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The Charm Bracelet

by Melissa Hill (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 264 ratings · 58 reviews

Holly O'Neill knows that every charm bracelet tells a story. Many years ago she was sent one with just a single charm attached. The charms have been appearing ever since, often at challenging times, as if her mysterious benefactor knows exactly when she needs a little magic in her life. As a result, Holly's bracelet is her most prized possession. So when she finds someone...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton (first published January 1st 2012)

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The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey

It Started With A Kiss... by Miranda Dickinson

Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

Christmas Chick Lit

27th out of 66 books — 83 voters

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Dec 04, 2012 Ellie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: girlie

On the day of her father’s funeral, Holly received an anonymous gift; a charm bracelet. Throughout her life, charms have turned up mysteriously marking important events or choices. When she finds another charm bracelet in a vintage coat, she is determined to reunite it with its owner. When she can’t find the previous owner of the coat she must piece together the clues hidden within the charms themselves.

Set around Christmas time, The Charm Bracelet is a slightly whimsical seasonal read. Holly ma...more On the day of her father’s funeral, Holly received an anonymous gift; a charm bracelet. Throughout her life, charms have turned up mysteriously marking important events or choices. When she finds another charm bracelet in a vintage coat, she is determined to reunite it with its owner. When she can’t find the previous owner of the coat she must piece together the clues hidden within the charms themselves.

Set around Christmas time, The Charm Bracelet is a slightly whimsical seasonal read. Holly makes all sorts of assumptions about the charms and there are a lot of coincidences but it’s exactly the sort of story that works during the holidays. It’s a little bit of the magic of Christmas.

The charm bracelet stories follow two lives; that of Holly and the events which contributed to her bracelet and that of the anonymous owner of the lost bracelet. They sort of make me want to start a charm bracelet myself! Holly works in a vintage clothes shop and it starts out with some lovely descriptions of the clothes. I wanted a bit more of that really. The strongest part is that of Greg’s parents’ relationship and this lifted the book from a bit of festive fluff to something quite moving by the end.

Greg’s career story got on my nerves a bit and in all honesty, it doesn’t really contribute to the charm bracelet stories. Yes, he symbolises giving up a high paid job that he doesn’t love to follow his dreams but the way it’s done is pretty unbelievable. His girlfriend Karen is probably meant to portray the woman who values material possessions over happiness however I wanted to side with her. If you live with your partner and share a mortgage, you shouldn’t quit your job without telling them first and expect them to be OK. She tries to be understanding but that sort of lack of communication and disregarding others will drive a wedge in any relationship. Yes, maybe she likes the life that both their jobs provide but still, Greg’s behaviour was pretty selfish even if he meant well.

As for his photography career. He takes one photo of a much photographed building and sells it and suddenly he’s amazing. Again I sided with Karen on this. He walks into a cushy job with NYT with no experience and he shoots film. Now I’m all for film with regards to fine art photography but if you’re being sent on journalistic assignments, you need to be shooting digital. Think of all those potential Pulitzer prize winning moments that will be missed because you’re changing the roll. Plus he’s developing and printing colour at home? Please? And when Karen tries to help him get a paid, commercial photography job he’s all dismissive. Most struggling photographers would be grateful for the experience and, hello, money. I’m pretty sure non-photographers will not care about any of this but it was all so cloud-cuckoo land, I couldn’t cope with his part of the story.

Once the plot moved past Greg’s work life, I got quite into the intertwined stories and did stay up a little later than normal to finish it. I’m a little confused by something at the end but I was left with a tear in my eye. However it was very nearly a book I gave up on.(less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Petty Witter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Intrigued and enamoured as I was by the New York settings - how romantic must skating in Central Park be? - The Charm Bracelet with its pretty cover, charming asides (I loved the 'additional' story of the owner of the lost bracelet) and (at least outwardly) beautiful characters could all too easily have been a read of frivolous nonsense and yet, whilst hardly brain-taxing, I found it to be far short of this.

A not too saccharine-sweet read, perfect for those cold winter days when you have overdos...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book made me clean up my own charm bracelet and evaluate the charms through a stranger's eyes. A completely different storyline with likeable characters and a twist I didn't see coming at the end. I really liked this book - and I didn't see that coming either.

It started off a bit slow as the character's backgrounds and personalities were established but I was soon enveloped in their lives as Holly tried to reunite the charm bracelet she found with it's rightful owner. This was the first of...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Livinginthecastle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-the-library, easy-or-quick

I read this type of book occasionally, because they are easy bits of fluff; a welcome break, for example, from the over-the-top ponderings of Levin, in Anna Karenina, about how mowing fields with his workers elevates his soul, which goes on for several chapters. But there always comes a point, when reading these types of books, where I start to get annoyed with the lack of depth, here it was how the saintly ill mother speaks entirely in platitudes and sayings: along the lines of 'live each momen...more

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May 23, 2012 Best Books To Read rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

I only recently picked up my first Melissa Hill book; her most recent Something From Tiffany’s. When I realised she had a new book The Charm Bracelet I really looked forward to reading it. The first thing I noticed when it arrived was the very pretty front cover. Simple yet elegant and once I had read the synopsis I got started.

