1997-1998

 

77th Street by Edith Campbell (link)
review by Bethany (website)
A story this light on, well, everything is the most harmless of unpleasant reads, really.
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And So It Goes by Karen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There are a few too many coincidences in the plot, but I do like the way all the stories sort of connect together.
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Blond Over Blue by Montana (link)
review by Bethany (website)
This is one of those stories that sort of frustrates me because I can see how it could be so much better than what it is.
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Broken Inside by Swarna (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Early chapters show that, in spite of a lack of polish, Swarna can write emotional and touching scenes.
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Chances Are by Karen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I wouldn’t have minded an even longer story so that I could see that relationship progress more, but the way it all worked out in the end felt right.
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Close Your Eyes But Don’t Sleep by Lauryn (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I won’t say that Rhiannon is the first manic pixie dream girl of hanfic, mostly because this isn’t even a love story, but her new age style and overwrought journal writing don’t help.
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Conundrum by Stephanie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
What little there is makes me think the author knows her stuff, but it’s not enough to really immerse me in the setting as I’d like.
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Delicate Cries of Death by Chrysten (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There really is nothing new or surprising in this story.
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Don’t Kiss Me Goodnight by Shimmer (link)
review by Bethany (website)
In between all the author’s notes, surprisingly little plot ever manages to take place, but what does happen is just as cliche as the brief first chapter leads me to expect.
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Everything Changes by Kitten (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Everything Changes is less of a story and more of a vehicle for the random, unconnected little jokes that Kitten wants to tell.
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The Feet of Orion by Ariel (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The most interesting ideas in this story hinge upon the contrast between Taylor’s fame (which he tries to keep a secret) and Sidney’s bad behavior that puts her in his path to begin with.
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For What It’s Worth by Kris (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There’s a cute little nod to hanfic in one chapter, a nice reminder that this isn’t totally the typical story for this era.
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Frozen by Alana (link)
review by Bethany (website)
This story might have worked for less than discerning readers back in the day, but it’s really no surprise that it hasn’t held up over the years after all.
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Glint of Heaven by Llama (link)
review by Bethany (website)
It’s a topic that nearly every author tried back in the day, but Llama’s way with words makes her stand out.
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Hanson Meets A Cockkroach by Antares (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I have to say, this fic is almost exactly what I expected from an early fic.
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Here We Go Round Again…. But Differently by Jennifer (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I’m not sure if I’m pleased or not that Jennifer avoided the typical dramatic plot, because the resolution she opts for makes no sense at all.
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Hit So Hard by Lisa (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Epistolary novels are tough. It’s hard to convey a full story just through letters. Hit So Hard has the added bonus of the letters being back and forth between Zac and Taylor.
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Hold Me Now So That I Never Drown by Stephanie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Other than Stephanie’s surprisingly polished writing for someone I assume, based on the story’s content, to be a teenager, there’s not much to make the story stand out from the pack at first.
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I Ain’t No Angel by Nick (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Just a few chapters in, it’s obvious that this story will be another adventure but very distinct and different from the first in the series.
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Journey Back To Normal by Kim (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Their personalities shine as they make a life of sorts in the woods and eventually find their way back to the real world.
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Just Like You And Me by Myra (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I can see why people considered Myra’s stories so “adult.” She tackles a lot of the typical after school special topics, although few of them are handled well.
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Just One of Those Things by Llama (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Perhaps Llama wrote it quickly to appease readers who wanted more, but her heart wasn’t in it the second time around.
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Label by Joey (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I had hoped that the title referred to some struggle involving stereotypes, which might have been interesting, but it’s much more literal than that.
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Lady of My Heart by Karen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Karen’s Zac easily has the most distinctive voice of all her narrators so far, and I like that the story sticks with his perspective.
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Little Jessica, Big Apple by Betsy T. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I can’t recall having ever read a story about Jessica, and I’m not sure how much of a story there is to be told about her at such a young age.
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Maybe Tomorrow by Jenn (link)
review by Bethany (website)
While I may find a few things I don’t like about Jenn’s writing, I do really admire the way she’s clearly written these stories with a plan.
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A Million Memories by Jennifer (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There’s something almost endearing about just how brazen this story is in its wish fulfillment narrative.
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MMMmiracle by Stephen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
In spite of some of the content–depression, drunk driving, death–this is ultimately a feel good story about the power of music and, specifically, the power of Hanson’s music.
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Moonbop by Kayla (link)
review by Bethany (website)
What little worldbuilding Kayla has included is fairly adequate, although the idea of a future military full of children is somewhere between laughable and terrifying.
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My Little Blond Friend by Nick and Zac D. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I already anticipated being disappointed by the lack of an ending, and knowing that Nick wrote so little of Act II only deepens that disappointment.
