by Ina (link)
Genre crossover, slash, drama
Pairings Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne/Sophia Smith, Taylor/Natalie
Length 7 chapters
Status Completed
What am I doing reviewing a One Direction fic? Good question! It popped up on the Hanson tag, though, and after a quick skim to see that a Hanson does in fact appear in it, I decided to give it a try. I’m not opposed to 1D, after all, but if you aren’t a fan, you probably won’t find enough Hanson in That Summer to make it worth your time.
Noelle’s summary is a bit confusing, but it all makes sense once I start to read. Set in an alternate universe where Louis and Liam are college friends, the story centers around a relationship Louis begins during a vacation in America. There are hints of something odd in Louis’s past and his new boyfriend, Harry, has a mysterious past as well. It’s no surprise that these two things end up being related.
Speaking of related… the step-family Harry mentions a few times turn out to be none other than the Hansons. This leads to some confusion when Louis meets Taylor, but sadly the story doesn’t delve much into his backstory or even establish whether or not he’s really straight and (still) married. And unfortunately, he plays only a small role in the story, with Diana being the only other Hanson to appear at all.
Although it’s easy to work it all out for yourself, the mystery of That Summer is fairly compelling and I’m happy to see it all work out for Louis and Harry in the end, even if his adopted Hanson family gets quickly left behind. With a little better formatting and editing, this would be a really sweet little story, although it still has little to offer those who are only Hanson fans.
Review by Bethany (website)