Missing Pieces is Laura Pearson’s debut novel. The book is divided into two halves, with the first half telling the story of the months following the death of Tom and Linda Sadler’s daughter Phoebe. The second half is set twenty-five years later, and Phoebe’s younger sister Bea is trying to make sense of Phoebe’s death and the devastating effect it has had on their family.

Pearson explores the subtleties of familial relationships, the fragility of children’s thoughts and emotions, and the way that trauma during childhood can have an effect long after the event has passed. The Sadler family were very believable in the way the reacted to Phoebe’s death, and despite the two halves of the book being set a quarter of a century apart, it was easy to understand what had unfolded during that time.

The writing is delicate and honest, and the book was an emotional read. Despite the upsetting content, Pearson handled the topic sensitively and carefully. I would highly recommend this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Missing Pieces.

I found this book to be an excellent example of contemporary fiction. The writing was well done and the characters very in depth. You could really get into this book and allow yourself to feel what the characters were feeling.
Linda and her husband Tom have two young daughters Esme and Phoebe. When a horrible incident at home leaves Phoebe dead Linda who is pregnant and her family have a hard time going on. After Linda gives birth to their third daughter Bea everything feels worse for her. She can't look at her husband who she thinks is having an affair, or her oldest daughter Esme and feels nothing for the new baby.
The chapters in the book go back and forth through the different main characters voices. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning how the family would go forth after all their grief.

This book is about lies, murder, betrayal, and family relationships.
The story line is good. The characters are set up in their places. There are a few twists, but generally you know where the story is going. It would have been nice to have known a bit about the murderers back ground. The story does really well on displaying the dynamic of family relationship,. the arguing and fightung, but in the end being there for each other.
4 Stard

Missing Pieces is a story about family tragedy and the heartbreak of having to cope with the death of their little girl little Phoebe who was only two years old, without giving too much of the story away, it takes you through to what Linda and Tom, her mum and dad went through, what I loved most about this book was that it kept you guessing as to how she died, it had me totally gripped throughout, I really enjoyed it.

This book was written in two parts and unfortunately I found the two parts to really be almost two completely different books. I loved the first half, as upsetting as it was I couldn’t put it down.
But then...I’m not sure what happened in the second half but it felt long to me and slightly whiny and I missed the dad’s magical stories from the first half.

Very good book set in England. The Sadler family suffers a devastating loss.
The novel is set in chapters following a devastating even which tears the family apart.

I recommend this read and want to thank Netgalley for the ARC.