#cons: could get put with annoying folks and also my mother is always there. i love her but.

[eddiestattoos]

I'm considering joining bowling starting next week but. Do I?

[kristyavson]

Ducktales Crossover Fanfic: The Lost McDuck Part 4

This is a more au story based off of @kristyavson and @eclipsewarrior101 gene and Green Eggs & Ham. This Au is a mix between Ducktales Gene au and Anastasia with a cartoon crossover.

This is part 4 where sam and guy see gene has a same guitar, humming the "once upon a december" tune a bit and singing quietly as he waits for his lunch. sam and guy found him. (i add two songs on it) sam and guy are from the town of Glurfsburg.

-------------

meanwhile, sam and guy were at outside of the dinnr, they been looking for him for 5 hours, but no luck, even most of the town doesn't know him and they needed something to eat.

"sam, we been looking for him at least 5 hours from now and still haven't found him yet." guy said to sam as sam was a little sad about gene. "but guy," sam said. "we've to keep looking, what if... what if he ended up the same way like me? just like for i did in the past."

guy looks at sam as he looks to worry about what happened to him, still holding on to the missing poster of gene. "i can't believe that poor kid who ends up being lost and i thought he was safe with the family of McDuck’s. if i haven't met you and change my mind about Mr. Jenkins returns home to the chickeraffe island to see his mom again while I've changed for the better, i would be keeping the job as a con artist and not looking for that poor boy."

guy gives sam a hug and said. 'well, i'm glad that you haven't keep that job." sam hugs guy back. "come on, sam. let's get some green eggs and ham. that made you feel better." sam smiled as he and guy went inside.

while sam and guy are at in the dinnr, asking the waiter man, ordering green eggs and ham for lunch, gene also came in the dinnr, he puts his guitar to his side and sits at the table.

as the waiter men get sam & guy's lunch, he noted sam who looks feeling down. "what's wrong with him?" he asked. guy looks at him and answers. "sorry, he just... we are looking for the missing kid."

"Yeah, we been looking for him for 5 hours." sam said. sam looked at the poster and ask as he shows the missing poster of gene. "so, what're fine gentlemen like you ever seen him by any chance?" the waiter man looks at and said. "no, i haven't. but that poster looks... the kid has been missing for 5 years. sorry. anyway, what can i get you?" guy said, "two orders of green eggs and ham, please."

on the other side of the table, the waiter lady looks at gene, she feels sorry for that poor kid. then she came over to him and asks. "what's wrong, hon?" Gene would explain to her and said. "I lost my chance to go find my family. but i know has someone is out there looking for me and i'm not giving up yet." then she looks at sam and guy who has got their green eggs and ham, she knew that they are not from around here.

gene looks at sam and guy too and ask. "uh, who are those guys?" she said to gene. "don't know. they must be new here." then she saw sam holding the missing poster of him while sam eats the green eggs. "i'll be right back, hon." as she walks away to talk to waiter men (the one gives them their food), gene was confused, but he started to singing quietly.

sam tries to think, he heard gene humming. them something hits sam, he heard this tune before. guy asked. "sam?" sam snaps out as he hears guy's voice. "oh, sorry, just thinking, guy." guy looks at gene, somethings off about the boy, his clothes weren’t dirty clothes as others would be but he did wear worn clothes that he washed all by himself or used what money he had to clean them. gene's different than the other street performers. "some street performer, but a very clean one." guy said. "oh." sam said with a sighed.

then sam hears gene again and this time, he heard a voice. "someone holds me safe and warm. far away long ago, glowing dim as an ember, and a song someone sings once upon a December."

sam realizes the song as he drops the fork. "sam? what's wrong?" guy asked as he looked very confused. sam said to guy in shock. "the song. that means...." sam give guy a poster and guy looks at the poster and gene. they both realized that means... gene's alive!

the waiter lady came back to him and said. "i think the new guys can help you out, but they already know. the one who ordered green eggs and ham. come on, hon." gene takes his guitar and goes over to met sam and guy at there table.

