The Last Piece

I started reading Imogen's books with Postcards from a Stranger and have devoured the rest since then.

Getting an advanced copy of this was an amazing opportunity. I downloaded it last night, waited until I had uninterrupted time this afternoon and read the whole thing. I was utterly gripped.

The story is told from the perspectives of mum (Cecily), dad (Norman) and 3 daughters (Lily, Julia, Felicity) all taking place after Cecily suddenly gets on a plane to Greece without telling her daughters why.

I had an inkling of what the reason was but the explanation for the trip and the backstory when explained fully was heartbreaking and clearly well researched.

I already want to know more about Lily, Julia and Felicity after the events of the book!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

A well written, heartwarming family drama about a mother who raised 3 daughters and meets the daughter she gave up when she was a teenager.

IMOGEN CLARK – THE LAST PIECE

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As it must be for an author, releasing their fledgling child into the big wide world for others to greet with warmth or tear apart, so too is it for an avid reader approaching the latest work of a favourite author, not wanting to be disappointed by the new-born, yet wanting to lend encouragement nevertheless.

Phew! Sweat flicked from the brow! I’m happy to report that not only is this child is fully fledged, it is an outright winner. More than equipped to fly the nest solo. It’s one of her best.

What more could one want in lockdown? A visit to the blue skies of Greece? Teas in Bettys of Harrogate? An interesting and likeable family to meet – three very diverse daughters, each with their own secret, a mother and father of whom anyone would be proud to call their parents… and a powerful spanner thrust into their happy nest.

It is this spanner, a bolt from the past, which starts the story, and sends Cecily, the mother, hotfooting it to Kefalonia, uncharacteristically tight-lipped about her mission to Norman, her husband, and the rest of her family.

How each daughter reacts, and what Cecily finds when she gets there, form this page-turner of a story. I admit that I had to ration myself to two chapters at a time, otherwise I would have raced through it at one sitting – and I am a person who likes to savour the nuances of the journey rather than rush from point A to point B. And what a point B. Daring and unexpected and yet right. No spoilers here: read and enjoy!

If this doesn’t reach Number One – well, if I wore one, I would eat my sun hat. And when it does, perhaps treat myself to a Fat Rascal. (You’ll get that, when you read the book!). I know which is the better bet. Yum yum!

Thank you, Imogen, for asking me to read this book pre-release.
I hadn’t read any of Imogen Clark’s books before this one. as they weren’t the genre I usually chose; however, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. I liked it. Told from the perspective of Cecily, the mother, the story is told in present time and also dips back into the 1960s. It begins with three sisters all wondering why their mother had taken off to Greece without forewarning them and in some instance not to their convenience.
Who was to have Hugo that Monday morning, when Felicity goes to her high flying job; who would Lily, mother of 5 boys be able to phone every day for a comfort chat, and Julia, a busy GP, wondered who would be able to check on Dad to make sure he ate properly? I liked that these characters were explained right at the beginning, , nothing worse than wondering who's who in a book, pages on..
As the story unravels, we learn of a secret past of Cecily. This was in the 1960s and I think was well researched. because it .rang true.
I loved Cecily and Norman her husband, their characters were very sincere. I liked their life style, comfortable with a home that welcomed all the family for Sunday dinners. Isn’t this what a lot of families of older parents are like, husband doing a never-ending jigsaws and the wife cooking dinners?
I wanted everything to work out for her, I wanted her past to lead to a happy relationship, I was sad for her and felt her hurts, I wanted it all to end happily. And did it? Perhaps, but not in the way I thought it might.
It was a book into which I was lost and isn’t that a good story, one that takes you out of your place and into theirs. I liked this book, I enjoyed reading it and recommend it And I’m definitely going to read another Imogen Clark book.

This book is about family and how family life has changed. What is acceptable now, wasn’t always. But is it really acceptable now ........

Cecily has a secret. One that has been kept from her children. She has three daughters, Felicity, the oldest and twins Julia and Lily. When Cecily suddenly flies off to Greece, her daughters are shocked and even angered. Cecily was supposed to look after her grandson that day. Cecily never does anything out of character.

I was drawn into the lives of Cecily, her husband and her children’s lives from the first sentence.
Imogen Clark has expertly woven present day with interludes into the past. Attitudes have changed except sometimes they haven’t.

I’m not giving any spoilers, but I was shocked at how life was in 1968. Imogen has really researched this book. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too

SeeI love Imogen Clark's writing style and this book is a winner. It is so well-written, with well detailed characters and a fantastic plot. A heartwarming family story that is filled with love, arguments, lots of family and a secret that threatens the stability of this big family. It centers on a mother who raised three daughters after having given up a baby girl as a teenager 50 years ago. I received the ARC this morning and just finished it this very second. It's that good of a book. The family dynamics and love will tug at your heartstrings. An absolutely enjoyable read.

I would like to thank Imogen Clark, Amazon Publishing U.K. and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cecily is the grounding force and heart of the Nightingale family. Mother to three daughters and granny to five grandsons, she leaves the family home to fly to Kefalonia on an urgent matter that only husband Norman understands. While there, she faces up to her past, a past that hasn’t left her mind in five decades. Once home, she must tell her family exactly what has happened – but it’s clear that she’s not the only person with a secret. The characters are endearing and warm and you feel for the whole family.

I LOVED this book! It was so well written, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, so much so that I basically devoured this novel in one sitting. The story line unfolded little by little, revealing small snippets and secrets along the way, which made it a total page turner.

This was a story of a family, and long buried secrets waiting to be explored and revealed. Cecily is married to Norman and they have three daughters and are proud grandparents. The story begins with Cecily uncharacteristically leaving abruptly on a trip to Greece and her daughters wonder what their mother is up to. Cecily goes on a journey to confront her past and return home to share her truth with her family. This is the story of love, heartache, family, loss and new beginnings and endings, that will tug at your heart strings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. It was a gift to be able to read this story and share a review. I hope everyone will get a chance to read this beautiful story.

The Last Piece is a family drama centering on the Nightingale family - dad Norman, mum Cecily and their grown-up daughters Felicity, Julia & Lily. The novel begins with Cecily going to Greece at short notice when she receives a mysterious letter, the reason for her departure unbeknownst to her daughters. What unfolds will change all of their lives.

I like Imogen's style of writing as the characters are very believable & relatable. Having two sisters myself, I could really understand the relationship between Felicity, Julia & Lily, their similarities & differences. The subject matter was obviously very well researched, as were the locations.

This was an easy, enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend this novel if you like stories dealing with family relationships.

I received a free advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if you unexpectdly received a letter summoning you to Greece for a week in order to settle the past? Cecily finds herself at a Yoga Retreat meeting someone she has not seen in 50 years.

The Last Piece by Imogen Clark is a wholesome family novel highlighting the importance that each family member brings to the table. Cecily loves to be surrounded by her three adult children yet still feels like there is a missing piece of her family puzzle. Cecily ventures on a journey of discovery which brings truth, tension, trouble yet ultimate resolution to her family life.

The Last Piece is split into parts which flit between scenes in Greece and life back in England allowing the reader to see both sides of the story. Trigger content for readers may be feelings of emotional abandonment provoked by adoption.

I really enjoyed this book. Cecily travels to Greece without telling her daughters why.
Cecily arrives in Kefalonia not sure what to expect.

The story is set around Cecily and her husband and their three daughters and their lives. Lots of twists and turns and the insight to each family and their love for each other.

I won't say anymore as I don't want to give too much away, just to say read the book and enjoy it as I have done.

A nicely written book about a long-hidden secret and the aftermath of its revelation. Well-drawn characters and believable family dynamics showcase the hopefulness and the messiness of real life.

The last piece is the story of a family where as the title suggests there is a missing piece. The three daughters all have very different characters and all have their own difficulties in life. As the plot thickens, the story does not develop as you would expect.
It is a nice summer read and easy going. The ending has an unexpected twist.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read and just what I needed. Whilst I can appreciate the more serious themes of the book, I did not feel like it was considerably memorable. The characters were great and very distinct, and I liked how we could see their different personalities through how they lived their lives. However, I did not see the book as life changing or one I would insist on recommending to friends. I would recommend it to people needing a relief from the current situation.

This is a book for mothers and sisters to read. Being neither of these, I think the emotions of the book were lost in my reading. I chose this #readnow option because I love reading novels set in England but never connected with the characters or plot. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️ novel that would be a great #bookclub selection to discuss the different woman characters. 📚📚📚 #netgalley #netgalleyreview #amazonukreview #booklover #bookreview

The Last Piece is a story about the secrets families keep. Ms. Clark gives us a lovely story, with well drawn characters. A story I enjoyed and recommend

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
What a lovely, heartwarming and heartbreaking story this is, I loved it.
It features the Nightingale family, mum, dad and three daughters who happily live their lives with its ups and downs. Until the mother, Cecily, disappears to Greece, for reasons only her husband knows. When she returns home and tells the family why, their lives are upended and will never be the same again.
The characters are so real, they come totally alive, I empathized with each and everyone of them and recognized feelings, good and bad, that I have experienced myself. You really don't know what's going to happen next, so you compulsively have to keep reading. And the ending was unexpected, but
made so much sense that I was quite content with it. Terrific read, highly recommended!

Cecily is a busy older woman who has three grownup daughters and a clan of grandkids. She is always there for her family until one day she does the unimaginable. She ups and leaves her husband on his own for a week and heads to Greece on a moments notice.

The daughters are intrigued and can't possibly imagine why she has done this. What happened that made her go meet a stranger?

With thanks to netgalley and imogen Clarke for an early copy in return for an honest review.
This is the 3rd book I've read by this Author and what a book.
An extremely poignant story unfolds in front of our eyes,its been a bumpy ride for Cecily,who has shown nothing but total love and adoration for her girls and norman.
This is far from a straight forward book with many twists along the way. it really was a breath of fresh air and I can highly recommend this OUTSTANDING book.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s about an older couple who shared a life-altering event when they were younger. They have three adult daughters who are completely unaware of their secret, until it suddenly comes to light. I’m being somewhat vague, because I don’t want to give too much away. The remainder of the book is about how all of the characters come to terms with this secret, and how it impacts them in very different ways. We all experience difficult situations differently and deal with them in our own way. The characters were well-defined, and I liked all of them, although I was able to relate the most to Lily. It was a rocky road for this family, and I enjoyed taking the journey with them. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.

I did not dislike this book, but I am not raving about it either. Cecily gave birth to a daughter, in a mother nd baby home when she was 16. She was then adopted. 50 years later she contacts her birth mother who is now married with 3 more daughters. Certainly an interesting story idea, which is told from the viewpoint of Cecily and her 3 youngest daughters. Marnie, the eldest, is a mystery at the start of the book and seems to have be an unsociable character. Her reasons for contacting her birth mother are not clear and do not seem to get any clearer as the book moves on. Cecily, as expected, has never forgotten her daughter and hopes that they can have a mother-daughter relationship, which is perhaps a little optimistic when they meet each other only a few times.
The stories of the other daughters are interesting though some detail seems irrelevant to the main story . The part of the book about "the confinement" is extremely well written and gave understanding in Cecily's mindset, both around the birth of her first daughter and later in life.
Certainly a book to give you something to think about but it left me with lots of unanswered questions.
Thankyou to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Draws you in to the turbulent push and pull of family life from page one. Felicity, Julia and Lily, three sisters, three such very different lives and battles. Throw in ‘mums’ trials and tribulations to a add a further twist to the tail and you cannot Hepburn find that this novel will have you page turning late into the night.
The title had me guessing, almost to the end, of its connection to the story, very clever indeed.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A novel about mothers, daughters, and what family means.

I like the way this author tells a story and the storyline was suspenseful until the story unfolded. I found myself skipping parts because of the content topic. I was sad that the main character makes custom wedding gowns but I never know if she wore one of her creations. There were parts of this booked that I really liked.

Overall, I liked this book. I enjoyed the family drama. I thought the story was believable. My favorite character was probably the father. Throughout the story, he is supportive of his wife no matter what. He has infinite patience with his daughters, even when they are talking down to him.

I enjoyed the descriptions of Greece in the first few chapters. It really took me back to my trip there a decade ago.

I did not particularly enjoy the female characters. The mother seemed frail and dithering. The sisters were each good characters, but none of them was fully drawn out during the story. We got just enough of their stories to spark our curiosity, but not more. I wish the author had focused on one of them so that we could have gotten more.

Overall, a good book for anyone who likes family centered stories.

