by Kayla and Keryn (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length prologue and 50 chapters
Status Completed (with sequel)
Having recognized one of the authors of this fic from another that I quite enjoyed (the story that practically invented love triangles in hanfic — Surrealistic Emotions), I had quite high hopes for what, unfortunately, turned out to be the typical early hanfic fare.
The Best Things In Life only predates that other story by a year or so, but it’s very clearly Keryn and her co-author Kayla’s first foray into fanfic. It has all the hallmarks of a first attempt–characters named after and sharing some backstory with the authors, teenagers allowed to run wild with no parental intervention, annoying stalker fans and more. Even teen pregnancy and drug overdose make appearances.
If there’s anything to redeem this fic, it’s the few shining moments of good writing that show what promise Keryn has, promise that I know she later did manage to live up to. Unfortunately, this story isn’t such a good showcase for her talents, being packed to the gills with teenage relationship drama–but only for Isaac and Taylor, because as we all know, Zac is the younger brother who isn’t ready for a relationship yet.
I don’t mean to sound terribly harsh; there are a million other stories just like The Best Things In Life, which follows a practically paint-by-numbers version of early hanfic. It’s only that I know what a great author Keryn would turn out to be that makes this fic such a disappointment. I can only hope that the sequel shows her growth into the author I know her as.
Review by Bethany (website)