"boys. i think that you been looking for." she said as she show gene. sam sits next to guy so gene can sit with them. sam looks at the poster's name and his name is 'gene'. "so, you're gene, right?" guy asked.

"well... yes, you know my name?" gene asked. "gene is my name, huh?" sam nod. "i' am sam, sam i am and this is bb aka briefcase buddy, guy am i. we're from a town of Glurfsburg. so what's you're handle dude?"

gene said. "well, I've lived on the streets ever since he could remember. all i could remembered was i'm being found unconscious in the woods and having no idea who i was or why i was there. i was of course sent to an orphanage at first but i ran away when i wasn’t adopted. so i ended up on the streets working odd jobs and even i playing my guitar for money."

guy asked. "but what about your worn clothes, they are clean." gene reply. "oh that? i just washed them myself or used what money i had to clean them. but my guitar, it was my only real clue to who i was and it was my prized possession."

sam asked. "wait, can we see the guitar of yours?" gene got confused at first, then he show them. sam and guy was amazement. guy realized that sam was right. gene's guitar was purple with gold rim and a dollar sign on it.

sam asked gene as he takes guy. "gene? i needed talk to guy outside alone? we'll be right back."

as they are outside, sam said. "this bad, guy. gene can't remembered who he is. that means he having amnesia and has been living in his own on the streets for a few years." guy asked. "then how we going to get his memories back?" sam looks the poster and it said "duckburg" on it sam said with a smile. "that must be where he lives, i know where it is. so let’s convince this kid he is a Mcduck to get the money. he’s the real deal, he ain’t no fake."

Guy said. “NO! nono. We are not misleading this poor kid. Yes and even though the similarities are...somewhat accurately, this seems like another scam!”

"why not?" sam asked and reply as he pointed at gene. "but we need it to find my mother at east flubria. i think my mother can wait. in face, i'll made up stories about my mom again, McDuck style."

guy shook his head and said. "no, you need the money to find your mother at east flubria." sam asked with his cute pouty face. "plaese guy?" guy just realizes he can’t talk Sam out of it. so he agrees. "ugh fine. but i have to warn you, Sam. it's gonna be consequences, ok?" sam replied with a smile. "don't worry, i'll be careful this time."

sam and guy went back in and asked. "how you like me and guy helping to get to your folks?" gene smiled with excited and said "really, you'll help me? thank you."

unaware, poe the raven was spying on the three and fly away. ------------------------ later that day after gene said goodbyes to them, sam said. "you know kiddo? i bet the McDucks will you to find your family." gene was happy to hear that! gene asked. ”um where to exactly?” sam replied. "to duckburg of course! to the home of the mcducks. they'll happliy to help you out, right guy?" guys said. “ummm yah...yah of course.”

sam said to gene. "you know, when i was a kid, mom was adventurer, but not only that, she's a treasure hunter too. once or twist, my mom let's me go with her, one of my mother's adventures. she gets upset by calling me my full name. 'samuel-i-amuel, put that down, that's an artifact!' something like that." gene said with amazement. "wow, you're mom is amazing!"

Guy: You know, sam, this may turn into the longest day of my entire life.

Sam: Oh, I got the perfect remedy for that Guy!

Guy: No Sam! not in front gene who turned out to be a lost boy!

Sam sings: Sing a song! Yes, a travel song When you gotta go somewhere 'Cause the fun is getting there Yeah.

Sam talks: Oh, what the heck, I must confess I love a road trip!

Sam sings more: Sing a song Hit the trail! forget the maps. Forget the guides. Before ya know it, you've made strides with me.

Gene Laughs at them, thinking sam and guy were funny: you guys are sure funny!

sam talks: aw, thanks gene!

Sam sings even more: And I know all I need - all along Is a path and a pals - and a song, So I'm singin' And I'm pallin' with you

Sam talks: See guys? It makes the time go by faster

Guy sings: Why me? Why me?

Sam talks: This is nice.

Guy sings: Tell me what was my crime?

