Family isn’t necessarily lovable or even likable. This is a sleeper of a story; it grabs you and pulls you along in its slow ebb –then turns into a riptide. The family you know doesn’t automatically warrant love & affection, but it’s proper. This will make you cringe & wonder if you would even be friends if not for blood, and then hug the ones you’re with.

This book was compelling and had me gripped from the start. I so do not want to spoil this book for anybody, so i will just add a couple of comments. A loving mother of 3 daughters and a clutch of grandchildren, does something so out of character, when she drops everything to fly to Greece on receipt of a letter inviting her over there. The only other people in the know, are her husband and the author of the letter. A heartwarming and heart wrenching story. A well written engaging story.

This is an author I have had on my to read shelf for a while: i shall very quickly be reading those books now.
I suppose this is a book about social history, changing values, circumstances and ideals as it is about family life.
Cecily's story is heart breaking, but it is how circumstances formed Marnie's life and personality that resonates too.
The Last Piece is about family and how everyone fits in. The jigsaw reference was a very clever way to complete the story. in a satisfactory way.
As a native of Harrogate I had great fun trying to guess in which area Cecily and Norman lived - Harlow Hill was the conclusion and that is where I envisaged Cecily walking and sitting on the bench.

This book pulled me in immediately with the realistic dialogue between the three sisters in the beginning. Felicity, Julia and Lily are texting back and forth about an unexpected and uncharacteristic event. Their mother, Cecily Nightingale, has up and flown off to Greece on some mysterious trip. The Nighingales rarely take any holiday away from their Yorkshire home.

Lily and Julia, who are twins, found it amazing Cecily would up and just go anywhere without their father Norman. They are old homebodies who never do anything out of the ordinary. When the sisters converge on Norman to ask about thier mother he is rather deceptive, other than telling them Cecily is not ill so they needn't worry. The women have to wait it out to see what heppens when their mother comes home the following week.

Supporting chararacters:

Felicity, the oldest, is married to a scoundrel and has a 4 year old son. She has a high powered business career and has a very rigid view of life. I guess if I were married to Richard I'd have an edgy personality as well.

Julia and Lily are twins with an unusual birth story. Lily arrived seven weeks early and had a rough start to life while Julia stayed put until her proper birth time. Therefore, although they are twins and share that special mental connection and personality, they have different birthdates. Julia is a medical doctor and single. Lily is married to Marco and five sons. She makes everything seem easy and has a lovely personality, quite the contrast to snappy and judgemental Felicity.

We find out why Cecily Nightingale took her mysterious trip about a quarter of the way into the book. You can figure it out by then and you will see how it impacts all f the family once she returns. I can't say without giving spoilers so I'll save that for Goodreads.

When I got to the end I felt a little let down until I thought about it for a bit. It seemed abrupt, then I thought of the title. The Last Piece. Everything came together , even Norman's jigsaw puzzle and a family issue.

There was a bit of foodie stuff mentioned such as fish and chips, Jamie Oliver meals, curry, roasted beef dineer and such sweets as black forest gateau and Fat Rascals. I didn't know what that was so I looked it up. A fat rascal is a type of cake, similar to a scone or rock cake in both taste and ingredients. It originated in Yorkshire at least as early as the 19th century.

Imogen Clark lives in Yorkshire and has three other novels published

Much thanks to Netgalley for the advanced complimentary copy. I was not compensated for this review and throughly enjoyed this book. Publication date is July 28, 2020. Genre is women's fictions.

Imogen Clark lives in Yorkshire and has three other novels published.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story, a happy family, a mother who has kept a secret for many years, sad and heartbreaking in a couple of places. The descriptions in this book were great, I felt as if I were there. And I feel like the book is accurately portraying that not everything has a fairytale ending.

When all works out, but maybe not as you hoped and planned🤔

4.5🌟stars
Cecily and her family's story is moving and compelling. The account of her teen pregnancy in 1960's England and her stay at an unwed mothers' home was particularly poignant, but there is a wealth of good emotional content throughout this fine story.

