The story was well written and engaging but I just didn't connect with the characters but I would be open to reading this author again.

I tried a few times to read this one but it just didn't connect with me sadly. I am going to try and give this another go at a later date though! Not my usual genre

The Last Piece by Imogen Clark is a beautifully written story of a woman, Celily Nightingale, who suddenly takes off for Greece, much to the surprise of her three daughters. As it turns out, she has a daughter that she had given up for adoption beore she married their father and she was offered the opportunity to meet her. Not everything works out the way she had hoped and this is a wonderful story of life and how some things work out..and life is what you make of it.

Thanks to the author, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished The Last Piece by Imogene Clark. The story of a family, a mother and her secrets. The story begins with so many questions but as the characters develop and we learn more about them you will be rooting for them to get what we all want - family, support and answers.

I enjoyed this story about what happens when the 50 year old- daughter that was given up for adoption turns up to meet her birth mother.

Part one was a little long on unnecessary suspense. But after that the story builds with great character development. I was easy to feel the mother's stress and anxiety. The story held my attention through the end and even had a bit of a surprise ending.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book. A mother of three runs off to see if there is more to her story then what ended many many years ago and a secret.
Her three daughters are left to pick o f the pieces. Each one has their own things that they are dealing with. I love the realistic portrayal of this family. From Cecily to the girls , its a real family. They don't always get along perfectly but they are all there for each other and trying to figure out what made Cecily leave the family she loved so much.

Such a great read, everyone needs to put this on their TBR!

I found this book very interesting and informative. I had never really considered the implications of the child not wanting to reunite.. I hear people say, if you don’t want a child now, simply adopt him/her. This is a painful account of what the young mother feels. I am grateful I read this book which has opened new avenues of thought for me to consider. I also enjoyed the family dynamics of Cecily’s children. Her husband is a treasure.

This was nothing special. I didn't particularly like the main character. The first half of the book was very slow. I finished it but can hardly remember what I read just a few weeks later.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It was the first of Ms Clark's that I have read and I want to read more! This book was full of secrets, family history, attempts at making amends... so much going on. It definitely felt like realistic fiction!

The Missing Piece
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Had it not for the review, I would not have finished it.
This is the story of the Nightingale family of Cecily and Norman with three adult daughters. There is plenty of family drama within the family, each daughter dealing with their own issues. Felicity is dealing with a cheating husband, Julia is single, but wants a baby, Lily has 5 small children to deal with. Then Cecily suddenly disappears to Greece for a week, that is totally out of character for her. What happened in Greece and the consequences, the effect on the family is the subject of the book.
To me, the reason for the trip was pretty predictable. I found the book agonizingly slow and boring, the characters shallow, overall being generous to give this novel 3 stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I am not really sure why this book is marketed as it is. It isn't a mystery, or anything like that. Basically, it's a very straightforward book about a woman coming to know the adult daughter she gave up for adoption It isn't revolutionary, or even exciting. It's just an easy read that isn't complicated.

Really enjoyed reading this latest novel by Imogen Clark.
As always, Ms Clark draws the reader in from the very first chapter.
When Cecily makes an abrupt departure from her family and takes off to Greece, her daughters are naturally perplexed and their Dad isn't talking.
What unfolds is a story of love and family heartache.
I struggled with trying to relate and understand to Marnie- thought she was overly sensitive and depressing.
Very easy to read and excellent story.

# The last piece # Netgalley

I was a little uncertain about this book but I requested it from Netgalley because it was different. Although I requested it it had already been released. Once I started this book I was suddenly hooked. Celia suddenly doing something so unexpected had her family in chaos as they wanted to know what their mother was up too., it was intriguing and a medium paced book it flowed so well I was very very reluctant to put the book down, although I had too on one occasion however all I wanted to do was get back to the book. Some books I put down I don’t think about them too much I end up doing more than I had intended to do. But no not this one I had made a coffee. Then literally went straight back to this book. Now I call that a damnd good read. I would definitely recommend this for those of you who like a secret that’s just waiting to burst of the page with the daughter delving in trying to find out why Celia had shocked them for doing something out of character. It enticing and beautifully written this Is a must read

This is a very thought-provoking novel about a close family - the Nightingales. The mother has been keeping a huge secret for many, many years and she finally discloses it to her adult daughters who all react in different ways. It’s a moving story with characters who are believable but not all likeable! I was totally engrossed and finished the book in one sitting.

I found I was a little disappointed in this book. I didn’t like the characters very much I found them very spoilt and shallow and only wanted all they could get from life and people. I found the story laborious and sometimes it dragged. The mother is this story came across as a little strange at times, although she seemed to love her husband of forty years she was quite happy to jet off to Greece without him, something I wouldn’t even consider in my life!!!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A charming story of familial secrets. I liked the storyline of this book. It showcased that you don’t know everything about people’s lives, but even in your own family.

Pros: Easy read
Con: a bit predictable

Solid 3/5

Beautiful family drama where the past and present admixed together to bring out a realistic tale. Sometimes life didn’t move the way we wanted it to. Even when we had the best of intentions and bucket loads of love in our heart. Letting go was also a form of love. Author Imogen Clark portrayed this truth vividly in her book, The Last Piece.

Cecily had to leave for Greece suddenly without informing her three daughters. There were speculation and chaos. A secret was buried in her heart which only her husband Norman knew. Now it was time for the past to meet the present. But was it really?

I loved how the author showed me a life where the daughters took their mum for granted. I saw them going through various bits of life, their dynamics were genuine, yet the love between them was palpable.

The mid half of the book saw the tremors in their foundation, and I liked that the author did not sugar coat it. The mother’s heart and love for her children was well shown. I would have wanted to explore of these emotions and a part of me wanted a different ending.

But life happened to all of us and it dealt this family a different hand. The book was an easy read took me barely a couple of hours to get through it. Maybe I wanted to know how it ended and that made me immerse completely into the lives of these women.

A sweet, emotional read that stole a piece of my heart.

I liked this story but I really did not like the characters. Odd, I know. The daughters were all kind of selfish. I enjoyed the trip to Italy where the Mom met the daughter she was forced to give up as a baby. This girl was very unforgiving and did not really allow for the other members of the family to adjust to the situation. I just felt like almost everyone focused on their own situation. Still, it was worth it and I would recommend this book.

Cecily gave a daughter away and has fought her regret every day . Given the chance to reconnect a Sunday lunch provides an atmosphere of anxiety and revelation that reverberates through the lives of her now grown children and their lives. It is in fact a stark contrast to her life and opens her heart to re-examine the reasons she chose such a path for her first born. The characters are all fully realized people and each contributes to their mother coming to peace with the actions of youth. Happy reading

I did enjoy this book it gripped me easy to read plot was good did i like characters yes and no I hard to read to see what was going on a good books