Harriet Evans > Quotes

“You don't fall in love with someone because it's convenient.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“People don't fall in love with each other because it's convenient. They fall in love because they fall in love, and that's it.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“Everyone's allowed to be in love with the wrong person at some point. In fact, it's a mistake not to be.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Darling, you fall in love all the time. You can't run away just because it doesn't fit into your exact romantic dreamworld, you know.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“It was dreadful, when she thought about it with the tiniest bit of hindsight, to admit this was the case. That a small part of herself was such a masochist, so enjoyed putting herself through all of this, that she liked hearing sad songs on the radio and staring gloomily out the window late at night. The tears in her eyes as she walked home of an evening, thinking about how much she loved him and how great they were together. It was so adolescent.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“I fell in love with you that summer all those years ago. I never really told you, because of everything that happened. But I suppose I've been in love with you ever since.
Everything's been wrong with us, timing -wise. Hasn't it?
I just wanted you to know I wasn't an idiot, some stupid bastard who wanted to hurt you. I could never do that to you. There were reasons.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Don't run away from it, just because it's difficult.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“Not to be with the one you love, Laura, the one person you should be spending your life with--it’s like a kind of living death. To wake up every morning and know you are still here. To have that brief, sweet moment of blankness, before your mind reminds you who you are, and why you are unhappy. It was like hell. A living hell of the heart’s own making.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“She had realised that they couldn't be together. She didn't want to make a romantic drama out of it, she didn't want to sigh and mope or scream hysterically to impress others with how awful it all was, even though she felt as if something fundamental, deep within her, had been taken away from her. She was simply trying to cope, to get on with her own normal life. Which, she knew, was something he could not be a part of.  ”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“When was the last time she'd actually had a relationship based on reality, instead of some completely invented fantasy she'd written in her head? In her stupid, silly, romantic head.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“She missed him. And she was scared, deep down, because she felt him pulling away from her, and even though he assured her he wasn't, she didn't believe him.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“She thought she was a sensible girl. But some kind of love had taken hold of her and refused to let her go, and it wasn't a happy, easy, joyful thing, it had her in a vice-like grip.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“I think you might have missed the right person, your true love, because you have spent your life looking too hard for him. You have a great capacity to love, Laura. Don’t run away from it. Use it. Stop wasting it. Throw yourself into it, and don’t be scared. I promise you, with all my heart, that you will never live a day when you regret it.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“Why do you want the world to be black and white? It's not.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“I think sometimes the bits of your life happen in the wrong order, or all at the same time and you waste time feeling angry about it, but that's the way it is, it's real life. You meet the person who you think could make you happy the rest of your life, but at the same time your ex-girlfriend who's told you umpteen times she never wants to see you again tells you you're going to be a dad.'
Elle took up the story.
'And then you move to another country and then the next time you see that person, even though its like no time has passed, you sleep together and then - your mum dies'
She gave a short, sad laugh.
'Yep that's rubbish timing”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“She was different. She liked hearing it, because she wanted to recall just enough of it to remember that she never wanted to go back to being the person she'd been before.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“I'm not going to tell you how I think you should live your life, or what I think you should do," said Mary. "Now's not the time. But I will say this: Don't try to paper over things that matter, Laura. The cracks will appear. Maybe not immediately, but they will.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“I want to be happy. To make someone else happy. To do my job well, be a good person”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“No, she learned that true love was epic stuff, as told by Mary.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“Because if you love someone, you have to be brave and tell them. Don't let them go.
And if you say no I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to convince you I'm right. I promise. I won't leave you alone. Because it's not about who's whats or wheres or anything. We should be together. The other stuff doesn't matter. That's all.”
― Harriet Evans

“She didn't want to forget how deeply she had loved him, how important it had been to her; she felt as if to discard the memory would be a betrayal of her younger self.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“She had lost him. Lost him because she'd let him go. And she could not allow herself to regret that decision.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Why is someone only passionate about books if they're into literary books that win prizes? Why can't you be passionate about books and only read romance?”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“WHY did she do this? She was a terrible drunk texter. All the things she wanted to say to people during the day came out at night, like a vampire.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Laura's problem was that she kept casting men in roles they weren't suited for. Like lovely Josh, casting him in the role of decent, kind house-husband, the perfect partner, the modern male, when - what was it that she'd actually loved about him, really? Laura tried to think, and couldn't come up with an answer. He was a great man - kind, funny, clever, hard working - but there was no way he was the man for her, she realised now. Why hadn't she seen it?”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“It's weird I don't know anything about you,"
"What are you talking about? We just spent the whole day together."
"Yes, but we drank loads and chatted about - I don't even know what we chatted about,"
"I like conversations like that," Tom said. "Much less hard work. with my ex, it was like pulling teeth sometimes. We had loads in common but we didn't see the world the same way." He stopped. "Oh, that sounds good. I should write it down." He got out his phone.
"You're writing that down?"
"Yep" Tom said, fiddling with his phone
She stared at him, trying not to laugh. "Wow. You are weird, do you know that," she said. "Most of the time you're almost normal, but occasionally your super-weird side comes out.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Elle wondered if he had regrets. But she didn't let herself wonder for too long. She had locked her heart up against him, and it would take something extraordinarily strong to break it open.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“Are you sure it wouldn't work?" said Jo urgently, in a quiet voice. "Are you sure you don't want to see him again?

Laura wanted to laugh. Those were two totally separate things, weren't they?”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic

“Since being back in London everything seemed greyer, but clearer. She couldn't explain it. The strangest thing was she couldn't recall her New York self. She wanted that part of herself back, but she couldn't remember what it was like to be that Elle. She would catch a whiff of it, like the snatch of a song that still won't lead you to the chorus, and then it would be gone.”
― Harriet Evans, Happily Ever After

“It's different up here, you know."

"I know," said Laura miserably. "I was -- enjoying myself, that's all."

Nick watched her for a moment. "Don't look so tragic about it, Laura. It's not a crime to enjoy yourself, you know."

"Yes, it is," muttered Laura, feeling as if she were in some biblical parable, the one where the Lord wreaks vengeance on the stupid girl who is a foolish wanton by removing the last shred of common sense in her brain.”
― Harriet Evans, A Hopeless Romantic