I Wanted You To Know

After being blown away by Pearson's first two novels, I was very much looking forward to reading her third novel. The story of a young mother diagnosed with breast cancer, this novel is all the more poignant when, in a note at the start of the book, you read about Laura's own diagnosis.

Written in both prose and letters, we join Jess as she is given a diagnosis of breast cancer and embarks on treatment. As a single mother, her primary concern is for her baby daughter, Edie. Worried that she may not be there to answer Edie's questions as she grows, she begins to write letters to her, telling her about love and life, and making sure Edie has something to know her mother by in case she doesn't remember Jess.

Pearson has always had a wonderful flair for telling the stories that are the most painful to read and imagine. Despite the upsetting subject, I Wanted You To Know was a pleasure to read with many uplifting moments. I felt I knew Jess and her family and friends personally as the characters were so well developed. This novel will make you think about your own mortality, and the things that would seem truly important to you if you learned that you might not have as much time left as you'd hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Agora for the opportunity to review this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

An excellent novel with a fascinating depiction of characters. I very much enjoyed this wonderful story and highly recommend it.

I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book as I had loved a previous book by Laura and this book was such a poignant tearjerker of a read that I couldn’t put it down!
Jess is a single mum to baby Edie when she is given the awful devastating news that she has inoperable breast cancer, what follows is an emotional, powerful,beautifully narrated read in the form of prose and letters. This book illustrates the power of love and friendships and looking for positivity even on the darkest of days when life has treated you unfairly. Heartbreaking st times particularly the good byes at the end but also uplifting.This book will stay with me for a long time and was even more poignant as last week my cousin a single parent also lost her battle with breast cancer.
Thank you net galley for this read

Last week I finished Laura Pearson’s latest novel - I wanted You To Know. It’s taken me a few days to put into words my feelings about this book because quite simply, it broke me. This novel is beautiful and bold, it will break your heart, but it will leave you cherishing those you love all the more.

Once again the author has delivered a heart-breaking, honest and raw insight into family life and relationships.
The novel focuses on 21-year-old new mum Jess and her battle with breast cancer. But it isn’t just the diagnosis Jess has to face, or knowing that she may not be around for her daughter Edie, she also has to handle the emotions of those closest to her. Jess’s friend Gemma stole my heart. Everyone should have a friend like Gemma by their side.

At no point did the author take the easy road in dealing with this challenging topic. At no point did she give anything less than a stark and painful honesty about a disease and situation no one should find themselves in.
Yes, this is a sad book, yes you’ll need tissues at the ready, but it is also a beautiful novel that will leave you wanting to live your best life.

Thank you to Agora Books, Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

Wow what a beautiful and moving story After Jess becomes pregnant at a young age and things don't work out with her partner she decides to go back and live with mother and bring up the baby on her own Little does she know that she might not get the chance Laura Pearson writes this novel so beautifully and movingly it breaks your heart and when Jess desides to write some letters for her daughter's future the story is so poignant Can relate to all the characters and when the chips are everyone pulls together A wonderfulstory but beware you will need plenty of tissues

I don’t know what to say. Through tears, I believe this book was sent to me by a greater power. From the subject to even the publication date of my birthday. I lost my mother last year to cancer and three months later breast cancer took my best friend. I have struggled with the loss of both of them so deeply. As a woman, the closest to you are your mom and friends. Jess, in this book, gave me the peace I needed. She answered many questions I held silently. I learned the struggles my best friend felt as she worried about her young children and husband she was leaving behind. I thought about my mother and the worries she held for me. Ms Pearson, thank you. Thank you for the beauty in your writing, the pictures playing in my mind and the chance to try to understand what struggles as mothers, daughters, best friends and lovers we face. I loved your book and I recommend it to anyone who is losing or has lost a loved one. It brings beautiful closure to your soul. The story is incredible.

Utterly heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. There are moments of humour especially in the friendship between Jess and Gemma, which made me laugh, often with a wry smile. The depth of love from Jess for her daughter is awe inspiring and the strength it must have took simply staggering. It looks at love, family, friendship, terminal Illness and the impact it has on loved ones lives. Jess is so young to deal with this but you know this is real and cancer affects people and families at all ages of life. But most of all it’s a book that will stay with me forever as one of the most poignant I have ever read as Laura (the author) went through this battle herself so you know she is writing from the heart and personal experience. It’s made me cry a lot but I had to finish it. Completely brilliant, beautifully written, and it you know it will have such a deep impact on you as the reader forever. Thank you Laura for sharing your thoughts, experiences and feelings in this book, I can’t imagine how hard this was to write, so my admiration for you is off the scale! X

I Wanted You to Know is a story that will touch your heart and keep you thinking long after you have finished the story. Jess is a young college student that finds herself a single mom and facing breast cancer. Jess is barely 21 and she is facing things she never expected. She struggles with what her daughter’s life will be like with her gone. Jess is forced to face her own childhood issues and try to address them so her daughter will grow up knowing she is deeply loved. Will Jess reach out to Jake? Will Jess find a way to forgive Jake so that Edie will have at least one parent? Will Jess’s mom be able to put aside her own past to support Jess as she reaches out to her father and Jake? How do you say good bye to the people you love the most? What can you possibly write to your child that will help them to know you just a little bit long after you have gone?
It is through a series of letters Jess writes to her baby daughter Edie that she tells her all the things she wants her to know. It really makes you stop and think are you really investing in the relationships that mean the most in your life. What are the things you would want your loved ones to know about you?
I enjoyed this book even though it tore my heart out. You can help but feel for the situation Jess is facing and think about how difficult it would be. The most important thing to think about is that you should not wait for Cancer to be the driver in telling the ones you love how important they are to you.

