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.

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.

Guilt, grief, heartbreak, and possibilities. A devastating novel about life after the death of a child and the future of the family. A well written thought-provoking novel that will haunt you for a long while after you turn that last page.

Oh my god what did I just read. Why did I read this?

If you want to have a rollercoaster of a ride, read this. If you want to use up a box of tissues, read this. If you want to carry on reading through your tears, read this.
Laura Pearson.

I need to look up her other books.
Oh my, can she write well. She made the characters real, so real I wanted to hug them, sit down with them, reason with them.
I was so invested in this today I’m so glad I had nothing else to do because there was no way, no way at all I was going to leave this book. It was glued to my hands.

Tom and Linda were expecting a baby, so they should have been on top of the world, but tragedy struck.

They were devastated. Life was never going to be the same again, ever.

The first part of the book started from 1985.
Just twenty one days before the devastating tragedy.

The second part was twenty five years later.

Each chapter alternated between character and was easy to follow.
Heartbreakingly easy to follow.

This is about,
Guilt
Pain,
Suffering
Learning to forgive others but also learning to forgive yourself.

What a compulsive read!

And the author has a new book out March 2019 I so want to read this

The terrible sadness in this story makes it difficult to read, but I had to keep reading because I wanted to know how the tragic events had occurred, what was going to happen to the characters, and whether it was possible for the family to recover. You will have to read this book yourself to find out, as I am not going to tell you. A wonderful debut novel, I look forward to reading her next.

How can you repair something broken if pieces are missing?

I thought this was a beautiful read. It was aching with loss and felt incredibly real, with a depth of character that reminded me of the work of Maggie O'Farrell. This is a story of a torn-apart family - the reasons behind this are sad and life-affirming in equal measure. A book that feels incredibly real and true.

This book was really excellent. It covered a very difficult subject and was very accurate in its portrayal of the family involved. It was just very very sad. Definitely recommended by me.

A child is dead but what happened? A mother is grieving for her child, while pregnant with another. What a good book, it kept you guessing what actually happen and you don’t find out until the second part, which is 25 years later. You feel for all the characters and want to know what happened. You hear from different points of view. Thanks to netgalley for letting me read this book.