by KT (link)
Genre het, drama, romance
Pairings Isaac/Kate, Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Kate, Zac/OFC
Length 22 chapters
Status Completed
This story came strongly recommended to me, so much so that I enlisted KT to contribute a story to my Like Ashes Series before even reading the first chapter of Lost Without Each Other. When I finally did, I was not disappointed, although having worked closely with her on the collaborative series I knew I wouldn’t be.
Both that story and this share a similar structure; it’s clear that KT likes to play with timelines. There’s a big event alluded to multiple times throughout this fic. The reveal might be a let down to some, since it is basically exactly what those allusions hint toward. For me, though, it was perfect. Sometimes it takes something random, like an unforeseen accident that could neither be predicted nor prevented, to bring us to important revelations. Also, I think the parallel to another big event in the character Phoebe’s life is important.
I usually roll my eyes at stories that feature characters like Phoebe, the childhood friend of Hanson who grew up to be by their side through everything, including creating music with them. The difference, though, is that KT is a musician herself and knows how to write that side of things believably. While Hanson praise Phoebe’s talents and she’s a hit with the fans, she’s also just an ordinary girl, playing in coffee shops and never quite catching her big break. A fan refers to her as “one of us,” but more than that, she’s a character like me–one who won’t compromise her principles, even for a relationship with Zac Hanson.
Of course, it’s not so simple as that. Phoebe and Zac’s relationship, if that word truly applies, stretches out over years and years, changing shape multiple times. Until the aforementioned big reveal, neither of them are strong enough to end it for good. It takes guts for them as characters, and guts for KT as a writer, to give her characters a bittersweet ending. Perhaps that’s a bit of a spoiler, but with the way the narrative skips around in time, I think you can predict that from the start–yet I wouldn’t call Lost Without Each other a predictable story by any means. It’s a brief, bittersweet emotional roller coaster that you just have to read to understand.
Review by Bethany (website)