Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson

Missing Pieces

by Laura Pearson

‘A stunningly assured debut that explores the ripples of a terrible family tragedy on the surviving fragile members. Beautifully written and surprisingly life-affirming.’ — Sarah Pinborough


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?


‘I’ve not stopped thinking about Missing Pieces... it’s such a good book. Heartbreaking and hopeful.’ — Amanda Berriman


‘A gripping, devastating, heart-stealing read.' — Tamsin Grey


'A convincing, patient portrait of loss - beautifully written.' — Fiona Mitchell


‘Elegant, honest and breathtakingly beautiful, Missing Pieces is an impressive and raw portrayal of how one tragedy affects an entire family.’ — Christina McDonald


Advance Reviews:


I couldn’t put it down.’ — Betsy, bookreviewsbybetsy


‘It had me totally gripped throughout.’ — Shirley, NetGalley Reviewer


‘The writing is delicate and honest.’ — Hannah, Working Life


‘Utterly mesmerising and emotional.’ — Christina, NetGalley Reviewer


‘The writing in the book was real and true.’ — Patty, Books, Thoughts, and Adventures


‘I loved this book… Heart-wrenching to read, but beautiful.’ — Johanna, NetGalley Reviewer


‘All the elements of a good drama, with a twist…. The author has left me wanting more.’ — Marissa, NetGalley Reviewer


‘Emotionally raw; breathtakingly beautiful… A book you won’t soon forget.’ — LeTresa, NetGalley Reviewer


‘I would put Laura in the same category as Jodi Picoult, she’s just that good... an author to watch.’ — Audrelyn, NetGalley Reviewer


‘A beautifully crafted debut novel.’ — Rachael, Smart Lit Reviews


'One of the most moving books of the year.' — Lucille, NetGalley Reviewer


‘A stunningly assured debut that explores the ripples of a terrible family tragedy on the surviving fragile members. Beautifully written and surprisingly life-affirming.’ — Sarah Pinborough


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?


‘I’ve not stopped thinking about Missing Pieces... it’s such a good book. Heartbreaking and hopeful.’ — Amanda Berriman


‘A gripping, devastating, heart-stealing read.' — Tamsin Grey


'A convincing, patient portrait of loss - beautifully written.' — Fiona Mitchell


‘Elegant, honest and breathtakingly beautiful, Missing Pieces is an impressive and raw portrayal of how one tragedy affects an entire family.’ — Christina McDonald


Advance Reviews:


I couldn’t put it down.’ — Betsy, bookreviewsbybetsy


‘It had me totally gripped throughout.’ — Shirley, NetGalley Reviewer


‘The writing is delicate and honest.’ — Hannah, Working Life


‘Utterly mesmerising and emotional.’ — Christina, NetGalley Reviewer


‘The writing in the book was real and true.’ — Patty, Books, Thoughts, and Adventures


‘I loved this book… Heart-wrenching to read, but beautiful.’ — Johanna, NetGalley Reviewer


‘All the elements of a good drama, with a twist…. The author has left me wanting more.’ — Marissa, NetGalley Reviewer


‘Emotionally raw; breathtakingly beautiful… A book you won’t soon forget.’ — LeTresa, NetGalley Reviewer


‘I would put Laura in the same category as Jodi Picoult, she’s just that good... an author to watch.’ — Audrelyn, NetGalley Reviewer


‘A beautifully crafted debut novel.’ — Rachael, Smart Lit Reviews


'One of the most moving books of the year.' — Lucille, NetGalley Reviewer

Reviewed by pagesbycyndy on

4 of 5 stars

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.My Review:

Missing pieces is told in a before Bea is born when Phoebe the baby, just died and after Bea is born and Bea's mother, Linda abandons the family. This family is torn apart from the tragedy  of Phoebe's death, we never learn just why Phoebe died. I was hoping that Linda  would stick around and somehow this family would bond together but that did not happen. Linda is completely done apart due to her overwhelming grief and cannot be a mother to Bea.  In part two Bea learns that she is pregnant and the story follows Bea as she navigates the pregnancy and tries to become closer to her sister and father while trying to find out what happened to Phoebe. In part one there were some truly heart wrenching moments for Linda and I felt so sad for her.

I was so happy to see Bea getting closer to her sister and father. I truly enjoyed this story of heartbreak and family bonds.This review was originally posted on My Fiction Obsession

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  • 24 June, 2018: Reviewed