This is a gorgeous book full of both heart and heartbreak which I suspect will resonate with so many people. Beautifully written but in an easy to read style this tells the tale of 21 year old single mum Jessica and her shock diagnosis of breast cancer. Balancing her life and treatment now with her reflecting back of her life through letters to her daughter each chapter is full of sorrow and joy, the author has done an incredible job of making a devastating book uplifting too. There’s some wonderful characters especially the strong females in Jessica’s life as well as Jessica herself and the story is simple yet so poignant, this is a remarkable book which I highly recommend

This book was so brilliantly written. I was so moved by how each character was written. My mother recently passed at age 70 from breast cancer, going to the bones, and other areas. It was hard to read, but with those letters, I felt my mom speaking to me. Just so beautiful. thank you for writing this.

Laura Pearson's third novel is the heart-breaking story of Jess, a young college student who is dying of cancer. She wants her baby daughter, Edie, to know about her as she grows up and writes her a series of moving letters.

I defy anyone reading I Wanted You To Know not to weep buckets. It is beautifully written from the heart and even though Jess's death is inevitable, there is hope for her daughter through the legacy of love from Jess's mum, her best friend Gemma, and Edie's dad Jake.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for the opportunity to read and review I Wanted You To Know.

Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.

Jess never imagined she’d be navigating single motherhood, let alone while facing breast cancer. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her.

Propelled by a ticking clock, Jess knows what she has to do: tell her daughter everything. How to love, how to lose, how to forgive, and, most importantly, how to live when you never know how long you have.

****

I finished this book last night, but didn't feel ready to write a review at the time. Having thought about it and slept on it, I now can.

Wow wow wow!! I absolutely adored this book. So much so, I was reading it in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping. Waking up an hour early for work, so I could read some more!

The beautiful way Laura wrote the letters from new mum Jess, to her beloved baby daughter Edie, took my breath away. The way Laura also described how Jess was feeling with her breast cancer diagnosis at age 21 whilst having a new baby was just incredible. What makes it more profound is to know Laura's backstory of finding out she had breast cancer whilst pregnant.

This story just had me in it clutches from start to finish and is one that I will keep thinking about for a long time.

This is such a moving yet uplifting novel. Told with tenderness, it moved me so many times. You definitely need tissues to read this with.

This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful novel. Once I started it, I couldn’t stop reading. When I woke up the morning after finishing it, the first thing I thought of was these wonderful, tragic characters. It’s a story that tugs at the heartstrings before snapping them entirely. I absolutely adored this book and would recommend it to anyone.

A lot of tears did occur while reading this book only because it was such a beautiful love story between a mother and daughter. I can't even imagine being only twenty two and not seeing Edie grow up. However, what she imparted in her letters and relationships is that without love, there is no life.

A heartbreaking read! Have tissues nearby!

Jess and Jake were in love and together. However after an argument. Jess leaves and returns home to her Mum with a bump.

Jess never imagined that she would be a single mother. Growing up without much of a father, she wanted more for her daughter Edie.

But Jess's world is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 21.
A heartbreaking story of what to do with your life when you haven't got long to live it. Make amends? Cherish friends? new adventures?

I requested this book as I was interested in it. My mum went for her first mammogram and they find the tiniest lump of cancer - she is fine and alive.

This book was funny, sad and kept me engaged from beginning to end. Sometimes I felt the pages were too long but it was a great story.

An excellent read! The characters were developed astoundingly! I read it in one sitting. Lots of crying, but such a great ending.

Jess, a single Mum to baby Edie, finds herself at the age of just 21 , facing a battle with breast cancer. Her main concern is for the future of her Daughter and in a series of letters she writes down the things she wants her to know. Things about life in general , things about herself and her relationships and the choices she made in life and most of all , Jess wants her Daughter to know her even though she won't remember her and to let her know just how loved she is.
With a support network of Mum Caroline, best friend Gemma and baby Edie., Jess faces the fight of her short life. I got a real feel for the relationships between these fiour and the characterisation was brilliant.
It would be wrong to say I enjoyed the book but all the way through, it pulled at my heartstrings. I have a terminally ill friend and also a 21 year old Daughter and I felt the cancer issue was dealt with very compassionately and sensitively.
There's lots of books around with a cancer theme but this one had something extra and will stay with me for a long time.

The subject matter is depressing (21-year-old mother, new baby, finds out she has cancer), but the characters, situations and writing all combine for a first-class book and my favorite read of 2019. I laughed, cried and lost sleep...but most of all I marveled at the strength of the young heroine as she internalized and processed the news, communicated it to others, faced & overcame obstacles, made decisions and planned for the future. This is the story of one strong lady...someone I came to admire and look up to as I read the book. It is down-to-earth, believable and realistic. I recommend it without hesitation.

This book has great heart. At first I wondered how it would take an entire book to tell the story but I got involved in the story and the characters. The story centers on 22 year old Jess and her battle with cancer. Jess a new mom and single faces not only her own feelings but those of the significant people in her life. She pens a series of letters to her daughter Edie and those letters fill in the history of Jess's story and the inner workings of Jess's mind.
Definitely worth a read to spend time with Jess on her journey.
I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

No words I write will be able to do justice to this beautiful book.

A heart breaking story about a single 21 year old mum who has breast cancer. While she is going through her treatment she reflects back on her life through letters to her baby daughter for her best friend to giver to her when she is old enough.

A beautifully written book which I won’t forget for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really sad story. A proper tug at the heartstrings one. It was a lovely read, and very thought provoking. It touched on a mother's greatest fear - how her children will cope without her. It was very well written and an enjoyable, if tearful read.

