Blog (05/23/19) http://cmashlovestoread.com/?p=20502

Thank you to Maureen Joyce Connolly for the advance copy of Lovely Little Things…I know…this book was released April 2, 2019 and here we are in May. I am behind on posting and writing reviews, I told you, that class sucked up all my time! Yikes! Better late than never, right?

TRIGGER WARNING. This book was difficult for me to read. I usually don’t find books a challenge to read because of their content, but this one hit. me. hard. If you cannot handle a child’s death or kidnapping, do not read any further.

This story is about a married couple with a woman who may be a little off her rocker. We aren’t really sure what is going on with her. One day she drives into the city and has a sudden attack. She gets gravely ill and pulls her car (barely) over to a gas station and makes it into the bathroom. She leaves her car running with her two small children in the back as it’s in the midst of summer.

She comes out of the bathroom and her car is gone.

A tale of a family on the brink of disaster, a Lakota Indian man with a strong intuition, and gypsies is what this story is based around. The mother, Claire, ends up befriending Jay, the Lakota Indian, and he ends up being the one who is able to give the police the only clues/leads they are able to get.

The story is told between the perspective of Claire (the mother), Jay (the Lakota Indian), and Moira (one of the gypsies who took the car with the girls inside). It offers a unique perspective on a mother’s worst nightmare and the reasoning behind stealing a child.

Once I got past my own reservations, it was a quick, fast paced read. The kidnapping takes place in 1991 and goes through to present day. Trust me when I say it is worth reading. I had tears in my eyes throughout the book. For a debut novel, Connolly did a wonderful job telling this tale.

I am going to give this book 4 stars. It was gripping with a great plot. The ending…you guys know how picky I am with my endings…it melted my heart, I loved it. The last half of the book I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what happened, because as the reader, you know what is going on more than the characters. I found myself yelling at the book! Eventually they listened to me, haha. If you come across this book, grab it! If you’re in a book club, this would be a great read for your group!

**REVIEW ALREADY POSTED ON GOODREADS AND AMAZON**

In Maureen Connelly’s debut, Lovely Little Things, medical resident Claire Rawlings wields a bottle of monster spray in her daughters’ room every night. Her girls, Andrea and Lily, are one and four, and between trying to take care of them, finish her medical training, and enjoy her relationship with her husband, Claire is exhausted. Driving them to daycare one day, she’s overwhelmed by illness and stops in a gas station bathroom in a seedy neighborhood, leaving the girls in a running car. When she regains consciousness, the car—and the girls—are gone. Click on the link below for the entire review.

I have so many mixed emotions and thoughts on how to rate this book. I seem to be in the minority here, but it was difficult to get through this one. It dealt with child abduction and the guilt and toll it takes on the mother and her marriage. The story was full of tragedy and grief as you can imagine in child abduction. It is Maureen Joyce Connolly’s debut novel. It was well written, but difficult subject matter.
I thought I was reading a mystery/suspense thriller, but this is more of women’s fiction. So it’s hard for me to be fair on reviewing it because it’s not my regular genre, and not my cup of tea. So I’m giving it a 2.5, it was ok but hard to for me to read.
*A very special thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmarks via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review*

From the first pages, the main story question of Little Lovely Things is so compelling that I resented anything that made me put this book down—even bedtime. It’s a sparking debut that explores grief, motherhood, the power of intuition, and relationships under the strain of tragedy.

Maureen Joyce Connolly manages unimaginable heartbreak with sympathy and compassion without becoming sentimental. Right along side her characters, Connolly lets her readers experience their pain and loss, which is the sign of a well-told story. We’re invited in as this couple struggles with blame, guilt, and living without their children, and how all of it fractures their marriage. We are treated to a deep observation of human nature and motivations for behaviors and actions.

I loved Connolly’s characters—especially young Colly/Colleen and Jay White, and their powerful, special relationship. She expertly weaves the Lakota and Selke cultures into the story, allowing readers to learn about the traditions, values, and legends of these communities which also influence the plot and underscore the story’s themes. Connolly was even able to stir up empathy for, or maybe a glimmer of understanding of, Moira, the woman at the center of the story’s horrors.

Little Lovely Things celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit and the importance of human connection. This story left me wanting to share it, and share I did. The day I finished, I delivered my copy to my mother, grateful that I have her and that we both appreciate a good book.

Cheers to Maureen Joyce Connolly on this skillful debut!

