The Last Letter - April Book Club

In this episode, we dive into our April book club pick, The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros. This one hit hard and we definitely had our box of tissues! We’re discussing our favorite moments, worst moments, what this book taught us and the emotional rollercoaster we were sent through!  

 
 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hey book lovers, welcome to TNT Bookhaven, our cozy corner where we obsess about all things books. I'm Tyra, the first TNT. I'm a chaotic, free-spirited mama, laughing all the time with a TBR that never stops growing.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

And I'm Tabitha, the second TNT, organized type A mama, suspense junkie, and yes, my TBR pile is officially out of control. Today we're diving into the last letter by Rebecca Yarros. So grab your drink, get cozy, and let's get into it.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

So The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros is a tear-jerking contemporary military romance about Beckett Gentry Gentry, who fulfills a promise to his dead best friend Ryan by caring for Ryan's sister Ella and her twins. The story explores theme of grief, trauma, and finding love again, often considered a very emotional slowburn romance. So grab your box of tissue because this one completely destroyed me.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yes, it is a it's it's different than anything pretty much that I've I've ever read. We wanted to kinda get into the specifics on what brought Rebecca Yarros to write this book. Um, and so researching that and finding some different stuff that's out there, I was actually able to come across on her website, which I feel like is a pretty reputable source of information on this piece of it. So what it said about her writing this book is this was one of her favorite books that she's ever written. And it was her first contemporary romance to be available in hardcover in English, which is pretty cool. Um, while her husband was serving in the military, two families close to them went through childhood cancer diagnosis, um, diagnoses. Um, and when writing the book, she talked to both of those friends to ask what she needed to get right in the book. So what needed to be accurate and all of that. So she asked what they would say to everyone if they could, like if they could talk to people about the situation that they were going through. One of her friends actually let her see her son's treatment blogs, and that became the timeline for the last letter. Um, she also spent months before writing this book going through blogs where parents detailed their children's experiences, the fights with insurance and treatments that they had to go through, and she took all of that emotion and put it into this book. So, right off the bat, spoiler warning, we're hoping that if you're listening to this episode, that you have either joined our book club and are reading along with us and have now finished the book, or that you have read this book before we get into our kind of deep dive on all things, the last letter. So if you haven't, this is the stopping point because we are definitely going to ruin it for you. And this is a book that you, in my opinion, you don't want ruined. You want to experience it firsthand. Um, so stop here, go read it, and come back and do a deep dive with us afterwards. So I know you mentioned Tyra that like get your box of tissues. So, how did this book make you feel?

SPEAKER_02 3:33

Oh my gosh. I like oh um right from the beginning. Well, let me start by saying this. I was on TikTok and I've seen the last letter everywhere. And I saw this girl on TikTok, and it cracks me up every time I watch it. And she in the video, she's like, I'm so disgusted with you, Rebecca Young. It is just so funny. But I've I watched that TikTok before I even read the book, and I've seen many TikToks where everybody's just like, oh my gosh, they sobbed. And so I'm like, okay, is this book really gonna make me sob? Yes, yes, it did. Uncontrollably. Starting out, I like I started to enjoy it right away. I I can say I enjoyed the entire book, which it's like that's such a weird word to say when the book completely emotionally destroys you. But this was a very good book. Like this was I it just made me feel all emotions, it made me feel sad, it made me feel happy, it made me feel angry. I felt all of the emotions, but yeah, I I mean shortly after getting into the book, I started sobbing immediately, and then a good chunk of the book I'm reading, and I'm just like enjoying the storyline, enjoying everything that's going on. And then the end of the book, I just start sobbing uncontrollably again. It's one of those books, yeah, yeah. You need a good cry, go pick up the last letter.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Yeah, it and people say that it's like, oh, it'll wreck you, it's it's it's gonna tear your heart, all this stuff. And it's like really, like, I have read a lot of sad books. I oh yeah, it it's usually like, oh, that that was such a good story, like, oh that whatever. I've like this book is gonna stick with me. Like that was so sad and heart-wrenching and a really good story overall, like really sweet, and um again, we already said spoiler warning, but the fact that Beckett and Ella work through all of their stuff and end up together, and yeah, it's so so sweet, and I love their love story. Yes, and then the other stuff that happens, it's just like it's so bittersweet. It's like really hard to say, like you said, to say that you love this book, but it's like I did love it. I also kind of wish I didn't read it.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

