I was struck dumb by the incredible story that Rebecca Yarros has put together. Speechless. So much so that it’s taken me months to form my thoughts into words. Here’s why you really MUST read The Last Letter.

The old adage “write what you know” definitely applies to Rebecca Yarros and her writing. She has created some of the most supremely real and heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read, and this one is no different. In fact, I’m pretty sure its her masterpiece.

The Last Letter is the story of Ella MacKenzie and Beckett Gentry and the people they both call family. He is her brother’s best friend and brother in arms. When the war claims Ella’s brother, Ryan, Beckett finds himself doing everything he can to fulfill his best friend’s wishes. Ella needs someone to lean on as she keeps everyone and everything else going full steam ahead, and all Ryan asks is for Beckett to go be a solid force for her to find strength.

I first discovered Rebecca Yarros’ writing with Wilder and the Renegades, so I’m still making my way through all the great books that make up her back catalog, but the one thing I know about her writing is to always prepare for tears. Especially if there’s a military man involved. Little did I know that she had her most emotionally traumatic story still up her sleeve.

The Last Letter has stuck with me since the day I finished it. I’ve spent a LOT of time thinking about its hero and heroine and all the things they endure as the book goes on. Every time I thought she had broken my heart for the last time, Rebecca came back with one more gut punch. But that’s what a good book is supposed to do. It’s supposed to make you feel.

And there is absolutely zero shortage of feelings associated with this book. I have been through all the stages of grief, along with about 1,000 stages of happiness, and also anticipation and worry and disbelief and pure, pure joy. This is the kind of book you start on a rainy Saturday morning and spend all day cuddled up with. Just make sure you keep a cozy blanket and the tissues handy. You’re gonna need them.

Ella is a great heroine. She’s a little stubborn, a lot independent, and a fierce and ferocious mama bear, desperate to keep her little ones safe from anything that could do them harm. That includes any man that shows up with intentions of wooing her. While Beckett’s initial motive is to fulfill Ryan’s last wish, Ella is too much of a force of nature for him to resist her pull. He enters her orbit and is lost to her gravity, even if she pushes him away with equal fervor.

Beckett is kind of the perfect man… with a flaw or two, of course. He is ready to uphold his end of the bargain and be there for Ella and the kids even after things don’t go his way. He betters their lives in infinite ways. I honestly kept reading his chapters and falling more and more in love with him. Ella never stood a chance. Hell, I’m impressed she resisted him for as long as she did.

I hope all the talk of tears and sadness doesn’t keep anyone from reading this story. There’s so much hope and laughter in The Last Letter, and while the sad parts do pack a punch, so does the happiness. I love that no matter what comes their way, neither Beckett nor Ella ever say quit. They both know what it’s like to lose, so their determination is all the more heartening and reassuring.

I can’t wait to see this book explode onto the scene. It’s an absolutely fantastic read and a heartbreaking, realistic portrayal of romance, military life, and the things that life hands you that you are never quite prepared for. I can’t imagine a world without this story.

The Last Letter is available now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and Book Depository. Don’t forget to add it on Goodreads, too!