This book was okay. I struggled with the dialogue a lot, which felt weak in most areas, but Avery and Josh's relationship was overall a positive.

This is a fantastic debut with an absolutely beautiful cover (I won’t lie, I was initially drawn in by that cover alone).

This book is a second chance romance which I always find to be a cute, fun read. I was hooked into Josh and Avery’s story and their reconnection so quickly that I procrastinated many other tasks in order to find out what happens.

I do feel that’s there’s a bit of a missed opportunity with how quickly the couple get together and resolve problems. I think if this was a bit more drawn out with grovelling and a ‘will they’ or ‘won’t they’ could definitely add some more depth and realism. Overall super fun and super cute!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Elodie for providing me with this copy!

Thank you so much not only for the arc but also for the TW at the beginning of the book. I love when authors do this and let their readers know what they are getting into.

TW: anxiety, depression, toxic family, brief mention of SA, loss of a loved one and grief.

First of all, I cannot believe this is a debut novel???
Literally need more from elodie immediately!
One of the best portrayals of mental health I’ve read in a minute! As someone with anxiety and who has struggled with it so badly I didn’t leave my house for a whole year without someone with me, thank you for talking about this in authenticallyz

Childhood friends to lovers is literally my favorite trope, and I loved reading Avery and Josh’s story! Avery struggles with anxiety, but is determined to live the life she is determined to have. I felt like Josh and Avery had such a good relationship and I was rooting for them the whole time!

The open door scenes !? Phew, way spicer than I was anticipating!

Overall I really loved this, I cannot wait to have a physical copy and do a reread when it gets colder!
One of top reads of the year:)

Avery and Josh were best friends in their teens. He left to Europe ten years ago, even after he promised he would never leave her. They haven't seen or heard from each other since. Josh and Avery run into each other at a fundraising event in Toronto and all the feelings resurface for Avery. When a chance to advance her career in photographing Josh's sisters wedding comes up, Avery puts her feelings aside for the sake of progress. This results in Avery spending more time with Josh and old feelings come back. Avery doesn't know if she can trust Josh after he left, and she doesn't know if she can trust herself to take a leap knowing that he may leave again.

This book was absolutely beautiful and gave me so many feelings. The author did such a good job in describing panic attacks, it was so real and raw, and described how they can be a so all encompassing at times. I also was impressed with the depth of the characters and seeing their growth in this book.

This book was such a beautiful story of friendship and love. It was also a second chance at what may have been. There are a few things that are on page in the book that the author does talk about at the beginning, which I felt was done respectfully and delicately. I appreciated the thought and care put into these sections especially. I absolutely loved how gentle and kind Josh was, asking for consent and making Avery feel comfortable with everything that happened.

I honestly could not believe this was a debut novel. Elodie Colliard's writing is truly wonderful and I look forward to seeing what she writes in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Excuse me while I cool off. 😳 Elodie can write a spicy scene, y’all! To be honest, she can write any type of scene, her writing is fantastic, but the spice here was next level! This may have been a debut novel, but Elodie wrote like an experienced romance author!

This book got off to a slow start for me personally, but once I got invested in the blooming relationship, I was all in and devoured this book in two days. I found myself rooting for Josh & Avery mostly because Josh is a VERY well written book boyfriend!

There is depth to this book as well. It deals with parental pressure, anxiety and mental health issues, and a scene involving sexual assault. Elodie started the book with an author’s note about her decision to write this scene and why, and I think it’s so so important. I think she handled that scene with care and respect, while bravely shining a light on the details of what so many woman have unfortunately had to face, rather than keeping it hidden in the shadows.

I didn’t give it a full 5⭐️ because there were some ‘not for me’ plot issues that really bothered me and made it hard to get fully invested at first. Overall though, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it if you’re looking for a spicy romance. I can’t stress enough I was really impressed with Elodie’s writing style— but I can try. The writing, the writing, the writing! I will definitely check out whatever she comes up with next!

This was honestly such a great debut novel by Elodie Colliard . It had so many things I absolutely loved.

What caught my eye for this book was the cover… I mean, how gorgeous is it? 😍 I also went in knowing that it was a second chance romance based on the title. Apart from that, I had no idea what to expect.

I loved how it was friends to strangers to lovers as well as a second chance romance. This is not one of my favorite tropes, but I really liked this one and thought it was really well done.