A good selection of subplots deal with first Cecily's attempts to reconnect with her oldest daughter Marnie and the story of their separation, but also involve the lives of her three younger daughters who have been kept in the dark about the very existence of another sibling. And Norman, Cecily's even-tempered husband, there to support them all through the trials of adulthood. They try their best but sometimes things don't work out as they hoped, but they still made the effort and had each other's back.

For me, this was a well-written, quick and enjoyable read. It was so realistic and did not sugarcoat the hard stuff, like Marnie's continued psychological scars, Felicity's marital problems and Mother Earth Lily's feelings of inferiority despite a very successful marriage. It made me reflect on the good and joy at hand at the end of the day when hopes and plans for a better, perfect outcome are unachievable. Cecily faces disappointments but ends up with a pretty fine life despite them and some needed closure.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

The mother of 3 adult children suddenly takes a trip to Greece for some reason that is a complete mystery. Intriguing, huh? Except it didn’t need to be a mystery at all. There would’ve been enough drama had the author gotten more into the characters instead of spending multiple chapters for unnecessary travel. The description of a retreat in Greece was actually quite similar to Sophie Kinsella’s Love your life, but the setting actually played a part in that book. Not so much here. I would have liked to see more of the 3 sisters’ lives and interactions. One of the twins had 5 boys and all anyone said about her is how patient and amazing she is as a mother, but it seemed like she had more to say and I would’ve liked to have heard it. I recommend the last page with background information for the story, but otherwise it was just okay.

i love a good family drama/mystery story. this was exactly that, plus complicated emotional situations. i particularly liked that each character has their own personality and you can tell them apart very easily. i loved the sisterly relationship between the girls, and i loved the supportive norman. i was quite happy with the ending and how everything developed.

This is a very enjoyable book though it is bitter sweet. Cecily, a very attentive mother suddenly goes off to Greece on her own without any explanation to her 3 daughters. The story tells of the repercussions from decisions made or forced on people.

It's well written and flows off the page, but difficult to put down so be prepared to read it in 2 or 3 sittings.

There is a piece missing in Cecily’s life. It’s been missing for fifty years and now she is flying to Greece to hopefully find it. But how is her life and the life of her family change when the truth will be reeled? Will her three sisters accept it? The three of them had their challenges to face related with her mother and with their own lifes. A great story about family, past secrets and future choices.

A long lost daughter takes a woman from England to Greece to reunite and form some sort of relationship. I found this book extremely dull and tedious to read. The descriptions of the scenery are long winded and flowery.

I'm torn on "The Last Piece" - I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't memorable, I can't really put my finger on why. The story was a quick read that hit on some pretty serious topics. but I never really felt connected with the characters and it left it without much conclusion. The suspense/mystery seemed a bit forced in my opinion. Overall a wonderful peek into an average family, and the secrets we all keep close.

A heart wrenching read touching on delicate themes , this is definitely one worth keeping the tissues at hand for. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy.

Family secrets leave a family wondering about the choices they have made and if there was is a place in the present for the past.

The Last Piece is the first book I've read by Imogen Clark but it certainly won't be the last! Ms Clark weaves the story going back and forth from different voices in a family and each family member is as compelling as the last. The reader finds themselves so immersed in the Nightingale clan it is difficult to put the book down. Fair warning, there may be tears. I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an early copy to review.

Everyone has secrets and that includes mom. When a mom jots on an unplanned trip to another country her3 daughters are left wondering what happened. “The Last Piece” was a well written book that focused on motherhood and sibling relationships after mom shares her secrets. Will mom’s secret bring the family together to tear it apart... read it and find out!

Cecily and Norman have three grown up daughters. They live a normal happy life until one day Cecily receives a letter and travels to a retreat in Kefalonia. Why? What will she find there? And what will happen when she returns to her family in England?
This is a moving book, well written and thought provoking.

A sudden trip to Greece. A secret about to be told. Cecily has not told her husband or daughters yet. But she will have to now that the secret is about to be exposed...

A well written, engrossing and heartwarming family drama that kept me hooked.
I liked the storyline and the different POV, the well thought characters and the descriptions of the setting.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Last Piece is a heartwarming read about a mother's secret and her relationship with her daughters and how the secret she has kept hidden for so long affects them.