Rebecca Yarros Hates Me
Maybe that is a slight exaggeration. If you have read her book, The Last Letter, then my guess is you may have felt the same way.
Today, I finished reading The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. My soul has not recovered. When I heard that this book would make you cry, I laughed. I wanted to share this review I left on the book, mainly as a confession to how wrong I was. Romance readers or not, I would recommend this one to any and all.
Rebecca, girl, pull up a seat and let's have a little talk. First of all, what did we do to you? Why did you drop this book on us? Whatever it is, whatever happened, we can work through it, together.
I imagine everyone on Goodreads has run into a book recommendation that did not live up to the hype. Some suggestions fall flat or just don't hit the mark like the recommendation suggests. When I saw The Last Letter listed as one of the most saddest and gut-wrenching books, I had my doubts. And a romance book at that? I laughed at that suggestion, that anything of this genre would even come close to making me emotional.
And then around page 60, give or take, I found myself full invested into the story. I was not reading about Beckett, Ella, Maisie, and Colt. I was there in Telluride with them, keeping a small pack of treats with me in case I bumped into Havoc. It was at that point that I actually set the book down and did something I rarely do in the middle of reading: I looked at a few reviews. Avoiding spoilers, as I will do here, I wanted more insight into how I was feeling and why this book was already being setup to remove my heart in a violent fashion.
I stumbled across several comments about the book feeling too drawn out, too lengthy, and overly dramatic. To that I would say that as I started reading, I would have agreed. Having finished, I don't believe I would have changed how Rebecca built the foundation of emotions in the story. I didn't always realize it while I was reading it, but typing this now, looking over at the finished book sitting on my desk, I get why she did what she did.
And look ya'll, I am a dystopian fiction guy, OK? I don't read romance very often. I prefer zombies, end of the world, serial killers, and mind-bending thrillers. Rebecca sat there, looked me in the eyes, and said, "Oh, watch this." How she paced this was so well done. She pushed and pulled in certain areas, mixing in dialogue that made me feel as if I was in the room or even in the same conversation. She added what needed to be added when it needed to be there.
No spoilers here and my suggestion is to avoid those at all costs. When you get to page 382, I want you to stop. Set the book down. Go for a long walk. Call your mom and have a long talk. Go by the store and pick up a box, maybe two, of Kleenex, and then cancel whatever plans you have for the remainder of the day so that you can crawl your way through the remainder of this book. I have zero shame admitting to a minimum of five minutes of seriously ugly crying at this book.
This is a hauntingly sad and beautifully written story that will force nearly every type of emotion out of you along the journey. When it is said and done, I believe you, like me, will have been glad you read it.