Release Reviews: The Last Letter: Rebecca Yarros
The Last Letter
Rebecca Yarros
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Release Date February 26, 2019
Beckett,
If you’re reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn’t. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.
I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.
My little sister Ella’s raising the twins alone. She’s too independent and won’t accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It’s too much for anyone to endure. It’s not fair.
And here’s the kicker: there’s something else you don’t know that’s tearing her family apart. She’s going to need help.
So if I’m gone, that means I can’t be there for Ella. I can’t help them through this. But you can. So I’m begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.
Please don’t make her go through it alone.
Ryan
My poor heart. My stinging eyes. This book tore me up! The blurb barely scratches the surface of this story. There is so much more involved. Anything could really be considered a spoiler so I am not going to address any of the plot. It is kind of a long book, but the pacing works well. It is a slow burn romance and there are time jumps throughout making it feel realistic. And as I sit here gathering my thoughts, I feel like I am in a book hangover and it is going to be hard to move on from this one.
Beckett Gentry has never felt good enough. He identifies himself with the term chaos who self destructs and destroys anything he touches. So he tries to remain detached and focused which is important in his special ops job. But one letter changed everything for him.
Ella is a young woman who has known struggle and heartbreak. And she is fighting every day for the things most important to her. She has never really had anyone she could count on so she is stubborn and fiercely independent. She has abandonment and trust issues. And she has priorities that do not include romance.
How they come in contact and what develops is just the springboard for an amazing, poignant story. It is about trust, hope, acceptance, love, family, and fate. It is not an easy journey. There are situations that cause pain, fear, hopelessness, and anger. And there are those that show how important it is to live each day with purpose and show those you love that you care.
I was full of tension through so much of the story. There are twists and turns...some I was anticipating as secrets were revealed and others that totally blindsided me. There is heartbreak and joy. It is truly a roller coaster of emotions. Before I knew it tears were coming from me, sometimes in happiness and other times in pain...and I am not usually one that cries in books.
I liked how their letters were weaved into the story giving even more insight. I was so captivated by these characters and this story that I hated to put it down. They are so well developed that they truly feel real. I experienced every bit of emotion along with them, and those feelings were all over the place.
This is about life. It can be wonderful, and it can be brutal. All you can hope is that the good outweighs the bad, and that you might be able to find someone to share it with.
I just adored Beckett and seeing the changes in him over the course of the book. I admired Ella even though she could also frustrate me at times. They were two people who had been broken down and were in need of trust and faith, but so afraid of believing in it. There were some definite scene stealers in the form of Maisie, Colt, and Havoc. And despite the sad situations, there is also love, laughter, and true connections. The dynamics of all of the relationships is a big part of what makes this book so special. I can't stop thinking about it. It will definitely be one of my top reads of 2019.
Beckett Gentry has never felt good enough. He identifies himself with the term chaos who self destructs and destroys anything he touches. So he tries to remain detached and focused which is important in his special ops job. But one letter changed everything for him.
Ella is a young woman who has known struggle and heartbreak. And she is fighting every day for the things most important to her. She has never really had anyone she could count on so she is stubborn and fiercely independent. She has abandonment and trust issues. And she has priorities that do not include romance.
How they come in contact and what develops is just the springboard for an amazing, poignant story. It is about trust, hope, acceptance, love, family, and fate. It is not an easy journey. There are situations that cause pain, fear, hopelessness, and anger. And there are those that show how important it is to live each day with purpose and show those you love that you care.
I was full of tension through so much of the story. There are twists and turns...some I was anticipating as secrets were revealed and others that totally blindsided me. There is heartbreak and joy. It is truly a roller coaster of emotions. Before I knew it tears were coming from me, sometimes in happiness and other times in pain...and I am not usually one that cries in books.
I liked how their letters were weaved into the story giving even more insight. I was so captivated by these characters and this story that I hated to put it down. They are so well developed that they truly feel real. I experienced every bit of emotion along with them, and those feelings were all over the place.
This is about life. It can be wonderful, and it can be brutal. All you can hope is that the good outweighs the bad, and that you might be able to find someone to share it with.
I just adored Beckett and seeing the changes in him over the course of the book. I admired Ella even though she could also frustrate me at times. They were two people who had been broken down and were in need of trust and faith, but so afraid of believing in it. There were some definite scene stealers in the form of Maisie, Colt, and Havoc. And despite the sad situations, there is also love, laughter, and true connections. The dynamics of all of the relationships is a big part of what makes this book so special. I can't stop thinking about it. It will definitely be one of my top reads of 2019.
I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Once again Rebecca Yarros has written a tale that has so many epic, emotional twists and turns that my heart was by turns breaking and soaring.
Beckett Gentry lost his best friend, but gained a task at the same time: take care of the best friend’s sister and her twins in his stead. Beckett has never felt what it is like to be part of a family and doesn’t feel like he deserves that kind of happiness in his life. He is a bit of a loner and doesn’t make connections with people easily. The one connection he has that is easy is his dog, Havoc.
Ella’s world was rocked when she received news of her brother’s death. With no other family, she is alone with her kids, hanging on to the family legacy as best as she can. And she was barely keeping things together even before that news reached her.
There is a lot going on in this story to build tension and dramatic impact. For a while it felt like the hits just kept coming, for both Beckett and Ella. But I loved the journeys each of them walked toward trust, hope, and belonging. But as in the stories that stick with us the longest, this was not a straight line to those good things in life, and the challenges they face are beyond comprehension.
I loved Ella’s determination to be strong for her children. Her drive to provide was a light through even her most harrowing moments. Beckett’s survivors’ guilt was strong, but he is also loyal and the word he gave his buddy was all it took to guarantee he would fulfill the promise, even if he didn’t think he was the right man for the job.
Every time I thought I had my emotional reaction in hand, there was a new twist that had me at a high or low all over again. This was one of those reads that had me thinking and feeling long after I finished the last page. I couldn’t even sit down to write my review right away because I had so many emotions but no words to back them up. This was a story filled with the ups and downs of life and two people struggling to do what they need to do to be worthy of those around them.
I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Rebecca YarrosWebsite | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and a lover of all things coffee, chocolate, and Paleo. She is the author of the Flight & Glory series, including Full Measures, the award-winning Eyes Turned Skyward, Beyond What is Given, and Hallowed Ground. She loves military heroes, and has been blissfully married to hers for sixteen years.
When she's not writing, she's tying hockey skates for her four sons, sneaking in some guitar time, or watching brat-pack movies with her two daughters. She lives in Colorado with the hottest Apache pilot ever, their rambunctious gaggle of kids, an English bulldog who is more stubborn than sweet, and a bunny named General Fluffy Pants who torments the aforementioned bulldog. Having adopted their youngest daughter from the foster system, and Rebecca is passionate about helping others do the same.
Rebecca is represented by Louise Fury of the Bent Agency.
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