Immediately after my last review I succumbed to temptation and read Chapter 12.  I've been ruminating on how I should frame my review since then, because I don't want to come across as overly-critical, or as a detractor of an amazing story.  As my ratings have consistently shown, you have gone above and beyond my expectations chapter after chapter.  This story is excellent, the characters are wonderful, and the plot is incredible.  You have consistently used direct comparisons of characters actins in different scenarios to lead us to compare characters actions, and to guide us to conclusions you then rocked with Magnitude 10 earthquakes as you dropped new context on us.  You have established incredible characters, and maintained the core of who they are, while allowing them to grow, or to expose more of themselves, or to break out of their anti-social shells.  You have presented us with moral conundrums, shown how abuse begets abuse, and brilliantly argued for the consideration of context, both current and past, in judging an individual's actions.  AND ALL OF THIS WITHOUT A WORD OF IT STATED EXPLICITLY THROUGH NARRATION, EXPOSITION, OR DIALOGUE!

I'm blown away.  This has been an incredible ride, with so many developments, revelations, and a HUGE twist ending.

BUT HOW IS THIS COMPLETE: YES?

That one question is likely coloring my entire review, because the "ending" was such a surprise, such a shock, and frankly somewhat confounding.  I understand you intend to continue the story, but... I have a hard time accepting this story as complete.  There are too many unanswered questions.

- Who is behind the shrinking?  We have a name, but is this personal?  Business?  Is this Baneford person the driving force, or just a middle manager for a larger, looming threat?  We've seen mention of a major company moving into the area, and my reader-senses are tingling that it's not just background noise / a red herring.
- Why Duncan?  What's his connection to this whole thing?  He wasn't an asshole in his position at Monica's company, so I doubt it's business, but why would it be personal, unless he somehow upset a powerful family that fostered him?  There are details that could be hints towards this, but there's no answer.
- What is Lyra's deal?  What are her goals, why is she doing this?
- Most importantly, when is Ada going to get her shrunken man?

These pressing, vital questions and more are left unanswered.  I can understand this being the first part of a story, but at least do us a favor and retitle this as Roomies: Part 1.  That sudden, unfinished ending is too cruel for this gentle story, but if I know that it's a complete Part 1, rather than a complete story, I could accept this outcome.
(For the record, I acknowledge that I personally deserve such an ending and worse after what I've done to my poor readers for Small Investments, but your other readers don't deserve such an incredible story made pint-sized in the final hour.)

Damn, I did what I told myself I wouldn't and I focused on the abrupt ending.  Aside from my hang-up on the cliffhanger, I want to just reiterate what an incredible job you've done with this story.  From character building to character development to conveying detail and sense of scale, to using and manipulating reader expectations and abusing poor communication among characters before using good communication to help them grow, I could go on and on waxing rhapsodic about your talented use of literary tools to craft a beautiful, wonderful, incredible story.

I await your next entry into what needs to be a series with great anticipation.

When I saw that this was the last chapter, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was this going to be another cliffhanger, or was It Was Me somehow going to wrap up the entire story here? And the more I read, the more nervous I became about the latter option lol. But then I figured the story wasn't going to end here, and it turned out it was a cliffhanger.

And of course it is a very intriguing cliffhanger, I mean, holy shit, I was at the edge of my seat the entire last section of the chapter! Duncan finally meets Natasha again! The hide and seek with Natasha! The chase! The revelation that she wasn't involved in shrinking Duncan! Callie punching Natasha! The appearance of the one who's actually responsible! Callie shrinking. The last one may have been the most shocking, just in terms of its emotional impact. After so long of this power difference between Callie and Duncan, that instantly being erased and them now becoming equals, sort of, powerless together, really tugged at my heartstrings. Especially that description of him taking her in his arms for the first time ;-;

I particularly liked the faster pacing of the eventful last section, as compared to the more relaxing gentle parts of the story. If the next story is going to continue in the same vein, consider me hooked already! And what you wrote about it in the end notes increases my interest even further! Still, take your time, you deserve a break after such a long story (oops, guess you're writing a Downsizing spin-off now lol).

