“The Last Letter is a haunting, heartbreaking and ultimately inspirational love story.”–InTouch Weekly 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 … 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
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I waited for this book for a long time to come out,well worth the wait.I honestly didn’t want it to end.
I went into this book with trepidation and tissues, having been warned that this is heart-breaking. I am NOT OKAY! Even with the warning I was not prepared. I fell in love with this family, with everything they had to go through only to have my heart ripped out. Beckett, Ella, Colt and Maisie – if I could wrap you in a bubble and protect you I would.
I give this book all the stars, and all the tears. A beautiful, devastating story
This was a very emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming story. It was wonderful.. I thought about it for days after I finished it and really, really wish the author would consider a sequel. The characters are engaging and the story line, while a bit on the sad side, was completely engrossing. There is lots of potential for a sequel.
Kara is a single mom of twins in Telluride, Colorado, running a resort she inherited from her grandmother. Ryan, Kara’s brother, is Special Ops and away most of the time. Their parents are both dead and they only have each other and the twins as family. When Ryan is killed in battle, Kara is devastated as she deals with her grief and her daughter Maisie’s cancer diagnosis at the same time. But Kara has a pen pal, Chaos, a fellow Special Ops friend of Ryan’s, who will do anything to help his best buddy’s sister out.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author Rebecca Yarros and the publisher Entangled Publishing for a free ARC. I loved this book and strongly recommend it. This is my honest opinion.
I think I have a hangover from this book. It was that good. This is not your typical “pen pal” trope. The authors use of their letters to foreshadow the characters’ present was creative and one I looked forward to throughout the book. This is a book about how freeing words can be and how two people can literally fall in love from words alone. I loved
Beckett’s solidness (? If that is a word) and How open he was in showing his feelings, all of them good and bad, to Ella and her children was a refreshing change from the typical alpha hero. Ella was old beyond her years, strong but insecure. I thought the author perfectly portrayed her mom guilt, her feelings of not being a woman just a mom, her grief, in the situations. I loved Beckett so much I thought she should have immediately forgiven him but knew it wasn’t her character. This was a couple you rooted for. I rooted for the entire family and loved every second of this book.
The Last Letter is one of the best books that I have ever read and I am not sure I can write a review that would do justice to this amazing story!
This book takes you on such an emotional rollercoaster from joy and happiness to sadness and ultimate grief. It is definitely worth your time to read, savor and even shed a few tears over. You will have no choice but to fall in love with Beckett, Ella, Maisie and Colt.
Beckett and Ella have been on a journey that started as strangers exchanging hand written, soul bearing letters that lead to them meeting and finding that same connection that seems to come easy to them. But life is never simple, not always easy and definitely not fair. Their journey is complicated and full of ups and downs, but in order to make it through they need each other to lean on. Beckett finally finds family and love, something he has never had and Ella realizes that she doesn’t have to do it all on your own and it is better to go through life with someone you love by your side.
3.75 Stars
Ella MacKenzie is a single mom raising twins and running her own business. Accustomed to being on her own, Ella doesn’t have much time for socializing, so she agrees to be a pen pal to a soldier in her brother’s unit. Beckett Gentry is a solitary man without ties to family. Dedicating his adult life to the military, Beckett is resistant to opening himself up, but begins to form an easy and solid connection with Ella. When tragedy strikes, Beckett honors his best friend’s wishes and becomes the rock in Ella’s life.
“I will show up for you. For Colt. For Maisie. I will not walk away. I will not abandon you.”
Narrated in dual POV, this emotionally driven story immediately begins with difficult circumstances for Ella and Beckett. Presented with a series of challenges, Beckett offers his unconditional support to Ella and her children, Maisie and Colt. As he becomes a fixture in their lives, Beckett transitions from a nomad to finding roots. However, even with his self-less actions, he’s fearful of losing it all.
“If I ever hide something from you, it’s because I’m terrified to risk losing you.”
In starting this book, I was expecting a certain level of feels and themes that are not easy to read. In that regard, the plot delivered in spades, but what mainly drives this story is the relationship between the characters. With Beckett’s unwavering commitment, his abundance of love flows to Ella and her children. However, Ella still has much to overcome before she can see the truth in his choices.
Beckett is such a standout character with his admirable resolve. His relationship with Ella’s children is absolutely heartwarming. While Ella had to face a battle no parent should have to endure, her behavior with Beckett tested my limits. Knowing how precious time can be, Ella should have made more conscious decisions to benefit her children rather than feed into her own insecurities.
The other issue I have is the use of tragedy and the intended impact. Until a certain point, such trauma had profound effects on the characters, but when a particular plot point arcs, it made me doubt the intention and if the characters would have been stronger or just the same without the occurrence. That said, the realistic components ground these characters and show how vulnerable and strong people can be when adversity strikes.
The Last Letter is a deeply challenging and heartwarming story about loss, family, friendship and love. This book would appeal to those who want an emotional read with extremely difficult themes.
