you're an awfully good writer, you know that? my small mind wonders how this'll be romance if josiah is gay but, i'd like to read more.

i could picture everything so well, i can still see it in my mind.

Okay. After reading this, I definitely see what you mean by using description (right words) to add personality traits to your character. I almost think that it is a matter of personal writing style too but I won't go into that here. The writing here flows smoothly like the water in the creek- Josiah and Florence's meeting place.

On to the story.

Good job in building the suspense up about her feet from the very beginning. I kept wondering why couldn't she feel? At first I thought it was the cold but she talked about her feet in particular (and how the rest of her body wasnt numb) and then a couple of paragraphs down she mentioned an illness and i went oh.


I never understood the part in the first paragraph where Florrie says"Not when everything was at stake anyway." What was at stake? I wasn't sure. Maybe I missed it in my reading.


I enjoyed learning about Josie and Florrie and the awkwardness that comes with not seeing the person you're closest to for two years especially since she loved him and realized then she couldn't have him because he was gay which led to her focusing on weight loss & diabetes.


How old are they anyway? I figured past college maybe late 20s early 30s even though she was living with her mom (because she was sick) and because Josiah's boyfriend is 44.
(However, you mentioned that they talked about divorce at the creek and i wondered whose? Florrie said she wanted to finally have a relationship and Josiah has a boyfriend but there was no mention of a previous marriage.)

About Josiah, there's some sort of history you hinted at that bothered me (great job at foreshadowing) when Josiah was talking about Jason and said he didnt have love but he had freedom. Florrie's reaction to Jason also shows there is much more under the surface of that relationship that led to a lot of hurt and sadness for Josiah


This first chapter of Hopes and Fears was bittersweet (for lack of a better word). Florrie described it perfectly in
“You know, this place used to be such a simple thing. We could come here and do nothing, say nothing, and everything would be perfect just because it was. What happened to that, Josie?”

and Josiah's response which pegged him as the realist and her the wistful dreamer

"Nothing was ever simple. We were just oblivious.”

“I think that’s one of the most absolute truths in the world. You can never go back. Not really.”

Looking forward to the next chapter.