by Reba (link)
Genre drama/angst
Pairings Zac/OFC
Length 25 chapters
Status Completed
Sometimes, I think I (and other readers) get too caught up in how a story is presented. We expect pretty, polished websites to hold better fic, when that isn’t always the case. I skipped over the site that hosted Tumbling Down dozens of times, but after seeing that particular story recommended by several authors, I decided to give it a try and see if it proved my bias wrong.
Within the first few chapters, Reba manages to hit quite a few cliches. There’s a large cast of female characters, several of which are Hanson fans, and two Hanson brothers quickly develop the usual angsty teenage issues. I’m certainly not opposed to stories about underage drinking, cutting, teen pregnancy, abuse and eating disorders, but they’re issues that need to be handled well, and I’m not sure that Reba’s sparse writing and fast pacing is really getting the job done.
The one element of Tumbling Down that I do really enjoy is the online friendship “Zach” forms with Jennifer. Their short conversations and emails are interspersed in the story, the only thing that actually connects their two narratives. I wish the connection had been a little stronger, but it works pretty well as is. It’s that connection that leads the story to its bittersweet, if abrupt, ending. Although the rest of the drama might not be handled well, I think the ending is actually not so bad. Reba had some good ideas with this story, but taking a little more time to develop all of the angsty bits wouldn’t have hurt.
Review by Bethany (website)