Melissa’s Reviews > In Your Dreams > Status Update

I still regularly forget that she is a famous pop star, until these moments when I see pictures of her onstage surrounded by a sold-out stadium….But it’s easy to forget all of that with her because to us she’s Amelia…the Audrey Hepburn–obsessed woman who stole our brother’s heart with her truly awful pancakes and has loved us like real sisters from day one.

Madison about Amelia
The not-by-birth sister

Madison- I am terrified I’m going to fail—making it the worst failure of my life, because it won’t just affect me, I’ll bring James down with me.
And equally terrifying: What if I never get my refuge back?

Her fear of failure is so consuming

The kitchen used to be my refuge, the one place where everything quieted down and I felt most like myself. Cooking was my escape, my therapy, my joy. It was something that was wholly mine. But lately? It’s felt hollow. Like stepping into a room I used to love, only to find it’s cold, the lights are off, and there’s plastic over the furniture.
I want that warmth back.
Madison

But no matter how famous Jack is now, he continues to treat my sister with the love and affection of a man who knows he doesn’t deserve her.

Madison about Jack and Emily

I lean in a little closer and drop my voice. “I heard from the new barista at the coffee shop that Annie has been ordering…” I look over my shoulder and then back. “Decaf.”
Madison sits back, a shocked expression smashing her in the face. “Decaf?”

Not decaf coffee! ☕️

James has some fun gossip.

This wild and loud creature is causing a scene, and I’m just trying not to laugh. Life hasn’t been nearly as bright without Madison in it.
James

Because where Madison is concerned, I think I’d be willing to set the world on fire if it made her smile. And she has no idea.

James ❤️‍🔥

James- I never saw it coming—falling in love with Madison.
One moment she was Maddie, Noah’s annoying little sister who was always around, always causing chaos, and always in the way. And then on a random Monday in her early twenties, she suddenly didn’t seem like his little sister anymore.

As I stand behind him, the lingering smell of bygone cigarettes grows stronger and the Christmas lights strung overhead twinkle.
Silly that these are the things that make me feel warmer.
Madison