Yeah, no, it's seriously, it was just like gosh, I it just takes you through all of the emotions.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yep. But that is that is for sure.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Reading a book, of course, like we read it for enjoyment. We read books because we love reading, and it it is just our our safe haven. But each book, no matter what type of book it is, fantasy, romance, thriller, we I feel like Tabitha and I definitely come back with it feeling like we learned something from each book that we read. So what lesson do you feel like you this book taught you?

SPEAKER_01 7:30

I would say that and it's really sad. I think the reason why this was so sad, and I don't know if everyone else would agree with this, but I think once you have a kid and you have all of those emotions and you love them so much that it hurts, it's like I just want to hang on to them and like never let anything happen to them. Um, and then with this story, obviously, the with everybody who's listening who knows what happens, knowing that um Colt passes away at the end unexpectedly, there's just something about the kid aspect of it of like putting yourself in those your those shoes of like, how would you even get through that? How would you be able to process that as a parent? Um, and I would say the the biggest lesson learned is to enjoy every single moment because you never know when it's gonna be the last. And that's kind of morbid to think about it that way of like one day something terrible could happen. But I think that that is one of the biggest things with this book is like even with Beckett and Ella's relationship, they lost so much valuable time together because of honestly like stupid reasons, like her being stubborn and her being um unwilling to like believe what he's saying, and then him making mistakes and quote unquote lying to her and all of that stuff. It's like the just don't ever take a moment for granted because you never know when it's gonna be the last.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Yeah, absolutely. Definitely like you know, treasure every single moment and not only that, but like fight, fight for to keep going. Fight for your kids, um fight for love.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Yep. Yeah, just don't waste your time.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

Don't waste your time with your kids, don't waste your time with your uh loved ones. Just treasure every single moment.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

100%. Yeah, I think that was uh Rebecca Yarros really hit home with that of like you just never know, like when when it happened to Colt in the book, it's a very normal day for them. She sends them off on a field trip and everything's fine and everybody's happy, and then that is literally the last time that she sees him and it's like d oh my gosh, just thinking like I know it's a book, but man, it like really it really hurt my heart. Um, and to think that there was a line that she said in there of like, I can't even remember if I oh my gosh, if I told him that I loved him. And it's like that is just so so sad to think of like the almost like uh regrets that you may have from um the last interaction that you have with someone. It's like it just is a it really is a great reminder of making sure that you take full advantage of every every moment that you have and just enjoy like be present and um just you just never know. You never know what could happen.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

So yeah, because this may be a book and this may not be real life, but tragedies happen in real life. Every day, yep. Every single day. And it's never easy. Um, and no words can express.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah, yeah. To get away from the almost sobbing of that. Um, on a lighter note, with us being moms and we work full-time and we're wives, and uh I feel like we're very busy. Um, how were you able to make it through this book? What was there anything that took you away from reading?

SPEAKER_02 11:39

Um I um I will say that I did get through this book pretty fast, and I think it's because I enjoyed it so much. Um but I definitely my Kindle was my savior for this book. I read during my lunches, um, and then I also would read at night. And I'm fairly positive I probably stayed up late to finish this book. Like it definitely, yeah, it was like it's one of those books that um, you know, because every so often my husband and I have TV shows to watch. Um, but this was definitely one of those books where the TV shows were pushed aside and I just read.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Like, I need to get through this. Yeah, it was definitely a page turner. Um, but I will say the the good middle chunk of the book was not like you were saying how you cried at the beginning and then cried at the end. That was the same thing for me, where it's not like throughout the whole thing, it was just an emotional roller coaster and all this stuff.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

