Oh my goodness! I adore her writing style! Every time I pick up a Rebecca Yarros book, I know I'm in for a heartbreaking ride. They always end happy, but man, do they hurt first! This was no exception! Dual timelines- Scarlett & Jameson (pre WW2) and Georgia & Noah (current day). Scarlet Stanton is a famous romance author, and when she passes, Georgia's mother hires Noah to ghostwrite the ending for a book Scarlet never finished. Georgia is adamant that it can't be Noah. This man can't write the ending to the story of Gran's life... They strike a deal that she has final say and end up working together (ish) on the ending. Enemies to lovers with some great banter and steam! Such a great read!

I haven't had the time to write a full review of this. But Rebecca Yarros has done it again for me. I adored this so much. From the writing to the way the characters fall in love. Yarros just knows how to write a story that will hurt you, but it's also so beautiful.

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros was such a unique experience, with alternating timelines and a surprise ending that I truly DID NOT SEE COMING!

The story told across WW2 and present day, was an emotional epic journey. We have the Stanton sisters from a noble British family, both serving in the war. Then there’s sister Scarlett’s great-granddaughter, Georgia, who is recently divorced from a jerk of a movie director and now going through her recently deceased great-grandmother’s estate.

Scarlett was a prolific romance author who ALWAYS wrote an HEA. Which is the definition of romance…of course there’s an HEA! She had one last manuscript that was never finished. It’s her own life story. From Georgia’s perspective, that story did not have a happy ending, her great-grandmother’s love life was tragic in many ways because she lost the love of her life in the war. Georgia’s mother isn’t a good person and unbeknownst to Georgia, she reaches out to have another author finish Scarlett’s personal story. The person is Noah Harrison. Noah is a very successful writer, an industry sweetheart with a huge ego and not the master of the romance requirement of an HEA. But he idolized Scarlett and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him.

Scarlett and Noah are attracted to each other. They sizzle! Scarlett’s been recently burned and she knows from going through her great-grandmother’s things that real-life romance is a unicorn. One she’ll never find.

This book was a bit slow at times, but all and all it was excellent! My heart broke for Scarlett. In my bones, I could feel her worry, the anxiety and restless energy every time her love went off to battle. I can’t imagine what that was like. Her love, James, oh my…so romantic, his grand gestures, so damn sexy and a true hero. How can anyone recover from that kind of rare soul mate?

And, Georgia…what a smart woman! Scorned and then BAM…she comes out on top! Finally, we all need a Noah in our life. I loved him!

What a book! Lovingly written, such a memorable romantic story that is actually two love stories intertwined. I loved how romantic one story was and how tumultuous the other one was. It kept me mesmerized all day!

Georgia Stanton is very familiar with betrayal. First her mother abandons her with her great-grandmother and through her life only made short appearances. Then Georgia marries Damian, a Hollywood producer who ended cheating and getting a younger woman pregnant. Little surprise that she’s jaded and has trust issues. When she comes back home from the divorce to her dead great-grandmother’s house, there’s turmoil. She’s the sole heir and executor of her great-grandmother’s estate, the famous Scarlett Stanton, famous and beloved romance writer. Her mother wants her to sell the rights to an unfinished manuscript, Noah Harrison, famous writer of angsty romances with depressive ends, wants to finish the manuscript, and her ex-husband wants the rights to the manuscript to film it.

Georgia is a chip of the old block and she held everyone’s horses and controlled the deal to what she feels her grandmother would want. And in so doing, she finds a new love and she finds a wonderful love story that her great-grandmother starred in her own life.

With dual story plots, we live how Georgia and Noah navigate their collaboration, see how she deals with her mother’s frequent and greedy manipulations, and her ex-husband’s slimy charm. But the real beauty in this book is the love story between Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, how they met during WWII, fell in love and how it all went on.

Brilliantly written, perfectly meshed and combined, both stories steal your heart and make you cry at times and rejoice at others. I was frequently angry at Ava Stanton and Damian Ellsworth and I laughed at Noah’s frustration while dealing with Georgia. He has a massive ego that he had to leave at the door while dealing with Georgia and likewise, Georgia felt a strong attraction to him but it made her more snarky, not nicer. Their chemistry and squabbling was a great foreplay to their love story that ran as hot and passionate as Scarlett’s and Jameson’s love. I loved that even after her death, Gran would send packages and letters to Georgia for all important events, such a loving gesture!

