Well, wasn’t this book just what my soul needed during a really stressful period of life? Honestly, I’ve had a tough few weeks with some difficult family situations, a new puppy needing constant attention, older dog needing placating and getting kids ready to go back to school in a time of coronavirus, so what I needed in my reading was something light but entertaining and easy to read. This book delivered all of that, and so much more on top.

This isn’t quite the light and fluffy chick lit read I was anticipating from the cover, it deals with some really tough issues throughout, and there were parts of it that moved me to tears. However, the author has woven this together with a really sweet story of a charm bracelet and how it tells the story of a relationship between two people who meet as children, and whose relationship changes and develops over the course of their lives, important occasions being marked by the charms hanging from Leila’s bracelet.

Ella’s writing is very approachable and flowing, it carries you through the story with ease, even the difficult parts. The book jumps forwards through time, and is told between the two voices of Jake and Leila, but it is very easy to follow, and makes perfect sense as it spans the years that Jake and Leila know each other. From a prose point of view, it was very easy and entertaining to read, even if the subject matter wasn’t as light as I was expecting.

Although the topics covered were maybe a bit heavier than I was anticipating, I discovered whilst reading that they were probably exactly what I needed from this book. A tale of a blossoming relationship between two people who support each other through adversity, who find each other as friends at a time they both desperately need one, and are there for one another through their years, their relationship changing as they change and grow, but they hardly notice. It was so honest and believable that I was totally caught up in the emotions of the two characters, alternately cheering them on or screaming with frustration at their setbacks.

The author has drawn two fantastic and realistic attractive characters here for the reader to fall in love with. I have to say, I found Jake the more appealing of the two, Leila really wound me up at times with her behaviour, although I realise that this was deliberate and necessary for the plot. By the end, my attitude towards her mellowed, just as she did, and I loved her so much that certain events in the book affected me very deeply and I shed a couple of tears at the denouement. You really can’t give me a more satisfying reading experience than that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is a marvellous read for anyone who enjoys a light romance with a bit of meat on its bones and an ability to cause an emotional reaction.

Wow! This one blew me away...I did not expect to feel so much reading this book and to say that I loved it is an understatement! Such a great plot, with both sweet and truly heart breaking moments done well and wonderful characters that you really get to know as the story develops. I absolutely loved both main characters Leila and Jake, the story/history of their friendship and romance was so well written that I truly felt as if I was a part of their lives...which is probably why I was so engrossed in this book, staying up late to finish it and feeling a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this one. It will stay with me for a long time I think and I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great romance story!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Ella Allbright and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for allowing me a copy of this amazing ARC to review.

Beautiful and emotional. Tender and touching. Heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Ella Allbright’s enchanting storytelling hit me right in the feels. This is the story of Leila and Jake. The story spans 15 years and highlights the events that the charms on Leila‘s charm bracelet represent. A heart, a key, a dog, a car, a rainbow, a champagne bottle, A pencil, a book... The story is told linearly so we really get to watch Layla, Jack, and their friends and family laugh, cry, and live through the years. The story has such a raw and authentic quality and I was completely invested in the lives of these characters. Leila was a great character, but wow did that girl frustrate me. Jake I just loved him he really was an honourable man. All the secondary characters added so much heart and charm to the story. This book really took me by surprise, it exceeded my expectations and will stay with me for a long time. A stunning heartfelt story.

This story is uniquely told through a collection of charms on a bracelet. Leila and Jake meet as children when he moves into her old house and soon he begins sending her charms for the bracelet her mother left Leila when she abandoned Leila and her father. Leila thinks the charms are coming from her mother and Jake can never seem to find the right moment to tell her the truth nor can he ever really convince her of how much he cares for her and that he will always be there for her. Leila has both physical and emotional scars related to her mother's abandonment, and is too afraid of being abandoned again to let anyone get too close especially Jake. This sad but sweet love story is easy to get swept up in. Leila and Jake are an adorable couple whom you can't help rooting for. Their story is full of love, hope, and also heartbreak. You might want to keep tissues handy when you read it.

4.5 Stars

Heart strings will be severed and tears will be shed as readers will be swept away by this emotional, dramatic but ultimately uplifting love story, The Last Charm.

