by Kristy (link)
Genre het, romance, drama
Pairings Taylor/OFC
Length 40 chapters
Status Completed (with sequel)
So Many Times Before was quite popular in its time, and based on the requests I’ve gotten to help track it down, it has retained some of that popularity over the years. It’s always interesting to read these stories that aren’t household names (for lack of a better term) now, but were clearly loved when they were written.
Stories about Hanson’s early days are always popular, so it’s interesting that Kristy has chosen to set this story during the recording of This Time Around. It isn’t a time period that many authors, aside from those writing fics at that very time, chose to explore. Little of So Many Times Before has to do with the band, though; instead, it largely focuses on a female character named Exhale. Yes, Exhale. Nearly all of the original characters in this story have cringe-worthy names, which is a shame, considering that Kristy’s writing isn’t at all bad on a technical level. Still, I’m left tripping over all of these horrible names.
As for the plot, it’s a pretty standard one–best friends who didn’t know (or at least didn’t admit) they were in love. It takes a few interesting turns, including a bully character who is nearly redeemed and an obsessive ex-boyfriend. Neither of these ideas gets explored quite enough, however, and the story’s resolution is likewise cut rather short, especially compared to how many chapters were spent barely advancing the plot at all.
So Many Times Before may not be the most unique hanfic ever, but it does showcase Kristy’s strong writing, even when her plotting and pacing leaves a bit to be desired. Even though it may fall short in a few ways, it really isn’t a story I’ve read so many times before (pun, obviously, intended), and I’m interested to see what a sequel can add to Exhale and Taylor’s relationship, which Kristy did a good job of developing in one of the slowest burning fics I’ve ever read.
Review by Bethany (website)