Holly O’Neill lives with her son Danny in New York. She works for a Vintage Clothes store which seems to perfectly fit her personality. Straight away the reader gets a fe...more I only recently picked up my first Melissa Hill book; her most recent Something From Tiffany’s. When I realised she had a new book The Charm Bracelet I really looked forward to reading it. The first thing I noticed when it arrived was the very pretty front cover. Simple yet elegant and once I had read the synopsis I got started.

Holly O’Neill lives with her son Danny in New York. She works for a Vintage Clothes store which seems to perfectly fit her personality. Straight away the reader gets a feel for the sort of woman Holly is. Romantic notions are what set her going as she learns the history of each piece of clothing that comes into the store and becomes insistent on sharing her knowledge with customers. Many years prior she had received a charm bracelet yet she had no idea who it was from. Each year she receives a charm relating to her life even though she still has no idea who she is getting them from. Her charm bracelet is always on her wrist so when she discovers somebody has left one in an item of clothing she is determined to reunite it with its rightful owner. Holly uses each charm as a clue and slowly she works her way through them all looking for clues as to the owners identity.

I realised before long that this book, like Melissa’s last, has a very old school romance feel to it. Melissa Hill manages to convey the old fashioned romance that many people wish for. The characters that appear in this book are very readable and we meet Greg who decides to start a new career much to the disdain of his girlfriend Karen. We also meet his father Jeff and as the story progresses we learn about somebody pivotal to both of them.

Towards the end of the book I was mesmerised by it all and found I wasn’t prepared to stop reading so sat down and finished the last quarter in one sitting. I began to piece together parts of the story as the book went on but by the last few pages found I was shocked. I certainly didn’t see the ending and thought it was a lovely way to finish the book. This isn’t typical to the very modern chick lit books but has a very charming feel to it. If I am being honest, although this wouldn’t normally be my first choice of story I was completely mesmerised by the magical feeling the book creates. Overall, an absolutely fantastic read, and certainly one that I would recommend for all you ‘old romantics’ out there.
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Jun 30, 2012 Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, melissa-hill

The Charm Bracelet tells the story of Holly O'Neill,a single mother who works in a vintage store.
Ever since her father died, Holly has been receiving mysterious charms that symbolise important events in her life. But when she finds another charm bracelet, Holly realises that she must try and return the bracelet to its rightful owner.

Melissa Hill is one of my favourite authors of all times and this was one the books, that I was DYING to read!
I've been a fan of Melissa Hill ever since I read Pleas...more The Charm Bracelet tells the story of Holly O'Neill,a single mother who works in a vintage store.
Ever since her father died, Holly has been receiving mysterious charms that symbolise important events in her life. But when she finds another charm bracelet, Holly realises that she must try and return the bracelet to its rightful owner.

Melissa Hill is one of my favourite authors of all times and this was one the books, that I was DYING to read!
I've been a fan of Melissa Hill ever since I read Please Forgive Me last year. I absolutely love the plots that she comes up with, her writing style, the characters, the places and even the book covers! Seriously, what's not to like about them? And this cover is really gorgeous, not to mention the fact that purple is my favourite colour and everything that sparkles, definitely grabs my attention, full stop.

My favourite character was Holly. Not only was she a single mother, having to take care of her son,Danny and still she had a very upbeat and positive attitude towards life. I was really shocked that Danny's father was such a lousy dad. He was simply not interested in his son, way before the baby was born. I didn't like him at all, no matter how good looking he seemed to be.

One day in the vintage store, Holly discovers the charm bracelet in the pocket of a jacket and that's when the adventure really begins! Holly was very determined to return the bracelet, even in a city as big as Manhattan! And I really admired her for that!

The ending was really a shock for me (a positive one,I would like to add), because I simply was trying to figure out, how things would turn out and I unfortunately wasn't able to.

On the other side of the city, we meet Greg, a broker that is extremely unhappy with his job, and dreams of becoming a photographer. However, Karen, his girlfriend is not happy with his decision since she believes that dating a photographer will not take her where she wants to be.

As usual Melissa didn't disappoint me and I'm eagerly waiting for her next book. In the meantime,I still have time to read Something you Should Know, Not What You Think and Wishful Thinking.

