Is Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me A Novel Or Memoir?

On her birthday, Chloe’s world falls apart when her boyfriend abandons her. Seeking comfort, she makes the worst mistake of her life—or maybe the best one. In a moment of weakness, she ends up in the arms of Ruan, her half-sister Megan’s rejected fiancé. That single night changes everything. When Megan disappears and Chloe’s family turns against her, she is forced into an unthinkable role: the substitute bride. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she faces a ruthless father, a cruel stepmother, and a husband who belongs to someone else. Two years later, after her father’s death and Megan’s shocking return, the fragile balance shatters. Ruan, torn between the past and the present, demands a divorce. But as the papers are drawn, he realizes something he never expected—Chloe has taken root in his heart in ways he cannot deny. Now, he must face the one question that could rewrite their fate: What if the love he spent years searching for has always been with the woman he swore he would never love?

Two years of marriage. Two years of trust. Two years of secrets I never knew existed. I thought I was coming home to the man I married—surprising Nathan after my work trip ended early. Instead, I stood frozen in the doorway of our bedroom, watching my husband tangled in the sheets with someone I never expected. Someone whose face I only caught a glimpse of before she bolted—running out the back like a ghost escaping the scene of a crime. But I know that face. I’ve seen it every day of my life. Felt its presence in my laughter, my tears, my memories. That night shattered everything. The perfect husband. The perfect life. All of it was a carefully crafted illusion built on lies. Now, nothing is what it seems—and I have no idea where this road will take me.

At nineteen, you're expected to have the perfect blueprint. To navigate university effortlessly and finally act like a real adult. ​Kelsey Vance is ready for it. ​But reality doesn't care about blueprints. When the illusion fades, nineteen becomes less about having the answers, and more about the beautiful chaos of who you become when the expectations vanish.

In the chaos and quiet of her 30s, a woman reflects on the loves that shaped her, the heartbreaks that undid her, and the tender spaces in between. Through fleeting romances, almost-loves, and the weight of expectations—family’s, society’s, and her own—she navigates a world where connection is currency, vulnerability is rebellion, and self-discovery never comes easy. Told with wit, warmth, and raw honesty, this novel is a journey through modern love: messy, magical, and sometimes maddening. It's about the people who entered her life, the ones who left, and the version of herself she’s still becoming.

At seventeen, love feels infinite and endings feel impossible. Arielle never planned to fall in love during her final year of high school. Noah never planned to let his guard down. But when quiet glances turn into late conversations and unspoken feelings surface, they find themselves caught in a connection neither of them is ready to name or walk away from. Set against the fragile edge of senior year, Promises We Made at Seventeen is a slow-burn, dual-POV romance about first love, fear, and the weight of choices made too young to fully understand, yet too deep to ignore. As expectations, rumors, and the future press in, Arielle and Noah must decide whether honesty is worth the risk and whether promises made before adulthood can survive what comes after. Tender, dramatic, and emotionally raw, this story explores what it means to love someone while still learning who you are, and how some promises no matter how small can change the course of a lifetime.

On the last day before my study-abroad application closed, I was about to give up my full scholarship offer. Then, out of nowhere, I got a call from my future self. "Don't give it up. Click confirm enrollment. Right now." "Harley locked in his own graduate placement three months ago. The only reason he wants you to stay is that Katy needs you to finish her senior thesis for her, and he needs your money every month to live on. "Two weeks after you turn down that offer, the two of them go public with their relationship. "That so-called best friend of yours, Katy? She already betrayed you. She's been sleeping with him." I froze, my finger hovering over the mouse. The voice kept going, speaking faster and faster. "Listen carefully. Once you confirm the offer, take the twenty thousand dollars left in your account and put every cent into the Eklund Growth Fund. It goes public next March. It'll grow eightfold within the year. "Once you're abroad, apply to your advisor's AI lab before your first semester ends. That project gets acquired by Coogle two years from now, and as a core team member, you'll get a share of the payout. "Twenty-two-year-old me, I'm begging you. Stop wasting yourself on people who don't deserve it." The voice cut off. I took a deep breath and moved the cursor to "Confirm Enrollment." The instant I clicked, my mind was made up. I wasn't going to bury my own future for anyone who wasn't worth it.