I hadn’t read any of Imogen Clark’s books before this one. as they aren't a genre I really enjoy; however, I was surprised when it grasped me and pulled me in from the beginning. A well written, heartwarming family drama about a family with 3 daughters who were distinctly different and with a secret of their own. Mother Cecily holds the biggest secret of all. Will it tear apart the family?

One of my favorite things about The Last Piece was that it didn't end the way one would expect. It wasn't trite or cliched, in my opinion. I also enjoyed getting the perspectives of so many characters.

Simply loved this book...what seems like a simple family story is anything but.
Cecily mother of three takes off to a Greek island.... baffling her children and leaving her husband behind. There she eventually meets her firstborn and the tale of her past unravels. A situation that changes the family forever
I loved the way the book was written...from the Greek island, from the three daughters perspective and from the past.
Would highly recommend and will be looking out for more from this author.

Cecily has secrets form 50 years ago. Her daughters are confused, her husband seems to know some.
No one is forthcoming. Little by little the secrets and reasons are revealed. Interesting read that keeps you engaged until the end.

An enjoyable read despite some tear inducing moments. The characters are well drawn and skillfully interwoven.

This book dives right in and kick starts the mystery with the daily chatter of the Nightingale family on constant streaming. It is so pleasant it made me smile every time I sat down to read it. The characters are all dysfunctional but the author keeps it light – their quirks are fluffy and funny, never really delving below the surface despite the many hints. Even when Cecile comes face to face with her past it is on a sunny beach and the reader can only feel warmth and light radiating from the pages/screen rather than any hostility.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book – it is an afternoon/beach read and I highly recommend.

This was about a mom who gives her first born child and the reunion some years later. It centers around Cecile and her daughters and the family dynamics

A 50 year old mother of three girls takes an unexpected and sudden trip to Greece...what is she hiding? This is a book with lots of secrets throughout until the very end. A quick enjoyable read! Thank you netGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a beautifully written tale about a woman in her 60s named Cecily who is now married to a wonderful husband and has three adult daughters who have families of their own. Cecily receives a letter in the mail one day summoning her to a retreat in Greece. Her daughters are perplexed as to why their Mom left without telling them and their father won't tell them why. In Greece, Cecily's past comes to haunt her as she musters up the courage to face it. The Last Piece is a story of different times and different families and how children are raised. I loved how the author laid out the stories of the three daughters and then gave us Cecily's shocking past. New information unfolded with every chapter and I was mesmerized by the end at the lives of these people. Both a bit sad yet satisfying at the same time, The Last Piece is a wonderful must-read story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Amazon Publishing UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a moving book that speaks of how secrets can affect an entire family. The characters in this book are changed when their mother decided to disappear and in search of something that was a secret. Her three daughters are all grown but have their own emotional and familial issues going on when this happens. This book showed how much family affects our daily lives and the drama that it entails. I found the characters to be will written and loved how well each destination was written as though you could feel and see yourself being there. Excellent imagery and emotions written.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book was okay. It was an easy read, mainly because I just wanted to finish it. I kept hoping for some plot twist or something shocking, but it was fairly predictable from start to finish. It didn't leave me wanting to read anything further from Clark. On to the next...

An unusual and complex ,family tale. Why has the girls mum suddenly gone to Greece,what is the mystery? Past and present collide,not always successfully.

A dependable mum goes on a whim to Kefalonia and here starts a wonderful story. A secret that has to be told. A family divided. A great story with good characters - being one of three sisters myself I could relate to the sibling relationships. A really good ending with a punch.

I can't believe I've never read this author! I really enjoyed the writing, but most of all, the characters, which felt very real and developed. Looking forward to reading more books by Clark!