(less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine

I found this book to be a good read about Holly who finds a charm bracelet and attempts to return it to its owner. She has a charm bracelet herself which was sent to her by an anonymous benefactor and means a lot to her. Using the charms as clues she, and her son Danny, tries to discover more about the bracelet's owner and to track them down. Meanwhile we also have a parallel story of Greg, who works at the New York Stock Exchange but decides to leave his job and follow his dream to be a photogr...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Really more like 3.5 stars. This was really nice, sooo not they type of book I usually read but it was nice to read something out of the ordinary for me. I found the story quite intriguing, the relationships in the story were just lovely and heartwarming. I have to say though Cristina is my favourite character - such a strong woman with a passion for living. I totally agree with her about Karen! What a snob! I also loved that these people all believed in magic, the magic of Christmas and family...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, arc-or-review, realistic-fiction, read-in-2012, christmas-books, chick-lit, adult-fiction

Despite her huge popularity, I hadn't gotten around to picking up a book by Melissa Hill until this Christmas. Though the Charm Bracelet is the first book that I have read by her, I am sure it won't be the last - it was everything that I was expecting in the most positive way.

The Charm Bracelet immediately had me sold as it based around Christmas time - I love Christmas and prefer my reads to be as seasonal as possible, so I had to give this one a go. Of course, this book also has such a fun and...more

Despite her huge popularity, I hadn't gotten around to picking up a book by Melissa Hill until this Christmas. Though the Charm Bracelet is the first book that I have read by her, I am sure it won't be the last - it was everything that I was expecting in the most positive way.

The Charm Bracelet immediately had me sold as it based around Christmas time - I love Christmas and prefer my reads to be as seasonal as possible, so I had to give this one a go. Of course, this book also has such a fun and intriguing premise - our main character, Holly, works in a vintage clothing store and finds a charm bracelet, which someone has mistakenly sent inside a jacket pocket, to the store. Holly has a charm bracelet herself and knows how important and sentimental they can be to the owner, so she sets out to find who it belongs to.

Alongside the story of Holly, we are introduced to another main character called Greg, who is still finding himself - he has left his steady job in order to pursue his dreams, which causes some relationship problems and in turn, his whole lifestyle gets shaken up. Initially, Greg's story seems very separate from Holly's, but as the story progresses, both story lines become interlinked.

I really enjoyed learning about both Holly and Greg as well as about the owner of the bracelet. I really don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't go into detail, but the story behind the owner was one of the most special parts of the book for me - it was very touching. Holly works through each charm on the bracelet and tries to find out the history behind it. For anyone who has ever owned a charm bracelet, you will find yourself reminiscing.

The characters were all well written and well thought out - each had a good history which was particularly 'solid' and contributed a lot to the plot of the story which moved at a good pace and was so easy to read continuously. If you're into chick-lit, Christmas and easy, indulgent reads, this is certainly a book I would recommend. I look forward to reading more by Melissa Hill in the future.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Juliet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, library-owned, read-2012, romance, christmas

Just finished reading this book and I really loved it! The idea of a Charm Bracelet carrying the life story of two woman who's path intercepted is amazing. The sweet romance between Jeff and Cristina was a very good read and I liked how it was introduced by parts in the story together with Holly's very own past, each explaining the different meaning of each charm on their bracelet.

Although it was pretty obvious who the owner is for the lost charm bracelet, the little twist at the end of the book...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, 2012-reviews

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to all Christmas stories. I don’t care how sappy they are, I don’t care if they are religious, I just don’t care about much regarding these stories. I love them all, seriously.

I was so excited when this book came in the mail. I decided that I couldn’t possibly read this before Halloween, I would have to hold off until December 1st. Whoops. I read this the week before Halloween…in one night.

I loved Holly’s quest to find the owner of this bracelet, and I...more

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May 06, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

A heart-warming easy read, set around Christmas time in New York and just the book to settle down with on a cold winter’s day. There were some lovely characters, especially Holly and her son Danny who seems wise beyond his years. Holly’s mission to try and find the owner of a charm bracelet found in a jacket at the thrift store where she works led us back and forth in time, with each charm having its own story. I did guess the owner of the bracelet quite early in the book and the ending was a ta...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Bev rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've been holding off from buying this one because I was hoping the ebook would go down but couldn't resist it anymore! Knew I'd enjoy it because I loved Something From Tiffany's and I wasn't disappointed - a whole day has flown by today just engrossed in reading. I've always loved charm bracelets anyway and the idea that they tell you a lot about someone's life and this delightful story expanded on that theme beautifully. I even slowed down near the end because I didn't want to finish it!

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Jun 06, 2012 Kirsty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-amazon-vine-books, never-read-again

This was my first book by Melissa Hill, and although it didn't blow me away it was a quick and easy read. Definitely an ideal book for a summer holiday.

