#ReleaseDayReview ~~ Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

The Last Letter was one of my favorite reads of 2019.  It totally devastated me and then lifted me up again in that way that only great writing does.  I COULD NOT WAIT to get my hands on Great and Precious Things – I mean, could lightning strike twice?!  Dear readers yes!  Yes, it can and it did!

Camden has always been labeled the troublemaker so he proves he’s earned that reputation.

Willow is the town sweetheart and no one lets her forget it.  A woman who is still the town’s tragic story even though time has continued to move on.

Camden, his brothers, and Willow were thick as thieves as kids until life events tear them all apart. Camden, right or not, blames himself and leaves swearing never to come back.  Life is funny though and destiny has a mind of her own.  He does come back home to Alba, Colorado, to find that nothing has changed even if his perspective is very different.  Drawn back by his father’s illness.  Small town life means everyone knows your business and they’re all up in it.  It also means that they love you like family, even with no blood relation and pull together when the occasion calls for it.

This story begins with a literal bang and I was hooked.  I read it straight through without stopping – other than to refill my cup of tea.  Well actually it was my glass of wine but I digress.    The question IMHO is can you live down your past and start anew?  I believe many of us carry burdens than we shouldn’t allowing them to hold us frozen in time.

All these “people” felt real to me and so I felt like an uninvited guest that refuses to leave.  The undercurrent of all the things unsaid is so palpable that my heart tightened with each page I read.

Forgiveness is a great concept but hard as hell to practice. Therein lies Camden’s struggle with his demons.  His father continues to fade with the progressive loss of his mental faculties.  Willow fights the feelings that she’s tried to ignore her entire life for this man that always seems just out of reach.

I rode with Cam and Willow and the town of Alba through each up, down, the guilt, heartbreak and all the misunderstandings through to acceptance, love and joy until it was done.  The way Rebecca fleshes everything out even the town is a character.  Great and Precious Things is rich and deep and not your ordinary love story.

I know that I’m being ambiguous and that is intentional.  I want you to experience IT ALL as I did.  So settle in, buckle up and let the magic of Rebecca Yarros storytelling skill have its way with you.