Things Don’t Break On Their Own
Paperback Published on: 10/04/2025
Price: £9.99
Synopsis
She could be anyone. She could be you.
Nobody ever found out what happened to Laika Martenwood, the girl who vanished without a trace on her way to school one morning. But for her sister Willa, life shattered into tiny pieces that day, and she has never been able to put them back together again.
Willa sees Laika everywhere: on buses, at parties, in busy streets. It’s been twenty-five years, and the only thing that has kept her going is her belief that her sister is alive, somewhere.
But when a dinner party conversation about childhood memories spirals out of control, a shattering revelation from one of the guests forces Willa to rethink everything she thought she knew about her past. And, out of the debris of that explosive evening, the truth of what really happened begins to emerge. Piece by piece.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241999318
- Number of pages: 304
- Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 18 mm
- Weight: 217g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A Thought Provoking Story
Quite a slow burner ,Willa's sister disappeared on the way to school 25 years ago and it has defined her life for ever as she believes she is still alive a... READ MORE
An AMAZING Premise but I was left wanting so much more
Going into this I was expecting a mystery with some twists and turns and a central premise of how our memories can all look differently - even when we’re r... READ MORE
A page turner!
I enjoyed reading this book which is a real page turner. The book is about a young girl, Laika who goes missing. Her mother and sister never give up on her... READ MORE
Psychological Mystery
There are many kinds of breakages with many causes, but, in families, causes are mainly physical or psychological, and most are deliberate! When thirteen-... READ MORE
Mediocre
I was sent a copy of Things Don’t Break On Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins to read and review by NetGalley. While I quite enjoyed this novel I’m afraid ... READ MORE
An excellent debut!
Willa’s life is never the same after her sister, Laika goes missing, and she searches for her in every crowd, often accosting lookalikes, never finding her... READ MORE
Loved it!
I loved this debut novel by Sarah Easter Collins! This is full of deep character studies, and lives overlapping and intersecting and cycling others in a wa... READ MORE
Original and thought provoking
Things Don’t Break on Their Own by
Sarah Easter Collins
Published by Penguin
Publication Date 20/6/24
No Spoilers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A real page-turne... READ MORE
A suspenseful thriller
Laika Martenwood goes missing. The story picks up 22 years later with his sister Willa, attending a dinner with a large group of friends. Their conversatio... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant page turner
I could not put this book down. I read it in 3 days. I found the story engaging and I felt I knew the characters. The story moved back and forth in time wh... READ MORE
A great read
I really enjoyed this book. It was complex and surprising with a real sense of true human emotion. The characters were very well drawn, particularly Willa ... READ MORE
Characters that stay with you even after having finished the book
An amazing storyline with characters that stayed with me between reading bouts. The type of book you want to finish quickly but wish it would never end. La... READ MORE
The heartrending story of loss and relationships
The story starts with two sisters Laika and Willa who are on their way to school when Laika disappears after leaving Home a little after Willa. In the time... READ MORE
Family Drama
Things Don't Break On Their Own revolves around the lives of 3 girls, Robyn,her best friend and boarding school roommate, Willa and Willa's sister Laika. R... READ MORE
Phenomenal read, highly recommend.
OMG! WOW!. Just finished reading this phenomenal book. It's one hell of a wicked read. All the characters are well rounded, plot ties together nicely and t... READ MORE
A taut drama about friends, dysfunctional families, and secrets.
I really enjoyed this taut drama about friends, dysfunctional families, and secrets.
In Things Don’t Break On Their Own, we're following a group of peop... READ MORE
Troubled family saga
Willa is sent to boarding school following the disappearance of her sister Laika after being abused by their sadistic father.
She becomes friend and lover... READ MORE
An interesting reflection on identity and memory
Intrigued by the start but it took a couple of chapters to be pulled in and fully engaged. I devoured this book in 2 days, I didn’t want to put it down and... READ MORE
Fantastic debut
I found myself drawn to the mysterious and emotional world of Things Don't Break on Their Own. This novel explores themes of mystery, family, and sisters, ... READ MORE
Dinner party romp, no way.
A dinner party romp I thought to begin with. So wrong.
The main character of the book is Laika who’s sister disappeared on her way to school years ago,... READ MORE
Thing’s Don’t Break on Their Own.
Willa has never got over the disappearance of her thirteen year old sister Laika. She sees her likeness everywhere and believes that some day she will find... READ MORE
A briliant debut
I cannot believe that this is a debut novel, the writing is so mature, rounded and compelling.
An amazing read that defies putting into a type or genre.