I'm honestly torn on how to rate and review this book. The storyline seemed to have potential and the characters were well thought out, but the actual plot and storytelling were lacking. I found myself bored in so many areas of the book while reading. The idea that Claire was deathly sick and left her two young daughters in a running car at a gas station so she could go inside and vomit in the restroom bothered me immensely. She was so sick she passed out and the babies were kidnapped? Sigh. And why would the kidnappers throw the babies in the trunk and cover them with a quilt? In the summer heat??? Outlandish to even fathom This occurring. That part of the story irritated me to no end. This story had really good potential and initially I was excited to read it back in December 2018 when I was granted the opportunity to read it, but even then the story didn't grasp my interest when I stumbled through the first chapter. I've just now completed this book some four months later and I'm honestly disappointed in it. I really wish that Jay, the was to be shaman Indian, could have figured things out about "Little Bird" AKA Colleen AKA Andrea long before he did. This story seemed to drag on for ages. I'm giving this read 3/5 stars due to the fact that this story did gave potential and was well written, it's just that the odds of a situation actually occurring in the manner in which it did due to the carelessness or the mother (Claire) isn't very feasible. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars. Every parent's nightmare--car stolen with the children inside! Things I liked about this book: the interesting variety of characters, including Irish Travelers and a Native American, and a look at their cultures; the tension and suspense; the multiple POVs; and the eventual resolution of the situation. What I didn't like about the book is mostly the frustration with the initial scenario. A medical doctor is experiencing a severe allergic reaction but decides she can go on to work, driving across town and dropping her two young daughters off on the way. Really? Then she decides to pull off the highway at a convenience store/gas station and park in the back and go in the bathroom, leaving her daughters in the car. Again, really? Even assuming this takes place in the days before cell phones, this grown woman/mom/doctor makes some really stupid decisions. It seems like the author wanted the plot to arrive at a certain place, but had a hard time getting it there plausibly (for me). Anyway, there's certainly more to like than dislike and I found it to be an emotional, gripping drama.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy.

Maureen's debut book was wonderfully written!! Claire was a mother of two daughters when their day drastically changed on the drive to work and school. This book pulled at every heart string of mine because I know what happens when you get sick. Claire never stopped looking for her daughter! I couldn't imagine what I would do in her shoes throughout the future years of their lives. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat!

Thank you to Maureen and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Little Lovely Things
By
Maureen Joyce Connolly

What it's all about...

Claire is suffering from a reaction to a med but she struggles through it and gets her two very young daughters prepped for school. However on the way she has to stop at a gas station bathroom. She is incredibly ill. When she returns....her daughters are gone. This book is the story of this family and their struggle.


My thoughts after reading this book...

I started and stopped this book at least three times all the while thinking that I could never read it...the perpetrators...the drug addicted horrible nightmarish perps...were so objectionable and appalling to me...they were sort of drug ridden Irish gypsies...travelers...down and out and unfeeling...especially the male...his partner had dreams of acquiring a baby...a wee precious baby. And so she did...

What I loved best...

I loved Claire...and Gretchie...the family dog. Claire was sad and fierce and broken. I loved Jay...a chance meeting with him gave Claire something similar to a feeling of hope.


What potential readers might want to know...

I can’t...or rather I won’t...say much about this book. For me it was an amazing discovery...after the awfulness of the way it began it became for me a beautiful book...one I won’t soon forget.


I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my choice to read and review it.

This was a new author to me. This was a really good read. Once I started I couldn't put the book down until I was finished with whole book.

Based on the blurb, I expected a fast-paced read, but that's not quite what I found. Some parts were, but I had a hard time staying engaged for other parts. The characters were well-drawn, with the exception of Glen, but there was a bit too much filler information. The synopsis had a lot of potential, but the story didn't live up to my expectations. Claire's reactions (anxiety, panic, etc.) were realistic, The pace picked up a bit near the end, but the ending itself seemed a bit abrupt. Some parts with the kidnappers were hard to follow due to their dialect/language, which didn't have a translation provided. Sometimes it was easy to figure out, but not always. This just wasn't the "pull me in and never let go" thriller I thought it would be.

Little Lovely Things was a very well written novel about a young medical resident whose children are kidnapped while she experiences an allergic reaction and passes out in a gas station bathroom. The rest of the story covers the next several years as she struggles to rebuild her life and tests her marriage, her career and her sanity. There is also a mystical element to the story ties the mother two her children.

I found the story to be a little slow and sad, especially given the difficult subject matter. I can understand that this book might appeal to people who enjoy character-driven supernatural thrillers. This is not my preferred genre.

What did I miss?

2.5.

I felt like I read a completely different book to everyone else? I connected with little of this novel – too spiritual, philosophical and superstitious for my taste, not to mention overly long, with a lot of filler.

Driving to work with her two young daughter's, Claire Rawlings is overwhelmed by an allergic reaction so severe that she is forced to pull into a gas station in a bad neighbourhood. Nauseous and disorientated she makes a split second decision that will alter the course of her life forever – rushing to the bathroom, she leaves her children in the car with the engine running, and then passes out. When she comes to, her car, with her daughter's inside, is gone. It's every parent's worse nightmare.

