Oh my gosh, I absolutely LOVED this book, gave me massive Marian Keyes vibes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

This story had so much to say, and I just loved it all. First and foremost, it’s a story about family, and no matter how dysfunctional it might be or how annoying, in the best sense they provide a soft place to fall.

Molly, at 30, lost her parents (the last when she was 20). She’s been running ever sense to try and stay ahead of the grief. Her various aunts/uncles/cousins/friends panic when she goes missing…again. They track her down in Thailand and see that she’s moving toward healing.

We get alternating chapters from the family members highlighting themselves and their relationship with Molly and the other relatives. We see their various issues as well (perfectionism, death of other loved ones, anxiety, alcoholism, etc.).

What I love most about this story (and there was a lot) is getting to know each family member so intimately. And even those who have been lost and are not even physically present (Molly’s parents) are seen so clearly and vividly, I sometimes forgot they weren’t there.

Hilarious, heartbreaking, inspiring and insightful…oh so good. Recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Apollo for the advance copy of #There’sBeenALittleIncident by #AliceRyan.
I am sorry but I could not get into this book at all I found it confusing and irritating with the amount of characters.

I didn’t know quite what to make of this book. There were so many characters and a small family tree at the beginning would have helped. I had to think, now whose child is this? There was humour in this story, some of the comments did make me laugh. The family was complex, with a number of them having problems. It also involves grieving for lost family members and how people have to come to term with the loss in their own way. There was also an odd missing woman story that was linked to the main story. Did I enjoy it? It’s difficult to say but it was one of those stories that I had to keep reading! received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There's Been a Little Incident by Alice Ryan.

Happy publication day to this debut novel that has kept me company over the last week and that I have looked forward to getting back to every evening,

Molly Black has disappeared. Molly has form in taking off since her parents died but this time, she has left a short note to say she is gone for good and so her extended family gather in the cramped back room of one of their homes in Dublin to formulate a plan to bring her back.

The Black family , made up of aunts, uncles, cousins are a vast cast of well -developed characters each of them written with care, wit and love. I loved them and I really loved this book. The writing reminded me of many well established authors ( the Black family could be distant cousins of Marian Keyes Walsh family) but was also uniquely fresh and captured family dynamics , past histories and habits and deep affection and love , beautifully. The whole book was a delight; warm, funny, poignant and wise. It evoked some many emotions and was a really comforting read. I hope the author is working on her next novel because I am already looking forward to whatever she writes next.

A wonderful debut, I wish the author every success.

4.5 stars.

Its hard to believe that this is a debut novel it is so well crafted. It took me a while to get into this, there’s a lot of characters, but once I did I was hooked. This is a book that made me laugh out loud and made me cry too. Grief, love, loss, addiction and redemption, they and more are all here.
A huge functional dysfunctional family, that you’d be very lucky to be a part of.
There’s Been a Little Incident is a delightful read that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it

When Molly disappears her whole family must come together to find out what happened to her, and her family is a big, dysfunctional Irish family full of secrets and drama.

This is a mystery at the outset but at its heart, it's a really quite gut-wrenching tale of grief and how it touches everybody differently.

I did enjoy this book but in my opinion there was too many characters and too much going on, I understand the final copy will include a family tree which will be super helpful as by the end I still wasn't sure who was who.

A fantastic debut that will have you in tears laughing or crying (depending on the antics of the Black family)-one of the most Irish families that I’ve ever come across!

Molly Black has gone missing. B, her best friend, thinks it’s because he’s moving in with his boyfriend. Molly has always been flighty ever since her parents died. Huddled together in the Dublin suburbs, Molly’s eccentric but fiercely loyal family are trying to figure out where she’s gone. With Uncle John at the helm, he’s determined not to lose anyone again.

Told in the third person by various members of the family, each one of the characters are well developed by the author. They are quirky and I think we can all say we have a relation like Uncle John or one of the eccentric aunts hidden away in our own families. Alice’s protagonists are so well written and relatable, their actions and statements will make you cringe and laugh in equal measure! Family is everything to the Black’s, they stick together through thick and thin.

Exploring big issues like alcoholism, mental health and grief, Alice handles these superbly. Beautifully written, this debut will be a big hit with both Irish and international readers. Humorous and heart-warming, There’s Been A Little Incident is a compelling read. I can’t wait to see what Alice writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc.

