How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are? Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him–especially his father. He left, swearing never to return. But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But … need to go home again.
But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.
If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…
Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we’re willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.
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Truly a 10 STAR Read ***********
What a beautiful story about family, trust honoring the wishes of family members.
I loved Camden he is a bold soldier but he has such a big heart. Willow is strong brave and a beautiful soul. Truly loved this book so much. Definitely will read again and again.
Wow, what an awesome read! This is a book of loving with everything you have, family, returning from war without your brother, stigma, Alzheimer’s, life choices, standing up for yourself and for the town and woman you love, and so much more. Cam return to town after he receives a voice-mail from his father asking for help. He knows that there will be so much against him when he does return. He does not expect to be shot by his father protecting the love of his life but he is there anyway. The struggle, the victory, the heartache, the love, written in this book that I could not written a review that could do it justice. You just have to read it! After this book, I will be getting “The Last Letter” also written by Rebecca Yarros. If it is anything like this book, it will be great!
Rebecca Yarros is the queen of emotional reads that stay with you long after the last page.
Utterly captivating! Great and Precious Things follows the story of Willow Bradley – resident artist of Alba and, according to the town, still too devastated to move on from the death of her beau, Sullivan, who died six years ago – and Camden Daniels, bad boy, decorated soldier, and older brother to Willow’s Sullivan. After following his estranged father’s wishes to return to Alba to battle for his right to a Do-Not-Resuscitate order, Camden begins the fight of his life, not only to give the father who blames him for Sullivan’s death back some of his bodily autonomy, but to also convince the unchanging, small town of Alba that he really isn’t the bad guy after all. Throw in his struggle to maintain distance between himself and Willow, whom he has loved from afar what seems like his whole life, and rising tensions between him and his one remaining sibling, Xander (a.k.a. the “perfect” child), and Camden’s got his work cut out for him.
The characters, although far from perfect, are so stunning in their lack of flawlessness that it makes it easy to connect with them. Camden has spent his life fighting for the approval of his dad and a town that only seems to see that worst in him. Willow has spent her life under her dad’s thumb and the last several years moving on from the grief that everyone in Alba thinks she should continue to feel. Together, they just fit. Willow sees the good that Camden tries so hard to hide with his attempts to cover for his brothers. And Camden urges Willow to be her true self. It was beautiful watching how their relationship developed and strengthened.
Ultimately, Great and Precious Things is a story of forgiveness, redemption, and love – that between a man and his father, between brothers, and between two people who have finally got a shot at happiness. There is a delightful twist to the end of the story and Rebecca Yarros’ writing keeps you captivated until the very end.
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Amara/Entangled Publishing, and BookishFirst for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required. All words and thoughts are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Yarros. The blurb sounded interesting so I HAD to trade my points in on it.
Content warnings include:
** Language Content (“F” bombs)
** Early On-Set Alzheimer’s
** DNR/Right-To-Die/Advanced Directives
** PTSD
** Descriptive Sex Scene
For anyone looking for a “clean” romance read – this is not it. While there are some minor elements of inspiration, this doesn’t fit into the “Christian” fiction department.
I mention these elements because some of the books I have reviewed are more of the Christian and Clean Reads variety. I highly believe in content warnings so the reader knows what they are getting into. The lack of Christian content and the STRONG language doesn’t bother me as I have heard and read worse. This is solely here to guide a reader who might want or need a heads up.
“Great and Precious Things” is a near-realistic, heart-breaking, emotional, and somewhat inspiring read. I already knew it before getting into it. However, I was drawn to Willow and Cam’s story. Definitely Camden’s story was going to be the most heart-breaking. I wondered how it was going to play out.
Told from two (2) POVs – Camden and Willow – this story starts off, somewhat with a bang. Quite literally a “bang” within the first two chapters.
Camden has come back to deal with business of his father’s. Here is a spoiler – his father has “Early On-Set” Alzheimer’s, which is the main reason Cam is back. His father has asked him for a favor. That complicates things for Camden and his older brother Xander. And, Willow, also complicates things.
Willow also happens to be the girlfriend of Sullivan, Camden’s younger brother. Sullivan was killed in Afghanistan, and everyone including their father, blames Cam. Even Cam blames himself. Willow doesn’t. She is also harboring feelings for Cam unsure of how he feels about her.
