Standstill

by Naomi Victoria

Gretchen Summers was once the sun.

Everything changed.

Ten months ago, her world was rocked, and hope was lost.

Fighting a constant battle with depression, she sinks further and further into the abyss. Seeing her inner turmoil, her mother packs up her and her sister and moves them back to Coney Island, New York, for the fresh start Gretchen so desperately needs. Being back in the town she once knew and loved, she finds herself living close to her former best friend, Miles Foster—her only love. The boy she grew up with. The boy she kept secrets from.

As they grow closer and closer, the words left unsaid threaten to ruin everything. Depression is an old friend, one that sticks around in the silent night, and Gretchen may not survive this time.

Miles Foster watched the love of his life leave him two years ago, and he never figured out why. Now she’s back, and her bubbly personality is gone, replaced by a silent killer. With secrets kept and Gretchen getting worse, Miles is losing hope.

He wants to save her, but no one can save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.

A second-chance romance for those who don't believe in second chances.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2025

About the author

Naomi Victoria is an eighteen year old self published author. In the midst of a depressive episode, she wrote Standstill at the age of sixteen. You can find writing updates for her next projects on naomivictoriawrites on TikTok !

Reviews

[Eli Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about loss and life in its hardest moments - and, trying to make the best out of it. You follow a couple through their attempts to make things work, both in life and for love, and even the side characters have their own struggles, their own past and secrets. This is what other books struggles with, building side characters with actual background and lives. Here, it used that to explore different types of loss.
I really enjoyed how alive this book felt, so real, raw, vivid.. how relatable it was, without you having to have experienced the exact same.
Everyone has dark moments and this book is a reminder that ”the darkness never stays“ (quote from the book).

This is the authors first book and as mentioned by others here, she has great potential and I‘m looking forward to her growth as a writer.
I also really enjoyed the modern references, to songs, artists and gilmore girls. Might make a great classic of this time in the future :)

Thank you for sharing your story with us <3

[Naomi Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

may be biased because I am the author but 🤷‍♀️

[Jorja Spahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book for a first time author! Took a while to read because I went away for a few weeks and wasn’t able to read, but this book definitely brought out the tears. It’s raw, real, and hard to read at times, but definitely shows the hardships of what so many people go through that isn’t talked about enough. The couple had unmoving love for each other and wanted to help one another made my heart long for that. Thank you for sharing this story naomi.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know how to put into words how much Standstill meant to me. This book didn’t just tell a story it pulled me under,and made me feel seen in a way few books ever have. Naomi Victoria captures the ache of unsaid thoughts and the heaviness of just existing so beautifully, it felt like reading pieces of my own heart.

[Abs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt sooo real. like someone put my emotions into words. Gretchen’s struggle with feeling stuck and left behind is so relatable.
It’s the kind of book that makes you feel seen and a little less lonely

[alexis:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I want to be worse. I want to get bad. I want to sleep for days and forget to eat, and I want to smoke until my lungs collapse. I want to end in ruin. Rip myself into shreds.”

I’ve felt this kinda pain before. Related so hard to poor Gretchen. Shawty been through too damn much. Self destruction is real.

Also related to Miles, who feels like he desperately needs to fix everything and everyone. Me as hell, I fear…

A super quick read with a lot of heavy themes & grief & healing💜

Also can we talk about how this author is 17 and created something and published it? I’m so jealous plz keep writing and perfecting your work. I can’t imagine how emotional your future books will be and how much growth you can do if THISSSS is your starting place. INSANE! Future New York Bestselling Author?!?

Also why did the acknowledgement page make me cry ? I love when authors mention Jesus.

[Brooke Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such a beautiful and well written book, definitely one of my favorite books that i have read. i love gretchen and miles 🫶🏼🫶🏼 i could not stop reading it

[faith herget · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my goodness. i truly have no words to describe how genuinely beautifully written this book is. naomi is a incredibly talented author for starters. i’ve been following her on tiktok since around the beginning of her writing the book and i always admired how incredible the snippets were. i immediately knew i had to read it. i cried off and on pretty much past chapter ten, my heart was torn out of my body and like shredded. i was in shock, the way she writes about depression is just perfect. she encapsulates it exactly and it had me silently rooting for gretchen the whole book. all the characters are so well described, it made me feel connected to every one of them. the book is just a true masterpiece. i cannot wait to see everything she does in the future and i cannot wait to see how far this book goes. it truly is just beautiful and heart wrenching. if this isn’t already on your tbr you definitely need to add it.

[Carly &#x1f31f; · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing and 5 ⭐️ read. Its portrayal of depression and the hardships that life throws at you was perfect and made the book all the more relatable. Every character in the book had well developed personality’s and unique traits that truly tied the plot and story together. The support and care written in this book is truly unmatched!!!! I also enjoyed the intriguing twists and how the story was revealed over time, It gave a sense of mystery, which added on to the greatness of this book:) This book is so much more than a romance, it’s a story of mental health. A beautiful one at that!!! If you were looking for a sign to buy this book let this review be it!!!!

[luke armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! It hits very close to home. The themes all intertwine so beautifully. Overall, Standstill was perfectly written. Make sure to read the trigger warnings before reading! ❤️❤️