The Cheat Sheet (Book Quotes)

Title: The Cheat Sheet

Author: Sarah Adams

Type: Novel

Published: 2021

Chapters: 32 + Epilogue

Characters: Bree Camden, Nathan Donelson, Jamal, Prince, Dylan, Levi, Lily.

 

If you haven’t read the book The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams yet, this may be a spoiler for you.

 

Quotes and Dialogues:

 

So,

Here are the quotes and dialogues I liked most from the novel,

 

“It’s that everything work out better if I just live in the now and work with what I’ve got. No sense in relying on something I don’t officially have in my hands at that moment. Life pulls the rug out from under us all the time, so if I can just be happy with what I have at this exact moment. I’ll live a healthier life.”

 

“I’m the best friend a person could ever ask for.”

 

“I know this smell so well I think I could follow it like a bloodhound if he ever goes missing.”

 

“I immediately roll my eyes, because why does she have to be so screechy?”

 

“The woman who was here before you and will be here well after you.”

 

“We’re sort of weirdos.”

 

“So all in all, I can’t complain.”

 

“I was sort of self-designated loner in those days.”

 

“And of course, like most beautiful teenagers… I didn’t listen.”

 

“I didn’t really have friends. But then he happened.”

 

“It doesn’t matter who you are or how famous he is; if your shoe is untied, he’s going to tie it for you. I’ve never met anyone else like that.”

 

“I was gone for him from the day one.”

 

“One of those dreams became a reality, and one did not.”

 

“That’s how Nathan approaches everything in life: with nothing but 100% effort.”

 

“Can’t burn me with the truth.”

 

“There are some boundaries you just can’t cross as friends.”

 

“Nathan has black eyes. Not chocolate, not brown. Jet freaking black. And when they zero in on me like this, it feels like I’m suffocating. Like I couldn’t get away from their intensity even if I tried.”

 

“I refuse to be that girl. We’re friends and I’m happy with that. Grateful for it.”

 

“She has a smile- one so unique and stunning that once you’ve seen it, no other smile even comes close.”

 

“Her eyes are big and sparkly and make me love her more.”

 

“I’m only trying to make sure you take care of yourself while you’re out there taking care of everyone else.”

 

“Bree is one of the strongest human beings I know, but she’s also somehow the softest.”

 

“We’d only ever been friends, but I was over it and ready to be more… even more than that, I just wanted to be with her.”

 

“It felt like the most painful breakup even though we’d never dated.”

 

“She was a defibrillator to my chest. Bam. My heart hasn’t beat the same since.”

 

“I’ve been barrel-rolling into the vast, never-ending hell hole known as the friend zone ever since.”

 

“The world stops spinning. Crickets silence. Everyone, everywhere on the planet turns to look at us. I, however, have to try very hard to remain neutral.”

 

“I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but something tells me I’m not going to like it when I find out.”

 

“I’m not avoiding the question. I’m just not dignifying it with an answer!”

 

“Because dance shouldn’t be available only to the wealthy. It should be something for everyone to enjoy. It shouldn’t be a burden.”

 

“I’m proud of you. You’re beautiful and worthy just the way you are.”

 

“That was me at one point, and I’m so thankful it’s not me anymore.”

 

“But I refuse to turn away a girl who needs help.”

 

“I’ve learned by now not to count too much on something in the future that’s completely out of my hands.”

 

“This is one of my rules for being friends with him: No accepting monetary gifts.”

 

“Maybe I’m silly, but I’d prefer to not have my heart stuffed into a trash compactor if I can avoid it.”

 

“Do you know what it’s like to see your best friend care for every single person under the sun but herself?”

 

“Why can’t we just fight like a normal people?”

 

“I’ll be honest, though. It’s tough to feel justified making a man pay for being too kind. I know it was underhanded and manipulative and deceptive, but dammit it was so sweet I could cry.”

 

“I wish he would stop making me love him more. It’s annoying.”

