A review by hannah_wilson315
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75 ⭐️ 

I devoured this book. I was hooked instantly and fell in love with the characters, especially Colt and Maisie. I was laughing, crying, and yelling in frustration right alongside them. 

Maisie being diagnosed with cancer was devastating. It truly felt like a story that has probably happened again and again in real life. The bond between her and Colt made my heart hurt when she was hurting or away for treatment. I can’t imagine the impact it had on him. Her being cancer free was such a heartwarming moment, and living 5 years into remission and getting to hear she would likely live a long normal life was a bright spot in a world of heartbreak. 

I was frustrated from the beginning that Beckett didn’t just explain to Ella that he was Chaos and was too deep in grief to write back, but that he was there now. He was way too hard on himself and his reasons for keeping it secret - that she wouldn’t want him around anymore after she found out what he did - were not true. The steamy scenes before he was honest with her weren’t my favorite simply because I didn’t appreciate him sleeping with her and telling her he loved her when he was continuing to lie. Putting myself in her shoes, that would have rubbed me the wrong way. He could have been honest from the beginning and a lot of the heartbreak could have been avoided. I think that’s a common lesson in life though. 

I loved and hated the timeline jumps. Every time I saw “6 Months Later” my jaw hit the floor. I was not anticipating it to move like that. Although I wanted to hear every single detail of what went on in those 6 months, skipping forward like this kept me hooked and unable to put this book down. 

Okay, now for the ending. What. The. Heck. I did not see this plot twist coming at all and it completely wrecked me. I’m a happily ever after girly and this was the exact opposite of happily ever after. Although it was absolutely not the ending I would have picked for this book, Rebecca did and she wrote it wonderfully. I felt all of the emotions. I experienced the pain Ella was experiencing. I appreciated the different ways the characters dealt with their grief. I cried like a baby as Beckett laid with Colt and told him how much he was loved. I was destroyed. 

The ending was the difference between 4.75 and 5 stars for me. Not because I didn’t like it, but simply because I would never be able to reread it. Experiencing that pain once was enough for me. I would definitely recommend this book, but I would encourage anyone who picks it up to be in the right frame of mind and read the trigger warnings.
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