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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!