I’m writing this review as tears are streaming down my face, my heart is broken and my soul is heavy. There are soooooo many feels to this story. I’ve honestly never had a book affect me quite like this one. My husband walked in, saw me visibly upset and asked what’s wrong. I started to explain and he’s all “it’s just a book!!” No words spoken have ever been less true. The Last Letter is so much more than just a book. It is a beautifully written story of love, sacrifice, loss and forgiveness.
I think I’ll always carry a small piece of Ella, Beckett, Maisie & Colt will stay with me for a very long time.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I am now a fan. I could not put this down-absolutely captivating. Have a box of tissues handy.
This emotional roll coaster is the story of a young woman, her two children who are strong in courage, devotion, dedication, character and will. However this story is also full of angst, heart ache, break and emotion. you will need a box of tissues to get though all the hardship this young family endures in this novel.
Teddy Hamilton and Jennifer Stark did a fantastic job in narration
4.5 Stars
Great writing and compelling story! The audio was equally well-done. This story dug deep and touched many emotional triggers. Concerned readers might want to take notice to any reviews that mention them. I’m not going to mention them here, because they aren’t triggers for me and I also want to be sensitive to spoilers. This is my second book by this author and I’m wholly impressed by her writing. The story development and structure was fantastic. One plot device bothered me at times and never felt fully necessary except for creating story conflict and resolution. At the same time, I was moved by the story arc and didn’t let that one criticism deflect from an otherwise great book.
Best adult romance I’ve ever read. I’m. It sure why I hadn’t found Rebecca Yarros books before but I was missing our!
This was my first Rebecca Yarros book…it definitely won’t be my last. I want to give it 5 stars because I truly believe this was a beautiful but completely heartbreaking book. Most of the time I read to get out of my own head, or out of the real world for awhile but I can always appreciate a story that truly tugs at my heart and makes me feel. While I knew this book would break my heart…from all the chatter and the warning from Cheryl saying “Just remember I love you” (a little inside joke)…I truly did not expect the devastation I would feel. Did the story end the way I expected? Not even close. I expected angst, and I expected pain, but the loss (which some thought gratuitous or unnecessary) was much more than I expected. But I realize in the end, so many people in real life deal with these kinds of losses and pain and why shouldn’t fiction sometimes mirror reality. This is just one of those books that I just can’t go out and say…you HAVE to read this because too many of my friends would have a difficult time with the story so I couldn’t just give it 5 stars. But if you are looking for a story that will definitely tug at your heart strings, and make you cry, this will be a good one…just prepare yourself and don’t listen to it while you are driving (a lesson learned for me)
Just when I thought Rebecca Yarros couldn’t rip my heart out my chest again, she releases “The Last Letter.”
GAH!
I’m wrecked in the most pleasant of ways. This is how you do tear-jerker books. Ms. Yarros has perfected the flawed alpha hero and introduced us to an equally flawed and stubborn alpha heroine. The intricate dance of who leads and when is masterfully crafted on the pages of “The Last Letter,” and the reader is the one who comes out the ultimate winner.
4 1/2 stars. I really loved this book. It was super emotional and very well written. Beckett was freaking amazing and Ella was the definition of a strong independent woman. Maisie and Colt were fantastic. The only reason this is not a 5 for me was the shocker at the end. I knew the spoiler and kept waiting for it. When I was 90% in I thought I was mistaken. Then BOOM! I just thought there wasn’t quite enough time given to the situation and its fall out. I also didn’t really understand why the author made that choice.
I loved this book. I read it it in one sitting. Ms Yarros has a way with words and telling a story that makes you feel part of the characters xperiences.
I’m having a hard time to find the proper words to come up with to let you know how much you need to read this book.
From page one I was hooked and I couldn’t stop reading until I was done, when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about what would happen, how the characters would react and how it would all end.
It’s so hard to explain without giving away the story, so I’ll just say, this is one I don’t regret picking up. You will definitely ball your eyes out as I did. Yarros, this was amazing.
If I could give this book 100 stars I would. Amazing. Emotional. Perfect. Genius. I could go on and on. This is my first read by this Author but it will not be my last. I absolutely fell in love with the characters of this book. Beckett Gentry Call Sign Chaos is so broody and hot. I love his personality. This book needs to be sold with Kleenex. I laughed, cried, got angry and cried a ton more. I couldn’t put this book down. I had a book hangover for 3 days. It took those three days for me to get the words to leave a review. It would be great to get more of Maisie’s story as a grown up. This book is a must read. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!! And I want to thank my daughter again for buying me the paper back for Mother’s Day.
Had me wanting to read till the end.
A beautiful story of love, loss and beating the odds.
I cannot express how much I loved this book. Obviously I’d heard and was prepared for it being a bit of a tear jerker and it’s just as well!
There are so many individual parts throughout this book that have you pumping the air with happiness as well as with tears of joy.
However, what truly puts this book on a pedestal is the way this ‘family’ band together in times of sadness and draw strength from each other. So much so that the love story between Ella and Becket, although heartwarming, doesn’t take centre stage.
An absolute must read!!
I couldn’t put it down. The twists in the story had me gasp at times. The characters are so true-to-life and Ms. Yarros’ way of writing just pulls you into the story as if you are right there living it. I loved it!