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.
Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and coffee addict. She is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing, The Last Letter and The Things We Leave Unfinished. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward. Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. A mother of six, she is currently surviving the teenage years with all four of her hockey-playing sons.
Want to know about Rebecca’s next release? Check her out online at www.rebeccayarros.com.
picked this up because i saw sooo many people describe this as an emotional masterpiece. but the story did absolutely nothing for me.
and let me tell you what. i read this while on my period and not once did i shed a tear. and thats coming from a me, whose monthly mess of hormones once made me cry over the fact that the mars rover had to sing happy birthday to itself because it was all alone. lol.
so not feeling anything while reading this really says something.
and i cant really pinpoint any specific reasons why i didnt connect with this; which is useless, i know. im sorry. so its most likely a “its me, not you” kind of situation.
♾ *i feel like i need to write a proper review then the first one for this book because it literally RUINED my life for months but ain’t no way i can reread it im not that masochist*
First review: This book ruined me. Not in a bad way and neither in a good one. I literally sobbed for two hours straight and all that because of to the damn plot twist at the end😭. two puffy eyes for my 8am classes, yay!
I loved the two couples so much. Jameson and Scarlett were so pure, their relationship was heartbreaking from the first pages, the letters combined with the chapters from Scarlett’s book translating their epic love, were precious. Noah and Georgia, were fire. Nothing much nothing less. Loved them.
"The epic, rare love story in this room isn’t Scarlett and Jameson. It’s you and me. "
i’ll never be the same after reading this book. i’m a mess, so expect this review to be nothing more than that. i need you guys to know how much this book means to me so bare with me here. i have NEVER read a book that was anything like this one. i was in no way prepared for two love stories in one book. both of these romances made me SO emotional…guys the letters😭if a book has letters in it…i WILL read it. the attachment i feel to the characters in this book is like no other. it was so easy for me to put myself in their shoes and feel exactly what they were feeling. the writing was phenomenal. probably one of the best written books i’ve ever read. it took me so long to read this book for a few reasons. a big one being that this book was so good from the start, that i was so scared to get through this book too fast and be done with it. it was like i could already feel the reading slump coming in because i just knew that this book would be THAT good. another reason being because there were two romances…it was a lot to take in emotionally. the last reason was because i was taking notes on every single chapter just because i didn’t want to forget a single detail in this book. i simply do not know what to do with myself. i feel like i just read a book and watched a movie at the same time, as i was reading i could see everything and with how traumatic almost half this book was…it was just a lot. both the romances in this book had me SWOONING guys the way i was smiling so much. it was just so beautiful. this book fucking consumed me…entirely. it is so much more than a romance. i need everyone to read this, i simply cannot imagine the world without this story. the plot twist was something i never saw coming. i was so shocked. this book broke my heart, made me come to terms with it, and then broke my heart all over again. what am i supposed to do with that😭it’s like now that i finished the book, i need to accept everything i just read BUT I CAN’T. rebecca🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺what did you do to me. i don’t want any of what i just said, in my last few sentences, to scare you guys. everything that i’m feeling…it’s the power of a really good and well written book. it’s beautiful, i never knew that i could feel SO much at one time and as overwhelming as that sounds…i never wanna stop feeling like this. i give this book infinity stars. it’s another book that will stay with me forever. another book that i’ll never forget and think about everyday. another book i’ll always recommend. i wanna say it kind of reminded me of the movie “the longest ride” i know that’s a book as well, but i haven’t read it yet. if you enjoyed that movie, you’ll enjoy this book. this book is definitely so much better and the plot, to me, is better as well. i can’t stop thinking about everything i just read…i took a nap after writing half this review and i immediately dreamed about this book and woke up crying…happy tears and sad tears, but honestly, mostly sad tears. idk when i’ll get off this emotional roller coaster that rebecca yarros put me on, but what i do know is that this book is too beautifully written to not be read by everyone who enjoys reading romance. if you read this, i hope you love it as much as i do🥹oh let me add that noah morelli and jameson stanton had my tummy like 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋 love these men so much🤭🫶🏼scarlett wright and georgia stanton i absolutely adored these women and omg constance🥺let me just stop before i start crying again. please someone make this book into a movie🥺it’ll be my favorite.