While it was the Duncan and Callie stuff that engaged me the most, suffice to say that Kristie and Monica also left me satisfied. When I first saw them together, I never thought that these two could get along, let alone fall in love! And I didn't imagine that I would sympathize with them after their actions, yet here we are. Their relationship feels not only plausible, but also actually cute and wholesome. You do a really good job of selling how characters find each other attractive. I liked everything they did here; it was nice to have some more quality smut before the ending. One detail that stands out to me for some reason: Monica finding it adorable that Kristie has a tiny curling iron, is itself adorable.

I ought to go into more detail here, but I can't delay this review any further. Just know that I have meant every word of praise I have had for this story; it has been an amazing ride from start to finish. I remember reading your reviews for the first time, I think it was on Neet of the Living Dead, and feeling disappointed when I saw that such a well-articulated and insightful reviewer didn't have any stories of their own. That went on for some months. Imagine my excitement when I saw the first chapter of Roomies in the most recent section! I knew it was going to be a damn good chapter, and it was. And that excitement has yet to die down lol

And here we are at the end! I enjoyed Roomies overall, but it felt a little unbalanced. The main story line is the romance between Callie and Duncan, and the climax for that occurs with the confession at the end of chapter 8. Then we have a remaining 1/3 of the story of falling action. Kristie makes a nice secondary plot, but she comes in late and lacks a big moment of her own; she just has a series of conversations. And the "real" plot that we presumably explore next book is so insignificant in this story as to be a non-factor.

I don't know if there was a better way to do it. You want time to show Duncan and Callie doing couple things. I think you tried to keep some level of conflict going with Callie's anxiety about her treatment of him, but Duncan is too chill for that to be a real source of uncertainty.

I don't think the last 1/3 of the story was bad by any means, but there was a sense of the plot slowing down. It felt a bit like you were delivering fan service while the remaining background plots wrapped up.

I did like your characters, even if it took me some time to warm up to Duncan. Callie's evolution was a joy to read, and the other women all have distinct vibes that make them interesting. I do want to see more of Ada's inner turmoil about this secret she's keeping, and her complicated role in this unconventional relationship her friends have.

I eagerly look forward to the next story!

Oh my God! Officer, I need to report an assault. I feel like I just got punched in the gut. That ending has me reeling! Uhguh! Must stay strong … Must write review!

The Monica/Kristie portion of this chapter was so delightful. Last time, I asked for more wholesome smut before shit hit the fan, and I’m ecstatic to see you actually delivered on that! The way Monica fretted over her feelings towards Kristie was so cute (as well as Kristie’s awkward attempt at acting on her own feelings). It feels good to see Monica build herself back up after her guilt trip and to see her strive towards redemption. 

A small detail here that stood out to me was the sound Monica’s wet feet made when stepping out of the shower. You described beautifully. I know it’s not directly size related or has anything to do with the emotional journey of this segment, but it just stood out to me as a detail that adds so much texture to the scene. It’s the little things like this, a minor note that would usually go overlooked by most authors sizey or no, that really go to show how rich this story is. 

Kristie flushing her silverware down the toilet just to have an excuse to see Monica again is more precious than I once thought her capable of. Her abrasiveness in this scene was so endearing! You really flipped the script on her these past few chapters. Her awful behaviour that once made me groan everytime she opened her mouth has now become so charming. She’s just bad at expressing her actual emotions, and now that I have the context to understand that, every cuss and dismissive insult carries with it the weight of a woman trying to let herself be vulnerable around another. If Callie and Duncan weren’t in this story, I have to say, Kristie would be my favorite character of the bunch, and if I travelled back in time to tell the me from a year ago that, I’d punch myself. 