Sam talks: We are strolling

(sam, guy, and gene Sees cat in the hat walking by)

Guy sings: He's as chatty as a parrot. More annoying than a mime.

Sam talks: Hey, look, a cat who's wearing a hat! That's crazy!

Guy sings: Why me? Why me? A simple answer would be fine

Gene talks: This is a good cardio

Guy sings: Won't someone please send me a sign?

(Sees train station sign)

Sam talks: Oh look, a sign! train station to duckburg straight ahead! we're almost there you guys!

Guy sings: What did I do to deserve this? Honestly, This who 'o mine is asinine WHY ME?

Sam talks: Oh man, what could be better than this, huh kid?!

Gene talks while Laughing: yup! I like you guys!  you and 'briefcase buddy' are so funny! now i understand why you boys always have your briefcases all the time, you two are briefcase buddies after all!

Sam talks: Aww, guy! he gets that from me now! that's so cute!

guy talks while angry at sam: see you just did sam? you give gene a bad example!

Sam talks: uh-oh! looks like somebody has a bad case of the ‘Not’s’!

guy talks while angry: NO! I do not! I'm still not so good with kids, remember!? (guy thinking: it's like having Mr. Jenkins *the chickeraffe* all over again!)

(Sam and guy sings together differently)

Guy sings: Why me? Why me? A simple answer would be fine Won't somebody please send me a sign? What did I do to deserve this? Honestly, This who 'o mine Is asinine

Sam sings: Sing a song! Hit the road! It's the way To get around! Before ya know it, you've Gained ground with me! And I know All I need All along is a path And a pal And a song

sam, guy, and gene sings: So, I'm singin' And I'm pallin' With you.

(at the train station, guy and gene see sam buying three train tickets by using guy's wallet.)

Guy talks: That'll do sam, That'll do. and give me back my wallet! ------------------------ please check out part 1, 2 & 3 first. and please check out @kristyavson and @eclipsewarrior101 Tumblr.

also link here: https://kristyavson.tumblr.com/post/614936608636010496/anastasia-au-travel-song

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: And Dream of Sheep (15x17)

Can we not with the whole Owen and Teddy thing? Please? I'm so annoyed.

Cons:

I'm cool with Owen and Teddy being close, and Owen comforting Teddy after a heartbreaking loss. The only thing about their entire plot thread that I don't like is the dumb thing at the end where Koracick walks in and sees Owen comforting Teddy, and walks away. Can we just stop? The promo for next week shows Koracick talking to Owen about it, warning him to back off. This is dumb. I think Tom and Teddy actually make a very cute couple, and Owen is just constantly getting in the way of everyone's happiness, and I need it to stop.

I think the Amelia/Link thing is stupid and it probably won't go much of anywhere that I enjoy. I think I'm going to have to face the facts that I just... don't really like Amelia all that much? Sure, she has her moments, but I find myself perpetually annoyed by pretty much every story-line she's in.

Finally, a small complaint: this show is supposed to take place in Seattle, and they never bother to do even the smallest amount of research when it comes to Seattle-specific stuff. One of the interns says "Pike Street Market." Nobody calls it that. It's always "Pike Place Market," or just "Pike Place," and every time this show gets it wrong, I cringe. Come on! It's a small detail, but it totally takes me out of the moment.

Pros:

The main story this week involved a couple in a car accident, and Vincenzo's "baby in a bag" research, and it was incredibly tragic for everyone involved. The mother loses her baby, which is of course terrible for a pregnant Teddy, and for Carina, who had given the mother false hope. There wasn't really anything complicated or unique going on in this scenario - it was just incredibly tragic, and all of the actors did a heartbreaking job of conveying their pain.

The more complicated, messy side of things is that Vincenzo is still doing his trials, with Andrew's support, but Carina is convinced that their father is in a bad place and things are spiraling out of control. Turns out... she's right. Vincenzo offers his technology to the mother who is about to lose her baby, but of course they can't really allow a test on human subjects, and sadly while the mother and father both survive the crash, they do lose their baby. The hardest scene for me to watch was Andrew coming to the realization that everyone was right about his dad - he is unhinged, and he is too sick to realize how his actions are hurting others. That was just heartbreaking. I'm surprised this plot thread came to a head as soon as it did, but I thought the culmination was perfectly tragic.