Leila Jones’ charm bracelet is not a mere item of jewellery, but it is a record of her entire life. The charm bracelet illustrates her triumphs and her disappointments and every charm tells a story. It’s the story of her life and the story of herself and Jake. Leila does not know what she would do if she ever lost her bracelet and it is indeed her most prized and precious possession, so when she loses it, she finds herself torn apart with grief and dismay. Tearing her house apart and looking in every nook and cranny yields nothing but disappointment and Leila’s heart is broken all over again. Until, she realises that it’s been found by a stranger. But Leila cannot just reclaim her most beloved treasure. If she wants her bracelet back, then she has to prove that she is the rightful owner. So, she sits down and proceeds to tell this stranger her entire story. A story of love, hope and heartbreak. The story of Leila and Jake.

Leila and Jake’s story is one that spans two decades. It’s not always a light-hearted story, but neither is it a sad one. Sure there are heart-breaking moments and moments of anguish and despair, but there is hope, heart and so much love. Beginnings, experiences and endings all led to this beautiful item of jewellery that is worth more to Leila than a king’s ransom. Each milestone has led her to the present. A present that would have been completely different and utterly unimaginable had she not met Jake over twenty years ago and proceeded to fall head over heels in love with him.

Ella Allbright’s The Last Charm is the kind of book that once you devour it, you will want to tell your friends, family and every one you know about. Written in the tradition of PS I Love You and Me Before You, this is a love story that puts your heart through the wringer, but while it has its fair share of scenes that will have you blubbing like a baby, this is a book about the power of love, finding the one you are meant to be with and the joy of finding your soulmate that touches the soul and will haunt you weeks after you’ve turned the last page.

A beautifully written, wonderfully constructed and brilliantly told love story, Ella Allbright’s The Last Charm is the sort of book that will reduce even the most cynical and jaded of readers into a blubbering wreck.

Beautifully told story. It draws you in from the very first sentence. All the feels. Absolutely pick up this gem of a book.; Don't pass it up. Happy reading!

Favorite Quote:

‘Along with my dad, my grandad taught me about the kind of person I want to be… Someone who can look at themselves in the mirror and be proud. Someone,’ I finish, my voice echoing through the church, ‘who makes the people around them better just for knowing them. That’s what he gave me,’ I say in a fierce voice. ‘That’s who he was. I’ll miss him, but he’ll still be with us all, because every time one of us does something good that we can be proud of, and every time we look in the mirror and feel it, he’ll be there.’

My Review:

I am ruined – Nikki Moore broke me and turned me inside out more than once. This crafty author hit all the feels, several times each and with a poignancy that still stings my eyes and constricts my throat when I consider how the events were staged. Ms. Moore’s character development was nothing short of phenomenal with a full cast of oddly compelling and uniquely damaged individuals. I never fully joined team Leila as she was an immature and self-absorbed prickly pear who was often overflowing with resentment; prone to stubborn, impulsive, and hypersensitive behaviors; and was rather horrid, petty, and harsh in her treatment of the lovely Jake. Jake had numerous challenges of his own and was undeserving of her vile comments and wrath, yet he accepted her abuse as he had his horrific childhood. Jake’s storylines were tragic so, of course, I adored him!

The writing was emotive and left a deep bruise on my coronary muscle. Despite her rather prolific career with words, this was my first exposure to the agile scribblings and emotive storytelling of Nikki Moore/Ella Allbright, and while I was conflicted most of the way through and eager to administer a few well-primed pinches to the bratty main character, I would not have been able to walk away from this complex and maddeningly paced tale had my hair been on fire.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I read The Last Charm as part of a readalong and I must say it was not what I expected at all.
I thought it was going to be a soppy love story from start to finish and it was much more than that! It had depth and was even a bit dark in places.
I really liked all the characters, actually I did dislike Leila for some of the book for her inability to see past the end of her nose but even then I still liked her! I thought the back story to the main characters was thoroughly thought out and kept me reading on.
The book spans over about 15 years from the moment Jake first sets eyes on Leila and we are really taken on a journey all the way through as they come back into each other’s life’s at different stages.
I would most definitely recommend this one to anyone who likes a bit of romance/drama! 💙

The Last Charm was bittersweet women’s fiction that revolved around charm bracelet and Leila and Jack’s story behind each charm. It was about domestic abuse, abandonment issue, mental health, trust issue, relationships, family, hopes, fears, dreams, loss, grief, and forgiveness.

