My first Barbara O'Neal book and definitely not my last!
The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is a story about two lost women dealing with grief as well as PTSD and divorce.
I had a great time seeing these women on their journey and LOVED all the food descriptions. Overall really enjoyed this book and highly recommend!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but it fell flat for me. First it is a slow burn which isn’t my preference, but I’m okay as long as it’s to used develop the characters. I didn’t really connect with the main characters, and they didn’t grow as much as I would have liked.

The trip was organized and planned by Mariah as a way to honor her recently deceased mother; however, she doesn’t seem invested the project. Overall the story focused too much on Veronica and not enough on Mariah. I would have preferred more time given to developing the friendship between Veronica and Mariah and less on the predictable budding romance.

While it took a while to get there, I did find the ending heartwarming and satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially confused about how the characters would connect in this book. I ended up engrossed anyways and loved the relationships they built. Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

5 *****

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is a contemporary women’s fiction. The characters are revealed, and evolve, throughout the story. The travelogue is beautifully woven in, strong on its own and also developing the story and characters. And the food descriptions! Beautifully done.

The two main female characters both develop tremendously over the course of the story, and contribute to each other’s healing and growth. Their collaboration also supports them both in more pragmatic ways.

I’m a big fan of this author’s books, over many years, and yet they never feel repetitive. Her eye (and voice) for emotion, nature, art, and people’s interconnectedness is spot-on. I always feel like I discover something new about how wonderful people can be for each other, which is a gift I get from every book.

That being said, this book somehow significantly exceeded my always-sky-high expectations of this author. It was somehow richer, deeper, more vast . . . . I wish I could articulate what propelled this book to higher heights, at least for me. Whatever it was, I felt it throughout the reading of the book (which I miraculously managed to spread over almost a treat! Like savoring a dessert in small helpings to you can consume more tomorrow).

I **most** highly recommend this book! And if this is a new author for you, I wish you the joy of devouring all her previous novels as well.

I love Barbara O’neal and I’ll add this book to another of her hits!! I think once this is released it will be best seller, it’s so beautiful!

Mariah Ellsworth is an Olympian, her mother, Rachel Ellsworth is a food writer, both are famous in their own right. When during a visit to a grocery store, Rachel is killed and Mariah’s femur is shattered by a bullet, Mariah has to recover not only physically but emotionally. Urged by her Aunt Jill, Mariah starts working on her mother’s last book, using the outline she left and her letters. However, Mariah is not strong enough physically to do this journey alone so she hires Veronica Barrington as a companion. Veronica has her own healing to do, after an ugly divorce and a police incident, Veronica is ready for a new chapter. Will this trip lead to healing or just more hurt?

Barbara O’Neal’s books to me are art, each chapter a mosaic of brushstrokes, layering on emotions, discoveries, insight and brilliantly revealing the story. The characters, add a layer with their complexity and sentiment. Descriptions of a locale another layer, just enough to intrigue you without overwhelming you. I feel so content after finishing her books and this book is no exception. It makes me want to travel and see out different cultures, food and people. Relish in the wonder of seeing things through the lens of the experience. Such a gratifying read, you will regret not reading this book.

I was asked to review “The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth” by Barbara O'Neal.

O’Neal is a master at creating well developed female characters and their (sometimes dysfunctional) relationships. Her novels often focus on self-exploration and growth. Here, we meet Veronica, who is turning a new leaf, and Mariah, a young athlete who is moving forward after a physical injury that keeps her out of the Olympics. Mariah is seeking a travel companion as she seeks answers about her mother, Rachel. Their journey takes them to London, Paris, Marrakech and India, which O’Neal describes in an evocative way. O’Neal also explores these women inner battles and the different ways they connect.

This is a thoughtful read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a chance to read this book.

I didn’t want this one to end. Barbara O’Neal shares her intense research abilities and travels with this book. It was interesting, fascinating and a totally enjoyable read. I learned so much about the foods, history and people of the countries that her characters traveled to. It made me want to go.
The three main characters are somewhat diverse and flawed in many ways…and yet you find yourself rooting for them and hoping they all find their way in life.
I think it would be great if a second book came along…just saying….

