The Last Letter

by Rebecca Yarros

One letter. That was all it took for Beckett Gentry to fall for Ella MacKenzie, his buddy Ryan’s sister. Through her letters, Ella spoke to his heart, fueled his dreams, and made his days in Afghanistan bearable. Until Ryan’s life ends and so do the letters.

Leaving the military, Beckett heads to Colorado with one destination in mind - Ella. Despite the guilt Beckett feels over his friend’s death, he’s determined to carry out his promise to watch over Ryan’s sister and never tell Ella he’s the one she’d been writing to.

At twenty-six, Ella has lost almost everyone she loves - and now one of her precious twins is battling cancer. When Beckett walks into her tiny town - all six-feet-plus of dark, brooding, gorgeous man - Ella barely takes notice. Okay, fine, of course she takes notice. He’s come with the last of Ryan’s letters and the promise that he’d made to watch over her, but he’s insanely tight-lipped about everything else. Now Beckett is everywhere - and the most irritating part is that she likes him, despite his tough-as-nails exterior.

• ISBN10: 1640635335
• ISBN13: 9781640635333
• Publish Date: 1 March 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 23 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Entangled Publishing, LLC
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

The first book I read by Yarros moved me and had me wanting to read more of her books. A recommendation from a member of the COYER community recommended that I read The Last Letter. She warned me of the possibility of needing a box of Kleenex. Now that was an understatement. The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros is a poignant tale of love, pain, loss, regrets. forgiveness and healing. This story has the power to lift you while leaving you emotionally drained at the end. It will elicit laughter, but it will also cause heartbreak and lead one to shed a multitude of tears. It possesses the power to utterly destroy you, while affording you a glimpse of hope.

At the bittersweet ending of the story, I kept asking myself why did Yarros take that route. Just when I thought all would end well, she ripped the rug from under my feet. The horrible, brutal and painful twist of events came out of left field, knocked me off my feet, left me utterly bereft of words and in Only the callous of hearts would not hurt at the turn of events. I am not sure how soon I will recover, if at all.

One thing is for certain, I will not be forgetting this book soon. Amid the pain and heartbreak, there was beauty and heart in this story. The romance which developed between Ella and Beckett will warm the coldest of hearts. Its authenticity flowed from the pages. Beckett is one of the best romance heroes I have met to date. He made mistakes, and one can relate and understand his reasons for his actions. The steps he took to ensure Ella and her children were cared for warmed my heart

From the very first page, the story pulled me in. I established a connection with the characters and soon they became a part of me. Their pain, triumphs, heartbreak touched me. I loved them all, and they each earned a spot in my heart. 

Now The Last Letter is not for everyone because of the emotional punches it packs. If you are triggered by stories  with cancer and death of a child then avoid, however for readers who are affected by these triggers, then The Last Letter with it beautiful and  poignant storying would make a great addition to your reading list.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Lynn]

He didn't want a pen-pal, so it took time for Beckett 'Chaos' Gentry to read the first letter from Ella, his best friend's little sister. So, he surprised himself when he not only enjoyed receiving her letters but liked writing back too. As a result, he wants to meet this cheery single mom, so finally accepts his friends offer to go to his home in Telluride. Only, that trip never happens...until fate steps in to change that.

With enticing blurb, I didn't hesitate to buy this novel. However, by chapter twelve, I was already emotionally drained in a way I just wanted to see a little ray of sunshine through the heartbreaking, grey cloudy narrative.

'No, you gave me something to lose. Other married guys … Love for them was the monorail. You are the first person I've ever loved, and the first woman who has ever loved me. You're the roller coaster.'

Beckett likens Ella to a roller coaster. For a reader, this novel mirrors his observation. The narrative includes some sunny, uplifting high points but equally darker, emotionally challenging ones will have you grabbing tissues to wipe away your tears.

The writing quality is top notch, with relatable protagonists and supporting characters. Yet I can't rate this higher than I have. The narrative overall is too much. There's an unnecessary, gut-wrenching twist near to the end. What happens before that point is angst-ridden enough. Adding to it is a step too far. It's a shame. The ending is satisfying in a way the loose ends are tied. That aspect I'm happy with and as a conclusion, the story has stayed with me.

[leelu92]

A couple of things.