Having read, and very much enjoyed, Laura’s previous novel, Missing Pieces, I was looking forward to her latest – I Wanted You To Know. It did not disappoint, especially as the subject is close to my heart.

Jess has been a mother to Edie for only a few weeks. She is so young herself and has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Jess is more than a mother; she is a daughter, friend, lover. What she is not, until now, is a cancer patient.

I Wanted You To Know takes us through Jess’s cancer experience...from disbelief, anger, confusion, understanding to acceptance. Her relationships with the important people in her life are explored and the different emotions she has with each of them are described with excruciating honesty.

Jess is a very likeable character and I particularly enjoyed the depiction of her relationship with Gemma, her best friend. It’s a book that made me cry, laugh and reflect on the unfairness of life. Despite the subject matter, I found the novel very easy to read and difficult to put down.

Please don’t be put off from reading this novel by the subject matter. It’s ultimately an uplifting story of a young woman’s love for her daughter and the lengths that she goes to in order to ensure that she knows that she is loved.

Amazing. Grab a box of tissues for this one because you are going to need them. Young, single mom with cancer pens loving letters of life lessons to her baby girl all while navigating treatments, the complicated relationships with her mother, father and the father of her child. This one will rip your heart out and make you want to hold dear to those you love. Five stars.

This was a quick, sweet read that really tugged at my heartstrings.

Jess is a single mother with a young baby, and the last thing she ever expected was to be diagnosed with breast cancer. With time working against her, how can she tell her daughter everything when Evie is too young to understand what is really going on? Through letters. Jess pours her heart out, teaching her daughter about life, love, loss, and forgiveness, and along the way I think she learns a few things herself.

It’s definitely an emotional story, and I was quite moved by the author sharing her own experience in the beginning of the book. I do wish there was a little more at the end, maybe an epilogue with Evie, but I can see why the author wanted to end it where she did.

Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2965434133

Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.

Jess never imagined she’d be 21, with a newborn. She also didn’t imagine she’d be dying. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her. Jess knows that she needs to tell her daughter everything. How to love, how to lose, how to forgive, and, most importantly, how to live when you never know how long you have.

Possibly one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. It absolutely broke my heart. But I honestly couldn’t put it down. It was amazing. A book of absolute heartbreak, that reminds you how short life can be, and to embrace life to its fullest. Jess goes through the process of coming to terms with having breast cancer, and dying, while reconciling lost relationships, all while writing letters to her daughter in the hope to share insights into her life and offer support about the many things life has to throw at it. So eloquently written that I just couldn’t stop. Highly recommend (if you’re ok with bawling your eyes out).

OMG I don't even know where to start this book is heart breaking and one of my favourite reads of this year. I am not even sure I can do it justice in a review as I loved it that much!

As soon as I picked this book up I knew I was in for the long haul and I read it in under a day over two sittings.

I love a book that gives you all of the feels and this book gave me a barrage of emotions throughout. I shed my first tear around 50% and at 80% had to break a box of tissues out.

This book is so heartfelt I could literally feel the words jumping off the page and was so absorbed and emotionally invested in the wonderful characters from beginning to end.

Massive praise to Laura Pearson on this amazing book and all of the feels it bought with it. This is one of those rare books where 5* just isn't enough!

Before you read this book, you will need tissues. I don't think I've ever cried this much reading a book. Talk about pulling at the heart strings. This was an amazing and beautiful story about a woman who writes letters to her daughter while she's fighting breast cancer. I didn't know if I'd be able to finish this book through the tears but what a book it was.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Wanted You To Know is a story about a young mother dealing with a diagnosis of breast cancer and all that comes with it. Worried that she may not be around for her daughter Edie, Jess writes her letters all about her life, love and relationships.

This book was incredibly moving, it’s not often I cry when reading a book but I cried a lot with this one. I think it will stay with me for quite a while to come.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters, they were likeable and well developed. In the end I felt like I knew them all personally.
Overall the book was very well written, easy to read and utterly heartbreaking. Don’t attempt to read it without a large box of tissues very close by!

This book is heartbreaking but spoke to me and had me thinking and being grateful for al I have. The love of a mother is undoubtedly one of the strongest but to know you will not be around to share your children's life is unimaginable.

Jess is barely 21 but is faced with the devastating news that she has breast cancer. As a single mother she has poured all her love into her daughter . With her life in balance she wants to let her daughter know all the things she wishes she could tell her if she had more time. Her letters to her daughter shares her thoughts on how to love, lose, forgive and to make the most of her life.

Cancer is the most horrible disease and one which most of us has been touched by. The devastation it causes has been beautifully portrayed in this book and the impact on those involved and their family and friends is immense.

The authors insight in this book is evident and it will definitely leave the reader with tears in their eyes and a firm resolve to not “sweat the small stuff !” Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this unforgettable book .

This book broke me! I cried from beginning to end. I did also laugh but, the tears were never far away.
Jess is 21 years old. She has a beautiful baby and a lump in her breast. As a single Mum after her relationship with Jake ended abruptly, she must rely on support from her Mum and her best friend Gemma.
Having been a mum for only a handful of weeks, Jess wants to make sure that Edie, her daughter, is provided with all the knowledge that she can share.
The story is told as a narrative of each character’s actions and is mixed with the heartrending ‘I wanted you to know’ letters from Jess to Edie.
The story is unpredictable and incredibly tragic as Jess fights a losing battle against this awful disease.
The changes in the dynamics between Jess, her Mum, Gemma and Jake are expertly written and sensitively portrayed.
Please read this book and try to enjoy it but, make sure that you’ve got plenty of tissues.

