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Straight To The Top

by Lika (link or link)

Genre het, drama, romance
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 40 chapters (in three parts)
Status Completed

I think I’ve said it a million times in these reviews, but I am always here for a fic centered around the boys’ early career and rise to fame. That’s what Straight To The Top purports to be about, especially with a title like that, but sadly it focuses just a bit too much on teenage drama.

The author, Lika, makes no secret of the fact that the female characters are all based on her and her friends, but that surprisingly isn’t really a dealbreaker for me. There are a few too many names and characters to keep up with, and none of them are all that memorable. The main character, Lis, is just a bit quirky but not so much as to be annoying. Her friendship almost turned relationship with Taylor feels fairly organic, even with some pretty paper thin villains to get in their way.

As for the subplot about the boys’ rise to fame, it’s all by the numbers, following along almost exactly with reality as we know it. There are a few missteps and references that feel out of place, but my biggest complaint is that this is just a subplot. In fact, the story ends just as the boys are off to Los Angeles to record the album that introduced them to the world. And that’s it. It just sort of… ends. The abrupt, bittersweet note doesn’t quite work for me, but I can see that it was a pretty bold creative choice.

In truth, Lika’s writing is strong enough to sustain a lot more than just silly teenage drama and inside jokes, and it’s a shame that Straight To The Top never really gets past any of that.

Review by Bethany (website)