 

“That’s all we’ll ever be, and that has to be enough for me. It has to! I need to sit my sad little heart down and give it a stern talking to.”

 

“It’s a possessive touch that he never uses.”

 

“You look great as always.”

 

“These men could all squash me between their thumb and forefinger, but they are all softies who honest-to-goodness treat me like their queen.”

 

“He will keep me safe. He always does. I add that quality to my list of necessities for my future man: can trust him with my life.”

 

“You hover around her like a bodyguard and just scowl at everyone who looks at her.”

 

“But I don’t have permission to be that man in her life.”

 

“Bree is nothing but joy and smiles the whole time.”

 

“Do you want me to go out and come back in? We can start over.”

 

“It’s time to get your girl, man.”

 

“I appreciate what they’re trying to do, I really do, but it’s not gonna happen.”

 

“Scared of what? Making first move and it not being reciprocated. Y’all are stuck in a vortex of fear and miscommunication. Someone has to break through it first.”

 

“I’m terrified to lose her again. I got a taste of it all those years ago when … she dropped out of my life, and I never want a repeat.”

 

“I see what you’re doing. Don’t turn this into something it’s not.”

 

“No one- not even you- wants to be in a relationship where she’s not loved as fervently as she loves.”

 

“My mind has been racing. Wondering. Hoping. Could this be it? Could this be the moment everything changes for us? Because I’m ready.”

 

“Hope springs back up in my chest, and I decide to turn this into a little experiment of sorts.”

 

“You’d think I would be at a loss for words, but I’ve rehearsed this in my head so many times that I know word for word what to say.”

 

“Could I handle crossing this friendship line and come back from it unscathed in the end? I’m skeptical.”

 

“A lot can happen in four weeks.”

 

“But what’s a little more stress added to my life? I can handle it.”

 

“Yeah, normal. Unfortunately, there’s a nagging feeling inside me that says I won’t be able to go back to normal.”

 

“Just her presence in this room feels like finally getting hooked up to oxygen after days of not being able to breathe deeply.”

 

“But it’s hard not to feel the pressure. I always feel it lately, and it’s swirling around me in this moment. No matter how hard I try, I can’t push it away.”

 

“Now, I try to not take life too seriously. I believe in working hard but taking breaks. Resting. Goofing off and eating.”

 

“I only meant to lie down for a few minutes, and then that somehow turned into four years and I woke up feeling like I had been teleported to another dimension.”

 

“I have the strongest willpower in all the land.”

 

“I don’t like craving more, because I don’t like who I was back when all I did was strive for more. Contentment is what I need.”

 

“He makes me feel seen in a way no one else does.”

 

“I look up into his eyes, trying desperately to not read too much into all of this, but already I feel my heart try to take liberties I swore I’d never allow it.”

 

“Still with me, Bree Cheese?”

 

“It’s time to get grip on reality.”

 

“He’s not too busy to check on me.”

 

“It was nothing like I expected it to be. I don’t know… it was almost like he was feeling what I was feeling.”

 

“Hope is healthy. Even if you prepare yourself for the worst in life, it will never make the fall hurt less. So why not let yourself really and truly want this instead?”

 

“Next time just talk to your wall if you’re not going to listen to my advice.”

 

“You’re making the most of how things turned out, but I also see something else… you stopped letting yourself dream completely.”

 

“You learned to cope so well you completely stopped hoping for anything. You’re seriously the queen of making the most of what you have now, but I’m not sure that’s completely healthy. Not if it means never dreaming or striving for more.”

 

“I don’t know how to snap my fingers and change the way I feel.”

 

“My scars remind me of that crushing disappointment I felt … and how hard it was to piece myself back together afterward. I don’t want to go through that again.”

 

“Maybe I’m missing a little bit of hope, but to me, it’s a small price to pay to avoid shattering again.”

 

“I train my face into a pleasant smile even though pleasant is the least thing I feel.”