This is a poignant and moving story that just from reading the blurb you know is going to go in a certain direction and will be heartbreaking, however, I hadn't anticipated how uplifting and life-affirming it would also be.
Told in letters to her daughter Edie you see all of the stories, the experiences, the mistakes, that have led Jess to where she now is and all the tales she wants to leave her young daughter. The letters are also interspersed with current event narrative that explores what is happening to Jess and those closest to her.
I felt strongly that the author's own experience of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment whilst being a young mother meant this book has complete authenticity and knew exactly what areas to explore. I can only imagine the emotions involved in writing and editing this story having lived a version of it, and throughout I was pulled in by this reality, by a respect for Laura Pearson and so many other women like her, like Jess.
This story isn't about cancer, it's about life, and ultimately love. It highlights the things that matter most, the things that go unsaid, unappreciated, unnoticed most of the time but that mean everything. Jess's strong but imperfect relationship with her Mum, her enviable friendship with Gemma, and her regrets over things that went wrong with both Jake and her Dad, were all written so powerfully to emphasise the ups and downs of life and how things don't always turn out how we hope but that there are lessons along the way.

I don’t really know where to start with this novel. I’ve seen everyone raving about it, and I was desperate to read it, but now I’m sat in front of my laptop struggling to think of the words to describe just how beautiful and affecting it actually is.
The novel begins with a letter from the author. She tells the reader of her own experience with breast cancer. This isn’t just an author who is writing about the subject, this is someone who has lived it. I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried, and hard. Laura’s writing is so straight to the point – so raw – that I constantly read in awe (and tears).
The story itself focuses on Jess, a young, single mother who is diagnosed with breast cancer when her daughter is just weeks old. Her life is forever changed and faced with the very real possibility of death – she begins to write letters to her daughter, wanting, in some way to be there for her. After.
Laura’s own experience shines through the writing. Through Jess’ words and thoughts the author’s own feelings exist, and it is in the small details that the power of this novel truly resides. It grabs and shakes you by the lapels, making you realise just how lucky you are. It provides perspective in spades; and I, and no doubt many more, can be accused of taking my life for granted. I Wanted You to Know made me think about those small things, the ‘what ifs’, in an entirely new way. The letters Jess writes to Edie are an incredibly powerful way of translating the depth of loss into the here and now.
One of the most beautiful elements of the novel is the solidarity of women surrounding Jess. Her relationship with her mother will be recognisable to many daughters, and I think that everyone should have a friend like Gemma, who lights up the page with her warmth and friendship. For me, the love these three women have for one another shone brighter than the love story between Jess and Edie’s father, Jake.
It is without doubt the most heart-breaking book I’ve ever read. I cry quite easily, I’m in touch with my emotions and I feel deeply. But this was on another level. The writing is beautiful, heartfelt and honest – it is perfection.
I’m a huge fan of Laura’s previous novels and I absolutely love the way in which her characters, complex flaws and all, are portrayed. They’re not perfect. But who is?
I now have to now make the sad announcement that Missing Pieces has just been knocked from the top of my favourite list by I Wanted You To Know. It is, without doubt, Laura’s best and most powerful novel yet.

I just don't know where to start with this. Such a beautiful, poignant and heartbreakingly sad book. An amazing portrayal into how cancer can devaste a family. At times I was left unable to read due to tears at other times the other times I was left smiling knowing how much Jess loved Edie.
I'm already recommending this to my famy and friends. Absolutely brilliant

I’d like to thank Agora Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘I Wanted You To Know’ by Laura Pearson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jess is 21 years old and has just given birth to Edie when she discovers she has breast cancer. Never having had her own father around during her childhood, Jess decides to tell Edie’s father Jake that he has a daughter. Jess writes letters to Edie should she not survive to tell her in person how to live, love and make friends, about her love for Jake and how much she was wanted.

I’m so grateful that Agora Books and NetGalley have let me read ‘I Wanted You To Know’ which is without question the most moving and incredibly sad story I’ve ever read. I marvelled at Jess’s mature attitude towards her own demise, arranging the details of her funeral, where she’d spend her last days, and her decision that if she had to go she’d go on her own terms. I was so absorbed in the story I found it impossible to put down, finishing it in less than a day, and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about it. I wept throughout the book from start to finish and yet I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to read it. Thank you, Laura, for writing such a wonderful and inspiring book, I’d give it many more than five stars if I could.

This book is absolutely, brutally, brilliant.

I cried A LOT reading it – and Laura doesn’t shy away from the shittiness of breast cancer at all – but it’s not all doom and gloom. The relationships between Jess and her daughter / mother / best friend / father / ex boyfriend / best mate’s brother are all explored beautifully.

I guess I empathised most with Jess’s BFF Gemma. One of my best friends had her own breast cancer journey a couple of years ago – and I was the one trying to be a supportive friend. Admittedly I didn’t have to take care of a newborn like Gemma does in the book – but we did borrow her son as our 5th child for a week to take him away for half term. It’s the balance of trying to keep things ‘normal’ whilst still recognising that things are never going to be normal ever again. The letters Jess writes to Edie also made me really emotional – as there were many things my friend was scared she wouldn’t see – her daughter smashing her GCSEs and A-levels and turning 18, her son going to his Middle School prom and starting High School – all the type of things Jess addresses in her letters to her daughter who isn’t even a year old at the time.

Just like ‘Missing Pieces’ a dysfunctional family is central to the storyline – and written about so well – and you could totally empathise with lots of the characters (and want to punch others).

This is not a fun, easy, light hearted read – it really does make you think about being grateful for what you have RIGHT NOW – and speaking up for that, telling people what you think – and not waiting until it’s too late – or almost too late.

