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.

A lovely written heartwarming drama that involves family issues and mystery intertwined! A little bit of heartbreak to round it out!

Felicity is really annoyed with her mother Cecily. Why has she upped and gone to Kefalonia without a word to herself or twin sisters Lily and Julia? Why is her father Norman being so mysterious? Eventually the girls find out the truth and it’s the last thing they expected.

First of all, the characters in the book are lovely. The family are close, their lives intertwine and they are all so different. I like how each daughter has issues which makes them interesting and you follow how they deal with things. The character of Marnie who Cecily meets in Kefalonia is the ‘missing piece’. She is not an easy person but I really admire her directness and you can feel and understand her awkwardness. I like the ripple effect that she has on the story and also that it does not have a perfect ending. This feels right and it fits well. There are some good descriptions such as of Kefalonia and I like the Harrogate setting where the family live - the author had me drooling with the mention of the iconic Betty’s and the Fat Rascals. Yum. If you happen to be in the York or Harrogate area I suggest you go and try one yourself!!!

However, it takes a while for the book to get going and for a long time very little happens. Then from Part Three when we get Cecily’s story as a teenager the novel really moves up a gear. This section is very good and the 1960’s attitudes are portrayed very well although Cecily s parents are unusually modern in their outlook.

Overall, once the book gets into its stride I enjoyed it. It’s an easy read which portrays family and family dynamics well.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC. I love the book cover!

3-4 stars rounded up.

The Last Piece had me gripped from the first page with characters and a storyline that developed organically and realistically. The main characters within the story allowed the reader to explore an interesting situation from varying view points all of which felt valid and honest. This is a great holiday read or book club choice and the subject matter I'm sure will lead to some interesting and engaging discussion.

At its core, “The Last Piece” by Imogen Clark is a beautiful story about the delicacy of family, and is a read anyone can find a piece of themselves in. As you read through the perfectly crafted words, the Nightingale family begin to feel as though they are your own. With each page, the Nightingales meld their way into your hearts and lives and teach us something eternally valuable, the importance of family.
The Nightingales have always been a fairly typical family. They live in a beautiful home in Yorkshire, and the couple, Cecily and Norman, raised three beautiful girls. First came Felicity, the eldest and most prim and proper. Two years later came the twins, Lily and Julia, who were peculiarly born 7 weeks apart. The three Nightingale girls have grown to be established young women who have always stayed close to home to tend to their parents. So one day, when their mother disappears to Greece with no explanation, they’re all at a loss for words.
We quickly find out that the family is not as typical as they appear, and the Nightingale girls are not only three. All the way in Greece, lives a fourth Nightingale girl, Marnie Stone. At the raw age of 16, Cecily gave birth to Marnie, and was forced to give her up. Marnie’s existence was hushed away and was Cecily’s long kept secret. As much as Cecily yearned to know her eldest daughter, she had no contact with the girl or even a name to track her down. So when Cecily received a letter in the mail instructing her to come to Greece, it turned her world upside down.
Will they be a big happy family like Cecily has always dreamed? Cecily has no idea what’s in store for her when she steps into a yoga retreat in Greece – only that her life will change forever because of it – and we all want to be a part of this exciting journey.

Reviewed by Rebecca Santangelo for Suspense Magazine

Summary......
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 very good book!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read. I loved the characters in the book.
It was so well written, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, that I finished it that night.

Thank You NetGalley And Imogen Clark for this ARC I apperiacte!

The Last Piece engaged me from the opening chapter through to the last word. A well written story which draws you in and encourages you to greedily devour the entire book in one reading!

The story moves from Yorkshire to Greece following a sudden trip made by the mother, leaving her 3 daughters perplexed with the reason for her journey slowly unfurling on her return. The reader is drawn to engage with each daughter who reacts in their own manner for different reasons. Who will you empathise with?

This book avoids the predictable and left me wondering if this family could return in the future.

An enjoyable read.

I read this as an advanced copy from the author.