Wow what a heartbreaking, complex, beautiful story.
The feelings of the characters jump from the pages and there’s no way to dodge them. It’s absorbs you and with each page you are hit with a different feeling. So beautifully written and is sure to leave you with a book hangover. It will take time to process the magnitude of what this family endured. Yet they didn’t completely fall apart or take a wrong turning they kept going despite it all and still loved each other. which I think it utterly important. Yes they weren’t completely untouched by it all but dealt with it in an elegant way (rightly or wrongly)
The twists and turns of the plot kept the story interesting as well as being a who done it as a side note.
I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it despite all the heartbreak, the courage of the characters kept me turning the pages and wanting to know more.
It’s so different from other books out at the moment which is refreshing.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, I will recommend it whole heartily.

Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson may seem like a departure from my go-to reads, namely general non-fiction or suspense novels. However, with no shame or embarrassment, I can say that in high school I was the biggest Jodi Picoult fan there ever was. My well-read copies now sit in the bottom of a few boxes, tucked away in a closet at my mom's house--as is most of my teenage book collection. Missing Pieces felt like a Jodi Picoult novel--in the sense that everything surrounding family, relationships and love, with some traumatic and devastating twist, of course. I could be wrong, but I think that's pretty high-praise for Pearson's first novel!

Missing Pieces explores a family trying to pick up the pieces after the devastating loss of one of their daughters, Phoebe. Linda, the mother, is also pregnant with the family's third daughter and is seen trying to navigate her guilt for losing Phoebe, while trying to find a place in her grief to welcome and love a new daughter. Told in a split-narrative, the novel also cuts to Bea, the third daughter, in adulthood, as she tries to navigate the loss that seemed to fill her childhood and the sister she never knew. Ultimately, readers see how differently grief can manifest, how guilt can impact your life, and how a family moves through their relationships with one another. 

Like I mentioned, this was a bit of a departure from the type of books I have been reading in the last few months. However, I immediately requesting it on NetGalley after seeing the author interact with a few #BookBloggers on Twitter. Where some authors only rely on their publisher, with little thought or attention to the masses that read (and review!) their work, Pearson seemed seemed genuinely kind and interested in what bloggers had to say; and, when she mentioned this was her first novel, I was eager to support that and read it! Ultimately, Missing Pieces is devastatingly beautiful. You get characters you empathize with, realistic family and romantic relationships to explore, and an enticing story about how grief and guilt can be long and lingering.

Readable and compelling - really got swept up in these characters, and the writing style made it very easy to completely get absorbed into their lives and world. Kept me interested right up to the end

Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson a thrilling five-star read. This is a compelling read and one that I can’t pigeon hole into one genre, there is a lot going on in this story and just when you think you know what is happening and who your heart is breaking for, things happen and you will be left reeling and compelled to read more pages, even when I was tired and emotional I still couldn’t put it down. Each character of the family will reveal another detail of the story and what a story. I am gobsmacked that this is a debut novel, this is a talent that I am sure will only get better and better.

I loved this book. I wasn't sure I would, but I did and it barely took a few pages before I was hooked. This story is devastatingly sad, but makes for a gripping read. The characters are so well rounded and realistic. You feel yourself empathising with them all. A really well written, realistic account of how families can fall apart and com together. A must read.

This is a story about a family that falls apart and the small ways in which is begins to rebuild itself, forever changed.
This story had some difficult subject matters in, and quite raw points of views from different characters that I found bravely honest at times. It’s a story that lets you see the worst of people at their worst times.

A beautifully written and emotional story, which pulls at the heartstrings. A book about a highly troubled family, with an unexpected and satisfying conclusion. Definitely worth reading

Really enjoyed this read......very moving;gripping;very realistic characters;beautifully written.
Linda's perfect family falls apart after the death of her second child and the birth of her third. Can Linda cope?
I don't want to give any spoilers to this impressive debut novel.

This is a heartbreaking read and one that had me gripped from the very first pages. There’s something about tragedy and loss that keeps you reading. Perhaps it’s a way of working through the worries and horrors that fill a mother’s head. A catharsis; a purging of anxiety maybe.

The writing was so real and compelling, particularly in the first half, it completely pulled me in. The second half took me a while to process the transition and connect with the characters again, but by the end of the book I was with them again.

The relationship between Esme and her father is so poignant and beautiful. The scene where he laid her on her bed whispering his sorrys made my heart actually ache.

