I firmly believe that Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros illustrates the heart and soul of romance at its very best.

It’s usually so hard to put into words why I love a book, but this time, it’s easy. I mean, I have read many a Rebecca Yarros book, and I love them all, but I think Great and Precious Things may be the one I hold all her other books to from here on out.

I loved The Last Letter in all its tragic goodness, I loved all the Renegades series books for their passion, but I think Great and Precious Things will be the one that stands taller than the rest.

I don’t feel like I’ll be as scared to recommend this book to people. As much as I really do love The Last Letter, it tells a truly sorrowful love story that weaves loss and love delicately through its pages. I’m sometimes scared to recommend it to people without trying to broadcast a “THIS BOOK WILL DESTROY YOU EMOTIONALLY” look from my eyes. I don’t have that same fear with Great and Precious Things.

Great and Precious Things tells the story of a small town that doesn’t forget. When Cam Daniels comes home from a decade at war, he knows his greeting will not be entirely warm. At least not from everyone. But he’s home with a purpose in mind, and it’s definitely not to get involved with Willow Bradley. She will always belong to his long lost brother, no matter what his heart tries to tell him.

While loss and love are definitely at the heart of the themes in Cam and Willow’s love story, this book is so much more hopeful than its predecessor. That hope radiates out of every page and every word. I know Great and Precious Things is going on my re-read list. This story begs to be experienced again and again, as Cam and Willow defy some of romance’s worst tropes and make me happier than ever to be sucked into their world.

There were definitely times throughout this book where I felt like I was going to be able to predict their next moves based on tropes I’ve read before. There’s a moment where Willow has a chance to make a terrible choice for her and Cam, and I found myself begging her to defy the trope and do the smart thing. AND SHE DID. Instead of doing what she thought was best for Cam, she went to him and gave him the choice.

And that is ultimately the core of what makes Great and Precious Things what it is. This story is about choices. About what choices we knowingly make, unknowingly make, both educated ones and the ones we make in the heat of the moment. Passion and respect find a balance in the pages of Great and Precious Things, as Cam’s fierce determination to protect and avenge go to war with his need to let the people in his life forge their own paths.

The balance, the importance of letting passion guide your heart but respect the boundaries, is a terrifically important idea in this day and age. An age where we are more aware of the need for consent than ever before, where everyone should have the agency to choose for themselves how they want to live their lives. Experiencing that through the pages of Great and Precious Things was an absolute dream.

Rebecca Yarros writes emotional, traumatic stories better than anyone, so I know when I crack open a new story from her, I should be prepared to ache and gasp and cry and smile in equal measure. For every time Cam’s tragic past made me cry, Rose Maylard’s infectious sweetness made me giggle. For every time Alba’s collective heart hardened, Willow’s forgiving heart made mine ache with hope for her and Cam’s future.

I know a good story when I see one, and Great and Precious things is definitely good. Hell, I’d say it’s pretty damn great.

So, the next time someone asks me which Rebecca Yarros book to start with, I may just have to recommend this perfect standalone story. It skillfully encapsulates the magic I love reading from such a practiced and passionate author, but finds the perfect balance of triumph and tragedy. Great and Precious Things is more than just Rebecca Yarros’ latest release: It’s the best romance I’ve read from her yet.

(Oh, and if it turns out she has more stories to tell in Alba, Colorado, I am MORE than on board for that. There are a whole host of characters in this book I would love to get to know better. Just saying.)

Great and Precious Things is available now! Get your hands on a copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, or Book Depository. And don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads, too!