Meredith is sort of in the background of this episode. She's toeing an interesting line between being judgmental of what's going on with the DeLuca family, but also being supportive and knowing when to stay out of the way. Their romance is still ongoing, and it looks like they're getting to the stage where they can be there for each other through difficult times. We'll have to see how this goes...

Bailey has a conversation with Helen Karev, and learns that she's nervous about traveling back home. Bailey tells Alex this, and by the end of the episode, Alex decides to take a couple of days off to go with his mom back home and get her settled back into her routine. I really loved the conversation between Bailey and Helen. It was nice to see that Helen knew her own limits, and knew that she was in some distress, but she wasn't sure quite how to ask for help. I like that Bailey put Alex in his place, and helped him to realize how he could help. This was a lovely result! I liked having Helen around, and hope we get to see her again.

Jackson is making breakthroughs by using fish-scales on burn patients. That's basically the whole plot thread here, but I did like that it provided some comic relief, and reminded us that this hospital is known for its crazy medical adventurousness.

Maggie gets interviewed about her medical genius birth parents. I like that she's getting some attention for this, and we're seeing how it's both a good and a bad thing for her. She manages to do a good job of emphasizing that she was raised by her parents, and that Richard Webber is a "bonus." I liked that. It was a good balance. I'm also glad that Richard's name isn't being dragged through the mud so far. I hope we can do without that.

Jo gets her DNA tested, discovers that she's in good shape medically, and finds a connection to her family. Parker, one of the interns, uses his internet research skills to find Jo's birth mother. This is an interesting plot thread to explore. I'm nervous for Jo, but I hope she is able to find something joyful out of it. Knowing this show, there's bound to be plenty of over-the-top drama, but this is the type of excitement that I love. Jo has found her family with Alex, and that's the most important thing, but that doesn't mean she can't find more people to bring into her heart! My family recently found some new relatives in just the same way, and fortunately it's been wonderful for us.

That's all for now, folks! I'm annoyed about Owen and Teddy, but what else is new? There's still plenty to look forward to for the rest of the season!

7.5/10

[holbyconfessional]

Casualty S32 Episodes 8-14

Finally got caught up.  Since this is SO historical now, I’m going to put the whole lot under a cut, save dashboards!!!

Casualty S32 Episode 8

I found the COTW here pretty heartbreaking, the elderly couple with the woman dying from COPD.

Connie finally confirms to Ethan that the patient she's been discussing with him is herself.  And then proceeds to blackmail him about his role in Scott Ellison's death, in order to force him to perform an off-the-books emergency embolectomy to save her arm.  Great leadership skills!

Alicia passed her driving test, despite being a shockingly awful driver, already responsible for several accidents.  Nice.

Casualty S32 Episode 9

Nosy and unpleasant Louise has discovered Sanosi.  It gives her an excuse to be rude and aggressive to Dylan, lots.  But, don't forget folks, we're supposed to like Louise because she always does the 'right thing' in the end - in this case, spiriting Sanosi off Dylan's boat, just in time to save the day as Connie goes barrelling in, expecting to find something.

Lily is jealous of Iain and Sam's easy relationship.  She can't see that Sam is 'a lad' and Iain is so much a lad that he barely hit puberty, and frankly, she's never going to get the grown up relationship she wants from him.

A return of the transgender morgue worker, which was good - I like her.   And most of all, I loved the chat between her and Max, where he tells her all about Zoe, and how she left because she was afraid of happiness, and how he thinks about what his life with her would have been like every day.  It broke my heart a little.  You don't get chemistry like theirs every day, and I wish she hadn't left - him or the country!