I have read Imogen Clarks books in the past and have enjoyed her writing. They are easy to read and perfect for escapism when sometimes life needs to give a little release.
This is largely centred around a family called the Nightingales and we have Dad Norman, Mum Cecily and their grown up daughters Felicity, Lily and Julia.
When mum disappears to Greece totally out of character without any warning the daughters try to immediately question why would their mum do that? The reason we find out is that Cecily gets a letter from her fourth daughter who she gave away for adopted nearly fifty years ago and since that day has never seen or discovered what her long lost daughter became.
The Last Piece goes between scenes in Greece and the UK and shows how their daughters are all living different lives with their own challenges.
Lots of family drama, secrets and arguments feature in this novel and will tug at your heartstrings.
Although I enjoyed it, it's not one of my favorite Imogen Clarks books.
Certainly gives you something to think about and I learnt a lot about how the adoption process may have been in the 1970's - this may give some readers feelings of abandonment provoked by adoption.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I devour every word Imogen puts to paper, and this book was no exception. Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The characters in this book are real and loveable and cringe-worthy at times, as real people often are! The story of family dynamics and secrets tugs at your heart and makes you want to join them all for tea and a chat.
A charming story of mothers and daughters and their imperfections. Thoroughly enjoyable

‘The Last Piece’ is a breezy, sentimental read that showcases the Nightingale family during a tumultuous time in their lives. Cecily spontaneously leaves for Greece with no word left for her three adult daughters, and their father, Norman, isn’t giving away the reason Mom left. But when she comes back, she reveals a secret that changes their family, and introduces someone new into their lives - you could probably guess but I won’t tell you either. The story revolves around how these characters handle this new person along with everything going on in their lives. Felicity, after going through years of IVF, finally had her boy, Hugo, and she is putting all her energy into being the best mom possible, but her husband isn’t on the same page. Julia, the younger twin (kind of a cool story here) to Lily, is struggling with her impending biological clock and takes a plunge that not everyone in her family supports. And then, Lily, our patient, kind, mother of five boys with no complaints, angel of a character is struggling(?) to be the person she feels she needs to be to fit in with her sisters.

I loved the characters in the book - they were very alive and realistic and their storylines were so true to life. I appreciate that they weren’t necessarily resolved at the end of the book in the truest sense of the word, as their lives continue past the end. Speaking of the end, I thought it was interesting the path our new character chose, not only throughout her whole life but at the end here too. It’s not a traditional choice and that was refreshing.

Overall, it was an entertaining family drama with likable characters and an interesting premise.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the various characters within its pages. I did, however, think that it was predictable and it also had a few stereotypical personalities which is a shame eg the childless daughter had to actually really want and try for a baby, rather than being a more refreshing happy to not have children and be content with her life... I knew exactly what was happening when the mother set off on her trail...

Having said that though, the book was easy to read, I liked the way the daughters interacted with each other and I did want to know what would happen.

A refreshing and charming story that is rooted in British history and offers a look into a "non typical" family that is at simultaneously "just your average family" with real problems, real happiness and real life. I was pleasantly surprised with relatively subtle yet powerful twists and revelations that made me enjoy the story so much more than I thought I would. It took a few chapters to get into the story, but I enjoyed the journey all the way until the last sentence. I also quite enjoyed the title revelation as well as the very diverse characters that make up this interesting story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read news stories in the past about the fact that not all adoptees and their birth parents have a happy ever once they reconnect in later years. A surprise letter takes Cecily on a sudden trip to Italy with the hope of reconnecting with the daughter she gave up as a teenager. Her other daughters are stunned when they learn the reason for the trip, and are forced to try and forge a new relationship.

This is the second novel by Imogen Clark that I have read, The first being Postcards from a Stranger which I enjoyed but I think that I prefer this book. It revolves around a retired couple and their daughters, mostly the story involves the mother and events from her past but there are chapters which give the point of view and life struggles of the grown up daughters. The book is divided into several parts with a gap in time between each part. I found the book easy to get into and actually read it quite quickly (I don't think that it's that long a book but I don't mind that). I enjoyed the different perspectives of the family members and the way that the book is divided which keeps the story moving and intrigues the reader into wanting to see what has happened in the mean time. The theme of the story is not a new one but it maybe covers a different aspect of it that is unexpected. I liked most of the characters and there could be other books developing their story lines which I would welcome. The end of a book is important to me and I was glad that this book went a slightly different direction than I thought it was going to. I now intend to check out the other books by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The Last Piece engaged me from the opening chapter through to the last word. A well written story which draws you in and encourages you to greedily devour the entire book in one reading!

The story moves from Yorkshire to Greece following a sudden trip made by the mother, leaving her 3 daughters perplexed with the reason for her journey slowly unfurling on her return. The reader is drawn to engage with each daughter who reacts in their own manner for different reasons. Who will you empathise with?

This book avoids the predictable and left me wondering if this family could return in the future.

An enjoyable read.

I read this as an advanced copy from the author.

Summary......
The chaotic but happy equilibrium of the Nightingale family is thrown into disarray when Cecily—whose children can’t remember her ever being remotely spontaneous—disappears to a Greek island with no warning or explanation.
Her reasons for doing something so out of character are a total mystery to her three daughters, high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily. What connection could she possibly have with Kefalonia?
But Cecily has gone to continue a story she thought ended decades ago—one that could have a huge impact on her family. And when she returns, she’ll have to tell them the truth.
Will Cecily be able to hold her family together once she reveals her big secret? And might she discover that she’s not the only one with a story to tell?

This was a very good book!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read. I loved the characters in the book.
It was so well written, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, that I finished it that night.

Thank You NetGalley And Imogen Clark for this ARC I apperiacte!

At its core, “The Last Piece” by Imogen Clark is a beautiful story about the delicacy of family, and is a read anyone can find a piece of themselves in. As you read through the perfectly crafted words, the Nightingale family begin to feel as though they are your own. With each page, the Nightingales meld their way into your hearts and lives and teach us something eternally valuable, the importance of family.
The Nightingales have always been a fairly typical family. They live in a beautiful home in Yorkshire, and the couple, Cecily and Norman, raised three beautiful girls. First came Felicity, the eldest and most prim and proper. Two years later came the twins, Lily and Julia, who were peculiarly born 7 weeks apart. The three Nightingale girls have grown to be established young women who have always stayed close to home to tend to their parents. So one day, when their mother disappears to Greece with no explanation, they’re all at a loss for words.
We quickly find out that the family is not as typical as they appear, and the Nightingale girls are not only three. All the way in Greece, lives a fourth Nightingale girl, Marnie Stone. At the raw age of 16, Cecily gave birth to Marnie, and was forced to give her up. Marnie’s existence was hushed away and was Cecily’s long kept secret. As much as Cecily yearned to know her eldest daughter, she had no contact with the girl or even a name to track her down. So when Cecily received a letter in the mail instructing her to come to Greece, it turned her world upside down.
Will they be a big happy family like Cecily has always dreamed? Cecily has no idea what’s in store for her when she steps into a yoga retreat in Greece – only that her life will change forever because of it – and we all want to be a part of this exciting journey.

Reviewed by Rebecca Santangelo for Suspense Magazine

The Last Piece had me gripped from the first page with characters and a storyline that developed organically and realistically. The main characters within the story allowed the reader to explore an interesting situation from varying view points all of which felt valid and honest. This is a great holiday read or book club choice and the subject matter I'm sure will lead to some interesting and engaging discussion.

Felicity is really annoyed with her mother Cecily. Why has she upped and gone to Kefalonia without a word to herself or twin sisters Lily and Julia? Why is her father Norman being so mysterious? Eventually the girls find out the truth and it’s the last thing they expected.

First of all, the characters in the book are lovely. The family are close, their lives intertwine and they are all so different. I like how each daughter has issues which makes them interesting and you follow how they deal with things. The character of Marnie who Cecily meets in Kefalonia is the ‘missing piece’. She is not an easy person but I really admire her directness and you can feel and understand her awkwardness. I like the ripple effect that she has on the story and also that it does not have a perfect ending. This feels right and it fits well. There are some good descriptions such as of Kefalonia and I like the Harrogate setting where the family live - the author had me drooling with the mention of the iconic Betty’s and the Fat Rascals. Yum. If you happen to be in the York or Harrogate area I suggest you go and try one yourself!!!

However, it takes a while for the book to get going and for a long time very little happens. Then from Part Three when we get Cecily’s story as a teenager the novel really moves up a gear. This section is very good and the 1960’s attitudes are portrayed very well although Cecily s parents are unusually modern in their outlook.

Overall, once the book gets into its stride I enjoyed it. It’s an easy read which portrays family and family dynamics well.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC. I love the book cover!

3-4 stars rounded up.

A lovely written heartwarming drama that involves family issues and mystery intertwined! A little bit of heartbreak to round it out!

In this book a woman gets a mysterious letter calling her off to an island. Her three daughters are concerned about her unplanned trip to Greece. It's fairly obvious it's from a child she gave up for adoption. I loved the parts with the family back in England but didn't really like the interactions with the child she gave up. It was okay, but not great. Fast read.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

I’d like to state that I was given a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think I have now read all Imogen‘s novels since her fantastic debut with“ Postcards from a Stranger”. I have had mixed opinions of them but her latest work “The last piece” tackles a poignant, life-changing event back in the teenage years of the main protagonist. Cecily.

The well-researched novel covers the plight of pregnant, unmarried girls back in the 60’s, and the impact on a family when an adopted child tries to track down their birth-mother.

For a refreshing change, it is a bitter-sweet novel, and the multi-generational characters are believable and well portrayed. Events take place in 3 locations, and the author convincingly revisits the 1960’s while most of the action occurs in the present-day.

I was drawn in to the story enough to read it in a couple of days, though I did find some of the intended cliffhangers a little predictable. For me, there’s rather too much waffly “self-questioning” unnecessary narrative, along the lines of “what would he think of her if he only knew”, and I wonder if there were pressures from the publisher to write a certain number of words.? However, from reading the other novels by Imogen, I think this is her preferred writing style, she writes in an easy-to-read manner with lots of chatty conversation, which - judging by her popularity - works for the majority of her readers.

Nevertheless, an easy-to-read, enjoyable and thought-provoking novel.

Loved Imogen Clark's latest book, The Last Piece! Great quick read that had me hooked from the first page. Loved the characters and how the story developed. Perfect book to pick up while sitting on the beach or at the pool. First book by Imogen Clark, but will definitely not be my last.
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Imogen Clark's The Last Piece is a family drama that focuses on the relationships between mothers and daughters, though I loved dad Norman. When Cecily leaves her predictable life to head to Kefalonia, Greece, it confuses her three daughters. What happens from there is an uncovering of long-buried family secrets.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a quick read for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

The novel started fine, with a fast pace, a mystery (that wasn't that mysterious in the end, in my opinion), and the promise of a good story; and yet, I didn't enjoy this one.
The plot is weak and it's easy to see where it'll take the reader. The focus is on Cecily Nightingale, a mother of three daughters, who discovers that the daughter she gave up for adoption fifty years ago has summoned her to Greece. This isn't a spoiler because you learn this fairly early in the book.
I don't know why there were chapters focusing on all her three daughters, yet each thread is left blowing in the wind because we have no real closure or finality to their stories. Maybe this is because Cecily's story isn't a strong enough story line on its own. There is a build-up, but you can plainly see Cecily's story and secret, and the same is true for Julia, one of Cecily's daughters.
We are also handed everything on a platter, little is revealed through conversations. Norman, Cecily's husband, thinks of the past and voila! you have their history presented to you. That's too easy for me.
There aren't many characters in the novel, yet I didn't feel any fondness towards anyone in particular. However, I know for sure I didn't like Cecily. She seems naive to the point of entitlement and even judgmental - the "wobbly stomach" of another woman she sees in summer clothing makes Cecily feel "nauseous", but she feels proud of herself for going to the beach and showing her "wobbly thighs".
Marnie, the fourth daughter, is a fifty year old woman. However, I constantly had to remind myself of that because from every interaction Cecily had with her I had the impression that Marnie's in her 20s. Cecily refers to Marnie as "young people" which makes everyone seem silly. Speaking of silly, Marco, one of Cecily's sons-in-law, after twenty years in UK can't seem to be able to use the verb to be, for the life of him. Why make characters silly and fake?
The relationship between Cecily and Marnie is cold and Marnie is plain mean, not to mention somewhat disturbing, given the obsession we learn she has with the Nightingales. Why she insisted on meeting Cecily on an island in Greece, when they all live in UK, is beyond me. For the sake of change of scenery, I assume.
I am hitting this novel hard, I can see that. But as a reader I didn't see any depth. The characters were merely sketched, I couldn't like anyone because there was no character development, and everything was just handed over to read, not revealed, if that makes sense. It does read rather fast, and maybe if you've read Imogen Clark before you might find this enjoyable. It wasn't the novel for me, although I was looking forward to it.

Thanks to Imogen Clark, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of THE LAST PIECE.
We expect divided families to be happy with the outcome when they finally come together, but I'm sure this isn't always the case as is shown in Imogen's heart-rending story. Cecily found her last piece, but did it fit? And why didn't it? Wonderfully portrayed with relatable and believable characters. Loved it!

