by Katie (link)
Genre het, drama/angst, romance
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/Natalie,Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 78 chapters (in three parts)
Status Unfinished
The chapter length of Midst of August is rather deceptive. In fact, the chapters are short and even though the story covers a decent length of time and has a massive cast, it doesn’t feel like it covers a lot of ground.
From the first chapter, we’re thrown right into the story. The reason for August’s presence in the Hanson household isn’t revealed until later, and it never makes sense. Neither does her characterization, a mixture of innocence and self-destructive behavior that doesn’t make more sense when the story abruptly switches to her point of view in part two. Then, just as abruptly, Katie adds in the three boys’ voices as well, which only serves to make Zac in particular completely unsympathetic.
In spite of that portrayal of Zac, I am a Zac girl, and so I was rooting for him to have a change of heart and end up with August. One of those things happened, at least. But unfortunately, part three of Midst of August is centered solely on Isaac and August moving to New York and building a strange life together. Like so many things in this story, it doesn’t really make sense, and Katie’s increasingly informal writing doesn’t help at all.
Usually I can say that there are shreds of a good idea in a story, and it only falls apart in the execution, but I’m afraid that Katie simply combined too many cliche, dramatic ideas in Midst of August, and does justice to none of them.
Review by Bethany (website)