I loved Esme and wanted to wrap her in a hug both as child and adult. I liked how real she was - how her childhood flaws were revealed. Laura Pearson clearly understands the complexity of children - their vulnerable, loving, unpredictable, and even cruel nature.

A story of family love and loss, and finding hope after tragedy. This is definitely an accomplished debut novel.

Heartbreaking, touching and devastatingly written! The family is torn apart by grief and you are taken on a whirlwind journey of a family falling apart, to finally coming together
A family’s unspoken secret, a unknown sister and everyone holding themselves accountable. Brilliant. Absolutely outstanding and would recommend wholeheartedly


What if the one thing that kept you together was breaking you apart?

All Linda wants to do is sleep. She won’t look at her husband. She can’t stand her daughter. And she doesn’t want to have this baby. Having this baby means moving on, and she just wants to go back to before. Before their family was torn apart, before the blame was placed.

Alienated by their own guilt and struggling to cope, the Sadler family unravels. They grow up, grow apart, never talking about their terrible secret.

That is until Linda’s daughter finds out she’s pregnant. Before she brings another Sadler into the world, Bea needs to know what happened twenty-five years ago. What did they keep from her? What happened that couldn’t be fixed?

A devastating mistake, a lifetime of consequences. How can you repair something broken if pieces are missing?

Without doubt, one of the saddest stories I've ever read. It broke my heart.

I won't give away the plot details, but the book deals with the aftermath of a child's death, and how her loss affects her parents and siblings.

The author has captured the utter devastation and ongoing fallout of such a loss - the grief, the shock, the guilt, the what-ifs and if-onlys - and how hard - indeed impossible in some cases - it is for people to move on afterwards.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This is a real humdinger of a novel, it hits you between the eyes and penetrates your soul. It is heartfelt, absolutely full of darkness and you really can relate to her pain.

Yes, it is a very sad story but it's written in two parts to try and balance the family dynamic. It is cleverly written and thoughtfully planned out. Definitely one to grab as soon as you can! Loved it.

Oh my goodness, this book was heart wrenching!! Every parent & child nightmare, that could happen to anyone, and this Author has captured all the characters side of their own story /feelings all in one go!! I couldn't put it down!!

Beautifully sad story of the Sadler family and the impact of baby Phoebe’s tragic death at the age of 3. Each of them feels responsible and carries that terrible feeling throughout, but it is not until 25 years later when Bea, who was born just after Phoebe’s death, asks older sister Esme to tell her what happened that the true events are slowly revealed. The only thing that let it down from me was the “big reveal”, although I hadn’t guessed what actually happened, the manner of her death came as no surprise.

After the build up at the beginning of the book, I was expecting to be blown away. It didn't happen. I felt this was a sad story with a happy ending which was too neat. I was quite cross when Bea's story kicked in half way through, as I thought the interim should have been explored more. I did not particularly like the characters and thought the writing was ordinary.

What happens when a sibling passes away? Pheobe is only 3 when she dies (do not want to say how as will spoil the whole story) Each family member feels somewhat responsible for this terrible accident. The story of Esme (7 at the time her sister died) How she copes, how her relationship with her parents might change, guilt. Bea is the younger sister (not born when Pheobe died) This tale is a heart wrenching view of death and how families try to deal with the aftermath. Beautifully written, I felt the sorrow the loss, but, it was written in a sympathetic way, absolutely loved it and well worth a read

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazingly emotional book

wow where to start....a parents worst nightmare, the death of a child....and this book hits every nerve going...a slow build up but you know right from the beginning the worst has happened and its the fallout from that....

the characters are well written and you feel for them and wonder how much more can life throw at them...
have to say i couldnt put the book down and hoped i wasnt on the bus in floods of tears when i found out how it all happened...

this author though is one to keep an eye out for...

In Missing Pieces Laura Pearson has vividly portrayed a father's love for his children, even in the pain of deep trauma.

A very moving read,with emotion and brings you to tears in some parts. About the demise of a family, tragedy and loss. A very well written debut.

This book moved me to tears! It’s about a family’s demise after devastating loss, but it also tells the story of a family’s survival.
Bea wants to know what happened all those years ago, when she was born. Esme tells her in a series of letters, because she can’t bring herself to talk. There’s also their father, Tom, who brings up his girls under the shadow of blame that both he and Esme feel. I really wanted them to find their happy ending, and they kept moving toward it. Bea is bringing a new life into the world; her decisions are long ranging for herself and her baby. Tom rekindles an old love; healing him. Esme discovers that she deserves to be loved.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I couldn’t put it down!