The town also holds Cam’s past against him, despite the fact he was in the military and has “grown up”. Some even think the military allowed him to continue his “violence”, though his brother was revered as a hero.
War hero stories are ALWAYS going to be tenuous and strenuous to read. Any war, whether a great war (World War II) or a “conflict” (Korea) is bound to affect anyone. More so when the person is already misunderstood.
Yarros doesn’t play around with the realities of war, Alzheimer’s, advanced directives, prejudices, or societal expectations either. She realistically crafts family dysfunction with her vivid, candid, and unrelenting writing.
This book has a lot going on in it: Cam fighting for what his father wants, trying to help the town, Cam and Willow fighting their feelings for each other or hiding them, and much more.
Complete with guilt, grief, forgiveness, faith, and love – this story will not be an easy read. I found myself frustrated, angry, sad, heart-broken. This runs the spectrum of emotions.
There is a revelation in the last few chapters that I didn’t see coming. It added a bit of drama and mystery to the story and explained so much.
The title comes from something said by Camden’s father – all “great and precious things” are lonely.
As the readers will come to learn – sometimes the bad guy is really the good guy. Sometimes people take blame because they can handle it and because it protects those they love.
Very well written, despite the language. Yarros keeps the story going without getting boring or tedious. It’s hard to state that a book with this subject material is an enjoyable read, but I was entertained and enjoyed Cam and Willow’s journey.
This was a wonderful book.
This is about Camden, who comes back to his home town, after vowing that he’d never come back again. He’s spent the last 10 years in the military. And six years ago, he came home to bury his brother, which he blames himself for his death. Getting home, he reunites with the only woman he’s ever loved. Willow. Who also was his brothers girl. He comes home to help his father, and he tries fighting his feeling for Willow.
This story was absolutely amazing. It was incredibly well written, and the characters were all amazing. It was a story that kept you interested and you didn’t want to put the book down.
It was also incredibly heartbreaking and also heartwarming. There were topics in this story, that will bring tears to your eyes. Some of the things in this book, really hit me hard, because I’ve dealt with some of them. In this book, the characters show what you a person is willing to do for those that they love. Even going against another loved one. I definitely recommend this story. This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and it won’t be the last.
Wow!!! What a fantastic read.
Completely stole my heart.
Emotional. Touching.
Sexy Hero, adorable Heroine.
Plenty of secrets – one that will just blow your mind.
An absolute treat.
No one knows the trials and heartache that can be brought on from fighting in a war. Camden Daniels returned to his hometown without his younger brother, and the town will never let him forget it. A weight bears down on this soldier’s shoulders in a way that few could understand. Small town life is harder when you find yourself blamed for the trials of life. Cam left his hometown and swore he would never return, until one phone call changed everything.
Determined to do the ‘right’ thing, Cam returns to Alba without question. Before he even has a chance to settle in, the trials of life find a way to pull Cam in the middle of chaos. Through that cloud of uncertainty, Cam finds himself face to face with the one person who still haunts his dreams. Willow Bradley was more than a childhood friend, and now Cam finds her crashing into his life with a BANG!!
In spite of the pushback from the town and his father, Cam decides to dig in for the long haul. There is more on the line than a bunch of pissed off townsfolk. Cam knows in order to fulfill a promise, he will need more than money to accomplish his goals. Somewhere along the way, Cam knows that he will have to face the gal that he turned his back on all those years ago.
Great and Precious Things is a novel that centers around loss, love, and finding your way home. Cam was the epitome of all things powerful. This former soldier carried the sins of others on his shoulders along with the sacrifices that came with those burdens. The love this man held for Willow was greater than the weight of those burdens, and it showed throughout the story so eloquently.
This emotional read filled me with so much love as I turned the pages. Once I reached the end of the novel, I found that I felt incomplete. There was so much more that I wanted to know about Willow and Cam’s life!! Get ready for a story about passion, being labeled the black sheep, and the struggle to find redemption. Great and Precious Things was the blue sky that I needed on a gloomy day.
Another beautiful and emotional story from Rebecca Yarros!
Military is my favorite trope and Great and Precious Things hit all the right marks. A book about unconditional love, family, friendship and selflessness.
Loved the way this book was written, Cam is this wonderful man that everyone sees as the bad guy when in reality he’s anything but. Willow knows her heart is right. She fights for a love so pure knowing everyone in that little town might crucify her. In the end love wins and it’s beautiful to see!
