Some stories have such a big following that it’s hard to remember where you first heard about them because every-freaking-body you know is reading them. They're the stories that are recognized by initials or stand-apart details and are immediately connected to an author's name. They get you talking, screaming, and swooning about fic, and often become the standard by which other stories are compared. These are those stories.
We've invited three guest reviewers to share their thoughts on some of our recent ‘we can’t stop talking about them’ favorites.
The Drop by lola-pops
That was the summer everyone stopped looking at me as Ben's little sister. Bonfires and beer. Sand and sun. We just kept climbing higher. None of us were ready for the drop.
ShearEnvy~
I can remember being a kid and spending my summers reading every night before I went to bed. As an adult, I get a nostalgic feeling when spring turns to summer and I’m always looking for a good fic I can sink my teeth into. This summer, I got lucky. My dear friend, lola-pops, casually mentioned she was writing something new and would love for me to beta it, fully expecting I’d be too busy. Is she crazy?? Who would turn down the opportunity to be a part of something you just know is going to be special? Not this girl. I told her I was all in and she soon found out I wasn’t kidding.
From chapter one of The Drop, I was captivated. You can’t help but be pulled in by lola’s unique writing style - as I’ve said before, she weaves intricate storylines with her poetic yet concise technique and always gives you characters you find yourself invested in from the get-go. She’s a pro at leaving you wanting more, and you find yourself feeling so passionate about these characters that you’re happy when they’re happy, sad when they’re sad...and don’t even get me started on how you feel about someone who hurts or crosses them. Let’s just say it’s pretty much a given that if lola-pops writes it, you’re going to have a hard time pulling yourself away.
The Drop is no exception to this rule. Not by a long shot.
The story starts in present day and transitions seamlessly between the past and present with an engrossing storyline in each time frame so you find yourself immersed in both rather than wanting one over the other. Bella in the present has been estranged from her friends by something major that happened in the past and while you want to know what it was that got her to where she is today, you also want to know how she’s going to move forward with or without these friends...especially Edward. And if you know anything about lola-pops, you know she writes an Edward that can make a woman of any age swoon.
So, seriously, are you reading The Drop yet? If not...what are you waiting for?? This is not a story to miss - all you have to do is read chapter one and you will be hooked. And if you’re anything like me, it’ll remind you of the days of summer reading when you were a kid, laying in your bed with the windows open and promising yourself you’d read only “one more chapter” before turning off the light and closing your eyes. Back then, there was nothing stopping you from allowing “one more chapter” to become the whole damn book and it didn’t matter if you were tired the next day because it was SO worth it. I bet you’ll be saying that about The Drop tomorrow.
Try it...I dare you.
EvilNat~
There are a few authors that I drop everything when I see them update, one of those authors is lola-pops. She could write pretty much anything and I would read it, no matter what the genre. So, when the first chapter of The Drop landed in my inbox, I pounced on it, and every chapter since (even when I'm up feeding the baby at four in the morning!).
The Drop centres around a grieving Bella, trying to navigate a relatively new life, while trying to deal with aspects of her old life that won't leave her behind, and residual feelings that won't go away as easily as she wishes. As it develops, you find out more details, just small morsels, tiny tidbits as to what has happened and how she got there, sometimes switching to flashbacks to tell the story.
I don't know about anybody else, but with every update, I find myself hoping that it will give us some more information, because you just want to know what Bella's going to do next, and whether things are going to turn out for her in the end as secrets of why things have ended up the way they have are revealed. And most importantly, you find yourself hoping that Bella gets her happy ending, because out of everyone, she truly deserves it after all she's been through.
I could go on about all the characters as they are all so good, but it think it's best to leave it to the reader to discover for themselves. Let's just say, we have another hot Edward on our hands but, like everyone else in this story, he's not perfect.
The Drop is a must-read. Even for all the non-angst readers out there. The way lola-pops tells the story and how she develops the characters without giving too much away is done flawlessly. She truly has a gift and it is easy to see why she is so loved within our fandom.
VampiresHaveLaws~
It's fleeting, but for just a second I feel like this summer is the best I'll ever have.
In the Twi-fic world, when it comes to summer, and teen fic, I instantly think of lola-pops. So when The Drop appeared in my inbox a couple of months back, right in time for summer, I did a little mental jig (because Lord of the Dance I am not).