SPOILER WARNING besties stop now if you haven’t read this book🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
i instantly fell deeply in love with jameson’s and scarlett’s love story guys that’s why i’m hurting so fucking bad. it’s almost like i couldn’t enjoy georgia’s and noah’s romance because i was so heartbroken for scarlett and jameson. key word being ALMOST because i did in fact enjoy noah’s and georgia’s love story omg, but right now i wanna talk about scarlett and jameson. it was the way they fell for each other so hard and so fast. and it took place in the 1940’s guys i am a sucker for those romances…because men back then😮💨😮💨they just have really great manners🤭knowing that this was a war romance i already knew my heart was going to be ripped into tiny little pieces. when jameson and scarlett first met😭😭i literally loved that scarlett’s sister constance always helped jameson out any chance she had. guys i can’t really talk about jameson’s and scarlett’s love story without fucking crying but i mean if you’re reading this then you read the book and you know how beautiful their love story was and how painfully it ended. i just wanna point out the phonograph and how jameson’s mom gave it to him if he promised to bring it back home alive. then he married scarlett, they had a baby and he was in the process of getting his family to the states so they’d be safe. jameson told scarlett to take the phonograph back home and she refused because scarlett reminded him that he told his mom to bring it back himself, alive. then jameson says “tell her i’m sending it home with my life, because that’s what you and william are. you are my life”😭😭😭😭😭guyssssss that made me sob. and then he left to go to work and the plane he was flying went down. OMG when howard went to tell scarlett that jameson’s plane went down and scarlett asked if he was dead and then he said that he didn’t know….guys i couldn’t breathe. i literally couldn’t breathe because not knowing if your husband is dead is worse than him actually being dead and that’s something scarlett said in the book….like you never get that closure and you always hang on to that little hope that he’ll come back home alive even though deep down you have to know he didn’t survive that crash :( it ripped me apart. constance’s and scarlett’s relationship was everything to me. i adored them so fucking much. THE PLOT TWIST guys i was so shocked. i was coming to terms with the fact that scarlett wasn’t gonna see jameson again but then when scarlett and constance got bombed while having william…i was so sick to my stomach and then i remember that chapter ended with scarlett finding constance dead and then the next chapter we found out constance was alive and that scarlett was injured badly and she ended up dying. i couldn’t accept it. i literally couldn’t at the time because that meant constance literally lost so many people and then had to live a lie and become her sister. and william lost his parents :( it was just too much for me, too much that i never saw coming. ugh i will never get over it. she had to live a lie as her sister and she never told anyone and she had to do all that after losing the love of her life edward, her sister scarlett, and her brother in law jameson. AND she had been being physically abused in her marriage. like this poor woman lost everyone and even lost herself because she couldn’t be herself nor could she talk about everything she went through :( i literally can’t even imagine. now let me talk about georgia and noah. omg when they first met in the bookstore and she had no idea who he was and she ended up criticizing his own books to him😭😭😭i was dyingggg and i knew their romance would be so good. i felt so bad for georgia and her past relationship because she’d been cheated on so many times and her trust was completely broken. and then her relationship with her mother :( georgia had no one except for her grandmother. i loved how noah and georgia met in a bookstore…imagine meeting the love of your life in a bookstore😭😭😭literally perfect. the way noah wanted to break down her walls and get her to trust him was everything. also when i found out this book was gonna be about noah finishing georgia’s gran’s book!!! i was so excited because i literally haven’t read anything like it and you know as a reader who loves books…it’s the best plot to read about😭what literally got me was when noah said “and called the sex unsatisfying. all i needed was one night and I’d show her exactly how satisfying it could be” AND HE DID😮💨😮💨😮💨😮💨georgia literally fell in love with an author omg. i loved their romance soooo much. and the way he’d talk about georgia’s eyes😭😭pretty much the same wait jameson would talk about scarlett’s🥹🥹🥹so cute. also omg noah would always think that it would be nice to have someone like constance to help him out with georgia like constance had helped jameson with scarlett. little did noah know that hazel, georgia’s best friend, was literally team noah😭😭she was all for him and was always in georgia’s ear telling her about all the points he’d rack up. some points for being good with kids, points for when noah flew georgia’s mom out, etc. i literally loved the little parallels between the two romances. everything about this book was amazing. i already wish i could read it again for the first time. the plot twist made me sad but i was happy to know that jameson and scarlett did have their happy ending in heaven and then they got their happy ending that noah wrote to finish the book. and then noah and georgia got their happy ending too🥹even constance, when she married brian she said she was truly in love. ugh so beautiful.
