by Sarah W. (link)
Genre romance, drama/angst
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OFC, Zac/Kate
Length 50 chapters
Status Completed (with sequels)
I had wanted to read this story since the first time it popped up on my radar. Hanfics with queer female characters are unusual, so the plot of this story seemed refreshing and different. But you know what happens when you build up a fic in your mind, getting more and more excited to read it…
BWU (and no, there’s never any reveal of what the title stands for) is clearly written by a young fan and as such, features as young character. I won’t criticize the character much, because it’s clear how much of it is based on the author herself. I hope some elements of that were cathartic for her to write, but I also wish the character would have experienced more growth and change. Her relationship with her parents never improves, but neither does she break free from their influence either, which I kept hoping to see.
Instead, she throws herself headfirst into a misguided relationship with Taylor. His motivations are never clear, and I wanted to see more of the implication that he has cheated on his wife with other young fans. That, along with his brother’s reactions and relationships with Ellie (even Natalie’s friendliness toward Ellie), were really interesting tidbits to me that never really went anywhere.
When you write a story this long, you end up with a lot of different plot threads. I feel like Sarah could have done a lot more with some of hers, including exploring why Taylor is the way he is, and I could only hope she did so in the multiple sequels to BWU.
Review by Bethany (website)