Reviews with content warning for Death - Great And Precious Things

I’ve read and even recommended several of Rebecca Yarros’ books now, but this is FAR AND AWAY her best that I’ve read to date. I know that I’m going to think about this book for years to come and I’m going to think about it every time I’m in a conversation about Power of Attorney, DNR orders, and the rights of bodily autonomy for dementia patients during their lucid periods. And those conversations may not be common for other people, but both of my parents are nurses by trade, my stepdad lives with MS, I am the oldest daughter who has already been told I will be POA for both of my parents and my stepdad. And dementia runs in my family… on 3/4 genetic sides. 3 of my biological grandparents died with Alzheimer’s diagnoses as a co-morbidity. I have not taken the test and neither have my parents to know if we have the gene. So these conversations actually happen frequently in our household. The question of patient rights was at the center of this book, but the books was also about so much more. Family, friendship, first love in a small town, redeeming love, grief, survivors guilt, small town politics and economics, tourist town economics, historic preservation, military service, sacrifice, honor…. The easiest 5 stars I’ve given in a long time. I knew this book was 5 stars like 2 hours in. As soon as the themes started really coming together and Yarros started asking the questions the book set out to answer, I just knew.

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obxhokie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This parallels The Last Letter in so many ways. If I hadn’t read them back to back maybe it wouldn’t have been so obvious, but it made this one feel redundant with just enough details and names switched around to make it a new book.

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gracelyn's review against another edition

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4.0

⋆ ⁎ ★° ⁀ ➷ 3 steamy

“I don’t give a shit what people say or how I look to the world. I know who I am. I’ve made peace with my choices.”

Willow Bradley is the town’s sweetheart, and a graphic designer. Willow has known Camden, and his brothers, since they were little kids. Willow has never been able to stop thinking of Camden, even if she hasn’t seen him for the last 6 years.

Camden ”Cam” Daniels is the town’s troublemaker, and a has just returned home from the military to help take care of his father, who has early on-set Alzheimer’s. Being back in town, Camden starts to work through his issues, not only with the town but with his father who for the last 6 years has blamed Camden for his little brother’s death.

What I really liked about Willow was that the fought for Camden, not against him, like the town has seen he was a child. Willow showed Camden that she wanted him, even if he didn’t know and understand why. What I really liked about Camden was that we were showed how he had changed since he was a kid, but also how he was the same. I also liked that the town kind of sucked at the same time - in the sense that they represent the world. If you did something bad once, you will forever be known for that. As to why the story wasn’t a 5 star I cannot give a clear answer, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

Tropes:

Second chance
Dead brother’s girlfriend
Childhood friends to Lovers

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bribreez's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75⭐️/ 1🌶️

At this point, I’m determined to read every book by Rebecca Yarros so, when I stumbled upon this book not only did I fall in love with the cover, but was very intrigued by what this story would be about. This story followed Camden Daniels as he went back to the one place he made a vow to never return to… Alba, Colorado a.k.a. his hometown. With Daniel’s father in need of help due to his Alzheimer’s, Camden was back in town, but for some unknown reason to me in the beginning of the book, many of the people in town weren’t as happy to see Camden back. The only one who seemed glad to see Camden back was none other than the girl he grew up with, Willow Bradley. A story revolved around a man after his time served in the military, a small town, heartbreak, grief, a broken family, and love, this was a story by Rebecca Yarros that I knew I had to dive into.

This story didn’t waste anytime with jumping into a pretty dramatic introduction. With Camden being back in Alba, Colorado, he already knew he wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from many of the people in town, including his own father. Upon the first few chapters, it seemed like something happened specifically with one of Camden’s brothers (Sullivan) in the past, and caused a major rift between him and his father. I got the impression that Camden was not only a strong man, but he was resilient, stoic, and sharp especially from his years in the military. Camden had many years being away from his hometown, his family, and from Willow. Willow and Camden had a connection that spanned a long time, including the heads Camden was gone. For Camden being back home, it wasn’t just the chance to help his father, but also reconnect with the one woman he had always cherished yet couldn’t have.

