The Last Letter

By Rebecca Yarros

☕︎☕︎

I don’t mind an emotional book. In fact, I welcome a story that makes me feel something deeply. But there’s a fine line between an emotional read and one that feels like an endurance test. The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros? It crossed that line, stomped on it, and then set it on fire.

Even with the focus on a loved one’s death, I was oddly engaged in the beginning. The setup is compelling—Ella, a single mother, raising her twins after losing her brother in combat, and Beckett, the soldier who was her brother’s best friend, stepping in to fulfill a promise.

The potential was there. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of suffering packed into this book eventually wore me down.

Ella is a strong, protective mother, which I love in a protagonist. But her pride and absolute refusal to forgive make her incredibly frustrating. There’s stubborn, and then there’s cutting off your nose to spite your face. She’s the latter, and it makes for a reading experience that’s more exasperating than enjoyable.

Then there’s Beckett. If there’s a word beyond honorable, that’s him. He does nothing but try to support Ella, her kids, and the community while honoring his promise to his fallen friend. And how is he repaid? By constantly being treated like he has "Please Kick Me" taped to his back. Watching him repeatedly internalize the idea that he’s unworthy of love is not just painful—it’s exhausting.

And then there’s the ending. The absolute emotional overkill. Any enjoyment I had was buried under the weight of yet another tragedy. Some readers might find inspiration in the trials these characters endure, but for me, the journey was just too bleak to be worth it. The writing is solid, the characters had potential, but the relentless heartbreak? It made The Last Letter a book I wish I could return unopened.