It was actually a really good storyline and like really good drama. Yeah, and you still wanted to know what was gonna happen. Like it it didn't there wasn't a point where my attention wasn't there. My attention uh definitely was there the entire book.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Yep, I agree. And I think that mine was similar. It definitely took me a little bit longer to finish it than you. I honestly I think it's just because I would try to read at night and it never failed. I'm like, my eyes are just closing. I'm like, I cannot, I can't stay up. Um, but I was reading on a physical book, so I didn't do any of this on audio, which sometimes it is a little bit more of a different experience when you when you do the physical book. So I'm glad that I did that with this one. Um but I would say I was a little bit slower in the sense of when I would try to read, I just couldn't stay, I couldn't stay awake.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Yeah. Yeah, I definitely I feel like in those instances, I I love having a physical book, but it becomes like a certain point at night where we turn off the lights and I need my Kindle.

unknown 14:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

And that's how that's what keeps me going is being able to have my Kindle and not have to keep a light on to read.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Exactly, yeah. Um thankfully I do we me and my husband, I think are uh we don't need like a dark dark, dark to go to sleep. So thankfully, if I'm staying up later, which I'm gonna say never happens, he's always up later than me. But if I were to stay up later, he would be able to go to bed. And I just have a I have a book light that's attached to my like bed frame. Yeah. Um, and so I'm able to use that to still read, but it it's never that's never an issue. I'm like, I'm out before he is. Um, but yeah, that's that's the only reason why this one went a little bit slower for me. It was definitely enjoyable and an an enjoyable story, um, as even with the incredibly sad moments that it had. So yeah, who would you say was your favorite character from the book and why?

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Gosh, that's a hard question. Um probably Colt.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

Colt and Maisie.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

Yeah. I think they were my favorite. Um Yeah, I'd have to say both of them. I the kids made the story.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Yeah, I I obviously loved them. I think that that's why it was so heart-wrenching to go through the book because Maisie's going through her cancer diagnosis, and Colt is just like the sweetest brother and there for her, and just uh he's like a little spitfire. He's so cute. Yes. Um I will say though, Beckett, even though he technically lied to Ella, I still don't think that that's a lie that he told I think he was doing what he thought was right.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

He was honestly one of my favorite characters because I feel like and I think it's because I I always try to like, like we were saying, learn something from the book, whatever, but one of the things that I struggle with personally is my patience. I am an extremely impatient person um in a lot of aspects of my life, and it is a struggle that I am trying to get better at. But even especially with kids, you have to try to get better. Well, yeah, and I struggle to it's to the extreme where like I get so frustrated going through like Costco and people are in my way. Oh my gosh. I feel like I'm always in a hurry, and I'm I am just patience is not one of my yeah, patience is not one of my strong suits at all. And reading through this book, I'm like, man, this guy just had a lot of patience of a saint. I'm like, he is just so it it was just something to see where it's like, again, I know that it's a book and he's not a real person. Um, but to take that away, like he was willing to be patient and wait for what he wanted. And it's like that's not something that happens very easily in today's day and age, because um, going back to the book that we covered with the ruthless elimination of hurry, it's like yeah, we are in such a hurry for everything and we want immediate gratification, or is it gratification? Instant gratification, um for everything is like we have no patience for anything anymore, and I am guilty of that completely. So, yeah, I would say that he was one of my favorite characters just for his personality traits.

SPEAKER_02 17:41

Yeah, I think he was a great character, and I think that he was a he was a great person in general too. Um and we can't forget about Havoc. Oh I sweet Havoc. Honestly, I truthfully reading through the book, I thought that the tearjerker at the end was gonna be Havoc dying.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

Well, and that's obviously not what happened. I thought that he was gonna die at the beginning of the book. Or she. She, I think Yeah, it's a she. She. Um, when they had the shock of it actually being Ryan, the brother, um, I thought that something was gonna happen where the dog died. I'm like, I think that would have been just equally as sad.

SPEAKER_02 18:27

Um however, Rebecca Yarros did say recently she would never kill an animal. Which that's good to know now. I didn't know that at the time. She did say she doesn't consider dragons animals.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Oh, crossover to the fourth wing Empyrean series. Something's gonna happen with that. That a dragon's gonna die. My goodness. Oh my goodness. But yes, I agree. Havoc was a just an amazing whatever sub-character to this storyline, just very loyal and sweet with the kids, and yeah, just how can you not love a dog?