Excellent book,loved the character's and plot line.
Characters are lifelike.Heart warming story.
Good background,loved all the character's,liked how the story moves from present to past explaining the norms of society then and now

Family secrets! They don’t serve Cecily well. However, her saint of a husband does a good job supporting Cecily as she tries to mitigate a family secret that may affect her three daughters. As she spends time in Greece planning to tie up loose ends, the reality of her situation is that she really isn’t in control of the secret. And when Cecily returns to England, she discovers that her secret has been turned on her. It’s almost like she was punished for her decisions as a young woman, but it saddened me to see her suffer.

Realistic, emotionally messy, with a little bit of psychological irony thrown in. Unique take on a common theme/plot.

When Cecily disappears to a Greek island her daughters have no idea the story that will unravel. Heart-breakingly sad novel that follows Cecily back to her teenage years and the events that shaped her.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I like this author and everything she has written and although I enjoyed this book, good storyline, good characters it was just ok.

I really enjoyed this book the reason being it's about adoption but it doesn't give you the happy ending that most books do when writing about this. This book gives you the view from the other side , it's well written and you really get involved in the family. Most books give you the best ending and everyone gets on but in real life this doesn't necessarily happen and this book describes this well. Would highly recommend

Imogen Clark - The Last Piece

I really enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put down once I started reading!

Cecily Nightingale takes a sudden trip to Kefalonia after receiving a letter, leaving her husband Norman and 3 grown-up daughters (Felicity, Julia and Lily) behind. The explanation for this sudden trip is gradually revealed and I found all of the characters and the story very engaging. I particularly loved the part where we see Cecily at 16 (sorry I'm being vague - I don't want to spoil the story!) I loved the Nightingale family and would like to read more about them, and I'll definitely read more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Our lives are like jigsaw puzzles. Each piece contains a story that when fitted together, portrays a photo of our journey. Looking at a section is only a snapshot but an important outline of our backgrounds.

Without warning, Cecily Nightingale disappears to Kefalonia leaving her three daughters puzzled. As the matriarch of their family, she presides with a loving but firm hand keeping her children in line. Questioning their mother's actions, they realize that their father knows more than he reveals. However, Norman insists that it's Cecily's story to share.

Meanwhile, Cecily is preparing to meet the daughter she gave away at birth. An unexpected letter requested her presence at a Greek retreat. Imogene Clark takes readers along for the tumultuous ride as Cecily hopes at last to have her 'last piece' complete the family's puzzle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for opportunity to read #TheLastPiece in exchange for an honest review. It was my first Imogen Clark novel but it won't be the last. I loved Clark's character development and teared up at the raw emotions displayed between Cecily and Marnie. Cecily desperately wants to fill the missing piece or void that giving up her daughter created but Marnie remains impermeable.

The standoffish reception shocked Cecily but while her demeanor was gruff at times, I appreciated that the author presented a real account that not all meetings go as planned. I would encourage other readers who enjoy books about family dynamics to check out "The Last Piece." After reading, I have a new appreciation for my family.

Cecily is the matriarch of a tight knit English family with 3 daughters and a devoted husband, Norman. When she receives a letter summoning her to Greece for a yoga retreat, she leaves without explaining to her daughters why she must go. As her secrets unfold on her trip, her daughters, Felicity and twins Lily and Julia must navigate their own lives and secrets without their mother for a week, and the situation becomes even more complicated when their mother returns and explains why she had to leave so abruptly. As the family dynamic is strained, Cecily must use her mothers intuition to bring everyone back together.

I first discovered Imogen Clark on a chilly December day, when I stumbled upon 'Postcards from a Stranger' and devoured it in a couple of sittings! Her books have a nice breezy feel to them, however, I find the underlying themes of family, loss and love to be very heart wrenching and thought provoking.

'The Last Piece' focuses on similar themes of love, loss and abandonment, and most importantly family and the importance of having 'your tribe' around you to keep you grounded and centred. The plot revolves around the Nightingale Family, whose perfect lives are thrown into a disarray on account of a mystery letter that takes Cecily on an impromptu trip to Greece. What follows is a tale narrated in six parts, flipping between Greece and England and across timelines, culminating in a perfectly imperfect conclusion.

Imogen has created some deeply flawed characters and made them feel very relatable, and woven a tale which will feel all too real. I think the characters will stay with me for a very long time. This would definitely been a perfect summer read and I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for a small escape from their lives into a not very ideal but a very relatable alternate world.

This is a family drama about 3 very diffferent daughters slowly discovering their mother's 50 year old secret. As well as coming to terms with their mother's past they must also deal with their own life issues. It is difficult to say too much about this book without giving away the plot. It is well worth a read and should reward with some pauses for thought.

Clever title, I only realised at the end where it came from!

This is a story about Cecily & Norman, and their three grown daughters, each with their own lives and issues to deal with. But then all of a sudden Cecily disappears off to Greece with her husband's knowledge, but not her childrens, something completely out of character for their mother, and on her return secrets are revealed about her early life and why she went to Greece.

I liked the pace of the book and the different dynamics of each member of the family, each so different from one another, but really couldn't warm to the daughter given up for adoption, Marnie, although she was that sort of character anyway I suppose. But she really spoiled it a bit for me, especially with revelations towards the end, she was a very abrupt and quite rude character and I just didn't like her, regardless of her upbringing.

So mixed feelings really, if Marnie had been taken out of the equation and the story had been slightly different (I know... she was the underlying reason for the story) I think I would have liked it much more as I liked the style of writing and the family themed plot, although it did feel as though the ending was a bit... oh is that it? I wanted more loose ends tied up really. But nevertheless an enjoyable read.

A mother has a 50 year old secret from her 3 daughters and takes a trip to Greece when she receives a letter asking her to come to a yoga retreat. She goes to Greece but does not tell her daughters that she went and they had to find out from their dad.

Lots of secrets throughout, all the way until the very end. I enjoyed this book and the many stories it told. A quick read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release book in exchange for my honest opinion. To be published July 2020.

//📚BOOK REVIEW -
The Last Piece by Imogen Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🚪
Thank you @netgally, @imogenclark and @lakeunionpublishing for the opportunity to read this book prerelease in exchange for my honest review
🚪

The chaotic but happy equilibrium of the Nightingale family is thrown into disarray when Cecily—whose children can’t remember her ever being remotely spontaneous—disappears to a Greek island with no warning or explanation.
Her reasons for doing something so out of character are a total mystery to her three daughters, high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily. What connection could she possibly have with Kefalonia?
But Cecily has gone to continue a story she thought ended decades ago—one that could have a huge impact on her family. And when she returns, she’ll have to tell them the truth.
Will Cecily be able to hold her family together once she reveals her big secret? And might she discover that she’s not the only one with a story to tell?
🚪
This was a charming story about family and the secrets we keep to protect our loved ones and ourselves. The story was a slow burn for me, and I found the characters flawed, but lovable. Cecily vacillates between trying to do what’s best for those around her while also centering herself and her feelings, hoping to make peace with the situation at hand, and keep peace among her family. I found myself rooting for everyone at various moments in a nod to the phenomenal accomplishment of writing characters that are complicated complicated and messy, and truly feel as if they could be my own sisters.
🚪
Overall a wonderful peek into an average family, and the secrets we all keep close.

#TheLastPiece #NetGalley

A well written heart warming family drama about a mother of 3 daughters who reveals in her sixties that she's in fact a mother of 4 daughters. After 50 years apart since she gave her for adoption, Marnie contacts Cecily inviting her to a yoga retreat in Greece. Not a spoiler actually since the reader could easily see where the story was building up to.
Most of the characters are likable, even Felicity with her neurotic high functional life style. I liked the sisters relationship who seemed to be a harmonious unit despite their differences.
Cecily and Marnie though I couldn't grasp a solid opinion regarding them, I don't know if Cecily is kidding herself about having no option but giving her baby to adoption yet in the same time I really wouldn't know, different circumstances, different time who knows if that wasn't really her only option. Then comes Marnie, the most character I struggled to like or accept then I keep reminding myself about her situation, shouldn't that give her card blanche for however she behaves. I don't really know since the story left us with more questions about what actually happened in her life to make her unsatisfied about her adoptive parents.
As a whole I liked the book and would recommend reading it.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
General Fiction



Review:

An interesting story, that is both captivating and entertaining. The family bond between the main character was nice and hearth warming. The characters were depicted in enough detail so that their actions felt natural which made them appear realistic.

Overall this is a well written story, about a nice family, with realistic characters. That allows you to escape and forget about every day live for a while.

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

<i> I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

<b> The Last Piece ★★☆☆☆ – 2.5 </b>


<b>Writing:</b> 3.5 stars
<b>Characters:</b> 3.0 stars
<b>Plot:</b> 2.0 stars
<b>Originality:</b> 1.0 stars
<b>Cover:</b> 3.5 stars

<b>Recomendability:</b> meh, nothing special. It was written okay, but the language didn’t draw me in.


The book was decent and readable, but I won’t be recommending it. The mystery was far too obvious, I hoped for some twist that would make this story stand out, it didn’t come.
I was mostly bored, the story was too similar to many others and I didn’t resonate with any of the characters. Also, there were details that didn’t add anything to the plot.
I don’t know, perhaps, it was just me, but I expected more from the story, something more akin to Danielle Steel and her captivating books.

This was a nice and easy read. I did crave a little more drama/excitement in the story, but overall it was an engaging family drama

I enjoyed other books by Imogen Clark, so had no hesitation in requesting this one. And yes, I enjoyed it – it was a read-over-breakfast-and-take-into-the-garden book, rather than one that I just read at bedtime, which is a good recommendation.

However, I found the three sisters and the other characters to be a little bit too “formulaic” – the words in the blurb "high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily" rather sum them up. There was, I felt, very little light and shade. Other characters too were predictable: the willowy yoga teacher, for example, the slightly awkward lesbian who is rather prickly. For me, the most believable character was the husband Norman, who I really rather liked, for his support of his wife, but also for his misgivings and his flaws.

The story itself was interesting enough – although I guessed part of Cecily’s reasons for her sudden trip I didn’t work it all out…but equally I don’t think that it was a believable reason to fly out to Greece. Especially the idea of having everything paid for and so mysteriously organised. I think the saving grace was that the ending was not the sugar-coated end that I expected to be served; it left more of a “tang”, if you like.

Rating this book is difficult: there were no grammatical or editing errors (huzzah!), it was well written, it was engaging, but I just didn’t quite love it like I hoped I would! It’s certainly better than 3 stars…Looking back over other reviews I’ve written (yes, I do try to be consistent!) I’ve given books I enjoyed less than this 4 stars, so it had better be 4.5 (but rounded down for NetGalley, not up!)

A lovely family drama, different to Postcards, but none the worse for that. Cecily travels to Kefalonia to meet the daughter she gave up. Her other three daughters react very differently to the news that their mother has gone to Greece on a whim and also to the news that they have an unknown sister. However Cecily isn't the only one with secrets and each daughter has things they're not admitting to the rest of their family. Recommended, not for the overly dramatic expecting blood and gore, but for those who want a family drama with fantastic descriptions of scenery, family relations and emotional reactions.

Cecily, who never does anything out of character has suddenly flew off to Greece for a week. Her three daughters are shocked and it's pretty clear that Cecily is concealing a big secret. I loved reading the different perspectives and appreciated the viewpoints of the three daughters, Felicity, the oldest, and Julia and Lily, the twins. I'm also one of three daughters and could really see similarities of the sister dynamic in the book from my own life. Without giving away any spoilers, I think the author does a great job depicting such a tough reality for young mothers back in the 60s. I wish I had more of the other sister's storyline towards the end. I feel like those kind of fell off. Overall, I enjoyed this family drama and read it very quickly.

I really struggled with the layout of this book. I didn't get into it and found that I couldn't connect with any characters or the storyline.

The Last Piece is a really nice story,.
It was a bit of a surprise as it didn't go in the direction I thought it would but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I thought Cecily was an strong character and I loved Norman's role as family protector! The family dynamics were authentic too and I liked all the sisters.

An enjoyable read.

The Last Piece by Imogen Clark was a good read that made you think about adoption in a different light and it really pushed me to see the story from both sides - the mother who gave her child up for adoption, as well as the child who always had questions and hurts from being placed for adoption. The characters were believable and endearing, and while some of the story felt a little "extra" to add to the length, it was still enjoyable to read.

I really wanted to love this book but it was a huge let down. The premise had so much promise but there was no follow through. It is still worth a read but I wouldn’t purchase it; get it from your library.

Thanks to netgalley and imogen Clarke for an early copy in return for an honest review.
I've read all books written by Imogen Clarke and have really enjoyed them all, this book is no exception. .
This is a far from straight forward story with many twists and turns. A real page turner.
The attention to detail in the descriptions of situations and places is commendable.
As I live in the area of the UK in which the story is set I very much appreciated the mention of places close to my heart!
I can highly recommend this wonderful book.

