by Galadriel (link)
Genre het, drama, romance
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OFC, Zac/Kate
Length 28 chapters
Status Completed (first in a series of three)
The first thing that strikes me about Follow Your Heart is the amount of detail included. Chances are anyone reading the story already knows who Hanson and their wives are, so all the exposition about them just seems unnecessary to me. I’m also a little put off by the description of meals, clothing and so on, but I know it’s just some author’s style. On the flip side, what little of the plot is revealed right away — a short scene with Taylor’s ex Ashley — leaves me kind of confused.
As it turns out, Taylor was a teenage father long before Natalie was in the picture… although it isn’t until several chapters into Follow Your Heart that this fact is even revealed to him. While that is a fairly interesting plot concept, the way Ashley and her children keep running into Taylor and his family feels a little contrived to me. It only takes a new chapters for a real tragedy to strike Taylor’s family, but it comes on very suddenly and I’m not sure what purpose it serves.
When the characters begin to take control of their lives, their actions are often rash and childish, leading to the worst possible consequences. I’m often a fan of bad people doing bad things, but I feel like Galadriel could have taken a little more time to delve into how the characters really feel to help me relate to them better. There are a few shining moments, though, particularly the relationship that develops between Natalie and Taylor’s daughter Arielle.
Overall, Follow Your Heart is a real soap opera of a story — and I am a fan of soap operas. With just a little more time and care taken in the writing, some of the more unique plot elements could have been really interesting to read about. She does have some good ideas, but it’s possible she tried to throw just a few too many of them into this story.
Review by Bethany (website)