Apart from the blistering passion, there are other layers to the story, friends and family that add to the complexity and fascination that is this book. I loved every word!

This was simply beautiful. At first, it took me a bit to get into the story because of the dual timelines and the story within the story, but the more I read, the more involved I became, and it was just so amazing and full of feels. And that twist! OMG, it was simply brilliant. Rebecca Yarros is simply fantastic, and so so talented. And her men are always the swooniest. I'm at a loss as to what to say or how to explain how fantastic this was. I simply loved it!

5 Stars / 3.5 Steam Fans

More review thoughts to come.

Video review available in Week 9: Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2021, full weekly book reviews available on Steph's Romance Book Talk Patreon.

For other bookish content, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

Ohhh lordy, this book. I finished reading The Things We Leave Unfinished about a week ago and I’m still thinking about it. I’ve also been talking about it - so much so that four people have told me they bought it because of me (two of them have already read it and loved it too) - a book lover’s dream!

This book was absolutely incredible. It was romantic, emotional, surprising, heartbreaking, hopeful - it basically had everything. I can’t remember the last time I got so deeply invested in a novel. The ultimate surprise for me is that dual timeline and WWII stories aren’t typically favourites of mine (dual timeline can be confusing or make a book feel draggy, and WWII stories - war stories in general, really - are often too heavy, stressful, and sad for me), but both things were done so beautifully, so intricately, and with so much heart, it made me fall completely in love with this book.

The Things We Leave Unfinished features two epic love stories woven together. In present day, Georgia has recently lost her beloved Gran, Scarlett, and has just gone through a divorce. She’s still reeling, but she’s doing the best she can to put her life back together. As the wife of a famous director, she was known as the Ice Queen; what people didn’t see was that it was a facade she erected to keep herself safe because her husband was a cheater and an opportunist. She meets her match in Noah, the rich playboy and famous Nicholas Sparks type author who’s been tasked with completing her Gran’s only unfinished work: her own love story. That love story is where the dual timeline comes in and we’re taken to 1940s England where Scarlett, a plotter for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, meets and falls in love with Jameson, a pilot for the RAF.

I loved these characters so, so much. Georgia was fierce, strong, smart, driven, and had her walls firmly in place after being hurt not only by her husband, but also by her selfish mother, who abandoned her continuously as a child. All she really wanted was to be loved unconditionally, the way her Gran loved her, but people only ever seemed to want something from her. I loved her and Noah together - their banter, their chemistry, how he really saw her, cared about her, and wanted her for HER, not what she could do for him. Scarlett and Jameson had that lightning strikes, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that was full of chemistry and passion and unshakable love. Their love for each other radiated from the pages. I felt like I was part of both stories, like I lived the heartache and triumphs of both couples.

I know with 100% certainty The Things We Leave Unfinished will make it to my list of 2021 favourites. If you’re looking for a compelling story with two beautiful romances that will pull at your heartstrings, make you swoon, and keep you guessing, this is a must read.

The Things We Leave Unfinished is another spectacular novel by Rebecca Yarros. While it has all of the elements of a romance, I didn't find it to follow the general formula that most contemporary romance novels do. There is a lot of family drama involved, an enemies-to-lovers romance thread, and a wonderful story of soul mates and a wonderful happily ever after.

There are actually two storylines happening at once in this novel -- the current-day tale of Noah and Georgia, and the WW2 storyline of Georgia's great-grandparents, Scarlett and Jameson. The letters of Scarlett and Jameson are wonderful. The chapters go back and forth between the two tales, telling the overall story. Both romances are epic and swoony, and there is a fantastic plot twist at the end that kind of upends everything that Georgia knew to be true about her life and family.

Although I found this book to be a little slow going at first, I couldn't put it down by the time I really got into the story. I wanted to see what happens next -- but didn't want it to end! Somehow, The Things We Leave Unfinished manages to be a heartwarming, emotional, gripping, entertaining, sorrowful, happy novel all at the same time!

