This book was great! This was such a lovely tale of friendship, love, and second chances! I think this author did an amazing job for her debut novel! She did a great job discussing mental health topics which I really related to Avery in this aspect. She struggles with anxiety, and she wants to be independent and not rely on anyone. The family relationships were so in depth and I loved reading how she brought up this topic. I enjoyed reading about the growth that Josh and Avery go through in their relationship throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

The Last Encore is a sweet, tender debut novel about two ex-friends who end up reconnecting and finding more than friendship. Avery Clark is a struggling photographer dealing with anxiety and needing a break. She runs into her ex-friend, Josh, for the first time in 10 years during an event in Toronto. She agrees to photograph his sister’s wedding. As they spend more time together, they realize the spark they had as teens is still there.

This was a very cute story that has plenty of romance and banter, but also deals with mental health in a very delicate way. I loved the chemistry. I loved the TENSION. And I love that cover! Can’t wait to see what Eloise Colliard writes next.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

🥲 good work, Elodie!

I was so excited when I was given the chance to read this ARC prior to release day. From one bookstagrammer to another, this book had me in my feels! So much (amazing) steam, a beautiful tribute to sensitive topics, and a way of capturing a long-time friendship in the best way possible.

As I read the book I felt the writing getting stronger and stronger and I am excited to watch Elodie as she continues to blossom. This is such a great debut! the last encore releases on November 1. You won’t regret reading it!

Firstly I’d like the thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eACR ❤️🥰

The Last Encore is the story of Avery and Josh, high school best friends who had feelings for each other but when Josh decides to run off to Europe suddenly it leaves Avery confused as to what those feelings meant. 10 years later Josh comes back to find Avery and their other BF Brooke have carried on their lives but they haven’t forgotten about him at all and when he sees Avery it’s clear that not only are feelings are still there but they’re stronger than before ❤️❤️ When they start seeing each other things seem to be going well but will they stay that way?

-I adore that the author included the metal health and sexual assault themes - it was very tastefully put into the story and woven in very well. ❤️❤️ -

The Last Encore is a cutesy, mushy and a little cheesy quite simplistic romance novel. If you like a little fluffy and quite smutty then this is the book for you ❤️❤️ It was a little too nice for me, I was waiting for something to happen to Josh and Avery’s relationship and nothing really did until right at the end…😅😅 I would’ve preferred a little more grit 😅😅 but I know a lot of people will LOVE this book!! ❤️❤️

Thank you so much netgalley and Elodie for the gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

OUT November 1st

Read this if you:

Love CLo’s and Roni Loren’s books
Are passionate about photography or playing the piano
Want to find your new (perfect) book boyfriend
Love sensitive but badass female MCs

My Thoughts

The writing style is incredibly good! I was addicted from the very first chapter! The banter between the characters and the inner thoughts of the MC are so funny, relatable and well written that I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Honestly, if someone had made me read a sample chapter and made me guess the author, I would have bet my money on Christina Lauren. It is that good of a rom-com!

I've never been to Toronto and it wasn’t even on my travel wishlist before reading this book, but the descriptions of Toronto during fall are so charming in TLE that I fell in love with the city

Josh… Hi, new book boyfriend! Charming, elegant, sensitive, caring, smart, sexy, talented, supportive… Do I need to go on?! And the Dress chapter… made me swoon!!

Brooke and Avery = friendship goals! The girls have such different personalities but they complete each other so amazingly and their bond is so strong that you’ll wish you had a friendship like that IRL.

The steam is not a joke here! Some scenes are burning hot and I loved every little bit of them!

TLE also highlights some delicate topics. There is a chapter that describes sexual assault but the author kindly offers a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. Mental health topics are also included as Avery deals with anxiety. I loved how the author wrote about this topic, I was able to relate to Avery a lot and I also found some useful tips. I think that battling anxiety makes Avery a strong, brave, beautiful and independent woman who can do anything she puts her mind to!

This goes on my favorite romance books list! Pre-order if you haven’t already! You won’t regret it!

I urge everyone to drop what they are doing and go get Elodie’s debut novel TODAY! The Last Encore is a beautiful childhood sweethearts to lovers romance. I have read a few books lately which revolve around this trope and I cannot get enough! I also want to mention that it is so blatantly clear that the author poured her whole heart and soul into this novel. I have genuinely never been more impressed by a debut author and I am so thankful that the bookstagram community has sent her in my direction and she allowed me to read and review her book before its publication ❤️

This book does include some ⚠️ trigger warnings. There is a beautifully written author’s note detailing these triggers, as well as exact page numbers of a particular scene for those who would prefer to skip over it. As someone who loves writing but always pulls from their own experiences, I appreciate and am inspired by Elodie’s strength and bravery to give so much of herself in this book. I aspire to be like you.

