by Lindsay (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate, Zac/OFC
Length prologue, 20 chapters and epilogue
Status Completed (second in the Black Balloon Series)
Much like the first story in this series, Fallout begins with something of a cryptic prologue, one that I soon realize is a retelling of a scene in the first story, only this time from Zac’s point of view. After a story in Ryland’s point of view, with Zac as the quixotic love interest, it’s only fitting for the follow-up story to be from his point of view.
With Zac as the narrator, we have a front row seat for his downfall, and it’s a doozy. Even in the midst of that, there are things to enjoy–his awkward attempts at parenting, his friendship with Natalie and his brand new motorcycle, just to name a few. On the not so pleasant side are his explosive encounter with Kate and further details about their past. Some of these flashbacks are so bittersweet they really hurt and strangely make me like the two of them, even though they’re clearly a toxic couple.
Zac and Ryland, too, are rather toxic for each other, especially with Zac sinking further down into a new addiction. Not all of their problems are worked out in this story, leaving the stage set for a third to wrap up this series, but the ending is still a breath of fresh air after a story that took some deep, dark twists and turns.
Review by Bethany (website)