Oh Laura Pearson, this is the second book of yours that has made me a sobbing wreck. I Wanted You To Know absolutely floored me when I read it in 2022 so when I spotted Missing Pieces on Netgalley I immediately requested it. This is Laura’s debut novel, with a gorgeous new cover, and it is a breathtakingly emotional story ❤️‍🩹

We begin in 1988 by being introduced to Linda Sadler, who is heavily pregnant and navigating the unbearable loss of her daughter, Phoebe. The circumstances around 3-year-old Phoebe’s tragic death are murky and not revealed until near the end of the book. We follow Linda, her husband Tom and eldest daughter Esme as they all struggle with their grief for their lost daughter and sister. Linda gives birth to baby Bea, a beautiful little girl who she has no connection to and cannot bear to be around. These are the chapters that broke my heart, as a mum I cannot comprehend not wanting to be around your baby but equally I have never experienced something as horrific as losing a child - Laura writes about all of these extremely painful situations with care and sensitivity.

In the second half of the book, we are 25 years in the future where Bea is now an adult and expecting a baby herself. Despite leaving her family home years ago, she feels an inexplicable pull to go back to dad Tom and sister Esme for this new chapter - but wants answers to the secrets that have surrounded her for her whole life.

This is such a brilliant book, especially considering it’s a debut, it’s written beautifully and it plucked on my heart strings regularly. In amongst a world of grief and pain, the story ends on a hopeful and more uplifting note 🤍

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was another poignant read from this fabulous author this was a heartbreaking read that takes the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions and deals with grief and death and how the events of the past can shape the future

This book reduced me to tears and is a story that will stay with me for a long time. This author has a knack of writing about real people and real situations and with raw emotion whilst dealing with issues covered in a very sensitive way.

This was an incredible debut novel.

This is a splendid read. Heart wrenching and depressing for the first part . Totally tragic how the family unit broke apart . The second section is beautiful in how the family comes back together,not perfect but hopefull.
I really enjoyed this and will seek out more works by the author.

Depressing is ok, I even kind of like it. But this was just a little boring, and didn't engage me. I knew there was a big reveal coming, but I didn't care by the time it came. I really enjoyed another title by this author, so I will continue to read her books. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Loved this. When Esme is a young girl; her sister Phoebe dies in a tragic accident. Esme, her mum and her dad all blame themselves for different reasons that they never talk about. At the time of her death; their mum is pregnant with baby Bea; a baby she clearly is too broken to care for. This is the story of Esme and Beas lives and how they’ve been shaped by the death of Phoebe. Loved this book.

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.

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. !!

What a splendid read. The first part was so tragic, so gut wrenchingly sad that wasn't sure I could finish it, but I'm glad I did. Laura Pearson has created a beautifully written, well woven story with believable characters, I recommend it.

Let's talk covers! This is a stunning cover!

This was the first time I read by this author and was an amazing story.

This is the story of a family that that deals with love, heartache, death and healing. Esma, Pheobe and Bea. The story of three sister one of them dies and the other are trying to heal and try to keep their family together after her death. Their mother passes because she can't deal with her daughters death. The rest of the story is the dad, who's had an affair, and the healing of the family.

A very well written book and one that will grip your heart and want to read more.

Fantastic writing, plot and character build.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

What a beautiful well written book, storytelling at its best with well described characters

I couldn't stop reading this, written with so much feeling even though it was a heartbreaking read I just loved every page

This book is the first one of my top ten reads for 2024, absolutely brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Bea never knew her sister Phoebe and when she finds out she is pregnant she wants to know what really happened all those years ago and why it destroyed their family.
This is a heartbreaking story about grief and child loss and the far reaching conseque ces of a simple choice.

Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson is a heart-wrenching story that explores the aftermath of a family tragedy. The book revolves around the life of a family that was once happy and full of joy. The narrator, the eldest daughter, remembers the time when her parents were proud of her holding her little sister Phoebe for the first time. However, the family's happiness is shattered when Phoebe dies, tearing them apart.

The birth of their third daughter, Bea, was meant to bring the family back together and start the healing process. But the truth is, nothing will ever be the same again. Years pass, and Bea, now all grown up, calls the narrator to say that she's pregnant and wants to come home to ask some questions. It's time for the family secrets to come to light, the missing pieces in their family and the truth about the worst day of the narrator's life.

The story is beautifully written, and the emotions are portrayed with great depth. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the pain and grief of the family members after the tragedy. The characters are well-developed, and their struggles and emotions are relatable. The book delves into the themes of family, loss, grief, and secrets. It is a poignant and emotional read that will tug at your heartstrings.

Overall, Missing Pieces is a well-crafted story that will keep you engrossed until the very end. It is a must-read for anyone who loves emotional family dramas with a touch of mystery and secrets.

A rollercoaster of a read featuring a family that suffer a child’s death, infidelity and suicide so tissues at the ready!
A really poignant , heartbreaking read that felt oddly familiar for some reason!
How does a family ever recover from such tragedies and how long are the repercussions felt for the existing family members?
We follow the husband and two daughters as they circumnavigate their grief journeys each of them experiencing very different reactions to what happened and how it has shaped them in later life.
Although full of tragic life changing events, this read is uplifting and demonstrates well the capacity we have to continue living, adapting and ultimately finding a new normal .
Thank you NetGalley for this read

What a cover and I'm delighted to confirm that the contents live up to the promise.