Some of the highlights of the book for me:
🌃 This book took place in Toronto! As a Canadian, I loved seeing a Canadian cities represented in books as it’s something that I don’t find happens very often.
💕 I love when a book has good descriptions, and wow, this book made me feel like I was in Toronto (even if I’ve never been 🙈)
🌃 I loved Avery and Josh together; I like how they built their relationship and the journey that they have been on together. Josh was a really great book boyfriend!
💕 The side characters in this book were great, and they really helped shape the story.
🌃 The topics and the mental health representation in this book was wonderful, and was done in a very thoughtful manner.
💕 The steam in this book was wonderful…
🌃 This book had chapter names, all based on songs which were associated to the story and the mood of the chapter, and I really enjoyed that.

There were some bits that I found a bit long, as well as I wish there were a bit of grovelling from the MMC, but overall, this was a really great debut novel and one that I would recommend to second chance book lovers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Élodie Colliard for this ARC! Out November 1st!

4⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher (Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op) for an advanced reader copy for my honest opinion.

TW: Rape, mental health, panic attacks, mention of cheating and divorce.

This book had:
*Friends to lovers
*Second chance romance
*Mental health awareness


I loved the relationship between Brooke and Avery at the start, but I felt like it wasn't mentioned enough throughout the book. I was going to give this a 3 stars but after getting to 70% of the book, that's when the real action started happening and the *spice so it deserved a 4 star.
I would have loved to see more memories or more friendship stories between the 3 friends. And would have loved to see more angst between them. Overall, the story was done and told beautifully and I would definitely want to read more of Elodie's writings.

“𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆. 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒍𝒆, 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚.”

I am always happy to celebrate Bookstagrammer authors, so when I got the chance to read Élodie Colliard’s debut romance novel, I couldn’t wait to see the world she created!

The influence of Colliard’s favourite The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment is clear - from the opening pages, we know that we are getting more and that this is the beginning of a series with characters that we are going to meet and love. I loved the influence of music throughout the story, not only in Josh’s occupation but with the playlist at the beginning and the chapter titles referencing song titles. While the book’s romance is central - how could you not love Avery and Josh’s story of best friends finding each other again and also finding love - there is a lot more to this story too. It is a love letter to Toronto and Canada, to best friend relationships (the link between Avery, Brooke and Josh was amazing) and sibling relationships (I LOVED how close Josh and Julia were, along with Avery and Miles being each other’s rock but also their playful banter). Avery and Brooke reminded me a lot of a close friend of mine and her best friend - they too grew up with each other and shared the same birthdays! The humour made me chuckle - usually at Avery’s expense and helped balance the heavier moments (dealing with anxiety and sexual assault). I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough on this story (especially when it got to the STEAM y’all!) and became fully invested. I could’ve done with a little more Brooke in the last bit of the story (especially the epilogue), but that is a minor complaint.

The Last Encore is a story of second chances, best friends, learning to trust, taking risks, finding out who you’re supposed to be, missed opportunities, and family relationships. It is a celebration of all things great about romance reads (with a wink to book boyfriends!). I’m so excited Elo has decided to keep life with these characters going - I’m looking forward to more of her writing! Thank you to the author herself and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Last Encore by Elodie Colliard

First and foremost for me is a massive thank you to Elodie Colliard for the Authors Note in the book and then including it for Avery. As a sufferer myself having this made me more aware of the context of the book and gave me a broader mind of how to handle it. Now let's get on to the rest of the book.

Avery the anxiety panics she feels feel so relatable. I like how Brooke helps her deal with the anxiety. Josh was trying to escape from the pain of a loss.

Josh seeing him after many years shocked Avery after 10 years. Remember how he left hurts the ladies they both hurt and had different reactions.
I enjoyed the somewhat gradual chemistry between Avery and Josh, however, I do believe things moved a little too quickly at first, but things did work out in the end.


The only thing I wish I had seen more of in the book was Avery's photography work because the scenes that were described in the book were so fascinating to read. However, that is only a minor criticism.

Thank you, NetGalley, Elodie Colliard and the publishers for an early review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. The book is anticipated to be published on November 1, 2022.

#NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview#goodreads #Elodie Colliard #TheLastEncore

This is such a cute book, and amazing for a debut! I really liked how accurate Avery's anxiety was and how emotionally in-tune Josh was. Also, Josh was hot af, sweet, funny, AND attentive? Um . . . Can we say amazing book boyfriend or what? I also really love that rescue cats play a small role, enjoyed B and Alice, and the overall conversation around mental health. Also . . . The SPICE?! 🥵 Right away I knew that Miles and Riley would be book two, so I'm excited for that and to see how their story plays out.

While there were one or two things that didn't work for me personally, 98% of this was super solid and everything I'd look for in a romcom. Can't wait to get the paperback and be able to tab the shit out of it!

