Originally published: 3 October 2019

Author: Laura Pearson

Published by: Agora Books

Genre: Fiction

Page count: 320

Reading dates: 26-28 September 2019

I have been lucky enough to meet Laura in real life as well as read Nobody’s Wife so when I was approached to read and review Laura’s latest book, I Wanted You to Know I jumped at the chance.

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 is just 21 years old and a new mum to baby Edie when she discovers she has breast cancer.  Before long she is flung into the world of mastectomy’s and chemotherapy and isn’t getting to enjoy new motherhood as she hoped.

As soon as she is told how ill she is, she decides she must write letters to Edie and these letters are shared with us the reader: how she met Edie’s dad Jake, how they fell in love and the reason they are no longer together and how she feels about being a mum to Edie.

As you would expect, this is a raw and emotional read and it brought tears to my eyes on a number of occasions.  Jess is lucky to have amazing support from childhood friend Gemma who helps her look after Edie, takes her to appointments but also makes her playlists and takes her out to have fun.  But Jess’s relationship with her own mum, which has always been strong is rocked by her diagnosis.  Her mum is understandably devastated to have a seriously ill daughter and they both struggle with this new reality.

The writing enabled me to really get into Jess’s head and I felt so sad for her. Cancer is tragic to whomever it touches and this book touched me deeply as both a mother and a daughter.  As a mother, the thought of leaving my children is devastating and as a daughter I have experienced loosing my mum to cancer.  I doubt there is anyone who has not had this dreadful disease touch their lives.

Laura herself was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 while 5 months pregnant with her second child and knew that if she died, her children would have no memory of her. I think this is why the story is so affecting. At it’s heart, this novel is a story of motherhood, daughterhood, friendship and love. A powerful book, I’d highly recommend it. 

Many thanks to Peyton at Agora Books for sending me a copy and for inviting me on the blog tour.  Be sure to check out all the other bloggers below!

About the author:

Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She spent a decade living in London and working as a copywriter and editor for QVC, Expedia, Net a Porter, EE, and The Ministry of Justice. Now, she lives in Leicestershire, where she writes novels, blogs about her experience of breast cancer (www.breastcancerandbaby.com), runs The Motherload Book Club, and tries to work out how to raise her two children.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraPAuthor