by Chelsi (link)
Genre het, comedy, romance
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 19 chapters
Status Unfinished
Sometimes, for whatever reason, I let a good story slip by me, only to realize what I was missing just a little too late. Between State Lines is one of those stories, with a few chapters un-posted and un-archived so that I’ll never any resolution from it, but I am glad I finally gave it a chance and read it, even in its incomplete state.
Although the story begins with a bit of exposition, which I usually frown upon, Ophelia’s explanation of her mother’s job as a “sexpert” is hilarious. It lets me know right away that I’m in for a unique, comedic story, and it doesn’t disappoint, even if I do wish there had been an actual sex scene or two. It’s a little unclear from the start which Hanson Ophelia will fall for, but I like that Chelsi subverts expectations a bit. Zac may be Ophelia’s type, but he becomes nothing more than a good friend to her. Meanwhile, Taylor, who isn’t her type at all (or so she claims) is clearly going to steal her heart before she’s even realized what’s happening.
Unfortunately, in the nineteen chapters that are posted, we don’t quite get to see that happen. At least, we don’t get to see Ophelia realize it has happened. A few little plot points do get resolved though–Ophelia meets her father and finally learns, thanks to gossiping fans, about Taylor’s past. I would love to see even more details about that, as I think Chelsi handled the fan aspect very well, with Ophelia’s outsider perspective never becoming too judgmental of the craziness that can exist in this fandom.
There’s a part of me that wishes I hadn’t finally read Between State Lines. It’s unlikely to ever be finished, and there’s still so much left hanging. In just a few chapters, I became pretty attached to Chelsi’s characters. Although the plot isn’t the most unique ever and there are a few grammatical slip-ups, Chelsi’s attention to detail and the unique characters she has created make this a really memorable story that I’ll just have to imagine my own ending for.
Review by Bethany (website)