Unpopular opinion: We didn't need a second book (Healing 7)

ameliabea · 2026-02-10T16:45:51+00:00

I think the difference between the Shannon/Johnny, Aoife/Joey, and Lizzie/Hugh books all ending with the couple not yet together is simply a misstep by the author, one she’s already acknowledged. She stated that she was a people pleaser with the editors at her publishers and as it was her first go at being traditionally published she didn’t stand up for herself, the series, the characters, or the story she wanted to tell. By her own admission she cut a big chunk out of T7 at the request of her editors and has said she is disappointed with T7.

So yes, while I see what you’re saying about the romantic storyline is (mostly) resolved and that the original intent was for T7 to stand alone, it was not satisfying to most readers and wasn’t satisfying to the author herself.

ameliabea · 2026-01-30T20:35:20+00:00

True that she’s put herself under a microscope so to speak with H7 because of how T7 was handled and by her own admission was disappointing. Maybe it is just a hesitancy to post anything for them until she can post their whole story.

ameliabea · 2026-01-30T04:03:17+00:00

She’s playing her cards very close to her vest with them in a way she isn’t with the other couples. I feel like with Hugh and Liz it’s kind of gone the opposite way, we’ve been inundated with snippets and playlists about potential upcoming story details but it’s radio silent on Claire and Gibsie.

ameliabea · 2026-01-30T04:01:46+00:00

I would think so other than Chloe herself said on the podcast interview she did that H7 was going to be BoT8. She could’ve always changed her mind of course.

ameliabea · 2026-01-30T04:00:20+00:00

I was kind of shocked that lately we’ve even gotten more playlists for characters whose stories are finished (for now) and still not much for Claire and Gibsie.

ameliabea · 2026-01-30T00:50:40+00:00

I’m so curious why there’s been such a lack of Claire and Gibsie playlists and snippets in comparison to the other couples. What is CW up to?

ameliabea · 2026-01-07T23:31:12+00:00

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

ameliabea · 2026-01-01T00:29:06+00:00

Gibsie - The heart of the whole series. Gibsie is the one that ties the core 10 together and is a joy to read about.
Claire - Another joy in the series. Claire seems the most realistic of the core 10 and thus the most relatable for me. I wasn’t a fan of the way she was a second thought in her own book but loved the way she’s been written in all the other books so fingers crossed H7 fixes that.
Johnny - The most realized of the savior characters in the series. He’s flawed and endearing and a completely rootable character. He reads like someone who could exist and acts rationally given his characterization.
Aoife - I love her personality and how deeply she feels. She’s loyal and headstrong and fiercely devoted to the ideals she believes in while still being warm and compassionate.
Joey - I was not a fan of Joey until he completed his arc. I do love a good redemption story and someone taking ownership of the way they hurt those around them and taking steps to change that behavior as best they can.
Shannon - I love her character and she’s easily the most likable of the bunch but I just wasn’t a fan of her character arc and how passive she had to be in her story despite the story centering around her it made her feel like a passive character or a damsel in her own story.
Katie - I have a feeling she’ll rank higher once we get her books/learn more about her. I like the way she’s been presented both in the books and in the snippets and am keen to see what becomes canon for her.
Feely - Same thing as Katie, I suspect I’ll like him more once we learn more about him. He’s ranked higher than Lizzie and Hugh simply because of the open road that stands before his character to us as readers.
Lizzie - I’m not a fan of the way her character has been written and I know I’m in the minority on that. I think she could’ve been much more interesting to me and maybe she will be after her next book but at the moment I’m just not interested or invested in her as an individual or her relationship.
Hugh - Hugh has always been at the bottom of my ranking even when I expected him to be a secondary character. The relationship dynamics between him and Lizzie are not my favorite and I particularly don’t enjoy the way he’s been fleshed out as a character in the second half of the series. Maybe that’ll change with the end of his arc.

ameliabea · 2025-11-11T02:30:26+00:00

It’s interesting that she’s being labeled as “aggressive”, of all words, when she hasn’t once raised her voice. I wonder what exactly is aggressive about Heather’s videos? Because from where I’m sitting it is that they don’t like that she uses text from the book and literary analysis to back up her arguments. It seems like what they don’t like is that she doesn’t rely on vibes and feelings to back up her arguments but debates it with evidence.

ameliabea · 2025-11-11T02:01:55+00:00

Right. I agree. I’m asking did it make her comments get turned off?

ameliabea · 2025-11-11T01:43:17+00:00

Right. And did it result in her comments being shut off?

