This was a beautiful love story depicted in a surprising manner by using the story of a charm bracelet. The heroine was delightful and the storyline flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended!

A very well written book which was both heartwarming and emotional - keep those tissues handy! Definitely worth reading. I hope there is another book soon. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5, rounded up. This is the epic tear-jerker romance for which you’ve been waiting! Slightly more literary than Me Before You, The Last Charm is infused with a bit more yearning and reality, a la Normal People. It’s evident from the beginning that Leila and Jake are meant to be— though both struggle with their insecurities, borne of societal pressure and family drama. Both are so humble and subtle, it’s at once frustrating and enjoyable, watching them come together and drift apart over the course of their fifteen years. Allbright does a wonderful job creating tension, crafting a story that is simple but never stale; even in moments where we may know what’s coming, she manages to maintain the emotional connection through our relatability, so that it is always compelling. This is the magic of this story, for me: it feels somehow familiar. Even if your own relationship history or character differs, there’s enough to make it feel like this is your story.
The only fault I found is the device of the bracelet. This isn’t to say the way it’s executed isn’t fine, it’s just that the book would have been a touch more sophisticated were it grouped into episodes of their coming together, without the bracelet. This may seem like a huge gripe, given it’s the most basic element of the book, from which the story springs, but it clearly didn’t hamper my enjoyment overall. Was just a personal preference, and the reason, I believe, the novel will not be considered by critics, but instead remain firmly in the ‘beach read/romance’ genre— which is perfectly acceptable.
Great work by a fresh voice. Can’t wait to see what Ella Allbright does next.

I loved this book. I am jealous of those who have not read it yet because you have an incredible treat in front of you! I felt so many emotions as I read this book. I was angry. I wanted to slap people and hug them. I wanted to shake people. I cried with them. I cheered with them. I wanted to shake them again. I was frustrated, aggravated, joyful, laughing. It was a book I could not out down. I never saw the ending coming. And when it did, another twist. My emotions were totally a twisted around and around. It was a terrific book to make me stop looking at me and COVID, for which I was incredibly grateful. I didn’t want the book to end. Weeks later, I can’t stop thinking about it. More. I still want more. Lucky you. It’s still ahead of you.

A huge thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for inviting me on this tour and to the author @authorbythesea1207 for giving me@the opportunity to read this incredible book.
❤️
This is the love story of Leila and Jake that started back when they were 11 years old.
❤️
This beautiful story takes you on a journey with many highs and lows and gives you all the feels.
❤️
As the story proceeds so does the collection of charms on Leila’s bracelet all telling a different part of her story through life.
❤️
I absolutely love Leila and Jakes relationship and the chemistry you can feel between them, I love Jakes soft side and the fact he never gives up and has total belief in the love of his life Leila.
❤️
I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter to find out which charm would be next.
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And it’s safe to say by the end of the story I was an absolute sobbing mess, head over heels in love with Jake and feeling all sorts of emotions for Leila.
❤️
This is an absolute must read for everybody!
So beautifully and powerfully written.
A well and truly deserved 5 star read for me 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I got into this book quickly then it lost its momentum for me. I put it down for a few days then managed to get back into it. I think my problem was I didn’t like the main character Leila. She focused on how hard done to she was without her mum and yet Jake had a worse home life than hers and still managed to do well in life and lookout for her too.
I felt sorry for Leila’s father ,the poor man was trying his best with such an angry daughter to look after.
I was frustrated throughout and how things were going well with Jake then Leila would have a strop and it would be back to square one.
Jake is my hero , what a lovely man he turned into.
This book is heartbreaking and made me cry. I can’t say anymore without giving too much away except I did come to like Leila near the end. Have a box of tissues for this book.

'The only constant in life is change. You can't control it. Nothing is ever certain. Nothing. It's only what we do when we're faced with that fact that makes us who we are"

Leila loses the bracelet her mum gave her when she left her and her dad, it was a charm bracelet with one heart charm on it. From that day she would receive a charm in the post at every significant point in her life it's filled with memories and is irreplaceable.