To say I love this story would be an understatement. When it updates, I literally stop everything I’m doing and flail-text a few friends to let them know it’s updated, like they wouldn’t already know. And then I’m promptly reminded to not say a word because I have this thing I do where I spoil the shit out of chapters without realising I’m doing it. (I will forever apologise for this, Susan.)
The Drop is a story you’ll want to talk about as soon as you’re done reading it. It has everything you could ask for in a fic: romance, angst, sadness, friendship, fun, suspense. It’s like a cocktail of all the best things. And I know the word “perfect” gets thrown around a lot, but if there was ever a fic to use it for, this one would be it.
I’ve mentioned how much I love lola’s writing style before. It’s so incredibly unique and instantly recogniseable, which are two things that always stand out for me. But what appeals the most about this one, are the characters. I love how unafraid lola is to have them make decisions, whether good or bad, and ultimately mess up or fix a situation. There are characters we want to root for, and others that may inspire negativity—which, for me, only makes a story better. We’ve all had that friend like Angela, or we’ve been Angela. We’ve all had first-love butterflies like Bella and made rash decisions we later regret. In a nutshell, there is someone, or something, we can identify with.
If The Drop is sitting on your to-read list somewhere, fall back into summer and become as obsessed as the rest of us. ♥
EvilNat~
There are a few authors that I drop everything when I see them update, one of those authors is lola-pops. She could write pretty much anything and I would read it, no matter what the genre. So, when the first chapter of The Drop landed in my inbox, I pounced on it, and every chapter since (even when I'm up feeding the baby at four in the morning!).
The Drop centres around a grieving Bella, trying to navigate a relatively new life, while trying to deal with aspects of her old life that won't leave her behind, and residual feelings that won't go away as easily as she wishes. As it develops, you find out more details, just small morsels, tiny tidbits as to what has happened and how she got there, sometimes switching to flashbacks to tell the story.
I don't know about anybody else, but with every update, I find myself hoping that it will give us some more information, because you just want to know what Bella's going to do next, and whether things are going to turn out for her in the end as secrets of why things have ended up the way they have are revealed. And most importantly, you find yourself hoping that Bella gets her happy ending, because out of everyone, she truly deserves it after all she's been through.
I could go on about all the characters as they are all so good, but it think it's best to leave it to the reader to discover for themselves. Let's just say, we have another hot Edward on our hands but, like everyone else in this story, he's not perfect.
The Drop is a must-read. Even for all the non-angst readers out there. The way lola-pops tells the story and how she develops the characters without giving too much away is done flawlessly. She truly has a gift and it is easy to see why she is so loved within our fandom.
VampiresHaveLaws~
It's fleeting, but for just a second I feel like this summer is the best I'll ever have.
In the Twi-fic world, when it comes to summer, and teen fic, I instantly think of lola-pops. So when The Drop appeared in my inbox a couple of months back, right in time for summer, I did a little mental jig (because Lord of the Dance I am not).
To say I love this story would be an understatement. When it updates, I literally stop everything I’m doing and flail-text a few friends to let them know it’s updated, like they wouldn’t already know. And then I’m promptly reminded to not say a word because I have this thing I do where I spoil the shit out of chapters without realising I’m doing it. (I will forever apologise for this, Susan.)
The Drop is a story you’ll want to talk about as soon as you’re done reading it. It has everything you could ask for in a fic: romance, angst, sadness, friendship, fun, suspense. It’s like a cocktail of all the best things. And I know the word “perfect” gets thrown around a lot, but if there was ever a fic to use it for, this one would be it.
I’ve mentioned how much I love lola’s writing style before. It’s so incredibly unique and instantly recogniseable, which are two things that always stand out for me. But what appeals the most about this one, are the characters. I love how unafraid lola is to have them make decisions, whether good or bad, and ultimately mess up or fix a situation. There are characters we want to root for, and others that may inspire negativity—which, for me, only makes a story better. We’ve all had that friend like Angela, or we’ve been Angela. We’ve all had first-love butterflies like Bella and made rash decisions we later regret. In a nutshell, there is someone, or something, we can identify with.
If The Drop is sitting on your to-read list somewhere, fall back into summer and become as obsessed as the rest of us. ♥
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