This novel was gripping! I couldn't put it down...the characters felt very real, like members of my own family or town. I can't believe this is a debut....I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Laura Pearson.

With two daughters and a third on the way Linda and Tom had it all.

When tragedy strikes and Phoebe dies in a tragic accident, the family is destroyed.

The second half of the novel is set some twenty five years later when the third baby, Bea, is trying to make sense of the event that shattered her family.

Raw and emotional. Keep the tissues handy.

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. I felt as though it took too long to find out what happened to Phoebe. I also didn't relate to any of the characters. I thought they were all selfish and caught up in there own problems and couldn't see that Esme was having issues too. I skimmed most of the book because I just wanted to know what happened.

*I received a free e-arc(digital advanced reader's copy) from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ALL thoughts/opinions are my own."

It was great to read and enjoy a book that wasn't a psychological thriller for a change. Well written and captivating story that required tissues at some points!

I LOVED this book. It was incredibly heartbreaking, raw, and filled with so much emotion. I wanted to reach out, protect and love every single character throughout the book. This story was hard to read but also important to read. So many people go through terrible loss and this book really gives you an insight into what someone is dealing with silently. I definitely recommend this book and would love to read additional books by this author.

4.5 stars out of 5.

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?

Let me start off by saying that I was blown away to learn this was the author's debut novel!

Missing Pieces was an emotional and heart wrenching read that kept me reading long into the night. I read this in 1 1/2 days because I felt so attached to these characters. They were so connective and relatable. I was sent on a wild rollercoaster of emotions, arms wide open with empathy and loved every single page! This is a book that will stick with you for months after you read it. Grab some tissues, warn your loved ones that an ugly cry is coming and curl up wiith Missing Pieces! You won't regret it!

This book starts out with a family still reeling from the loss of their daughter (Phoebe), whom they lost at the tender age of two. This story however shows how each member of the family is dealing with the unexpected loss. From the mother and father (Tom) as well as their surviving daughter (Esme). The family is still in chaos and raw when unexpectedly Linda (the mother) finds out that she is expecting another child. This book was really well written and it kept you guessing through the whole story about what really happened to their decease daughter. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it was a little all over the place and I didn't really like the time jumps I found them confusing and hard to anticipate. I found the amount of tragedy in this story heartbreaking and I can't imagine one single family having to go through this much hurt. I really felt for them. Overall I really enjoyed the story idea as well as the characters a lot however I wasn't fully committed to the time jumping so it leaves a kind of neutral opinion.

Oh my goodness. This book broke me. 😭 I sat down to read it yesterday and ended up reading it in one sitting. Missing Pieces is the beautifully written story of the Sadler family. After the tragic loss of their daughter Phoebe, the Sadlers fall apart. Linda, the mom who is pregnant with their third daughter, cannot cope with this enormous loss and falls into a deep depression. Esme, the 7 year old sister, is lost without her sister and blames herself for her death. And the father, Tom, is doing his best to keep it all together while dealing with his own grief. This story broke my heart and I was completely invested in this family. This is a beautifully written story of love, loss, heartbreak, mental illness, family, and grief. For me, Missing Pieces gets all of the stars- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This is the first novel for Laura Pearson and I am impressed! I cannot wait to read what she comes up with next. Thank you @agorabooksldn for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This was a thought provoking book. The first half of the book is about a young family whose world is torn apart when their young daughter dies at home whilst being left alone in the care of her 7 year old sister. She is pregnant at that time and is so overwhelmed with grief she turns to the bottle and pulls away from everyone around her. After the baby is born things get worse and she ends up taking her own life.
The 2nd part of the book now skips ahead and the baby- Bea discovers she is pregnant. Now she wants answers on how her young sister Phoebe died as it was never talked about at home. I read this book in 1 day it was that good. I wanted to keep reading to see if they got close again as a family and the family ghosts were laid to rest at last.