1. I truly loved this book. I couldn't put it down and I read 70% of it in one day.
2. I'm a fan of Ms. Yarros and I truly believe this is the best book she has written.
3. I loved all of the characters, not one single thing wrong with any of them for me. Beckett is definitely one of my favorite male MCs ever and Ella...well how can you not love her. She's a strong and loving warrior momma. Colt and Maisey? LOVED them to bits.
4. I would've rated this book 5 stars easily except for one thing that just absolutely broke me and I can honestly say that I haven't felt that gutted in a very long time. At this point, I feel the need to tread very lightly but this plot point definitely took away some of my overall enjoyment of the book.

It's taken me quite a while to figure out what to say about this book and frankly, I'm still thinking about it...

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

Cocktails and Books received this book for free from Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.Oh....this book should come with a warning label.  Someone should have warned me that I was going to need emotional support over the course of this book along with a box of tissues to periodically mop myself up.  So for those chomping at the bit to read this title be sure to do a little survival preparation beforehand...you'll need it.Beckett and Ella were the perfectly broken couple.  They each had been dealt blows that molded them into the adults they were, but they were meant to be in each other's lives...even if they weren't really sure they needed it.  For Beckett, Ella represented something outside of his military brothers for him to build a relationship with.  And Beckett was the rock Ella could share her most intimate thoughts with as she was another devastating blow to her family.  I'm not going to lie.  This book is tough to read.  TOUGH.  The emotional twists and turns Rebecca Yarros takes us on took its toll and has made it impossible for this book to not leave an imprint on you.  A week later, I can still find myself thinking about this book and wondering when I'll be ready to destroy myself again with it.  

[chymerra]

When I read the blurb of The Last Letter, I knew that it was going to be a good book. A blurb in the form of a last letter? That alone made me go “I need to read this book“. I am so glad that I did because The Last Letter exceeded what I thought about it.

I will warn everyone, you will need tissues while reading The Last Letter. I was ugly crying from the scene where Ella found out that Maisie had cancer to the end of the book. I would invest in a few boxes. You will need them.

I thought that Ella was one of the strongest people I have read in a book to date. Life kept dropping bombshells on her and she didn’t even flinch. She took no flak from people. She also had a softer side. It wasn’t showcased in the book that much but it was there. When it did peek through, I loved it.

I did get annoyed with Ella at several points in the book. Put it this way, she was stubborn and afraid to let someone get close to her. When she did let Beckett in, she did begrudgingly. I did want to smack her upside the head when Beckett had a solution for Maisie’s cancer treatments. If I was in that situation, I would have jumped all over it. I got why she acted that way. Still. I am glad that Ada and Hailey talked some sense into her.

I liked Beckett. He arrived when Ella needed him the most. He stayed through Ella freaking out on him about who he was to Ryan. He was the one who came up with the solution about Maisie’s cancer and insurance. He fell heads over heels for Ella when they were writing letters to each other. He was a nice guy. When he opened up about his past, my heart broke for him.

Like Ella, I did get annoyed with him at points in the book. Like the whole Chaos storyline. How hard would it have been to tell her that he was Chaos? I didn’t understand how that didn’t come up. Ella did point blank ask him how he knew Ryan. That was the perfect time to say “Well, I’m Chaos“. But no, it comes out later in the book. I would have been pissed at him too.

I thought the romance that Beckett and Ella had was a sweet one. Of course, it was bumpy and there was a point where I thought it was over. But it was sweet.

I thought that the storyline with Maisie and her aggressive form of cancer was very well written. The author didn’t paint a rosy picture for us. Instead, she showed the stark realities of having a child with cancer. It was a realistic and heartbreaking look into childhood cancer.

I will say that the storyline with Ella, her ex and his parents made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. How can someone be so heartless? Not once but twice.

I also liked that military dogs are featured in this book. What I liked is that the military let Beckett keep Havoc. Mainly because she only listened to him. I liked how Ella described Havoc and her adjusting to not working. She was being domesticated and learning how to act like a dog.

There was a twist at the end of the book that broke my heart. It was surprised that came out of nowhere. I am not going to give anything away but I will stay that Beckett and Havoc’s training were well used. This is a tissue warning. You will be ugly crying until the end of the book.

The epilogue at the end had me ugly crying. I loved the insight that it gave into Beckett and Ella’s life 4 years later.