by Robyn (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC
Length 35 chapters
Status Unfinished
You know those stories that, for whatever reason, you miss getting in on the ground floor of (so to speak) and never manage to catch up? Without You is one of those stories, as Robyn had just began writing it when I got back into hanfic. Although she hasn’t finished it, I’m happy to finally cross it off my to read list and I hope it lives up to my expectations after all this time.
The beginning is a little slow and bland, but Taylor and Lily both quickly show their strong willed personalities. The story is just as much about his recovery (although it never gets too sappy) as it is about their inevitable romance. Both Lily’s job and her simpering idiot of a boyfriend stand in the way of that romance, adding a few more–albeit thin–layers of drama to the story. What I find most interesting is Taylor’s transformation back to himself, mentally and physically.
Of course, any story has to take a few steps backward for every few steps forward before it can reach its conclusion. Even though Without You seemed to be drawing to a close, Robyn threw in some more drama just before she ceased writing it that really leaves things feeling unfinished. I can see a happy ending for it, though, and that almost makes up for the lack of an actual ending. With just a little bit of editing and a conclusion, Without You would be a really good little piece of chicklit with just enough depth.
Review by Bethany (website)