Sisters Fliss, Julia and Lily are a little perplexed when their mother flys to Greece on an impromptu trip with the apparent blessing of their father. High flyer Fliss is put out, as who will now look after her son Hugo? GP Julia wonders if she should do a few things with her Dad and Lily with 5 children just rolls with life.
But will things be the same when their mother returns from Greece?
I really enjoyed this family drama, I’ve read a previous novel from this author and found she has a lovely way way of immersing me into the story.
I almost don’t want to go too much into the story or other characters, as I feel it would really spoil the story. We find out early on why Cecily goes to Greece but the sisters don’t find out till quite late in the story. I really enjoyed all their interactions with each other and I could certain relate to their thoughts at the end.
A pleasant way to spend a few hours.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

The Last Piece is the twonderfully written story of a family that has to deal with a secret that was kept for decades. Clark kept up the suspense until the very end, only letting us know enough to keep us wanting to know more about the family and she keeps surprising us with unexpected details and twists.
I highly enjoyed this page-turner!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The last piece by Imogen Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary 📖 - Each family is built up of puzzle pieces, that eventually create the puzzle. Some pieces aren’t as spoken about as others, and this book is no exception.

This book follows Cecily, wife to Norman and mum of four daughters, one of which she gave up following her parents wishes when she was just 16. Cecily has heard nothing for fifty years, until one day she received a letter out of the blue inviting her to Greece for the week - so without warning, Cecily disappears to a Greek island retreat leaving her three daughters puzzled and her husband Norman in charge of not just the child care of their grand children but the understandable worry that comes from their mum leaving without an explanation. Cecily is looking to have the chance to explain herself and find a the final piece to add to her puzzle, but will it go as she hoped?

Review ⭐️ - Firstly, thank you to Net Gallery, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This may of been my first Imogen Clark book, but I definitely don’t think it’ll be the last - I loved the character development throughout this book, especially Cecily and her daughters - if anything I’d love to know more about them and continue reading about their stories however I have to say I didn’t warm too Marnie at all - her life must of been tough don’t get me wrong, but she didn’t show much or any compassion to her mother who didn’t have any choice in the decision to give her up! This book gave such a real account that not all meetings go as planned.

Very early on, I knew where the book was going but nothing fully prepared me for the shock of their trip to London - though with that in mind, after the reaction from Marnie I wasn’t exactly surprised. This is definitely one of them books, that you can get lost in for the afternoon! 🏠

This was a good summer read. A little slow in parts but kept my interest.
Secrets, even secrets by omission, create lies and lies in a family are never a good thing . I wanted to reach through the pages and slap some of the characters sometimes!
I would recommend.

This book gets 5stars for the ending alone!

I've read all of Imogen's books and was waiting with bated breath for this one - how could she possibly top 'Where the Story Starts', which at the time I had thought - how could she possibly top 'The Thing about Clare' and even before that I'd thought - how could she possibly top 'Postcards from a Stranger' - BUT WITH THIS NEWEST RELEASE - SHE ABSOLUTELY HAS!

The story opens with three grown-up sisters panicking that their mother has hot-footed it off to Greece without explanation and leaving their dad at home alone. What could possibly make Cecily do something so out of character?

What unravels next is a lifetime of secrets and some heart-breaking decisions that have the potential to rip the neat little family apart. Meanwhile, as the children are busy judging their mother for her erratic and unexplained behaviour, they themselves are all hiding secrets of their own and not everything is as it seems on the surface within their own lives.

As is Imogen's style, she tells the story from different character's point of views, and those eagle-eyed story nerds will notice that she expertly intertwines third-person narration, with one character written in first-person. A truly complex skill to pull off so seamlessly, and in a such a way that the reader doesn't even notice. Instead, they feel more connected to the characters.

Imogen's prose rolls off the page, and as I'm someone who can personally relate to the topic at the heart of this story, I have to commend Imogen on how she portrayed this very real, but highly controversial topic. I'm so pleased she ended the story as she did - it was the braver option - but the right choice for the characters involved. Well done.

I'm not sure how I can wait another six months for her next offering!

Loved it!! Imogen Clark is one of my favorite authors and I always get excited when she has a new book out. They never disappoint and I always end up loving the story. Julia, Lily and their father Norman ended up being my favorite characters. I loved reading about the family and getting to know each of them. Felicity was extremely judgmental, even though her life wasn't the perfect picture she tried to make it out to be. How can she tell Julia that children need to be raised by two parents? I wished I found out more about Marnie. I'm not sure I believe that her parents were as horrible as she portrayed them to be. She seems like a difficult person to live with and blames her struggles on other people. I never warmed to her and shows my least favorite character. I hated the way she treated the Nightingale family. She seemed like a very hard person to love. i hated her a little more when Cecily and Norman find all the pictures. I really think she had ulterior motives for contacting Cecily and wanted to hurt her. Cecily excused all of Marnie's actions, even though her other daughters felt hurt.

Definitely recommend the book. I loved the characters, story and writing style. I wouldn't mind reading more about the Nighingales. I would love to see what Julia, Lily and Felicity are up to and what is going on in their lives. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all Imogen’s book so far. THE LAST PIECE is no exception. The cover alone is an inspiration to read it.
A very interesting story line with twists and turns. I would love her to write a sequel as I think the story could and should continue.

This was such a unique read. I appreciated how easy it was to read and get through. You really do come to appreciate the message.

The Last Piece is the first book I have read by Imogen Clark.
It’s the story of Cecile. She has a husband, Norman and 3 grown up daughters, Lily, Felicity and Julia. Cecily’s daughters friend out that she has jumped on a plane and jetted off to Greece. Not only did they not know she was going (leaving them in the lurch for childcare and needing them to look after their Dad) they don’t know why she would take this trip.
Suffice to say, Cecile has a secret and the trip to Greece is to revisit her past and try to join the path to her present.
I have to be honest and say before I had finished the first couple of chapters I had figured out what the secret was but for me it didn’t detract me from the rest of the book, nor did it end the way I thought it would. I have been lucky enough to visit Greece a few times and the book describes the beauty of the island very well, taking us abroad in our minds - which is a good job as non of us are going anywhere in lockdown!
Overall this is a lovely summer read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cecily's gone to Greece and her husband Norman won't tell her daughters Felicity, Julia, and Lily why. It's not a spoiler to tell you that Cecily had child when she was 16- Marnie- and gave her up for adoption and Marnie's now contacted Cecily. This is the story of these five women, all of whom has an issue to deal with. Marnie, who should be sympathetic, really isn't. She's held a lot of anger toward Cecily over the years. The other three daughters are more well rounded as characters but they are, occasionally, annoying (as in real life!). There aren't any big surprises here but Clark's a good storytelling and the pages do zip about. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This would have made a good beach read but it was just fine as one read in an armchair in the AC.

I read this novel in one sitting. It was stunning! As the Brits say.. ‘‘twas brilliant! I am the adoptive mother of a daughter who never withheld that information. I intimately know firsthand everything the author describes in her wonderful and thoughtful story of a mother and child separated by societal prejudices and demands. I was waiting the entire book for it to deteriorate into a classic feel good story with a happily ever after ending. It did not and I almost cheered out loud. I have read some of the last conversations in the novel out loud to my husband and myself many times.... they are so revealing and true they make me weep. As the book progressed, the author described the lives of the main characters and it was done so vividly. All of the family members were depicted with honesty and discernment. This is a subject that has been written about endlessly, but The Last Piece does it better than any other. In addition, the title is so appropriAte it is almost like a mystery solved at the end of the book when you realize why she named it so appropriately.. Bravo! Loved it.

This is a family drama that felt different to what I have read before, it’s not afraid of showing the flaws and negatives within a family whilst at the same time celebrating the quirks and ties. Cecily seemed like a good mum and the centre of her family and her daughters whilst all so different still remembered to take time for their siblings and had overall an enviable relationship. This didn’t explore anything too deeply yet still cover several issues within the family well, the fact that it was told in parts with months in between helped the story flow well. Overall I think this was an interesting take and very thought provoking.

I read this as a recommendation from Netgalley. I liked the back and forth chapters with the Nightingale women. The sisters were each fully drawn. Cecily has a compelling story. I can understand her being compelled to do what was expected at that time. Norman was a surprise, but she turned out to be lucky to have married him. Margie was a disappointment. She knew for all those years and kept silent! Watching. I think this book needs a sequel. I want to know what happens next. I want to see inside Marnie and Sofia's heads, too. Read in a day!

Heartfelt, beautiful story with an unpredictable ending.
Cecily, mother of three and grandmother to 6, has suddenly taken off for Greece without Norman, her husband of 41 years, with no explanation to her children. She has gone to a retreat to face the consequences of a decision she was forced to make 50 years ago. Cecily has no idea how to make things that happened in the past right, but she is determined to try.
Meanwhile each of her three daughters is struggling with insecurities and problems of their own. Each will have to make difficult choices and face harsh realities about themselves.
When Cecily tries to blend her past and her present things do not go at all as she has dreamt. Sometimes, leaving things in the past truly is the right thing to do.
Loved the story with real emotions. Would have liked more closure on the three daughters lives, but overall I enjoyed the book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Family secrets. Wow you just don't expect the harm this can do to a family. Very true to life never judge a book buy its cover is such a true saying

Thank you #ne Talley for a chance to read this beautiful book my first by this author but certainly won't be my last. This was a heart breaking and heartwarmin g emotional read. It covered a lot of sensitive topics in a real and sensitive way as the story is based around Cecily finally getting to meet her daughter marine she had to give up for adoption 50 years ago and the events surrounding this and also covers the struggles faced during ivf treatment and artificial insemination through her own daughters desperation to hAve children. This book was the perfect escapism from the current situation and an easy read.

This is a story of a dysfunctional family with a piece missing. The characters-except for the protagonist and her husband- are not truly likeable. Although it is a character driven novel, it is interesting to read that the happenings in the U K were somewhat parallel to those in the U S during that time period. Not to give away the story, it was obvious from the beginning what the mystery was. What was different was the way the book ended. I am not sure I liked it, but it is different than other books with the same idea. Ingenious of the author to give the slant...everything is not always as we want it. Try this one-although it drags on at times, it eventually picks back up. I would like to have read more about the characters and how their lives changed.

This is a very poignant examination of the life puzzle most women experience and how they’re constantly searching for that “last piece” – the piece that will finally give them the finished product they envision and covet.

In this novel the theme is worked through a mother, a daughter she gave up for adoption when she was 16 and 3 daughters born to her later on in life after she had married.

None of the characters are particularly likeable except maybe the men who served to ease the anxiety and drama the women have created for themselves.

As a soon-to-be octogenarian, it was easy for me to look back at my life and my life’s girl friends and recognize the angst of the women in this book. Yes, this is chick lit, but with a lot of depth.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Amazon Publishing UK, in exchange for an honest review. It’s well worth a serious read.

I loved this book. The characters were so real, and the story told so well, that I had a hard time putting this book down. I haven't read a book about this subject ever, so the points of view were really interesting. I've already said this book is about adoption, but it's so much more than that. This book is about family, and learning to live with secrets when they force their way into the open.

Cecily is a wholly relatable character. I can't say that if I were in her situation, I wouldn't do exactly what she did. I would want to know everything I could about a person I never had a chance to know.

One thing that disappointed me, but was paramount to the story, is Cecily's reaction to meeting Marnie. She constantly made excuses for her, and was willing to forgive almost anything for a chance to know her. When everyone around her was telling her one thing, she insisted on seeing the bright side, and refused to see the dark.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give away the story. This book was really good, and told with such heart, that I can't think of a single person that wouldn't enjoy this book. I fully intend to check out her other books, and am looking forward to enjoying them too.

I couldn't think of a single reason not to give this book the full 5 stars. It was really good, the characters so relatable, and each person had his and her own struggles, that I think anyone would like this book.

It is an entertaining story about a teenager who is forced to give up her infant for adoption (in the late 1960's) and what happens when they meet many decades later. It is well written and I like how the author developed each of the characters. The ending wasn't quite what I expected but it is understandable.

This is the first book from this author that I have read. I will go seek out her other books.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

This was an interesting, intriguing book and the first one I've read by this author., who lives in the UK, which is where the story took place as well, along with a short trip to Greece. The first thing I noticed was some words that weren't either familiar or used in a different context then we use in the U.S. I kind of imagined their delightful accents as well but there was a bit of an adjustment getting used to that.

Cecily is married to Norman and they are the parents of three adult daughters and have six grandsons. At age 16 Cecily gave up a baby girl for adoption. Her husband is quite aware of this, however their daughters are not. Cecily receives a letter from Marnie, the daughter who was given away 50 years ago asking her to come to Greece with all expenses paid. The ups and downs of the relationship between Cecily and Marnie are difficult for Cecily who has mourned the loss of her first daughter for many years. There are several side-stories regarding the lives of her other three daughters that are woven into the whole story. In some ways I thought the story was a little slow, although it was always interesting and I'm sure a pretty accurate representation of how one would feel in these circumstances. Cecily had thought of this girl all her life, however, when she was born in 1968, it was expected you'd do exactly as you were told and that was to give the baby up for adoption. This is a light-hearted read around family dynamics that I think most would enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley who gave me the advanced reader copy to read and review. The review is my own opinion.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. A reliable mom who jets off leaving her 3 daughters wondering why she went and a secret.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Ms. Clark has delved into an area that is rarely spoken about with such clarity. It is unimaginable how time can make things that were unacceptable back years ago, acceptable now. And how lives can be affected so differently.