The book starts with Leila writing to a stranger who has found her charm bracelet. To prove it's hers she tells the story behind all the charms and so begins her and Jake's story.

I loved this book and the characters they are so well written you can't help but like them, although I felt exasperated with Leila at times LOL. Jake was just lovely (we all need a Jake in our lives)

As I've said before, to me the mark of a good book is when you get drawn into that world and feel like you are right there beside them and this book does it from the first page. It's a funny, sad, emotional, beautiful read that tugs at your heart strings.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the Arc

I had no idea that this book was going to be so good! I really wasn’t even sure what it was about. I knew there was romance and I was hoping for indescribably closeness, and I don’t mean physically. The book really got to me. I didn’t want to stop reading it and I didn’t want it to end. Anybody??
It was heartfelt and deeply moving the way these two were connected. A lot happened to these two and I was on the edge of my seat. I also wanted to throw my kindle across the room a few times. All I’m going to say is you better have a box of tissue for this one. It broke my heart! The author really pulled me into the story and made me feel it deeply. Good job! 👍

This was a NETGALLEY gift and all opinions are my own.

Leila loses her beloved charm bracelet. The story starts when Leila received the bracelet from her mother who walked out on her when she was a child. Leila meets Jake when she is moving out of her home and he is moving in. They form a friendship that lasts for more than 20 years even though they are seldom together. This is a tale of that friendship and the each charm that Leila receives for her bracelet. The characters were well developed and likable at times and not likable at others. That made the story more real.

Thanks to netgalley, Harper Collins, One More Chapter and Ella Albright for the fun read.

Oh my, this book felt so personal it was like reading someone’s diary. Telling the story of two children and how their lives became intertwined.

Let me start at the beginning. Leila is eleven and her mother has walked out leaving her nothing but a charm bracelet and so her and her dad move in with her grandad a few doors down to her old family home. Jake a few years older has just moved in to their old home, his dad is an abusive drunk and after Jake spends a precious few days with Leila they quickly become embroiled in each other’s lives. Over the years Jake sends Leila charms for her bracelet which she wrongly believes are being sent from her absent mum.

Each charm tells a story, the charms may be sweet but not all the stories are. The damage people can do is there in the raw anger that Leila exudes. Not all damaged people are likeable and Leila is not an exception, her treatment of Jake is deplorable at times but poor Jake is so used to being on the receiving end of his dads anger and abuse that he just seems to roll over and take it.

The story spans fifteen years and by the touchingly perfect end you will feel you know every character personally. As each year passes you watch them both grow and the writing is so raw and emotive I highly recommend having a box of tissues at hand.

This is a really difficult book to review for a variety of reasons - the main one being that I don't want to give away any spoilers and it would be just too easy to inadvertently do that!

The story starts with an exchange of emails as Caitlin has found the charm bracelet that holds charms connected to memorable events in the life of Leila Jones, making it extra special to Leila. To prove it is hers, Leila agrees to tell Caitlin about the charms on it. Then the story becomes more like a memoir, sharing how Leila was given the bracelet and each of the charms over the following fifteen or so years. This follows Leila through all the traumatic teenage years, the problems she had after her Mum left her and her Dad, complete with rebellious actions and snarky attitude.

One of the constants amongst this is the boy who moved into her old home, Jake, and to me he's the real star of this story. He's staunch, resilient, determined - and absolutely nothing like his abusive father. How he works hard to escape his situation and keeps coming back to Leila, despite her reactions and attitude, well, he must have the patience of a saint despite those who always assume the worst of him. As for his father, I daren't write what I'd like to have happened to him from the very beginning of the story!

