This is a book filled with topics that make me sad enough to be uncomfortable. I chose to read this book because I enjoyed other books by the author. I’m glad I took a shot because the way the story is presented with made it easy to feel emotionally connected to the grief and confusion while simultaneously moving on instead of lingering on what could have been.

The latter part is something the reader doesn’t have to do even as the characters do. There is a time jump which moves the plot along and the characters have been trapped in their grief but we only know the foundational story and the current status. If I think too hard about the revelations it is hard to digest but thankfully it happens towards the end and we know that there’s some respite for them.

Esme’s part is the hardest to watch unfold. The writing is raw and the emotions that a child carries into adulthood is quite stark. She’s the sister who exists in the before and after of Phoebe’s death. All the adults are flawed and struggling, but we get to hear their thought process as well.


It is a tough book to read even with all the things I mentioned earlier. I would not recommend it to people who get triggered by deaths and suicides, especially because the events in the book circle around it all.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and other books by the author.

Another truly magnificent piece of work by Laura Pearson. Missing Pieces explores family life following a terrible tragedy. The loss of a little girl , the impact on each family member for many years to come. Can the family dynamic even survive. Wonderful writing that made me cry in parts and evokes a multitude of emotions. Totally unputdownable.

Another good book by Laura. This book deals with trauma of death in a family including suicide. However it isn't a doom and gloom story. I really felt for Esme who seemed to carry a massive burden on her shoulders from a very young age and Bea who's childhood was different due to her sister she never met and her mother who died not long after she was born. But the story shows how love and family can overcome most things and with the right help and support and new members joining the family that live really does go on and can be just as good, even if a little different.

This was such a powerful and emotional read and I could not put it down

Linda is devastated after the loss of her daughter Phoebe and even though she still has Esme and is pregnant she can't move beyond her grief and depression.

"Bea found that she was weeping for the sister she would never know, and the story who remained"

The first half of this book was about the aftermath of a child's death on her family. Linda can barely function in her grief over the loss of her 3-year-old daughter, while Tom struggles to hold the family together. The second half of the book deals with the family's other two daughters and how the loss has shaped their lives. I enjoyed it a lot. It was sad and hard to read at times, the parents' grief and everyone's guilt and self-blame, but I liked it. Four stars.

A book which is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time
A book that is written really well about a family dealing with a child’s death
Will read more by this author
Thanks NetGalley

Trigger warnings: baby death and depression (can’t mention another as it would be a plot spoiler)
This was not an easy read, due to the subject matter, however it is a well-written account of such tragic circumstances.

The different viewpoints in the book allow the reader access to a variety of perspectives and show how guilt plays into everyone’s lives, with blame and the ‘if only’ thoughts.

The main characters, Tom & Linda (the parents) carry their grief differently, the importance of carrying on for the sake of the remaining daughter Esme not an easy task, or the prospect of the unborn child Linda is carrying.

The timeline jumps to the future, with a grown up Bea, (the unborn child) no longer close to her family and not knowing the truth about what happened when Phoebe died.

Never quite finding out what happened, the reader gradually learns, through a series of letters, the truth and the impact on the remaining family members.

This story shares raw, untethered emotions, grief, sadness and guilt. I loved reading the progressions of the family’s lives in the later years, however I felt there were some essential gaps and that the ending was a bit sudden.

A tough read, which clearly lays out pain and trauma.

I must say I read this book a while ago and just realised I had not done my review. So here it is, better late than never. This is a book about family and the secrets we keep. It is a story about loss and heartache as well as how the past can affect the present and future. This book will get to your heart and is an emotional story that makes you think about family and how each family has it's secrets, problems, good times and bad times.

The story is so well written making it so easy to read. I love the family connections, the way the story was never boring or predictable. This is a marvellous book to read and I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read adn review this book.

This is an incredibly difficult read due to the emotional, distressing plot. However, it is so worth the pain. The first section in particular had me in tears at multiple times but it was beautifully written and Pearson captures the feelings and pain well. The second part of the book is still a difficult read but it contains more hope and love.
The characters really make this book. The family are broken but you can still sense their familial bond and I liked getting to know them.
I was captivated by this read. Yes it is a very difficult read but this is where the true power lies.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

This was a heavy and heartbreaking novel. This book was a difficult read for me, but was wonderfully written. I will look for more from this author.