Oh God, I have an unshakable urge to lay down and stare at the ceiling while absorbing all the shits that happened. It's so sad how heart-shatteringly beautiful this book is.
As I start reading this book, I took my time slowly cause I know this is going to be filled with heavy stuffs. It is but not in a boring way. There are two timelines in this book, one is present and one dated back to WW2. (This is actually my first historical romance on WW2 that I read) at first I felt like meeeeeh I didn't feel the excitement but after I kept reading I was instantly hooked. And it was actually funny how I constantly switching in which timelines I prefer following better throughout the book. But this is a proof that this book is such a page-turner.
I loved it. Every single moment of the book. ♡ The MCs are incredible, we have two pairs MCs here and both are just remarkably well developed. ♡ The romance? Pure bliss, I can definitely feel that what they were having is an otherworldly passionate love that I don't think I feel in every other book I read so far. ♡ I wouldn't even guess that I would experience the most heart-slicing twist with this book. I didn't even see it coming from an inch in front of me. ♡ I would say that a perfect romance book always sprinkled with a good heart-slicing, heart-shattering, heart-stabbing scene. This book is just..... well it safe to say that I was constantly getting washed with waves of FEELS in some parts of the book. ♡ the spice was special and romantic, almost poetic. ♡ this book just made me feel ✨️everything✨️
God, I'm not sure what to write anymore. But in my standard (that actually quite low), if I read a book and I felt hundreds different layers of feeling, I would say the book succeed in winning my heart. and dare I say that this book is that perfect book. As I always say to myself, why do I read? I read because I want to feel good. I want to feel good by feeling all the feelings that a book could provide.
Well this book? Certainly does it job for me. I would put this in my favorite shelf but I don't think I'm going to reread it because I don't think I can't handle the heartbreak one more time 💔
I don’t think there are a lot of readers who would not acknowledge the amazing writing of Rebecca Yarros! It is gripping and emotional! I was anticipating and had the best intentions for this new release.
There were two completely different, yet beautiful, love stories unraveling in this book. One in the 40s, where the main couple was Jameson and Scarlett and the other in present time with, Scarlett’s great granddaughter, Georgia and Noah.
I fell in love with Scarlett and Jameson’s love story. Completely! Georgia and Noah’s story was wonderful, however didn’t manage to captivate me as much as her great grandmother’s.
My main issue was that I felt I was alternately reading two different books in parallel. They were being developed in dissimilar time period, changed by turns throughout the chapters and had naturally a different style, which had my interest divided.
The Things We Leave Unfinished is an excellent book with two great love stories. This book is emotional. The book alternates between Scarlett and Jameson’s love story during World War II and Georgia and Noah in present day Colorado. Yarros pulls the reader into the story and then switches back and forth between both stories in a way that makes it impossible for the reader to put down. This book is an emotional roller coaster. The whole book leads up to a crazy twist that I didn’t see coming. Besides the two beautiful love stories, different family relationships are displayed. Georgia has a complicated relationship with her mother while Noah has a great relationship with his mother and sister. Georgia has trust issues and is always helping her mother. Noah has a bad reputation and makes a bad first impression but keeps fighting for Georgia’s trust. Scarlett is a strong, independent woman that is always looking out for her loved ones. Jameson is charming and all he wants is for Scarlett to be safe and happy. Scarlett and her sister, Constance are best friends and always looking out for each other. The stories are unique. Nobody writes emotional romances like Rebecca Yarros and The Things We Leave Unfinished is another great one.
Thank you Rebecca Yarros, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for The Things We Leave Unfinished.
