The Things We Leave Unfinished

Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming.

Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce―the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel…even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit.

Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century―the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.

But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book―it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes―even if it means destroying Noah’s career.

Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels including Fourth Wing and In the Likely Event. She’s the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and the Alex Award from the American Library Association. She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. As the mother of six, when she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She and her family live in Colorado with their stubborn English bulldogs, two feisty chinchillas, and two cats who rule them all.

Having fostered then adopted their youngest, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October, which she co-founded with her husband in 2019. To learn more about their mission to better the lives of kids in foster care, visit www.oneoctober.org.

To catch up on Rebecca’s latest releases and upcoming novels visit www.RebeccaYarros.com.

"Readers will be wowed." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Everything I love in a story and it's all held together by superb writing. Prose, passion, plot. This book has it all." -- Amy Harmon, New York Times bestselling author

"I am staring into space with my heart on the floor and tears streaming down my face. Wow. This is my first Rebecca Yarros novel and I'd now like her to continually break my heart and put it back together in the pages of a book." -Brittany Z., NetGalley

"Talk about an emotional rollercoaster the author puts you through! Weaving two stories of love, deception, heartbreak and heartbreak. The characters are so real, and you become so invested that your heart breaks for all they are going through! This a book like this is a rare gem, one that will leave you emotionally satisfied." -Claire S., NetGalley

"Yet again Rebecca Yarros has shown her skill and prowess with beautifully presented manipulations of the written word. She can produce just about anything with her trusty pen, typewriter or computer." -Pauline C., Goodreads

"The Things We Leave Unfinished is a captivating and immersive read that introduces two unforgettable romances." -Julie P., Goodreads

"The "feels" that jumped off the page and the romance so beautifully written are just a couple of the elements that elevated this story." -Shirley Q., Goodreads

"For anyone who is a fan of epic love stories, sacrifice, and the occasional steamy sex scene this is a must read." -Crossroads Reviews

"I'm positive this book will top my Best Reads of 2021 list! If I could give this book more than five stars, I would do so in a heartbeat." -Stephanie T., NetGalley

"Rebecca Yarros wrote an amazing, enchanting story filled with love, heartbreak, tragedy, sadness and happiness. I will note that I was totally blindsided by a twist at the end, which made this even more intriguing. Very well done. The Things We Leave Unfinished is a captivating must read." -Barb L., Goodreads

"I finished this book with tears in my eyes, feeling emotionally drained, and had a smile on my face. Rebecca Yarros definitely knows how to rip your heart out and still leave you with a happily ever after." -Stephanie P., NetGalley

"I'm utterly speechless, this book has rendered me emotionally spent and my jaw hurts from hitting the floor with the ending!" -Rhonda B., Goodreads

"This story that Rebecca Yarros has given us will take you on one incredible journey that is sure to deliver all the feels." -Amy B., NetGalley

"Engrossing storytelling that goes deep into the complexity of emotions; compelling circumstances in which Yarros's protagonists above which forced to rise...or sink, followed by the poignancy of finally realizing that they have to fight for each other as they undertake a journey together." -Unstuck Pages

"I loved everything about this book and could not recommend it more! This is a stellar romance!" -Pink Cowland Reads

"THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED is a captivating women's fiction

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros is a deeply emotional, dual-timeline love story that weaves together past and present, showing how love, loss, and unfinished stories echo across generations. At its heart, the book follows Georgia Stanton, a woman trying to rebuild her life after a painful divorce, and her late great-grandmother Scarlett Stanton, a famous romance author whose own love story was cut short by war. The novel opens with Georgia returning, reluctantly, to her great-grandmother’s Colorado estate. Georgia has sworn off love—her ex-husband’s betrayal and the aftermath of their marriage have left her bitter, guarded, and tired of being vulnerable. She plans only to help settle Scarlett’s affairs, but instead she discovers that Scarlett left behind an unfinished manuscript: the love story that made her famous, except this time Scarlett had been rewriting it to tell the truth of what really happened to her during World War II. That unfinished manuscript becomes the thread that pulls Georgia into confronting her family’s past and her own feelings about love.

The modern timeline centers on Georgia’s uneasy partnership with Noah Harrison, a bestselling contemporary romance author brought in by the publisher to complete Scarlett’s unfinished book. Noah is talented, arrogant, and completely convinced he understands how to write love stories that sell. He thinks this project will be his next big success and approaches it initially as a professional challenge, not a sacred trust. Georgia, however, is fiercely protective of Scarlett’s legacy and resents the idea of some stranger rewriting her great-grandmother’s most personal story. Sparks fly immediately between her and Noah, not just in terms of attraction, but in the form of sharp, defensive arguments. Georgia sees Noah as smug and detached, someone who manufactures fictional happily-ever-afters while having no idea how painful love can be in real life. Noah sees Georgia as stubborn, emotionally closed off, and determined to stand in his way. Their collaboration is tense, full of barbed comments and unwilling respect, as they read through the old pages and try to piece together what Scarlett truly intended.

