A beautiful heart-breaking story that goes through all the feels while it explores grief. This book will tear your heart out.

Loved thinking it really tugged at the heart, what a sad story from so many perspectives but with such a lovely outcome, would highly recommend.

Wow. A very emotional book but a clever one. Towards end of book one of the characters explains how she felt in her childhood through letters to her sister, I thought that was gripping and couldn’t wait to finish the book. Would thoroughly recommend.

This was a book which did not leave my hand , the story involves 3 sisters of one who's died then the last sister is born , then the family suffer more heartache .I don't want to reveal too much but it's sad and has pages where you so need to know what happens next ,
It's a really good read and definitely a page turner which had me awake into the early hours
Highly recommended

Oh, my! This is a heartbreaking read. It's so, so good whilst also leaving you slightly broken.

Without giving anything away, it's about one family who suffer tragedy and loss and it's also about friendship, love and grief. I was hooked from the first page to the last as it carries within it such a message of life and hope. It's beautifully written and I look forward to more from this excellent author.

Thanks so much to net galley and Ipsobooks for the opportunity to preview this wonderful book. Wishing you all every success upon publication.

An emotional book. A family is torn apart after the youngest child's untimely death at only three years old, the blame and guilt felt by the remaining members of the family is devastating and drives them apart. It is not until a younger sibling, who was not yet born at the time of the tragedy, questions the remaining members of the family as an adult that the whole episode is revisited and addressed. It is a beautifully written sensitive book and one can definitely empathise with the characters, The book is written in two parts, once around the time of the death of Phoebe and the effect this has on the whole family and later once the older child, Esme and Bea, the child as yet unborn at the start, are adults. Both halves are captivating and hold the reader's attention.

I read that this is the author's first book and I, for one, shall be looking out for subsequent reads as she definitely has a talent.

Linda and Tom are happily married with two daughters, Esme and Phoebe and another baby on the way. Then , in a blink of an eye their happiness is gone. One moment in which one daughter dies and the family is ripped apart with guilt.
Years later, the unborn baby, Bea, is pregnant herself and starts to ask questions about her dead sister and what happened?
The remaining Sadlers have to face up to the past and what happened but will it help or tear them further apart.
This is a beautifully written story. Very poignant.

Deeply in love, Linda and Tom Sadler have two beautiful daughters, Esme and Phoebe. They are blissfully happy with their family life and dearly love their two girls. They create happy family memories for them with lovely outings, holidays, imaginative and exciting stories; all in the framework of security and love. Life for the Sadler family is absolutely perfect and both of their daughters thrive on their love and care. When Linda finds she is expecting a third child she worries about how they will cope, but Tom is delighted and assures her they will be fine. He is a hands-on Dad and Linda knows she will be well supported so she settles into the long wait to meet their baby feeling reassured and happy.
During her pregnancy a single moment of distraction results in the tragic death of their beautiful, vibrant Phoebe, their three-year-old bundle of fun and the light of their life. Linda never recovers from her loss and becomes very withdrawn; a blank canvas which once shone brightly over her family. She goes on to the early delivery of their third daughter whom they name Beatrice. But this time, with Bea having to stay in hospital so long, she returns to her family alone and totally wiped out, never really feeling a connection with her infant daughter. Her life is bland, she is exhausted and she exists rather than lives. Nobody ever talks about Phoebe, but each member of the family feels guilty about what happened and Linda does not receive the support and counselling she so desperately needs to overcome her grief. Their lives are devastated but Linda’s is a total wreck.
Thus ends the first part of the novel. Part two moves on twenty five years and to when their youngest daughter Bea discovers she is pregnant. The fractured family have never truly got over their feelings of guilt and each carry with them their own secrets about Phoebe’s death. Bea hasn’t seen much of her father or sister since she moved out, but now that she is pregnant she wants to reconnect and especially to find out more about her family. This is the catalyst to Tom and Esme opening up, until the truth about that day is revealed and the healing really begins. This is an incredibly moving novel and I will never forget this family and their sad story.
‘Missing Pieces’ is an emotional and beautifully written family story. I was totally immersed in it and filled with compassion for each of the carefully crafted characters. I felt so sorry for Linda whose life was altered so tragically that fateful day. I loved how this hugely talented author got inside her characters and brought their various personalities to life so vividly. This debut novel is a totally unmissable study of family dynamics, love, loss, grief, euphoria, secrecy and guilt and is heartbreakingly honest and well portrayed. I particularly liked the letters of support that Esme sent to her sister Bea whilst she was pregnant and the way Laura Pearson wrote from each person’s point of view with empathy and insight. Her understanding and turn of phrase was truly inspirational and very moving. I also loved the idea of the family having their own new beginnings as they recovered from the trauma of exposing the truth. This was such a satisfying ending, uplifting and full of hope.
I received this superb debut novel through NetGalley and publisher Agora in return for an honest review. This is my 5* review. Believe me this is an excellent moving and unforgettable novel. All the opinions are my own with no influence from other parties.

Wow what an amazing debut book, straight away it captures you’re heart it is so beautifully written and impossible to put down, there are moments of sadness ( have the tissues ready) and it feels so real, the characters so strong and realistic that even after reading it, it stays with you and you can’t stop thinking about the pain this family went through
This is an author to watch out for, I can’t wait fior the next literary wonder.
A must read for 2018, thank you to netgalley for letting me review this great book.

Amazing! I read this story on my kindle while queuing for rollercoasters at Alton towers! Absolutely heartbreaking and yet full of hope and the power of love within families. Held my attention even with all the distractions around me, I couldn’t put this book down. Would definitely recommend this book but be warned that tissues may be needed.