I don't know why I bothered finishing this book, it was such a slog to get through. It's over 100 pages too long, and meanders. I really wanted to like this. The premise was intriguing but the writing was inconsistent, purple prose in one section and then weirdly crass language used to describe the main characters' bodies in the next. The male was hard and muscly and the female was soft and curvy but both had tight asses apparently. I absolutely hated the alternating first person perspectives for Noah and Georgia with the third person grandparents love storyline sprinkled in. I felt that it really slowed down the flow of the book and took you out of it. In the end, the grandparents storyline being there made sense and I didn't mind it but the book had been so long and hard to get through that I couldn't tell if I didn't mind it or I just didn't care. I will say that the author did a good job of writing different voices for all her characters that they were easy to distinguish which was a welcome after the last few books I read with alternating narrators all sounding the same. The twist was a good one, I didn't see it coming but Noah being upset that Georgia chose to change the ending to the one he wanted was strange and her shouting it's because I love you! made no sense in context. It wasn't entirely wrong but it was just jarring and weird because it was obvious she was trying to save his career. Noah and Georgia's love story felt really underdeveloped so a lot of their actions and reactions made no sense. Like Noah inviting Georgia's mom to magically heal years of neglect so Georgia can trust and love again, or him lying about finishing the book so he can convince her to love him back. I am glad she called out his manipulation at the very least. Then Georgia feeling upset when Noah gets bad reviews after the ending she chose leaked and so her changing the ending to the one Noah wanted to save his career rather than publicly saying that she had rights to choose the ending because she was Scarlett Stanton's granddaughter made no sense, neither did Noah insisting on the happy ending as if he knew Georgia's grandmother better than her or his assertion that the ending Georgia chooses indicates her readiness to love and trust. Honestly, the happy ending for Jameson and Scarlett made no sense given that it was autobiographical. The more realistic ending Georgia wanted made way more sense and wasn't any less romantic. Honestly, the writing and the storyline was just so odd and awkward at times. The plotlines and characters felt really underdeveloped due to the parallel storylines. The book also read very imperialist, America is always right, and super white to me. 2/5 stars
The Things We Leave Unfinished is a true timeless masterpiece. A book that will resonate in your soul and be long remembered.
I am a fan of the author and like knowing that she lives in Colorado and half of the story takes place there and is so beautifully described. She is also knowledgeable about military life making the book all the more real to me. I can't imagine living through a war, and felt on every page as if I was there.
The author varies the chapters with the past and the present and this book is two love stories in one with so many layers. So many emotions. I laughed and cried, and literally talked my friend's ear off for over an hour trying to process my feelings. It was nothing short of amazing.
The past is set during WWII in England where Georgia meets and falls in love with an American fighter pilot, Jameson Stanton. I love her spirit, how protective she is of her younger sister, Constance, how she stands up for herself with her selfish aristocrat parents and won't yield to their wishes, how hard she works for the war effort along with her sister and how close they are and are both unpretentious, and how fiercely and unconditionally she loves Jameson.
Jameson is so deserving of the title hero. He came from Colorado to join the Royal Air Force with the hope of keeping the war from America. He was knocked off his feet when he first met Scarlett, and despite the obstacles of being together, their love and passion was felt to their very core. The way the author describes their relationship will make you a true believer. There are so many details and she poignantly tells of what life was like for those living in an active war zone and the sacrifices one must make. All the fears and how hopeful the human spirit is, and what one has to do just survive and protect the ones you love.
Scarlett and Jameson do marry and she longed to be a novelist. She begins to write their love story to pass down to their son, William, but left it unfinished. Once in Colorado she became a successful romance writer and after her death, her great granddaughter, Georgia Stanton, is named benefactor, instead of Georgia's mother, Ava.
She inherits her manuscripts, home, foundation, and at the urging of her mother, decides to work with a novelist to finish the book. In walks our second hero, Noah Harrison, and I could love him more. He is hired to finish the book and their relationship is filled with witty dialogue and sexual tension, and he does all he can to gain her trust. Noah and Georgia embark on a journey that will change the course of both of their lives forever, and it goes to show you that one person can make a difference.
I love the slow burn of how smitten Noah was with Georgia, and how he quickly came to understand her walls, and knew exactly what she needed. I loved how patient and insightful he was, and the clever and thoughtful ways he gained her trust. Georgia is complicated, strong willed, and protective of her heart, but oh so very good and deserving of love.
I admired Georgia in every way possible. Even though she was betrayed by two people who were supposed to love her the most, she held her head high. She was independent, strong, and brave. She had tremendous character growth and I think I cried the hardest at the end because I wanted so much for her to feel treasured and true contentment. I loved how she pursued her creative passion as well, and how she could admit when she was wrong. Loved her friend, Hazel, too, and how she encouraged her as well.
Scarlett's words were so wise and gentle, and I loved what a positive force she was in Georgia's life, even after her death. I truly was captivated by every word in this book and not one of my questions went unanswered.
I must say though, I was completely blindsided by a twist at the end. It takes a lot to surprise me! When a child, I got up at 4 am to sneak peaks at my Christmas gifts and tricked my friends into telling me when my bridal shower was. I read so often and can generally figure out a book pretty fast, but was truly in shock when I got to the part I can't tell you about in a review! Just know this book is on an entirely different level, every word has purpose, and the author deserves all the stars in the sky in my opinion.