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Exactly. So we talked about our favorite characters. Who is your least favorite character?

SPEAKER_01 19:17

I mean, I have to go with the ex and his parents because And his parents!

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

His parents are only mentioned a little bit, but my gosh, they are awful people.

SPEAKER_02 19:29

Oh, they are like, too.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Yeah, he's only mentioned a little bit, but yeah, he is also uh Yeah, they are very uppity, thinking that they're better than everybody else, that their money makes them more important, and they could care less to get to know their children and grandchildren, which is just mind-boggling to me how you have a kid.

SPEAKER_02 19:55

How can you just not care? Yeah, that makes no sense to me.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

Which it makes sense to uh probably to both of us, because I know we personally do not have great relationships with our sperm donors.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

Mothers. I was gonna say fun.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

I'm like, what's what's the word?

SPEAKER_02 20:17

I donated a sperm to my mom first.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Because it's definitely not not a yeah, not a dad. Um, but yeah, it's like the they could care less to have a relationship with those kids. They are everything that is brought up and said is very hateful and dismissive, and acting like Ella is in the wrong for moving forward with having those kids, which is just it's just disgusting all the way around. They were terrible characters, but Rebecca Yarrows did a great job of sharing those characters and making you really, really dislike them. Yeah. Um, so she did a great job of writing them.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

Oh, yeah, I completely agree. They were absolutely the least favorite characters, but they also like without them being in the book, you wouldn't have like they did make the story. Yep. But yeah, they're awful.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

Yeah, I love the showdown with Beckett and the ex. I can't even remember what his name is.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Um that's how that's how crappy he is.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

Exactly. He's just a a big loser. Um big L. Yes. But yeah, the the confrontation that they have where he stands up for Ella and gets to adopt the kids. And I mean, it's just such a sweet uh part of the story and really just shows what he's willing to do to to fight for them to be his family. It's just so sweet. Um yeah, they they were the least favorite, but they did definitely add a another little layer to the story that was needed.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

Yeah, absolutely. So We've talked about kind of our views on this, who our favorite characters are, who our least favorite characters are, how this book made us feel, and what we took from this book. So, what would you rate this book?

SPEAKER_01 22:14

I am gonna say out of five, this is a solid 4.5. Oh, I was gonna say the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

I was gonna say the same thing. It is a very good book. Such a good book. Rebecca Yarros. I I truly, in general, I have enjoyed all of Rebecca Yarros's books. Um she is an amazing writer. Um and she did a great job with this book. So yeah, absolutely 4.5 on my on my end too.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

I we're sometimes on the same page. I had a feeling we would be on the same page on this one because I I so wanted to give it a five-star. I really do. I feel like this is one that I struggled with on where to rate it. Because I'm like, it was so good, but I think with how sad it made me, I'm like, I just don't know. Because I feel like a five-star is like a book that I would recommend to everyone, and I would reread and all of a sudden. I'm like, I just don't know that I could reread this book. It was just so I feel like my heart's bed through enough.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Like I can't do it again. Sitting there reading, and I just start sobbing. And my husband's like, What's wrong? What happened? What's going on? Like, are you okay? Are you okay? And I'm like, like, I'm not okay. This book. And he just starts dying laughing. He's like, a book made you cry that hard. And I'm like, it's so sad.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Like, you don't understand. I did the same exact thing because I cried at the beginning, and it was while I was at work on lunch, and I'm sitting in the break room just sobbing to myself. And then the whole rest of the story, I'm like, oh, this is so sweet and cute and funny and all this stuff. And then I get to the very end and I'm sitting, and it was I vividly remember, I don't think I'll ever forget when I read this the end of this book, because I was so tired, and I'm like, no, I'm I'm right at the end. I know I can finish this. And I'm going through and I'm like, oh my gosh, Colt's hurt. Oh my gosh, Colt's really hurt. Oh man, and now Beckett found him. So now he's gonna be okay. Beckett Donovan, he's gonna be okay, he's gonna save him. And then they're talking like he everything's okay, but then you can tell that Beckett realizes that he's not gonna make it, and he's holding him. Oh my god. And I was bawling, and my husband looks over, he's like, Are you crying? I was like, Yes, this book is really sad.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Oh yeah, my husband, when I start crying, he's like, I'm gonna record you and send this to Thomas.

