A Pessimist's Guide to Love (Heartsong, #2)

by Jennifer Hartmann

What I’m starting to realize is that things meant to happen are just going to happen. There’s no preparing, no preventing. They just happen. And the risks we take, the memories we make, are the only things that count. That’s all that matters. Everything else is going to happen anyway.

“Deceptive Cadence” You think you know what’s coming, but you never really do. And sometimes, when you think something is coming to an end, it’s actually the beginning of something beautiful.

Everyone has demons. Monsters lurking around every corner, whispering in your ear, hiding under your bed, living just beneath your skin. The key is turning your demons into friends. Companions. Don’t let them scare you. Don’t let them chase you. Let them run with you. Only then, you will win.

Moments fade, but they never die. We can always recreate them, bring them back to life, and make them even sweeter.

“It was the end of something, and I know that can feel like the end of everything. That’s what it felt like for me, anyway.” A melancholy smile tips as he studies me, gaze brightening back to jade. “But it doesn’t have to be. We’re all capable of starting over, it’s just a matter of finding that meaning. That little something to look forward to.” I blink up at him, still unsure as to why I came here. But also kind of glad I did. Finally, he finishes, “Even a tragedy can have a happy ending. Sometimes we just need to write it in ourselves.”

Within the tangled roots of grief, we stand to lose so much. But no one ever acknowledges what we stand to gain. Strength. Perspective. Appreciation. Resilience. Those things are often buried, overpowered by grief’s mighty right hand—suffering. They exist, though. There’s beauty in the breakdown, a glimmer of light hidden in the smoke. And sometimes, every once in a while, if you’re truly lucky… There is love.