by Nichole (link)
Genre drama/angst
Pairings Zac/OFC
Length prologue, 17 chapters and epiloque
Status Completed
Wattpad has a reputation for being populated solely by younger authors, and I’ll admit, there’s a good reason for that. Although there are a few older authors hanging out there, at least in our fandom, it’s really the only place to find this sort of high school AU fic so many years after any Hansons were actually teenagers.
Honestly, I can think of very few stories I’ve ever read with plots quite like Would It Hurt. The story revolves around a non-famous Zac who has been homeschooled, but suddenly finds himself thrust into the public school system for convenient plot reasons. Not long after that, he ends up in the sights of a popular bully character, who gets very little development to explain why he immediately hates Zac. Maybe that’s okay–some people are just bullies, and although I’m proud of what Zac says when he finally stands up to him, it’s frustrating to see the way that he just doles out insults and Zac just takes them.
But that’s what life is like sometimes, isn’t it? Although it’s been quite a while since I was a teenager, I can still remember the feeling of dread, and the way the pain sometimes seems like endless. I suspect Nichole has experienced those typical teenage feelings much more recently than I have, and that gives her a pretty good insight into writing them realistically, although she does touch upon at least one thing she admits in an authors note to having no personal experience with.
Ultimately, the biggest problem with Would It Hurt, aside from some repetitive grammatical errors, is a common one–an author who tried to do too much in too few words. With a little more time dedicated to fleshing out the characters, including both the bully’s motives and the love interest’s sad subplot, Nichole would be onto something quite good.
Review by Bethany (website)