It's a book about family, and secrets and the cost of secrets. It's the story of the difference between life in the late 1960's and now and how that difference affected a family and decisions that were made.

A very interesting and heartwarming story.

4.5/5⭐️


How would a happy family of 5 react if a half-sister/daughter contacted them 50 years after being given up for adoption?

I enjoyed this book because it told the story of lives that were messy and imperfect, it was full of surprises, and it didn’t have the ending that one might expect. Very well-written with characters that you cared about and a heartbreaking backstory. I cheered for this family and was thoroughly engrossed in their story.

I would definitely read more from this author.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Cecilia has a family to be rivaled. She has an adoring husband named Norman and three daughters, but underneath something is missing. One day she gets an invitation to a retreat and leaves without any discussion with her daughters.. I thought this book was just ok. I thought that the story and characters ended up just being generic for me. The only part that I really got invested in was the story of Cecilia's past. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

WOW this is one of the most moving books I have read in awhile. This is my first Imogen Clark book & I am definitely going to be reading her others!!!!! I couldn't put it down & I have got to read this authors other novels!!!!!! Her writing style reminds me of Diane Chamberlain. This is a story of family, mothers & daughters, and the things that mothers have to do for our children in life. This book will be with me for a long time!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for my honest review.

Cecily Nightingale has slipped off to Greece very suddenly and without the knowledge of her three very different daughters. Felicity is very upset, more because now she needs to find someone to watch her son while her husband is away and it throws her perfectly executed life into a tailspin; the twins Lily and Julia don’t seem to mind as much but they are astounded that their mother didn’t discuss her reasons for leaving so suddenly. Norman, their father seems to know more about Cecily’s trip than he is letting on but is keeping his thoughts to himself.
This is a story of a family with secrets that have come to the forefront and how each one deals with them. Great family characters, vividly drawn relatable in every way. The descriptions of Kefalonia are visually stunning and wonderful. Read about this warm and crazy family and then appreciate your own.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. My thoughts are my own and in no way solicited.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was so good and I was so engrossed in the story, that I was surprised to see it was the end of the book.
There were many moments in the book that I was surprised because it was never anything I would have thought of which made the book so good. I sure hope this becomes a series because the family has such a way of doing things, that I just wanted more of what they were doing. I thought when I realized the book was done about a quote I knew, always leave your audience wanting more. That was what Imogen Clark did. I really recommend this book.

A well written, engrossing and heartwarming family drama that kept me hooked.
I liked the storyline and the different POV, the well thought characters and the descriptions of the setting.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Last Piece is a heartwarming read about a mother's secret and her relationship with her daughters and how the secret she has kept hidden for so long affects them.

Family secrets leave a family wondering about the choices they have made and if there was is a place in the present for the past.

Cecily and Norman have three grown up daughters. They live a normal happy life until one day Cecily receives a letter and travels to a retreat in Kefalonia. Why? What will she find there? And what will happen when she returns to her family in England?
This is a moving book, well written and thought provoking.

Everyone has secrets and that includes mom. When a mom jots on an unplanned trip to another country her3 daughters are left wondering what happened. “The Last Piece” was a well written book that focused on motherhood and sibling relationships after mom shares her secrets. Will mom’s secret bring the family together to tear it apart... read it and find out!

The Last Piece is the first book I've read by Imogen Clark but it certainly won't be the last! Ms Clark weaves the story going back and forth from different voices in a family and each family member is as compelling as the last. The reader finds themselves so immersed in the Nightingale clan it is difficult to put the book down. Fair warning, there may be tears. I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an early copy to review.

A sudden trip to Greece. A secret about to be told. Cecily has not told her husband or daughters yet. But she will have to now that the secret is about to be exposed...

A heart wrenching read touching on delicate themes , this is definitely one worth keeping the tissues at hand for. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy.

The Last Piece
By Imogen Clark

A heartfelt story of a teen pregnancy and the subsequent adoption of the baby. Both sides of the story are shared from the mothers view and the childs view. This is a well written story that will catch your heart and emotions. A bit of a twist with the ending..

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story, a happy family, a mother who has kept a secret for many years, sad and heartbreaking in a couple of places. The descriptions in this book were great, I felt as if I were there. And I feel like the book is accurately portraying that not everything has a fairytale ending.

I'm torn on "The Last Piece" - I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't memorable, I can't really put my finger on why. The story was a quick read that hit on some pretty serious topics. but I never really felt connected with the characters and it left it without much conclusion. The suspense/mystery seemed a bit forced in my opinion. Overall a wonderful peek into an average family, and the secrets we all keep close.

A long lost daughter takes a woman from England to Greece to reunite and form some sort of relationship. I found this book extremely dull and tedious to read. The descriptions of the scenery are long winded and flowery.

There is a piece missing in Cecily’s life. It’s been missing for fifty years and now she is flying to Greece to hopefully find it. But how is her life and the life of her family change when the truth will be reeled? Will her three sisters accept it? The three of them had their challenges to face related with her mother and with their own lifes. A great story about family, past secrets and future choices.

This is a very enjoyable book though it is bitter sweet. Cecily, a very attentive mother suddenly goes off to Greece on her own without any explanation to her 3 daughters. The story tells of the repercussions from decisions made or forced on people.

It's well written and flows off the page, but difficult to put down so be prepared to read it in 2 or 3 sittings.

i love a good family drama/mystery story. this was exactly that, plus complicated emotional situations. i particularly liked that each character has their own personality and you can tell them apart very easily. i loved the sisterly relationship between the girls, and i loved the supportive norman. i was quite happy with the ending and how everything developed.

The mother of 3 adult children suddenly takes a trip to Greece for some reason that is a complete mystery. Intriguing, huh? Except it didn’t need to be a mystery at all. There would’ve been enough drama had the author gotten more into the characters instead of spending multiple chapters for unnecessary travel. The description of a retreat in Greece was actually quite similar to Sophie Kinsella’s Love your life, but the setting actually played a part in that book. Not so much here. I would have liked to see more of the 3 sisters’ lives and interactions. One of the twins had 5 boys and all anyone said about her is how patient and amazing she is as a mother, but it seemed like she had more to say and I would’ve liked to have heard it. I recommend the last page with background information for the story, but otherwise it was just okay.

When all works out, but maybe not as you hoped and planned🤔

4.5🌟stars
Cecily and her family's story is moving and compelling. The account of her teen pregnancy in 1960's England and her stay at an unwed mothers' home was particularly poignant, but there is a wealth of good emotional content throughout this fine story.

A good selection of subplots deal with first Cecily's attempts to reconnect with her oldest daughter Marnie and the story of their separation, but also involve the lives of her three younger daughters who have been kept in the dark about the very existence of another sibling. And Norman, Cecily's even-tempered husband, there to support them all through the trials of adulthood. They try their best but sometimes things don't work out as they hoped, but they still made the effort and had each other's back.

For me, this was a well-written, quick and enjoyable read. It was so realistic and did not sugarcoat the hard stuff, like Marnie's continued psychological scars, Felicity's marital problems and Mother Earth Lily's feelings of inferiority despite a very successful marriage. It made me reflect on the good and joy at hand at the end of the day when hopes and plans for a better, perfect outcome are unachievable. Cecily faces disappointments but ends up with a pretty fine life despite them and some needed closure.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

This is the 1st book that I have read from Imogen Clark. I am always looking for new authors to try and the premise of this book intrigued me. I usually love dual-time, historical and time-slip novels, but every now and then I like to read a family drama, this novel fit the bill

The story starts with the mysterious disappearance of Cecily, the mom to three adult daughters, Felicity, and twins Julie and Lily.. Okay no murder mystery here, Cecily has taken herself off to Greece with the encouragement of her husband Norman. Wait what is this? Mother is not at my beck and call? (Felicity) How humurous (Julie) and I hope all is well (Lily) is the reactions of her three daughters,

The story has a personal interest to me due to the story line which I will not spoil here. I really enjoyed the modern day stories, as well as the past story of Cecily in the 60’s and the life choices that lead her to take an unexpected trip to Greece.

If you like family stories with a bit of mystery and drama but a lot of love thrown in, I recommend this book. This is my 1st book by Imogen Clark, but will not be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing and the author Imogen Clark for a chance to review this book.

Cecily has three grown daughters, Julia, Lily, and Felicity. They are all thrown, in quite different ways, when their mother just takes off for Greece one day. She isn't flighty. She doesn't do this. The sisters are very much sisters. Julia enjoys shocking the others with the news. Felicity is overwrought, but mostly about her own convenience and not what the heck is happening with her mother. They descend on their father for answers. Dad only reveals that Mom was invited, so she went.

I think I was drawn to the sisterly relationships most of all. I'm a sister many times over and, man, those can be complicated and simple at the same time. My relationship as a daughter is complicated. My relationship as a mother is simple. But my sisters....I see that reflected here. There is so much to sisterly relationships because there is, at least in theory, an evenness to them that is not there in mother/daughter relationships. Yet, they aren't even. I don't know if I make sense. I only know that this got me thinking of the varied relationships I have with my 4 sisters and how different those have always been than that with my brother. We judge each other much differently. And support each other much differently.

Cecily's journey had me drawn in slowly. She is attending some sort of retreat and someone paid for it. We don't find out right away what was in the letter that brought her to Greece. Its a mystery but solving it wasn't really pressing for me. It took longer to be really involved in her part of the tale. Then we learn of Marnie. Her other daughter.

This was a short book about the relationships of women in a family. I know it well. Thank you to Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Imogen Clark's THE LAST PIECE, Cecily is the matriarch of a family with a puzzle-loving husband and three daughters who are as different from one another as one might imagine. When a long-buried decision by a teenaged girl shows up in her life, the delicate balance of who Cecily has been, who she dreamed she would be, and the life that she lives right now topples into an authentic, truth telling life. This is a very light, fairly predictable read -- a gentle escape into a different world. The characters feel like people I might know -- and even the secondary characters are intriguing.

A very readable book. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down and just wanted to find out more about the Nightingale family.
The characters are well described and very believable. The different characteristics of the sisters and indeed their mother is so well portrayed that the reader feels they really understand them.
This is a book about family, it’s secrets and it’s love for the family members even when life doesn’t turn out quite as you expected.
I received a free advance copy from the Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, a great thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC; I was happy to read it and provide this review. Unfortunately, I found this book somewhat disappointing. One reason was due to the writing style - there were often short statements that didn't add richness to the writing -more just statements of fact. Second, the characters - the likable characters didn't have much of a story arc - for example, the three sisters should have really stood out and I would have liked to see more interaction between the sisters. And there was one character that was so completely unlikable and just flatly so - it didn't feel nuanced. I did very much enjoy the rich scenery in Greece and England and while reading it, I definitely couldn't put it down and was engaged to find out what happened ext.

Thanks for the chance to read and review. I give this book 3 stars. The writing flowed well but I felt the story line was a bit predictable.

I just finished the last piece. Impression #1 it is very hard to put down. The main story line follows the life of Cecily and each of her daughters. There are the normal plot twists and turns but then there is the unexpected. Clearly, the author did her homework regarding the issues at the time of the story which added authenticity.

But now that I've finished, I think the reason that I related so well to the story is that I am an adoptive mother. While I don't know the heartache of giving a child up for adoption, I do know the heartache of when a child realizes they are adopted. We have always loved our children through life's twists and turns. So I can empathize with Cecily and Marnie. Their story is their own and it is very real, very well told.

Ms. Clark, I look forward to reading more of your work.

Family isn’t necessarily lovable or even likable. This is a sleeper of a story; it grabs you and pulls you along in its slow ebb –then turns into a riptide. The family you know doesn’t automatically warrant love & affection, but it’s proper. This will make you cringe & wonder if you would even be friends if not for blood, and then hug the ones you’re with.

The book features a mother who has been keeping a secret from her three grown daughters who flies off to Greece with no warning. Upon her return, the daughters will learn more about their parents and the effect the secret will have on their lives.

The Last Piece is a sweet charming little book with an unexpected realistic edge.
Meet the Nightingales, living in Harrogate Yorkshire. Norman and Cecily are parents to three grown up daughters Felicity and twins Lily and Julia and grandparents to six boys. Like any family they have their ups and downs, sibling rivalries never far from the surface but it’s fair to say they are a close knit unit. That is until the day mother hen Cecily takes off on an unexpected trip to Kefalonia alone. Husband Norman is reticent to explain the reasons why so their daughters are left to jump to their own conclusions.

