Oh Laura Pearson, this is the second book of yours that has made me a sobbing wreck. I Wanted You To Know absolutely floored me when I read it in 2022 so when I spotted Missing Pieces on Netgalley I immediately requested it. This is Laura’s debut novel, with a gorgeous new cover, and it is a breathtakingly emotional story ❤️‍

This was an emotional family read with an undertone of sadness throughout. The story starts after the tragic death of three year old Phoebe which her seven year old sister Esme can’t fully understand, her mum Linda is devastated from the loss of her beloved daughter and also pregnant but struggling to cope with the thought of another child and dad Tom is trying his best to hold everything together. Told in two parts, the first deals with the aftermath of Phoebe’s death and how the family copes with the arrival of baby Bea, the second part takes place a couple of decades later when the discovery that she’s pregnant leaves Bea keen to better understand her families past. Part one is quite heartbreaking with a family that’s been shattered and each blaming themselves for Phoebe’s death and none of them are coping well which makes for quite painful reading at times. Part two is more uplifting but with sad moments as Esme tries to explain the family history via letters to Phoebe. As the truth of Phoebe’s death is revealed it’s easy to understand why Esme and Tom have been punishing themselves for years but equally no one was to blame. Overall this is a very bittersweet but very thoughtful read about life, death, living and moving on as well as family dynamics and forgiveness, it’s beautifully told.

Missing Pieces is Laura Pearson’s debut novel. The book is divided into two halves, with the first half telling the story of the months following the death of Tom and Linda Sadler’s daughter Phoebe. The second half is set twenty-five years later, and Phoebe’s younger sister Bea is trying to make sense of Phoebe’s death and the devastating effect it has had on her remaining sister Esme and on their wider family. This is one of those books where your heart breaks for the characters involved. The book is extremely well-written and is honest in its portrayal of grief for all those that have been affected by the consequences of events from decades before and delicately depicts how they attempt to move forward with their lives without the “missing pieces” of their family jigsaw. I shouldn’t - and don’t want to – tell you too much about the plot in this review as I feel that it would spoil it for future readers however the storyline is well-rounded and gradually revealed and whilst the subject has the potential to be a depressing read, it is in fact heart-warming in places, extremely empathic and compassionate and overall feels realistic in how it tackles the issues raised. 4/5 – An honest, beautiful novel with a gripping storyline tackling grief and its differing effects on the members of a family and their relationships going forward. I would recommend this for fans of family stories and authors such as Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes. It would make an excellent choice for book groups with lots to discuss. I look forward to reading more of the author’s books. Thank-you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Readers e-proof copy from publishers Agora Books. All opinions are my own and are impartial and free from bias.

Trigger warnings: baby death and depression (can’t mention another as it would be a plot spoiler) This was not an easy read, due to the subject matter, however it is a well-written account of such tragic circumstances. The different viewpoints in the book allow the reader access to a variety of perspectives and show how guilt plays into everyone’s lives, with blame and the ‘if only’ thoughts. The main characters, Tom & Linda (the parents) carry their grief differently, the importance of carrying on for the sake of the remaining daughter Esme not an easy task, or the prospect of the unborn child Linda is carrying. The timeline jumps to the future, with a grown up Bea, (the unborn child) no longer close to her family and not knowing the truth about what happened when Phoebe died. Never quite finding out what happened, the reader gradually learns, through a series of letters, the truth and the impact on the remaining family members. This story shares raw, untethered emotions, grief, sadness and guilt. I loved reading the progressions of the family’s lives in the later years, however I felt there were some essential gaps and that the ending was a bit sudden. A tough read, which clearly lays out pain and trauma.

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