I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

Not sure I can put into words everything I just read. I am in complete awe of the story. It’s so beautifully done. 5+ stars for this book.
Two love stories... one told in the time of WWII and one current day. I feel so hard for both, but especially for Scarlett and Jameson. I can’t imagine what their love went through and Rebecca did a fantastic job giving us a glimpse of how their love was everlasting.

I feel so hard for this story. Go into this story blind and just get lost in the pages.
One of Rebecca’s best books.

This is one of the best stories that I have read in a long time.
After I was done reading it, I sat there for a long time just marinating in it.
A day later, and I am still thinking about it.
This story was so masterfully crafted between the 1940s and present day.
Part of it is told as the characters are living it and some of it is told as letters that they wrote to each other. It has to be difficult to get that right, but it was seamless.
It's romantic. I basked in the love between Scarlett and Jameson. I could feel it. I think they might be one of my most favorite couples and they weren't even the only primary characters in the story. I fell in love with both of them and their love story.
It's a bit twisty and the whole idea behind the story is so clever that I didn't see it coming. A true surprise which doesn't always happen when you read so much.
I was an emotional wreck and I am suffering from the biggest best book hangover.

In a classic meet-cute, Georgia Stanton, the great-granddaughter of the late bestselling romance author, Scarlett Stanton, tells a very attractive man in a bookshop that Noah Harrison’s books are the products of a romance wannabe while Scarlett was the real deal. Of course, you might guess who is the man is. And, thus begins The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros, a novel of two romances 80 years apart.

With alternating timelines and character POVs, Yarros tells the story of Scarlett, an upper crust British woman who, along with her sister Constance has joined the WAAF during WWII and falls in love with American flier Jameson Stanton from Colorado as well as Scarlett’s great-granddaughter Georgia who is coming out of a wreck of a marriage but finds herself nevertheless attracted to the initially arrogant Noah.

A fun observation for me was that Noah's romance writing seems quite similar to what author Nicholas Sparks would write and, of course, Noah is the name of one of his most famous characters (The Notebook). Coincidence?
The characters are layered and very believable. The plot is well-developed, weaving in surprises, and well-paced. The writing excellent throughout.

The Things We Leave Unfinished is emotionally satisfying and emotionally wow-ing. A single scene raised fear, relief, and then sorrow, skillfully.

The Things We Leave Unfinished goes beyond being a romance novel to something much more. While there is the satisfaction of romantic love, there is also familial love and the response to the lack of familial love. How we always hold out hope for the ones we love even when they continue to let us down. How people can be molded by their circumstances and become different than who they would have been if circumstances had been different. There is the awareness of the freedoms that women have surrendered in order to marry, especially 80 years ago and yet still.

As we baseball fans like to say, Rebecca Yarros has hit this one out of the park. If you love mature, well-told romances/historical romances, you cannot pass this one by.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Achingly beautiful epic love story.

First off - words cannot express how much I adored this story. It was beautifully written and the most beautiful story I have ever read. It was also the best Rebecca Yarros novel I have ever read which is saying a lot as I adore her words!

This is really two love stories in one with a side romance or two. We first "meet" Jameson and Scarlett through a letter to each other at the beginning of the book. In re-reading this letter of introduction to their story - it is even more poignant now! Then we move directly to present day where Georgia who is a descendant of Scarlett's is coming to terms with her divorce and soon meets the hot, but dubious in his book choices, Noah Morelli.

We soon learn that Noah wants to finish Scarlett's unfinished autobiography of her profound love story with Jameson. Oh how I felt these two pop out of the pages and what they felt...I felt. Theirs was an epic love story told so beautifully through the pages already written and through their letters to each other during the war.

There is so much more to this story, but the joy is in finding out the details for yourself. Georgia has been bitterly hurt in the past and needs to learn to trust again to have any real shot at happiness. Noah has never found the right woman...or has he finally?

Scarlett and Jameson are falling in love during World War II in England, so we not only get two love stories - they occur on two different continents.

This one will tear your heart out as you delve into the story of Scarlett and Jameson and Scarlett's love for her sister, Constance who has such a pivotal role in getting these two together and is such a true support for Scarlett during the war.