Read this book and understand why Great and Precious Things exists!
So I pre-ordered this book in paperback so I could get it the day it released. I can tell you now it did not disappoint.
I love it! It is the tale of choices and consequences to those choices that we face on a daily bases. I love Cam and Willow A.K.A. Pika. Their love was pure and unconditional. I think they had to find their selves and no real love is worth it unless you fight tooth and nail for it. I wanted more. I was sucked in and felt like one of the family. All books their weight pull you in to the story but the phenomenal ones, they pull you in, keep you rooted and give you the most amazing book hangover. This one is the later. I highly recommend it. Just be sure to grab a box of tissues.
WOW! What a story! Rebecca Yarros knows how to tell a story, holding your heart hostage until the end. I was captivated with this book. I fell for Camden and Willow instantly. They seemed perfect together. Their flow so natural and easy.
“He drew me in like gravity, an undeniable, irrefutable force that anchored my world.”
“You’re not a complication in my life, Willow. You’re the reason for it.”
But I shared the town’s feelings, that the betrayal made their relationship wrong. That’s where Yarros’ magic shines! She knows how to unravel all the carefully woven layers of her story slowly revealing this incredible tale making you realize nothing is as it seems. We finally learn that the betrayal exists, but not where or with whom we thought. Giving us a happy, but bittersweet ending. WOWZA! What a story!!
4.5 Stars!!
This book has been one of my anticipated reads from the second it was announced and I was so excited to pick it up! From the very beginning this was an unputdownable book for me. This story and it’s characters made me feel everything under the sun. I absolutely loved it!
Camden and Willow’s journey was realistic and with every page turn it left it’s mark on my heart in so many ways. I admired their strength and their hearts. I connected with these two so much and their emotions became my own.
With Great And Precious Things, Ms.Yarros has created an unforgettable story that will make you feel it all!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions / the author*
This was my first Rebecca Yarros book, but will not be my last. This was a flawlessly written novel that was laced with emotion so heavy that I felt it in my soul. This took me on an emotional journey of loss with complex characters who stayed with me long after I put it down. Read. This. Book.
Great And Precious Things by Author Rebecca Yarros is a flawlessly executed novel. The author beautifully woven together the main characters to create a story that touches your heart and soaks your soul in feelings. Her words are spun gold!
Great And Precious Things is real and raw and gut wrenching. The backstory is perfectly laid out and marries perfectly with the circumstances that the characters are currently living through and struggling with. Your heart will break…it will heal, make your soul rejoice. Your toes will curl at the heat happening between Camden and Willow.
The book poignantly describes what in sickness and in health and the struggles that families face. It perfectly marries humanity, family and all of its complexities magnificently. Author Yarros compassionately addressed the issue of being able to address your own end of life decisions while illness is stealing their memories. As someone taking care of ill parents I can tell you that this story hit home and pulled my heartstrings.
Camden and Willow mean everything to each other. They are too afraid to express it to each other or reach across the divide between them. They have each other’s back no matter how much time has passed since they last saw each other. They heartbreak is indescribable, their love is palpable and their stubbornness suspenseful.
I have so much love for this book!!!
Great and Precious Things is the first book by Rebecca Yarros that I have had the pleasure of reading. The heartbreak a family can go through with the loss of a loved one and one who’s memory is going. Cam has both of these happen, though years apart. I loved reading Cam and WIllow’s story and how they help each other through loss and the hatred of others, and show people that not everything is as it is. I look forward to reading more from this author.
A sweet romance with a heartbreaking yet heartwarming family story.
I really enjoyed Willow and Cam. Regardless of their past, these two have a connections no one can deny. I love their strength.
Cam is struggling with the loss of his brother and the accusatory eyes of everyone. Even when his heart is broken into a million pieces, he somehow finds the strength to keep going and not give up. I love how Willow has his back through it all. Their individual strength is exactly what the other needs to support one another and get through it all. My heart swooned for this couple. You will not be able to stop yourself from falling in love with Cam.
Cam’s relationship with his father touched me beyond words. While it made me angry and upset at certain points, I love Cam’s relentless, “I will not give up” attitude.
You can’t help but want to hug these characters and to cheer them on.
I would recommend this book!
