by Jennifer (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 28 segments
Status Unfinished (sequel to A Million Memories)
The title of this fic is pretty appropriate, if you ask me. Here We Go Around Again… But Differently shares some of the flaws of A Million Memories, while improving upon it in some ways. At the same time, some of those flaws stand out even more here, making this ultimately a mixed bag that doesn’t really improve or worsen the overall effect of the series.
Unlike the first story in this little series, Here We Go Around Again… But Differently is narrated by Taylor. This is something of an interesting change, but he’s hardly a well thought out character. He doesn’t sound like himself or like a real fifteen year old boy at all. The small diversions into third person show that writing the whole story in third would be an improvement. As it is, it’s pretty clear that Jennifer didn’t plan this fic out well enough to realize the third person bits would be necessary.
As for the plot, it doesn’t stray far from typical Middle of Nowhere era tropes, this time taking them on tour and giving the characters a chance to interact in such settings as hotels and miniature golf courses. Nothing really happens, aside from Taylor and Jennifer’s reconciliation and Zac’s budding new relationship. One interesting plot twist appears, but is quickly diffused into something that is far less dramatic. I’m not sure if I’m pleased or not that Jennifer avoided the typical dramatic plot, because the resolution she opts for makes no sense at all.
Speaking of resolution, Here We Go Around Again… But Differently doesn’t really have any at all, having been abandoned before it was complete. While it tries to improve upon the first, with more attempts at adding depth to Taylor’s character and longer chapters, it’s also full of typos and very little action. For every step forward, there’s a step backward, and ultimately we end up in just about the same place that we started.
Review by Bethany (website)