When Leila is eleven, her mum runs out on her family, leaving only a charm bracelet and a single charm behind. Forced to leave her childhood home with her dad, she sullenly looks on as another family moves in, one with it's own pains and secrets. And a boy a couple of years older named Jake. They form a strange, fragile friendship during the few days before Leila and her dad move away. There's little contact and communication between them during their adolescence, but, over the next 15 years, their friendship changes and evolves, all of it told through the charms that start to populate Leila's bracelet.

Jewelry isn't my favorite thing in the world, but I do adore charm bracelets and the stories they tell. If I could keep one of my wrist, I'd wear one. But I can't, so I'll settle for reading about one. That's why I wanted to read this book. I wanted to know about Leila's charm bracelet and what it had to say about her life. There were parts that felt agonizing to me, parts that made my cry, and definitely parts where I wanted to scream at Leila and slap some sense into her. It was a crazy roller coaster. Best of all, though, I think this book broke me.

The Characters: Full of Love and Pain

The characters are real and flawed. They keep secrets and hurt each other. But the love they hold for each other always shines through. Leila and Jake have incredible love around them even though they're both broken.

At the start of the story, Leila is eleven, and Jake two years older than her, and her mum has just abandoned her and her dad. For the next 15 years, we get to know both Leila and Jake, get to see them grow and mature and find themselves. I loved getting to see them turn into teenagers and then mature out of it, though the teen years really annoyed me. Leila annoyed me because she came across as so angry, self-centered, and incredibly spoiled. She made herself out to be a victim because her mum ran off and made it seem like it was okay to take it out on everyone else. It's for those very reasons that I can't bring myself to read YA, all those difficult adolescent emotions that seemed to skip right over me so I can never relate. But I knew this book covers 15 years, so I just patiently waited and read on. Her early twenties weren't much better, but then she has an epiphany scene and becomes so much more bearable and my heart just softened and I fell in love with her.

Then there's Jake. I think a part of me fell in love with him. He's amazing and wonderful, too patient and caring. He's strong, quiet, and supportive, always there for Leila even when she wants to hurt him. He endured so much from her, but really, truly loved her. I sometimes wondered if he only loved her because, in her own way, she saved him when they were kids, but, reading about him and how he felt about her the entire time, I like to think she was just his match in every way, a solid support that she needed while she added color and whimsy to his life. I'm amazed at just how steadfast he was, though he clearly had his own feelings that led to their push and pull relationship. Still, I sometimes wondered what, exactly, he saw in her.

Every other character was wonderful and interesting in their own ways, but Leila and Jake were the stars. I liked getting to know the minor characters as they added to Leila and Jake and helped the reader get to know them better. Almost all of them were supportive, which could have come across as boring, but really highlighted the close relationships. My only problem was that, at the end, characters started popping up that had had some role in the past, but hadn't been seen until that moment. It was kind of like something just flying by, waving hello, and then disappearing into the ether. Kind of weird.

The Setting: In an Around England

This book mostly takes place around England. The southern shore was mentioned, so I guess it's set in southern England. But I don't think it was really necessary to know what part of England it was. The story was really focused on Leila and Jake and their relationship, so I often lost track of where in England it was set. There were, though, a lot of sea-related locations. Both of them had an affinity to the sea, so it was nice to see that theme run through the book.

Mostly, I think the setting was set by how the characters spoke and behaved and how the story was written. It felt quintessentially British, matching many stereotypes I recognize from other books and movies, like the openness about having sex and the drinking that seems heavy at early ages and then tapers off into something a bit more refined. In general, it was just impossible to think of this book being set anywhere but the UK. I was, being American, a little perplexed by some of the words and phrases, but I like to think it didn't impact my enjoyment of the book.

The Plot: A Story in Charms

This is the story of Leila telling someone named Caitlin about how she received every charm on her bracelet. See, prior to the start of the novel, Leila had lost her bracelet and it was found by someone named Caitlin who wanted to know the story about the charms to be persuaded the bracelet was actually Leila's. So, Leila starts writing back and tells the entire story of how she received every charm, which twined around her relationship with Jake.

I have to admit that, at first, I didn't find this story to be terribly exciting. It skipped ahead through time to the points when Leila received each charm with mentioning here and there what had happened during the intervening time. Jake and Leila's childhoods seemed to be on fast forward, so it was difficult to really get to know either of them. But, by the last third, I was hooked and fully invested in their relationship.

