“The Last Piece” by Imogen Clark

Title: The Last Piece
Author: Imogen Clark
Publisher:  Lake Union
Year: 2020
Genre(s):  contemporary
Part of a Series: No

Rating: 

Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club pick

Summary: The Nightingale sisters – Felicity, Julia and Lily – are surprised and concerned when their mother mysteriously goes to Greece with no warning. As they try to figure out what’s going, they deal with their own issues. When their mother returns, will everyone be prepared for the reason why she left? Will the truth she needs to share with them change all their lives forever?

Review: I really debated about that half moon. But I realized it wasn’t completely worth two moons but not really deserving of three. So two and a half it is.

I think Clark created too broad a story and likely would’ve done better had she narrowed it down. Because the parts of the book that shone the most to me was the section where Cecily recounted being a teen mother and giving birth in a special home fpr unwed mothers. It had its own issues – it was filled with more telling than showing and the lack of emotional development were brushed off as Cecily trying to stay emotionally disconnected from what was happening to her. But I think if Clark had allowed herself to focus on that, the story would’ve shone more.

Focusing on Cecily and Marnie may have given more structure to the story as well and given us an actually arc with resolution. Because this might be a spoiler but I will write anyway, but there are no real resolutions in this story at all.

I don’t want this review to be entirely negative but it is hard. There were really only two likeable characters but they barely had an arcs. They never changed and never really had an issues that needed to be resolved. One partially likeable character had something of an arc but again it was rushed. And the other two were just not likeable,which is okay. One, though, again had no resolution to a story and one likely would’ve been better off just as part of the inciting action and not really as involved in the story as she was.

I guess that was my main complaint – it felt like half a story. When it ended, I felt like it needed more – but wasn’t sure I wanted to get it. But this is getting too negative and so I’m just going to end it here.

Bottom line: Too many storylines and not enough resolution.

Sex: Some mentions but nothing graphic.

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