BOOK REVIEW : THE MISSING PIECE BY CATHERINE MILLER

TITLE : The Missing Piece

AUTHOR : Catherine Miller

GENRE : Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐( 3.5 Stars)

DATE OF PUBLISHING :  October 28th 2020

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Missing Piece by Catherine Miller is a contemporary fiction is an endearing and heart-warming story of two unique people who meet under an unusual circumstance. Keisha is a Ph.D. research student studying Broken Heart Syndrome. During a research project, she meets the seventy-nine-year-old Clive, who manages to burrow under her tough exterior and make a lasting impression. Clive’s story fascinates Keisha, and she decides to help him through a difficult time. Clive’s past is one big mystery, and as they both help each other out, the past unravels, bringing forward second chances, new-loves, and opportunities to live one’s life to the fullest. 

Clive and Keisha were fascinating characters. I loved getting their dual perspectives and getting a glimpse into how they coped with their situations. They were unique, and with anxiety troubling them and their progress in life, we see their approaches to life and how different they are. I loved how quirky and cool Clive was with his love for upcycling clothes, love for farming his produce, and finding vintage items in charity shops. I loved how open and free he was in life. Despite going through terrible things, he still holds out hope in the best, and his exuberance shines out of the page, and I guarantee it will flood readers with the emotion as well.

Keisha’s character was intriguing in its way. Her need for a strict regimen and routine helps us understand her personality. Anxiety is something she struggles to get a handle on, and we see her often succumbing to it. I found her chapters and thought process to be quite enlightening. It helps us empathize with her. The circumstances that made her who she is a person is left a mystery until the end. I wanted to keep reading to figure out both her and Clive’s past.

The pacing was good, not too slow or too fast. The writing is also enjoyable. I liked getting to know the characters through their thought processes. Often, it was them ruminating over the things that have happened or their feelings regarding certain events. These helped me get to know them better. The mystery that will wrap-up the whole story is not something that we get to see until the last half of the book. This story is more of the journey these two people take in their lives and how their connected lives will help them work through the challenges that they face. I found their budding friendship and companionship to be quite sweet. It’s rare to see relationships like these happen nowadays. So it was refreshing to read about their dynamics. I loved how a group of young people came together to help Clive. The unusual companionship changes the course of each of their lives in ways they never imagined.

There were sweet moments that will make you smile. There were more quirky characters who thoroughly entertained me with their antics. I loved the charming nature of the story. It was a wholesome read, and I loved how all the characters and the setting all contributed to it.

The mystery surrounding both Keisha’s and Clive’s past takes time to unravel. The moment when the truth comes out, in the end, felt too rushed. I wished the author didn’t hasten the story and instead gave us time to get acquainted with the new reality. The romance was only a small part, and the couples got together quite quickly as well. I was hoping we would get more time with them to feel connected to their relationships. That didn’t happen, unfortunately. The ending arrived way too suddenly for my liking. Apart from this, I enjoyed the story and loved the characters as well.

Overall this novel is a sweet, wholesome story of two unique people coming together under unusual circumstances and bringing about changes in each other’s lives. I loved the tenderness and beauty this book had in it. It was refreshing and original in its storytelling. I gave the book 3.5 stars, and I would recommend readers who love contemporary fiction with endearing characters to go check this one out.

SYNOPSIS

Broken Heart Syndrome: A sudden and acute form of heart failure, brought on by emotional or physical distress.

After years of studying cardiac medicine, thirty-one-year-old Keisha knows the heart inside out. She knows the average heartrate for each age group, she can name every valve, and she can tell you exactly how much blood it pumps daily.

The one thing she doesn’t know is how to fall in love. And nor does she want to. The secret her tattoo covers is a reminder that the best way to protect a heart is to never let it feel in the first place…

Seventy-nine-year-old Clive is Subject Five in Keisha’s latest research project. He’s been in love since he was seventeen, ever since he met Nancy at a tea dance. But last night, his beloved wife was killed. Suddenly, he has no one to waltz with. He has woken up in hospital, a widower diagnosed with Broken Heart Syndrome.

These strangers, brought together by a broken heart, must face up to the truth of their pasts. Can Clive teach his new friend that until you’ve loved, you haven’t lived? And can Keisha help him see that it’s never too late for a second chance?

For anyone who has ever felt the pang of heartbreak and feared you might never heal again, this beautiful tale teaches us how to dust ourselves off and seek happiness again. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Josie Silver and Rosie Walsh will love this moving and uplifting story.