I wrote on Twitter that if a plot thing happened in this book, I would give it 1 star. I guess I'm a liar because I gave it two stars instead. This book has a fun gimmick of the charm bracelet and its charms over the years of the two characters. It does mean we don't spend actual time with them as a couple, and I really did not care for the protagonist by the end. 

This book is tragedy porn. It did not make me cry; therefore, it fails at its purpose. The manipulate is too obvious and because I didn't like the characters, so I wasn't invested at all when the tragedy struck.

The narrator does a good job so if you're still interested, then that would be a good way to consume this book. 
Overall, I give this book 2/5 stars for Sand Grains. This book is fine, it does the usual tropes.

I've listened to this book alongside reading the kindle copy. Must say reading worked little better for me this time. I had to relisten some parts as I was getting lost at time, I think it was moving ahead of time, sometimes by few months sometimes more.

I liked the book, most parts of it. Jake being such a likeable character but Leila, I just coudlnt get on with her. Lashing out constantly at him, didn't feel very believable to me that someone would put up with so much over the years, no matter how much love they had for someone. 

Conclusion with Leila's mum also felt little bit flat for me, I thought her being the main reason Leila was the way she was, there would be little more heartfelt conclusion at the end.

Ending left me crushed. It took me days to get my head back together. I don't feel this book deserved this kind of ending.

Overall I finished this book very quickly and I enjoyed it. It was a real page turner but some bits of it just didn't work for me.

LAST CHARM was our pick for last week’s buddy read and what an emotional read it was! Thank you so much @authorbythesea1207 for this amazing book and for joining our zoom chat. She gave us 2 hours of her time (until almost 2am UK time! She is so sweet!). I can’t wait to read her next book! Like the author said, this book is about Love, Loss and hope. Will you cry? Yes, most likely. But I still loved it. 

9 ⭐️ 

What I loved ❤️: I love many things about this story, I love how the story spans 15 years, seeing them and their love grow slowly was wonderful. ❤️ Leila has a charm bracelet and she fills it with charms that mark an important event in her life, I enjoyed seeing her fill it throughout the years. ❤️ The writing was really good. The characters were developed right. ❤️ This is a story I won’t forget. ❤️

What I liked 👍🏼: My favorite characters were Jake, grandpa and her dad. I know some people found Leila, the main character annoying, but I didn’t mind her. Because the story starts when she is 11, we witness a lot of her young years and immature reactions. Then with time, and as the story progresses, you see her changing, maturing and getting over her traumas. 👍🏼 I also liked that the story was low steam. 

What I didn’t like 👎🏼: The ending was bittersweet, I wish it would have been just sweet, and no bitter parts in it 😆 👎🏼 There were a few tragic events too many in my opinion, mostly because I read light happy reads usually. But for someone who doesn’t mind that, then it’ll be ok. 

Gems 💎: “‘I met you before I met you, and what I saw, I liked. I knew you were a good person.”
“I know I’ve let time, and parts of my life, slip through my fingers and it’s like I never realised before that time is finite. There will never be enough of it, and our lives are limited. Seneca said that nothing is ours except time. Not possessions, not money, not love. Just time. It’s the one thing we have control over, that we can choose to use wisely and well, or fritter away on unimportant things.” 
THANK YOU @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for a copy of this wonderful book!

A fantastic love story,  which had me in tears on more than one occasion. Once I started listening I didn't want to stop .

I really struggled to get this audiobook to download to listen to this story and therefore it’s hard to review it fairly. 

I will definitely go back and re-read and review the book though because it’s fabulous. It’s just a shame I didn’t get to hear it. 

Thank you to NetGalley for approving this wonderful opportunity.

Wow, The Last Charm has got to be up there as one of my favourite books of 2020!!!! The story of Leila and Jake completely captured my heart and will stay with me for a long time.

The protagonist, Leila Jones, has lost her beloved charm bracelet and in order to get it back, she has to prove it belongs to her. She does this by explaining in detail, the story behind each charm which she received between her 13th and 30th birthdays. The love interest Jake was the most perfect book boyfriend. He was everything you could ever want in a life partner and he will always have a place in my heart. 

This book made me feel like I was on an emotional roller coaster and had me completely invested. At times it was a joy to read and had some beautiful moments however, it was truly heartbreaking and just shows you life is too short and you should treasure every minute you have with loved ones. 