We alternate between the two storylines, but it flows so easily with the letters helping to serve as transitions. There are so many layers and facets to this story. It is truly a work of art.

I cannot adequately express how much I adored this story and it is several days later and I am still brought to tears over the beauty of Scarlett and Jameson's love for each other. It was so eloquent, and heartwrenching in its beauty.

I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy, but can't wait for my paperback to be in my hands to enjoy for all time. This one is a true epic and instant classic!!

After having it proven once again in the most painful way possible that love doesn’t exist Georgia has returned home to settle her beloved Great-Grandmother Scarlett’s estate. Part of that estate includes an unfinished story of her life and a love that knew no bounds which is what brings Noah into her life. Noah is a successful writer who respects the literary talent of Scarlett and would like nothing more than to bring her story to life but first he needs to convince Georgia to let him finish it his way.

Not only do we get the see the developing relationship between Georgia and Noah, but we also get to see the love affair between Scarlett and James, the Air Force pilot she fell in love with during the war, through letters that are both poignant and heartwarming.

This is an emotional story about opening your heart to the possibility of love and living your life to fullest knowing that the difficult times only make the good times that much better. Captivating characters and a compelling storyline will have you enchanted from beginning to end.

This is my first venture into a world of Rebecca Yarros.

Having not reading the synopsis I had no expectations going into this other than wanting to be swept up in a live story and I was.

In fact i got swept up into two stories as the Main female character Georgia is working with a novelist to finish her great grandmothers unfinished manuscript telling of her own love story.

In it we get a historical romance as well as a modern contemporary romance. Multiple POVs and multiple shifts between time periods, one would think would be confusing and hard to keep up with however I found the jumps between the two done very well.

I will say I found myself more immersed in Scarlett and Jameson’s story for the majority of the book, more so than I did in Georgia and Noah’s story. I just seemed to connect more with Scarlett and Jameson and it could be that their love story for me was a lot of the focus of this book more so than Georgia and Noah, that’s how it seemed to me. Don’t get me wrong I loved both romances, I just gravitated more towards Scarlet and Jameson’s story.

And of course I live for those moments in romance when something inevitably happens to tear a couple apart even if it’s something minor. And this book definitely had that moment for all four characters both which were heartbreaking and added to the overall heaviness of this story. A heaviness that built as the chapters continued.

And then there’s the twist, and well it was one that made me utter the words no freaking way !!! A turning point you could say that had an immediate impact and made me stop to think about everything you read before that moment. As post twists go this one was genius cause I did not see it coming.

Overall this was a very intriguing story that gave you so much. Full of emotion, I’m very much looking forward to checking out other books by Rebecca

This is an incredibly beautiful story with different timelines. So, not only did I get one love story, I got to see two happening.
It did take me a little while to get into, and I had to take breaks to keep from being overwhelmed by my emotions. Not a bad thing, but it did make it harder to be fully invested like I wanted.
Overall, an incredible journey, an extremely well written book, and something that will linger for awhile.

Oh my goodness! I had no idea when I started this book what would happen. A book inside a book, a present life and a past life. Stories that are intertwined, and love on every page. This is the essence of this book and it is amazing. This is the story of Georgia and Noah, and of Scarlett and Jameson as well as some wonderful supporting characters, sisters and friends. I truly do not want to give the plot away at all because I knew nothing about this book, not much about the author, (however, I will definitely be reading more of her books), yet I was carried away on one of the most romantic books I have read in years. Romance, not sex, oozed through this book and although it was not obviously apparent until the end, everyone got their HEA. Read the blurb, but then read this book. Hopefully, you will be carried away as I was. I received this book from Netgalley and am so glad I was able to read this. This review is totally my own.

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros is a must read for historical fiction fans and fans of emotional romance novels.

The Things We Leave Unfinished is told from multiple perspectives in two different timelines. Scarlett and Jameson fell in love during World War II. Scarlett Stanton, a successful romance author, never finished her personal love story she has been writing for years. Noah is hired to finish writing the book. Scarlett’s Great Granddaughter, Georgia pushes back with certain things Noah wants in the story. Georgia starts off with a bad impression of Noah. Can Noah convince Georgia to give him a chance?

