“Holy. Shit. Holy. Shit. Holy fuckin’ shit!” 

I fought a long battle with myself to avoid this story. Why? Well, let me begin by saying that I am a complete idiot. Skylar/Justin were just perfect in my mind. There was no way that you could possibly create a more perfect combination of characters. They complimented one another, they supported each other, they had respect and admiration for each other, and they loved each other. Until, Charlotte, no, Charlie, came along and yanked me from my clouds 1-9.

I read the entire story in a little over a day, and thank god I had an excuse to stay home or I would’ve skipped class and work purposefully. From the very beginning, I was hooked. At first, as I was reading the first few chapters, I felt a sense of foreboding. I figured Charlie would go through a Andy/Miranda revelation in the story. And, that, I wasn’t cool with. I almost gave up, but cue the superstar entering stage left.

It was just one thing after another. One bomb after another. One rose plucked from the Justin/Amelia garden and one rose planted in the Justin/Charlie garden. I was truly keeping score, and Justin/Charlie had it, hands down since Chapter 2 and the electric boots.

The gradual and subtle character development is a true art. There were moments that I was covered in chill bumps from imagining Justin’s smothering gaze or Charlie’s not-so-innocent-innocence or Amelia’s soul-crushing and venomous words.

The supporting cast was just important as the starring cast. The underlying power and influence that each character had was just incredible. From the simple business men that Justin met with at the beginning to the no-name bartender at Southern Hospitality, they each had a specific role. Trace’s unremarkably sound advice haphazardly wrapped in tacky paper in the form of immature one-liners were simply hysterical, yet humbling.

And Trace's one liners were hysterical...."Well, roll the fuckin' credits" such a great way to end that chapter. He is unapologetic about his no-bullshit love for Justin, and I love him. I’ve long questioned myself why Justin doesn’t seem to listen well to his advice, and this story opened my eyes. Lynn is so gentle with him, so caring and so protective. Trace is so harsh, his love is unapologetic and untamed. And, then, here comes Charlie. She is the perfect blend of Lynn and Trace. She is gentle, yet firm. She is caring, yet encouraging. She shelters him, yet will not hide him. She is exactly what Justin needs in his life.

The altar scene: You. Are. Cruel.

But leave it to Justin to reveal to us his true fault: the lack to properly interrupt sound advice.

He took what his grandfather said completely wrong. This scene broke me down. I will admit, I shed tears. And there were conflicting emotions behind my tears. There were tears of joy for Charlie because she finally took charge of her life, in a desperate plea, but she took charge. There was pity for Amelia because she was so beyond fucked up, and there was no hope for her. There was compassion for Justin’s family and friends because they were stuck watching him make the biggest mistake of his life, and yet, all they were left to do was support him. And there was anger for Justin because he’s a complete jackwagon. Blind. Deaf.

And by God’s grace, Justin does have a brain."I'm not perfect. I'm never gonna be. But I will try my damndest to be perfect for you." Holy mother of God, woman, where you trying to rip my heart to shreds and have my knees melt into a puddle at my feet? Because that is exactly what happened!

Charlie is strong. Charlie is a woman. She doesn’t give in to him when any other woman would have buckled. I think at the beginning, she gave into him because it was her job to indulge her bosses. She felt a sense of duty to him and to Amelia. But, in the end, her strength overpowers her docile façade.  And, in Justin’s defense, he is the true tragic character of the story. Although for a split second I felt my heart thaw when Molly didn’t show up for the bridal shower and I saw Amelia’s true tragic life. Justin is not all that weak of a man that everyone in the story made him out to be. If anything, he was doing exactly what he’d been taught to do. Please. Yes, he was running, but in the end, he always came back and pleased the people. Pleased everyone but himself. He was so willing to be the sufferer. Yes, his actions spoke louder than his words but his actions were also misinterpreted. And aren’t we all guilty of judging without knowing?