Whilst it made me do big snotty crying, I still really enjoyed this book – and a huge thank you to Netgalley for my ARC. I know there will be people where this is a bit too close to home – and I’m not sure whether it would be a good or bad thing for someone in a similar circumstance to read it.

Most of all, and very selfishly, I’m bloody chuffed that my friend didn’t have to write letters to her children like Jess did………

As someone whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago, this was a much more emotional read for me. I wept for Jess, for her family, for her daughter, for her life, and for the millions of women and families across the world who are going through the same plight. That this book was based on Laura Pearson's own battle with cancer makes it so much more emotive.

It not always a light hearted and happy read, thanks to the reality that is this awful disease. But it's a book with so much heart, beautiful characters, and a strong and impactful message.

Buy shares in Kleenex before reading this because you will work your way through tissues at an alarming rate.

Wow this book got me like I hadn't expected... having read Laura Pearson's last two novels I was delighted to receive an ARC of this, her latest novel. I knew she was a talented writer and I would enjoy the book, so I didn't read too much blurb about it being a tearjerker. Boy is it just. Not in a long. long time has a novel moved me to tears in this way. Usually for me when reviews say "tissues at the ready" it's emotional, however in this case it was full blown ugly crying...
Jess is a young girl with the world at her feet. She falls pregnant unexpectedly with the love of her life, however he has big plans and unfortunately don't include her, or a baby. She gives up college and moves in with her Mum, only to be told at the tender age of 21 she has breast cancer. As if not devastating enough, she has a beautiful daughter and only her Mum and her best friend for support. The story is told from Jess's point of view, together with a series of letters written by Jess to her daughter for her to read once she is gone - something that is just so devastating beyond words, however the author describes it all brilliantly well, which made it even more heart wrenching for me as a reader as I know she has suffered this cruel disease first hand, while pregnant with her second child. It truly was a wonderful story, one I felt gut wrenchingly sad about the whole way through, but there is so much more to this book. It's a raw tale of friendship, family, relationships, love and loss. One I won't be able to put out of my mind for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderfully moving book.

Oh my gosh... I still have not recovered from this book. It left me speechless and in tears. The writing is unlike anything else, and the authors ability to weave such a story was incredible. Have already shared this recommendation with friends.

A lot of tears cried reading this book. So many that my husband really wondered why I was reading it! However it is a beautiful and touching novel which really nightlights some of the issues of mortality and terminal illness. Working in a hospice, I hear a lot of these similar thoughts but Jess’s story was so beautifully written. Get some tissues for this highly recommended book

This is one of those books that is complicated to review. It's hard to say I enjoyed it, as it is an incredibly emotional novel with moments of complete and devastating heartbreak. But it also shows the beauty that can accompany these moments. The sense of hope and appreciation that we should aspire to live each and every moment of our life with, while we are lucky enough to be still be able to do so.

As I said, books like this are hard. Did I enjoy it? Honestly, no. I was emotionally ripped apart and genuinely devastated by moments in this novel. But I loved it none the less. It was written with incredibly poignancy, and with a clarity of insight that I have rarely experienced before.

I will say, if you have anxiety around cancer, or have a relative with the disease, you may want to miss this one, as it is incredibly difficult at times, and I can only imagine how it would make you feel if you have lived, or are living, through it. Nonetheless, I felt it to be an incredibly moving and worthwhile read, even if it will leave you drained!

This is honestly one of the best and most memorable books I have ever read. So incredibly sad and difficult to read but beautiful at the same time. I can't get it out of my head. It is so well written! I just can't say enough about this to fully express how good and true to life it is. You really don't want to miss this one!

This was such an emotional book you definitely need the tissues ready. The main character stood up to cancer so very bravely and always acted so selfless and wanted to make sure the others around her were okay. It definitely gives you an eye opening appreciation for life, it's something that we all can take for granted. Having lost a friend to cancer at the young age of 18, this book has a special place in my heart. Now I'm going to go hug everyone I love, and maybe even some people that I don't :)

Very glad to have read this.

I don’t think it has ever taken me 12 days to read a book I was enjoying...but this book did. I cried so many times that I had to pick and choose when would be an appropriate time to read through tears. Beautifully written and exceptionally heartbreaking.

Thank you NetGalley and Agora books for providing me this beautiful and emotional read in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by Laura Pearson, but it won't be my last. I will definitely look up her two previous books.
This is a brilliant, raw & heartbreaking story! Grab a box or two of Kleenex, I promise you will need them!!

A young, single mother, Jess never imagined she’d be navigating motherhood & facing breast cancer. Jess wants to let her daughter know all the things a girl should learn from her mother. She does this by writing letters to her baby girl in hopes they will one day show her daughter how much she loves her & wants the best life for her.

I recommend this book to all. You will certainly reflect on your own life when reading this!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

This book is going to hit you in the feels. over and over again. Don't take that lightly.

Jess is a strong, brave, empowering woman. I have no idea if i would have been that strong if i lived what she went through.

The author is clearly talented.
I can't wait to read more by her!

Imagine becoming a new mom at the age of 21 and finding out you have breast cancer. Imagine sitting down in a doctor’s office with your infant in a car seat near your feet when you receive this devastating news.

Jess has just become a mom to a beautiful little girl named Edie. Edie’s father, Jake isn’t in the picture, he is off touring with his band. Jess never imagined she would be a single mom living with her own mom, and she also never imagined she’d be facing a cancer diagnosis. Her only support comes from her mom and her best friend Gemma.

Jess is now having to make some tough decisions about her daughter’s future that she knows she may not be a part of. She begins writing Edie letters of things she wants her to know- how she met her dad, how to find a friend like Gemma, how to navigate love and loss all while sharing stories about her first love, stories about her grandma and expressing how much she loves her little girl. She wants to tell her everything- as she prepares to say goodbye to everyone around her.