The Last Charm was written in first person narrative from Leila and Jack’s perspective, alternatively, spanning 15 years of Leila and Jack’s life and their story from 2001 to 2017. Writing was beautiful, descriptive, and emotive. Setting of Bournemouth was lovely and I loved the places characters visited.

Plot was interesting. It started with Leila writing an email to Caitlin who found her charm bracelet recounting the story behind each charm, her and Jack’s story to convince her the bracelet was hers, so she could finish the birthday treasure hunt Jack created, find the last charm and add it to bracelet. I was curious to find out what each charm were, how she received them and what was their story. The prologue and this email gave hint this was not happily ever after story and yet I wasn’t prepared for what was coming.

Characters were realistic and relatable. I loved Leila’s friends, grandfather, and dad. They were so supportive to Jack and understanding even with Leila’s tantrums and anger issues. Jack’s mom not as bad as I thought in the beginning. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t run away and let her husband bully and beat her for so many years but I was glad when escaped and learned to live her life. Leila’s mom was complicated. At first, I thought she was selfish because nothing can be reasonable enough to leave daughter without any explanation. Even when the reason was revealed I felt the way she abandoned Leila was wrong. She could send letter or anything explaining her condition but she didn’t which affected Leila in worst way.

Leila was nice person but she was so self-absorbed, wrapped in her own world, in her hurt and abandonment and trust issues. She raised the wall around her in fear people might leave her like her mother or she might be like her mother. I empathised with her. I could feel her pain of not knowing reason why her mother left her, couldn’t have closure or move on in life leaving the past behind and yet I didn’t like the way she behaved. It was wrong to hurt people just because she was hurting, taking her grandfather and dad’s love for granted, not appreciating Jake’s help, friendship and love, saying most hurtful things that one might not even say to enemy. What I didn’t like was she was like that in almost 70% of the book, whining, hurting, feeling guilty of hurting, saying sorry and then repeat the cycle. It took so long for her to understand other people’s feeling and perspective, appreciate what she had and not just focusing what she didn’t have. I bet if it wasn’t for Jack she might not have grown.

Jack was my favourite in this story. He was quirky, smart, wise, caring, protective, and empathetic. He was born with cleft palate and different coloured eyes. His dad was alcoholic and abusive. Life was hell for him until he met Leila when he moved in Leila’s neighbourhood. Her drawings gave him escape and he got attached to her grandfather who taught him many things specially to find opportunity, live life with courage, and doing something good in life. I loved how he helped and look after Leila and her family even when he was in navy and when he came back in breaks. I admired his patience. No matter how much Leila insulted him, said hurtful things, her never disliked or hated her. Even though he had feelings for her ever since he met her, he endured her disastrous relationships with other guys, motived her, believed in her, supported her passion for painting and yet never revealed his true feelings until she was ready and being careful not to tell the truth about all charms. I haven’t met any character or person who could be this patient. It was amazing to see his growth, feelings and relationships with all characters.

Romance was slow build and so complicated because of Leila’s confused feelings and her issues. I loved Leila and Jack’s friendship in that first week when they met. It was sad to see them drifting apart after that, their on and off friendship, and seeing Leila settling for jerks. It was in fact frustrating to see one sided love of Jack but once Leila realised her mistake and her feelings, it was lovely to see them together. Heartbreak, disagreements, problems between couple, support and motivation for each other made their relationship realistic. They were perfect for each other, making each other better person (mostly Jake making Leila better person).

There were many layers in book filled with wisdom about letting go of past, living with hopes and dreams, overcoming fears, taking risks, living in present, embracing one’s flaw and turning it into strength, understanding other people’s perspective, and grief.

Climax was heart breaking. I was expecting it, in fact was expecting a bit earlier but still it made me sad. Everything happened after that tragedy was depressing. Loved that last charm and Leila’s conversation with Caitlin. End was bittersweet and perfect.

Why 4 stars-

Because of Leila. Like I said I didn’t like the way she was behaving, being self-absorbed and taking it so long to accepting her feelings and to develop.

Overall, The Last Charm was heart-warming, magical, charming and bittersweet story of Jack and Leila. I highly recommend this to fans of fiction.

Leila’s most prized possession is her charm bracelet, a bracelet that reflects her life. We discover the story of the charms, and of Leila and Jake, when she loses her charm bracelet and tells the story of how she got the charms to prove it is hers.

