Holding On To The Memories
Order Your Copy Here!
Songs To Stories Volume VI
Inspired by: New Years Day by Taylor Swift
Maddy had always believed in forever.
From the moment she met Eve on their first day of kindergarten—when a small, shy girl refused to board the bus and Maddy took her hand and never let go—forever seemed inevitable. Together, they built a lifetime of shared memories: whispered secrets during sleepovers, first heartbreaks soothed over ice cream, weddings where they stood by each other’s side, and the dream of their bookstore café, Once Upon A Latte, which became the heart of their lives.
But forever doesn’t always last.
Holding On To The Memories picks up after the events of Fading From Forever, as Maddy struggles to navigate a world without Eve. Set against the backdrop of a mournful New Year’s Eve—their favourite holiday, when they would stay up past midnight, laughing about the past and dreaming of the future—Maddy reflects on the friendship that shaped her entire life. The scent of coffee beans and the soft rustle of pages at Once Upon A Latte are constant reminders of the woman she called her sister, and as the clock ticks closer to midnight, Maddy finds herself both haunted and comforted by the memories they made.
But grief is never a straight line.
As Maddy grapples with the ache of losing Eve, she must also face the changing dynamics of her own life—her role as a mother to three growing boys, her marriage to Derrick, and the immensity of carrying on their shared dream alone. The bookstore café is full of Eve’s presence—her laughter etched into the walls, her vision lingering in every detail—and Maddy must decide how to move forward when half of the dreamer is gone.
Loneliness presses in, even in a room full of people. Customers smile, friends offer condolences, her family surrounds her, and still Maddy feels the hollow shape of Eve’s absence everywhere she turns. Each tradition they once shared becomes a new reminder of all that has been lost, but also a reminder of how deeply she was loved. It is in those moments of longing that Maddy begins to understand grief as both wound and gift—pain and proof that their bond was real.
When an unexpected letter from Eve surfaces, Maddy is forced to confront the depth of their bond and the promises they made to one another, even in the face of goodbye. The words on the page are not a farewell, but a final act of devotion—one last reminder that love does not vanish with death, but lingers in the quiet spaces, waiting to be found again.
As the clock strikes midnight, Maddy realises that the future will always carry Eve’s fingerprints—woven through the lives of her children, through the café they built together, through every memory she holds close. Holding On To The Memories is not only a story about grief, but about the enduring power of love that refuses to fade.
Tender, heart-wrenching, and achingly beautiful, this novella is an exploration of friendship, loss, and resilience. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s New Year’s Day, this sixth volume in the Songs To Stories series is a tribute to the kind of connection that shapes who we are and stays with us long after goodbye. Because while people may fade, the memories—and the love—never truly do.