The Things We Leave Unfinished is a perfect title and applies to more than just the manuscript. It's inspirational and filled with hope. It's about trust, acceptance, the healing power of forgiveness, and second chances. I loved it and highly, highly recommend.
It's hard to take a heroine who pitches a fit because the hero lied so he could spend MORE time with her. Give me a break. You suffered in martyred silence when your smarmy ex slept with every tart in Hollywood and now this.
There are two absolutes every time I read a Rebecca Yarros novel.
1. I WILL cry. Most likely multiple times. 2. Among the pages, I will find the most inspiring lines. Along with those two absolutes are the always evolving main (and secondary) characters. In this case, all four main characters leaped off the page and demanded my undivided attention. Yarros pens story to paper so intricately you can practically see it unfold in your mind.
Noah and Georgia had an electric push and pull for much of the novel. Georgia’s empathy and love beneath the steel (or ice would be the appropriate word) she has surrounded herself with are complicated, but Noah’s “writer’s sense” and careful eye seem to figure her out. Jameson and Scarlett are why romance novels exist. Their love story being intertwined with Noah and Georgia’s was perfectly crafted.
Also, I suppose there is another absolute when it comes to her novels. She will wring every emotion out of you by the end. No feeling is EVER left unturned while she guides you through the plot. As much as I love a good cry and the heart-swelling HEA she tends to give, I most appreciate the utter shock I was given multiple times in this novel.
This is her best novel to date, and she has shattered her own glass ceiling.
Does anyone else have a specific book that they loved but don’t want to reread because the thought of ruining the experience you had the first time you read it makes you want to throw up? THIS is that book for me.
I fell in love with this book back when I read it in 2021 and I just knew it was going to become my all time fav book. So I decided to not reread it, for the simple fact that I would forever remember how I felt when I read it for the first time.
But I was in a slump and felt it was time to revisit this incredible story
Scarlett & Jameson have such a once in a lifetime type of love, I just love reading about them. They are the very definition of right person x wrong time. I also loved the romance between Georgia & Noah, which is a more modernised romance - with a third act breakup and excellent grovel.
This book though, isn’t just about Georgia and Noah’s love or Scarlett and Jameson’s love but it is also about the sisterly love between Scarlett and Constance. Any time they talked about each other, it was so incredibly heartwarming and made me think about my sister. THEY are the true love story.
If there’s one book I recommend you read, it will ALWAYS be this one. Happy (sad) reading <3
p.s if you’re the type of person to read through someone’s highlights, I suggest you don’t look through mine bc major spoilers!!!
2021 review;
This was a masterpiece. I loved every single thing about this book and I honestly think this might be the hardest I have ever cried while reading.
Also the plot twist?!!!!!!! I was not expecting that, and of course it trigged even more tears.
Scarlett and Jameson have my entire heart, I love them🤍
The Things We Leave Unfinished is an emotional story. It really is. Scarlett and Jameson story really deserves that happy ending. I think Miss Yarros got the inspiration from The Atanoment.
Miss Yarros writing is flawless. Beautiful, tender and sweet. Yet there is a powerful gentle force about once in a lifetime love. This is a story for someone who needs to be reminded that love is beautiful.
You’re right. Love – the good, the real, the life-changing – is rare. You have to fight for it..’
There’s a saying – ‘write what you know’ and when it comes to military stories with pure heart-driven emotion, Rebecca Yarros really knows how to put her heart and soul into her stories. Something which is evident in The Things We Leave Unfinished – an emotional and exquisitely told love story within a love story. Faultlessly shifting her worlds between the horrors of WWII and present time. This is a book that was made to be brought to life with its spectacular imagery – this book needs to be made into a movie!
‘There’s a warning, a sound your heart makes the first time it realizes it’s no longer safe with the person you trusted.’
All you need to know about this book is covered by the author in her synopsis and you would be doing yourself an injustice if you didn’t go into this book blind and allow the author to lead you page by page through her heart-rending words.
In present time we meet Noah Harrison, a brilliant and popular author known for his ‘poignant’ endings, and according to Georgia Stanton, his less than stellar love scenes. Oh, if only she knew how stellar this man was – in more ways than she could imagine! Noah quite literally bumps into Georgia Stanton, the 28-year-old Great Granddaughter of much-loved romance author Scarlett Stanton, known for her beautiful HEA’s.