The Things We Leave Unfinished is an excellent book with two great love stories. This book is emotional. The book alternates between Scarlett and Jameson’s love story during World War II and Georgia and Noah in present day Colorado. Yarros pulls the reader into the story and then switches back and forth between both stories in a way that makes it impossible for the reader to put down. This book is an emotional roller coaster. The whole book leads up to a crazy twist that I didn’t see coming. Besides the two beautiful love stories, different family relationships are displayed. Georgia has a complicated relationship with her mother while Noah has a great relationship with his mother and sister. Georgia has trust issues and is always helping her mother. Noah has a bad reputation and makes a bad first impression but keeps fighting for Georgia’s trust. Scarlett is a strong, independent woman that is always looking out for her loved ones. Jameson is charming and all he wants is for Scarlett to be safe and happy. Scarlett and her sister, Constance are best friends and always looking out for each other. The stories are unique. Nobody writes emotional romances like Rebecca Yarros and The Things We Leave Unfinished is another great one.

Thank you Rebecca Yarros, Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for The Things We Leave Unfinished.

Holy. Smokes. You are not ready for The Things We Leave Unfinished, but trust me, you need to read it. Before this book, I hadn't yet read Rebecca Yarros. Clearly that was a mistake if this book is any indication of her abilities.

This was a PHENOMENAL love story. Absolutely phenomenal. It's been a while since a book touched me the way this one has. I just wanted to keep reading and reading and never have it end.

The Things We Leave Unfinished was a story within a story.....with an unexpected, heartbreaking yet lovely twist. I still can't get over it.

Georgia and Noah, Scarlett and Jameson. You don't want to miss it.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

So this is a Rebecca Yarros book, so I know I need to bring some tissues with me because Ms. Yarros is a master at tugging at your heart, giving it a hard squeeze and showing that love often comes with tears. I definitely like that.

Georgia has just gone through a nasty divorce and ends up at her great-grandmother Scarlett's estate in Colorado. Also in attendance is Noah Harrison, a bestselling author who is going to finish Scarlett's last book. I had to laugh when I realized this was an author writing about an author and that can and does get interesting!

As Noah starts to work on the love story, he and Georgia unearth Scarlett's story -- it's hers and very personal and set in World War II. The dual timeline between past and present is quiet interesting and brings a uniqueness to this story. As a former historical romance reader I enjoyed that aspect of the story very much, along with the growing attraction between Noah and Georgia.

This is a story that capitalizes on common themes of fate, destiny and true love. The characters are complex and interesting and the story is emotional and comes with some surprises. I really couldn't ask for me as a reader which is why I'm rating this 5 big stars.

A complementary copy was provided by the publisher. This is my honest review.

Two love stories side-by-side, each with their own drama, heartbreak, and romance…yes, please! I feel like every book I read by Rebecca Yarros becomes my new favorite of hers but I can’t help it – they just get better and better. This book is intricate – imagine a story with a multitude of layers, twists, turns, and surprises mixed with every emotion that is possible to feel and you just might be able to describe this book to others. For me, I’ll just call it the most epic of stories!

These characters will live on in my heart for a very long time. How could they not? After all, I experienced war with them, I experienced terror and fear and anger with them. That alone should be enough to bind me to them. However, I also experience utter joy with them and timeless love with them. I listened to their most intensely personal thoughts and heard them pray for miracles. And so they definitely have left an imprint on me. The way that the story of Jameson, Scarlet, Constance, Georgia and Noah unfolds in lovely waves before the reader’s eyes is beautiful, it’s heartbreaking, and ultimately it’s very satisfying. You may even have the desire to start the book all over again once you’re done…or maybe that’s just me.

I’m not going to tell you anything about the story in this review – there’s no need for you to know any more than what is written in the synopsis of the book as that alone should get you excited about reading it – but I will tell you that you do yourself a disservice if you don’t pick it up now! I think everyone who reads this book (and everyone should) will be left touched by it in some way. I don’t know if it’s the love, the loss, the struggles, or the romance that will touch your soul but trust me…you will not soon forget this book. I know I won’t!