I find this book difficult to review. Because it had a very strong plot and seemed very interesting but in the end it got me bored for the way it was elaborated because I couldn’t engage but a big part of the book. I almost DNF it. I liked some of the characters but didn’t enjoy completely how the plot end and how the whole book finish, is not a bad book, is well written and I think some people may enjoy it lots.

I had some issues with this book, although I do think it told an interesting story that kept me engaged the whole way through.

This book revolves around the sudden disappearance of a 13 year old girl. Throughout the book we learn more about her disappearance, what lead up to it, and the impact it has, mainly on her sister Willa and her sister's friend/girlfriend, Robyn. 25 years after their disappearance Robyn holds a dinner party.

Although the book opens with this dinner party scene, it took up less of the story than I expected, probably only 5-10%, with the rest of it exploring the past from the perspective of different characters.

Some of the characters at this dinner party had incredibly tiny roles which made me wonder why they were included. I also felt some of the interactions didn't feel totally natural. For example, at one point we see teenage Willa ask Robyn's brother who collects rocks if he has ever collected birds eggs in the same manner. It is later revealed that the missing sister had a traumatic experience with a birds egg which is supposed to explain why she asked but I want to know in what world would anyone collect birds eggs? Why would a teenage girl genuinely wonder/ask this, even with the additional knowledge we gain? It felt like the author was going for symbolism at the expense of authenticity.

On a similar note, I also found it frustrating how little details would be hinted at, but not explained fully until later. I get that this is to build a sense of mystery and suspense, but it didn't really do much for me.

I will say I did enjoy the heart of the story which is the mystery of the disappearance, and I wanted to keep reading to find out more. Unfortunately, once more was revealed, I didn't find the situation to be very believable.

I don't tend to read thrillers, so I'm not sure if this would fall into this genre but this might be more up your street if you enjoy that kind of story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

There seems to have been a problem with NetGalley whereby the wrong book was provided. I was sent a copy of the berry pickers rather than things don’t break on their own.

I am just leaving a little line here because I was sent the completely wrong book which I have read thinking it was this one. I did wonder halfway through that it didn’t feel right. Once I’ve read this book though which I’m hoping will send through the correct manuscript, then I will edit this review 😊
My review which I wrote earlier was for a completely different book and now I can’t delete it!

This book felt very tense throughout which added to the suspense of the unsettling and on edge feeling around the dinner party. I really enjoyed it overall.