This book is heartbreaking yet beautiful. It is definitely an emotional read- you will sob. And even though this was probably one of the saddest books I’ve ever read- it is also an incredible story of the strength and courage women have when battling cancer. After reading it, I took some time to reflect on how often we take things for granted- our health, our homes, our family and our friends. I definitely gave my boys some extra squeezes last night through tears.

Thank you Netgalley and @agorabooks for this advance reading copy. This book will be published October 3, 2019 during breast cancer awareness month. I highly recommend it to all!

An amazing - yet again Laura Pearson has made me cry buckets at this story, an incredibly poignant look at motherhood with breast cancer & what can you leave your child if you know you're going to die. I loved it as much as I have loved her other books and an in awe of how she makes the reader invest so fully in the story it feels like they have experienced an actual bereavement by the end of the book. Bravo.

This book broke me. It reached into my heart and soul and took my breath away, making me cry a river of tears along the way. As soon as I read the raw and powerful opening letter from the author to the reader, I was already needing tissues and knew I was in for an emotional ride.

What would you want your child to know if you found out you weren’t going to be there as they grew up? That is the heartbreaking question addressed in this mesmerising and poignant novel.

Twenty-one-year-old Jess is getting to grips with being a single mum to baby Edie when the rug is pulled from under her and she’s told she has breast cancer. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she’d be facing a fight for her life so young or so soon after becoming a mother. What will happen to Edie? What about all the things she wanted her to know? So, she decides to write to her daughter. Beginning each letter with the words “Dear Edie, I wanted you to know…” she imparts the wisdom she thinks her daughter will need about life and love, while also telling her who her mother was so she will have a chance to know her even after she’s gone. Jess is open and honest in these letters, never shying away from her own flaws and mistakes and sharing her fears about having cancer.

As well as these letters, we follow Jess from the day of her diagnosis, her attempt to come to terms with the awful news, her fight against the disease, and her relationships with those closest to her. I don't want to say too much about what happens on that journey as part of the beauty of this book was discovering that.]

I loved the author’s decision to blend prose and letters as it made this book all the more moving by helping me connect with Jess’s character on a deeper level. Jess was real to me and I was completely invested in her story. As a mother, I couldn't help putting myself in her place and my children in Edie's, and this was not only devastating, but gave me an admiration for the strength she possesses and dignity with which she carries herself. But I also liked that she had many layers and flaws, which only endeared her to me. I felt quite maternal towards Jess and while writing this I realise I’m probably about the age her mother is in the story, so that makes sense. I wanted to reach through the pages to comfort her and tell her how amazing she is and spent the whole book hoping for a happy ending for this young girl.

This isn't a book that shouts from the rooftops and makes your heart race. It is one that has a more soft and subtle allure and draws you in with the feeling that radiates from its pages. I anticipated an emotional novel but I was not expecting to be so moved that I had to read the last part of it with tears streaming down my cheeks or feel so ravaged when the story ended.

What I want you to know is that I highly recommend this book. Just make sure to have the tissues handy and be prepared for possibly finding a new must read author - just like I have.

Finally, I want to address the author herself: Laura, I am in awe of your bravery and strength in writing this novel. You are an exceptional writer and inspirational woman. You not only conveyed Jess’s feelings so acutely that they lept off the page, but you did the same with every single character. The pain, grief, anger and regret was palpable and made me a wreck as I read it. I will never forget this story or the way it made me feel. Thank you for writing it and sharing it with the world.

Thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

I firstly want to thank Agora Books and Laura for allowing me the opportunity to be on the blog tour for this book.

Where do I start to review this book? There aren’t many books out there that can bring me to actual tears, however, I Wanted You To Know by Laura Pearson turned little ole me into an emotional snivelling tear stained woman. I had to stop reading and take a break on numerous occasions because the tears were just too much.

The story revolves around 21 year old Jessica. She is bringing up Edie, her 4 month old daughter alone, the reasons unfold throughout the story. And, she has also been diagnosed with breast cancer.

What follows is an emotionally charged story of Jessica’s journey. Told through the eyes of Jessica and also through the format of letters to her daughter.

We live in an age now where cancer seems to be all around. I’m sure you have had personal experience with the awful disease, whether you’ve had cancer yourself, or know of family, friends or colleagues who have had it. You may have lost loved ones to the disease.

Myself, I have lost a few close family members to cancer, I have also got cancer survivors in my family. A couple of years back I lost a very close friend of mine to cancer, she was only young and she left behind a family. Cancer sucks big time.

Because of all the personal experience that is why I felt more emotionally attached to the story. I could relate easily to what the characters were going through and the emotions they were dealing with.

Laura herself has dealt with breast cancer it comes across through the book, it is written from the heart. This truly is a life-affirming story.

I loved all the different relationships within the story and how each went through its own journey. We have mother/daughter relationships. I was raised by a single mother, so I could relate a lot to Jessica and her mother’s relationship.

I fell in love with Gemma, the fierce and loyal friend. Strong throughout it was a beautiful friendship and even thinking of it now it’s bringing tears to my eyes.

I wanted you to know that this story may be a tear-jerker, a heart-rending story. It may bring back memories of experiences you have had with cancer. But, above all this story is about learning to love and treasure what we have and live each moment to it’s fullest.

This is the third book I have read by this author now and she has done another brilliant job by writing such a heart-breaking and heart-warming story – it is a beautiful story to read!

I loved the characters and Laura has a brilliant way with words, her books are addictive and you do not want to put them down. In this one she has a set of characters that are so well developed I began to feel as though they were friends and really wished I could give them a hug and share in their emotions.

