//📚BOOK REVIEW -
The Last Piece by Imogen Clark ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you @netgally, @imogenclark and @lakeunionpublishing for the opportunity to read this book prerelease in exchange for my honest review
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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?
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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.
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Overall a wonderful peek into an average family, and the secrets we all keep close.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.