I would like to point out that I am very appreciative of the trigger warning at the beginning of this novel, and I think that the topic involved was handled delicately throughout. I found the main character to be very relatable - Avery is a very anxious person and struggles with panic attacks, and I thought that these two topics were handled really well and the representation was really great. I really enjoyed seeing how Josh and Avery's relationship grew throughout the novel, from friendship to a tender growth to something more, balancing second chances and pain from years before. I do think that the romance occurs a bit too quickly into the novel - I wish there had been more buildup, especially with the past between Josh and Avery, but it was a really lovely romance and as I said before, the mental health topics were handled so brilliantly and realistically.

I just love a good childhood friends to lovers romance, especially if it's a second chance love story, so naturally jumped at this arc.

Sadly, this didn't live up to my expectations☹️
📷Firstly, it wasn't really a second chance romance they weren't together as teens just friends...

📷The writing and dialogue felt very simplistic and immature, and was often cheesy and cringey.

📷There wasn't enough angst! I need more slow burn, longing and pining; this just felt too quick.

📷There was only one flashback to the teenage years, so couldn't really connect too much to their story, which lacked depth. There was too much telling, and it was a bit boring in parts.

📷Avery spoke about being a bigger girl at the start of the story, but then it's never mentioned again, and the girl on the cover is slim🤷🏻‍♀️

📷Brooke, Avery's best friend felt very one dimensional, as if she was just there to tick a box.

🎶However, I did appreciate the mental health rep, particularly focusing in on anxiety and panic attacks. As a sufferer of both, this felt true.

🎶I liked the consent between Avery and Josh, it was present in all of the many sexy scenes between the two of them. This was a very open door romance, with lots of sex scenes 🔥

*The author included a sexual assault in the past, which she have a trigger warning for*

🎶Avery being a photographer, and wanting a career was great, I liked that about her.

Overall, I think Elodie Colliard definitely has potential, as this was her debut. However, the writing, characterisation and plot does need to improve.

That this is the author's debut book still baffles me!

This was such a lovely and beautiful tale of friendship, love, and second chances. The appropriate trigger warning was present, which I appreciated, and it was handled delicately.

The characters had a lot of depth, were likable, grew, had chemistry, and were portrayed in such a clever way.

Our MC, Avery She struggled with anxiousness at times, but her main issue was that she was adamant about living the life she desired and would not let anything stand in the way of her goals.

Josh and Avery had a wonderful and sincere relationship. I was rooting for Avery and Josh the entire book. Their relationship took a twist that was rough, lovely, delightful, and yummy. The gradual burn was scrumptiously spicy..

As I've already said, I also personally think the author does a wonderful job of portraying mental health. it's so real and true while still being full of kindness. The author depicts these mental diseases as they actually are. How it can engulf and remove a person totally.

Although there are a few flaws, I think you can still grasp this fantastic debut despite them.

The book is anticipated to be published on November 1, 2022.

And I thank the opportunity to receive an ARC from Victory Editing Co-op and NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

*Reviewed on NetGalley & Goodreads. Will review on my blog once published!

🎹🍁🇨🇦The Last Encore🇨🇦🍁📸


Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

What a lovely book, it seems weird to believe that it’s a debut novel!
I liked most characters especially Josh, the guy was a total simp and a softie, i mean he slept in his car the whole night while waiting for Avery, gave up his dream job for her and was such an attentive big brother too.
I felt really sorry for his sorrow and for much his loss impacted his life.

Avery was a great character too, even if i think that we didn’t see her full potential. But i believe that she was such a great anxiety rep!
Sometimes her thoughts would spiral into multiple directions at once but as someone who suffers from anxiety, i got what the author wanted to represent and it didn’t bother me at all💖
It was hilarious how Avery always tried to keep her hopes down but got excited anyway for everything, i feel you Avie😂

Love the epilogue and how both Josh and Avery got to achieve their dreams!!
And this book definitely made me wanna visit Canada, even if i probably wouldn’t survive in that weather😬 i mean, i’m always cold in southern Italy, i don’t know what i would do in Canada🙈


Why i didn’t give this a full 5⭐️:

❄️I understand Avery and Brooke’s pain and the fact that they felt betrayed by Josh departure to Europe, i did too when my best friend moved out of the country without a lot of warning, my sister and two other friends moved out of town, there were only online lessons on my first year of uni so it was a bit lonely but it’s their life, we’re all trying to survive as best as we can.
So it didn’t make sense for me that they all blamed Josh for “leaving” Avery. Even with what she’s been through, everyone has their own life and even if another person’s absence can be painful at the beginning, it’s how life goes!
Josh needed to leave for valid reasons, but even if it was just to enjoy life after high school…it would have been legit!!
❄️Also i felt like sometimes Avery, even when angry or frustated, didn’t leash out. I would have loved to see a demonstration of a fiercer part of her!


