I found this book suspenseful but slow-moving. The characters are interesting, but since there are mainly two and not many others, the revelations are limited to the viewpoint of a nine year old girl. Her observations about her own life are a mystery at first, but soon reveal her dire situation. Her neighbor becomes her only help, but she has problems of her own. Although the book is set in a Australia, the story could take place anywhere. Dealing with death and loss are universal issues. Hoarding has become more familiar due to the tv show, but still adds some originality to this plot.

A Million Things
A Tale of Resiliency

I enjoyed reading this book although it was a tragic story. The author chose an interesting way to convey what it is like to live with a mentally ill parent. The story is told in first person through the eyes of the ten-year old daughter of a mother who has recently killed herself. This happens early in the book so it is not a spoiler. The daughter is left alone with her dog to fend for herself. She is an amazing young girl and I don’t think there are many kids who would cope as well as she did. I wondered whether she was realistic but she was such a great character I just chose to believe in her and enjoy her resiliency. You get to know the neighbors around her as she struggles to cope with taking care of herself in her mother’s absence. Her elderly next- door neighbor is a hoarder so that is another kind of mental illness explored in the book. My review makes it sound like the book is depressing but it is actually uplifting if you can suspend your belief in the likelihood of this young protagonist being so amazing.

Overall, the book is beautifully writing and keeps the reader invested throughout. Our main character Rae is a 10-year-old child who lives with a mother who suffers from severe depression. One day Rae’s mother leaves and never returns home. What is a child to do? Call for help? Not our main character Rae, she gets up, dust herself off, and continues to live her life like nothing has happened. The author does a fantastic job of making the reader feel like they are right there with Rae as she deals with the loss and pain of losing her mother and the steps she must take to survive.

The friendship between Rae and her elderly neighbor Lettie is amazing. How two people can connect and form a friendship that helps them both through some troubling times is beautifully describe in this book. This book rips your heart out and then shows you that even if we face tragedy there is still hope of something good to come.

Much to my surprise I read this book in an afternoon. I am a fast reader but that is still exceptional for me. It is very compelling and well written and I became so concerned about and involved with the child who is the narrator that I could not stop reading until the core issue of the book was resolved. I do not think this book is for the faint of heart and would caution anyone going through grief or depression to think twice before starting it. The writing is very good, the characters are vividly created and the setting is so real that I found myself "in" the book most of the time. The book is laid out day by day over slightly less than 2 months as this 10 year old girl lives through and has to cope with loss and trauma and find a way to survive. To say too much more might "spoil" the impact of the story. The book was a bit too wordy for me at times and some of the key issues were never satisfactorily revealed; it would have been nice to weave in a bit more explanation. But it is a memorable book, a dramatic read with a wonderful narrator.

A story about grief, loss, resourcefulness and bravery. When Rae’s mother commits suicide she is left
alone with her dog Splinter to cope. She finds a friend in her elderly neighbor Lettie as she tries to
navigate the world. A lovely little story.

This book was so compelling. Original, moving, un-put-downable. I was absolutely swept up in Rae's situation, her friendship with Lettie, the impossible circumstances the characters found themselves in. A book that could have dwelled in darkness was filled with light and hope, despite it all. I'll be recommending this one to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

⚠️ Trigger warning: Death & Dying

This book was so incredibly SAD! Narrated by 10-year-old Rae, she opens the book by stating her realization that her mother is gone for good. Challenged with grief, she tries to carry on as best she can: cleaning the house, going to school, and even paying her rent. She keeps her head down and tries not to be noticed by her peers, but the nosy old goat next door will not leave her alone! Rae finds an unexpected friend in Lettie, who also happens to carry some issues of her own. Can she confide in Lettie that her mother is no longer around, or will this cause her entire life to be ripped away from her? An absolutely beautiful novel that I really cannot believe was a debut. This should be at the top of everyone's "Most Anticipated Reads of 2021" lists.

A great book, well written and deeply troubling. But troubling in sort of a good way. The way this plot is developed is truly wonderful. The characters are developed well and the ending is good.