Missing Pieces is the tale of a tragedy that befalls its characters and how the events still impact many, many years down the line despite the very best of intentions. That makes the story sound really depressing, but whilst there are some howl out loud moments, particularly in the letters Esme writes her younger sister Bea, this is a story of hope too.

The writing is brilliant and whilst the hook that keeps the reader engaged is to find out what actually happened on the day that started it all, it doesn't feel as though the withholding is out of place so I remained invested throughout.

Well worth a read and I am now looking at the author's other books to purchase.

✨ A R C R E V I E W ✨
📖: Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson
📚: 4/50
⭐️⭐️/5
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Review:
So I like where we tried to go, but hate how long it took to get there. This book dragged me to the point where I strongly considered DNFing it, but I stuck through because I needed answers. Once I got the answers I was disappointed, I don’t know what I expected, but I wanted more! I think this book would’ve had more potential for me personally had it not been as slow. I’m just the type of reader that doesn’t like a dragged out book!

Blurb:
Once upon a time we were a family.
In those days, all I remember was laughter and joy. I was their first-born, and I remember so clearly my parents’ pride as I held my little sister, Phoebe, for the first time, the joy shining out of their faces.
But then one devastating day, everything changed, when Phoebe died. And it tore us all apart.
Then the third daughter – baby Bea – was born. It was meant to be the start of us healing. Becoming a family again. But the truth was, nothing would ever be the same again.
Now Bea is all grown up. And she’s called me to say she’s pregnant. She says she wants to come home. Because she has some questions.
After all these years, I know it’s time for our family secrets to come to the surface. The secrets we’ve been trying to pretend never happened. About the missing pieces in our family… And about the very worst day of my life…

Read this if you enjoy:
🤍 Mystery
🩶 Family drama
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I would like to thank NetGalley, Boldwood books, and Laura Pearson for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!
This title releases on 2.17.24!
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🏷️: #NetGalley

This is the best book I have read so far this year and possibly the best book I’ve read in the past year. WOW, just wow. The emotions this book elicited from me covered every inch of the emotional wheel. I highlighted almost half the book and made notes on every section because the writing is just so beautifully done. The story is heartbreaking in the most beautiful way, the characters are so…..real that you become invested in every move they make., and the writing is reminiscent of some of my all time favorites : Brontë and Brautigan with the imagery and metaphors used. I felt every scene as if I were living the moments myself. Again, just wow,


I’ll be leaving my review on goodreads, TikTok, my personal insta as well as my bookclub insta. All handles are @liadanblue and @grimreadersbookclubcult

I did not realize that this was Laura Pearson’s debut novel. I read I Wanted You to Know and cried through the entire book! This book-Missing Pieces was another gut wrenching book. This author has the ability to weave a story with in depth characters and it just flows……. I actually felt like I knew this family and loved seeing the relationship between Esme and her sister Bea evolve. Beautifully written story that had me in tears more than once! Her books are absolutely riveting and I can’t wait to read more! Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, Laura Pearson for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. AWESOME BOOK!!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A heartbreaking story that draws you in and brings you close to the characters. The sadness of loss and guilt and the effect on all those involved is sensitively written. A quiet story but one that resonates with feeling.

A family loses a child and everything falls apart— a story about their recovery and the years they spend trying to put themselves back together with some missing pieces .

The writing in this book is well paced — starting in 1985 with the tragedy of losing 3 year old Phoebe on the Sadler family — then part 2 - 25 years later we see the effects on them still and how they are still dealing with their grief .
We don’t know how Phoebe died — and the story is slowly revealed to us of how everything happened — the writing holds you and makes you invested in their family dynamics and then finally resolving their issues and hopefully coming back together as a family — this book focuses on the pain of loss and how each individual deals with grief and learns to come to terms with it .

Another great emotional read — full of depth and compassion in from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC . This is my honest review .

This was a such a touching novel. After the death of their three year old daughter, Phoebe, Tom and Linda go into free fall, as does their other daughter, Esme. Each carries a burden of guilt as to the events that lead to this death. Then Bea is born, and things deteriorate. Jump forward to adult Bea, and the need to find out more about her childhood. I really liked all the characters and the way each one’s story came out. The writing was beautiful and the story so poignant, and the ending was just right. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and freely review.

“Can a family that gets torn apart heal?”

Get the tissues ready! This isn’t a new book, it is Laura Pearson’s debut novel which originally came out in 2018, it blew me away and I love the new cover. The story was such a heartbreaker. How does a family move on after such a horrific occurrence? This book goes on to tell us how each family member deals with such a loss. The best part of the book is how the characters are written and how much they change and grow over time. I liked all these characters even though they have plenty of flaws, I cheered them on and wanted the best for them.

Despite how sad this book started I ultimately finished it feeling hopeful. The relationship between Esme and Bea really touched me because I have an amazing relationship with my older sister and a not-so-great one with the youngest one. There are two timelines in the story, we start in 1988 when the tragedy occurs and then part two is twenty-five years later when Bea shows up pregnant. I liked the first part of the book much more and wished I could have read a full book about the immediate aftermath. Poignant, uplifting and sorrowful in equal measure but a great read nonetheless.

This is my second book by Laura Pearson. I loved I Wanted You To Know and I have The Last List of Mabel Beaumont on my TBR pile so this won’t be my last book by the author. I can honestly say I would recommend anything she writes.