Sounds amazing right? And things started well – Claire's increasing anxiety, vulnerability, and panic as she was overcome by her symptoms was realistic and understandable. The initial chapters following the abduction both from Claire's, Moira's (one of the abductors), and Andrea's (Claire's eldest daughter) POV's was tense, dramatic, and emotional. Unfortunately from there things slowed to a crawl, with never-ending irrelevant chapters. On the home stretch the paced picked up, then just as I was getting back into it, the book abruptly ended. Claire's husband, Glen, was a one dimensional character with few scenes, and little dialogue. I was expecting more conflict and confrontation between the two characters surrounding the circumstances that led to their children being taken.

I have no idea why the Irish Travelling Gypsy kidnappers communicated in a weird, nonsensical language? With few translations given, I couldn’t interpret what they were saying half the time, and ended up skipping over those parts. It's no fun reading gibberish!

Some fleeting good moments, but unfortunately not enough to entice me to read another book by this author. With so many 4 and 5 star ratings I encourage you to check out other people's reviews because I'm definitely in the minority on this one.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Maureen Joyce Connolly for the e-ARC.

Available now!

I went into this thinking it was a thriller. It is definitely not a thriller. Thrillers are supposed to have twists and turns, whereout tho twist????

Honestly, though this was so boring and dull. I hated the writing style of this book, I just couldn't connect with it.

The plot had promise but it was executed so poorly. I was expecting so much more from this. The synopsis sounded great, I thought it was going to be an unputdownable thriller but it couldn't be further from that.

I really wouldn't recommend this book. If you're expecting a surprising and clever thriller, you won't get that in this book

Maureen Joyce Connolly took a typical kidnap story and made it into a story about survival, recovery, and so much more than you would imagine to get from a book like this.

The story follows Claire as she has a surge of illness and her girls go missing while she is passed out in a gas station bathroom. What I found interesting about how Connolly wrote this story is that it wasn’t just from one point of view. We got to see so many different aspects of a kidnapping case. We had the parents, obviously distraught. We had a random man traveling to a new home on the road. You had the police investigating. Then you had that view of the kidnapper and of one of the children. Typically when you read stories like this it’s all the investigative side and the parents reactions. Sometimes you find one that is from the view of the kidnapped. This one showed full circle the emotions and trauma that surface in a situation like this.

It also wasn’t just a quick recovery story either. We see how a loss like this tears a family up and changes how they simply live. It shows how resilient kids are to trauma and yet so vulnerable at the same time. It shined light on the fact that there are still good people in the world, even if their background might seem iffy.

The only complaint I have about Little Lovely Things is that there were quite a few times when I felt the story lulled. It wasn’t exciting to read. It wasn’t interesting. It was like it slowed down just a touch too much and as a reader, I want to be interested. I want the story to make me want to turn the page. It didn’t dissuade me from wanting to keep watching, but it was a bit hard at times.

Overall, Little Lovely Things was a great book that told the total story of how something as horrifying as a child kidnapping can completely uproot lives, even more so than just the family. Anyone who loves a slightly suspenseful women’s fiction novel should pick it up. Such a great story.

Riveting...sad...hope
This book was a great read from start to finish. You can feel the main characters anguish...you can feel the daughters circumstances. I need to know more of what happened....

I received a digital ARC of this book. This story was relatable right from the beginning. Working, busy dual household, small children. Then the worst happens, children are taken and we are left to sift through the blame and guilt and the wanting to know, why, how, who. Unfortunately, I just didn't seem to bond with the husband and wife and felt like their own struggles were lost on me. There are some great secondary characters and I found myself caring about them more and wanting to know more about them then the primary characters. I longed for more backstory on the secondary characters. There were however, some really beautiful passages in the book and really great descriptions of the settings.

Claire Rawlings is a medical resident and mother of two beautiful young girls. Knowing how important it is for Claire to make her Rounds she is determined to make it there and tries to ignore the troubling signs of an allergic reaction. However, Claire's symptoms overpower her which leads to her to pull into a gas station where she finds herself on the bathroom floor shortly after and comes out to find her car and two precious girls are missing.

What follows is something that no parent ever wants to encounter.

I felt horrible for Claire and her husband because on top of their young girls missing, their relationship does not seem strong enough to withstand a situation at this magnitude.

Jay was easily my favorite part of this story. I found the Native American folklore very interested and I relished in his character.

All-in-all, Little Lovely Things was enjoyable but something was missing for me. Either way, I will be on the lookout for more to come from Maureen Joyce Connolly.

OH MY GOOOD. This book just broke my heart into million pieces. "Little Lovely Things" by @maureenjconnollyauthor is a gripping psychological thriller and I absolutely loved it. Without any doubt is one of my top reads for this year and I want to give it 10 stars coz I felt every word with my soul. I myself have a little daughter and the toys I used on the post are even hers and while reading this book I was constantly hugging her and kissing her. This story was like every parent worst nightmare. It was so hard to read at some places. I stopped to take a deep breath and cried so many times. Omg this author is just so brilliant. I really can't wait to read more of her. If you like an unforgettable psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this book. Go get it it is now available on all platformes. Thank you @netgalley for this copy I loved it with all my heart. .