I only have one problem with the book. Rae’s age. I had to keep telling myself that she is only 10 years old. My granddaughter is 10 and she would NEVER be able to do what Rae does. I realize that Rae is truly older than her years because of having to deal with her mother. But it is still unbelievable to me. If she was 12 to 15 years of age then I would’ve believed her actions capable. I understand that the author didn’t want it to be a YA book, but making her older would not necessarily mean it would have to be YA.

Yet, Rae is a wonderful character. I wonder how she is as an adult......

A million things can mean any things. I didn't think much about the title until I was fairly deep into the story and then I understood. Rae will break your heart and melt it too. She lives with a mother who suffers from a serious mental illness and makes decisions that no child should have to make. The love of her dog and her perseverance sustain her for a while, but she is a little girl and eventually has to reckon with the ugliness of the real world. The story from Rae's perspective is an important look into what it's like to have a mentally ill parent. Emily Spurr tells the story in only 55 days. Wonderful read.

Holy cow! Want a book you can’t put down that, leaves you thinking about it for days and days after reading it? Then you have found it in A Million Things. Ten year old, Rae does what she always does after her mother goes away; she gets up, has breakfast, gets ready for school, makes her lunch, goes to school, comes home, walks her dog, Splinter, makes dinner, goes to bed and repeats. She continues this day after day, even when her neighbor, Lettie and a new neighbor, Oscar start to question where her mother has gone. She uses her mother’s cash card to buy and carry home groceries. She logs into her mother’s bank account to pay the gas bill, she continues for over 50 days. Along the way she befriends her elderly neighbor, Lettie. She saves Lettie who has fallen and can’t save herself in her house. Lettie is a hoarder and the city is coming after her. Rae tries to help her clean things up and befriends her even more. She continues to tell people that her mother has been called out of town for work. She tries to mask the odor coming from the back yard and maintain everything until the vacate order comes for nonpayment of rent. Finally, she gets help and her mother’s whereabouts are revealed in the stunning ending. The reader is amazed by the resourcefulness and stubbornness of this young girl, who is determined to survive and save her dog. This book will stay with me for a long time.

WOW, this book left me speechless.

I realised very early on that A MILLION THINGS would be one of my rare 5 star books of the year. From the blurb to the execution, this book was amazing. The writing was brilliant from beginning to end. And although my heart was hurting for Rae, it was also bursting from all the love I had for this book.

I honestly didn’t expect anything from this novel. And even though I was intrigued by the blurb, I wasn’t sure how it would sync with me. But the writing, short, precise, and full of raw emotions pulled me into the story right away.

In the end, the unique and original plot about Rae, her dog Splinter, and her neighbour Lettie is what made this book such an amazing story. If you want to read something DIFFERENT, something that will stay with you for YEARS, you need to read this book. You won’t be disappointed.

You might think a book told from the POV of a nine year old child would be a YA novel. It’s not. It’s far from it. No nine year old should have to go through what Rae experienced. But the way she kept on going, putting one step in front of the other, was heartbreakingly intense and also unputdownable.

Moreover the relationship between Rae and her older neighbour Lettie who suffers from a hoarding disorder was heartwarming and incredibly moving and touching. I loved the way these two connected. And how their friendship was build on something that was important to both of them. A human connection. A feeling of not being alone.

A MILLION THINGS is heartwarming, triumphant, emotionally moving. And just plain original.

For a debut novel it was truly impressive. And it’s a MUST READ for anyone who loves a fascinating story about friendship, and human resilience.

This is a first novel by Emily Spurr and it’s a winner! I loved this book, its plot, and the authors genuine style of writing. The story is told through the eyes of 10 year old Rae whose mother has left. leaving Rae to carry on as if nothing has happened, taking care of herself and her inseparable dog, Splinter. Spurr writes beautifully and poignantly, successfully putting the reader in the mind and emotions of her main character. This is a novel I will read again. I highly recommend this novel for everyone, be prepared to laugh and to cry.