Foreword
Greetings, dear readers.
Welcome to The Best Is Yet To Come!
I’m incredibly excited to share this story with everyone who may click on it. It’s the first original full-length novel that I’ve ever written (I’ve written my fair share of fan fiction under another pen name, and I’ve written short stories for my university assignments), and I had a blast from start to finish. Hopefully you’ll become as addicted to reading it as I became to writing it🤭.
Before we jump into the story, there are a few points I’d like to make …
First of all, I’d like to mention that this story was written specifically for the 2026 ‘Sweet & Swoony’ contest; so it aims to be exactly that – among other things. You can expect a lot of fluffy scenes and a relationship that is built from love rather than lust. Additionally, the romance is a slow burn, so don’t hold your breath waiting for the characters to be making out five chapters in.
Another point I want to make is that, as you may have read in the tags, there is an age-gap between the characters – 13 years, to be precise. This is addressed throughout the story and navigated mindfully. However, if you’re uncomfortable with this age difference, perhaps this isn’t the story for you (I would still encourage you to push your boundaries, though!).
The next important matter I want to highlight is that the female protagonist – Harlow – is autistic. As someone who is also autistic, I’ve noticed the lack of accurate representation in media, and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to create an autistic character who shows the depth of how this neurodevelopmental condition can affect a person’s life without falling into the stereotype of autistic = little boy who likes trains. At the same time, though, I did my best to make my character someone who may also be relatable to ‘neurotypicals’. Please keep an open mind about Harlow and how she might experience the world differently to how you do!
This story deals with subjects related to mental health and self-harm. There are a few scenes scattered throughout the book that contain depictions of the latter. They aren’t extremely graphic, but I would still advice that you tread with caution if you’re sensitive. I did my best to represent these struggles accurately and without romanticising them. As a survivor myself, I know how important it is to treat these matters with seriousness and respect. My inbox is always open to anyone who needs someone to talk to
Something else that I should mention is that there are bits and pieces of Spanish dialogue throughout the book. You will find the translations in parentheses – these translations aren’t literal, instead I translated them into how each character would express themselves if they were speaking in English. Also relevant here: there are fragments of Harlow’s dialogue that are structured according to Spanish grammar despite the words being in English (if that makes sense?), which might not always sound ‘correct’. This was done intentionally – so don’t come at me for grammar hiccups. They hurt to write just as much as they might hurt you to read, but I thought that this bit of characterisation was important.
Finally, just as side notes:
The story is set in Britain, but I’m not British, so I apologise if any of the vocabulary I used isn’t accurate to how British people speak.
Also, I’m getting my university degree entirely online, so I’m not familiar with the experience of attending a university – I apologise if the setting might feel more like high-school at times.
Last but not least –
THIS STORY IS ENTIRELY HUMANLY WRITTEN! Generative A.I. can [censored].
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that you will enjoy ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ – and please let me know your thoughts! I love interacting with readers🥰.
Lots of love,
Josephine R. Tommasini
PD: Just as a trivia note, the title is inspired by the eponymous song by Scorpions :)
