Procure Where The Story Starts Chronicled By Imogen Clark Represented In Print

the story starts exactly: a beautiful read,

I absolutely adored this book, It was light hearted to read, full of lots of ooh moments and a truly twisting, satisfying novel, Although upon reading, it was quite easy to guess the plot lines, it was still a pleasure non the less, The chapters and jumps in time between the four female characters, ensured as a reader all points of the plot were covered from the different perspectives and points of views.
The last chapter was also a welcomed addition to the story, again helping to understand exactly what and why certain events took place.
The evolution of character Clio really was a beautiful one to read, A strange encounter. An unlikely friendship. But will it survive when they both know the truth

As single mother Leah struggles to get her children ready one morning, the doorbell rings.
Standing on the doorstep of their terraced house in Whitley Bay is a welldressed stranger, Clio, who feels an emotional tie to the house that she cant explain.
The story should end there, but a longburied secret is already on its way to the surface

In some ways the two women couldnt be more different: Leahs a mother of two and the daughter of a barmaid Clios a perennially single heiress to her baroness mothers estate.
But

where Leah lacks grownup company, Clio lacks any experience of the real world, and the unlikely friendship sparked by their curious first meeting offers both of them a welcome respite from the routine of their lives.


It is a friendship that will answer questions neither of them knew to ask, uncovering secret stories from the past that have stayed hidden for decades.
But will it also be the catalyst for them to finally feel that they belong A well written family drama, That spans generations and has many deep dark secrets in it, It is very well written, With some sensitive subjects. Great characters and a lyrical style to it, That is very enjoyable to read, I dont like to write reviews with spoilers, Ill just say some of this book was predictable, It makes a statement about how different women view marriage, social status and financial matters, Also, addresses that age old question regarding the possibility of being in love or loving two people at the same time, This was an easy novel to sink into, which is not always the case with me lately, I wasn't sure where the story was going, but I was along for the ride and I was rewarded with strong characterization and some surprising but not shocking twists and turns.
I really enjoyed the book! Loved this book the characters, story and writing style!! I loved the previous books by the author, but this is my new favorite.
I just love the way Imogen Clark tells a story, I get caught up and feel like I'm a part of it, Clio, Leah and Grace were my favorite characters, They were all amazing in their own way, Charles was simply a terrible, All he thought about was himself, Did he even love his wife He honestly thought he got away with everything and was great at keeping secrets/lying, I'm not sure how he was able to keep up his charade for so long, Leah ended up being alone because both of her parents were only thinking about their own feelings, I can't believe how her father never contacetd her, Leah struggled but she ended up being able to take care of herself and two children, I loved the friendship she created with Clio, They were exactly what each other needed, I enjoyed how the book alternated between characters and the past and present, Loved the ending.

Definitely recommend the book and all of the author's previous books!!! I look forward to reading more, Loved the cover of the book,

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley, Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, So far all the novels I've read by Imogen Clark have been wonderful, While I generally go for mysteries or police procedurals, this women's fiction genre is exactly what I needed now, The story is told in present time with a few switches to the past allowing the reader to see three different points of view.

Our narrators are Grace, Leah and Clio, All are well developed characters, Love, friendship and betrayal are the major themes,

Leah is a woman in her thirties with two children, She is a single mum and doing the best she can juggling work, finances and being a good parent for her children, In the first chapter Leah is struggling to get her kids ready to leave the house when there is a knock on the door.
Clio is standing there and introduces herself to Leah, She said she'd been to the house before on a holiday wih her father and wondered if she could come in,

Eventually Leah and Clio become good friends despite their very different upbringing, While Leah is clipping coupons and living on a tight budget, Clio is rich, I mean extremely rich living on an estate which could well be a National Trust home, These women have more in common than they initially thought,

The author had inspiration from a true story, I liked this book and read it in two days, It is obvious where this story is heading but this doesn't detract from enjoying the story as it unfolds, We follow two very different women who are related halfsisters but don't know it, We step into the tow very different lives of one man who has two wives and two families in two different places, I love the way the story weaves in and out of the past and the present, tracing the beginning of and development of love and parenthood and what happens when two worlds collide.
It is a testament to duplicity, for knowing but choosing a very different course of action, of sticking to decisions and trying to help others.
It is warm, interesting and the characters are delightful,
Follow Leah, a single parent and Clio a very privileged but bored individual keen to make things right and throw love Leah's way.
Instead of long buried secrets blasting the friendship apart the truth actually liberates these two women and something very special is nurtured, forgiveness, acceptance and finally a sense of belonging.

I will read more of Imogen Clark! With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.