I struggled with some parts of this memoir but have to admit that the ending is traumatic and genuinely had me in tears. It is a poignant and emotive read, exploring memories, assumptions, the past and relationships - good and bad. I really disliked Leila at times but the author's skilful writing kept me turning the pages. I actually decided at one point that this book is a bit like marmite - one you'll either love reading or Leila's actions and attitude will totally ruin your enjoyment of it. However, I recommend you keep going to the dramatic and emotive ending and hope you hate it as much as I did (in a good way!)

Thank you to Harper Collins / One More Chapter and NetGalley for the copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

When I read the synopsis of this story I was intrigued by the concept and was curious to know more about Leila and her life. And I jumped to the opportunity to read it and I don’t regret it.

As we follow Leila and following her story and connecting the dots as I was reading. It was very interesting. The characters had this rawness to them, and I loved it.

I liked that, although I had mix feelings about certain things Leila was doing, I still wanted to learn her story and to see her growth. For me that’s life. Sometimes we don’t click with certain people and it take us a couple of years to see their growth and how we actually have things in common.

It definitely was an emotional story. One that I may need to reread in the future with different eyes and a new perspective. I feel that there are still some things I need to process and some things I need to revisit. And that’s an amazing thing! Not a lot of books make me immediately plan to reread them.

Overall, I liked it a lot. I love to see the growth and the emotion in the characters and the story. I love that it made me think about life and everything that happens, all that we may experience depending on several factors. A lovely and emotional story.

[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Ella Allbright and One More Chapter for the eCopy of this book, via NetGalley, and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]

I really enjoyed the concept of this story, following a couples relationships based around memories made and a charm bracelet. However I found the main character Leila very annoying and at times made me want to stop reading. The ending also brought the rating down for me as I feel It has been done many times before, and was predictable.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

This story is told through different charms that Leila receives. As a character I found her incredibly frustrating! She had reasons for this but I felt she used them as an excuse the more time went on.

My favourite quote:
"Every person is a universe of possibilities."

The last third of this book gained the rating for me. It has similarities for One Day by David Nicholls.

Kindle available now and paperback version is due to be published 12th November 2020.

This is Jake and Leila's love story, starting from when she is 11 years old and told through charms that are brought for Leila's charm bracelet that she receives on the day her mother walks out.

This book was everything I didn't know I needed in a book, it is simply charming. The characters were so real and raw that I fell completely under their spell within the first few chapters. I have to admit I wasn't Leila's biggest fan during the first half of the book, she was selfish, stubborn and ungrateful but even with that I was still thoroughly invested in her story, which just shows how great the writing is in this book! Jake on the other hand, I adored. He honestly might be my new go to book boyfriend, I loved everything about him and his story broke me.

I cried more at this book than I have in a long, long time, it was not just because the events touched me personally, it was how well they were written, each one tender and honest.

If you loved Somewhere Close to Happy by Lia Louis or Me Before You by Jojo Moyes I think you will love this one.

I love charm bracelets and would play with my mum’s with its moving charms such as top hats that would open to reveal a rabbit and a disk which revealed the words I love you when spun for hours. For every special occasion, my dad would treat her to a new charm, so this novel’s premise held a special meaning for me. I couldn’t wait to read it, and I was not disappointed. The evolving story of Leila and Jake grabbed me from the beginning, and it wasn’t long before I was in floods of tears. An enormous box of tissues is required throughout – you have been warned.

Jake and Leila’s first meeting is when he moves into her old house and he discovers her talent for art. I have moved many times in my childhood and Leila’s emotions leaving her room and the entire experience resonated with me.

Their story is told in chapters and spans many years: each one telling the significance of the charm Leila is given and told in both their voices, which mature as the book progresses. Leila is a complex character as her childhood and abandonment by her mum has a big impact on behaviour. There are many times I struggled to like her with her angst and outbursts flying off the page but the first chapter deeply embedded the connection between reader and character, so I felt sorry for her too. I wanted to shake her and say if she just opened her eyes things would not be so bad.

Jake was easy to love and drove the novel forward with his successes and lows.

It’s an emotional, beautiful story of true love, growth and learning to trust.

