I read so few books by male authors, but I'll pick up and devour ANY book written by Charles Martin...whether fiction or Non-fiction. His books are gritty, heart tugging, believable, engrossing, page-turning, memorable...the list goes on.

This one is no different. Powerful, un-put-downable read.

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin tells the story of Maybe Joe Sue who grows up in the foster system but ends up becoming a well loved Hollywood star. Her husband Syd Painter is also a movie star and her bodyguard Pockets are main people in her life. The story is well written before the event alternating chapters with after the event. It’s a great story line with romance, kidnapping, and a trial. The characters are believable. I highly recommend this book and will look at others written by this author. Thank you NetGallery and Thomas Nelson Publishing for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 🌟🧡

What in the world. This is the third novel I’ve read by Charles Martin and each time I am blown away how I can be utterly confused throughout a majority of the story and it all comes together in the finale moments. But in the best. Possible. Way.

I received a free e-arc from Net Galley for my full, honest review! What an honor it is to read a not yet released piece of work from Martin! I am taken back each time by his creativity and how we can include Chrisgian elements so seemlessly into romance novels.

Though there were [many] aspects of this book that I was confused and questioned. (I questioned Pockets actions VERY MUCH). I really do see how they played into his character and heart intention. It really does make sense when you allow yourself to think about it.

The Last Exchange
Charles Martin
Pub Date: October 3, 2023
Thomas Nelson
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Loved this * Christian Romance/ Fiction
It is a beautiful story of love, addiction, infertility, and the rigors of fame. The characters are well thought out. The plot is unique and intriguing. I have only read the last three books by Martin. I now want to read them all! Be sure to read this one.
5 stars

If you enjoy a good story, superb dialogue, outstanding character development, and a sprinkling of a love story, Charles Martin's latest offering is worth reading. If you are a Charles Martin fan, get this book. If you've not yet become a fan, read this book and join his growing circle of followers.

A beloved actress, known worldwide as Joe, is preparing for the Oscars, hoping for her third win. While admirers see the winsome girl next door, the reality of Joe’s life is a hot mess. She works brutal hours. She’s married to a narcissistic actor named Syd. She longs to bear a child so much she endures multiple trips to a fertility clinic. She is selfless and kind to a fault, like many who suffer a tough childhood and seek love and validation.

Her story is told from multiple points of view, though primarily from hers. The chapters alternate irregularly from the present, past, and further past. The chapters in the past are labeled BEFORE. Chapters in the present are labeled AFTER. It is up to the reader to decipher the giant turning point between BEFORE and AFTER.

The narrative voice is keenly observant and literary. The dialogue evokes humanity at its core. The reader’s empathy runs deep for Joe because she is a likable young woman doing her best at acting, marriage, and overcoming her own demons. Her wealth does not shield her from predatory news reporters, creepy fans, or untrustworthy people in her inner circle.

Her launch into acting comes from a Hollywood cliché. However, Joe is so likable, readers are likely to overlook this.

She hires a Scotsman named Pockets as a bodyguard, but even he cannot protect her from evil two-faced people. Kidnappings, personal tragedies, exhaustion, and blackmail threaten to wear down her superhuman positivity.
In a rare moment of conversation, Pockets says, “But if you press me, love is what makes us who we are. Hope is how we express us. Hope is love with legs.”

Will Joe’s deepest hope for happiness be fulfilled? Will anyone prove worthy of her trust?

Readers are in for a surprising, twisting journey through Joe’s inspirational story.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Publication date will be October 3, 2023.

What a great book. Charles Martin's characters are always so real and endearing. This story is about a famous actresses named Maybe Joe and her bodyguard Pockets. Things go terribly wrong with Joe's attempts to get pregnant. There are lots of twist and turns as the past and present interact. 5+ stars for this sweet story!

Title: The Last Exchange
Author: Charles Martin
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 (Actually, more like 6 out of 5).

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren’t working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.

It didn’t take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.

Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue’s life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that’s when he stepped in.

Yes, Charles Martin is my favorite author and I love everything he writes, but dang. This book. I laughed and cried while reading this—and I binge-read the entire thing in one afternoon. Martin’s characters are always so quirky and larger-than-life and Joe and Pockets are no exceptions. I loved how their friendship grew and the secrets they were both hiding made it even more tangible and real. (The scene with the Queen!) As always, Martin manages to illustrate the beautiful truth of the Gospel while weaving a beautiful, moving story, and that’s why he’s my favorite author.

Charles Martin is a bestselling author. The Last Exchange is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link will be live on release day, 10/3)

Wow, Charles Martin never disappoints! I couldn’t hit request quick enough when I saw this as available. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I didn’t anticipate the twist at the end that brought the story full circle. What an amazing read.

