View source for It's The Little Things by Erica James

{{infobox 
|title= It's The Little Things 
|author= Erica James
|reviewer= Sue Magee
|genre=Women's Fiction 
|summary= An intriguing story with characters which really grab you.  It's not as heavy as James' last book but is nevertheless a good story with a few twists to keep you turning the pages
|rating=4 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=368 
|publisher= Orion
|date= February 2009
|isbn=978-0752875453 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0752875450</amazonuk> 
|amazonus=<amazonus>0752875450</amazonus> 
}}

You'd think, wouldn't you, that if you'd survived the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 then there wouldn't be a lot else that life could throw at you?  Two couples were holidaying in Phuket when the massive waves struck but all four survived to some home to the UK.  Chloe had a broken leg and other injuries but boyfriend Paul came away with nothing more than a conviction that he had to make the most of the time that he had.  Dan Oliver was hailed as a hero for rescuing a child but he has nightmares about the child he failed to rescue.  His wife, Sally' came home with the most unusual legacy of all – she conceived a child in the aftermath of the disaster.

Three years on we meet three of the four.  Paul dumped Chloe somewhat unceremoniously not long after the tsunami and is now referred to by various epithets, none of them complimentary.  Chloe's returned to the village where she grew up and is working there as a GP - she longs to have her child but is conscious that her biological clock is ticking away.  Sally Oliver has returned to her high-flying job as a divorce lawyer after the birth of son Marcus and Dan has opted to stay at home and be the house husband.

It sounds as though it's all working out well for the Olivers, doesn't it?  There are just a few hints though that all is not well.  Sally really isn't that maternal and Marcus knows that he can play her up.  He knows too that Dan is always there for him and gradually Sally realises that she might as well spend more time at work.  There's also the frisson of a sexual temptation, of being special which is missing from her marriage right now.

Chloe is looking for the perfect man to father the longed-for child and when she meets Seth Hawthorne it looks as though all her dreams might have come true.  He's handsome, caring and seems much taken with Chloe but Seth has not exactly been up front with Chloe.  He's not exactly lied, but, well, there are a few important facts which he hasn't disclosed.

I did enjoy this book and by the time that I was half way through it I really couldn't put it down.  It's a thoughtful look at how the big events in life threaten to drown us, but it's those little things which cause all the problems.  The characters are all people you can warm to – even the bit players come of the page fully-formed (I think I know Chloe's mother under another name) but even the ones you could come to dislike have their redeeming features.

It's a good story too and it really didn't work out the way that I was expecting it to – this is not predictable chic-lit with the ending obvious from chapter three and everything in between just for padding.  Towards the end I was desperate to find out how it would work out, if it would work out and despite the fact that I had a smile on my face it really didn't go the way that I thought it would.

''It's the Little Things'' is a lighter story than Erica James' last book [[Tell It To The Skies by Erica James|Tell it to the Skies]] but it's no less thought-provoking.  It's definitely recommended. 

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this book appeals to you then we think that you might also enjoy [[The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks]].

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