But Monica was so good here too. I loved all the moments of her catching Kristie staring at her body and how happy that made her. That part where she had to clear her throat because Kristie was too distracted gawking at her cleavage to grab the soap was so, so good. Her obsessing over the tiny gams rising from the water, or her pinkie brushing up against her side. Fuck, this review is just going to devolve into me listing off every detail from the chapter lol, there’s so much excellence here! I hope Monica tells her how good coral nail polish would look on her tiny nails. 

That little glimpse we got of Monica’s coming out was brief but really powerful. You gave just enough attention to it to hit me hard in the feels without bogging down the scene with backstory, and I’m glad Kristie picked up so quickly what she did wrong and course corrected. I’m really glad actually because the scene that followed was mindblowing.

The entire time Kristie was on Monica’s back was supremely sexy. Every little detail, to the purring traveling beneath Kristie’s feet to how the sloping of Monica’s back affected her footing was so vivid and captivating. The oil pooling in the small of Monica’s back and how her slope effectively became a waterslide was such a compelling image, and I could sit here all day reading Kristie sliding down it and having the grandest time. Her laughing there, actually expressing how good she feels without needing to hide it behind a swear word, was so fucking gratifying. The lows these two have been through rocketed the highs they’re now experiencing to the moon and I couldn’t be happier for them. 

Another choice detail from this segment: Monica’s hand hovering over Kristie while pulling it back after slapping her ass. The way you wrote it made this so easy to visualize, like I’m watching a plane fly overhead from the end of the landing strip only it’s a giant woman’s hand. The brief butt cheek stuff here was excellent as well, loved every minute of it.

It’s a real shame their fun had to cut out early.

"Man, despite everything that happened to me, I’ve really lucked out. This really is the happiest I’ve ever been." As far as I’m concerned, everything in the back half of this chapter is Duncan’s fault. Next time, Dunky, just call the bad guys on the phone and tell them to come over to fuck you up. Oh, and let them know how many days left you have until retirement.

I never saw the twist that Natasha isn’t working with Lyra’s gang coming. I never considered that a possibility, so bravo on pulling that off. Now I’m really curious what these evil bastards are up to because Nat doesn’t seem to know anything about them (she thought they were with Monica’s surveillance team after all, with Duncan leading the charge) Of course, now I’m left wondering how she came about caring for Duncan in the first place. I’m probably misremembering details, but I was under the impression she sought Duncan out after he shrunk and escaped Kristie, and honey trapped with a gentle demeanor before turning heel on him. But if she isn’t working with the shrinkers, then she couldn’t have known about Duncan before meeting him? And what was she hoping to get out of holding him captive? The plot certainly thickens.

Callie’s time in this chapter was fleeting but oh boy did she shine. First, her referring to it as “our apartment” had me swooning. Second, her punching Nat in jaw on instinct, no questions asked, had me cheering. I loved seeing her fight for her man. But fuck, I was not ready for what came next.

Callie shrinking is such a huge swerve. It completely changes the entire story’s dynamic, and I absolutely see why you want to end this story here to continue it in a sequel. Holy shit, I cannot express how much I am reeling from this, I never saw this coming, and I’m so excited for whatever’s to come next. I’m so worried for Callie and Duncan lol. I hope they’re okay! My only silver lining in all this is that at least they’re together (for now), and it is oddly gratifying to have Duncan able to hold his girlfriend in his arms for the first time. Again, I’m so excited to see how their relationship plays out now that the dynamic has changed. I don’t think being the same size will hurt their love at all (I’m much more worried about the evil forces at play keeping them apart and doing whatever it is their gonna do to them), but little Dunky did ruin dicks for Callie, so who knows? XD

I guess that’s it for now. You can bet your ass I’ll be staying tuned for what comes next. I’m really curious what the actual aim of these people are, what they plan on doing with Callie, Dunky, and Nat, and why they’re even shrinking people in the first place. All I know is, I bet those nanomachines Ada pumped Duncan with are going to come in real handy.