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Nothin’ But The Best by Zac D. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
When I think about old school hanfic, I tend to assume the stories will be one of two genres — angst-filled drama or cheesy romance. I didn’t know which to expect from Nothin’ But The Best, and I ended up with something that was somehow both and neither.
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Nothing Moves At Midnight by Allée (link)
review by Bethany (website)
It’s interesting to see how things play out in the richly developed world that she’s created, just a few steps to the side of our reality.
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One Night by Albertane Child (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The smut is very good and I can see why she earned her reputation in that area.
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The Only Way by Betsy T. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I can only imagine how many more chapters and diversions into pointless drama it would have taken to reach that pivotal event.
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Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow by Elizabeth Oshel (link)
review by Bethany (website)
I highly doubt a teen romance fic is going to live up to Shakespearean allusions, but you never know.
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Perspective by Kayla (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The budding romance Lexy has with Isaac quickly ends and another plot takes over.
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Pri$e Tag by Myra (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Not every story can be a great romance, and not every romance can have a happy ending.
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The Real World: Hanson by Jaxsper Finn (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Where Jaxsper’s writing differs from early het, though, is in the level of descriptive and highly explicit sex scenes.
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Red Candy by Shortcake Cunningham (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Throughout, Shortcake seems far too caught up in how much older and more mature than her subject she is, and to someone that exact age now, it’s pretty laughable.
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Reverse Obsession by Julie T. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Julie does have some genuinely good and unique ideas, but they get a bit muddled in the bad writing and take too long to pay off.
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Roads by Sheryl and Laurie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
That’s an amazing thing to read — to see everything going wrong and falling apart, and feeling your heart ache because you want to fix it for them.
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Seeing Beyond Fame by Rebekah and Katie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
It’s clear that all the characters in the story are based one hundred percent on the two authors, their families, friends and even enemies.
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She Is Me by Kaylin (link)
review by Bethany (website)
She has a slightly detached, but wonderfully sarcastic, style that I really, really enjoy.
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Sins of the Father by Stephen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
While the title of this fic sounds a little more salacious than the first in the series, it still sticks to some of the same religious themes.
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Stay by Pamella (link)
review by Bethany (website)
What I expected to be a typical teenybopper attempt at an adult story is actually quite a good read.
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Straight To The Top by Lika (link or link)
review by Bethany (website)
The abrupt, bittersweet note doesn’t quite work for me, but I can see that it was a pretty bold creative choice.
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Sweet Daze by Lisa and Nancy (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There isn’t a big theme or plot arc, just a lot of typical teenage events and drama.
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Tale of Three Brothers by Jenn (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The basic structure of the story is, well, something like a modern day Canterbury Tales.
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Think of Laura by Karen (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Even though the first story in this series didn’t totally win me over, I am impressed by the effort Karen has put into building her world and the characters that populate it.
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To Make Me Who I Am by Melissa (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There are actually several mysteries here and a few plot threads that don’t really seem to go anywhere.
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To See Beyond The Surface by Monica Geist (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The moral message of it is pretty heavy handed at times, but at least Monica had a light touch with the romance.
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A Touch of Magic by Aoë Lauren (link)
review by Bethany (website)
In the end, the Hansons are barely even side characters for Julianne’s strange journey, and the story of their early fame that I was hoping for doesn’t happen at all.
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Tulsa 74132 by Sarah, Laurie and Melissa (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Overall, though, the authors are far better than what I’ve come to expect from teenagers.
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Ups & Downs by The Author (link)
review by Bethany (website)
If you’re looking for a bittersweet, poignant read, and don’t mind a little sloppy writing, you could do far worse.
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Vienna Waits For You by Katie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The coincidences that bring Taylor, Teresa and their son Casey back together in part two and part three are a bit too coincidental, but still achieve the desired heart-rending emotional impact.
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Walking the Roadby Jillybeans (link)
review by Bethany (website)
All in all, this fic does show some early signs of why Jillybeans became a respected name in early hanfic.
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Walls by Sheryl and Laurie (link)
review by Bethany (website)
Normally, breakneck changes in point of view would really bother me, but they’re done for a purpose here.
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Weeping Willow by Rene S. (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The predictableness, along with the constant silly Author’s Notes and other such hallmarks of early hanfic, are more amusing to me than annoying.
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You Are My Hope by Jenny (link)
review by Bethany (website)
The plot gets closer to something interesting near the end, but even then it isn’t handled with any sort of grace.
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Your Own Kind by Myra (link)
review by Bethany (website)
There are some darker elements to this story, and while they aren’t all handled incredibly well, I’m glad they exist.
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Zac Says Tay Still Wets The Bed by Nick (link)
review by Bethany (website)
A little comedy is important for a story with so much action.
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