This beautiful book had me hooked from the first page. It centres on how a tragedy accident can affecteveryone close to it.

The book is in two parts. The first explores the tragic death of three year old Pheobe and the repercussions on her family, especially her parents , Tom and Linda. The second half is 25 years later and explores how the tragedy is still impacting on the family including Esme and Bea the sisters of Pheobe

The book explores grief , family relationships, trauma, guilt and secrets in a beautiful honest way. Laura Pearson is a fantastic storyteller who told the story very sensitivity. , it is hard to believe this is her debut novel because it is so beautifully written, drawing the reader in . With her magnificent writing style. I personally know a family who have suffered this grief and the book reflected their lives in many ways.

Missing peices is a truly gripping read and will stay with me for a long time. The ending of the book was perfect . This is one of my favourite reads . I throughly recommend it. !!! Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this book .

Oh My word, I have just finished Missing Pieces and I am so emotional.
I really do not know how to review this book as I am so lost for words.
AMAZING, is one word I can come up with.
As a 37 year old who was born in the eighties and lived a life I find hard to talk about, this book hit home but in different ways. And until recently I reconnected with my sister/best friend.
This is definitely in my top 10 books ever. I will NEVER forget it!!!

Brilliant book, gives you tears and emotions. You feel yourself feeling the same emotions as the characters. Recommended.

. The book follows a family after a huge tragic loss and tells about how this tragedy has shaped their lives. The mother is having a difficult time coping which shows hugely in her everyday life; the father is struggling to keep his wife’s spirits up and keep the family together. Alongside this, the father seeks out an ex-girlfriend who reappears unexpectedly which he later regrets and ends the relationship. There is a lot of sadness, grief, and disappointment, but overall, I felt that author had done her research carefully and engaged the readers throughout the book. I liked the fact the book was written in two parts - the first part took the reader through the lives of the mother, father and their daughter Esme, which led into the tragedy and then the subsequent birth of another daughter and then in the second part of the book, the author still had the reader engaged in following their lives and and we could see how the tragedy had affected their lives 25 years later. A well written book with some very sad overtones but with positive vibes in the second part of the book.

Wow. What a book. This is gripping and I couldn’t put the book down.
A very emotional read and I was in tears at the ending. An amazing book.

I received this book from netgallety in exchange for a honest review

Ultimately, this is the story of the power and devastation of unrequited guilt.

The lives of Tom, Linda, Esme, Phoebe and Bea are permanently scarred and shattered by the circumstances of the tragic death of Phoebe at age 3. Because of circumstances each takes on guilt for the death and each then retreats into his/her own cocoon, not knowing how to reconcile the guilt nor how to bond together to grieve and then live. And of course, the most tragic of all is poor Bea who was not even born until after Phoebe’s death and never knew her mother.

From time to time while reading, I wanted to shake various characters and say, “Talk to each other! Express your feelings! Grieve together – Heal together! You’ve got a precious new family member who shouldn’t bear the brunt of your guilt – she shouldn’t be dragged into the quagmire of your despair.”

But in all honesty, I truly do understand that that’s very difficult to do when being burdened with such terrible guilt.

This book was very deep and probed the emotions in a family. It was quite thought provoking.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ipso Books for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow! Missing Pieces is gripping, heartbreaking and I did not want to put it down. Laura Pearson's writing is phenominal. Losing a child (of any age) has to be the worst thing parents can go through. Learning to move forward without that child is just so hard. This book grabbed me from page 1. It is gripping throughout and the ending had me crying! I've only cried TWICE reading books! This is one of my favorite books of 2018 so far!! I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review. I loved it and highly recommend it to all!!

Missing Pieces is one of the most moving books of the year. Laura Pearson's writing in this debut novel is beautiful and a complex story is well told.

A family is torn apart by the death of a young child, Phoebe, and the reader is kept guessing as to the manner of her death until the end. Each member of Phoebe's family: her mother, father and older sister all feel responsible for Phoebe's death. When a new baby, Bea, is born the loss of Phoebe is magnified for them all.

The story is told in timelines twenty five years apart. In 1985 we follow Linda, wife of Tom and mother of 7 year old Esme and 3 year old Phoebe as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her younger daughter. The birth of Bea only serves to exacerbate Linda's pain. In 2011 Bea is about to become a mother herself and wants to know more about the sister who died before she was born. Esme finds the only way she can give the information Bea so desperately craves is to write letters detailingPhoebe's short life. Through this device the family's story is revealed.

I particularly felt for Linda and the pain she suffered; I liked Tom in his role as father especially through the stories he told Esme, but not as a husband. However, Laura Pearson excels in illustrating human frailties so Tom was most realistic. What struck me strongly was the lack of support given to postnatal mothers in the 1980s and the lack of communication within families that continues to this day.

I especially liked that the book is written in the third person and manages to remain close to each character's inner feelings. The one irritant for me was the number of days listed at the beginning of each chapter which I found a distraction.

I'm sure Missing Pieces will be a great success and I look forward to reading more from Laura Pearson. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ipso Books for the opportunity to read and review Missing Pieces.

Have you ever experienced something and felt such regret? What if that regret was trusting somebody you thought was trustworthy? Missing Pieces is layered with feelings of loss, regret, sadness, hopelessness. It is also layered with hope, happiness and strength. The Sadler family experienced an ultimate tragedy and cannot move past it. Each character has to live with a regret of their own and instead of them growing closer through this hard time, they grow even further apart. My heart broke during Missing Pieces but my heart was also repaired by the hope that Missing Pieces instilled. Once you begin Missing Pieces, you will not be able to put it down until you find the missing pieces in the Sadler family.

Great read. Very emotional. Different to my usual reads. But very enjoyable even in the circumstances of the plot of the book