As a fellow Canadian who resides relatively close to Toronto, I really loved the city setting. I LOVE inserting myself into books that I am reading and it’s always that much more exciting when you can perfectly envision the characters’ surroundings. Avery and Brooke were 100% best friend goals and I really enjoyed the idea of their trio with Josh. Avery and Josh’s chemistry and connection was complete FIRE! Oh my goodness. Chapter 10 contains one of the sexiest scenes I have ever read and Taylor Swift’s song, Dress, is absolute perfection as it’s framework. The steam was incredible!

I cannot wait to follow and support Elodie in her writing journey, because you better believe that I’m going to be buying every single book of hers for years to come.

This is a lovely second chance romance/friends to lover debut by a Canadian author!
Things I enjoyed:
- The mental health rep and how it wasn't just used as a plot device at specific moments of the book, but was fully integrated into the character/story;
- The charming fall/winter in Toronto/Niagara Falls settings;
- The history and depth of relationships between Avery, Josh and Brooke;
- The focus on family, and not just the romantic relationship and friendships;
- The photography and music vibes woven into the story.

While I enjoyed this read, the pacing felt a bit off to me at times, and I would have liked a little more angst/tension between Avery and Josh when they first reconnect after losing touch..

Please check trigger warnings.

I was really looking forward to this book, but it was difficult for me to really connect with the story and the characters. Avery was a hard character to like. There were parts of the story that felt slow and parts that felt rushed.

Absolutely loved the mental health rep.

Overall, it was an okay book and probably just not the book for me. I’m sure this is the perfect book for others! I’d definitely read her next book ❤️

Quick read, but some heavy material.
Friends to enemies-ish to lovers
Pretty decent spice, multiple scenes

Super mushy and cheesy parts. Not the most uncomfy I’ve been but still made me roll my eyes.
Really touching how emotional Josh is. Haven’t read many men like that- I liked it.

18+ Always check content warnings

Special thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for this digital ARC.

"We're not over, baby. We can never be. As long as I'm breathing, my heart is yours. It always has been."

Rating: 3.5/5

Here's what to expect in The Last Encore:
- Best friends to strangers to lovers
- Photographer x pianist
- Toronto setting (the book is almost a love letter to Toronto and I loved it ❤️).
- Anxiety and therapy rep (TW: panic attacks)
- Complicated family dynamics
- He falls first/it's always been you
- The best best friend

10 years after Josh broke his promise and left Toronto to pursue his musical dreams overseas, he unexpectedly comes back into Avery's life. Yet her head and her heart are conflicted. While her heart tells her it's always been Josh, her head is dealing with trust issues and a fear of abandonment. But Josh was the sweetest and always made her feel comfortable and safe. He patiently made sure she knew he was all in. I loved how he supported her and her career.

In the end, they truly brought out the best in each other. Josh's sister confided in Avery that her presence had brought him back to life. On the other hand, he showed her that true love exists... and brought out her wild side. He likes to talk dirty, that's all I'll say 😏. "I love that look on you. Wild and turned on."

Thank you to Elodie for the early copy via NetGalley.

Loved. Loved. Loved. This book had everything I love in a romance: one bed, steam, friends to strangers to friends to lovers. The whole storyline made me so happy. I would highly recommend this to anyone who needs a fun new romance to dig into! I’ve decided that Elodie Colliard will be an immediately read for me in the future!

This is such a sweet book and it made my heart so happy. I love the characters and felt connected to them. The banter between the two was great! I love a good friends to lovers story. The author did an amazing job for her debut novel.

This is the story of Avery, an up-and-coming photographer living in Toronto, and Josh, her teenage best friend who escaped to Europe for 10 years and broke her heart while at it. A captivating story about lost opportunities and balancing between setting some much-needed boundaries and letting go of fears to get what you want in life! I loved the tension between the main couple, and Josh is so attentive and cute, I can't!

There’s a tad too much use of cursive for emphasis, multiple times in each chapter and the effect managed to lose its punch for me. To my taste, there are too many unnecessary carryover explanations. Like "she did this then this", when it doesn’t add to the story and could possibly be cut out to make the text flow better. I do that a lot too when I write though! It’s really hard to plan the chapters so it flows perfectly and there is no unnecessary explanation fluff. Some of the dialogue, events and reactions felt just slightly over the top to me.

Overall a great debut and I cannot wait to see what comes next!

Check trigger warnings before reading this book, there are a few things you might want to be aware of.

A lovely debut novel. I loved following Avery and Josh through their friendship and second chance at love.

The debut had its flaws of course, but overall Elodie is a very talented writer and this story was beyond enjoyable!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

This book had the potential! It really did but it was a miss for me. I was so excited to read this book but it did not live up to my expectations. I loved the cover and even the synopsis! This book didn't do it for me! I really tried but it just didn't work out for me.