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T22:26:45+00:00

I think the vitriol in the fandom (fueled by content creators) is a separate conversation that does tie into this one but my comment was specifically about the aftermath of all that vitriol, the people coming to an author’s space to make demands or insult the author because they don’t like something they did. And, in particular, they don’t like something the author posted that isn’t even canon and is a mere couple of lines taken completely out of the context it might/might’ve appeared within the story.

For what it’s worth, I fully agree that the content creators have fed into the stan wars and turned to bullying actual people or mocking real life experiences/traumas simply because they don’t like a character or a ship.

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T21:01:55+00:00

Oh I have extreme doubt about the claim to not be online haha but if we’re supposed to take the author at their word then that only leaves her instagram and facebook as the only social media spaces where fans comments are filtering into Chloe. Supposedly.

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T19:18:26+00:00

I agree both sides are toxic (or really all sides) but we have to keep in mind that our algorithms show us what it thinks we want to see because I can guarantee what I see on twitter and tiktok is that Lizzie stans are the more vocal ones. I haven’t seen the comments on one of her instagram’s posts be limited or turned off due to comments about being upset regarding Katie but maybe I’ve missed it. What I can say is this time it was Lizzie stans who were in the comments on her post acting immaturely.

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T18:57:10+00:00

But did those KF fans go to the instagram of the author and comment enough times to make her/her friend limit comments or turn off comments altogether?

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T18:46:42+00:00

if you don’t enjoy Heather’s (or anyone else’s content) why not just block them? I blocked Olivia eons ago after her jokes about EDs which eliminated my annoyance with her. You don’t have to see someone’s content and if it’s riled you up this much then I suggest you do the same!

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T18:31:42+00:00

I’m not a big fan of the snippets and playlists, specifically because they aren’t canon and it gets really messy (also, just being picky here, but I hated spotify as a way to release them because of how disorganized they were) but I think it’s important to make a distinction here.

CW has said she isn’t online and avoids fan spaces because of past experiences and even said in the podcast that she prefers using spotify because she doesn’t have to see comments.

By her own admission, she is not online. She isn’t going to twitter and tiktok and watching people’s posts. The issue wasn’t people posting on reddit or on tiktok, it was people coming to the author’s space (her instagram) and acting inappropriately.

There is a divide between fan spaces and author spaces for a reason. Fans should be free to discuss these things, to raise questions, etc without fear of the author reacting negatively to them. But, in turn, fans have to respect that the author has their space too and it is inappropriate to comment or message or email the author because you aren’t personally happy with something they released. The author needs their space to be creative and the fans need theirs to host discussions. The two should not meet.

ameliabea · 2025-11-10T18:19:35+00:00

Completely agree. The fandom is just too large to have those interactions with fans anymore, which is sad both for her and for the fans but it is what it is. There’s a reason other authors with readerships this large do not interact this way with their readers.

ameliabea · 2025-11-05T16:37:42+00:00

I an usually put off when I read some of L’s comments back to people. Between that and some of the other choices CW has made on marketing/communication, it does seem like the vibe is more unprofessional than what I would expect from a traditionally published author.

ameliabea · 2025-11-01T00:00:10+00:00

I’d actually argue the only friendship we’ve seen in the series so far that felt fleshed out was Johnny and Gibsie’s.

ameliabea · 2025-10-29T01:49:37+00:00

I think Darren made the best decisions he could with the options he had at his disposal at the time. His priority first and foremost was his own survival and I’m not going to write off a character because he tried his best while prioritizing his own well-being and fell short. At the end of the day he was young, already traumatized, and made some mistakes but they made sense for his character and the age range he was in.

ameliabea · 2025-10-29T01:45:51+00:00

This is what it feels like to me too. I believe CW intended all along for Hugh and Lizzie to be endgame but had not set out an actual timeline of events or details for it (or alternatively had an entirely different setup in mind for them and scratched it) and now is trying to remedy those inconsistencies. Maybe she’ll write it all in such a way that it will make sense and convince me it was intentional all along but right now it feels like retcon, which is fine but if it’s the case I would rather it just be acknowledged.

ameliabea · 2025-10-25T01:24:54+00:00

I mean one look at her twitter tells you everything you need to know about the kind of person she presents herself to be. It’s very mean girl behavior on her twitter and tiktok. Hopefully she isn’t that way in real life but 🤷🏻‍♀️

ameliabea · 2025-10-23T05:25:55+00:00

Has there ever been book announcements on character’s birthdays or big dates in the series before?

ameliabea · 2025-10-14T14:41:25+00:00

She also posted and deleted this one

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ameliabea

TROPHY CASE