... READ MORE
Slow to start but good book nonetheless
Laika Martenwood vanished without a trace on her way to school one morning. For her sister, Willa, life was never the same.
Willa sees Laika everywhere a... READ MORE
Past and present collide in search for missing sister
A sisters life is blighted by the unsolved mystery of her sister’s disappearance 25 years earlier. Unresolved issues related to a domineering bully for a f... READ MORE
Great Mystery
A mystery read about Willa who sees her sister Laika everywhere after she vanishes on her way to school. Fast forward to 25 years later and at a dinner par... READ MORE
one that is guaranteed to stay with you
"Things Don't Break On Their Own" is a fascinating thriller, told from multiple perspectives and through several timelines. While this might sound somewhat... READ MORE
The past catches up with the present
Laika Martenwood goes missing. The story picks up 22 years later with his sister Willa, attending a dinner with a large group of friends. Their conversatio... READ MORE
Some great characters
This is a really beautifully presented book about a girl who goes missing, and the reasons that led to that and then the fallout on her family years after.... READ MORE
Slow
This book started off with alot of promise but as it was advertised as a thriller I expected more,it actually reads more as a family drama..At times it se... READ MORE
Things Don’t Break On Their Own
A tale of two sisters, one who vanished without trace twenty five years ago and the other unable to let go, still sees her everywhere.
Part drama, part... READ MORE
Compelling story
The story begins with several guests invited to a dinner party. When a discussion about memory begins, Willa remembers her sister Laika who mysteriously d... READ MORE
Missing Child Story.Twenty-five years ago, a young girl left home to walk to school
Twenty-five years ago, a young girl left home to walk to school. Her younger sister soon followed. But one of them arrived, the other one didn't. Her siste... READ MORE
Compulsive literary read
This is story about the Martenwood family. A dysfunctional family. The father is a self made man and has used his wealth to buy himself a rich man’s life... READ MORE
Things Don't Break On Their Own
Interesting, heartbreaking filled with grief and happy times. I loved this book even though at times it was very sad to read. What a different family. L... READ MORE
Powerful
This is an incredible story; skilfully plotted with an engaging lead character and very clever exploration of numerous important themes. I’ve often wonder... READ MORE
Compelling and poignant - a beautifully crafted debut
I was intrigued by this book’s premise – a thirteen-year-old girl, Laika Martenwood, going missing, casting a permanent shadow over the life of her older s... READ MORE
Well written
This was well written and easy to read with well drawn characters, but
in the end there are only so many unbelievable twists and coincidences you can pre... READ MORE
Dark read
This is an increasingly dark read about two sisters, one of who vanished over twenty years ago. Starting with a current day dinner party where the guests i... READ MORE
Good characterisation
I was not sure I would like this book to begin with but as the characters developed I became far more engaged. The story is told over more than 20 years an... READ MORE
Brilliant debut
What an incredible debut. This genuine page turner was a beautifully crafted book with a full range of characterisations and emotions that were truly belie... READ MORE
A brilliant debut novel
Another book that requires more stars. I loved it. And a debut novel too. Please write more Sarah Easter Collins.
The story begins with a dinner party h... READ MORE
A great debut novel
Twenty five years ago Willa's younger sister Laika vanished on her way to school and Willa has never got over it, convinced she's not dead but still out th... READ MORE
Lost child mystery
Twenty five years ago Willa's sister disappeared on her way to school. Willa's best friend Robyn at the boarding school she was sent to after the disappea... READ MORE
A heart warming story of grief and renewal
Robyn and Cat have three children; twin boys and a daughter. They have invited a number of their relatives to a family gathering. Attending are Robyn’s bro... READ MORE
A poignant, Pandora's box of emotions. fear and dark secrets.
This immersive tale is a poignant Pandora's box of emotions, fears, and dark secrets. It is told from multiple viewpoints, giving the reader an omnipotent ... READ MORE
Evolves well
Willa has forged her life whilst suffering the loss of her sister. Laika disappeared as a teenager, she was presumed dead but no body was found and Willa ... READ MORE
Loved it!
Willa never got over the disappearance of her younger sister Laika. She hadn't want to wait when her sister was running late, she got to school but her sis... READ MORE
Slow start
What a book! For me it started slow and got a tad boring, but it picked up. A story of a missing sister, love & heartbreak. Robyn and Willa are good friend... READ MORE
Excellent
Brilliantly well written, interesting story with twists and turns.
Interesting read
Willas sister Laika vanished years ago and she can’t stop seeing her everywhere. She is obsessed by looking for her and uncovering the truth of what really... READ MORE
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