Little appreciation for Brooke (Avery’s bff) i loved how enthusiastic and chaotic she was, for Avery’s mama who’s been through such a difficult journey and for Simba, Avery’s cat🐈


Can’t wait to read Riley and Miles’ book next!!


Thanks to netgalley, the author and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own!!

I wanted to love this one more than I did... I found myself skimming through a lot of parts because it was too much fluff and not enough substance. There were bits and pieces that I liked, but overall it felt drawn out and too long, not enough tension, I didn't particularly connect with Avery or Josh so I think that made things stilted for me as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars
Loved this story! Didn’t know anything about this book, but knew I had to read it as it is a fellow bookstagrammer that wrote it. I was so excited to get approved for this arc!

Second chance friends to lovers is my favourite romance trope and debut Canadian indie author, Elodie Colliard does it sooo well with The last encore!

What I loved about this book:

-The strong female main character
-Wonderful sibling/friend relationships
-The steamy, open door scenes that talk openly about consent and mutual pleasure (particularly important after experiencing sexual trauma)
-The mental health rep (Avery has anxiety, her mother has a history of depression and Josh has a hard time dealing with grief over the death of his mother)
-The Canadian setting!

A strong debut that has left me excited to read more from Elodie Colliard in the future!

Thank you so much NetGallery and Victory Editing NetGallery Co-op for the opportunity to review this ARC!

✨Book Review✨
The Last Encore by Elodie Colliard
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Always down to support a fellow bookstagrammer and @elosreadingcorner is the sweetest so of course I had to read her book!

And this book was an absolute gem to read! Congratulations on your debut!

Thank you to @netgalley and Elodie for my ARC copy. I loved the second chance at love between Josh and Avery it was just sweet. And oh the friendships!

Difficult topics were discussed throughout the book that I’m sure were not easy to write about, but done in such a graceful way.

As I’ve said before I wish you friend, much success and can’t wait to read what’s next!

Be on the look out for this book coming to shelves November 1st 2022!

And as always happy reading friends xx! 💕

"She knew that as long as she was with him, she was home."

Anxiety-ridden photographer Avery Clark is struggling. Between all elements of her personal life imploding (except for her cat Simba and her best friend Brooke) and the struggle of taking her photography business off the ground, Avery can't catch a break. Until Joshua Harding, former best friend and longtime crush walks back into her life after 10 long years. Turns out he may be just what she needed to set her life straight.

What an adorable book. I'm going to get the fluff out of the way because there's something important I want to talk about later on. But basically this book was downright sweet. Avery and Joshua have that "home is a person not a place" type of love that was so heartwarming. Joshua is so attentive to Avery, my boy had it so bad. And Avery, equally as head over heels, I loved how she stood up for him time and time again.

This was definitely a slow burn but God was the tension delicious. The thing I like about second chance romance is that there's a familiarity that pushes the plot faster but doesn't make the story feel rushed. And this is exactly what happened here. The build up to them being together, the "almost" moments, it tortured me almost as much as it tortured them. But it was so well done and the tension so thick you almost want to thank the author.

The author did something that I really want to highlight. First off, her representation is off the charts, she touched on so many varied groups in either minor and big ways, which is extremely commendable. But what I really want to talk about is her portrayal of mental illness. Avery suffers from anxiety and I really love that the author didn't sweep it under the rug but made it an innate part of her character's existence. She portrayed anxiety in such a realistic way. Here you have this woman, living her life and struggling, always second guessing herself, needing control. And the people who care about her are equally as mindful to what she goes through. The scene with Brooke, Avery's best friend, walking her true a panic attack was so refreshing. This portrayal of mental illness was so well done, it was tasteful and realistic.

Additionally, in keeping with the theme of mental health Avery's discussion with her mom at the end of the book really tugged at my heart. You can see how much the mother has suffered for her depression and by extension so did Avery and her brother. The author shows the reality of these mental illnesses. How it can completely consume and take a person away.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and 100% recommend it. While there are triggering scenes, the author is very clear and transparent in her trigger warnings so be sure to check them beforehand.

Thank you netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
A version of this review can also be found @krisreadstt on Instagram.

4.5 🌟

BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS & SECOND-CHANCE ROMANCE
I'm always up for it😁

This book does both of these tropes in a great way✨️ Really enjoyed the story💖

I'm really captivated by the cover & the title too from the very beginning. I MEAN IT'S ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, who wouldn't be in awe😍


Thank You for netgalley & Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for generosly gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC

I love the cover of this book! I thought it was the perfect romcom for those that love the friends to lovers trope!