The idea of tracing the owner by finding out the significance of the charms was a sweet idea, and between the various jewellery and the vintage clothes store, girly girls will be in there element reading the book.

The book is told by three narrators, Holly, Greg, and the owner of the charm bracelet. I found that Holly's chapters were the most ent...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Kezza22 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Awwww what a lovely story... Holly comes across a charm bracket at work and has one of her own and understands how each charm means something important to the owner... So she sets out to find out who the owner is to reunite them... A few twists and turns along the way and there was an unexpected twist at the end!

Lovely book... Well written and really touching story made me wish I had my own charm bracelet with memories of key points in my life!

A really worth while book!

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Jul 23, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the one-liners selling this one was “It's perfect froth for whiling away a few hours on the sun lounger” – I really couldn’t put it any better. If you read “Something from Tiffany’s” there aren’t any surprises here – the same likeable kind of characters, the search, the misunderstandings, the boy meets girl story taking a while to come to fruition... I’m making it sound like I didn’t like it, but I really did. Melissa Hill writes fluently and easily, a cut above a lot of other chick lit,...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Aileen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Holly O'neill is a single mum to Danny, she works in the Secret Closet Greenwich Vintage Store she loves her job. One day when Holly is unpacking the deliverys in the shop she finds a silver braclet identical to hers in a jacket but who does it belong to? Holly decides to find out but is she successful?
This book was a good book and I did enjoy definetely recommmend.

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Apr 28, 2013 Helen McKenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy Melissa Hill's books and this was certainly an entertaining read. Having read all her others though, I've become quite good at spotting the twist and I did so relatively early on. However the story was engaging enough that I was very happy to keep turning the pages right til the end. If you like Melissa, you'll enjoy this.

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Apr 29, 2013 Farah Mourad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's an amazing story. How a little boy tries to support his mother as far as i know. And personally i like that Holly is w believer. It makes the story have more adventures that really few stories have. And it is a charming story! :)

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Feb 23, 2013 Razaan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is boring at the beginning, you feel so lost about what is happening, but as soon as you reach the end you start understanding what does what have to do with what. I would've given it a four star if it was a little more interesting in the beginning, but for now, a 3 star that is.

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Nov 01, 2012 Sharon Atkinson rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was such a beautiful read and one that you definately can not put down. You become mesmerised with the mystery and adventure that forms in front of you. You feel the heartbreak, love and excitement from the main character Holly, and will her to find the right path. I have to admit, I needed a tissue here and there for this, but it was definiately worth it.

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Jan 07, 2013 Danielle Tilston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finished this book the other day, and despite some negative feedback online, it was SO good! I love Melissa Hill for a light-hearted book in between tougher reads, and for Christmas, it was perfect! :-)

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May 04, 2013 Aly Hughes rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was on holidays and i ran out of books ro read and my mum was reading this book and she recommended to me and i was wary at first but once i got into it i couldnt stop reading it!!!

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Jul 07, 2012 Stacey Bennett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Melissa Hill's books & couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.
Have to say it took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was hooked :)
It was a charming read, if you loved 'Something from Tiffany's' then you will adore this book -
Definitely one to read x

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Nov 17, 2012 Julie Wan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Incredibly dull book. It was an interesting perspective on charms and the relationship to memories if thats your thing but lacking any stronger plot than that

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Apr 19, 2013 Joy Padley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was out for Xmas 2012 and tells the story of a charm bracelet found in a vintage shop and how Holly finds the owner. A good easy read.

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May 13, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-chick-lit

I had never read Melissa Hill before but my goodness, is she good! The story was so complex and detailed. I loved every minute of it and the ending was completely unexpected!

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Sep 21, 2012 Cilla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not too bad, but I prefer 'Something from Tiffany's', which is the first Melissa Hill book I read. It's a good and light summer beach read.

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Jun 01, 2012 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Melissa Hill is one of my favourite authors so when I heard she was bringing a new book out I was over the moon. I finished the charm bracelet in a day. Normally Melissa Hill books have me gripped from the start but this book didn't do that to me. It took time for it to get into the story and when it did I wasn't surprised at the outcome.

However I still like Melissa Hill's writing, and the way she talks about her characters, my favourites were Holly and Danny and also Greg. I liked hearing about...more

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May 27, 2012 Debra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy-read, books-i-own

Check out my review below:

Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

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About Melissa Hill

#1 bestselling author Melissa Hill lives in Dublin.

Something from Tiffany's spent five weeks at No 1 in Ireland. The Italian editon "Un Regalo da Tiffany" spent eight weeks at the top of the charts in Italy, selling 300,000 copies.
Melissa's books are translated into 25 different languages worldwide and one of her recent titles has been optioned by a major Hollywood studio.

Her books combine all the...more

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