I mostly read thrillers but I also enjoy women's fiction, This is the first book I have read written by Imogen Clark, If you enjoy Amanda Prowse, I highly recommend this book, Based on Where The Story Starts I think I have discovered a great new author,

I was drawn into this book from the first page, The plot was intriguing even though it was obvious early on how Charles and Ray were connected,

The book was told from the POV of Leah, Clio, Grace and Melissa, It was a nice touch to make Leah and Clio so similar but come from different classes, I liked all four women but I especially liked Leah and Grace, I liked Grace and I could understand why she kept Charless secret, However if the story came to light inabout the aristocracy it would probably shock no one,

Charles was an interesting baddie, Charles was a commoner so i would of liked to have read about his background, I don't think Charles was a bad man but he was definitely weak and probably scared of losing his status in life, I can't believe Melissa didn't question why Ray went away for long periods of time, I was annoyed that Ray walked out on Leah when she wasand never saw her again,

I will definitely catch up on Imogen Clarks other titles, I LOVED this book! Even though the reader knows what the big secret is, the suspense is in waiting for the individual characters to find out and see how they will react.
The characters were engaging, and the story was very well written, Just when I thought I had read the last chapter, I turned the page on my Kindle, and there was one more! I won't spoil it, but it was almost like a bonus chapter, and I loved it.
Perfect ending. Enjoyable story about love, friendship, and betrayal, Leah has had a rough life since her mother committed suicide but is finally feeling contented with life when a young woman around the same age knocks on her door asking to see inside her house, a friendship soon develops but can the truth spoil everything.
Oh I just love anything Imogen Clark puts down on paper I was lucky enough to receive a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The characters in this book felt like friends right from the start, I was drawn in and wanted to follow their stories as their lives and connections began to reveal themselves, I rooted for happy endings for them all! The complexity of choices that were made throughout will make you wonder whether honesty is always the best policy.

My highest praise is that I wanted to continue following Clio and Leah after I turned the final page! I loved reading this book so much.
I am not going to give any spoilers, The characters were very deep and I had a hard time putting down the book which is great : Frankly speaking, I should not have liked the book as much as I did.
I understood the storyline from the beginning, knew the events before they happened and generally not a fan of the topic being handled.
Despite all of the above conditions, I liked the book, enough to give it four!

I do not know what to credit for this strange occurrence, but it might have been the four women of the tale.
There are more strong women, but four of them are our main focus, Two women in the past and two in the present cross paths with intent on one side and no ulterior motives on the other.
There are men in the story as well, but only a handful are worth talking about in terms of inherent goodness or even the proper behaviour, the others are what form the bones of the story.
I do not want to say anything further regarding them, but if you are even remotely like me you will know what you are heading into few chapters in.
The author has written well and drawn vivid enough characters to make that possibility very strong, I was not fond of the main 'villains' of the piece, but I do not think we are meant to,  

I recommend this to those people looking for a wellwritten piece of family drama, spanning multiple decades and two families,

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.
  Si knyga tikrai patiko, palyginus su gyvenimo delione
Beliko pacia pirmaja sios autores perskaityti labai patinka tai, kad sios autores knygos labai lengvai skaitosi
Nors ipusejus jau suvedziau galus kas ir kaip vistiek gan nepavirsutiniskas romanas ir man gaila buvo visu moteru manau as taip kilnasirdiskai neleisciau vyrui issukti uzpakali
Nepaisant vaiku ismesciau lauk be skatiko, nors manau jis sulauke savo karmos mirties.
. . o moterys po tiek metu atrado kur kas daugiau nei kvailo vyro dviguba gyvenima
Svarbiausia knygos ideja man reik kalbetis ir pjaut melo saknis iskart, O ne bandyti atitolinti tai kas neisvengiama.
. . A pleasant surprise! I enjoyed this read, simple and quick, A wonderfully woven story,

Well to do Clio and working girl Leah become friends despite coming from totally different backgrounds, But what is it that compelled Clio seek out Leah in the first place
A wonderfully woven story with lots of secrets, lies, and deception which can only lead to heartache.

Well written and entertaining from beginning to end a real page turner for me, Interesting and believable story of a man with two families, A story of betrayal with a happy ending, You can tell from a mile away everything thats going to happen in this book, I usually cant stand predictability, But the author wrote these characters so well you cant help wanting to be a part of their lives, . . So you keep reading and end up enjoying every minute of it, At least I did. : Its strange to read a book about bigamy and find nearly all the characters likable, Both Grace and Melissa were endearing and easy to see why Charles fell in love with both of them, I thought perhaps Clio was going to be a scornful, malicious, betrayed daughter, but I couldnt have liked her any more, Leah was so resilient and down to to earth, While this book wasnt a spiderweb of deceit it did have its surprises, Its a story about the complicated relationships within families, I enjoyed this. .