What I really like about this book was the main character, Avery: she felt very real, her path was relatable and I was very invested in the beginning in knowing more about her development. Avery is a photographer trying to be successful and, as an artist myself, I really identified with her struggles and trying to keep up with motivation even if things are not going as you expected. And expectations are a tricky thing as I expected the story to focus more on this, seeing as Josh is also an artist (a pianist to be exact) whose career is not going great. However, the plot line ended up focusing more on their relationship and I lost a bit of interest here. Although I enjoyed them together if felt a bit rushed and at the same time the things that were keeping them from "happily ever after" didn't really feel like a real problem. It was a tad bit predictable. The secondary characters were there really just to carry on their story and I wish they had had a bit more development.

I'd still recommend this book as it was light and enjoyable and I'll definitely read the next story!

Absolutely 💗 brilliant 💗

I loved every page! This was an incredible debut 👏🏻 the writing, the characters, the story, were all incredibly well done! And it is set in 🇨🇦!!

Avery is an admirable character, and the realness of her was 100% relatable in so many ways! Her anxieties, her strengths, and her passion were clear through everything she does, & make her the beautiful person she is. And Josh 😍 I can’t say enough great things about him! The ultimate book bf!! And his loyalty to his family, & himself, were perfect 💗 I loved see both Avery & Josh chase their dreams, & cheer each other on in the process.

It is no secret this book has some tough topics in it, but the respect & care Elodie used was beyond perfect. I feel honoured to have read her story through Avery, & support her every step of the way.

This book needs to be read, shared, talked about, EVERYTHING! It has it ALL! My bookshelf is slowly growing with self published authors, & I couldn’t be more proud to add this one as well 💗💗

Thank you @elosreadingcorner & @netgalley for the early copy 🥰💕

I'm still unsure how I feel about this book. I want to shout from the roof tops and promote the hell out of it because a fellow bookstagrammer wrote a book but honestly I wasn't that into it. There were a lot of things I couldn't get on board with for this story and I was left disappointed. It wasn't great but I didn't hate it either. So 3 stars for me

3.5⭐️
This book was super cute, I enjoyed the second chance friends to lovers! Avery and Josh reunite after ten years and they pick up right where they left off. I enjoyed seeing them get to know each and their families again and seeing their trio become close. I loved that there was such a great balance between their moments and moments with secondary characters. It was set in Toronto so it was also cool to see mentions of places I know. It was a bit slow at times which left me a bit bored and pushing to get through the chapter.

I loved Elodie on Booksta and was so excited to see this on netgalley. When Avery goes to a gala with her father, the last person she expects to see is her childhood best friend Josh. Josh left unexpectedly ten years ago leaving Avery heartbroken. Her best friend and her brother warn her against rekindling that relationship but they can't help the attraction they feel as adults.

I enjoyed the story and the spotlight it put on mental health. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting into it. I found myself skimming in places and it felt a little disjointed. Like one minute they not gonna be friends but then they go for drinks. Then all of a sudden they're friends with benefits but they're also living together. Overall I'd give this a 3.5. Thanks to the author for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow I love this book so much. Everything about the story and characters felt so real to me. I love second chances romances and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. Josh is the sweetest man and I am so jealous of Avery. The mental health aspects from Avery and her mom was handled so delicately and thoughtfully - as someone who experiences anxiety and depression, I appreciated the accurate representation. I did find the “third act breakup” annoying, but I understand that Avery and Josh have been through a lot in their lives and aren’t perfect. This was a truly beautiful rekindling of trust and journey to healing.

I really enjoyed some of the characters in this novel, and found it easy enough to read and enjoy. Overall, I think it maybe needed an extra pass or two of editing and some extra beta reading for the pace and language but it was an adorable love story and excellent debut.

This was a nice book. I loved the premise and the main characters. I also really loved the mental health representation. However, a few times the plot felt half-baked. I don't know how else to describe it. It felt like something was missing and as though some important bits were rushed.

Either way it was good book overall, nice and easy to read.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the ARC.

Normally, I am all for the best friends to lovers books, but this one fell a bit flat for me.