A cute and wholesome rom-com about second chances, first loves and following your dreams. The main characters has a great chemistry, and there was some nice romantic scenes throughout the story. But I just couldn't get into the story, even though on paper it seemed like the perfect read for me. Because while I like Avery, I just couldn't care less about Josh. So this unfortunately wasn't for me.

Read from October 25th, 2022 to October 27th, 2022. Written on October 28th, 2022.

(4.5)

One of the best debut novels I read this year. A sweet, marvellous read for childhood friends-to-lovers fans.

Elodie Colliard did something really special with this book: she wrote an Author's Note, where she said that her book talked about sexual assault and explained why she couldn't just remove that part of Avery's past, to just because she felt like she would be silencing her character and herself, but also because it shaped some things about her character's present life during the book. I was so proud of Elodie already for standing up for herself and her character and I already knew I was going to love this book.

Now, one thing that I absolutely adored about this book was the chapter's names. Every chapter was a song, and each song had some sort of meaning towards the chapter. I won't give any spoilers of chapter names but seriously, it was so so creative and so cool to read (and listen to while reading).

The relationship between the characters, from Brooke (Avery's best friend) and Avery's relationship, and the way Brooke helped her through rough times; or Miles (Avery's brother) and Avery, and the way he supported her as well; or even the highs and lows of Josh (the childhood best friend and love interest) and his father, David. All relationships were different and so fascinating to navigate throughout the story.

I loved reading this story so much! From the banter to the spicy moments, or the heartbreaks and redemption arcs, it was amazing. And something that I love in books when I am reading the story of a character who struggles with mental health is actually reading about that struggle. In the beginning of the book, Avery has a panic attack about a thing that haunts her mind and we read her going through the panic attack and getting better with the help of Brooke. It felt important that throughout the book her anxiety isn't just set aside and we see her navigate her emotions and trying to not let the stressful and bad things get the best of her.

I guess the only part I didn't enjoy as much was how easy the romance flowed between Josh and Avery. I guess I was waiting for a little more resistance from Avery after the history between the two of them. But honestly, it didn't affect my liking of the book that much; I just thought it was worth mentioning since it did affect my rating at the end.

Lastly, I just want to say that this is one hell of a ride and I cannot wait for the next book and hopefully many more. Elodie Colliard, my congratulations on such an extraordinary story. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!

(Free ARC from NetGalley that I chose to review after reading)

Release date: November 1, 2022

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of The Last Encore ebook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Encore is a second chance, childhood friends romance story written by a Canadian author, taking place in Toronto. This is also the debut novel from Elodie Colliard and I will definitely be following this author and her next couple of projects.

Avery and Josh were best friends, inseparable and always had each others back. At one point, there was even a bit of a spark and potential for them to explore a relationship….and then Josh left, without saying anything to anyone. He just left and it’s been 10 years with no explanation and no communication.

Avery has recently gotten out of a long term relationship that ended badly, her parents are getting a divorce and her anxiety is through the roof. Avery grudgingly attends an event with her father and is absolutely floored when the performer on stage is Josh. He’s back! And they have a lot of catching up to do!

I really enjoyed this story and liked Avery and Josh’s relationship. The author does provide trigger warnings as there is details about a sexual assault when Avery was younger. Josh is extremely attentive and is adamant about consent which is amazing. It didn’t impact the spicy scenes at all (and there are plenty). I felt there was too much weight put into the reason Josh left and the impacts and very little explanation and details. That piece fell a bit flat for me.

Ultimately this was a great debut romance, 3.5 stars for me. Looking forward to reading the next instalment from this author.

#NetGalley #thelastencore #elodiecolliard

Elodie Collard created a beautiful story filled with love and underlying topics in this well-written novel. This open door, slow burn romance touches base on Avery and Josh's present and past. The emotions that Avery showcases throughout the novel are raw and well expressed as she struggles with mental health. The topic is handled in a respectful and kind manner while still being true. The sincerity that Elodie evoked in this novel touches my heart and leaves me with great expectations or her future projects.

I would recommend this novel for lovers of slow burn open for romances, forced proximity, friends to lovers trope, and second chance romance.

Please check trigger warnings.

First of all, this is so good for a debut book. The author really gave her all in this. As a sucker for friends-to-lovers trope, this book fits perfectly for my taste. Not gonna lie, I requested this book because of the cover, but little do i know that the story is just as beautiful as the cover. Though this book is a romcom, the author did a great job in delivering and handling heavy issues. Both of the main characters are likable and OH MY GOD, JOSH?! How do I start with him. He's just perfect.

Anyways, this book is a MUST read.