We go on this journey, one that spans twenty years, with Leila and unearth the tales behind the charms as well as the journey of Leila and Jake.

This book tackles many difficult topics; domestic abuse, abandonment, grief, miscarriage and mental health. Ella does this so well and each of these are tackled beautifully and with respect. It is not all doom though and the story also is a tale of friendship, love and hope.

Leila can be a difficult character to like, she is spiky and lashes out a lot, but as you read her story you understand why. Jake is caring, loyal and understanding and feels he needs to protect Leila.

Their relationship across the book goes through many up and downs, but there is a bond which is maintained no matter how difficult each of their lives become or the time and distance between them.

I was hooked from the start and I loved discovering the story of each of Leila’s charms and watching both characters and their relationship develop over time.

Ella’s writing absorbs you and I look forward to reading what she brings out next.

At times achingly beautiful, this book is perfect for those who enjoy the story of a romance with depth, pain, and most of all, love. It made me smile, it made me cry, and it made me feel everything in between. I'm struggling to review it, because I just want to place it in everyone's hands, and say 'read it yourself'. There is magic in these pages.

First off I want to start out this review by thanking Netgalley and One More Chapter a division of Harper Collins Publishing for an audiobook/ ebook for an honest opinion of The Last Charm by Ella Allbright. I started this lovely story as a group read along.

In the beginning of the story you meet Leila and Jake as teenagers. Leila mother has just left her and her father without warning, and are forced to leave the home she grew up in, and Jake and his family move in. On that same day Leila receives a charm bracelet and on every major milestone she mysteriously a charm for her bracelet. On the day that Leila and her father move out she meets Jake. They spend the week and become friends.
This story sent me through a whirlwind of so many emotions! In the start I cried, sobbed, and cringed while reading about how Jake's father abused him and his mother, because he felt that Jake was worthless because he was born with a cleft pallet. As a result Jake was very self - conscious about his scar. On the other side there is Leila. She was sooooo angry and hurt by the abandonment of her mother (understandably so) BUT the way she would lash out at Jake in her moments ANGER by saying such hurtful things. It was definitely in those moments I wanted to shake Leila! Honestly, I found myself not liking Leila very much in the beginning. Jake, on the other hand I wanted to just hold and protect him, because he was just so sweet and understanding and always there for Leila no matter what.

This book is DEFINITELY a story of friendship, love, and the power forgiveness and ultimately HOPE! I
I would WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend this book to anyone. I will be looking for more from Ella Allbright in the future.

***TRIGGER WARNINGS*** ABUSE and ABANDONMENT

Thank you OMC and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

You guys, this book GUTTED me. Laila loses her treasured charm bracelet, and someone found it. To prove that it’s hers, Laila tells the story behind each charm, this telling the story of her and Jake. Their story is so much more than I ever imagined it would be, and I was ugly crying at the end.

This book is going to stay with me for a very long time. It’s not often I have a book hangover, but I have one hardcore today.

What an absolutely heartbreaking and heartwarming story. This book immediately tugged on my heartstrings. Beware, you will need tissues for this. Fantastic work.

We are first introduced to Leila and Jake when they’re 11 and 13 years old. The book then follows them through their childhoods, both traumatic and difficult in their own ways, into adulthood, charting the constant ebb and flow of their friendship over the years.

Generally speaking I am not a fan of the whole will-they-won’t-they premise of a book. I get bored easily, knowing that yes, they eventually will, and 400 pages getting to that point is a waste of everyone’s time. However, this book is NOT that.

This is a gorgeous read that allows you to fall in love with the two main characters, despite their faults, and cheer alongside them as they reach important milestones and make progress. You actually watch them develop as adults, learning about themselves, those around them and how the world works. That perfect doesn’t exist, that right now is where it’s important and that some things you need to let go.

This is so much more than a romantic will-they-won’t-they read, that in actual fact, I have a stonking book hangover after finishing it.

The author has done a wonderful job of tying the whole story together, and letting us, as the reader, feel part of the journey. I felt this was a bit of a slow-burn to begin with, and actually struggled to get my head in to it, but then I quickly found myself unwilling to put it down and return to the real world.

This was a million times better than I expected it to be, and I am a little in love with this writer!

The Stars
An unequivocal five stars.

