The Millers are not your average family, they haven’t seen each other in years and they have an unusual relationship. When Helen Auerbach suddenly passes away her daughter and grandchildren attend her funeral and Shiva. Siblings, Ashley, Beck and Jake stay at Helen’s house on Edgehill Road with their mother Deborah. Helen has always been a very private person, they don’t know a lot about her past and it’s a shock when her will is read. She leaves her house to Deborah, money to her grandchildren and a broach to Beck?

Beck assumes the broach is a piece of costume jewellery and she stunned to find out the yellow gemstone in the middle is the Florentine Diamond, a 137 carat yellow diamond that went missing from the Austrian Empire in 1918. How did one of the world most famous missing diamonds end up in America and in her grandmother's possession?

As they look into Helen’s past, they realize they how little they knew about her, she lived frugally and Deborah can’t find any information about her birth. They discover that Helen came to America as a teenager in 1939, one of 50 Jewish children and sponsored by a Philadelphia lawyer. The three Miller children travel to Vienna to find out what they can about Helen’s family, her mother Flora, father Leib and brother Martin. What they uncover is tragic, they understand more about their Jewish heritage and why Helen didn’t talk about her family.

The Imperfects is a story about the Miller family changing it’s dysfunctional relationship, to have a future together and they needed to move forward. All while trying to solve the complicated mystery of the Florentine Diamond, how Helen came to have it made into a broach, who's the rightful owner and the value. If you like stories with hidden family secrets and a century old mysterious treasure, a present time setting and I suggest reading The Imperfects. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and three and a half stars from me.

“I’ve been so busy thinking she betrayed me I didn’t stop to consider that she may have been protecting me.”

The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson is a contemporary tale with an interesting historical backstory. Travel along with the family as they investigate the mystery behind the Florentine Diamond and how it came to be in their family’s possession. Much like the stone itself, this tale is as much about the individual members of the family as they face their own ‘imperfections’.

The most interesting aspect of this novel for me was the history (fiction based on some truth and myth) behind the diamond. Amy lets her creativity flow as she imagines how it might have ended up with this family. This is so engaging that you are left wishing more time were devoted to this aspect of the story. The history of the diamond is fascinating and Amy’s twist on where it might have gone to after its disappearance in 1918 is worthwhile. I particularly enjoyed these historical aspects to the novel. Sadly, the majority of the novel is not dedicated to this but rather the family members and their backstories.

Each member of the Miller family is given the opportunity to tell their story with its many obstacles, challenges and many, many setbacks. With the discovery of the diamond it sets in motion their journey to prove its authenticity and their legitimacy eager to anticipate how it could change their lives. Whereas I would have preferred the story behind the diamond's journey, we are left with a squabbling family that do nothing to endear themselves to the reader, despite their obvious ‘imperfections’. They are hard to like and the ending ... well, a bit of a letdown despite the author's obvious wish to indicate otherwise. The bickering between siblings gets too much at times, despite labelling them dysfunctional.

The premise of the book had much potential and overall the historical mystery kept it afloat. If only there had been more of the grandmother and less of the squabbling siblings. The story of the grandmother Helen and her mother Flora would have made a very compelling tale. I understand the modern characters were flawed and that this was a journey to maybe allow them to work together and heal their rifts?

“You can’t make characters like these up.” “Don’t worry,” Jake assures him. “I won’t write about your friends.” Mr. Frankel stops, still holding Jake’s arm. “Oh, you must. If we don’t tell stories, they disappear. You must write everything. You must keep us alive.”




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

‘Helen is dead.’

The death of their grandmother, Helen Auerbach, forces a fractured family to reunite, at least temporarily. Siblings Beck, Ashley and Jake Miller and their mother Deborah carry the baggage of decades of betrayal, misunderstanding and resentment when they get together in their grandmother’s house after her death. Her will is clear: Helen left her house to Deborah, the balance of her estate to Beck, Ashley and Jake, with one exception: ‘My yellow diamond brooch goes to Becca’. Beck thinks that the brooch is costume jewellery and of little value.

But the brooch is far from costume jewellery: it contains a 137-carat yellow diamond that went missing as the Hapsburg Empire collapsed in 1918.

Ms Meyerson weaves an enthralling story, with elements of mystery (about both the diamond and Helen) as well as the lives of each of the members of the Miller family. And, while each member of the family dreams about the changes the sale of the diamond might bring to their lives, others are seeking to stake their claims.

‘It’s funny how similar they seem, betrayal and protection.’

The characters is this novel are very human: fallible and not always likeable. The history of the diamond is important: how did Helen end up with it? Was it stolen? Finding out the truth about the diamond leads Beck and her mother into the future, while Jake and Ashley are more focussed on problems they have currently.

And the ending? Perhaps not what some readers are expecting, but somehow entirely appropriate.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Imperfects follows the Miller family, who are definitely not perfect. Theirs is a dysfunctional family, will most of the family members not talking to each other for a variety of reasons. When their grandmother dies, her will requires them to reunite. However, in reviewing her paperwork, they uncover a valuable heirloom, unknown to all, which reveals that their grandmother has hidden her past from them. In attempting to uncover the mystery behind the brooch, they discover more than they expected about their grandmother and also themselves.

This is a beautifully written story, with a touch of mystery and all the complexities of families. The myriad of reasons behind their present relationships and the secrets of the past, were gradually revealed, such that I found myself losing track of time. I loved the detail in the story as well as the easy style of writing. Meyerson captures the different time periods and also breathes life into all of the family members. All the idiosyncrasies of each member come together to make for a fascinating read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.