 Overall, it was heartbreakingly beautiful and I will be recommending this book to EVERYONE. 

*Many thanks to NetGalley One More Chapter and Harper Collins for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review*

A genuinely beautiful story of love, family, and nostalgia. It also comes with some quite difficult topics (abandonment, familial abuse, loss) which I didn't expect but was handled extremely well. Ella's research is clear and worthwhile.

It's a story full of emotion, love, friendship and hope. A must read to brighten up dreary November days.

Cannot review fairly as the audiobook kept crashing and I couldn’t listen to much of it at all. Have sent feedback about this issues a few times already.

This was my first experience with the author, and I loved how the emotions wrenched my heart. I especially loved Jack. He was a sweet and all-around great guy. Though Leila was quite the opposite. I wanted her to grow up and look beyond herself. 
The book was paced with stories about each of her charms on the bracelet. It broke my heart and then joined them back. The writing was beautiful interspersed with joy and sorrow, tears and laughter. The author wrote this with quite a deft hand. 
I wanted to write more here, but sometimes, my emotions caused me to stop thinking.and just sit with the feels of the book without saying a word. This was one such book. 
Absolutely beautiful.

I really loved this story. It is another that asks that question, "Do you believe in soulmates?" As the story begins, Leila has lost her charm bracelet and in order to prove that it is really hers to the person who has found it, she tells the story of each and every charm on it. Her story starts when she meets Jake as a young girl. His family has bought her house from her father after the disappearance of her mom. They have to move for his dad's new job, but her grandfather lives next door to her old house, so her and Jake do cross paths again and again and again.

The story is told from Leila's POV and is very linear. We watch as Jake and Leila cross paths and become friends. There is laughter, sadness, frustration and fear in this story. I loved Jake's character, he was so real and honorable. Leila was lovely as well, but she has her moments. There were times I wanted to shake her, and others where I wanted to hug her. The secondary characters were all important to the story and development of their relationship. I became invested in their lives and their story. I wanted them to have their HEA and I listened intently to their story. It was beautiful, realistic and heartbreaking all at the same time. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sarah Lambie. This is a new narrator to me, but I will not hesitate to listen to others she narrates. Her voice, expression and intonation all added to the story. Her voices for the various characters was well done and pulled me into this story as if I was right there listening to Leila share her story with me.

A charm bracelet is often a collection of memories and its novelty comes not only from what the individual charms represent but who you share those memories with.

When Leila Jones loses her precious charm bracelet and a stranger finds it, she needs to prove her ownership by telling the story of how she got the charms - each and every one a precious memory of her life with Jake. So Leila starts at the beginning, recounting the charms and the experiences that have led her to the present. A present she never could have expected when she met Jake nearly twenty years ago.

Leila’s charm bracelet tells a story born from a blend of memories – unexpected connections, missed chances, and unfortunate misunderstandings. Her stubborn beliefs only serve to drive a wedge between them every time they meet and yet Leila and Jake’s journey – together and apart, over the course of time, is achingly romantic. You yearn for that HEA moment and when it finally arrives, the charm bracelet refuses to let it be the end.

A poignant story of friendship, hope, and a love that never ends; it will tear you apart in pieces before it fills you with warmth and makes you whole again.

This review is for the Audiobook version as narrated by Sarah Lambie. A 2020 audio production from HarperCollins UK. This audio ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins UK.

The Last Charm by Ella Allbright is a heartbreaking story of Leila Jones and Jake Harding.
Leila Jones has lost her beloved charm bracelet which is found by someone and in order to get it back, she has to prove that it belongs to her. For this Leila gave the detailed story behind each charm on the bracelet starting from Leila's 11th birthday. The story covers the span of 15 years and each charm represent an event in Leila's life.
Jake Harding parents purchased the house in which Leila used to live and he moved in Leila's Room. He falls for her when he sees her room and the art that she left behind in that room. They met again several times over the years.
Leila and Jake both belong to the dysfunctional family, Leila's mother left her and Jake's father was abusive. Both are imperfect but perfect for each other.
I am not a very big fan of sad stories but ended up liking it. It broke my heart and mended it back but the scar is there.
You should definitely read this one as it is all about family, hope, love and friendship.

