by Elle (link)
Genre het, drama/angst
Pairings Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Natalie, Taylor/OFC, Zac/Kate
Length 6 chapters
Status Unfinished
I wouldn’t normally read an unfinished story this short, but ever since I rejoined the fandom, this story has been recommended to me over and over again. There’s something about Elle’s writing that has made this story memorable, in spite of its length, and I want to finally see what that is.
The story begins with a strong, unexpected opening line that immediate gets my attention. Few stories are written from Natalie’s point of view, and most of the ones that are present her as a sympathetic character. Love, Save The Empty is no exception, but she’s realistic. She’s neither villain nor victim, and neither is Taylor. That sort of morally gray area is something I love in stories. Anything that isn’t black and white is far more interesting to explore.
As you can imagine, the story doesn’t get much of anywhere in just six chapters. The sixth chapter switches to Taylor’s point of view, a sudden switch that I’m never a fan of. Still, Elle’s writing is solid and I can feel Taylor’s personality in her words (which need a bit of editing, but are still very, very strong) just as strongly as I felt Natalie’s. Like I said, neither of them is completely at fault for their problems in this story. I just wish it was finished so that I could see how they work out those problems.
Review by Bethany (website)