Figure It Out - My Review of Great and Precious Things by Rebecca Yarros

Title: Great and Precious Things

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Publication Date: February 25, 2020

Source: ARC from publisher through Netgalley

How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are? 

Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again.

But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we're willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.

I’m a hopeless romantic and adore all things chocolate, coffee and paleo. No, seriously, I need to have a caffeine IV put in. I’ve adored reading all my life, and writing naturally evolved from my love of late nights and promises of one more page.

I’m also a military wife of sixteen years. During my husband’s deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, I was devouring a book a day, and during his third deployment, I finally wrote my own. With a somewhat ironic timing, I received my book deal for Full Measures during his fourth deployment, and published a month after he returned home. We’re currently preparing for his fifth deployment, so check out the blog for the latest!

On the homefront, we have six kids. Yes, you read that right—six. If I’m not writing or playing guitar, I’m usually tying hockey skates for our four boys, or sneaking in John Hughes marathons with my two daughters. We fostered and adopted our youngest daughter from the foster system and we’re passionate about helping others do the same through our non-profit, One October! We’re always busy navigating the winding road of our daughter’s recent autism diagnosis, getting our boys to hockey, prepping for a deployment, and generally trying to stay sane. We’re die-hard Mets fans, but our hearts call Colorado home.

If you’ve read all of that, haven’t fallen asleep, and still want to know more about me, check out my blog: http://www.rebeccayarros.com/blog! 

Connect with Rebecca Yarros:

Website: http://www.rebeccayarros.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaElizabethYarros

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RebeccaYarrosFlygirls

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccayarros

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaYarros

Blog: http://www.rebeccayarros.com/blog

Rebecca Yarros writes with incredible depth and an elegance that is unmatched. Her stories are heartbreaking in their tenderness and soul-destroying in authenticity. Her characters are strong but flawed and always seek to make something better of themselves.

Cam and Willow are amazing characters who find themselves putting on a show for the world, each for a different reason. Cam is punishing himself for not saving his younger brother. Willow is hiding from her feelings for Cam.

I adored the setting of this novel. I felt like I was transported to this mining community and could totally picture the mountains and mines and old buildings as they were discussed in the book. I was impressed with the amount of research Yarros must've done in order to accurately depict the town meetings and mine opening. I also appreciate the thoughtfulness that Yarros put into writing Arthur's Alzheimer's and the way it affected him and the family. It was tough to read, but I'm sure it would be tougher to live through. The choices the family had to make in regards to Arthur and his illness were painful and ones I've witnessed friends have to make. The whole situation was handled delicately and with dignity.

There was such an amazing family connection in this story. All through the animosity between Cam and his father, you can read the foundation that was formed from love. Xander and Cam, while butting heads and generally pissing each other off, also share a love and respect for each other and their decisions, while opposing, were made because of their love for their family. And then there is Sully, who never makes a formal appearance, but whom you get to know fully anyway. I love their history and the way it comes full circle in the present.

Great and Precious Things sets up this town to be used in a future book and I hope that sometime Mrs. Yarros decides to re-visit Alba, CO so we can catch up with the Daniels family and the many other characters in town that I grew to love.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an early copy to read.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Anthony Ramos - Figure it Out