Casualty S32 Episode 10

Elle and Marty.  Here is where I amuse myself with my outraged old lady rant...  Now, I'm not a single mother of three boys, but I'm pretty sure if I was, I wouldn't be having men over to shag in my house unless I was sure that a) it was a solid relationship, and b) they had met my kids in a low stress environment.  I don't deny the fact that Elle has a right to a life, including a love life, outside her role as a mother, BUT, as a mother, her kids need to come first when managing such a life, and part of that means setting an example.  In this day and age where kids learn WAY too much of their sexual knowledge from porn, I'm not sure it pays as a parent to model anything like a promiscuous lifestyle, and for her kids to come in and find a complete stranger in bed with their mother... Well... You see where I'm coming from.  On the flip side, I may not be an Elle fan, but anything that highlights any sort of relationship chances for us older women, in whatever orientation, then I say, you go, girl!

But, also in the story.  I don't know how old Blake is supposed to be, but isn't he a bit old for the 'if Mum gets a partner, I'm afraid she won't love me any more' thing?  I don't know that much about teenaged boys, but it didn't ring entirely true for me.  Going with the chilli powder being nothing more than a practical joke would have sat with me better.

Dylan. I feel really awful for him right now, as someone who doesn't forge relationships easily, he was clearly really attached to Sanosi.  Of course, he did the right thing, he's perfectly right that Sanosi could never have the life that he dreams of when always on the run and in hiding, and it was perfectly valid that Sanosi wouldn't be able to see that, and would only see how Dylan had let him down.  With Dylan's own history of OCD and mental health problems, I will be interested to see where this development drives him.  I am always happy for more Dylan on the screen.

Connie. Right, so her tumour is malignant.  Worst possible news.  And she's still burying her head.  I'm all for not rushing storylines, but I think we need to move on this one, folks.  I love Connie, and like Dylan, I am happy for her to have screen time, but dragging this storyline out much more risks losing its momentum, and for it to just become boring.   IMO!

COTW, I'm still not sure why the girl was put into care.  As a mother, if there is any risk that your partner might in any way hurt your child, don't you ditch the partner and keep the child, rather than ditching the kid??!!  I know that jury was out as to whether partner hit mother, but surely all the more reason?  Incidentally, I do appreciate how hard it is for some people to escape from domestic violence, but the mother didn't seem like an utterly downtrodden victim to me.  Comments welcome from folk who may know far more about it than I do, and no offence meant if I've shown ignorance.

Casualty S32 Episode 11

So, there's a new F1 called Rash, who pukes when he gets nervous and makes lots of mistakes.  

Lily and Iain's relationship is a little strained after her jealousy toward Sam, and Lily wants to apply for the project in Hong Kong, but after Iain comes back round and stops giving her the cold shoulder, she self sabotages her presentation so she doesn't have to make a decision.   Everything I've just said is wrong on so many levels.  I think the way Iain treats Lily is pretty vile.  He has a right to be angry over the ketchup/Sam incident, but not to give her the cold shoulder every time she doesn't behave according to his doctrine.  He's just a spoiled little brat.  And as for self sabotaging for a man, well, need I say more about the stupidness?!!  Still, good for her for finally making the right decision, even in the face of Iain's grand and embarrassing karaoke gesture!

COTW continues the theme of unhealthy relationships, with the love triangle of man leaving partner for her best friend.  Wake up, best friend, like that dude was ever going to be trustworthy!  Proven by his about face at the end.  Good for the woman to turn him away in favour of supporting her friend.  Who is still her friend, despite the attempt to run off with her man?  I'm all for sisterly support, but even I think that might be going a bit far...

Casualty S32 Episode 12

'I know what you did'!  Perhaps a wee bit childish of Max, but pretty serious overreaction from Ethan!  I hope this Scott Ellison guilt won't be everlasting, because although in reality, I'm sure it will stay with him forever, as a viewer, it's a bit like flogging a dead dog...