‘Lord, that man even made writing look sexy. His shirtsleeves were pushed up his forearms, and his brow was furrowed in concentration as his fingers flew over the keyboard’
Fast forward and we see Noah tasked with the job of finishing a manuscript started by Georgia’s grandmother, documenting her epic and searing soulmate love story set amidst the horrors and fears of World War Two. Everyone wants to get their hands on this manuscript, from production companies to Georgia’s greedy mother, but Georgia is guarding her Great Grandmothers story with her life. To her, Jameson Stanton and Scarlett Wright had a once in a lifetime love story.
“That’s the kind of love that stories are written about, Georgia. The kind that makes people believe it has to be out there for them, too.”
However, she does entrust their love story to Noah with a few caveats to ensure he creates the ending she feels Jameson and Scarlett deserve. What’s lurking in Scarlett’s unfinished manuscript and her letters she’s kept all these years, until her passing at the ripe old age of 100?
When we say this was a love story within a love story, we have two romances – Jameson and Scarlett’s and the evolving relationship between feisty Georgia and the headstrong Noah, though Noah certainly revealed his vulnerable side and we absolutely loved both heroes.
“I’ve been waiting my entire life to touch you.”
Set in the past in war-torn England, and present-day in Poplar Grove, Colorado, Rebecca Yarros does a wonderful job of bringing these settings to directly to our senses – we smelt the war, we heard the bombs, we felt the heartache, and in present-day, we felt as though we could breathe in the mountain air and visualise the picturesque scenery. Such vivid imagery heightened all our senses.
Georgia had been betrayed too many times to count and as such, had become hardened and cynical, and we couldn’t blame her – trust didn’t come easy for Georgia, however, there were times we felt she was a little unfair on Noah. Or maybe Noah was such a beautiful character we saw past his flaws?
“Gran used to say she saw the characters as fully fleshed-out people with complicated pasts, set on a collision course. She saw their flaws as something to overcome.”
The flow from past to present was effortless. The emotion gripping from start to finish – our hearts feeling as though they’d just been in the middle of a battle. Insane chemistry, sublime writing, a beautiful legacy and heartfelt memories, searing love, painful loss and twists that sent us reeling. All these elements added up to one beautifully moving and unforgettable read. We did have a slight problem with authenticity of Scarlett and her sister Constance’s ‘voices’ which often sounded more American than British, thus taking us out of the moment here and there. However, this was a small hiccup in what was an extraordinarily moving story. Grab this one reader, and grab the tissues while you’re at it – trust us, you’ll need them!
Heartwrenchingly beautiful. All the feels. My new favorite Yarros book.
Need some time to 'pick myself up' now after just having finished this, because Rebecca pushed me through the emotional ringer with this story. What.a.book. Be still my heart.
This was simply beautiful. At first, it took me a bit to get into the story because of the dual timelines and the story within the story, but the more I read, the more involved I became, and it was just so amazing and full of feels. And that twist! OMG, it was simply brilliant. Rebecca Yarros is simply fantastic, and so so talented. And her men are always the swooniest. I'm at a loss as to what to say or how to explain how fantastic this was. I simply loved it!
I need to sit Rebecca Yarros down on the naughty step and make her sit there until her legs go numb.
Then I am going to tell her that she can keep sitting on that naughty step until I forgive her for using ass and block and fix you a coffee (who broke the coffee?).
This isn’t just a book, it’s a book within a book and I loved both of them equally. Scarlett Wright meets Jameson Stanton an American airman stationed in the UK and they fall madly, deeply, totally in love. The world is torn apart by World War Two, I was expecting tears.
The other story is Scarlett’s great granddaughter Georgia Stanton. Freshly divorced she’s back in the home she shared with Gran in Colorado. Scarlett became a prolific romance writer but there is one unfinished manuscript, her own love story. Noah Morelli, a writer known for killing off his characters, is going to finish Scarlett’s story.
The two stories dovetail together so well. Pieces in the UK in the 1940s were sweet and romantic. I absolutely fell in love with Jameson. Even with the Americanisms I thought it was fabulous. Then modern day Georgia and Noah, swoon. I can hear him saying dance with me Georgia right now. Delicious. And I can hear Jameson saying Scarlett, my Scarlett. I’m lost in the beauty of their love.