This book was deep, dark at times and an absolutely compelling read. Linda is deep into depression, she's pregnant and her family is falling apart, fast forward to when Linda's daughter is grown and pregnant herself she starts digging into why she grew up alienated and looking for answers. a truly breathtaking read that i"m still thinking about now.

My thanks to #BoldwoodBooks #NetGalley and #LauraPearson for the ARC of #MissingPieces. Pregnant and broken, Linda can’t imagine life with a new baby when her family is falling apart. Her depression is so deep, she hates her husband AND her daughter. Nothing can bring her out of the depths of her despair. It is something that’s never spoken of, but as that daughter grows up, completely alienated in her own family, now pregnant with her own child, she sets out to find the truth about what happened when she was a child. This was a gut wrenching, heartbreaking, yet also uplifting and hopeful story about the power of love. It’s the story of grief and mistakes, blame and repercussions. It’s also the story of hope and love. It was a breathtaking novel that is definitely worth the read.

Book review 📚
Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson - 4.5/5 ⭐

Be prepared to cry. I'm not an overly emotional person with these kinds of books, I usually cry are the happy stuff. But wow, did I cry. As a parent, it really hit me differently.

Pearson has created a truly exceptional piece of writing with this book and the title fits the story perfectly. It's utterly heartbreaking and definitely needs trigger warnings, but for me it was absolutely beautiful.

I felt the pain and sorrow, I felt disbelief and anger, I felt lost and found all at the same time. It's a truly beautiful story and I will be thinking about it for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion

I thought the tears streaming down my face would never stop. I love this authors books even though they always make me cry.

Missing Pieces spans two periods, late 1985/early 1986 and November/December 2011, revolving around the Sadler family, who are deeply impacted by the tragic death of their daughter, Phoebe, just before the birth of their third child, Bea. The novel sensitively explores how each family member copes with grief and loss, with emotions ranging from sadness to mixed feelings, even extending to Bea, who never got to know her deceased sister. While the circumstances of Phoebe's death remain a mystery until the end, the book's realistic portrayal of grief and its aftermath captivates readers. Although some may anticipate more twists, the poignant conclusion leaves a lasting impression. Laura Pearson's debut novel showcases her potential as a writer, adeptly capturing the complexities of grief and the vulnerability of marriages in times of tragedy, making it a compelling read for anyone dealing with loss.

Oh. My. Goodness. This hit me hard. Those of us who have lost children and have dealt with the sadness of suicide will totally find their thoughts and emotions on these pages. Beautiful story of family, sisters and the power of letting someone go. I love how the dad told made up stories to his little girls. Definitely tissue box recommended.

Wow this book was totally different than Mabel and it was very heavy. I feel like I would need to warn anyone considering this that it's not at all lighthearted and that there are trigger warnings of child death and suicide. That being said the fact that it hit so hard shows that the writing was good. I think maybe continuing the book a little more into the future and a happy ending would have helped make it easier to recommend.

Beautifully written story describing how the tragic death of three year old Phoebe tore her family apart. Her mother, father and sister all blame themselves for their part in the tragedy and cannot forgive themselves nor each other.

Although heartbreak and loss are at the centre of this story, so too is love and family ties. The author ties it so well together, gradually revealing what happened on that fateful day.

If I have one criticism, it is the amount of detail allegedly remembered by a four to seven year old, however I am prepared to overlook this error.

I fabulous book which I found hard to put down. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me but was a nice read. The story of a family hugely changed and torn apart by a series of tragic events and the lifelong struggles that those left behind had to endure because of them.

The characters are difficult to like, maybe as they are so guarded in their interactions with each other it was difficult to get to know them and empathise.

The book was well written and told a story that was about loss, grief and blame.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An emotional story, beautifully written, and one that I highly recommend. I will look out for further offerings from this author.
Many thanks to Netgaalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review