This will definitely be up there with my books of the year, I loved it from cover to cover and felt it was a book that touched my heart and will stay with me for a long time to come – 5 stars from me, very, very highly recommended

An emotional read, do not approach lightly and definitely bring tissues, but worth every tear shed. Poignant, beautifully written, moving and just heartbreaking but uplifting too. A powerful and emotive read, thoroughly recommended

This was a beautifully written book detailing how a young, single mother, Jessica (Jess) deals with a terminal cancer diagnosis. From the way she handles her relationships with her loved ones to the letters that she writes to her baby daughter, Edie, Jess deals with her cancer with grace. Through it all, her biggest regret is missing seeing her daughter grow up and not being there for her. She wants to insure that Edie is surrounded by a strong support system of others that love her.

This subject matter is heartbreaking but even through the tears I was crying, I felt the positivity in the message Ms. Pearson is trying to convey. I walk away from this story knowing that you cannot waste a minute because you don't know how much time you truly have. Also, you have to give those you love every opportunity to prove themselves to you. Misunderstandings truly do happen and for those to come between you and those you love and steal precious time is a tragedy. Jessica's journey with cancer is not an easy one to read, but it is well worth the tears. I, personally, struggled with how Jess chose to handle things at the end, but I admired her spirit and her desire that her daughter be well-loved or "floogled." (You'll have to read it to appreciate where floogle comes from.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I closed this book, I can honestly say that words failed me entirely. I had hot tears running down my face and all I wanted to do was run upstairs and cuddle my two sleeping babies; hold them tight and deeply inhale their scent.

This book tackles the cruelty of cancer and how cancer does not discriminate. I love the idea of writing letters to those you most cherish and imparting love and crucial knowledge to them. There was a powerful rawness to the narrative; heightened by a cacophony of emotions: love, anger and sadness, all swirled together and shaped the lives of those affected by the disease.

I adore Pearson’s style of writing; it is brutally honest and painfully lucid yet effortlessly beautiful. I read with a knot in my stomach and a tight twist in my heart, and felt myself sinking deeper with every page; my chest tightening at the injustice of it all.

Make no mistake here; I Wanted You To Know is totally devastating and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t upset me; it is impossibly sad yet it is also quietly brilliant. This is a remarkable story of piercing bravery and forceful solidarity; a love letter to family and friendship; a heartfelt, emotional, yet frank and honest account which one could be forgiven for thinking is non-fiction.

I Wanted You To Know is heart-achingly beautiful; a real triumph of a novel which despite its melancholy, will stay with me for a long time.

This is my must read book of 2019 - the story is so emotional and beautifully written.

As a member of the Motherload Facebook page I was eager to read this book after reading other reviews of preview copies. The story is heart breaking in places but also funny too. Laura Pearson looks not just at how Jess copes with her diagnosis but how her family and friends cope too.

This is a must read book - we all have family and friends who have faced or are currently facing cancer . Please have a box (or two) of tissues handy when reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Pearson and Agora books for my digital review copy - this is my honest review

Jess McKinley is only twenty-one years old and has only been a mother for a handful of weeks. She expects to hear that the lump she found in her breast is nothing more than a clogged milk duct, assured it is nothing to worry about. Instead, the doctor announces that tests have revealed "evidence of breast cancer."

Jess is a single mother, living with her own single mother. Her father was never really part of her life, and her mother, Caroline, has always made her disdain for and disappointment in Jess's father clear. Jess's relationship with Jake, the father of little Edie, ended when she told him she was pregnant. They haven't communicated since then, and he is touring with his band, hoping to find success in the music industry. When Jess learns the news, she struggles with telling her mother and her best friend, Gemma. The two women comprise her support network, and without them, Jess would be facing an uncertain future completely on her own.

As the book opens, Jess is still learning how to be a mother to Edie, discovering that motherhood is "relentless, boring, and so tiring." And yet essential because, without her, Edie would not survive. In light of her diagnosis, she contemplates getting in touch with Jake, who has never met Edie. In fact, he doesn't know the baby's gender . . . or even if the child was born healthy. Caroline makes no secret of her disapproval.

Jess determines to write letters to Edie which she will leave with Gemma to deliver when Edie is old enough to read them. Pearson intersperses the letters with the third-person narrative through which she relates Jess's story. Each letter begins with "I wanted you to know . . ." and Jess relates the details about her relationship with Jake, her fear of leaving Edie and the reality that death itself is not what is most frightening, the fact that she is more than and not defined by cancer, and that being a mother is the most difficult thing Jess has ever done, but also the best. She shares her lack of self-confidence about mothering, and how to deal with cancer. And tells Edie, "I wanted you to know about love."

Pearson's story is heart-wrenching because of Jess's realistic, pragmatic approach to her circumstances. The depiction of the mother-daughter relationship between Caroline and Jess is particularly compelling. The two women share disappointments, anger, and a history of not communicating their true feelings effectively -- a pattern that no longer serves them. They rise to the challenge of working out their feelings while they still have time, but not without difficulty and new resentments. Each loves the other boundlessly which makes their journey easier and, at the same time, so complicated because their remaining time together is short. Jess, now a mother herself, finally understands what her mother meant all those times she told Jess that she would always be her baby. Thus, Jess works at being cognizant of and sensitive to Caroline's feelings, but must also articulate her own needs, as well as how she wants her daughter to be raised.

Equally engrossing is Jess's struggle to understand her own part in the failure of her relationship with Jake and forgive -- herself, Jake, and her mother. She realizes how much her mother's feelings about the own father projected and permeated her relationship with and expectations of Jake. And knows that she must deal with him on his own terms and learn to trust him for the sake of their daughter.

