Serena

I was revisiting this novel just recently as I was working on a submission for it, and after reading it through, it’s like wow. Seeing Serena’s story throughout the entirety of the book just breaks my heart.

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Initially, this was written as a script which I converted to a novel, and for the most part, the novel follows the script. It was meant to be a character study of a person who has everything except peace and how her anger and trauma robs her of happiness. Until Cade arrives, nobody even tries to fight past the trauma she was broken by in her teen years. It makes me wonder how many celebrities go through this on a daily basis. Just like Serena, all the fans see is what she shows them, and that’s smiling faces while blowing kisses to all she interacts with. Behind the scenes, however, is a miserable woman who hates the world and only lives for vengeance. 

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I never wanted to really label this as a love story, even though there are portions of a love story sprinkled throughout, but the true story is one of trauma that leaves the victims broken inside, unwilling to heal and forgive themselves. We see multiple times where she’s out of control with her anger, and it’s a wrath that makes it difficult to love her, but not impossible.

Honestly, the ending is heartbreaking as there’s a lot to be said about wasted time. With all the money, fame, and fortune, you can’t turn back the hands of time. It’s a heartbreaking realization that we as readers find out that the choices the diva made throughout her life took a toll on not just her, but everyone she’s loved. One of my favorite stories to say the least. 

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“At first, it was because of pride. Couldn’t bring myself to pick up the phone and admit I was wrong. Then, something else started to happen within me. There’s… something really wrong with me. There’s something broken in me, and to be honest, you all were better without me.” - Serena explaining to Cade why she didn't reach out after a misunderstanding chased he and her friend Kenya out of her life.