Scenes at the idyllic retreat in Kefalonia where relaxation and isolation are the order of the day sounded absolutely blissful. I almost felt envious of Cecily having the chance to unwind, eat good food, swim in warm waters and soak up the Mediterranean sun until I remembered she was there to confront her past. I couldn’t help feeling she was in for a bumpy ride.

It’s fair to say that although much of the storyline is predictable it’s far from all sweetness and light. I don’t think I’m giving away spoilers here as the reason for Cecily’s spontaneous trip to Kefalonia is glaringly obvious (apologies if anyone disagrees!) I particularly enjoyed Cecily’s backstory taking the reader back in time to 1968, an era when it was still very much frowned upon to be an unmarried pregnant girl and mother and baby homes were still in existence. Hard to imagine now, living in such liberal times but in those days adoption for these babies born out of wedlock was incredibly common. The impact on both mother and baby and any future reunion makes a great basis for fiction, which the author has capitalised on, treating the subject matter with authority, warmth and compassion. I was easily swept up in the Nightingales own version of such a scenario, thanks to the sensitivity of the author’s style of writing.

It was interesting to discover how Cecily’s emotions regarding Marnie change over the course of the book. Her trip to Kefalonia at the beginning is one that is filled with hope and trepidation but also a sense that finally she can openly admit to having four daughters rather than three. Cecily’s time in the mother and baby home shows a teenage girl who is naive yet pragmatic, unaware how this momentous event will affect in her in the intervening years. Guilt and sorrow and even shame that she so willing gave Marnie up for adoption has clearly haunted her in the present day, prompting much empathy for her on my behalf. She is a loving, warm character for whom family means everything so I could understand her nervousness, anxiety and anticipation at finding the missing piece in her family puzzle. Is it any wonder that her emotions then are all over the place and not what she expects when she is finally reunited with Marnie?

Something else that struck me was the impact of Cecily’s bombshell on the rest of the Nightingale family. Felicity and Julia’s lives are in turmoil for very different reasons so to add a stranger into the mix is unsettling for everyone concerned, including Norman. The fact that Marnie is direct to the point of rudeness, frosty and taciturn doesn’t do her any favours but I have to admit to liking her prickly personality. If Cecily was hoping for a happy reunion then she’s much mistaken but Marnie’s hostile attitude I imagine to be quite realistic given the circumstances.
All members of this family are likeable, with traits that we might recognise in our own sisters but aside from Cecily good old Norman who is calm, sensible and unflappable won my heart. How can you not love a man who happily does jigsaws?!? In fact I thought the use of the jigsaw as a metaphor for the unravelling of this storyline was a lovely touch.

The Nightingales are such an ordinary family, each character believable with their own individual hurdles in life relatable. The Last Piece is perfect as a lighthearted but emotional read, just right for a Sunday afternoon’s indulgence. This is the first title I’ve read by this author but it won’t be my last. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

This book pulled me in immediately with the realistic dialogue between the three sisters in the beginning. Felicity, Julia and Lily are texting back and forth about an unexpected and uncharacteristic event. Their mother, Cecily Nightingale, has up and flown off to Greece on some mysterious trip. The Nighingales rarely take any holiday away from their Yorkshire home.

Lily and Julia, who are twins, found it amazing Cecily would up and just go anywhere without their father Norman. They are old homebodies who never do anything out of the ordinary. When the sisters converge on Norman to ask about thier mother he is rather deceptive, other than telling them Cecily is not ill so they needn't worry. The women have to wait it out to see what heppens when their mother comes home the following week.

Supporting chararacters:

Felicity, the oldest, is married to a scoundrel and has a 4 year old son. She has a high powered business career and has a very rigid view of life. I guess if I were married to Richard I'd have an edgy personality as well.

Julia and Lily are twins with an unusual birth story. Lily arrived seven weeks early and had a rough start to life while Julia stayed put until her proper birth time. Therefore, although they are twins and share that special mental connection and personality, they have different birthdates. Julia is a medical doctor and single. Lily is married to Marco and five sons. She makes everything seem easy and has a lovely personality, quite the contrast to snappy and judgemental Felicity.

We find out why Cecily Nightingale took her mysterious trip about a quarter of the way into the book. You can figure it out by then and you will see how it impacts all f the family once she returns. I can't say without giving spoilers so I'll save that for Goodreads.

When I got to the end I felt a little let down until I thought about it for a bit. It seemed abrupt, then I thought of the title. The Last Piece. Everything came together , even Norman's jigsaw puzzle and a family issue.

There was a bit of foodie stuff mentioned such as fish and chips, Jamie Oliver meals, curry, roasted beef dineer and such sweets as black forest gateau and Fat Rascals. I didn't know what that was so I looked it up. A fat rascal is a type of cake, similar to a scone or rock cake in both taste and ingredients. It originated in Yorkshire at least as early as the 19th century.

Imogen Clark lives in Yorkshire and has three other novels published

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced complimentary copy. I was not compensated for this review and throughly enjoyed this book. Publication date is July 28, 2020. Genre is women's fictions.

Imogen Clark lives in Yorkshire and has three other novels published.

This is an author I have had on my to read shelf for a while: i shall very quickly be reading those books now.
I suppose this is a book about social history, changing values, circumstances and ideals as it is about family life.
Cecily's story is heart breaking, but it is how circumstances formed Marnie's life and personality that resonates too.
The Last Piece is about family and how everyone fits in. The jigsaw reference was a very clever way to complete the story. in a satisfactory way.
As a native of Harrogate I had great fun trying to guess in which area Cecily and Norman lived - Harlow Hill was the conclusion and that is where I envisaged Cecily walking and sitting on the bench.

I shall need to be circumspect in reviewing this book without giving too much away which means that it must be quite vague in some respects.

One begins to realise fairly quickly why Cecily has gone to Kefalonia in such mysterious circumstances but what happens afterwards is not straightforward. The author could have chosen to excuse events in the past by portraying them as more brutal in an effort to gain sympathy for Cecily but she resisted that and explored how the past affects every area of our lives whether we are aware of it or not. It is an exploration of how the same event, experienced from different perspectives affects the people involved in very different ways but it is told as part of an overall story rather than from individual points of view.

A final revelation at the end comes as an unexpected surprise which challenges the perceptions we have seen so far and changes our expectations.

I found this an intriguing book which really made me think around the subject.

This book was compelling and had me gripped from the start. I so do not want to spoil this book for anybody, so i will just add a couple of comments. A loving mother of 3 daughters and a clutch of grandchildren, does something so out of character, when she drops everything to fly to Greece on receipt of a letter inviting her over there. The only other people in the know, are her husband and the author of the letter. A heartwarming and heart wrenching story. A well written engaging story.

I enjoyed how this story unraveled. Cecily receives a letter that prompts her to drop everything and fly to Greece for a week alone. She knows why, but as a reader you are left in the dark for a bit. When she finally meets the person she is looking for, the book breaks off into another part where you get a wonderfully descriptive flash back to Cecily's past which brings the reader up to speed in a quite clever way.

You also you get to know her 3 daughters back at home. Each one has a very unique personality and are struggling with their own issues in addition to the unusual behavior of the mother they each rely on in different ways. Upon Cecily's return home, the storylines begin to converge. This is where the book became a little "rambly" for me as I eagerly waited to everything to come together. Not all of the characters are particularly likable, but I think that was the author's point. There are a couple of turns that are interesting, but nothing overtly twisty. As for the ending, it is either clever and poignant or abrupt and frustrating. I believe that is all in who you are and how you approach the story.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for my ARC. I absolutely loved this book!
I was brought to tears many times throughout this heart wrenching family drama. I thoroughly enjoyed every well developed character. The story begins with a text chain of three adult daughters speculating on their mother’s sudden trip to Greece. From there we are introduced to the Nightingale family where long held secrets are revealed. Consequences of past decisions come to light and lives are changed forever. This is a heartwarming story of loss, love and renewal.

I wish to thank Net Galley and Amazon Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is an engaging book about family issues and setting things right after 50 years of keeping secrets. Everyone has things in their past that they could change if they could. This is the story of one woman who spends a lifetime with regrets about choices she was forced to make as a teenager. The story is well written and keeps your interest and is one that has the reader asking, “What would I do?” The title suits the story very well. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to those who like family stories.

This was a lovely story focused on family and trying to make things right after 50 years. I loved the perspectives and knowing how everyone felt and how it all fit together and the plot was perfect. I loved how the sisters were nothing like each other and that we saw into each of their lives alongside the main storyline. This was such a quick and easy read and i read it in one sitting. I havent read anything by this author before but i definitely will in the future.

This was a quick and easy read. I loved the characters although I found it hard to read when Marnie was so rude. I imagine it would be hard to be adopted and not know your family for so long but I couldn’t help but hope for her to soften towards the family and develop a relationship with them. My favorite part was the author’s descriptions of Greece which is a place I hope to visit someday. Imogen does a wonderful job of describing it and I could picture it in my head. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Wasn't at all what I was expecting. I have read one other book by this author and it was fabulous and this was too. This is a story about a woman who had gotten pregnant at a very young age and her mother made her give the baby up for adoption. After 50 years that baby that was put up for adoption reaches out to her birth mother. What happens next is not at all what you are expecting. Will it be a happy ending ? Read the book and see how all of the lives are effected by this change in the family dynamic.

No matter how much we think we know about our family members, especially our parents, it is just the tip of the iceberg. They were fully formed humans before we came into existence as much as most children live in denial! One morning Cecily, who rarely ventures far from home up and leaves to the surprise of her children. They are perplexed, but also quite peeved that she had the audacity to disrupt their collective lives! She is on a journey she never planned on to suss out some things she thought she put to rest years ago. Things that Cecily thought were put to bed long ago and she closed off her mind and heart to rear up and must be acknowledged and dealt with. The family goes through the journey each in their own way. A truly lovely. compelling enjoyable read.

Cecelia loves her family. She has raised three wonderful daughters and is enjoying being a grandmother. A mysterious letter shows up in the mail and suddenly she is on a flight to Greece. Her husband Norman won't explain her absence, he merely tells their daughters that she will explain to them when she returns. This book is a heartfelt look at family, love, loss, and reconnecting.

Cecelia's trip to Greece is to meet the daughter that she gave up for adoption 50 years ago when she was 16. After becoming pregnant, she was taken to a mothers home to continue her pregnancy. Once she delivers her baby she will return home. Imogen Clark gives insight into how unexpected pregnancies were handled in the 1960s. The home was not a vacation. The girls went to class and had chores every day. This helped the time pass. It is moving to read how the pregnant girls were looked down upon by the local townspeople. Reading how the babies were turned over to adoption by people unknown to these girls is heart-wrenching. As a mother, I could feel and identify with their pain.

When Cecelia meets her firstborn daughter, it is not as she expected. The daughter, Marnie, is very cold and standoffish. Cecelia knows that it might take time for Marnie to open up. So Cecelia shares the story of her life and her pregnancy with Marnie. She invites Marnie to visit her at her home and meet her half-sisters. Several months later, Marnie contacts them and wants to visit. This visit is tense and awkward. Marnie doesn't commit to any further contact with any of the family. Devastated, Marnie vows to take it slow and build a relationship with Marnie and then bring her back into the family once she is comfortable.

What absolutely amazed me was the insight that Imogen Clark had to the thoughts and feelings of Cecelia and Marnie. I am an adult adoptee, finding the thoughts, prayers, and concerns that I have long felt in a book was astonishing. Imogen Clark is able to provide the reader with loving insight into such an emotional situation. The ending of this story is bittersweet and beautiful. This is an absolutely wonderful book..

Imogen Clark tells a beautiful story of family and some of the true to life conflicts that can arise. Cecily went through a journey in her teens and later in life the story of this journey is told with such detail and emotion as to place the reader there beside her. As she is reliving this her family is also going through their own journeys of joy and pain. There are two stories tied into one and the very talented Ms Clark gift wraps it for us with a page turning bow on top.
I received a requested advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

A light-hearted book with the more serious subject of adoption at its core. I enjoyed reading it, but felt that the characters were all rather cliched. A good holiday read I think.

An interesting and engaging read and quite emotional at times. Being a similar age to Cecily, the main character and from whose perspective the story is told, I can totally relate to how times have changed in the time frame of the book. Whilst I never found myself in a similar predicament I knew plenty of girls who did, plus some who have dealt with the reappearance of adult children in later year, so this story resonated quite deeply how attitudes have changed and how some still linger beneath the surface. Totally believable scenario and characters throughout with a story sensitively told.

Be ready to be drawn into a lovely family tale, a tale of love, loss and deep family secrets.

This is the first book I have read from this author and she did not disappoint. I was drawn into this story and wanted to keep reading!
What I really loved was how it didn’t just follow one central theme, you followed the separate stories of Cecily and her daughters and their lives, while also bringing everyone together. I also love how one bit, from the past, was told, how you taken back to when it happened and lived through the experiences with the character, told from her point of view at the time, while also including feelings and thoughts from now.

