Official Description: How can you die when you’ve never really lived? That’s the problem Bella Swan faces when she’s told she only has a year to live. Can she make up for a lonely, unhappy life in the short time she has left… and maybe find love too? All-human, EXB
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I really didn’t want to read this story, but when I saw that a favorite author (spanglemaker9) had rec’d it I decided to check it out. I don’t like to read stories if I already know that the main character is going to die. Real life sucks enough, why get involved when you already know there probably won’t be a happy ending? So, reluctantly I read just a little. Then I read a little more. Twenty-four hours later I was through chapter 20 and absolutely dying for more! I was astounded and immediately sucked into this amazing, heart-wrenching, inspiring story.
At 26, Bella has lived a very sad, isolated and lonely existence. She hasn’t been physically or sexually abused. No, what happened to Bella is even worse – she’s been ignored, abandoned and unloved by her own family. Bella is shy, awkward, and unsure of her place in the world. She isn’t really living, but manages to get by with no real hopes or dreams. Her self-esteem is non-existent so she lets people push her around and take advantage of her.
The turning point comes when Bella is diagnosed with an incurable heart ailment and given a year to live. Deciding to make the most of the time she has left, she opts not to seek further treatment or tell anyone about her condition. This is where the story gets good. It’s a struggle at first but she bites back her fears and begins to make changes in her life. Her death sentence actually frees her to live her life the way she wants to, and Bella makes some amazing decisions. I don’t want to give anything away, but chapter 10 will completely shock you.
We slowly see a transformation take place in Bella, brought on by a new found confidence that no matter what she does, she’s going to die anyway so why not just go for it. She blossoms even more when she runs into an old high school friend, Alice, and meets a new friend, Edward. This is the Bella that I love. Her diagnosis empowers her to take risks in both life and love. She begins to act out of character, causing her family to questions her stability. We see Bella grow from a thin, frail, sickly girl into a vibrant, glowing woman even despite her illness.
Her relationship with Edward is really unique. He’s a very mysterious character and we don’t really know anything about his background but they connect. We find them in a very simple yet complicated situation. Just when things couldn’t be better between them, fate intercedes and everything you thought you knew to be true is completely tossed on its axis. Chapter 18 will blow your mind! I want to say so much more, but you really just have to read it.
Did I cry? Almost every chapter, but not for the reasons I thought I would. Did I get mad and whine to the author about the situation? Hell yes! Did I love every minute of it? Completely! Bella inspires all of us to live life to the fullest each day, not to take those we love for granted, and to take risks because we only get one shot at life so we might as well make the most of it.
This is an excellent read you won’t be able to put down. Rosybud’s writing is straightforward and real. She weaves an incredible story of love and hope that manages to inspire despite the subject matter. You really don’t want to miss it.
I am not gonna lie, when I first read the summary for this story I avoided it like the plague. I mean, who wouldn’t with a description like that. But after seeing it recc’d everywhere numerous times I decided to just go ahead and give it a shot. And I am so glad I did. While there are times that you want to grab both Edward and Bella and shake some sense into them it was a story that I couldn’t put down. You go through so many emotions reading this one; sadness, happiness, anger and shock just to name a few. So, don’t let the story summary scare you away if you are afraid of heartfail. Give this one a shot and I am sure you will be glad you did.
Though this is absolutely not the type of story that I’d normally read, this fic pwns me. It’s emo. But it’s beautiful and authentic and so hopeful.
Like 2loveybunnies told you, Bella is given a prognosis of about a year to live, and instead of going home to wallow in misery, she decides to finally take her life into her own hands and go out and experience life.
I had twelve months. If I was lucky.
I would never see my twenty-eighth birthday. I had to accept that—I would accept that. But I couldn’t help wishing… wishing that I had gotten to live a little more. For one moment of happiness, pure unadulterated happiness without anything hanging over my head. I wished that once— just once— some man had looked at me and felt a tenth of what I had felt when I walked past Edward Masen. It wouldn’t be so hard to die then.
I had always held on to the hope that someday I would find that, find someone. Believed that I would grow old beside someone, die having loved and been loved. It was a silly impossible dream now… and yet, being forced to let go of it was excruciating.
I would never have my own house. A husband. Children. I would never get wrinkles, or spend Christmases surrounded by my grandchildren. I would never have a wedding with the big poofy white wedding dress I’d always scorned as a teenager.
I drew a deep shaky breath, and wiped away my tears with the palm of my hand.
No more someday. No more fantasy. No more lies.
It was time for reality.
I had let myself become stuck in a town—in a life that I didn’t want. I had chosen to stay with my father, to let my mother make decisions for me, to work in a job I hated.
Because there was nothing else—no, because I was too scared to try and find anything else. Too scared to make myself vulnerable, to leave what was safe and easy.
But I wasn’t afraid anymore. For so long I’d been afraid of the future. Of spending the rest of my life taking care of Charlie and placating Renee. Afraid of being stuck in Forks and never getting enough courage to leave. Life had always been the problem—what other people thought of me, what other people expected of me, of my own impossible fantasies. I had always been scared of growing old alone and unhappy, of staying stuck. But I was free now. Death had freed me of those fears and I intended to make the most of it. To live on my own terms, just mine.
The time limit was set… but there were no rules as to how I spent those months. I could do whatever I wanted.
Whatever I wanted…
I didn’t even know what that was.
And so she begins to live it. She enters an unconventional relationship with Edward that makes her happy. She kayaks and writes and does things she’s always wanted to do. This story, though a constant sad undertone is always running in the background, is exhilarating and at times makes me *fistpump*
I grabbed his left hand and held it between us, brushing my thumb across his bare ring finger. “I’m yours, there’s never been a question of that, but I want you to be mine too. I want to meet your family, I want to go L.A with you, I want to see you sing. I don’t want an arrangement anymore – I want a marriage.
At the time of this post, Rosybud said that there’s just one more chapter and an epilogue, so it’s almost complete. This is one of my favorite stories ever, and I hope you’ll give it a try 
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