I was intially pleased when it was announced Sam was to return to Casualty.  And happy to see her for her first couple of episodes.  But tonight has helped to remind me just how annoying she could be.  I mean, she threw Iain's phone out of a moving ambulance window!!  In WHAT UNIVERSE could she possibly imagine that this behaviour might be acceptable??!!!  Phones aren't 50p, and people rely on them (rightly or wrongly) to live their entire lives!  I can't even begin to articulate how disgusting I think her behaviour was.  And Iain more or less let her get away with it.  Euch.

Slightly different COTW in the former abuse victim ambushing then manipulating the paedophile into holding up a store.  I think the storyline was all kinds of uncomfortable, from witnessing the psychological damage to the victims, shown in the evidence of Ocean's self harm, and the fact that she feels the only think open to her now is to mount a personal vendetta on abusers, by deliberately seeking them out through chat rooms, and attempting to force their arrests through other means.  I think the fact that she didn't seem to understand the gravity of what she had done, in terms of the safety of innocent bystanders (collateral damage?) spoke volumes to the degree of psychological trauma that she had experienced. And that is not even mentioning the presence of the paedophile himself, a father to two young children.

The other COTW was the homeless man, who had been picked up for a one night stand by someone of some seeming privilege.  I'm not sure what this story was designed to highlight - perhaps a seasonal reminder that homeless people are rarely homeless by choice, but rather caught in a cycle that try as they may, they're unable to break.  Perhaps this could have been a more powerful story if it hadn't been chosen to play against the far more hardhitting paedophile case.

Casualty S32 Episode 13

It's about time we got some closure on the Robyn/Glen storyline.  I rather enjoyed the huge flashback/fill in the gap section of this episode, I'm not saying I was ever a massive Glen fan, but it was an interesting and refreshing change.  I felt a little bad for him at how badly people treated him - on the one hand, I know he walked out on Robyn at the altar, which is an unbelievably shitty thing to do (he should have done it before 'the day' ;-)), and I really dislike people's propensity to 'know' what's best for other people - by and large, folk should have the right to make up their own mind; but regardless of all that, I think it's safe to say his heart was in the right place, and there was of course a little more to it than your average jilting.

Robyn 'He's here to hold his daughter.  Who was here to hold me through all of this?'  Selfish, selfish person, surrounded by family and friends, support on every side - Charlie and Duffy giving her and her daughter a home, everyone rushing round to be there for her at every turn.  I shake my head at her.

On the plus side, lots of 'Dee Dee' in the flashback, which was a winner. I like the mention of his past drunken reveal to Zsa Zsa about his crazy family.  Do we know much about his crazy family?  Has it been covered before?  I'm dredging my memories, but coming up blank.  If anyone does have any recollections, do tell me...

One thought I do have about this episode, which is likely highly controversial - as a non-religious person, why is Robyn getting Charlotte christened?  I could understand (although not really agree) if Robyn was a churchgoer herself, but why do it since she's not?  To cover bases?  I think that's rather missing the point of religion, no?  (This taken from E12, where Max says he doesn't know why she's doing it as she's not religious and neither is he...)  Now, I could continue talking about my opinions on this for some time, but I don't want to get soap boxy, so I shall desist.  Plus side of this part for me?  Yay, Lexy!

Casualty S32 Episode 14

So, last episode wasn't merely closure for the Robyn/Glen storyline.   Because Glen is back.  As a porter.  Short or long term, I wonder?   After all, we know his tumour hasn't been cured, although it's at bay.   Ah, well, we'll see.  Still, lots of chances to see people be unnecessarily mean to him.

Thank goodness Connie has finally started her chemo.  Ethan in charge of the ED, fairly unsurprising that he should initially make a hash of it, only to save the day!  I liked that he took Connie there, then went and collected her afterward, though.

COTWs, young boy looking after younger brother suffering from CO poisoning.  I really hoped they could stay together.

Priest with a tattoo trying to remove it because he thinks his new congregation won't like it.  Is that a thing?  I thought priests only felt guilty in the eyes of their god?  After all, if he was comfortable enough to get the tattoo in the first place, why on earth would other peoples opinion matter that much??!!