 

“She is heaven in my arms. Nothing exists outside these walls for me.”

 

“I never wanted to experience it- never wanted to enjoy it or get used to it because it will hurt so much more when it’s just a memory.”

 

“It’s not fight or flight- it’s freezing.”

 

“You still with me.”

 

“My heart bursts. It’s wide open, completely hers for taking. Always has been.”

 

“I doubt there is a single normal person here. Correction: There is exactly ONE normal person, and it’s me.”

 

“Stay. Nothing is different. We are completely normal.”

 

“How does he always know the exact right thing to do to take care of me?”

 

“I need to walk off my nerves and get my head on straight, because something definitely almost just happened between us and I have no idea how to feel about it. Not sure I want to feel anything about it.”

 

“I can’t hide from risk anymore or I’m going to be sitting all by myself inside these protective walls-lonely and disappointed-for the rest of my life.”

 

“Darling, he’s been your man for years.”

 

“It’s doing nothing to help me keep my cool. I’m so far away from cool I’m an active volcano.”

 

“I stare down at her wondering how in the hell she just did that. I could feel that tightness starting to grip my chest, that smothering sensation settling down on me again. An out-of-control panic was tiptoeing up to me, then one touch and a few soft words from her pulled me back to my body. I feel safe with her. My thoughts feel quieter.”

 

“I make eye contact with the guy and make sure he knows this possessive touch is a middle finger to his face. Not tonight, buddy. Eyes off.”

 

“She finally looks up at me, and there’s something there. Something new. Something sparking and inviting, and I’m not just imaging it, right? I dare to find out what it is.”

 

“I love dreaming. Because in here, there are no boundaries. No friend zones. Just me and Bree as we should be.”

 

“Some people need more time to get their answer right. It’s not fair to give a time limit.”

 

“Sorry, but that’s life, buddy. You can’t wait forever.”

 

“I disagree. I think some things are worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes.”

 

“Your soul is my favorite in this entire world.”

 

“You know what’s strange about being a normal person and not living inside a Netflix movie? After significant moments, you don’t get a scene jump.”

 

“Let yourself hope.”

 

“I’m here, that I’m not going anywhere, that he could cry enough tears to fill the ocean and I would still think he’s the strongest person I know.”

 

“He tries to turn his face away, but I don’t let him because I need him to know I’m not ashamed of this part of him.”

 

“He’s probably never cried in front of anyone in his entire life, largely due to the culture he’s steeped in day in and day out that tells him his maleness is defined by his ability to remain impenetrable to emotions.”

 

“For a moment, I sit, stunned. I stare at this man I thought I knew better than anyone in the world and realize all along he’s been bottling up his feelings, his hurts, his anxiety and stress because he feels like he has to wear a cape to be a hero.”

 

“Listen to me. It is not the things you do that make you worthy, it’s that you have a beating heart in your chest. You have a soul, which means you are allowed to feel hurt, tired, stressed, sad, angry. All of those things- you are allowed to feel them. Everyone is.”

 

“Your ability to shoulder everything, to give 200% of yourself all the time, to be perfect at everything you attempt… these are not the attributes that make you a valuable human being.”

 

“It’s all so normal, but also lightly scented with different.”

 

“You’re always giving me things that remind you of me, but I’m over here stealing things that remind me of you. I’m not humoring you…I’m not taking this lightly. I’m so devastatingly in love with you, it hurts sometimes.”

 

“I love you with everything I am, and that’s never going to change for me.”

 

“I need a little digesting time.”

 

“We’re home in each other’s arms.”

 

“Life tried to hold her down, but she gave it the middle finger and stood up again.”

 

“Now, with clear eyes, I can see that there’s no length he wouldn’t cross for me- it’s how it’s always been with him.”

 

“He is mine. He loves me. He loves me enough to plan an entire surprise wedding of my dreams. How did I get this lucky?”