After twenty-one entries of navigating awkward hallway encounters with her crush Kevin, cramming for chemistry with her best friend Amy, and occasionally playing peacemaker between her rival classmates, it all came down to this. Emily stood before the full-length mirror in the dressing room, clutching the velvet fabric of the dress she had spent weeks choosing.

"Emily. Stop reading the past. The past reads you back."

I didn’t answer with words. I just handed him his notebook back and said, “Stay for dinner?”

A popular book influencer who creates "Emily's Diary" episodes on TikTok/YouTube, often reviewing books she has read.