Regardless of naughty step sitting, I absolutely loved this book. Proper, actually, without any doubt at all, loved it. It’s a winner. I mean, top 2021 reads list without a doubt.
Okay. It’s official. I am having the worst reading month and it is all thanks to this MASTERPIECE. I kid you not, it’s been weeks since I’ve read it and I can’t stop thinking about it. I haven’t read anything of substance since. I don’t want to let it go.
Georgia and Noah were on fire together. I loved watching them going back and forth with each other. However, it was Scarlett & Jameson in the 1940s that took my breath away. Watching them come together during war and fall in love was a thing of beauty. I loved both timelines but I admit to wanting to spend more time in the past with Scarlett & Jameson! They were just transcendent. Those are the kinds of epic love stories I’m always searching high and low for and I’m so thrilled to have read about them.
Hands down this will be my favorite read of 2021. I’m calling it now. All the stars!!!
**4.5 Stars** I’m all cried out. Rebecca Yarros shook me with that twist I didn’t see coming. Wow. It was amazing and only made me appreciate the story even more. The two storylines were well integrated so it worked as one. I have to say I enjoyed the Past story a little more than the present one. The past took place during the war in forties and written with a haunting realism and authenticity that it just hit me harder. Georgia’s great grandmother Scarlett and her sister Constance were my favorites along with Jameson. What an epic story and love. The present one with Georgia was great too with her slowly opening up to Noah who’s going to finish Scarlett’s book.
The Things We Leave Unfinished oozes with love and I felt it. In the words and the overall story.
I absolutely hate it when I find myself disliking books which seem to be favorite of so many.
But this book had two things that not many writers have been able to sell to me - instant attraction in one timeline and an unreasonable heroine on the other.
The past storyline features a love story that felt very instantaneous to me. But love stories in the world war do tend to be like that. And I love that about them. The urgency and fervor of it. But here, the writing seems to rely on cliched lines and grand gestures (in second meetings) to establish this instant connection. It didn't bode well with me. The hero is telling himself that he's never felt like this before right after meeting her. She's also floored by his...looks? I don't even remember anymore. There was nothing that screamed iconic love to me even though that's what it was being told as.
In the present storyline, we have this impossible and difficult heroine who keeps giving the hero a hard time. Now, on paper, she has the emotional baggage that justified her being so tough. Her husband left her for his pregnant mistress in a public divorce. Her mother loves her money and flings more than her. But the writing again failed to make her vulnerabilities come across. Also, the double pov didn't help. You show us the hero trying to be understanding and respectful of her on one page and then the very next page we see the heroine being unnecessarily rude to him. Even the conflict at the end seemed needless and overblown to me.
Also the alternating timelines and stories made it hard for me to connect to either of the romances. There could have been two good books from this but instead we got one botched attempt of cliched writing and predictable romance tropes.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe I've read too many romances and need a break.
I am having the toughest time summing up a novel as astronomical as The Things We Leave Unfinished. I am completely gobsmacked to the point of heart breaking - happiness. The magnitude that this author took this novel to, that she took these characters and their storylines to is something so profound that I honestly could not even justify this book with every word in the dictionary.
Here is the thing, I went in blind, completely blind. No blurb, just knowing that one of the best authors to ever exist wrote it. Blind is one hundred and ten percent the way to go in. I didn't know who to expect, or what to expect, but I trusted this author and her abilities to take me to that finish line and she did that.
This heart breaking yet utterly beautiful novel is like anything I have EVER read before. The true talent of this author was broadcasted with every word, every paragraph, and every chapter she had written. To produce not only one, but two enchanting stories in one, and to keep my undivided attention shows how thoroughly plotted out this novel is. The development was out of this flipping world. It takes pure talent to keep the flow going when two worlds are intertwined, and this author did that in spades. Yarros balanced the impossible. The attention to detail in the proper nouns, had me visualizing everything perfectly clear in my head. The distinction between both storylines was so easily visible. Not only with the way of life, but also with the context that was used. I have some honesty for you. I thought I could feel what a truly epic love was in Romance Novels. I thought it was the butterflies and the giddiness. I was wrong. I am wrong. I truly didn't realize what the unforgettable love was until I read The Things We Left Behind. The vulnerability, and the heart breaking realities quickly made me realize a love, a true love is something that literally takes your breath away.