This was a really good book! It was entertaining, and it gave me a feeling of wanderlust! I wanted to travel and go on these journeys myself! I think this was a well written story, I liked the way everything flowed!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I always enjoy Barbara O’Neal books and The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth was no different! I really enjoyed this book. I loved the travel and food aspects and also watching Veronica and Mariah figure out who they want to be after each woman has found themselves at a turning point in life. I would recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is an incredibly touching and immersive read. The way O'Neal describes the settings and emotions made me feel like I was right there with the characters, experiencing their joys, sorrows, and every twist in their journey. The book’s mix of historical elements, mystery, and heartfelt moments made it impossible to put down.

Thank you NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for sending this book for review consideration.

“The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth” by Barbara O’Neal is a fabulous novel that delicately navigates the terrain of PTSD and trauma. The story revolves around two broken women, one who loses her snowboarding career and mother from a deadly shooting, and the other from the loss of her marriage. We are taken on a powerful and richly descriptive journey across continents as they try to carve a path forward for themselves and finish a book on food on “Parsi Cafes” to honor the young snowboarders deceased mother. I was totally immersed in their heartfelt story and enjoyed every minute of the sights and sounds of Europe, Morocco, and India. This emotional and beautifully written novel will keep you reading way into the night. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth tells the story of two women, Rachel’s daughter Mariah, a twenty something who is adjusting to life after a serious injury abruptly finished her winter Olympic career and Veronica a fifty something woman who’s world is turned upside down with a recent divorce.

The recently deceased Rachel was a food writer and traveller and when Mariah decides to try and complete the last food book she was working on she knew she would have to advertise for a travel companion as she tries to retrace her mothers steps around the worlds cafes. Someone to assist and help her navigate the journey with her injury restricting what she can do.

Veronica, lost without her house and her family and struggling to adjust to life on her own in a rented apartment, sees the advert and takes a leap of faith in applying and getting the position. We follow both as they travel the globe and visit various cafes and find out more about Rachel and indeed themselves.

This was a hugely enjoyable tale of two lost women dealing with different types of grief and trying to use the past to forge new futures and identities for themselves. It’s beautifully told and will have you salivating with all the discussion and consumption of food.

Both women are flawed but ultimately incredibly likeable and of course there is the obvious mother daughter dynamic that is always bubbling under the surface, partly filling holes in both their lives.

I had a blast reading this as I went along with these two on their journeys, both physically and metaphorically as they try to navigate the loss of their familiar and now forever changed lives. Highly recommended

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Grief is a striking thing and it takes on different forms. We can not only grief a person, but also a life we’ve had as well. Barbara O’Neals newest book about just that – grief.

We have 2 main characters – Veronica and Mariah (and Henry, who goes with them on the journey, but whose POV we never get). Veronica is a middle age woman, who just got divorced and is struggling to make a living, since she used to be a stay at home mum. And little work she did, was for a non-profit. Mariah was an Olympic snowboarder, who got shot in a mall in her leg. She’s still 25 and has just lost her mother, along with her life and career. Together, they go on a journey, trying to finish the book Mariah’s mother, Rachel, was trying to write before her death. Veronica joins Mariah as a companion, helping her on the journey. Henry joins them in London – he’s an old friend of Rachel, her ex-boyfriend, an a photograph for the book.

Now. The book tells the story of them both, trying to find a new life. And, to be honest, in a way running away from their problems (I don’t blame them, I would love to do the same).

You know, I, personally, think that the whole premise of the book was great. And while not everyone has felt the grief of losing their loved one, and I hope if they didn’t that they won’t for many, many years to come, all of us can, in some sense, understand the grief of losing the life we had or even the grief not being able to live the life we wanted for ourselves. And that’s fine. The important thing is not to get stuck in that feeling. Grief is natural, but staying in grief for too long will stop us from living today. Living for ourselves. Living another day. And upmost, this book is really about the process of moving on with your life.

Normally I'd give this book a 4/5 but there's still a few things they have to work on before the book is published. I can't wait for the finished thing to come out tho! It wasn't something I'm used to reading, so I was a bit nervous when picking it up – I'm more of a fantasy/mistery with a murder girl. I did enjoy it very much though.