Like Charlie, we all want to throw him into oncoming traffic. But, let’s be real. I, without a second thought, would’ve jumped after him to safe him. When you fall in love with someone, love is all-encompassing. You can’t love all the good without loving all the bad. Because it is the bad that makes the good, great. And, yes, it sucks that when he finally picked up his balls and poured his heart and soul she was drunk. But, she is too pissed and pissed drunk to care but she does listen. She takes his confession, and she takes it with her. She takes his heart with her, and doesn’t leave in on the floor of some grimy Bronx bar. And, that right there gave me hope that there was still a possibility.

Bar Scene: Ginger messing up the bar? Classic. I laughed aloud while at the student center. And, I got a few lunatic glares. But, I think I deserved those. I was already biting my palm with watering eyes for quite some time. Ginger at first had me fooled. I figured she was gonna be a Amelia-like, but she proved me wrong time and time again. She saw Amelia and she saw Charlie and she took the best of both. The ambition that Amelia thrives off and the heart that makes Charlie’s existence so brilliant.

“So tell me. What hurts more? Thinking you should hate him or knowing you don't?” And you knew that you would chop us all at the knees with this. It is just glorious. It’s the biggest, most pink elephant in the story. For God’s sake, it matched the Pink Panty Pulldowns they were downing. And leave it for the most irrelevant (until that moment) character to point it out. Not even Trace and his lack of oral filtration system pointed it out. Bless Ginger.

I may be going way over the edge here (and please, blame the cold medicines if I am), but I am completely convinced that UTTK is The Social Network of NF. Because, I mean really, please don’t laugh. None of us can really hate or love any of the characters. Sit back and think about it, and each of them is the way they are for some fucked-up cards that life dealt them. They are each tragic in their own way.

It’s all very Shakespearean.

Tragedy wrapped in a warm blanket of humor and disdain, complemented by the bitter taste of a glass of runaway love and fleeting self-respect.

I will definitely go back and review each chapter, because each one merits its individual praise.

But, sincerely, UTTK is a work of art. Congratulations.

Sidenote: This was my personal response to this particular scene (and yes, I spoke this aloud to the computer):

Trace: “She’s your lobster”

Me: “Oh he’s going somewhere!”

Oh man...what can I even SAY to this?!?!?! SUCH an amazing ending. You had me guessing right up til the end.

I adore this story so much. You had me get misty-eyed (as usual)...in the middle of Starbucks. So thanks for that. 

I'm gonna miss them. :( But I'm super excited to see what you do next! 

Fantastical, incredible, amazing, awesome, STUPENDOUS, BEAUTIFUL job! Guh...I love you. 

SO FREAKING AWESOME!

and You HAVE to have another project coming, I love reading your stories.

Just one word "More"... pretend I just screamed that through a bullhorn.

...that's how much I meant it...lol. 

 I love the pics of the cast but Char looks a little thin.. I thought she was more volumptous... with much longer, darker hair but she's normally pretty. 

Ahhh i can't believe its over! Its definetely bittersweet. I've been here from the beginning, its been a good ride. I remeber seeing this new story and I got hooked on the plot and all the characters from the start.

This was such a good way to end though. I was sitting at the end of my chair thinking take him back, but at the same time i didnt really want her to haha.

I cant wait for what you have coming next, youre an amazing writer. Thanks for making my day a little bit brighter every time i saw you updated :)

OH MY GOD!!! NOOOO!!! I cannot believe it's over!! But, so...I have a lot to say, but I really can't focus on anything remotely important right now...basically, what I really really love about all your stories is that you never force Justin into marriage, when we all know that he most likely won't be doing that for a LONG, long time...

ALSO, I CAN'T BELIEVE AMELIA SENT HIM FLOWERS THAT SHE KNEW WOULD MAKE HIM SNEEZE. 

Ummm DUDE I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO TALK ABOUT I HAVE NO WORDS. I am insanely sad that this is over, but I'm hoooooping, hoping hoping, that you post little one-shot side stories like you did with A Love Worth Learning. :)

This story was fantastic, these characters burrowed their way into my heart AND I REALLY DON'T THINK THEY'LL EVER LEAVE.