I don’t want to give much away in my review other than this was a fantastic read.
I really loved all the characters and felt that you got to know them throughout the story.
What’s more is that the story isn’t just about happily ever afters, it considers what would actually happen if people were in the situations these characters find themselves in, I think the ending is very well written and although it may not be what a reader would expect I think it really considers the gravity of the events in the book.


Thank you to Netgallery, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read about adoption and meeting the child for the first time many years later. How these circumstances are difficult and you don’t always get the happy ending that you wish for. Includes visiting Kefalonia, one of my favourite Greek islands. Lovely read, really enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me review this book.

I greatly enjoyed The Last Piece.

Initially I thought I would be annoyed by the ‘big secret’ and did find it slightly strange that Cecily had said absolutely nothing to her daughters, but as the story unfolds, I was drawn in. The characters are each developed with stories of their own I wanted to follow. I particularly liked the emerging relationship between Cecily and her husband Norman – this is marriage as it should be not sickly sweet but thoughtful, supportive, robust when it was needed, and real. The contents of the shed on the lawn made me laugh out loud!

So, while the sudden trip to Kefalonia seemed a little unreal, it opened an interesting story and compelling story from decades ago which has truths behind it that made it engaging and kept me reading as the story switches between history and present day and looks at the emerging narrative from the perspective of Cecily, Norman and each daughter. Imogen keeps her narrative flowing with a continual connection to the main story thread without losing the depth and interest in the stories and lives of all the characters.

A thoroughly enjoyable read over a wet lockdown weekend, dreaming of when we can fly to sunny shores again!

Having read and enjoyed Postcards from a Stranger I was delighted to receive a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This for me is a 2* OK read.

It's an easy read about a family whose mother goes off to Greece and the family don't know why, although, the husband does, but, he's not saying. It wasn't difficult to guess the secret, but, that didn't spoil the overall read.

I'd say this is very much a beach / holiday read about family, relationships and loss. I'm afraid, for me, I wasn't invested enough in any of the characters to care that much, although, the thread of each member of the family was a good one and that's what held my attention.

Overall, a weak storyline, so, I can't recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

The story was an interesting premise and explored family dynamics fairly well. I wish the author had delved into the supporting character's lives a little more. And while we learned a lot about the past and how Cecily felt then, I don't think we got a deep enough look at how she was feeling in the current. I also wished we had a little more of Cecily's husband's perspective. The characters were fairly likeable which was critical in making this a good story. The pace was good. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I received a copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The Last Piece by Imogene Clark was a heartbreaking story on so many levels. It is about Cecily’s life from her early teen years to her later life. She gets a mystery letter to come to Greece. She abruptly heads there leaving her husband Norman and their three daughters not knowing what is going on. The daughters were Felicity, and twins Lily and Julia. They had six children between Lily and Felicity and Julia was not married but she wanted a child. I loved how she was brave enough to go ahead and do what she had to do to have a child. But what Cecily goes to Greece for is what she be a happy occasion but it is so hard on the whole family. I did love the sneaking around that Norman, Cecily’s husband talked her in to doing! The author wrote this book to where you feel all the emotions so clearly what each one was going through. It was a huge surprise to read how this ended.
I received this as an ARC for an honest review from Netgalley.

Mum Cecily takes off unexpectedly for Greece when she receives a letter related to her past. Her 3 adult daughters are taken aback by this unusual behaviour and make their feelings known to their father, who is calmly waiting at home for his wife to return. When she does return, sun-burnt and hopeful, the contents of the letter are revealed. The impact is far-reaching. How the family reacts to this is the main part of the novel, as well as some moving and well-researched detail about Cecily’s early life.
The relationships between the daughters, all very different and dealing with a range of issues, are very well-written and you can't help but be involved and react to their behaviour. If you want a family tale with a difference, a tale that is split between the present and the 1960s I recommend this book. It left me wanting to read more by Imogen Clark.

I have to admit that I hadn’t come across Imogen Clark before, but the summary of this book appealed to me and I really enjoyed it.

Cecily and Norman have three adult daughters, plus grandchildren. One day, her children are shocked to find that she’s gone off to Kefalonia, one of the Greek islands, with no explanation, and she doesn’t use her mobile phone so they can’t contact her with all their questions.

She returns at the end of the week and tells her daughters the whole story (her husband already knew), and then it continues back in the UK.

I don’t want to reveal any spoilers other than to say this very same thing happened to me, but the opposite way around. There were a few small inaccuracies, but they would only be known to anyone who’d been in this situation themselves, and didn't detract from the storyline. Apart from these, the book was well-researched and dealt with the subject in a considerate and sympathetic way.

I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Cecily has a nice family and home in Harrogate England. But she has been carrying a secret for 50 years that only her husband and parents knew.
Cecily gets a letter sending her off to Greece. She isn't sure what to expect but goes hoping for the best but things don't turn out like she had hoped. With 3 older daughters all going through different seasons of their lives it becomes very complicated.
A great story of love, hurt, betrayal and healing.
#thelastpiece

The Last Piece left me thinking about the ways a change in family structure affects the relationships of the siblings to one another. A close knit family of two parents and their three adult daughters struggles when the mother reveals a secret she has kept. from her daughters for over fifty years. I loved that the novel depicted a marriage of forty plus years where the couple still cherished each other. This was a very enjoyable quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the opportunity to read this early advance in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLastPiece #NetGalley

Cecily hops on a plane to some Greek Island and her family is left to wonder why and what is going on. The Last Piece by Imogen Clark is a well written novel about the secret that Cecily has been keeping and how life has a way of bringing things to light that have been hidden.

I absolutely love the narrative style: alternating viewpoints between Cecily, her three daughters (Felicity, Julia and Lily) as well as Cecily's perplexed husband, Norman. Imogene Clark certainly has won me over with her writing, plot twists, and deep look at what it means to be a family. Some things are crystal clear and resolved and other things are not as specific (you know, like real life?)

Definitely a book to treasure!! Have you read it? If so, what did you think?

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing Company, UK and Imogene Clark for this temporary digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

A heart warming story of a close know family and how they cope with various family problems. It's a delightful and engaging read full of insight into relationships. So enjoyed this read!

This was a great character driven story. Cecily spontaneously up and leaves for a trip, which is out of character for her. This concerns her daughters and they attempt to get answers from her husband, but he is not divulging anything. This journey to reunite with the child she gave away years earlier made Cecily a conflicted and flawed character that you couldn't help but root for. I really enjoyed this one!

This is a book with a lot of heart and characters you will believe in. It’s both sad and uplifting and Imogen Clarke’s writing of this family is perfectly pitched and empathic. I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it. I haven’t read Imogen before, but I will catch up with her books now.

A very interesting read on what transpires when giving a child up for adoption and the subsequent feelings of all involved. The mum, Cecily, is contacted by her first daughter 50 years after giving her up for adoption. It's all very surreal since none of Cecily's other daughters are aware of the first one. This book gives us glimpses into each child's life as well as the mum's teenage years. A quite different outcome than what one expects from the situation but very well done. Lovely characters and great locations.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I wish I could do 3.5 stars. I disliked all of the characters but the premise is really interesting. The part in the middle was my favorite and read very well. The last third seemed to just be lamenting what a bitch Marnie was - and they were not wrong.

Thank you Imogen Clark, NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story brings up many issues that most of us can't comprehend nor understand how this would happen in today's society. This book focuses on Cecily's former life from her teen years up to current day.

Cecily gets a letter to go to Greece, and she leaves her home, husband and kids to go as quick as she can, and they don't have any idea of what would possess her to leave like that.

I love the emotional twists that the author brings to the book, and how you can relate to not only Cecily, but to her husband. I truly appreciated how the author ended this book, and I can't wait to read more by Imogen Clark.

When their predictable routines are disrupted by their mother flying to Greece without notice or explanation, three sisters are led on a path of discovery that will bring them closer together while learning some hard truths. A traditional family, Dad, Mom, three daughters and lots of grandchildren suddenly become not so traditional in an emotional story of acceptance. Imogen Clark built a community and a family of characters that are true, they care for each other while still hiding a few blemishes that surprise the heck out of the family dynamic. An excellent story that left me a warm fuzzy when the happily ever after showed up.

I had read an earlier novel by this author and recognize her wonderful writing and interesting characters. She recognizes that happy families can still have their differences, problems and secrets, and weaves it into a warm wonderful story.
Cecily Nightingale has a loving husband and three adult daughters, but there is a missing link there, that is apparent from the beginning. When she unexpectedly up and leaves for a short trip to Greece, her family is curious and taken unawares of the sudden absence. She has heard from her first born that she had at sixteen and gave up for adoption, after 50 years of wondering about where she is and if she would ever meet her.
This is a heart rendering story of an unfulfilled Mother, a daughter that never found herself and a family, other than her husband, that was completely unaware of her existence. We experience the desire of a mother to complete her family and a daughter that has no expectations of suddenly finding the family she hoped would be there. The puzzle was completed but the last piece was still gone.
My thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, Amazon Books for my ARC. All opinions are my own. This is a strong 4 stars!

This was a very charming and moving book. A story that dealt with a mother's secret and the ability to forgive herself for that long-ago decision. The story was very realistic as were the wonderful characters. I especially loved the father, Norman. He had a great way of looking at things in life and I could feel the love he had for Cecily. This is the first book by Imogen Clark that I've read but I'll soon be reading more of her books. This one was very delightful and enjoyable. And that cover is absolutely beautiful!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

The Last Piece is the story of Cecily who, after receiving a surprise letter in the mail, sets off to Greece for a week. Cecily is not spontaneous. The last time she did anything that could be considered spontaneous was over 50 years ago. What transpires in Greece sets Cecily on a journey of nostalgia and self-reflection of that time 50 years ago.

Cecily’s invitation to Greece was sent by Marnie, who was involved in Cecily’s last spontaneous moment. She has also lurked in the corners of Cecily’s mind every day for the last 50 years. Their meeting is intense. It is filled with uncomfortable conversations that are healing to one of them but leads to more questions for the other. When they part ways it seems as though the past can be worked through and the future can have some type of relationship between them.
Cecily’s family knows nothing of Marnie, nor why her letter would send Cecily jetting off to another country for a week. So when, after months go by, Marnie says that she is coming to visit Cecily and meet the rest of her family, Cecily is both nervous and excited. However, things do not go well at all.

After spending months in emotional and mental turmoil Cecily decides to go see Marnie on her own territory, as a surprise. This time things seem to be able to get worked through a bit more. Each woman walks away feeling confident in the closure of their unique relationship. They have discovered who they are to one another, and who they are as individuals.

While written before the global pandemic shut down this is the perfect time for right now as many of us are spending a lot more time alone with our thoughts, trying to figure out who we are and where we fit into the lives of our family and friends. And even though this is a work of fiction, it is comforting in these times to read of someone else struggling through the muck of family relationships during difficult times.

The Last Piece is a story of how we never fully know the entire story of someone’s life and that appearance can be deceiving. Cecily, Marnie, and their families all have their secrets, and in the end, they realize that sharing the secrets, airing them out, is better than holding them in.

This story is about women, and how they cope with crises and keep the family together. The story is emotional. The characters and their motivations are believable, and the plot although simple showcases this character-driven story well. The pacing and writing style, are classical, with the emphasis on narrative and dialogue. This doesn't detract from the story, just gives it a distinctive voice that will appeal to many readers of family drama and relationships.

As quickly as we feel the pain, our hopes rise and we see the potential for healing. Ms. Clark paints the characters with just enough detail to give you all you need to take the picture and run with it yourself. This was a very emotional read especially when truths were discovered and the emotional process of coming to terms with the different types of motherhood, but a rebirth of sorts for a life and love that is always present… but not always acknowledged.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. These are my thoughts.

It's hard to write this without giving away a major plot point. Cecily takes off for Greece alone. Her daughters, Felicity and twins, Julia and Lily, find this totally out of character and terribly inconvenient for them. Their Dad, Norman, knows what is up and is leaving it up to Cecily to explain. The characters were quite lovely. Lily is a bit of a free spirit, raising five boys with her loving husband, Marco. Julia is a GP, single and finding that something is missing in her life. Felicity is the eldest, married, with one son and seems to have everything under control until she doesn't. I would have loved to have them as sisters. Their strengths and weaknesses complement each other perfectly. I was on the fence about Cecily. In her interactions with Marnie she is very careful, not wanting to rock the boat but Marnie is not an easy person to get along with. Sometimes it made me a little crazy and I wanted to push Cecily to do more. The book had a perfect ending, not necessarily a happy ending but sometimes we don't get one.

I really liked this book and hope to read more by this author. The protagonist is a mom and like most mother's, is thought of as predictable and steady by her adult children. But she has held a secret for decades. When a letter comes offering a chance to finally answers some questions about her secret, she dashes off, leaving her family baffled.
Descriptive and heartfelt, the story unfolds in Greece. The mom gets some answers and so does the holder of her secret.