It is a beautiful book to treasure like the charms it describes. Jake, Leila and the charms will be with me for a long time making it easy to slip into a reading slump. It makes a lovely addition to my forever bookshelf and I suspect like Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You more details and emotions will be revealed when I reread it making me love it more.

When her mother left the family when Leila was a young teen, all she had left was a charm bracelet, her father and her grandfather Ray. Full of anger and grief, Leila poured all of that into her art, after the requisite teen acting out. But we first meet her as she’s trying to ‘explain’ the story of the bracelet after having lost it, and quickly we meet the young Leila as she’s waiting to move from her home and someone else has moved in.

Quickly we meet Jake, only child with an abusive father, abused and quietly conforming mother and plenty of anger to share. But Leila’s grandfather Ray sees that the young boy needs an escape from the ever-present fists and anger, and soon the two strike up a friendship – one that continues, albeit broken, between Leila and Jake for years.

We get the stories and hopes attached to each charm – the milestones big and small, and the little worries and bits of cheer that the charms and bracelet brings the very angry (and very unsettled ) Leila – and shows us through trial and error the steps the two of them take to finally recognize and realize that their connection is far stronger than their fears. It takes the better part of 20 years and just as many charms for Leila to come to understand her life and the losses she’s suffered – all of which we experience for good or bad, right along with her. A lovely story of memories, sentimentality and treasured possessions – and how each can bring comfort and joy, even after years. Leila and Jake are both so flawed and admirable, strong even when they don’t feel it, and the descriptions and growth are solidly portrayed and feel utterly plausible. A lovely story that makes you want to start your own charm bracelet tradition right away.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aLK /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I would firstly like to thank One More Chapter for my gifted digital copy, and the truly wonderful readalong that accompanied this story. We had challenges, discussions and endless chats about everything #TheLastCharm

The story opens with an email written by Leila asking for her lost charm bracelet back.

"I need the bracelet back, and to convince you it’s mine I’m going to tell you all about the precious memories that come with those special charms."

This leads us beautifully into a dual narrative storyline, told from the perspectives of Leila and Jake. It spans 15 years from their first meeting in Leila's dad's van. To the present day where the charm bracelet that has been a constant in both their lives has been lost.

The Last Charm gave me One Day by David Nicholls vibes. Here we dip into the characters lives at different times in their lives, when Leila acquires a new charm and we get to learn the story and meaning behind it.

From the synopsis I thought I was going to get your average run of the mill story. Where boy meets girl, they fall in love, something goes wrong then they reconnect. Predictable but nice. However, The Last Charm was much more than this. This story went deeper, it explored themes and issues that really pulled me in and tugged at my heart strings.

I totally fell in love with Jake, and it bloody infuriated me that Leila could not see what was in front of her face. She really needed a shake that girl did. This was really my only negative about the story, but, in a way I can kind of understand why Leila was so blind.

The secondary characters in The Last Charm really worked well to build Leila and Jakes story. I had a few tears over Grandpa Ray, what a kind soul and his kindness towards Jake was beautiful.

The Last Charm will have you smiling, crying and give you all the feels. This is one of those books that will surprise you. Oh and it'll make you want to book a holiday to check out Durdle Door 😍

The last charm by Ella Allbright I absolutely loved this story it broke my heart in places and made me smile in others. It had an ending I did not predict and the whole story is breathtaking.

This story is a slow burn, to begin with, I wasn't sure it would hold my interest, It's a new adult romance, and that was many years ago for me. The characters are engaging, and they soon draw you into their world. You care what happens to them, and then you're hooked and have to keep reading.

From the beginning, you have a feeling that this story will break your heart, and it does. There's also laughter, love and so much growing up for Leila and Jake in this story. You want them to get the happy ending they deserve.

This is a beautiful story, believable, emotional and raw, something that leaves echoes in your mind.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Harper Collins UK - One More Chapter via NetGalley in return for an honest review.