by The Author (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length prologue, 23 chapters and epilogue
Status Completed
“The Author” of this story, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is obviously from Tulsa, leading me to think that mysterious identity is meant to suggest they’re somehow in the know. Perhaps they are; perhaps they aren’t. What is clear is that while The Author has a way with words, they aren’t quite as adept at storytelling.
The prologue is a series of short scenes in different points of view and different tenses, all taking place at different points in time. Confused yet? I am. Although there are a few not-so-subtle omniscient scenes in the rest of the story, the point of view stays a little steadier and the plot more linear from there on.
There are, however, several different plotlines running through Ups & Downs, and a few of them don’t get quite enough screentime or resolution. If the typical drugs, self injury and such aren’t your thing, you might not enjoy this story, but I think The Author handles those subjects better than some–even if, like I said, she leaves a few threads dangling at the end. If you’re looking for a totally happy ending with everything wrapped up neatly… look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a bittersweet, poignant read, and don’t mind a little sloppy writing, you could do far worse than Ups & Downs.
Review by Bethany (website)