A review by geekygraceelyse
The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

“Georgia, can’t you see it? It’s in every line of this place. This isn’t a mausoleum, it’s a promise, a shrine to that love.” 
 
The Things We Leave Unfinished is the exceptional new stand-alone Romance novel by Rebecca Yarros. 
 
Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face to face with best-selling author, Noah Harrison. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the handsome writing thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel, even if the publisher swears, he’s the perfect fit. 
 
Noah is at the pinnacle of his career but he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century- the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another. 
 
But as they read Scarlett’s words, in both the manuscript and the box of letters, they start to realise why Scarlett never finished the book. It’s based on her real-life romance with a World War Two pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. 
 
“I used to think their love was built into it. That’s why she always had it repaired, never rebuilt.” 
“You don’t anymore?” He moved close enough to my side that I felt the heat of him against my shoulder. 
“No. I think she built her sorrow, her longing into it… Love doesn’t last, not like this place… It’s too delicate, too fragile.” 
 
Told in alternating timelines, The Things We Leave Unfinished is a captivating & poignant novel with compelling characters whose journeys will linger with you long after you have finished, and a plot that will have you utterly enthralled until the very end.

I honestly loved The Things We Leave Unfinished so much that I’m struggling to write this review. There’s so much I want to say but I’m just so overwhelmed by how much I adored it and I don’t think anything I say will ever do this phenomenal novel justice. 
 
I don’t think I’ve ever read an author can make me feel so much, who can make me feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest while simultaneously making me fall completely and utterly in love with a book & its characters. Who can make me swoon, and laugh out loud, then have me sobbing uncontrollably a couple of pages later and loving every second of it. 
 
I loved the chemistry between Noah and Georgia, as well as getting to watch their relationship develop over time, from antagonistic acquaintances to, begrudging allies, friends, and then lovers. 
 
“Some things you have to fight for, Georgia. You can’t just walk away and leave it unfinished when it gets too complicated. If I could fly off and fight the Nazis to win your love, I would. But all I’ve got to battle with are your demons, and they’re kicking my ass… The epic, rare love story in this room isn’t Scarlett and Jameson. It’s you and me.” 
 
Throughout the novel, we see Georgia work through her grief at her Grandmothers passing, as well as the emotional upheaval from both her very public divorce and her tumultuous relationship with her Mother. I really loved following her arc as she reclaimed her sense of self and grappled to overcome the feelings of abandonment and distrust that held her back. 
 
Often, when I read a book that’s split between timelines, I find myself preferring one over the other. However, with The Things We Leave Unfinished I loved reading both the modern-day chapters with Noah & Georgia, as well as the ones that followed Scarlett and Jameson in the 1940s. All four characters had such rich character development and their arcs were so compelling that I was hooked on every single chapter. 
 
I loved Scarlett and Jameson so much. Seeing them overcome so many hurdles – not just from the war but from Scarlett’s parents – so they could be together, and the intensity of their love for one another moved me to tears. 
 
“You are strong, my love, and braver than I ever could be. I could never undertake what you now face. I love you, Scarlett Stanton. I have loved you since our first dance, and I will love you the rest of my life... and before you even have time to miss me, I’ll be home with you, where there are no more air-raid sirens, no more bombings, no more missions, no more war—only our love.” 
 
Rebecca Yarros’ writing and the emotions she evokes are so breathtakingly vivid that it’s as if the very essence of the novel flows out of the pages as you read, bringing the characters to life before your eyes and enveloping you completely in a world full of hope, healing, and love. 
 
 
“There’s a warning, a sound your heart makes the first time it realizes it’s no longer safe with the person you trusted… 
 
It’s not as clean or impersonal as a break or a shatter. Besides, those are easy to repair if you can find all the pieces. Truly crushing a soul—now that requires a certain level of…personal violence. Your ears fill with this desperate… gasp. Like you’re fighting for air, suffocating in plain sight. Strangled by life and someone else’s shitty, selfish decisions.” 
 
I was so invested in these characters that once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it at 3 am. I was left so completely wonderstruck by this exquisitely bittersweet novel that I laid awake for at least two hours afterward, unable to stop thinking and leave that world and those characters behind. 
 
The Things We Leave Unfinished is a truly extraordinary novel and is due to release on February 23rd. It an absolute must-read. 
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