Beautiful and engrossing! From their first meeting, any future between Jake and Leila seemed impossible. Yet, for each of them, that short encounter went on to mean so much. Jake's unassuming, gentle behaviour contrasted with Leila's more volatile outbursts. He was dealing with an abusive father, and worried over his mother, while Leila mourned the "loss" of her mother and the need to move from the family home, a home Jake and his parents were about to inhabit.


For me, Jake was the stand-out character off this story. He asked for nothing, yet quietly went on with making his life better. Leila was more of a pain in the a**e and succumbed to introspection rather too much for my liking. She had a tendency to lash out at the wrong person - usually her father, but mainly Jake.

The charm bracelet was Leila's way of coping with her mother not being around, she felt it was the link that would see them reunited one day as it proved her mother still cared for her by sending her an appropriate charm on every momentous occasion.

Finding out the truth hit her hard, as did realising how deeply her feelings ran for Jake. Leila was not an easy person to love, but Jake made it seem so. With each new charm, the story edged towards the truth. But time was not on their side.

The setting, primarily Durdle Door, became such a vital part of the story, almost a character itself, and definitely a place that held many emotive and heart-wrenching scenes.

A charming and heartfelt read that, despite the slow-burn love story, creeps up on you and won't let you go until the end. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter (Harper Collins UK) for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"The Last Charm" by Ella Allbright retells the epic love story of Leila and Jake through Caitlyn, a girl who finds the missing charm bracelet. Each charm has a story and years later, Leila recounts each charm and the story behind it to prove that she is the owner of the bracelet. Sweet and heartwarming, "The Last Charm" pulls at the heartstrings.

I really enjoyed this read. Leila and Jake are the product of their circumstances, but somehow this makes them fall together all the more perfectly. Leila has a mom who walked out on her, Jake has an abusive father who sends him away. Through time and change, they keep coming back to each other. It makes soulmates and best friends feel like so much more.

I loved how the themes of family, hope, and love flow throughout the novel. Over and over again we see hints of the disfunction within their families. We see hope for more and better lives. We see love. These are momentarily touched on, so that makes the story more powerful.

I gave this book 4 stars! Don't forget to join me for One More Chapter's readalong going on this week! You can follow along at #OMCreadalong or #TheLastCharm to see all the reading questions, challenges, and fun!

The Last Charm Ella Allbright
I don't read contemporary women's fiction that often, but when I do I want it to be like this book!
Leila has lost her charm bracelet, and its very precious to her. A stranger has found it, and in order to get it back Leila is telling the story of each charm and why it is special to her.
I loved Leila, but probably loved her friend Jake even more.
This book is charming, a beautiful story of love, family and friends.

Leila and Jake meet when they are 11 and 13 and this book follows them for almost 20 years. The chapters alternate between Leila and Jake and I enjoyed the dual narrative.
The book begins when Leila loses her charm bracelet and in order to prove it is hers she begins to explain each of the charms on her bracelet. It’s a unique premise and as someone with a charm bracelet, I enjoyed understanding the story and significance of each charm.
This is a story of self development and growth, of dealing with trauma and grief and of learning to love and be loved in return. I thought Jake was wonderful but I didn’t feel the same about Leila, she was 2 years younger but behaved at least 5 years younger and that could be annoying.
The last third of the book was predictable. I was still able to enjoy it but it took the shine off for me 🙁 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first @netgalley review and the first read from @authorbythesea1207 and it did not disappoint!

This is the story of a charm bracelet that is lost and found, and in order to be returned to it rightful owner they need to prove the bracelet belongs to them.
💓💓💓💓💓

Therein begins the story of Leila and Jake, each chapter told from each perspective. They face struggles in their respective lives that shape and mould them into the adults they become. Their trauma wounds are deeply ingrained in their foundations and the is the lens through which they then navigate their experiences, relationships and the world.

The establishment of their relationship takes time, soul searching, learning about and reflecting on their experiences, alongside being vulnerable with an underlying fear of rejection on both sides.

The story was well written, easy to follow and I found myself entirely invested in their journey. The characheters were relatable, their struggles understandable given their experiences and I felt like I was travelling their journey with them and was sad when it ended.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review , I look forward to reading more from @authorbythesea1207 , all opinions in this are entirely my own
💕💕💕💕💕
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