aarya's Reviews > Little Wonders

2.5 stars

When I saw an arc of LITTLE WONDERS available to request, there was no way I wasn’t clicking on it: I’m obsessed with stories featuring “wild school shenanigans of upper class folks meddling in their children’s education.” It’s a niche genre but publishing always puts out a couple books per year.

I’m not a parent and I have zero experience with preschool. I can’t speak to the accuracy of those things; I can only assess how much I enjoyed the story.

Where the book shines is the discussion of virality and unintended consequences. Quinn’s worst parenting fail is captured on film and broadcast to millions and millions of people. She’s not a saint, but she’s not a monster either. She’s just a mom who had a really bad day and melted down in public. I really liked how the book handled the repercussions to Quinn’s social status, career, marriage, and even her self-worth. Quinn’s arc is the most satisfying part of the story; I was moved by the theme of how aspiring for perfection can lead to the opposite.

The book is readable and occasionally charming, even when you want to shake characters for being so infuriating or groan at how cheesy a storyline is. So what didn’t work for me? It felt like something was missing the entire time, and I couldn’t figure it out until the end. We get the alternating POV of two characters: Quinn and Daisy. Even if they make mistakes and are annoying to others, we can empathize where their bad behavior is coming from. They’re not villains even if they’re constantly and unfairly vilified by the outside. Interestingly enough, there’s another mom Shanna who IS vilified and painted as the Bad Person in the story (by both Quinn and Daisy). We don’t get her POV; the book never bothers to explain where she’s coming from. There is a Big Confrontation at the end and the ensuing fallout allows Shanna to be sympathetic. Her villainous actions are explained away and her sympathetic POV is finally revealed. Everyone ends on good terms as friends. This happens in one chapter and an epilogue.

It doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. You can’t throw in a paragraph and explain away Shanna’s villainous characterization that quickly. To be clear, I think Shanna is a good person. I 100% understand all her actions in the novel and am sympathetic to her motivations. She’s a good person, just like how Quinn and Daisy are good people. Even if they make stupid mistakes or plot schemes that don’t have the nicest of intentions. The book would’ve benefited from showing Shanna’s POV and making her more relatable to the reader. The entire theme is that things aren’t what they look from the outside. But the novel never extends that generosity to Shanna. She has an interesting story to tell and we don’t hear it until the end. It’s a missed opportunity; like Quinn and Daisy, Shanna is struggling with parenting and life. The absence of her POV is like a missing puzzle piece. She’s a one-dimensional villain until she isn’t.

I also wasn’t that interested in the storylines outside the virality (Daisy’s marriage and employment situation, Quinn’s husband, etc). It was lackluster compared to the soul of the book. All in all, this was an okay read with interesting ideas, but not all of it was compelling. YMMV.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.