[Review] Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: Mira
Publishing Date: Feb. 2, 2016
Format: hardcover, ARC
284 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis 

Sarah Quinlan's husband, Jack, has been haunted for decades by the untimely death of his mother when he was just a teenager, her body found in the cellar of their family farm, the circumstances a mystery. The case rocked the small farm town of Penny Gate, Iowa, where Jack was raised, and for years Jack avoided returning home. But when his beloved aunt Julia is in an accident, hospitalized in a coma, Jack and Sarah are forced to confront the past that they have long evaded. 

Upon arriving in Penny Gate, Sarah and Jack are welcomed by the family Jack left behind all those years ago—barely a trace of the wounds that had once devastated them all. But as facts about Julia's accident begin to surface, Sarah realizes that nothing about the Quinlans is what it seems. Caught in a flurry of unanswered questions, Sarah dives deep into the puzzling rabbit hole of Jack's past. But the farther in she climbs, the harder it is for her to get out. And soon she is faced with a deadly truth she may not be prepared for. 

My Review 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I've read just about all of Gudenkauf's work (just missing 1 I think!) and I'm a big fan. I think The Weight of Silence might be my favorite of hers, but I can't really decide! This book didn't disappoint, either. 

From the minute I began reading this book, I was hooked. From the very beginning, you're thrown into the story. Sarah thinks she knows her husband really well, but once they're in Penny Gate for a few hours, she realizes there are things she really doesn't know everything about her husband. Jack's past slowly comes out throughout the story and you not only have to figure out what happened to his aunt Julia, but what happened to his parents as well. 

Throughout the whole book, I thought I knew what happened. Little things throughout the story made me think I was right. There were a few times I changed my mind and looked somewhere else (should have stayed on that path!) but then I went back to another theory. Turns out, I was wrong. But that's really one of my favorite things about mysteries. I love not being able to figure it out what happened. I mean, sometimes it's fun, but I like being surprised and I really was in this book. 

The characters were all very interesting. Each had their own quirks, each had traits that annoyed me, and then most of them had traits that I liked. Gudenkauf did a great job of balancing these characteristics for each person. Sarah was a great main character and I think the doubts she had throughout the story were very realistic, something This really was a great book. I loved everything about it and was really interested throughout the whole story.