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.

wow. this book was so amazing!! i can't believe netgalley let me read this early .thank you so much! it was amazing and wonderful and fun and the characters were just so so so great!!!

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

#MissingPieces #NetGalley
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…
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advance copy.

Tom and Linda escaped to Southampton as a young couple and built their life there. However tragedy strikes when their daughter Phoebe dies just as Linda is pregnant with another child. After Bea is born Linda struggles to bond and her life starts to unravel. Many years later, Esme is living in her father's house and works alongside him whereas Bea is living in London. When Bea finds she's pregnant, every member of the family is forced to confront the past.
Whilst this is Pearson's first published novel, it is the second that I have read and I'm sort of happy about that. I finished 'The Last List of Mabel Beaumont' last year and really enjoyed it, so thinking of that in terms of the progression of the writer I am pleased. This book was nowhere near as satisfying, too many unfollowed paths and far to emotionally overwritten for me but there was also lots of promise and I think that is now starting to be fulfilled.

“Once upon a time, we were a family”
It’s a novel covering grief, love and healing - the Sadler family have suffered an imaginable tragedy and they’re all struggling to come to terms with it.
The novel is split into two parts - the first part covers the aftermath of losing Phoebe and the arrival of new baby daughter, Bea.
The second half then fast forwards 25 years later and we find out what has happened to the family in the intervening years.
It’s authentic and real and that’s the beauty of the novel.
Heartbreaking and unforgettable, yet ultimately a positive novel on a family coping and dealing with loss.
Thanks @laurapauthor, @boldwoodbooks & @netgalley for the heartbreaking yet uplifting read

Absolutely beautiful! This book is a masterpiece, I don’t have a bad word to say. I have read Laura’s books before sad always enjoyed but this one for me is another level.

Despite being a desperately sad topic, this is beautifully written and hope can still be found, it balances realism, hope and devastation so well.

Wonderfully written, this is a must read.

When the Sadler family suffer an unimaginable tragedy, they all struggle to come to terms with it, none more so than mum Linda, who is also expecting her third child. Dad Tom is trying his best to hold everything together, while 7 year old Esme can't fully understand what has happened.

Split into 2 parts, the first covers the aftermath of the initial event and the arrival of new baby daughter Bea, and the second fast forwards to 25 years later where we catch up with the family and find out what has happened in the intervening years.

This is a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting read about loss and how a family deals with the awful tragedies that affect their family.

All I can say is, make sure you have a box of tissues with you when you read this one! What a rollercoaster of a story

This was a really well done. Noveli thought the family element was perfect and that it showed how resilient you could be after heartbreak. The characters were well written and realistic. It was written perfectly, and it had such a heartbreaking concept that worked so well with the story.

Well, this was a much sadder read than I expected, having not really read the blurb. It centres around the sudden death of a child, three-year-old Phoebe, and the shattering impact on her family - pregnant mum Linda, dad Tom, big sister Esme, and Bea - the baby born shortly after Phoebe's death. It's a harrowing depiction of the effects of incapacitating grief on Linda in particular, pulling no punches whatsoever.

The first part of the book takes place in the '80s, following the events after the death, while the second half sees Esme and Bea as adults, still shadowed by the tragedies of their childhood. It's a long time - the whole book, nearly - before we find out what actually happened to Phoebe, and why everyone (except Bea, who wasn't born) feels some responsibility.

There seemed perhaps a bit of a gap regarding what happened with Esme's childhood classmate, Simon, and I felt this could have been explored more. Maybe it wasn't necessary, though, as we're given enough to get the gist of it.

Not a light read, and be prepared for some painful scenes, but a well written and insightful story.