I'd like to send my thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is soooo good!
Mariah wants to finish her late Mom's story.
However, she must have help.
A companion to assist with traveling to all her Mother's favorite places she planned to include in her novel is just the answer she needs.
Mariah hires Veronica and though they are as different as night and day; but are they really?

This is a wonderfully, detailed journey about two women who take on a challenge together as work partners and become family.
I loved the different places, the foods and the cities they visit. I felt as if I was actually with them!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review. Well done as always!

I have just finished reading the last page of this warm, beautifully descriptive, perfect novel and my eyes are full of tears. But they are happy tears because I feel like I have just taken the round-the-world journey with Veronica and Mariah and Henry, and now I'm back in my home in Maine but part of my heart is still with them.

The story of why Mariah's mother left India and never returned is woven lightly throughout the characters' journey, but never overtakes the emotional journeys of Veronica and Mariah. Each woman is dealing with trauma from their past and this is also woven deftly throughout, so that their traumas are not the central part of the novel, but simply a part of it.

I loved watching both women as they began to carve new lives for themselves after such a difficult past. Each woman is so different, but their relationship was also beautiful watch as it flowered.

I also loved the romance that blossomed between middle-aged Veronica and Henry. Also deftly woven artfully among the many beautiful pieces of the story.

And dare I mention the sensual aspects of the descriptions of the sights, sounds, and tastes (OMG, the FOOD!!!) that tie the characters' journeys together with pleasure and vivid details.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced ready copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Letter of Rachel Ellsworth is a heart-warming story of loss and love. Veronica and Mariah seem like opposites in every way, but their shared journey through grief brings them together as they search for answers. Mariah's late mother started a novel that needs to be completed. Unfortunately, Mariah is suffering from an injury and so she hires a traveling companion, Veronica, to help assist her whilst she finishes writing the book. This story brings together all the best parts of travel and light-hearted mystery that keeps your interest until the very end. Thank you Lake Union and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance copy of this book!

Veronica is coming out of a nasty, and unexpected divorce, when she finds an ad for a travel companion for a multi-country journey. She meets up with Mariah, our other narrator who is recovering from a traumatic injury and the death of her mom, and they agree to travel together to finish Rachel, Mariah’s mom, final book about cafes around the world.

It was very clear the author did a lot of research on the different cities Veronica & Mariah visited, especially around the cuisine featured in this book. The descriptions of the cities were immersive, and made me feel like I was there enjoying their meal with them.

Where this book fell a little flat for me was with its repetitiveness in the writing. After nearly every meal, we had to hear how Veronica felt like she was gaining weight from meals, or eating unhealthy. Some of the dialogue also felt a little stiff and awkward, like having a hashtag randomly placed after a paragraph.

At its core, this book was a healing journey and is about how different generations interact with the world. Veronica is Gen X, and Mariah is a Gen Z, and we get to see how they handle life’s challenges in different ways, especially when our life is at a crossroads. I really loved the ending of this book, and thought it was very heartwarming.

An enjoyable well-paced novel that is centred around Veronica, who is suffering financially following a divorce, Mariah who is recovering physically after a super-market shooting and the glorious Henry, a photographer who is integral to their triangle.

The three travel to London, Paris, Marrakech and India, as research trip and in honour of Mariah's mum who died in the shooting.

It is an enjoyable novel with a neat ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Part travelogue, part food history, part friendship and found family.

Two women - Mariah and Veronica - are thrown together travelling through Parsi food culture when Veronica agrees to work as Mariah’s travelling companion, as they finish Rachel’s (Mariah’s mum) unfinished food book.

Mariah and Veronica are both grieving the lives they’ve lost and people they’ve lost and follow Rachel’s letters to her sister from the 1990’s which, letter by letter, unfold the mystery as to why her unfinished book is about Parsi food and cafe’s. We follow their journey through England, Paris, Morocco and finally India.

This was my first read of Barbara O’Neal - and it definitely won't be my last. A very very solid 4 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.