I Wanted You To Know

4.4 out of 5

5,334 global ratings

Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew up by my side. But it wasn’t to be…

When Jess gives birth to Edie, it’s the happiest day of her life. She knows, from the moment her little girl’s hand grasps her finger, that her daughter owns her heart, completely and utterly. And even though Edie’s father has left them, and single motherhood isn’t easy, her beautiful, innocent child brings her untold joy.

But then Jess receives a diagnosis that changes everything. Edie’s life – that is just beginning – is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations. And Jess must face the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her.

Propelled by a ticking clock, Jess knows what she has to do. She begins to put pen to paper, to tell her daughter everything she might need to know.

How to love, how to lose, how to forgive, and, most importantly, how to live when you never know how long you have…

296 pages,

Kindle

Audiobook

Hardcover

Paperback

Audio CD

First published October 9, 2023

ISBN 9781785136191


About the authors

Laura Pearson

Laura Pearson

Laura Pearson is the author of five novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write.


Reviews

Mary Mery

Mary Mery

5

Grab the tissues!

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024

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Unless you’re made of stone, this book will bring you to tears. What would we tell our children about life if we knew we weren’t to be here to tell them in person? It gave me pause, made me reflect, made me wonder. Beautifully written, not sappy, just heart wrenching.

Liz Hill

Liz Hill

5

My heart is bruised.

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024

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What an tortuous story. I wouldn’t wish this experience on any parent. The author wrote a heartbreaking, heartfelt story of love and loss.

TessA

TessA

5

Beautifully written but heartbreaking to read

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2023

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I had to put this book down many times as it was affecting me too deeply. Although beautifully written, living through the tragic loss of this young mother from cancer, reading her thoughts and experiencing her feelings about not being here for all her daughter’s “firsts” was extremely emotional for the reader. I felt like I knew Jess, Jake, Gemma, Caroline and Edie. The character development by this author left me feeling Jess’s loss as if I knew her. This was a beautifully written book but be prepared to shed a lot of tears.

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Robbi Farrar

Robbi Farrar

5

So moving

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024

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I couldn’t put this book down. It was so moving, it held my heart in it’s pages. If the people in this book were real I would have loved having them in my life. This author is fantastic. She just brings you right along the tide and waves of her books. This is the second of her books and I was mesmorized by them both. I’ll be looking for more...

HadZab

HadZab

5

I can’t stop crying

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024

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Wow. I ugly cried for the last half of the book. Laura Pearson is an incredibly powerful writer. I don’t know what influenced her to write this book, but it must have been powerful. What a beautiful story. My heart aches for the characters in this beautiful book. Thank you for sharing it.

2 people found this helpful

npete62

npete62

4

Teat Jerker

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024

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It has been a long time since a book hit me this hard. Make sure you have a full box of Kleenex. The reality of a short life is hard to experience.

Amends

Amends

4

very sad but good

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024

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This heartfelt story of a mother who dies to young is emotionally draining and wonderfully enlightening. It is heartbreaking to see what her and her family are going through but wonderful to see how much you care and effort she puts into her last words for her daughter. I couldn’t put the book down even though I was crying, wonderful book.

SPeters

SPeters

4

Heartbreaking, Beautiful Story

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024

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This is a well written story of family, friendship and love. Each page sings of the difficulty and joys of relationship and trying to get them right.

Melanie Mills

Melanie Mills

4

sweet and sad

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024

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The narrator writes letters to her daughter around events in her (end of) life, so the format goes back and forth between her experiences and her letters. You know early on that her death is inevitable and a “good” ending is not a miracle cure. Despite the sad circumstances, this is still a hopeful story of love and support and making hard decisions.

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Pamela R. Edmonds

Pamela R. Edmonds

3

Tear jerker

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024

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Fairly predictable. Characters had just enough complexity to keep my interest. Got most (but by no means all) of the medical details right.