[graceivers]

Review #39 - Before Hadley

Before Hadley Author: J. Nathan Genre: College, Contemporary Romance, Criminals, High School, Sports Rating: ★★★★ Recommendation: give it a shot; once was enough Summary: Caynan leads a wayward and dangerous lifestyle that all but demands no permanent relationships of any kind. Fortunately or unfortunately, he finds himself pretty attached to Hadley, a girl who truly challenges him and begins to become his everything. But with his past and present actions bound to break them apart one way or another, Caynan’s future, the one he wants with Hadley, is one he will have to fight for.

Female Lead: Hadley was a decent character. Somewhere on Goodreads I think I saw someone say that she was annoying, but I thought the character was pretty realistic given her age and the entire situation. Nathan really emphasized the whole ‘feisty’ thing, which I personally thought was more annoying from the author and less from the actual character. Like the world ‘feisty’ was used way too many times, even when it was her nickname. But that quality—strength and not giving in so easily to anyone—was what I liked best about Hadley. And it was consistent throughout the book. She made the guy work for her attention and care, for her forgiveness and trust. She rightfully cut things off when she was supposed to. Her conflicted feelings after Caynan/Conner reappeared in her life were warranted. I think Hadley did an excellent job handling everything that was thrown at her from the get-go. She kind of lost herself a bit after she had been burned, but that was to be expected. I think she asked all the right questions, said all the right things, and made the right decisions for the most part. Male Lead: From this point in the review forward, I’m going to refer to the male lead as Conner because that’s his real name. I will also take this moment to ponder just why Nathan chose such an… unorthodox alias for him to use for more than half of the book. Caynan? Seriously? What? I’m assuming that Nathan wanted to get creative with the spelling of Cainan? But even then, why this name? I don’t get it. Cainan means possessor or purchaser so says Google. This guy was most certainly not purchasing anything when he was going by that name.

Anywho, Conner was a very interesting character. Did I like what he was doing, stealing? No. Did I blame him? Not exactly given he was still under the guardianship and influence of his father. Did I think his feelings for Hadley were genuine? Yes. Did I think he deserved forgiveness? Yes. Did I think he deserved the ending he got in this book? No. I will get into that last part in the next section, but overall, I would say that Conner was in a super bad situation with little if any options and ultimately paid the price for his thievery. Hadley’s mother made an interesting point when she said, “He didn’t kill anyone. He made a mistake.” This is not to make light of his crimes, but the woman might have a point. Conner served his time and fully intended to right his life. There was that one point where he purposely provoked Hadley’s then boyfriend, Jake, so she would leave him for Conner, and I wasn’t fond of that for the exact reasons Hadley wasn’t. But overall, Conner did turn around his life and more or less redeemed himself. Plot & Writing: To be honest, I started reading Before Hadley and thought I wasn’t going to like it. But I pushed forth and actually found myself invested in the storyline and the characters. I mean, considering my rating above, the book wasn’t the best of the best, but I certainly came around to it. I thought Nathan did a good job of keeping the characters real and grounded, evoking the right kinds of emotions at the right time, pushing the characters for some self-reflection, as well as exploring the grander issue of love and trust and forgiveness as one.

I admit, a part of the reason I was skeptical at first was because the book opened and was set in high school for the good long first half of it all. I am no longer in my teen years, so I have sometimes purposely avoided reading things with stories and characters set in high school. Well, I mean, sometimes books with college students and even adults have characters acting like teenagers, but to have a lot of the storyline set actually in high school often creates a tone for me that screams immature and irrational. Fortunately, that was not the case with this book. Both Hadley and Conner acted very maturely given their respective circumstances. I also questioned at first why Nathan would set them in high school when I thought the story could have been transposed into a college setting without a problem, but I believe the decision to start out in high school was justified given some time skips and individual character development needs.

