The Parent Trap, indeed. I was warming up to Jamison, I really truly was because he appeared to be so understanding of Natalia and realizing, emotional wise she's still in the infancy stage of shaking off all the hardships and losses she's experienced, but that everyday she was getting better than she was the day before. And then he had to hit her with a proposal when they just became exclusive like literally two seconds ago, in front of his family and hers, he just shoved her between a rock and a hard place. That's something you just don't spring on someone, especially someone you're not completely sure how they truly feel about you.
I could smack Barbara because she straight up lied, but again I'm not really surprised by her shadiness since she has a weird obsession with wanting to run her sister's life.
I can say that I'm happy Natalia did go through with the introvention and sat through a profanity laced tirade from Uncle Dale because she never really processed her divorce, her plot to seek revenge, losing the baby that wasn't there, potentially screwing up Anthony's life etc...and she was still carrying all that emotional baggage and scarring around.
I read your author's note, but first I just want to thank you for taking the time to respond to each reviewer. I understand that it was hard for Natalia to communicate with Anthony because of all she's been through, my frustration stemmed from the fact it seemed like she wanted to brush it aside completely and not deal with it. I see myself in Natalia in that its hard for me to talk openly about things that are weighing heavily on my heart, and I get frustrated with myself at my own refusal to talk, get things off my chest.
Again, don't know where things are going, but I'm down for the ride either way. Thanks for writing and sharing your imagination with us.
Author's Response: Thanks for reading and reviewing, Lapis Love, and for your thanks. If readers take the time to review, I'm more than happy to respond. As a writer, reviews, good and bad, really keep me motivated.
And I completely get where you and other reviewers are coming from in feeling frustrated with Nat and her creeping crawl through recovery. I was surprised at the level of frustration some readers felt, but not at all that frustration towards her existed. I didn't write the author's note to dissuade people from feeling what they feel (nor do I assume that's what you got from it), but to warn them that it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Like you, I've had my own issues with communication in relationships because of old hurts. Nat doesn't frustrate me because I once was her--not a horrible person deserving of scorn, but a fallible human being in need of time to figure things out. I was just lucky enough to have my trials hit me a little early in life and in smaller dose. Either way, I get.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, Lapis Love! I truly appreciate it.