Cecily is a wonderful mother to her three daughters. It’s a perfect family to all that know them.. A solid family unit until Cecily decides to jump on a plane and go to Greece to resolve a secret that has been locked away for 50 years. She goes alone leaving her faithful husband at home. The daughters and families discover another life that their very safe loving mum lived until she was 16. I love this book. It is beautifully written, fabulous characters and settings. It’s an easy pleasant read.

There were certainly very enjoyable aspects to this book. The twins relationship was lovely as was Cecily's marriage. Then there were parts that weren't so enjoyable, and sat rather uncomfortably with me. All in all an interesting, light read that kept me engaged at the time. And really, what more could you want?

I received an ARC electronic copy of this novel on July 20, 2020, from Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Amazon UK publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Imogen Clark writes a tight, compelling tale. It is always a pleasure to read her.

The three Nightingale daughters of now-retired Cecily and Norman are all in their thirties and independent, though still residing in their home town, and very differently focused on this life. The eldest, Felicity, has a high-stress, high powered career as a GP and despite being married to Mr. Wrong she is finally the mother of young Hugo after several runs at IVF. The twins with different birthdays are also truly independent thinkers - Julia is settled into a high-powered job, still single, and running out of time to find Mr. Right and start a family. Lily married young, and she and husband Marco are the parents of five sons, the youngest twins, and have expanded their Italian restaurants into a fairly nice conglomerate, still small enough to handle without losing control of the end product, but productive enough to allow Lily to stay home with the boys.

And then Cecily receives a letter inviting her to Greece where Marnie Stone will be willing to meet with her. And completely out of character, Cecily drops everything and flies away. Why would she just do this with no notice, no planning? Her daughters are flabergasted, and Norman is mysteriously silent on the whole matter. What is this all about? And how is it going to impact their well-established lives?

What happens when your prayers for happily ever after aren’t answered the way you always thought they would be? Can you be a ‘real family’ when there will always be a piece missing? This book addresses what happens when lost family prefers to stay lost, and yet, life goes on with both joy and sorrow. A thoughtful exposition on what makes a family in many forms as lived by a mother, four daughters, and several grandchildren.

A family story that is told well and is easy to read. It’s fairly predictable in some parts but clearly the author isn’t trying to make the past the unexpected. It’s the present and future that she makes more unexpected and that does make the book a bit different.
I wanted and hoped for a different ending but the more I think about it I’m not sure what that could have realistically been.

The Last Piece is a beautifully written complicated story of family that keeps you guessing through the first half of the book. It drove me crazy that I didn't know exactly what the secrets were but it's also the thing that made this book so interesting to read! Once I was finally clued in to what Cecily's mysterious trip is all about, I couldn't book the book down!

Cecily the reliable and predictable mother of the Nightingale family mysteriously decides she must visit Kefalonia. With no explanation or warning her three daughters are suspicious. Will Cecily be able to continue her decade old story? How will this affect her family? Will she have to tell the truth?

This might just be my favourite Imogen Clark read so far.
A beautifully poignant tale of love and loss, travelling back to sixties Britain when unmarried mothers were sent to Homes and usually parted from their babies.
The Last Piece sweeps the reader along in its wake, caught up in the ebb and flow of family drama that many of us will be able to relate to.
I loved the Nightingale family. Julia and Lily the twins, one a GP and single, the other married and with five children under the age of 9, and elder sibling Felicity, unhappily married with a child who was very hard to conceive.
They all live locally in Harrogate, Yorkshire, near to Mum and Dad, Cecily and Norman.
All the of the characters are distinct and have very likeable personalities. The differences, the quirks, the varying circumstances they find themselves in, are all very true to family compositions and dynamics. A wonderful portrait of the the ups and downs, of infidelity, divorce, motherhood and varying types of family set up, The Last Piece explores all those connections that make us family.
Not everything is joyous though. There is some real heart-breaking, soul searching sections where the reader is transported to another time and place, where we ache with regret alongside Cecily and feel every bit of the confusion, doubt and pain that being a mother can bring.
I liked the way the novel was dived into parts, each one telling of a particular time in this family's life. I particularly enjoyed the reality of the Mother and Baby Home in Wales and the parts where Cecily is in Kefalonia.
And what held this book together in such a delightful way, was steady Norman, attempting Jamie Oliver recipes, trying to clear out the shed and working on a jigsaw puzzle that after months of completing, just doesn't have that Last Piece.
Sometimes though, the whole picture is fine without that one little bit because, as the author describes so well, real life is never, ever perfect but it doesn't stop it from being good.
Join Cecily and Norman, Felicity and Richard, Julia, Sam, Lily and Marco in their journey with Marnie and learn more about what it is to belong.

The Last Piece is the fourth novel by Imogen Clark. Cecily Nightingale is a 60 something homemaker in a small town outside of Leeds, England. Cecily and Norman have been married over 40 years and have three daughters, Felicity, a high powered executive and mother of 4 year old Hugo, Lily, homemaker and mother of 5 young boys, including a set of twins, and Janet, Lily’s twin and a practicing GP. Each daughter has a side story, but this story is primarily about Cecily.

When Cecily takes off from her home alone for a short stay in Kefalonia, Greece. Her husband is calm but her daughters are distraught at this unusual behavior. On that trip, Cecily is ready to come face to face with her past, not knowing how it will effect her or her family’s future. And the effects will be varied, with each person dealing with their own reaction, none stronger than the major shift in how the Nightingale girl will view Cecily from now on.

This is a well plotted tale told with heart and showing the gamut of emotions throughout a family story that actually began in the 1960s. The characters are richly drawn, the settings are described such that the readers feel as though they are there. This was an intriguing story and I do recommend this book!

A beautiful story of a mother doing something so out of character, in hopes of helping her family. She goes to Greece to fulfill a chapter of her life she thought was closed. As she plans her return to her three daughters she is hopeful that she can keep her family together. Beautifully written, and such a beautiful family dynamic.

The initial pacing felt a bit slow/awkward but once various plot pieces were in place, this was somewhat understandable because there are multiple stories weaving around the main one (Cecily's) and things of this scope takes time to develop. These additional stories made the overall book richer but didn't shift focus away from the main one.

I guessed Cecily's secret fairly early on but wasn't fully correct regarding how this reveal would affect each family member or how things would be resolved by the end of the book. I was saddened by the circumstances that brought Cecily and others to this point but appreciated the amount of details regarding her time at The Home.

The chapters alternating between Greece and England kept things interesting as readers "saw" things from most perspectives. My opinions of various characters shifted from first impressions to the way they were by the end of the book but one stayed fairly constant for me: Norman. I liked him at the start and still liked him at the end. Most of the others shifted between like and tolerate based on the scenario. I say most because there are two characters I didn't like as soon as they were introduced and certainly didn't like their actions/behavior throughout the book. I won't say who because I don't want to color others opinions of them.

This book didn't have the happy ending I am used to (which is okay) but what it mostly did was make me stop and think. What would I have done if I was in Cecily's shoes? What would I have done if I was one of the others being told Cecily's secret? I honestly don't know those answers and that's okay, too. Would I read anything else by this author? Much easier to answer: yes.

This book left me turning the pages so quickly to find out which missing piece of the "puzzle" that the author would reveal next! Really enjoyed it!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am not familiar with this author nor had I heard of this title before coming across it on Netgalley. The pretty cover caught my eye and I found the summary to be quite interesting. I was quickly drawn into the story and loved the mystery of why Cecily was being flown to a resort in Greece on short notice. It was a great summer read and transported me to Greece along with her. I would love to be flown to a resort spa in a beautiful small Greek village on the coast! what a dream! The story takes a different turn once you find out who invited her and why she was there. It wasn't as "light and beachy" as it began, but it was still interesting and enjoyable. I liked also delving in to each of her daughters and their different personalities and stories. Overall, a good read.

This is not the kind of book I normally read but I found it truly delightful and was glad I picked it up. It centers are Cecily, mother of 3 grown women and wife of Norman, who takes a last-minute trip to Greece, which is totally out of character for her. Turns out she was summoned by another daughter Marnie, who she had given up after giving birth as a teenager.

All of the characters in this book were real- I was able to empathize with them across the boards and I liked how the story didn't get tied up in a nice bow, but was a little messy and surprising just like real life. The author does a great job of taking the reader back in time to Cecily's pregnancy and weaving that storyline in with the current one. I particularly identified with her husband, Norman, who seemed solid and caring, if not a little bit put-upon by his giant family and all of their situations.

Even if you don't normally read family lit like this, I'd recommend the book- it stuck with me and I believe it will continue to do so, and I find it rare to read a book in which the author connects you to characters in this manner. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for your ARC of The Last Piece by Imogen Clark. I enjoyed reading this book and the quirkiness of all the characters. Each daughter had her own interesting story, but the main story revolved around their mom. I would recommend this book as a pleasant, fast, easy read, but I really wish the ending was a little happier for Cecily. This is why I gave it four stars instead of five.

I needed some light reading and The Last Piece fit in perfectly. Imogen Clark gives us a well-written novel filled with family turmoil and has us feeling as though we are a fly on the wall. I really enjoyed the "up front" blunt honesty by all of the characters as they rode a roller coaster of emotions.
Cecily runs off to Greece, leaving her adult daughters and husband behind to fend for themselves, as she finds herself having to deal with a guilt filled situation of some fifty years ago. I often thought that the next chapter would be predictable but Ms. Clark had me all topsy turvy as she went against the grain and had her characters go in a completely different direction than I had expected.
Well written and definitely one I recommend!

A good read about family and secrets. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters which is why I have given this book 3 stars. The plot was good but I would have liked the characters to have had more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

An interesting family drama with a mother with a 50 year old secret and 3 three daughters, all with their own issues. My favorite person was Norman, the father who was clear-eyed, supportive and understanding. Also a good description of unwed mothers in the 1960s. Poignant and believable story.

I received this book from Netgalley as an ARC.
Cecily Nightingale receives a letter and drops everything to travel to Kefalonia for a few days. The family is thrown into chaos with no warning or explanation. Cecily had a 50 year secret that she had kept from her daughters. Many family secrets are revealed during the course of this book.

I enjoyed this well written engaging story. The best thing about the book was the family dynamics involving all kinds of secrets and drama. At the core was Cecily's husband providing a place for everyone to depend on. The only thing that bothered me about this book was that none of the characters ever really deal with the secrets as they arise. Everyone finds out about them, but no one actually confronts them and resolves anything.

This book is worth the time to read. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys family drama books.

This is the story of a mother with three grown up daughters who suddenly disappears to Spain. She has been invited to a yoga retreat to meet a fourth daughter whom she gave away for adoption when she was sixteen. The reunion does not go as planned - said daughter is resentful, truculent and mostly silent. However, she persists and tries to unite the family. Her husband, Norman is a rock who is very supportive and has full knowledge of all that happened - in fact the father is his brother. They gradually begin to understand the reasons for the new daughter's behavior and to accept her on her own terms. I found this to be quite dull and predictable with not a great deal of depth of character. But I love the cover!

Sometimes there is a family secret buried so deep that no one talks about it. Secrets have a way of coming out. In this book, the mom has a secret that she has kept for most of her life. She was very young and decisions were made for her. Then she receives a letter and she must face her past. With all of the emotions and regrets all brought to the surface again, she has to find the courage to tell her family her secret. This book does a wonderful job of expressing the raw emotions that they all feel. Everyone reacts differently when they learn the truth and this book portrays this very well. This book shows that life is messy. Sometimes when you think you are getting your wish, it doesn't quite turn out the way you picture it, but you can find contentment with what you do have.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
This was a fascinating look at family life from the late 1960’s onwards and takes us through Cecily’s life as a wife, mother and grandmother. Her marriage to Norman resulted in three girls, all of whom then have children of their own.
The Last Piece by Imogen Clark is an enjoyable read and is an interesting look at families today in all there different formats.
Highly recommended.

I just finished reading The Last Piece by Imogen Clark through NetGalley. Here is the review that I posted: What a range of emotions I had from reading this book. Curiosity, anger, sympathy that switched from one character to another, joy - a real roller coaster ride. The basic story is about a woman (Cecily) who is married with 3 daughters and 5 grandsons who receives a letter containing an invitation that causes her to drop everything and fly off to Greece from her home in the UK on a mission that she keeps secret from everyone except her husband. And he's not telling either. The book goes on to describe her week in Greece, who she meets there and how the meeting went. She comes back home to the UK and drops some bombshell news on her family and the book goes on to describe how they deal with her news and how they handle meeting the person Cecily flew to Greece to meet. It is an interesting look at family dynamics and the glue that holds them together or not. The ending certainly wasn't what I expected but in hind sight was the right ending for this particular family and situation. I would highly recommend this book.

Also posted review on Amazon, Goodreads and numerous reading pages on Facebook