The stories of Year Of Goodbyes novel are focused around Arabella (or “Bella”, as her closest ones refer her), a 25-year-old single mother with one five-year-old daughter named Sophie and Collette (or “Cols”) as her long-time best friend. Bella is ready to embark on her new journey in Arizona with her daughter as she stepped out of the plane, heading to Arizona.
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To Bella’s shock that when she was about to catch the cab, she meets a man who she doesn’t want to recall. That man is Liam Jones, the man who has forced sexual encounters with her when the two were 19, which results in the birth of Sophie. Liam is now more handsome than ever, and he is a successful pediatrician who dates another woman named Taylor.
Both Liam and Bella of Years Of Goodbyes are shocked to meet each other after that sexual incident six years ago. Even though their encounters have happened, little Sophie still can’t recognize her father.
Will the two main characters of Years Of Goodbyes rekindle their relationships? How will the relationship tensions between the two turns be?
Part 1: The Author Of Year Of Goodbyes
When we read the name “Phoenix”, we know that the author of Year Of Goodbyes is using a pen name. In many Eastern mythologies, a phoenix bird symbolizes healing, and healing in the psychological world is similar to the friendliness and being approachable (look at the phoenix’s color, for example).
True to the symbol that the author of Year Of Goodbyes uses, I can see from the novels that the author herself is friendly and approachable.
She is one of Dreame’s authors who writes an Author Statement before writing the chapters, and we can see the “introductory posts” in Year Of Goodbyes as if she’s personally greeting the readers. She even mentions in the Author’s Statement that she is thankful to have an inspiring editor like Miss Cherry.
As we turn the pages of the chapters in Year Of Goodbyes novel, we also know that Phoenix always attaches some quotes at the end of each chapter. So, it’s not surprising that she becomes one of Dreame’s Next Top Writers.
I see Phoenix is not just another one of Dreame’s Next Top Writers. I get a sense that she is one of the rarest writers who use her writing skills so well that she can write romance stories that involve relationships between two human females.
While she also writes werewolf stories, the majority of her most recent novels (including Year Of Goodbyes) are romance stories that we can relate to in real-life situations.
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Part 2: Free Chapters From Year Of Goodbyes
Year Of Goodbyes Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of Year Of Goodbyes tells the stories based on Bella’s and Liam’s POVs separately. There are striking contrasts in the ways each character views their stories in the Year Of Goodbyes novel.
Bella’s side of stories is lighter than Liam and most of the scenes involve happiness, even though we notice her discomfort in early paragraphs because Liam keeps on flirting with Taylor. Still, we see that Bella and Liam exchange stories about their successes and downfalls after six years of separation.
On the other hand, Liam’s stories are darker as he remembers Bella, the beautiful girl he used to know when the two were attending high school. He can’t lie to his heart and memories about Bella who ends up leaving him without saying a word. His memories immediately flashbacked to the time when he made out with Bella.
Year Of Goodbyes Chapter 3
As we turn the page after reading the previous chapter of the Year Of Goodbyes novel, we’re now arriving at Chapter 3 of Year Of Goodbye. This chapter’s primary place setting is Aunt Agnes’ house. Speaking of which, Agnes is the mother of Bella, and she knows Liam and Taylor besides her daughter and her granddaughter.
Agnes’ house (or Bella’s childhood house) is also the place where Taylor’s masks fall off. The fake Barbie of the Year Of Goodbye novel first tries to captivate her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s attention through fake politeness. Then, she loses the “battle” when she starts calling names of people who she barely knows.
The author closes this chapter by telling us all about things that stay in Liam’s mind. He is convinced that he chooses the wrong girl. His current girlfriend’s personality and mentality are way below Bella, and it’s like comparing lions to lambs.
Year Of Goodbyes Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of Year Of Goodbyes becomes one of the best chapters for me for many reasons. First, it tells classical family dilemmas that children often experience if one of their parents is missing. It seems that Sophie has always asked Bella why is her father absent, and if her father is hating her that bad that he would dare to leave her and her mother alone.
Second, this chapter also tells Bella’s motivation for flying to Arizona. It’s because she no longer wants to cover the truth. She wants to let her daughter and mother know all about what has she done lately, yet, she feels fearful of disclosing the whole piece of truth, at least right away.
Third, and one of the most heartbreaking scenes of Year Of Goodbyes, is when Collette, Bella’s long-time best friend, comes to visit Bella. There, we know that Liam doesn’t ditch her. Instead, he mistakes her for Jenny, his girlfriend at that time. Both Collette and Bella don’t like Jenny for how she behaves.
Year Of Goodbyes Chapter 6
2016’s Graduation Party in Arizona is still the setting for Chapter 6 in the Year Of Goodbyes book. More precisely, this chapter is a continuing flashback from some ending parts of Chapter 5 that tells the first times Bella, Collette, and Liam meet.
Phoenix the author of Year Of Goodbyes opens up this flashback chapter by telling us that Liam was about to lie unconsciously because he fights with other classmates. Jenny did nothing to protect her boyfriend at that time. Instead, Liam’s opponent and Collette open up the truth by saying that Jenny was forcing her nakedness to cheat on other guys behind Liam’s back.
Liam doesn’t believe it because he was so in love with Jenny. He was so blinded with love that he mistook Bella who saved his life and, later on, had sex with him, as Jenny. This chapter of Year Of Goodbyes explains how Liam mistakenly ditched Bella.