A heart warming Irish family saga, a bit hard to keep track of who's who at times but a heart warming tale of a mixed up extended family, who are always there for each other. Strongly touches on themes of grief and loss.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

After the death of her parents Molly is brought up by different people but however she keeps running away. Told in the 3rd person this storyline goes between past and present. For me however this didn’t work and so not my favourite book. Thanks to Alice Ryan and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.

This book was told in the third person by a number of different family members, giving the insight to the disappearance of Molly. It is well written and captures each individual characters identity. It is funny in parts but also talks about grief in a manner of different ways. It’s not a bad first novel and it does remind me in a small way of Marian Keyes novels. I will look out for this author in the future to see what her next book is like.





I really enjoyed this book. It has early Marian Keyes vibes witty, funny, heartwarming with a deeper undertone . Ryan captures the quirks of family perfectly, each individual character is unique, well written and developed beautifully as the novel progresses. Told in the third person we hear from a number of family members giving insight to the disappearance of Molly. The book examines grief in all it’s guises in a identifiable true to life way told in way that is full of warmth, wisdom and humour. This great debut novel I look forward to the writers next outing if it is anything like this am all in

Molly has gone missing. Not from the bosom of her family, but from London. B thinks it's because he's moved in with his boyfriend. Her Uncle John calls together the family to discuss how they track her down, but is met with a touch of lethargy as Molly has a history of running away. It's not surprising, she lost her father to a heart attack at nine and her mother was killed in a car crash ten years later.
He asks them all to go and review the last time they had contact with her and come back with ideas.
Each member of the clan has a different view of Molly, kind, attention seeking, off the wall, and so on. The family is divided between her running away or going on holiday.
When she is eventually tracked down to Thailand, a delegation flies over there. While they are trying to find her, they find out things about themselves that they had buried.
This is a story about families. That they love you and will always be there for you. It's about love and tolerance.
Reading this makes you laugh and cry. I liked it.

Molly Black's big (really big) family and friends all give their views of Molly, the family, and life in general as they search for her. She's gone missing-taken off-which she's done before but what prompted it this time? is is because her room mate is moving out? Or, is it connected to the reason the Garda want to talk with her? And what about her mother, Annabelle,, who also used to disappear (before she died)? It's an interesting way to build a character and all the individuals here shine. I was surprised by this one- no spoilers- not only because of the answers but because it's just such a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan.

A fantastic debut. It has such general themes going on between grief, love and family dynamics but there's such an inherent Irishness at work here too, especially in the humour. I found myself both concerned for Molly and laughing at how the family deals with it at times. Overall it was heartwarming and solid on the plot front too.

There's Been A Little Incident will keep you reading to the very last page.

Molly is missing and not for the first time so her extended family in Dublin gets together to find her.

It is one big extended family but once you get to know all the characters the pages will fly by.

Family is everything and the characters were all well defined , not all likeable but I love that.

It is a heart warming, funny yet sad at times that kept me up reading well into the night.

There's Been A Little Incident would be a perfect Book Club read that will get the conversation going.

Alice Ryan I am a fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus Apollo for a read I wont soon forget.

Molly was always running away. The Black family looked after her from a distance, stepping in when they felt they should. Now they needed to find her.
There are many members of the Black family & it took me a while to 'get to grips' with their stories & even to work out who was who. As the book progressed, the characters came to life & eventually the story for me fell into place.
The story covers loss, love & finding yourself. A good book & I eventually enjoyed it.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Considering the themes of loss and grief in this book, it manages to be both warm and funny. It’s beautifully written with some lovely, wise characters and captures the dynamics of so many families so well. I loved how the chapters were following one member of the family as it meant we got to know each one. A brilliant debut.

After Molly Black's parents both died young her Aunts and Uncles vowed to take care of her and ensure she always knew she still had a family.
The problem is that rather than face issues head on, Molly tends to run away. When she disappears after a party, she leaves a note with her best friend telling him that she needs some time to herself and there is no need to look for her. However, her family firmly believe that she needs to be found so they embark on a mission to find her.
The story goes between past and present, with each family member sharing stories of Molly and their own past. It's a story of a family who set out to find Molly and end up finding themselves.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for an advanced reading copy.
'There's Been a Little Incident' is a delightful debut novel from Alice Ryan. The large and extended Black family with all their own foibles, fears and quirks make for a very enjoyable read. It's a charming, witty and poignant read dealing with life, death and grief and how families tick. Sadly, my arc didn't have a much-needed family tree at the beginning, but I believe there will be one in the final print. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Black family and recommend you meet them too.