Speaking of time skips, wow, that three years later part surprised me. I honestly had no idea what to expect and how Nathan was going to handle the fallout and future reconciliation between Hadley and Conner. At one point, I briefly but genuinely thought that maybe they weren’t going to end up together. Alas, of course they did. But seriously, when I saw ‘Part Two’ pop up, my initial reaction was YIKES. From previous experience, a pointed section called part two usually isn’t a good sign. And there were certainly pros and cons of skipping three years from the time Conner was arrested and imprisoned to when he walked. Obviously, it made sense that we skipped those years since there was no interaction between the main leads, which was kind of the point of the story. Also, not much action can happen while he’s in prison, so, yes, I understand the reasoning behind this decision. However, I think when Nathan entirely skipped those three years, we lost some of the opportunity to show how much Conner had changed and what prison time had done to him. This was mostly revealed through his letters and subsequent explanations to Hadley, but I personally would’ve liked to seen at least little snippets from that time to bridge the big three year gap.

I won’t say too much about the whole love, trust, and forgiveness thing because I could probably write a whole essay on that, and that’s not what we’re here to read about. I will just say that Hadley was right when she told Conner to ask if she could forgive him over did she forgive him. And you could tell that resonated a lot with Conner, especially when he saw his father for the first time in years. Did I believe Hadley should take her time in forgiving Conner? Absolutely. Did I believe that she would get there? Yes. The best thing that Nathan did regarding this topic was to keep Hadley level-headed and honest by revealing that she could and wanted to and was getting there but not making it so instant that readers would recoil and grimace at a quick turnaround.

And now, let’s talk a bit about that ending. It was too neat for me. Again, did I believe that Conner deserved Hadley’s forgiveness and her love for that matter? Yes. But then we got this epilogue, and I was just like… too neat. Yes, I wanted a happy ever after for the couple, but I didn’t think it should’ve been as perfect as Nathan wrote. I love Conner realizing his one true dream is being with Hadley; I did not love Conner being an ex-con and getting everything he could ever imagine and being the first round draft pick for the major leagues. That out of just about everything in the book was the most unrealistic part to me. Conner deserves forgiveness. Conner, however, does not necessarily deserve this kind of epic turnaround. Or really, I’m just annoyed that things suddenly worked out so well for him because he’s an attractive and athletic male. I mean, what about Hadley? Doesn’t she deserve more of a happy ending and a great art career? Come on, now. The girl deserves way more than him. Secondary Characters & Plots: I actually found the secondary characters pretty bland. I mean, I liked that Hadley had girlfriends, but nothing about any of them stood out to me. Even when they were there for her, nothing about the other girls interested me. She had nice parents, though; I enjoyed that, Nathan showing the two different parenting styles in Hadley’s folks versus Conner’s dad.

Oh, and Jake, Hadley’s boyfriend before Conner came back into her life. Uh, he actually wasn’t that bad. Again, not around for a whole lot for me to get a true grip on his character, but I actually think he had all the right intentions. He said he was all in with Hadley even though he was missing some key information about her, but I don’t entirely blame him for that. Alas, of course his character was always going to be temporary.

The little baseball subplot. Eh… I was happy that Conner had a passion and something that he loved and was good at. But as I said above, the ending was too neat for me, and I don’t personally think that he should’ve gotten such a great opportunity in sports while Hadley’s art was put on the back burner. Favorite Part(s): Conner laying everything out on the line for Hadley. That moment when he was kind of giving up on Hadley and said he was going to leave her alone because he couldn’t do the chase anymore if she was never going to forgive him or give him anything, I thought that was so raw and genuine. And then Conner again telling Hadley how he wouldn’t stop if he was given the chance, how he was going to prove to her that he was the right guy for Hadley no matter how long it took. He told her he loved her; he told her all the reasons why he loved her. That was hands down the most touching and best part of the book. Final Thoughts: Don’t count this one out. Seriously, I went into this thinking one thing and finished the book thinking something entirely different. Before Hadley surprised me in a really good way. Despite the younger age and setting of the book, Nathan actually touched upon some deeper and more mature issues. The characters were pretty realistic, and I enjoyed the amount of growth we saw from them. So at least put Before Hadley on your to-read list, and maybe, eventually, if and when you get to it, you’ll see that the book is much more than just another YA/NA romance novel.