The task of repopulating the senior library has been an exciting and daunting task aS in a boarding school our aim is to encourage all members of the community to read. Because of this, I have been searching down a wide and diverse range of books to read that will entice a wide cross-section of the school to come in, browse and find books that they love. 
Books like this will ensure that the senior students in the school see the library as a diverse, modern and exciting place with books that speak to them and they want to recommend to their friends, classmates, teachers and tutors.
It is an engrossing and exciting read with fully-formed characters and a plot that ensures that it's hard to look away. It is as far from formulaic as it is possible to be and kept me up far too late in order to finish it. I immediately wanted to read all of this writer's other books as I loved their voice and found that it really drew me into the story and made me think about it even when I'd stepped away from this tale. 
This is a thought-provoking read which I'm sure will be a popular and well-read addition to our new library; I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read it and I know that the students are going to absolutely love it too!

A very moving novel about the loss of a young child and the tragedy around this.  Told through multiple narrators and also different times, it shows how it also affects the next generation.  A difficult read at times, but definitely worth a read. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this to review.

Beautiful book that deals with the loss of a child in such a sensitive way.  It explores it through the parents and then, twenty five years later, through the sister who needs to make sense of it all.  A lovely read.

Read Dec 18

For some reason I thought that this was a thriller book. As it is, I’m not sure how to categorise it. Linda is expecting a new baby. It will be her third daughter, that is until the worst happens. Linda is devastated and struggles to cope with new baby Bea.

Twenty-five years later Bea is pregnant herself and determined to find out the truth about her family’s troubled past before having her own child. I enjoyed the book, especially Bea’s growing relationship with her sister, but overall the plot moved a little too slowly. There were sections where not much happened at all.

Not the easiest of reads, this story follows a family in the aftermath of a devastating tragedy- the death of a 3 year old. It’s heartbreakingly emotional and best read with a full box of tissues at your side.

A book that is both heart-breaking and hopeful all at the same time is very hard to achieve - but Lauran Pearson has pulled it off with Missing Pieces.

I enjoyed this story. It was very interesting and I loved that it kept me guessing. A worthwhile read!

This was dreary, dismal, depressing. The focus of the story is a terrible tragedy that befalls the Sadler family; fair enough, but the pace is slow, irritatingly so, and there's little to evoke any sympathy, empathy or affection for any of the characters.

The death of a three-year-old has a devastating effect on the whole family…seemingly for twenty-five years. The circumstances of the tragedy aren't actually revealed until about 94% into the book, so a bit of commitment is required if you want to find out the tragedy behind the tragedy…and I very nearly gave up. The characters are dull, self-centred and barely carried me through the fog of colourlessness.

However, it's very clear Pearson can write: articulately and intensely. But the loss that forms the heart of this novel is handled too heavily and monotonously. Even when I reached the great reveal…finally…finally!...I had a touch of the 'oh, is that it?'. Just a tad anticlimactic.

Promising debut for Pearson, without doubt, but I really don't like having to work so hard to connect with characters. Or...not...in this case.

Heartbreaking! This was such an emotional book it it took my breath away in places as you could almost feel the pain and loss that Linda and later Tom and Esme all  went through.
So pleased that despite everything the end of the book was a great ending, not rushed and everything seemed to fit together.
Looking forward to reading more books by Laura Pearson.
Thank you netgalley.

the first part of this book is not an easy read, and I almost gave up because I was so frustrated with the character, who was difficult to empathise with. However, it was worth persevering, for the later parts of the book demonstrated the impact that the fist character had on others, and how life can be redeemed.

I really enjoyed this book, found it very well written. Was upsetting in places but that just made you love the book even more.

This novel is an emotional rollercoaster that focuses on the death of a child, grief, depression, and unraveling the past.  Not exactly a mystery, but there are some elements of it here.  I enjoyed this read and this author.

The death of a young child is devastating enough. Pearson adds to the emotions and fears embroiled in this by including the worry about the safety of the parents' unborn child and then focuses upon the guilt felt by each member of the family at the time and in later years.
I found this a bit slow and sometimes tedious at first, despite the subject-matter, but this gathered momentum as it developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and ipso Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, wow, wow! I did not want this story to end. It is an emotional roller coaster ride full of hope, devastation, heartbreak, and healing. My only wish would be that there was a one-year later epilogue that showed where the characters were. I know some of it was laid out, but I really wanted just a bit more.

OMG this is a very emotional story from start to finish  make sure you have lots of tissues near,its about a young happy and carefree family whose lives are torn apart by an awful tragedy, highly recommend 100%

I really enjoyed reading this book. Not my usual read but I'm glad I read it. It was an emotional book. I wasn't able to put it down once I started reading it. I recommend it to others. 

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read it.

This is a mystical and unusual story of children, loss, and how to be a parent.The family have two daughters, Phoebe and Esme, and the mother is expecting another baby. Unfortunately she leaves the two girls on their own, whilst responding to a call for help from the elderly lady next door. When she returns, she is horrified that Esme, has put Phoebe in the bath, after she has covered herself and the landing wallpaper with red lipstick. She has left the little girl in the bath, where she has slipped, drowned, and nothing can be done to save her.
Her mother goes on to have another daughter called Beatrice, but she feels helpless to look after her, and herself. The husband struggles to keep his bookshop going, and look after the family at the same time.
Eventually, more disaster strikes, and the mother commits suicide.
Move forwards another 18 years, and Beatrice is desparate to know what happened to Phoebe, and Esme discovers she can only share the story with her, by writing letters addressed to her dead sister. The father, and the three girls do their best to adjust to the tragedy that has struck them, and help Beatrice with her upcoming baby.
A wonderful story, which does make you weep, and does twist your heart with sadness.

,,

Wowza - what a rollercoaster ride! This is a new to me author and I will definitely follow her to see what she does next. This book covers so many things; death, grief, depression, suicide, jealousy, guilt and regret. Far from light reading material, but was definitely a very emotionally satisfying experience. 

Thank you for letting me preview this book

Missing Pieces is a drama about love, family and loss.  It focuses on the subject of unbearable grief and how loss can resonate through the years.  This was a slow burn of a novel, thoughtfully written.

I loved this book.  It does a great job of exploring how a loss can effect a family, and the individuals within.  Both heartbreaking and gripping.