THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED by Rebecca Yarros
Release Date: February 23rd
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Blurb:
Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming.
Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce—the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel…even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit.
Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century—the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.
But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book—it’s based on her real-life romance
with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes—even if it means destroying Noah’s career.
Review
4,5 stars
I don’t know if I preferred the historical of contemporary romance in that book. Because yes, we have two timelines and two love stories!
But I think I have a special fondness for Jameson, that dashing Yank of a pilot who won Scarlett, Georgia’s grandmother’s heart during WWII.
“The Very Thought of You” began to play. “Dance with me, Scarlett.” “All right.” She couldn’t resist. He was magnetic, sinfully gorgeous, and ridiculously charming.
Witnessing their love blossom at time of war was magical and so romantic. Tragic too. But I truly loved reading about not only Jameson’s missions as a pilot but also about Scarlett’s secret work to help in the war. Both were exceptional characters!
As we go from one timeline to the other, the second love story is a contemporary one, between Scarlett’s great grand daughter and Noah, bestselling author and admirer of her grandmother ’s work.
For Noah, it was love at first sight. Even if he is cocky and has lived for no strings attached so far, meeting Georgia will change him forever and …humble him too.
Georgia and Noah had an interesting stance on trust. As Rebecca Yarros wrote: “ He and I operated on complete opposites of the trust spectrum. He gave it first, then waited for the outcome. I withheld it until it was earned.”
An that’s what Noah will endeavor to do, alongside finishing Scarlett’s book: earning Georgia’s trust and hopefully, love.
This will be a difficult task as Georgia has bug trust issues. And that’s understandable as her mother, Ava, left her time and again while her ex-husband repeatedly cheated on her! I hated these two with a passion!
“Did you know that our brains are biologically programmed to remember painful memories better?” he asked. I shook my head as a shiver of cold swept over me.”
“It’s true,” he continued. “It’s our way of protecting ourselves, to remember something painful so we don’t repeat the same mistake.” “A defense mechanism,”
She had given everything for her husband, even her art. Georgia was an artist, sculpting and blowing glass. But alongside the wreckage of her marriage, her art and inspiration disappeared. In that passage, I love how Rebecca Yarros explained the disappearance of her art alongside her marriage.
“There’s not a lot of room for creativity when you’re focused on breathing.”
But this story is not only about love. It’s also about resilience.
First when you read about all that women did on the second world war. I think this was a turning point in women’s history and liberation as well.
Second, in Scarlett’s story who had to leave her country behind and live to raise her son.
Third in Georgia’s story as she had been betrayed so many times but she was still standing, still living. “I could still do hard things. Gran was gone, Damian had betrayed me, and Mom had left yet again, but I was still here. Still climbing.”
It’s also about family.
The best in them with the unwavering support of a sister to another, the love of a grand parent for the grand children but also the worst. It talks about the hurt parents can do to their kids.
Family ties and histories can be messy and complicated. A family can hurt but also heal.
And last word: Rebecca had a huge twist upon her sleeve!
About the Author:
Rebecca Yarros is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, including Great and Precious Things and The Last Letter. “A gifted storyteller” (Kirkus), she is also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.
Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for almost twenty years. She’s the mother of six children, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and is currently surviving the teenage years with three of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time while guzzling coffee. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and a Maine Coon kitten named Artemis, who rules them all.
Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she co-founded with her husband in 2019. To learn more about their mission to better the lives of kids in foster care, visit www.oneoctober.org.
To catch up on Rebecca’s latest releases and upcoming novels, including The Things We Leave Unfinished, which just received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, visit www.RebeccaYarros.com.
Connect w/Rebecca:
Website: http://www.rebeccayarros.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/rebeccaelizabethyarros
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RebeccaYarrosFlygirls
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaYarros
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccayarros
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7539785.Rebecca_Yarros
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-yarros
Amazon: https://amzn.to/39ZKtZ6
Lovely review, Sophie! I seriously loved this one and fell hard for it. I enjoyed both timelines so much but I was so completely invested in the past timeline. Broke my heart! This will definitely be among my favorites of the year.
Same Tanya!!! And that wtist by the end!
Oooh I’d never heard of this before
I like the link between the two romances. I am not a super fan of the dual timeline romance, but I have only seen great reviews for this book
I hope you’ll give it a chance Sam!
It’s awesome to hear about the whole dual story-line that allows the author to explore different time periods while sticking to common themes, especially resilience! Great review, Sophie! 🙂
Thank you Lashaan!