Heading into Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros, I knew that I needed to mentally and emotionally prepare myself, but even then, I wasn’t wholly prepared because the one component of Yarros’ writing that resonates from each of her books is the ability to pull out readers’ emotions, making them feel EVERYTHING that the characters endure and struggle with as they work to find their much deserved happiness.
There’s a lot to unravel when it comes to the reasons for Camden Daniel’s departure from and return to Alba, and as that information is provided, it becomes a tangled web of strained relationships, well-kept secrets, and a litany of betrayals that have to be sorted through and cleared up before anyone, especially Camden, can move forward and alleviate some of the burden left on his shoulders for so many years.
Camden definitely has an edge to him, almost like a protective exterior, due to how life has treated him and what he has had to endure due to how certain events played out and other people’s quick judgments.
It’s clear he wears the scars of misjudgment, harsh criticism, and blame like an albatross around his neck, but he’s grown into a man who works to redirect his anger in different ways than simply exploding and being forced to deal with the fallout. There is so much more to Camden than certain people believe and the fact that he proves himself to those who matter is essential for his ability to move on from everything that he was forced to face.
Willow Bradley is Camden’s perfect other half, but coming to that realization and making it happen takes time. But Willow’s not afraid to go against the grain, to choose herself over those who judge her for exactly that reason, and that’s what allows her to follow her heart and be true to herself despite how others view those choices.
The small town world that Yarros creates allows readers to get to know, not only the main characters, but the supporting cast as well, and this adds such a depth to the situation that Cam and Willow find themselves in as well as offers insight into how easily misperceptions and assumptions damage someone’s reputation and/or what they believe they’re capable of doing and achieving. The small community of Alba could be any small town in America, and the author showcases that fact by aptly demonstrating how prejudices and narrow minds lead to dramatics that could have been prevented from happy if people were willing to open their eyes and see the truth behind the lies or false perceptions.
Yarros doesn’t rush anything between Cam and Willow because it’s the slow burn of them acting on their feelings that allow readers to see just how well they complement one another and illustrate why bad timing or missed chances wouldn’t prevent them from going for it this time around, even with what they faced at almost every turn.
I so appreciate every aspect of Rebecca Yarros’ writing because she ALWAYS allows readers to understand who her characters are at her core, way beneath the hardened or damaged exterior. Readers see, firsthand, just how complex…how endearing…just how worthy the hero and heroine are, despite other people’s misjudgments…despite their own self-doubt and recriminations.
4.5 Poison Apples
Miss Yarros did it again! what a wonderful book, I couldn’t put it down, these characters and story will pull at your heartstrings, be prepared to be blown away!
This book has a couple of things going on for the Hero… Wether its the hope of romance, personal journey and growth or the relationship as a family member- I feel like this book is more about one finding themselves and correcting “wrongs” than a romantic read. Don’t get me wrong, there is a powerful romantic connection going on in these pages- I think maybe it’s just in the perception of the reader what comes through strongest – or maybe equally… But this is more than just a romance!
I was all about rating this 5 stars…. And then it ended… Like ended…. I felt closure for a major part of the storyline before it ended but i felt something missing for another. I was expecting an epilogue for that part I felt needed finishing but instead found the book was over. Here i am a couple days later and I’m still thinking about this ending and feeling like i need something more- a closure for the romantic aspect of the book that just didn’t seem to come through in those final pages for me.
4.5 Stars
From the very first chapter I wall pulled in completely. The draw to these wonderful but broken characters was real. Ms Yarros does a fantastic job of making you feel like you are in that small town experiencing everything first hand. The feels… all the feels, angst, pain, love, sadness, longing and revival. Are you ready for this emotional rollercoaster?
Camden is the forgotten son of the Daniels family. Or so the town hoped. To those who love him, they just wanted him back, even his father who has trouble remembering him. But Cam left his mark on their small town and the outsiders are not so willing to let him forget his antics from the past. Can this war hero show everyone including himself that he has grown, he has regrets, and he can do good if given the chance?
Willow has seen more than her share of downs, but somehow she manages to pick herself back up and forge ahead with a smile and love in her heart. This strong woman seems to always be there for those around her. Even willing to go against the town to prove a point when needed.
Can Camden and Willow move forward and leave the past in the past. Can she show him that he has worth. He is so much more than the perception the town folk have of him.
Once again Ms Yarros has left me lost in thought at the end of a book. Needing some time to pull my senses back together before jumping into the next book.
*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***