This may be the story about a charm bracelet, but it's also a love story. It's full of animosity, misunderstanding, and omission of information. There's a lot of hurt and there's a lot of love. It took getting past the adolescent years for me to see this, to really form my own opinion about them and see the book for what it is even though I knew about it going in. I had a hard time with Leila, which really impacted my enjoyment of the book, but, by the time she was an adult and starting to mature, she began to steal my heart almost as much as Jake had already done so.

This is beautiful book. Yes, the beginning was annoying to me, but it grew on me. I began to fall in love with Leila and Jake and really wanted to see how the story would end for them. I had a feeling it would end like it did, but really hoped I was going to be wrong. The end shattered me. I don't cry often when I read, but the tears weren't something I could stop, and I tried. Overall, this book chugged along at a good pace, all of it leading up to the tear-worthy end.

Overall: Beautiful

There was so much packed into this book, from the uneasy beginning of their friendship to the love they discover over 15 years. Like I said earlier, this book broke me. It made me annoyed and frustrated. It made me fall for Jake and want to slap Leila. It made my heart hurt for both of them. It made me sad when they couldn't find ways to communicate. It made me happy when they held hands. After that kind of roller coaster, one that made me so emotionally entangled in the lives of two fictional people, I couldn't do anything but feel broken in half. It's beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was not ready for this book at all. This book tells the story of Leila and Jake, and their friendship turned relationship. The story started when they were children, how they met and takes us through it from both points of view.

What a wonderful tale that had me laughing and crying, I was so emotionally invested. Highly recommend, absolutely beautiful.

Sweet emotional read that was refreshing, but a bit of a tear jerker. Well written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Charm was a story of love, loss, hope and twists told over a number of years from multiple perspectives using charms on a bracelet to drive the story. While I enjoyed the novel, and especially the character of Jake, Leila drove me a bit nuts, making it hard for me to read on at times. She had several personal issues to get over, which we see her struggle through over the course of the book, and thankfully she matured enough to redeem herself by the end of the novel.

This emotional rollercoaster of a read could have been a five-star book for me, but at times there were too many missed connections between Leila and Jake to be realistic.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice summer read. Just remember to pack the tissues!

Thanks to NetGalley; HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter; and Ella Allbright for an advance e-copy of the book. #TheCharmBracelet #NetGalley

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this heartwarming book.

At 11 years old Leila and her father are deserted by her mother, leaving them to sell their home and pick up the pieces of their broken world. Jake is 13 and has just moved into Leila’s home with his downtrodden mother and abusive father.

The two meet just as these events take place and begin a friendship that spans distance, emotional fracture, life changing events and loss.

Ella Albright anchors the story of this relationship through the charms on the bracelet Leila’s mother gave to the Leila when she left. The story itself is warm, rich and heartwarming and at times deeply emotional.

An enjoyable book that carries you along and leaves you eager to see which path Leila and Jake take in life.

What a charm of a book!
As a young girl, Leila's mother left her and her father, with only a silver charm bracelet to remember her by. At the same time, Jake and his family move into the area Leila and her father are leaving, into their old home. A fleeting meeting between both young people leaves a lasting bond.
The bracelet gets lost, and the book is a retelling of how each charm that dangles from it was acquired, and a plea to whoever finds it, to return it.
I was taken on a total rollercoaster of emotions, reading the story of Leila, and her charm bracelet, and Jake, her silent support, who floated in and out of her life.
I loved both the main characters and the bittersweet twist at the end left me teary.
Yes, definitely read this book!aa
Many thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Collins Uk, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review which i am delighted to write.

This book definitely pulled at my heart strings! A heartwarming, magical and emotional read. This book was raw and utterly heartbreaking.
I was completely captivated by this story and the ending had me blubbering like a baby.

This is the story of Leila and Jake,who meet as children and share a friendship that spans over 15 years. Jake is instantly captivated by Leila and spends his life protecting her. Both Leila and Jake have rough childhoods. Jakes Father is abusive and Leila’s Mother just ups and leaves her life. Because of this, these two share an unbreakable bond.

Leila’s Mother gifts her a charm bracelet before leaving and from this the story starts to unfold.....

Ella Allbright is definitely an author to keep on your radar! My favourite book of 2020 so far. I can’t recommend this book enough.

