a blog

You’ll see characters return in the background in each subsequent novel all the time, like they do in Game Changers. I can think of one series that ends in an anthology where every couple gets a short story as a little coda. But almost never a true sequel.

Because putting your characters back in another novel requires them to have a conflict that separates them from each other in some way, which directly conflicts with our understanding of the end of their story: they’ve overcome their central obstacle and they aren’t going to have another one.

You can tell me that’s unrealistic, but that’s the point. That’s the genre. We are promised a happily ever after and we get it.

I don't think any of it is ok. The public street pictures help identify their neighbourhood - where they are staying, which gym they go to and lead to increasingly intrusive, dangerous and disturbing stalking like Connor being touched without consent and followed to his private residence or Hudson being photographed inside the private gym clearly without his knowledge or consent.

If you call yourself a fan of either or both of them, please don't spread these non-consensual photos and videos and call out the stalkers instead of encouraging their behaviour.

They will be working in Toronto for months, and the situation is already spiralling badly with stalkers reportedly flying in to harass them. They will be forced into lockdown, it will impact their mental health being hunted for pics, and it will burden the production to have to increase security.

You can have your opinions about Rachel's writing, I have my own thoughts and wish certain things had been developed more too. But if you actually think Rachel tries to frame Shane as a villain, intentionally or not (because I've also seen a lot of "Even if Rachel didn't intend to write Shane as a villain, that's what the reader gets" and just, NO), that speaks volumes about how YOU see Shane. Because nowhere in the book—and nowhere in the entire series—is there even anything you could read and think Shane is acting like a villain.

If you read the books and came to the conclusion that Shane's mistakes are severe enough to make him a villain, that really says a lot about YOU and the way you judge this character. Calling him a villain isn't even just an exaggeration, it's straight-up ridiculous, because for starters Shane isn't even close to being a bad person. SHANE IS A GOOD PERSON. Having flaws, insecurities, and moments you're not proud of doesn't make you evil. It just makes you human. Yes, people get frustrated, make poor decisions, and sometimes even hurt the ones they love. That IS part of being human, nobody is perfect.

Shane makes mistakes throughout the series, just like every other character does. He reflects on them, apologizes when he needs to, and genuinely tries to do better. You don't have to agree with every single decision he makes, but saying Rachel wrote him to be "the villain" just because you're mad that he acts and reacts like a human being is ridiculous.

And honestly I think this is where the root of the problem lies. A lot of people need Shane to act perfectly in order to like him, because all of this always comes from people who claim to love Shane but then never allow him to have flaws or make mistakes LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON WOULD!! They want Shane to fit into this idealized, flawless version they made up in their heads. Suddenly, every single flaw becomes proof that Rachel ruined his character or turned him into a villain, instead of just accepting that he's a flawed person who is allowed to make mistakes.