Jess's unconditional friendship with Gemma is at the very heart of the story. The two young women have known each other since they were young students in the same school, and experienced growing up together. Their shared memories of so many firsts and a future they always believed would be much lengthier bring strength to them both, as does Gemma's unwavering determination to stand by Jess and she that her wishes were fulfilled.

Pearson inspires readers to question their own mortality and the choices they would in a situation similar to Jess's. She relates that as she wrote the book, she didn't realize it would end up being a "love letter to friendship, to women, to life." But that's exactly what I wanted You to Know is. It is a story about empowerment and resolve under the worst imaginable circumstances. It is a testament to resilience and courage when there are very few choices left to be made. And a story about the beauty of surrendering and trusting those we love and who love us in return so that we can find peace and accept that which we cannot change. And so, as Pearson notes, it is both "a celebration and a tale of loss."

Pearson again demonstrates what a powerful, restrained writer she is, elevating her story into a believable, thought-provoking examination of a woman who maintains her dignity and truth in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Yet again, Pearson shows that she is capable of tackling the most difficult subjects with insight, credibility, and compassion.

'I Wanted You To Know' is one of the most moving, emotional and incredible books I have ever read. It's about a young mother, Jess, who is diagnosed with breast cancer and she writes letters to her newborn daughter with everything she wants her to know, in case she herself isn't there to tell her.

I lost count of the amount of times that I cried... It was such a powerful and moving read. Friendships, romantic love and motherly love are beautifully and realistically painted out. It's not all fairy tale or doom and gloom but so very very real. I wanted to reach into the book and give the characters a massive hug. I felt like I knew them. Laura Pearson had cancer herself and she manages to draw on her own experiences without it feeling like a thinly veiled autobiography.

The style is simple just like the story is simple but a simple that is raw and heartfelt. I liked how the book switched between Jess' letters and an outside perspective. I thought for a bit that it could be stronger to have the perspectives of other characters too, but upon reflection I think that would have distracted from the main story and weakened the strength of the style.

'I Wanted You To Know' is one of those books that stays with you. Since finishing it, bits keep coming back to me and it's both a sad and happy read. I couldn't put it down.

4.5 stars
Every now and then we need books like this to remind us that we are all breakable and at any point in our life something can change it forever.
This story is about a breast cancer mother writing to her unborn daughter and teaching her how to enjoy the life with love, heartbreak, friendship and happiness.
I cried at times as well as I was frustrated because the author has a way with her words to make it very real and pulls at your heart more than you want to give.
Love it.

I don't think I have the right words to describe my feelings towards this book. I cried, I sobbed and I cried some more. I have no more tears left to cry.

This book is so completely heart-wrenching and emotional. It should be sold with a box of Kleenex.

I really felt for Jess through the entire book, she was such a strong character dealing with the blows life threw at her and whilst I would have become a complete wreck, she managed to remain composed and thoughtful to others. Jess felt real, springing from the page, a true friend who was suffering.

You can really feel the author's personal experience in the words, the thoughts, the expressions used. It was honest, it was raw, it was one of the most heart-breaking books I have read; an unapologetic look at what it is to say goodbye to your loved ones.

My only regret is that I do not have a physical copy of this book. I will get one as this book is sure to stay with me for a long time and I will be recommending it to everyone.

I thought I had read some emotional books in all my years of reading but this novel was truly something else.

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I wanted You To Know - Laura Pearson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⠀
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Today is my stop on the blog tour for this touching, harrowing and beautiful book by Laura Pearson #iwantedyoutoknow. Huge thanks to @agorabooksldn and @laurapauthor for gifting me this copy to read. This book is published on October 3rd, make sure you buy it! 💕⠀
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This book I raced through in 24 hours. Be prepared to have your heartbroken like you wouldn't believe and have the tissues at the ready, in large supply! ⠀
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"Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be."⠀
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Meet Jess and Edie, Jess is a young single mother juggling parenthood and breast cancer. Jess makes it her mission to teach her daughter Edie all she knows, be it love, family and hope before it's too late.⠀
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This is a very special book that really clawed at me, being a young mum myself this book really hit me hard. Fantasticly gripping and emotional. What a talent. ⠀
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A book that will make you hold your loved ones that little bit tighter and cherish even the tougher of days. An absolute tear-jerker of a book. 💕⠀

I think 'I Wanted You To Know' should come with a couple of warnings. Firstly - don't read in public. Secondly - don't read when you have a cold. And it should also have a free packet of tissues. I can't believe how much I cried. Normally I read Crime books so this was a bit of a departure for me. It took me a while to get into it but once I did it was very hard to stop reading.

This is beautifully written but achingly sad. In a sense there is no 'up' to this book. What happens to Jess is inevitable. Authenticity chimes throughout the whole story not least because Laura Pearson draws on her own experience with breast cancer. It certainly reminded me of a friend who died leaving behind two small children over 25 years ago. I don't think my tears were just for Jess. I loved the letters that Jess writes to Edie, her baby daughter, for her to read in the future. But it was the narrative that really pulled me along, desperate to know how Jess was going to cope.

One of the lines that grabbed my attention is in Chapter 15 - 'She'd never noticed how much she thought about the future until she didn't have one.' So true. I know I constantly think about the future - about Christmas, events I want to go to, summer holidays etc. The truth is that our lives can be turned upside down at any point. 'I Wanted You to Know' shows us this in devastating detail but with huge amounts of dignity. This is a novel that will speak volumes to so many. Just make sure you order some tissues when you buy the book.

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 Wanted You To Know' is an absolutely heart-wrenching, incredibly powerful and heart-warmingly affirming book. Your heart will be pushed to its limits with a vast amount of emotions but it is a beautiful and powerful book.