I received a copy of Great and Precious Things from BookishFirst in a weekly raffle and I have to say - it was well worth the wait! Great and Precious Things follows the story of Willow Bradley - resident artist of Alba and, according to the town, still too devastated to move on from the death of her beau, Sullivan, who died six years ago - and Camden Daniels, bad boy, decorated soldier, and older brother to Willow's Sullivan. After following his estranged father's wishes to return to Alba to battle for his right to a Do-Not-Resuscitate order, Camden begins the fight of his life, not only to give the father who blames him for Sullivan's death back some of his bodily autonomy, but to also convince the unchanging, small town of Alba that he really isn't the bad guy after all. Throw in his struggle to maintain distance between himself and Willow, whom he has loved from afar what seems like his whole life, and rising tensions between him and his one remaining sibling, Xander (a.k.a. the "perfect" child), and Camden's got his work cut out for him.
The characters, although far from perfect, are so stunning in their lack of flawlessness that it makes it easy to connect with them. Camden has spent his life fighting for the approval of his dad and a town that only seems to see that worst in him. Willow has spent her life under her dad's thumb and the last several years moving on from the grief that everyone in Alba thinks she should continue to feel. Together, they just fit. Willow sees the good that Camden tries so hard to hide with his attempts to cover for his brothers. And Camden urges Willow to be her true self. It was beautiful watching how their relationship developed and strengthened.
Ultimately, Great and Precious Things is a story of forgiveness, redemption, and love - that between a man and his father, between brothers, and between two people who have finally got a shot at happiness. There is a delightful twist to the end of the story and Rebecca Yarros' writing keeps you captivated until the very end.
The characters, although far from perfect, are so stunning in their lack of flawlessness that it makes it easy to connect with them. Camden has spent his life fighting for the approval of his dad and a town that only seems to see that worst in him. Willow has spent her life under her dad's thumb and the last several years moving on from the grief that everyone in Alba thinks she should continue to feel. Together, they just fit. Willow sees the good that Camden tries so hard to hide with his attempts to cover for his brothers. And Camden urges Willow to be her true self. It was beautiful watching how their relationship developed and strengthened.
Ultimately, Great and Precious Things is a story of forgiveness, redemption, and love - that between a man and his father, between brothers, and between two people who have finally got a shot at happiness. There is a delightful twist to the end of the story and Rebecca Yarros' writing keeps you captivated until the very end.