The characters were very one dimensional, with their behavior a bit unrealistic. I thought the reasoning behind Josh leaving was pretty poor, especially in this day and age, where communication can happen immediately. I thought that Avery was a bit boring and I didn't jive with her at all.

The prose was dry and unimaginative, lending it to a difficult reading experience. It's not something I'd wish to repeat.

Not my favorite.

The Last Encore has all the feels in this second chance childhood friends to lovers story between Avery and Josh. They haven’t seen or spoken to each other in over 10yrs since Josh did the one thing he said he would never do- he left her. Now, back in each other’s lives again and the pull they once felt for each other is still there plus something more, something Avery is hesitant to explore. Can they trust each other again and finally give into their feelings or will their fears and insecurities hold they back from something amazing?

Excellent debut for @elosreadingcorner! You can tell she poured her heart and soul into this story drawing from personal experiences and truly gave all the feelings justice. Avery and Josh are so sweet together and Josh was so patient and understanding with Avery beyond anything she ever experienced before. Can’t wait for Avery’s brother Miles’s story and the glimpses of Avery and Josh’s life together.


Thank you @elosreadingcorner and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

This was a cute romance book. I liked the over all story. I loved the realtionship between the main characters. I think this book needs more hype.

I liked the sound of this book and was excited to read it but I could not get into it and had to give up reading it after 100 pages. I found the characters all kind of unlikeable although that wasn’t the intention I don’t think. And because of that I didn’t feel invested in the story and after avoiding it for weeks I finally have thrown in the towel.

I truly adored this story! It made me feel all the feels! It was such a sweet yet steamy story with raw and difficult topics of mental health and sexual assault handled with such care! I loved Josh and Avery, they were so real with their life struggles. They were both so relatable and vulnerable. I also loved the side characters, they were the perfect addition to this amazing story.

Also, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is! Perfection!! 🙌🏻

If you like second chance, friends to lovers romance stories that give you all the feels and are perfect for fall, I definitely recommend this one!

3.5 stars

I honestly picked this book up on a whim, I liked the description and the cover but I honestly quite enjoyed this one. It was cute, light and easy to read, good storyline and characters. Would give this a try if you're looking for a second chance friends to lovers book.

I have mixed feelings. I really wanted to like this book but for some reason, I just couldn’t get into it. I tried so many times but the entire thing just wasn’t engaging enough. So I ended up only getting halfway

This was cute and romantic and a solid debut! Loved the setting in Toronto and loved the mental health rep with Avery’s anxiety, really written well. This is a friends to lovers trope and second chance romance. The characters were well developed, I became very attached to Avery and Josh. Looking forward to more by this author. Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available now

Such an enjoyable little romance!

I loved Josh and Avery's story of unexpectedly reconnecting after 10 years apart and just automatically having such strong feelings towards each other all over again! It's like fate knew these two needed to be reconnected and be together so that they could both be happy finally!

I also loved Avery and Brooke's friendship and how they were always there for each other no matter what - ultimate friendship goals!

Overall, such a heartwarming, surprisingly spicy and cute read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Let me start off this review by saying that Josh Harding is the best book boyfriend out there. THERE, I SAID IT! Fight me! He is sweet, attentive, and oh so talented with his fingers 😉 Get your mind out of the gutter - he’s a pianist. This story was a slow-burn and worth every second! I was immediately drawn to Josh and struggled alongside Avery as she learned how to trust again after all of the hardships she encountered. This novel covered some very difficult topics, coping with the death of a parent, past sexual assault, panic attacks, and many others. Despite the harder subjects, the love between Avery and Josh was intoxicating. Their chemistry was electric and the spice was impeccable!

I hope you give this story a chance because I definitely recommend it. I cannot wait for the second in this series coming out next year!

The Last Encore was published on November 1, 2022.

Thank you to Elodie Colliard, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty good book for a debut. It’s a second chance, friends to lovers romance that deals with a couple of serious topics but still manages to be a fun and cute read. All in all I really enjoyed it.

A cute romance that blends together popular tropes and explores the relationship between two childhood friends who have been pining over each other for years. The story was enjoyable, oftentimes the writing let it down a little for me.