Willow was kind, artistic, lovely, and warm. For the longest time, Willow grew up as the girl who was always hanging around the Daniels boys. In addition, from a young age Willow was always closest to Camden, but when Willow ended up with Camden’s younger brother, Sullivan, their friendship drifted away. With the way Willow and Camden met again for the first time in years not only was it dramatic, but like having the breathe knocked out of her from the sheer surprise of seeing Camden after so long. Unlike the other people in Alba, Willow didn’t treat Camden with hurtful words or a hateful disdain like others, she was happy to see him again, and with that a flood of feelings about him came rushing to the surface. Willow was a like-able character, she wasn’t like everyone else in town treating Camden with distaste, and I admired the way she stood by Cam when he needed help. Plus, there was no denying the way Willow drifted off thinking about Camden more often with him back home for good.

I read the tagline at the top of this cover so, I knew there was going to be some emotional things going on in this story, but I wasn’t expecting it to hit so much in my heart. The reason why Cam came back home was because of his father. Even with all the time apart and the hatred and anger Cam’s dad held onto against him, at the end of the day, Cam would do anything to be there for his family. Cam’s dad, Arthur had early on-set Alzheimer’s and his days varied from good to bad. I can’t imagine the level of pain Cam and Xander (his older brother) went through seeing the man they knew and loved going through such a difficult time. I think once it got to the story of showing Arthur in the hospital after an accident happened was when my heart broke and I was holding back tears. Something in that scene hit me as in that moment I became emotional. Cam was faced with the possibility of losing his dad, and with the reality faced before him of what Arthur really wanted just added another level of sadness, but also caused some conflict between him and Xander. This book wasn’t kidding when it said it was emotional and heartbreaking because, I’m out here crying like a baby.

The romance in this book was also emotional, beautiful, loving, and spanned the course of many years between Camden and Willow. So much time had passed over the years for Willow and Cam, but it didn’t deter their love for one another. I loved how protective Cam was when it came to Willow, it didn’t matter if he got in trouble over a fist fight with some guy, if it meant standing up for Willow. Willow was the one person in Cam’s life who always supported him, never saw him as the monster he perceived himself to be, and Willow was the light to Cam’s darkness.

“We were a mile past electric. Past combustible. Past chemistry or anything that could be explained by science. We simply fit,like two halves of completely different shapes that somehow clicked and became whole and new.”

Willow and Cam completed each other, and it was equally emotional and heartwarming to finally see them get together romantically.

Overall, this story did live up to it’s emotional aspects of the story, but also highlighted the love between Willow and Cam going from friends to lovers. There was some heavy emotional stuff involving the loss of loved one(s), Arthur’s struggles with his early on-set Alzheimer’s, and the grief from Sullivan (Cam’s younger brother) dying. In between my bouts of feeling sympathetic and emotional about Cam and his family, I adored the strong connection between Cam and Willow. I love a fictional man whose’s willing to do anything for the woman he loves, and that’s exactly the type of energy Cam had when it came to Willow. Cam also had to overcome many obstacles when it came to the townspeople of Alba, but he managed to win them over with his hard work in restoring in Rose Rowan mines, and helping contribute to the town. There was a little truth bomb towards the end that I wasn’t expecting, but added for a little flair of drama with a certain individual. The balance between highlighting the struggles within Cam’s family and his romance with Willow was done perfectly and showcased the themes of grief, loss, friendship, romance, and more. Another Rebecca Yarros book down, and more to read for me.

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smasson13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely love Rebecca Yarros novels. Having previously read The Last Letter, I knew I would love his one.

Camden was a great character and I loved him more and more as the book went on. The complexity of his past/emotions was really well done. Thiugh I did find all the characters more flat/lacking depth than her other novels I've read.

The twist at the end was such a surprise while I was reading it, but maybe I should have known!

A beautiful book if you're interesting in the themes of family, going home, and growing into what you deserve.

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