This book started out interesting, decent pace and the promise of a good story. Full of family drama and secrets. However I did not enjoy the drama or the secrets. The mother of three adult daughters picks up and suddenly goes to Greece! A fifty year old secret has come back to haunt her. Her daughters are left wondering what is going on with her. This is where the book unravels. There are chapters in which the focus is on each daughter, but never comes full circle or finishes the smaller story lines or even weave them together with the mother's secret. This felt incomplete.

I started this book thinking that it was a nice easy, predictable read, however, I was wrong. Cicely has had quite a difficult start to adulthood which she has never told her 3 daughters about. That is until she gets an invitation to the island of Kefalonia. Why has she dropped everything at the last minute to go? It’s quite an upsetting topic to write about and I think that Imogen Clark did it well.

In the beginning, three daughters are trying to figure out why their mother disappeared to Greece without telling them. While in Greece, Cecily is reunited with someone from her past..

This book was an easy read, but I expected some kind of twist or reveal at the end that didn’t happen. I did enjoy the characters and their relationships.

EXCERPT: 'Did you think about me at all, Cecily? After, I mean.'

The question hit Cecily like a punch and tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked rapidly to disperse them. 'Oh, yes,' she said, her voice breaking a little. 'I have thought about you every day for fifty years.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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?

MY THOUGHTS: The Last Piece sounds like a book about a jigsaw puzzle. And in a way it is. Picture a completed puzzle of a family; the parents with their three daughters, their husbands and their children. The puzzle is complete, but there's a piece left over...

Marnie is that piece.

I loved this realistically depicted family. Norman, retired, is married to Cecily, a wonderful mother and grandmother who is always there for her family, until the day that she isn't.

There's no great mystery, or at least there wasn't for me, as to why she has gone. It was pretty obvious from the outset although the author has attempted to shroud it in mystery. This is not a criticism, merely a statement of fact. I did feel, though, that doing this did slightly impede the flow of the book at the outset and that it was carried on for too long.

Imogen Clark's depictions of sibling rivalry/love are entirely realistic. The three sisters are all very different people with very different lives, yet they have remained close and are very supportive and protective of one another. I also related to the trepidation felt by Cecily, and the conflicting emotions felt by Marnie, and yet there were also things that I didn't understand, like Cecily not contacting Marnie on her birthday.

This is an emotional character driven family drama, one that I enjoyed immensely. I want to read more from this author.

😍😍😍😍.3

#TheLastPiece #NetGalley

As we are all currently restricted to armchair travelling, I would like to share with you the places you will visit while reading The Last Piece: the Greek Island of Kefalonia; and in the UK, Harrogate, Leeds and London.

THE AUTHOR: Bestselling author Imogen Clark writes contemporary women’s fiction about the secrets that hide at the heart of the families that she creates. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband and children (who hopefully have no such secrets to tell!)

Imogen initially qualified as a lawyer but after leaving her legal career behind to care for her four children, she returned to her first love - books. She went back to University, studying part-time whilst the children were at school and graduated with a BA in English Literature with First Class Honours.

Imogen’s great love is travel and she is always planning her next adventure.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Last Piece by Imogen Clark for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

When a mother of 3 adult daughters suddenly takes a solo trip to Greece, the family is mystified. Cecily herself seems to be pulled along by forces outside her control as she seeks resolution to a 30-year-old situation, knowing she'll have to return and face her daughters. Too many points of view in the story made it feel disjointed. (Netgalley review)

Having been adopted this book was very eye opening and revealing. It took me 44 years to starting looking for my birth mother. I find that this book even though was fiction to have a lot of truth to it. What really appealed to me was what the mother was feeling. I could relate to the daughter that was given up and possible what the daughters felt that lived with the mother but reading about the thoughts of the mother was enlightening. Though my experience was a positive one with my birth mother and her husband it wasn't with my half sister and half brother. I appreciate the ending very much as I felt the same way the daughter who was given up did. I found what I was looking for. But for me I keep in contact to my birth mother for her sake not mine. I think if I had read this before looking I might have not looked. But one never knows. Great book and written well.