SPEAKER_01 25:10

Well, I think I think he was like um concerned at first and almost like kind of judgy, like, are you actually crying right now? And then when I told him what happened and the cult died, and he's a little boy, and he it like it was just so heart-wrenching. And he was like, Oh my gosh, that really is really sad. I was like, see, that's that's why I was crying. Yeah, so uh I just can't, I can't give it a full five stars, even though it was such an amazing book. Um I just I don't know that I would ever reread it. And I feel like you have to be in the right mindset to read it. Um, because I know it's been in my TBR pile for a long time, but I knew how sad it was gonna be. And there were points where I was like, I don't even want to pick this up because I know it's gonna make me cry.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Yeah. Oh my gosh, yes, this book, gosh. Um, we'll have to share that TikTok that that girl made on that is just hilarious, and it's so accurate too.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Where she's like so accurate. I'm like pissed at Rebecca Yara's like, how could you how could you do this?

SPEAKER_02 26:26

I'm so disgusted with you. Oh yes, we'll have to share that for sure. TikTok. But in general, who would you recommend this book to if they have not read this book?

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, I would say if you I guess if you listen to this whole thing and you haven't read the book, I'm sorry, we spoiled a lot for you. We told you at the beginning that there was gonna be spoilers. Exactly. Um but honestly, I think the uh the book itself, I think if you like romance for sure. I think it's a it is a great romance read. Um honestly, like the military aspect, if you're like a a military spouse, I think you would really enjoy it. I think the fact that she has experience in that, it made it seem more real. Like having the letters back and forth and all of that was really, really sweet.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

Um I'm trying to think, like I definitely think that honestly, if you enjoy reading in general and you're the type like Tabitha and I who enjoys kind of all genres, um I would absolutely recommend this book to you.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

Yeah, it's worth reading. I just it is gut-wrenching, but if you like you said, if you enjoy reading even in the slightest, this is one that should be on your TBR pile for sure.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

Oh yeah, absolutely. Um but that was our first book in our uh TNT Bookhaven book club that is on Fable. Um, so the month of May, we are moving on to our next book. We just drew the book name yesterday, so we are going to be reading um for the month of May, Next of Kin by Hannah Bonum Young, I believe is her her name.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Hannah Bonum, B-O-N-A-M. Um another romance. Yeah, and we yeah, we we do in our in our little drawing, we have a good variety. We have thrillers and fantasy and all this stuff, and we just happen to happen to draw two romance back to back. So, you know, it's just a sign that we needed to have some, I don't know, romance in our lives right now.

SPEAKER_02 28:55

Um but if you have book recommendations that you would like us to include on our book club, please send them to us. Um we're we're absolutely like I said before, Tabitha and I are kind of very um all over the place with book genres. We love reading everything. Um so yeah, if you have recommendations, send them on over and we'll put them in the list.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Yeah, and we would love to have you join our book club. We're obviously very new to this. We just barely started this new kind of setup with doing uh one book a month on the Fable app and reading through that together and then covering it in the next month, and then kind of having just random other episodes throughout the month just to make the reading a little bit easier, making it a little bit more fun. Um, and so we would love for you to join us there in our book club and be able to chat with you as we go throughout the month and read our next book. So that wraps today's deep dive on the last letter. But if you loved hanging out with us, don't forget to follow TNT Bookhaven and leave us a review. It really does help our little bookhaven grow.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

Also, come chat with us over on social. We're on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and now, as we said, our book club on Fable. Um, and we're on there as TNT Bookhaven.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

But until next time, stay cozy and happy reading, book lovers. Bye. Bye.