A genuinely breathtaking read that will take you on an emotional journey. I couldn’t put this down and actually listened to the audiobook as well to get through it even faster. Gorgeous characters whose stories are woven into an enchanting read. 

The audiobook is completely enthralling, Read with such passion and conviction. I felt completely pulled into this tale and felt myself holding my breath at certain parts. 

A fabulous read and an even better listen!

The Last Charm is one of my favourite romance stories of 2020.  It is heart-warming, emotional and memorable: the kind of read that will have you thinking about Leila and Jake for a long time afterwards.

The story surrounds Leila’s charm bracelet, which was given to her by her mother prior to leaving Leila and her father.  On the heart is a single charm. By the time Leila loses the bracelet years later, it is full of unique and beautiful charms. Each charm represents a special time in the romance between Leila and Jake: a story she has to tell the stranger who has found the bracelet in order to have it returned. The story is told in a series of memories starting when Leila is 13 until she is 30.

I respect that this romance does not happen immediately.  Both Jake and Leila have a dysfunctional parent which impacts their identities and self-respect. As a result, each of them has personal growth to experience before they can commit to one another. These issues are presented with impact, and sensitivity. 

 I absolutely love the theme of the book for its originality and sentimentality.  I appreciated learning about the story behind each of the charms. These characters are well developed and likeable.  In summary,  I found the story to be very engaging and I had a hard time putting it down.

I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Sarah Lambie who does a fantastic job as bringing Leila’s voice to the story.  I found her voice to be youthful, sweet and joyous in all the right places.  Her articulation and cadence made this book a joy to read.  If you are a fan of audiobooks, I would definitely recommend this version of the book which enhances an already wonderful story.

Thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins Audio UK  and One More Chapter for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

I loved the concept of the story being told by explaining when each charm was given to Leila from Jake.

This was not a light breezy, cupcakes and sunshine love story. Both the characters had their flaws stemming from their difficult childhoods. At times I found them difficult to like, but that was part of the story, part of their journey of growth.

It was a very well told story that will leave you reaching for tissues. 

I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed the narrator.

This was a beautiful and moving book. I read a lot of books and don't find that many have an emotional impact but this one surprised me at the end. I didn't realise how deeply I had connected with the characters and the story. Although I didn't like Leila too much, I could still understand why she acted the way she did even if it was frustrating and unfair to Jake. I loved the character of Jake, he is the perfect man really. I also liked all of the supporting characters and felt that they added to the story. I really enjoyed how the charm bracelet pulled the whole story together. I don't read a lot of romantic fictions any more but this one seemed a bit different so I thought I would give it a go and I'm glad I did. I listened to the audio book version of this and thought that the narrator was also very good. Her slightly different voices for the characters were different enough to distinguish between people but didn't take you out of the story.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me listen to this book!

What a lovely book! I expected this to just be a simple romance but there were so many complex themes discussed including loss of family members. I enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook. It could have done with being narrated by a guy as well as a girl which would have given it a little more depth but I still really enjoyed it. 4*’s given! Thank you for this lovely easy read.

I've only recently started reading audio books and the narrator is so important. I think this is spot on. Although Layla seemed spoiled and childish throughout, it added to the overall story. I loved Jake from the outset and didn't see the ending coming. There were so many times I cried during this story, sometimes due to sadness and sometimes due to happiness and at the very end it was bittersweet but loved the story from start to finish.

Oh my gosh where do I start with this book? 

Firstly let me say I got both the ebook and the audiobook from netgalley and read them alongside eachother so thank you for that! 

The story was heartbreaking but beautiful, we follow Leila, who has been raised by her dad and grandad since her mum left at the age of 11, upon leaving she leaves her a charm bracelet which is the crux of the story.  - the book opens with an advert for a missing charm bracelet, you can feel the sentimental value through the advert but obviously at the point we have no context. 

The story also follows Jake, who moves into Leila’s old house, he discovers beautiful paintings on the walls and floor of her old bedroom and is determined to know more about the person who left them - he’s having a hard time at home and the paintings help him to realise that there is hope and light in the world. 

I can’t tell you anything else because it would spoil the reading experience, but I do highly recommend the audiobook, it helped pull me into the story and experience it in a way that felt so real and left me totally invested

Such a charming read! (No pun intended!)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and joining in with the read along. A great book that I will want to pick up and reread again!