Absolutely loved this story! Amazing job!

I can’t believe it’s been almost 8 years since I first read this. It’s still a wonderful story. I enjoyed reading it again. Thank you for writing.

Ok, I have to say it. I get that Bella felt alone when Charlie died. I've lived that. So she stays with Jay. Then realizes she no longer loves him. However, rather than free him to possibly find someone who *could* love him, she decides it's better to not rock the boat because he'll be sad since he was laid off? WTF?! Seriously, that isn't being a "nice" person. That isn't being sensitive. Honestly, it's the most horrible thing she's done. This situation isn't about her not being happy; it's about her being selfish enough to think that he'd rather have her than be alone, even if he doesn't realize that she doesn't love him.

i really liked this story. i loved the character development and the relationships between everyone. sad its done.

a wonderful journey, thank you for sharing this!

Wow, I'm always in awe of authors who have the determination and care to finish their stories, which is always a huge accomplishment in and of itself! This story was just what I was looking for - a warm, fuzzy rom-com like romance story. I thoroughly enjoyed the personal growth that Bella achieved, and your writing style is quite seamless. I just have a few comments on the story in general, but they don't detract from my general liking of this story.
a) The beginning of the first chapter irked me because Bella's description is too cliched and too forthright. By describing her as a girl who is beautiful but doesn't know it is done just much too often and definitely made my eyes roll.
b) The story was very predictable and could have been shorter. The predictability probably was intentional as this is more of a story of personality & growth rather than plot. While the chapters dragged on a bit, that's probably just the story's nature as it's published serially, and we're here to enjoy the ride.
c) While Alice and Bella shout the "we're bold, beautiful, etc.", it's a bit of forced feminism. Bella's emotional weakness towards the end shows her devotion to Edward, but directly contradicts the seemingly feminist message Bella's personal growth has been attempting to portray. She gives up Aro's offer but she collapses crying into Edwards arms immediately afterwards. Because of how the ending played out, the feminism portrayed in the novel is a bit fake, as you're shouting feminist ideals but not following through with them. That is inherently showcased by Edward's magical position of a male partner - he's handsome, a doctor, and is loaded. Which all of course plays into the male character saving the damsel in distress Bella who is emotionally wounded and poor. But of course, that's more Stephanie Meyer's fault for creating such a dynamic originally.
d) Jay's presence is meant to be dominating over Bella's past, but his darkness is not fully explored in the beginning few chapters, in my opinion. While it is referenced that Bella becomes a shell of who she was, I feel that further detail could have been shed to how Jay's presence did so. Exactly how did it take over Bella's life? How schizophrenic did he actually get on a day to day basis?
e) The scene with Trinh rubbed the wrong way. By calling Edward "Mr. Edward", the portrayal of Trinh (and as the only representative Asian character) is inferior to the white male, Edward. Additionally, Trinh's daughter, who grew up in America, speaks in broken English. Realistically, 2nd generation children speak English fluently, and that further exoticizes the Asian characters in the novel and can be viewed as a racial microaggression.
I really hope you read this and know that I really did enjoy your novel, and I hope you take my comments into consideration for any future writing!

its a little concerning that they all thinks its fine that bella left a mentally ill jay back in seattle. dude has nobody and he desperately needs someone.

Such a wonderfully written story. Love how complex the characters are. I stayed up until 2am finishing it. Can't wait to read your other stories.

Truly enjoyed your writing! Thanks for sharing!

Amazing!

Love the background on Roberta's name change. You're an expert at seemlessly providing details and developing characters while moving the plot forward.

Awe! At last!

Noooo!

At last!

beautifully written. thank you