A very difficult read at times. Grief and how it affects people added to the guilt we feel when accidents happen. Happily the author finds a way to bring this family back together despite everything.

I had no idea where the story was going and then everything I thought I’d guessed went straight door!

If you are looking for a great physical thriller I highly recommend!!

I thought this was a great book that sends you on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride. I liked the format of the story being told in two parts - then and now. The writing was excellent and the characters were strong and realistic. Not a light-hearted read by any means but very thought-provoking - it really makes you think about how a tragedy can shape peoples lives in quite different ways.

I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. A strong 4 stars

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Missing Pieces from the blurb. What I got was an incredible raw story of loss and guilt which affected me far more than I thought it would. The book is split into two parts. Admittedly, for the first part (which presents the back story to the reader) I wondered how this would work for the entirety of the book but then you reach the second part which is set in the present day and you realise how important it is that the two are told together. There are no dislikable characters, just realistic ones with flaws which make them entirely relatable. There's no doubt about it, this is a sad and potentially difficult read but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. If anything, that's exactly why you should.

Laura Pearson took me on an emotional rollercoaster and never stopped to breathe. Her perception and understanding of how guilt and bereavement affect people is seamless.
This is a story of a young happy and carefree family whose lives are torn apart by an awful tragedy. Each family member is affected in different ways and each member carries their own burden of guilt.
What does their future look like ? How can they put their life back together and move on ?
I read this in two sittings it was such an emotional ride. Can't wait to read more from this exciting new author.

WThanks to Net Galley and Agora Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is a moving story of a family that have beentorn apart by the tragic accidental death of 3 year old Phoebe.
All threeremaining family members blame themselves. Mum Linda feels guilty as she left her two young daughters alone to go next door and help their elderly neighbors, Tom, Phoebe’s dad was late home and her sister Esme who was only seven blames herself.
The fourth member of the family is Bea who hasn’t been born yet.
The story tells how the family struggle separately with Phoebe’s death, they don’t talk about her, they are all struggling in silence. Tragedy strikes again soon after Bea is born when mum Linda takes her own life.
The sisters, Esme and Bea grow up and grow apart never talking about what happened, until Bea finds herself pregnant and turns to Esme and her dad for support. Esme unable to voice the tragic story finds herself writing letters to Phoebe detailing the day that changed their family so drastically. A story full of raw emotions.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for review.
This book was so sad and tragic. You actually feel the pain, almost.
The first part of the book, before the mother dies was really great and I could not stop reading it thru that part.
The second part, after the mother dies, is not quite as good as the first but still good.
It does get back to great when Esme starts writing the letters to Pheobe. So it does pick back up again pretty quick.
I love the letters to Pheobe!!

ByGwen Kindle Customeron 21 June 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
A novel that once you start reading, grabs you and keeps your interest and make you lose sleep. At the start you feel almost distain for the mother and hr inexcusable behaviour until you discover why. You then feel sympathy. As the book progressed, I felt so sad and was in tears at some points.

An excellent read and it is a must read book. It is aptly titled Missing Pieces

Wow it's rare I read a book in 24hrs but I couldn't put this down. Tom, Linda and Esmes distress throughout this story was heart breaking. As a sister, a mother, a daughter and a wife I felt every painful moment. The author manages to explore the desperation for each character were sensitivity and believability. There were times Linda's behaviour towards Esme and Tom made me so cross yet the story wouldn't allow me to be cross for l9ng it carried me on wanting it all to be ok just as Linda wanted it to be all ok.
Not a happy beach read but a real story with real emotions.

A beautifully written. Avery sad snd emotive book that will stay with you
I enjoyed the way the chapters were written in different characters perspectives
Very very moving

This is a story of a family ravaged by the death of their young chidl, and the repercussions a generation on. Although we know of the death of the young child early in the story, what actually happened is not revealed until much later. The way it is revealed, in a series of letters, keeps the interest right until the end. It was sometimes heartbreaking to read, but well told.