The Last Piece is the twonderfully written story of a family that has to deal with a secret that was kept for decades. Clark kept up the suspense until the very end, only letting us know enough to keep us wanting to know more about the family and she keeps surprising us with unexpected details and twists.
I highly enjoyed this page-turner!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sisters Fliss, Julia and Lily are a little perplexed when their mother flys to Greece on an impromptu trip with the apparent blessing of their father. High flyer Fliss is put out, as who will now look after her son Hugo? GP Julia wonders if she should do a few things with her Dad and Lily with 5 children just rolls with life.
But will things be the same when their mother returns from Greece?
I really enjoyed this family drama, I’ve read a previous novel from this author and found she has a lovely way way of immersing me into the story.
I almost don’t want to go too much into the story or other characters, as I feel it would really spoil the story. We find out early on why Cecily goes to Greece but the sisters don’t find out till quite late in the story. I really enjoyed all their interactions with each other and I could certain relate to their thoughts at the end.
A pleasant way to spend a few hours.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Thanks to netgalley and imogen Clarke for an early copy in return for an honest review.
I've read all books written by Imogen Clarke and have really enjoyed them all, this book is no exception. .
This is a far from straight forward story with many twists and turns. A real page turner.
The attention to detail in the descriptions of situations and places is commendable.
As I live in the area of the UK in which the story is set I very much appreciated the mention of places close to my heart!
I can highly recommend this wonderful book.

I really wanted to love this book but it was a huge let down. The premise had so much promise but there was no follow through. It is still worth a read but I wouldn’t purchase it; get it from your library.

The Last Piece by Imogen Clark was a good read that made you think about adoption in a different light and it really pushed me to see the story from both sides - the mother who gave her child up for adoption, as well as the child who always had questions and hurts from being placed for adoption. The characters were believable and endearing, and while some of the story felt a little "extra" to add to the length, it was still enjoyable to read.

The Last Piece is a really nice story,.
It was a bit of a surprise as it didn't go in the direction I thought it would but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I thought Cecily was an strong character and I loved Norman's role as family protector! The family dynamics were authentic too and I liked all the sisters.

An enjoyable read.

I really struggled with the layout of this book. I didn't get into it and found that I couldn't connect with any characters or the storyline.

Cecily, who never does anything out of character has suddenly flew off to Greece for a week. Her three daughters are shocked and it's pretty clear that Cecily is concealing a big secret. I loved reading the different perspectives and appreciated the viewpoints of the three daughters, Felicity, the oldest, and Julia and Lily, the twins. I'm also one of three daughters and could really see similarities of the sister dynamic in the book from my own life. Without giving away any spoilers, I think the author does a great job depicting such a tough reality for young mothers back in the 60s. I wish I had more of the other sister's storyline towards the end. I feel like those kind of fell off. Overall, I enjoyed this family drama and read it very quickly.

A lovely family drama, different to Postcards, but none the worse for that. Cecily travels to Kefalonia to meet the daughter she gave up. Her other three daughters react very differently to the news that their mother has gone to Greece on a whim and also to the news that they have an unknown sister. However Cecily isn't the only one with secrets and each daughter has things they're not admitting to the rest of their family. Recommended, not for the overly dramatic expecting blood and gore, but for those who want a family drama with fantastic descriptions of scenery, family relations and emotional reactions.

I enjoyed other books by Imogen Clark, so had no hesitation in requesting this one. And yes, I enjoyed it – it was a read-over-breakfast-and-take-into-the-garden book, rather than one that I just read at bedtime, which is a good recommendation.

However, I found the three sisters and the other characters to be a little bit too “formulaic” – the words in the blurb "high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily" rather sum them up. There was, I felt, very little light and shade. Other characters too were predictable: the willowy yoga teacher, for example, the slightly awkward lesbian who is rather prickly. For me, the most believable character was the husband Norman, who I really rather liked, for his support of his wife, but also for his misgivings and his flaws.

The story itself was interesting enough – although I guessed part of Cecily’s reasons for her sudden trip I didn’t work it all out…but equally I don’t think that it was a believable reason to fly out to Greece. Especially the idea of having everything paid for and so mysteriously organised. I think the saving grace was that the ending was not the sugar-coated end that I expected to be served; it left more of a “tang”, if you like.

Rating this book is difficult: there were no grammatical or editing errors (huzzah!), it was well written, it was engaging, but I just didn’t quite love it like I hoped I would! It’s certainly better than 3 stars…Looking back over other reviews I’ve written (yes, I do try to be consistent!) I’ve given books I enjoyed less than this 4 stars, so it had better be 4.5 (but rounded down for NetGalley, not up!)

This was a nice and easy read. I did crave a little more drama/excitement in the story, but overall it was an engaging family drama

<i> I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

<b> The Last Piece ★★☆☆☆ – 2.5 </b>


<b>Writing:</b> 3.5 stars
<b>Characters:</b> 3.0 stars
<b>Plot:</b> 2.0 stars
<b>Originality:</b> 1.0 stars
<b>Cover:</b> 3.5 stars

<b>Recomendability:</b> meh, nothing special. It was written okay, but the language didn’t draw me in.


The book was decent and readable, but I won’t be recommending it. The mystery was far too obvious, I hoped for some twist that would make this story stand out, it didn’t come.
I was mostly bored, the story was too similar to many others and I didn’t resonate with any of the characters. Also, there were details that didn’t add anything to the plot.
I don’t know, perhaps, it was just me, but I expected more from the story, something more akin to Danielle Steel and her captivating books.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
General Fiction



Review:

An interesting story, that is both captivating and entertaining. The family bond between the main character was nice and hearth warming. The characters were depicted in enough detail so that their actions felt natural which made them appear realistic.

Overall this is a well written story, about a nice family, with realistic characters. That allows you to escape and forget about every day live for a while.

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

#TheLastPiece #NetGalley

A well written heart warming family drama about a mother of 3 daughters who reveals in her sixties that she's in fact a mother of 4 daughters. After 50 years apart since she gave her for adoption, Marnie contacts Cecily inviting her to a yoga retreat in Greece. Not a spoiler actually since the reader could easily see where the story was building up to.
Most of the characters are likable, even Felicity with her neurotic high functional life style. I liked the sisters relationship who seemed to be a harmonious unit despite their differences.
Cecily and Marnie though I couldn't grasp a solid opinion regarding them, I don't know if Cecily is kidding herself about having no option but giving her baby to adoption yet in the same time I really wouldn't know, different circumstances, different time who knows if that wasn't really her only option. Then comes Marnie, the most character I struggled to like or accept then I keep reminding myself about her situation, shouldn't that give her card blanche for however she behaves. I don't really know since the story left us with more questions about what actually happened in her life to make her unsatisfied about her adoptive parents.
As a whole I liked the book and would recommend reading it.

//📚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?
🚪
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.
🚪
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.