Audiobook Review - The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

This was the most gut-wrenching audiobook that I’ve listened to thus far. When I tell you that I almost cried at work at several times during this audiobook, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve had Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros on my shelf for a while now but after reading The Things We leave Unfinished, I’m going to have to read it as soon as possible. Rebecca Yarros is a master of emotional manipulation. And I don’t mean it lightly when I say that this story changed my life. 

The Things We Leave Unfinished has two storylines happening at the same time. The main one follows Georgia Stanton, who’s back in Colorado at her great-grandmother’s estate after a brutal divorce from her movie executive husband. In Colorado, Georgia runs into Noah Harrison at a bookstore and basically trashes his books to his face without knowing he was the author. And to make matters worse, she and Noah have to work together after he’s chosen to finish her great-grandmother’s, Scarlett Stanton’s, unfinished autobiographical novel. Georgia and Noah butt heads about how the novel should end, Georgia knows that Scarlett’s real life didn’t have a happy ending but Noah thinks the novel should have a happy ending. They both try to convince each other that the other is wrong, but who will prevail in the end? The second storyline follows the unfinished autobiographic novel of Scarlett Stanton (Georgia’s grandmother). Scarlett worked in the Women’s Auxillary Air Force, WAAF, in WWII alongside her sister, Constance. While in the WAAF, Scarlett falls in love with an American pilot, Jameson. However, the brutalities of WWII cause many casualties, and their story doesn’t have a happy ending. 

Now I typically struggle with dual storylines because things can get confusing, but it was masterfully done in this case. I like how the audiobook narrators used distinct accents during each of the two storylines because it helped distinguish what was happening when. The plot of this book was so interesting. I never wanted to stop listening to it. 

I have never felt so deeply for characters before. I really liked the relationship growth between Georgia and Noah. I feel as though they brought out the best in each other and continually pushed each other to grow and become better versions of themselves. But the couple that really takes the cake is Scarlett and Jameson. They were beyond perfect for each other. Scarlett was strong, independent, and she knew what she deserved. And Jameson was charming, gentle, and thoughtful. He is the most well written male character that I have ever read. I was constantly hoping that they’d get their happy ending that they deserved. I want to say so much more, and I could honestly write a short story about how much I like this book but you need to read this book for yourself because it’s just that good. 

Highly recommend this story to anyone looking to go on an emotional journey and getting their heart broken only for it to be put back together again. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book because I want to annotate it.