I would first like to say that I've been an editor of this story since the author started writing chapters more frequently. I often used a whip to get him writing, and I think it worked to some degree! It's been an honor to work with him, and I didn't really post real reviews of the story because I had a lot of future knowledge of where the story was going, and I felt too tied to the writing process, as I often influenced certain directions of the story. That being said, I wanted to post a review of the final chapter of this segment of the story, and give my overall impressions.

The first section of this chapter was quite the information-gathering section. Arnold, the hero of the segment, was able through real diligence to figure out who Lyra was. By the time they saw the car near Callie's apartment, it was too late. It's really devastating that someone was on the way to help, and they were too late! At least we know Monica's organization wasn't just twiddling their thumbs. Too bad they just missed their window.

The next segment was a delightful development of the relationship between Monica and Kristie. The admission of Monica of her sexual preference was a huge part of the story, and Kristie's unexpected excitement upon learning the truth was just perfect! I found it really hot when Monica was dominating Kristie. Her casual use of her physical power was quite different from her earlier behavior with Kristie, which was always so much more tentative and wracked with guilt. It was shocking to see Monica let all of that guilt just go and treat Kristie like her little personal slave as she ordered Kristie to spread the oil over whatever body part she desired next, even using mild force for that extra excitement factor (for us readers!)

I think this section was also very misleading, making the reader settle down to thinking that this was just another typical chapter in the story. It wasn't plot heavy, and it set the user to be slammed in the face by the final section of the chapter.

Natasha performs a home invasion on Duncan and Callie's apartment. The tension and scariness of the chapter comes in full force as Natasha methodically searches for Duncan as he desperately tries to get to the toaster. Why he doesn't have a ladder right near that toaster is a mystery to me. Even if someone saw it there, there  is not much they could do if he made it to the hole in the wall. I guess Duncan and Callie just weren't thinking of his security enough.

And then the scary squeezing of Duncan's body as he was interrogated by Natasha. I was right in his shoes and gasping along with him; Terrified of this huge woman who could end his life with but a crazy thought. Given her looks and her demeanor, Duncan was in a terrifying place.

Callie running in and attacking Natasha was so hot! I can just picture Duncan, watching as his giant girlfriend comes in and unleashes her full strength on Natasha.  Giantess fight scenes just plain rock.

But then to our surprise. Lyra bursts into the room. She quickly shrinks Natasha. But then she has a conversation on her cell phone with someone who has obvious power over Lyra. Lyra tries to argue for being able to kill both woman, whining that she never gets the ones she wants, but luckily for Callie and Natasha the boss commands her not to do it. I was just imagining that Lyra wanted to stomp on the two women or eat them whole!

Then Ms. Baneford tells Lyra to shrink Callie, and so our huge giantess heroine is reduced to 3 inches tall! Oh no! How is Duncan going to have sexy times with huge Callie in the future? Lyra pinches up Callie and Natasha and Duncan and puts them in her soundproof bag. What a cliffhanger ending! Holy crap!

Anyway, I would just like to say that this story overall has just been a joy for me to read and edit. As an author myself I often find myself being jealous of how careful your descriptions of physical action are. How very simple movements made by gigantic women feel so real and so visceral.

The gradual buildup of the relationship between Callie and Duncan was very sweet, and filled with a lot of diversions, such as Ada finding Duncan; that ended up adding a lot of flavor to the mix.

Of course, the best experience for me in the story was the chocolate fountain. A masterpiece of physical and sexual contact via the medium of a sweet dessert. Plus mouthplay is one of my favorite things to experience in a well-made giantess story.

Duncan having to scale Alyssia had to be my second favorite scene of the story. What started out as a simple act of dominance ended up being so sexually charged. I am shocked that nothing further came from Alyssia in regards to Duncan, but I guess he already had Cassie as his girlfriend.

Personally, I vote for more polygamy in giantess stories, but hey, that's just me.

Overall I would rate this story an 11 out of 10 if I could. I am very much looking forward to helping on the next part of this exciting adventure!

"May you sleep well and dream of Large Women" -- Princess Bride