THE LAST EXCHANGE by CHARLES MARTIN is a real classic and I cannot recommend it highly enough The story is both poignant and suspenseful, and full of emotion, with Maybe Joe Sue’s rags to riches rise to fame and the way Pockets takes care of her. We see the contrast between the two men in Joe’s life, Syd’s selfishness, pride and vanity compared to Pockets’ sacrifical love. In fact I find this a distinct reminder of Christ’s sacrificial love for us….
Both Joe and Amber come from humble beginnings, but, whereas Joe is kind and relates well to the common man despite all her awards for her brilliant acting, Amber is jealous and evil, feeling she deserves to have what Joe has….
Drugs, danger and blackmail are rife in the Hollywood scene, but the themes of new beginnings, true love and hope flow through the story as well.
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling the read for you.
This is a novel that I will read more than once. It is beautifully and sensitively written and most enjoyable, with even a dash of humour. The author obviously has a wonderful way with words.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I finished this book last night. I've read most (if not all) of Charles Martin's books, and this was a departure from anything else he's written. It jumps back and forth from the past to the present day, and it was a fun challenge to determine how the parts and pieces of Maybe Joe Sue's story fit together.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishers, Charles Martin, and Net Galley for the complimentary copy of this book that I received. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Last Exchange is the first book I have read by Charles Martin. It was a nonstop thriller. The main character Maybe Joe Sue had struggled all her life with being in and out of foster homes. Her character is so likable that you feel sorry for the turmoil in her life. I thought the back and forth with past and present flowed together nicely. A must read!
Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Charles Martin for the ARC for my review.

Joe Sue led the perfect rags to riches storybook life. Now a revered famous Oscar winning actress, she remembers her roots well, amidst a troubled and much less than perfect personal life as she battles drink and drug addiction.
The story is really quite enthralling as told through the back and forth, between past and present. Usually not a great fan of the "then and now" carousel, this time, in this story, it was actually quite compelling and brought the scenery of the tale much more alive.
Joe Sue's bodyguard, Thomas MacPockets, a former Scottish guard, plays a front and center role as her story unfolds: dramatically, frighteningly and not without a little bit of sincere pity for the balancing act between having it all and living authentically.

The last Exchange by Charles Martin was an amazing story of love without expecting anything in return. In true Charles Martin form, it kept me captivated. I’ve never been disappointed in any of his books. They just get better and better.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

Another great story by Charles Martin. The main characters are lovable. The details to build the story and characters are fantastic as always. I loved the twist near the end.

Charles Martin departs from his oft used water theme in The Last Exchange. This book has threads of rags-to-riches, infertility, blackmail, backstabbing, and finally-hope fulfilled.
Martin’s style of using clipped dialogue keeps the story moving and the characters edgy. At the mid-point, the story drastically changes, and I was left thinking, “Wait, what just happened?” Although following the events was a little rocky, figuring out the twist wasn’t too hard.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley for the eARC of The Last Exchange by Charles Martin.

Maybe Joe Sue aka Joe is a woman struggling to hang on to hope. As an actress she puts forth one persona for her adoring fans but in her private life she’s still deeply affected by her early years. Joe’s struggles with addiction lead to many failed attempts at rehab. In between these stints at rehab Joe is desperately trying to conceive a child with her husband Syd. Half of the famous Hollywood couple, Syd is away on movie locations more than he’s at home with Joe.

A former member of the Scottish Special Forces, Kelly MacThomas Pockets, becomes a personal bodyguard for Maybe Joe Sue. Ever the professional, Pockets takes his job of protecting Joe very seriously with no regard to what it might cost him personally.

How far would someone go to help keep hope alive for a friend? How do you know whether those closest to you really care or are just using you for their own gain?

This book was a true page turner and definitely plays out like a movie in your head. I highly recommend preordering The Last Exchange which has a publication date of October 3, 2023. And while you’re waiting, there are so many other great titles by Charles Martin to check out.

#TheLastExchange #ThomasNelson #NetGalley
#favoriteauthor #bookstagram #juliawoodard

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin is due to be published October, 2023. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Joe Sue stars in this story of a “rags to riches” actress, complete with an addiction as she traverses fame. Joe Sue is kidnapped, but why? For detox, for money, for power or for love? The story is told
alternating between “before” and “after”. Unexpected secrets and actions follow Boots and Joe Sue. Easy to follow storyline, even with the back and forth timeline.

Charles Martin delivers another outstanding book. His ability to pull his audience in and his ability to develop unlikely, unlike able characters into those we love. I highly recommend The Last Exchange along with any of Charles Martin’s previous books.

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren’t working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue. It didn’t take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.

I was first introduced to Charles Martin when I read The Water Keeper for my book club and have been a fan ever since. He writes about flawed people and then develops them throughout his books. This story was no exception. He always throws in a couple of "curve balls" in the plot that I never see coming. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this book. I highly recommend it.

Thomas McPockets,aka Pockets,retired from Scottish Special Forces,was hired to be bodyguard to movie star Maybe Joe Sue. For years, he watches her undergo emotional and physical pain of trying to have a child. She also gets addicted to drugs. He jumps in to save her in a very nonconventional way. I loved this story. It may have been a little long in some aspects but it was still a great book. Thanks Net Galley for the ARC of this book.I highly recommend it!