by Heather (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 18 chapters
Status Completed
Heather’s hanfic output may have only spanned a couple of years, but each of her numerous stories I’ve read is without a doubt high quality. Beneath the Waves is no exception to that rule, and it makes me wish she had kept at writing hanfic for even longer.
The basic plot is simple enough, with quite a bit of exposition (but not in a heavy handed way) to set the scene. Taylor is recently divorced, and Julia is increasingly unhappy in her marriage. The fact that they’re both young single (or nearly single) parents only gives them more reason to relate and be drawn to each other… although the coincidences that bring them together in multiple ways could be a bit too much.
Ultimately, though, it works. Even if I did guess the slight twist, the reveal is no less affecting, and the characters are nearly all touching and relatable. A wealth of snappy comments only add to the story’s appeal, and Heather’s few grammatical slip-ups hardly marr it at all. I suppose, in the end, my only complaint is that Beneath the Waves is rather brief. Heather packs a lot of story into just eighteen chapters, but I wouldn’t have minded reading many, many more.
Review by Bethany (website)