I wanted you to know by Laura Pearson is one of those books that will stay with me for a lifetime. Beautifully written with strength, raw honesty and courage. I wanted you to know is the story of Jess. A young woman who is a single parent to baby Edie, she's just received some life changing news that at the age of 21 she has breast cancer. We then follow the emotionally charged next few days, weeks and months where Jess starts to write letters for Edie to read when she's older. Jess wants her daughter to know all about her, to understand her and above all miss her. This story is just simply incredible, the writing is masterful, you build a very real relationship with Jess, you go through every single emotion with her as she tries to navigate her life after receiving the news. As a parent and as a woman the book pulls on your heartstrings because you can envisage yourself in Jess' s place and think what would it be like for you. The theme of relationships is so strong in the story , I enjoyed reading about Jess' s relationship with her own mother, best friend Gemma, her own mostly absent father and Edie' s father Jake.

I don't want to give anything more away except to say this is a stunning read worth more than the 5 stars on offer.

Get out your handkerchief and be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. Jess is 21 years old raising her infant daughter with the help of her mother and best friend. The father was out of the picture at Jess's request. Now she has learned she has very aggressive breast cancer and has a short future. She starts writing letters to her daughter, Edie . The letters are in a different font so it's easy too tell when Jess is narrating her life or writing to Edie. This story is about love and forgiveness and putting someone else's needs about your own. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Warning - do not read this book if you are already in an emotional state! New mum Jess gets the devastating news that she has breast cancer which is bad enough but then is told that none of the treatment is working..... From that point on she writes a series of letters to her daughter Edie, attempting to tell her about herself, giving the advice she won’t be able to personally. It’s a long time since I’ve read a book that brought tears to my eyes each time I picked it up! It had the same effect as reading a biography would have had. So moving, sad, comical but ultimately, heartbreaking. This book will stay with me a long time - unforgettable. A well deserved 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 for Laura Pearson!

Great quick easy to read.
Thought provoking and enjoyable even though a tricky subject.
I found the characters likeable.
It made me cry in parts

Another great read from Laura Pearson. I found this very intriguing and a quick read!
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely and emotional read and very thought provoking in places. It la not my favourite genre however pushing that a side I did enjoy the story and I would recommend it.

Compelling, emotional, moving. This book kept me wide eyed and eager to read on. So sad and and reality for many this book shows the importance of family and that life should not be taken for granted

It is hard to put into words how heartbreaking and real this book is.

Having suffered so many losses due to cancer, I know what it is like to be left behind. Upon reading this book, it has made me think of how it must feel for the person who actually has the cancer.

Although I lost my Mum this time a year ago, I know it still has yet to hit me, but also I know that she would be proud of what I have achieved since she left us.

Please don't take people and life for granted. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to our readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

This is a very emotional story of a young woman diagnosed with breast cancer, and the impact it has not only the patient but also on family and friends. It is told partly in letters to her baby daughter Edie. Read, enjoy and make sure you have a box of tissues handy

Jess isn’t like other girls her age. Instead of being at university, spending time with her friends and enjoying her youth, she’s facing the fact that her baby daughter will probably grow up without her.

Jess has terminal breast cancer. As she tries to come to terms with her fate, she writes a series of letters to her daughter – to try and be there even when she can’t be. She wants to tell Edie everything and she doesn’t have long to do so.

Oh Laura, you did it to me again. You made me cry. I knew this would happen the moment I started reading and that was just the authors note. I like the fact that it’s a mixture of letters and prose; the style makes it easy to know what’s going on in Jess’s head. I got so invested in this story and have a massive book hangover.

I couldn’t help but feel such empathy and love toward Jess as a character. She felt so real to me.

To be honest, I don’t think there was a completely unlikable character in the whole novel. Everyone has their layers, complexities and flaws. It’s all explored so well.

Aside from what I’ve said already and as normal, I am not saying anything else about what happens to Jess and her loved ones. That is something I suggest you find out for yourself.

If you’re looking for a unique read, I Wanted You to Know is perfect. Also fans of JoJo Moyes and Rowan Coleman, this would suit you too. It has a very sad story but I felt it also had such a positive, life affirming message too.

Have tissues handy though. You will need them. It’s an emotional ride of a novel that is poignant, beautifully written novel. It completely wrecked me but you know what, I am fine with that.

This was one of the most powerful , emotional and heartbreaking novels I have ever read. Laura Pearson having had cancer herself, has first hand knowledge of thoughts and feelings she had at that point of her life, especially as a mother, and this shows in her writing.
Beautifully written, it comprises of life for Jess and her new born daughter Edie, and a series of letters which Jess writes to her daughter, her thoughts, feelings, things she won’t be able to tell her in person.
This book is sensitive, heart breaking and full of raw emotion. An emotional roundabout and an amazing book. I would recommend this book to anyone but have the tissues ready!
Thank you to Netgalley, Agora books and Laura Pearson for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review

What an emotional book, I cried through most of it. It was a real eye opener to what Jess went through and just makes you think about life in general and whats important.
Really recommend for anyone to read

I don't worry about dying....except for the fact that dying now- would leave my child without a mother. And I don't say that because I believe I am the greatest mother of all time - but because I can't imagine not getting to see my son grow up. I want to celebrate all the milestones with him. Sure he's twelve, but I don't want him to be motherless. So being able to empathize with Jess on that plane was emotionally crushing.

One of the best books I've read this year. I was reading this (in the bath one night) and sobbing.Of course my husband comes around the corner to see if I'm okay. And he wonders why read a book that is going to make me cry. I have no good answer. I do know that Pearson captures motherhood in this book and it just reaches in and grips you, in the tightest, best way. I loved watching Jess learn motherhood alongside her mother trapped in mothering and letting go.