As Georgia and Noah dig into the manuscript, the book shifts to the past timeline, dropping the reader into 1940s England through Scarlett’s eyes. Scarlett, an American woman who came to Britain during World War II, is vibrant, stubborn, and full of life. She meets Jameson Stanton, a charming, disciplined Royal Air Force pilot who is determined to do his duty in the war. Their connection is immediate but complicated by the reality of wartime—every goodbye could be the last, and the future is a fragile, uncertain thing. They fall in love quickly but intensely, grabbing at every stolen moment together between missions, bombings, and the constant fear that Jameson may never return. Despite the danger, they marry, and their relationship becomes a bittersweet blend of joy and dread. Scarlett begins writing their love story in fictional form, using her words to make sense of the war, her fears, and the possibility that their romance could end at any moment.

The historical chapters slowly reveal how the novel that made Scarlett famous was not as honest as it seemed. The published version ends in a tragic way that readers have come to accept, but the unfinished manuscript in Georgia’s hands suggests that Scarlett intended a different, more personal ending—one that might change everything people thought they knew about her and Jameson. As the war drags on, Scarlett lives with the agony of watching pilots leave and not return, of counting the seconds on clocks, of learning to live with grief even before it fully arrives. Jameson faces his own impossible choices in the sky and on the ground. The love between them is deep and tender, but it is repeatedly tested by separation, fear, and the brutal randomness of war. Their scenes are filled with longing and urgency, capturing the way wartime compresses emotion, making every kiss feel like a final one.

Back in the present, the more Georgia and Noah read, the more emotionally invested they become in Scarlett and Jameson’s story—and in each other. Noah begins to see that Scarlett’s life was not a neat romance arc but a series of sacrifices and heartbreaks. He also starts to understand that Georgia’s cynicism is rooted in real pain, not simple bitterness. Georgia, in turn, notices that Noah isn’t as shallow as she assumed. Beneath his confidence and polished author persona, he has his own scars and uncertainties. As they argue over the manuscript’s direction—whether to stay faithful to the tragic version readers know or honor Scarlett’s real ending—Georgia and Noah gradually lower their defenses. Working late together, trading ideas, and sharing pieces of their personal histories, they slowly move from adversaries to allies, and then to something more intimate.

The title, The Things We Leave Unfinished reflects many layers within the story: Scarlett’s incomplete manuscript; the unresolved truths about what really happened to Jameson; Georgia’s half-healed heart; and the way grief and love can linger across decades. Georgia realizes that Scarlett didn’t just leave behind a book—she left behind a puzzle and a confession, a chance for the women in her family to see love not just as something that can break you, but as something worth risking everything for. As Georgia uncovers more of Scarlett’s true history, she confronts her own patterns: always walking away first so she can’t be left, always choosing safety over possibility. Noah challenges these instincts simply by being persistent, patient, and honest about wanting both the book and a chance with her.

The emotional tension builds as both timelines head toward their respective climaxes. In the past, readers are led to fear what the war will take from Scarlett and Jameson, and whether their love can survive the violence and tragedy already hinted at in the published version of Scarlett’s book. In the present, Georgia and Noah must decide what kind of ending to give Scarlett’s story and what that choice says about their own beliefs. Georgia struggles with the idea that changing the ending of a beloved classic might feel like betrayal to readers, but leaving it as it is could betray Scarlett’s truth. The more she empathizes with Scarlett’s difficult choices, the more she realizes she is facing her own: whether to let fear dictate her life, or to embrace the messy, risky reality of love.

When the truth about Scarlett and Jameson finally emerges, it reframes everything Georgia thought she knew. Scarlett’s life was marked by incredible love, devastating loss, and a complicated form of survival that didn’t fit neatly into the stories she published. By finishing the manuscript, Georgia and Noah are not simply tying up a literary loose end; they are honoring the courage it takes to tell a full story, including the parts that are painful, imperfect, and unresolved. This process transforms Georgia’s understanding of her great-grandmother and of herself. She sees that love can be both the wound and the healing, that grief doesn’t negate the value of what came before, and that sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is to love again, knowing it can all fall apart.

By the end of the novel, the past and present timelines echo one another in a poignant way. Scarlett’s story, with all its sacrifices and secrets, becomes a mirror that helps Georgia and Noah decide what kind of future they want. The act of finishing the book becomes an act of choosing hope over cynicism, honesty over pretense, and connection over isolation. “The Things We Leave Unfinished” ultimately becomes a story about how love, once lived, never entirely disappears. It leaves imprints—in letters, in manuscripts, in the people who come after—and those imprints can guide the next generation toward their own version of courage, forgiveness, and imperfect, hard-won happily-ever-after.