I could legit go on and on, about this novel, about these beautiful characters but that would totally be unfair. The Things We Left Unfinished is a book that will forever live on. It is that book that will wreck you on so many levels, but the beauty of it will forever stay in your heart. With out a doubt in my mind, Rebecca Yarros upped the anty on what a truly unforgettable Classic/Romance book entails because this one? It is her best to date.
You ever finish reading a book and are so overcome with what you read that you just don’t know how to process, let alone move on? It was hours since I read that last page and was still rooted in the same position not knowing what to do. I’m an emotional mess and I’m having a really hard time saying goodbye to these characters that have in every way become part of my life. I will carry Scarlett, Jameson, Georgia, and Noah with me and know that I believe true and effortless love exists because of them.
I was swept away. I was transported to the 1940’s where love and war were at the forefront. I was an outsider looking in and saw a love bloom to its purest form. I experienced the sacrifices and heartache in which that love had to withstand the unknown. I was left yearning for Scarlett and Jameson and the beautiful life that awaited them. Their love was all-consuming, beautiful, and beyond anything infinite.
I was left just as equally enamored with Scarlett and Noah. There was no question I was taken with them and their undeniable chemistry. Their push and pull was invigorating and added fuel to their ever present fire. I was left enthralled and feeling every bit of the unmistakable connection between Scarlett and Noah which only had me want to keep that feeling forever.
The Things We Leave Unfinished was a remarkable and poignant story. Not only is it one love story, but two. Both of these romances left me breathless. Rebecca Yarros penned a masterful story that was equally heartbreaking and brought endless tears but was everything beautiful and hopeful. A timeless and transcending love story for the ages.
MUST READ, MUST READ, MUST READ
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book*
i didn’t ever really connect with these characters, which is fine, but meant i didn’t find the emotional parts very emotional. still, i loved the story & writing in this book. reading both the past and present love stories were really beautiful (but scarlet & jameson supremacy all day everyday <33)
“you are the culmination of every lightning strike and twist of fate.” ੈ✩
There are no words to describe the pain that I'm feeling right now. It's been almost three hours and I still feel the tears on my face.
I'll admit I found the beginning of this a tad bit slow but it really started picking up towards the middle. The thing about having the two storylines with two different couples in this book is that I found myself much more invested in Scarlett and Jameson, leaving myself a little bit bored and frustrated when we switched to Georgia’s and Noah’s story.
As for Scarlett and Jameson I absolutely loved everything about them. I don't think I have ever read about a love so pure and so strong. Their love story is one that I will hold with me forever. I really developed such a strong connection towards them and I think we all knew from the beginning how their story would end but in no way did that make it hurt any less. I truly love these characters with my whole heart and will never forget them.
This book will rip your heart out and run it over ten times. The plot twist had me in utter shock to the point where I was literally shaking. Knowing Yarros, I was prepared for tears but not at all prepared for this absolute heartbreak.
i usually read books pretty quickly, but for this one, for some reason, i felt like i had to take my time with it & i’m so happy i did. this book deals with two different plot lines/stories, that are interconnected. i have never felt and read such an amazing, heart wrenching and heart BREAKING book. i cried. so much.
i wish i could go back in time and read this again, because i hadn’t been expecting to love it so much but wow. the plot, the writing, the romance, the relationships, everything about this book was incredible.
This is very tricky. Scarlett and Stanton's love story was absolutely beautiful, 5 stars. Sadly, Georgia and Noah's story wasn't as good. It lacked chemistry and depth. 2 stars
This book is amazing, and I strongly urge you to read it. I’m not going to expand very much on the enticements and hooks the book blurb offers for fear of spoiling another reader’s full enjoyment of such an exceptional novel of love and strength.
Rebecca Yarros masterfully weaves different love stories with two different time periods – beautifully transitioning between present and past. Haunting and riveting, the story was an emotional powerhouse that quickly captured my heart.
Featuring Georgia Stanton and Noah in present day and Scarlett Stanton and Jameson during the World War II era, you won’t be able to stop yourself from falling in love with all four of these dynamic characters and the family ties that bind. The central frame defines the true meaning of family, love and sacrifice – and how far and how much one person is willing to risk for another. The plots are enticingly packaged with surprise and a bit of mystery, too – each enriching the other.
Don’t spoil this epic journey – go in blind! You won’t regret that decision. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to these vibrant and beloved characters. Each couple’s story had a powerful hold on me that lingered long after the tears had dried, and the book settled in a place on the bookshelf set aside for only the “best of the best.”