A dying mother, running out of time, decides to write a love letter to her baby daughter. Jess's story is hugely touching. A beautiful and emotional read.

After enjoying Laura Pearson’s first two novels, Missing Pieces and Nobody’s Wife, I knew this one was going to be very special too. With warnings from others to have a box of tissues on standby and being a mum of two young boys myself, I tried to prepare myself for a very emotional read.

I Wanted You to Know is a beautiful, poignant, heart-rending book. It tells the story of single mum, Jess, aged 21, who gets a shock diagnosis of terminal breast cancer while her daughter, Edie, is only a few months old. Struggling to come to terms with the news, she leans on her mum, Caroline, and her childhood friend, Gemma, for support in her most difficult of times.

While Gemma rises to the occasion and supports Jess, drives her to the hospital, creates musical playlists and generally knows exactly what to say and how to keep Jess positive, Caroline struggles to say the right thing at times, as she’s obviously hurting and horrified by the news about her daughter’s condition, and her and Jess clash and have arguments.

Jess is so brave and, showing maturity beyond her years, she decides to write a series of letters to her daughter of things that she wants her to know in the awful event that she’s not around to see Edie grow up.

In touching, emotional and tear-jerking notes, we learn about Jess’ past, Edie’s dad, Jake, and her own dad, as well as her hopes and fears for the future. She’s so strong as she calmly writes down important information for Edie, while trying to remain positive for her mum, friend and daughter.

Jake has never known Edie as he chose to tour with his band rather than be with her and Jess. Similarly, Jess has never really known her dad as, sadly, he didn’t really want to be involved and be a father to her either. Jess contacts them both, in the hope that they can be involved in Edie’s future and act as a support network, alongside her Mum and Gemma.

The range of emotions that all the characters experience is immense: anger, frustration, sadness, distress, guilt, resignation, interlaced with moments of humour, hope, happy memories and positivity.

I don’t think anyone is untouched by cancer nowadays, especially as the statistics say one in two of us will suffer from it at some point in our lives. It’s such a cruel disease and doesn’t discriminate by age. It seems particularly harsh for such a young person as Jess to develop it, especially with a baby, and I felt so angry on her behalf at the injustice of it all.

This book is particularly poignant as the author, Laura, herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 while five months pregnant with her second child and it is certainly written from the heart.

I Wanted You to Know had a profound effect on me and made me think the unthinkable – how would I cope in similar circumstances and what would I tell my two children, aged 5 and 3? It doesn’t bear thinking about, especially as I would miss so much of their lives. A sobering but frighteningly realistic thought for anyone with children.

Despite its sad content, the book isn’t depressing – it’s beautifully and touchingly written and I read it in two sittings, desperately trying not to cry as my emotions were stretched in so many directions. I had to succumb to full blown tears at the end though! Amazing writing and I can’t wait for Laura’s next book!

This book is the type that keeps you up when you know you should have gone to sleep an hour ago. There are several different mysteries that play out through our the book, It starts off with Natalie becoming a police officer, even though her mother tried to talk her into being anything other than police office. Detective Natalie Lockhart 's first assignment was to investigate evil events were happening in this sleepy little town which is near the Adirondack Mountains race of Evil unfolds in a sleepy tourist town near the Adirondack Mountains, in upstate New York. This is the town where tourists go to see where the 3 local witches were supposed to have been killed in the day of the which hunts. There are many twist and turns in this book but the book is a wonderfully, keep you on you toes, kind of book that is thoroughly enjoyable and you wont miss you sleep.

A moving, beautiful novel that almost made me cry on my commuter train within about 2minutes! A poignant, heartbreaking read, showing the impact and experience of cancer on the person experiencing it and how they feel about everything they're going through.

I had this one on my TBR for a while but kept putting it off because I'd been warned about the subject and was a bit too emotional to deal! And yes, it was very emotional, a young woman who's just had a baby has to deal with cancer, of course it was. But it was also beautifully written, a great character study and an amazing portrayal of the absolute strength of women in impossible situations. The women in this book are incredible.
I sobbed for hours while reading it but I had no regrets, it made me count my blessings and reminded me of my own strength which was just what I needed.

Before you embark on Laura Pearson’s novel, a word of warning, ensure you have a box of tissues to hand as you are definitely going to need them!

I Wanted You To Know was certainly not an easy read. It was both poignant, emotional and heartbreaking. Please, please don’t let this put you off as you will miss out on a wonderful story.

It was the story of Jess, 21, a new Mum, a broken relationship and back living with her Mum. A cancer diagnosis was definitely not on her life plan and it was there that you would expect it to descend into abject misery, and yes at times it was upsetting, but Pearson used a different approach. Instead she alternated her chapters with letters Jess wrote to her daughter, Edie, of her background, her relationship with Edie’s father and the hopes and aspirations she had for her as he grew up.

What made it all the more poignant was Pearson’s own personal experience, an honest, at times brutal portrayal of what it felt like to live with cancer, the effect it had on family and friends. It made you want to put your arms out and hug Jess, you admired her bravery, her matter of factness and ability to be the best Mum she could.

You could sense the anguish of her Mum, her best friend, their helplessness, but also their unwavering support for Jess.

What came across more than anything was cancers ability to make us question our whole life, the decisions we have made, the need to build bridges, restore relationships and generally get your life in order.
It was written without sentimentality, without us wanting to feel pity for its characters, but instead admiration at their bravery and stoicism, and a sense of hope and light in the face of adversity.

As much as I wiped my away the tears, I also smiled and laughed, a sure sign of an author that has got the balance just right.