This was an easy read that I got through quite quickly. Saying that I found it a little slow in places and quite predictable. Its a lovely concept for a story and I did enjoy the characters.

Recommended as an easy read.

Thank you Netgalley.

4.5 stars

This book was a page-turner for sure, and I couldn’t put it down until I knew how Leila and Jake’s story ended!

Full of love and loss, “The Last Charm” takes place over several years as Leila and Jake mature from childhood to adulthood. I absolutely loved Jake! He was the perfect friend, even when he wasn’t able to physically be there for Leila. There was no denying he had feelings for her, too, but he never pushed her for more before she was ready. Leila on the other hand...I honestly didn’t like her that much. Her emotions were all over the place, and I hated how she constantly took it out on Jake. He was so patient with her, but I couldn’t help but think he could have done better than her.

Overall, I loved the story and it was very well paced, which made for a quick read. I especially loved the idea of the charm bracelet and the meaning behind each charm; the story was perfectly built around it. I just wish I’d liked Leila better.

Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3390272991

If I’m honest I found this book hard to get into. Something about it didn’t quite click for me which unfortunately meant that I didn’t enjoy it all that much

When Leila loses her charm bracelet and she must recall the memories that go along with each charm and tell a stranger the stories of a love that spans years to prove ownership.

I so loved Jake, but didn’t particularly like Leila. However overall it was a nice read and would make a great film.

This ARC from NetGalley and the publisher was a heartwarming story about young love over a span of about 15 years. A charm bracelet is involved and it made me dig out my charm bracelet to remember all of the stories behind each of my charms. I actually have 2 silver charm bracelets. My earliest charm dated back to when I was 15 which was back in 1978. Then what followed over the years was a Sweet 16 charm, a car, a dog, girl and boy charms, springer spaniel charm, shopping charm, baseball, gymnastics and on and on. The last one I got was a St Martin charm which would’ve been 5 years ago when we went there. Wow! The memories .... This was a fun book! I really enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story that will stay will me for a long while and it is up there with my favourite of 2020 !!

This is a beautiful story about Leila and Jake and is told from when they met as children. The story is based around Leila's charm bracelet and the stories behind each charm. This was such as emotional read, there are lot of ups and downs, love, sadness and hope. It's story of friendship, love and happiness. It's a slow burning story but in a way and once I started I wanted to keep reading. There is also lot's of emotion in the story, there were times where I would smile and times that made me cry. I loved that the story is told from different point of view and I think that added to emotions even more.

It was such a moving story and one that will stay with me for long while. I can't wait to add the paperback version to my bookcase.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK - One More Chapter for my e- copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you #netgalley for e copy of this book.
I almost didn’t finish this. Should be marketed fir YA .... needs editing for voice and repeated plot details
Nice concept but could be written better

When I downloaded this ARC it was called the Charm Bracelet but I guess they changed the title. It is a good story but I had a hard time liking Leila. She did grow up and mature during the story. It's unusual for me to like the guy a whole lot more than the girl but Jake had me from the beginning. The story premise is Leila must prove her ownership of a lost charm bracelet to the young woman who found it and does so with a series of emails for each of the charms. This story has so many highs and lows. This could have easily been a 5 star but there were times I just wanted to shake both Leila and Jake to wake up and be realistic. It's an emotional read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A beautiful story which is very well written. I wanted to keep reading. I loved finding out the story behind each charm and was nearly in tears at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Leila tells the story of her friendship and relationship with Jake through the story of the many charms on her bracelet.

A slow moving live story demonstrating the frustrations and misunderstandings that can occur as friendships and relationships develop.

A bit predictable in places but an easy summer read.

A beautiful story that I found engrossing and entertaining.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but if you persevere it's a well written story well told.
The characters are interesting and I liked the style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I struggled to begin with and actually considered calling it a day at about 18% but I’m so glad I carried on. It really did get into a good flow and tell an interesting story. I knew where it was going but was still sobbing by the end. I’ll be honest and say it does follow the typical writing of this genre and the ending isn’t overly unique or unexpected, but it is a good read all the same. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you Netgalley & HarperCollins UK.

This story was so beautiful and full of love and hope for an epic love story.
I loved everything about it, the characters, their interaction, the blooming feelings and even the heartbreaking moments. They all add to a great book that many people will enjoy this summer.