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.
VampiresHaveLaws~
Nic knows what I love, so as soon as she rec’d Hollywood to me, I knew I would be all over this story like a fangirl on Rob… Just minus the whole screaming thing because I didn’t want to scare anyone.
(There might have been a little screaming.)
I think Hollywood was about four chapters in when I started reading, and my God, I was instantly hooked. In fact, I loved it so much, I went all 007 and contacted Lila to ask if she’d like a beta… which is something I’ve never done before. (Thanks for not saying no, L.)
Hollywood has everything I go crazy about in a story: heartbreak, scheming, a truckload of UST, seduction, forbidden romance—so much uniqueness I weep—and my old pal, angst.
And the writing style? Just so amazing and so unique. I’m forever obsessed with the stylised sections like the one below:
I am sleepless nights.
I am continuous restlessness.
I am troubled.
I am a beautiful train wreck waiting to happen.
And I am lonely, most of all.
The detail and imagery, too, is so incredible, it feels like you’ve been dropped right into a scene with the characters. Which brings me to Bella: She is hands down one of my favourite Bellas. Ever. Always. I love her. The whole hearts-in-my-eyes emoji deal. And Edward? What a life-ruiner with his suits and messy hair and that thing he does called breathing. So rude.
And then we get to Lila, dealer of my word addiction, who seriously blows me away with every chapter. She’s so young and so talented and she often accuses me of being too nice to her when I compliment a particular section or phrase (because she’s crazy and doesn’t think she’s good enough), when in actual fact, she has more talent in her pinky finger than most people twice her age.
If you haven’t read Hollywood yet, or think the subject matter won’t be for you, give it a try. I think you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised.
I am so excited for the future, and what else Lila decides to share with us. Thank you for writing a story we’re all crazy about, L. And thank you for becoming a great friend. ILY.
SusanQ~
Don't you love it when you start a story and can tell in the first chapter that it's going to be great? Hollywood, by first time author, allihavetodoisdream, is one of those stories. This is not your conventional Edward and Bella fic, but if you hang in there, you'll get your reward.
"I'm very simple, despite what they say about me in school.
I live by shoes and grace and Audrey Hepburn.
I live by elegance long lost and famous poise.
I am an old Hollywood starlet: tall and curvy, with retro waves of mahogany hair. I'm red lipstick. I'm fifties glamour and sixties chic. It's how I move and breathe and function.
But some people don't understand it."
Bella is a precocious sixteen-year-old with her sights set on an older, ambitious, and not quite available Edward. He seems amused by her at first, but he soon appears to be drawn to her.
"You're sixteen. You still believe in happy endings."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, please," I scoff. "What I believe in is pretending. It gets me through when reality is being a bitch."
Edward exhales more smoke and a laugh that makes me crazy. "How's that work for you?"
"It depends on the day."
Bella's confidence and poise seem to help her through her loneliness and her mother's selfishness and neglect. There are some secrets about her past, and as sad as they seem to make her, Bella seems determined to protect her mother.
"My father was a good man," I say, and my voice is quiet and stripped too bare and I try to stop, but I can't. "He tucked me in every night, and he put princess Band-Aids on my scraped knees, and he played tea party with me even when he hated it." I blink rapidly and look back at Edward, who is listening—who's really listening. I whisper, "His only fault was that he wasn't ambitious enough. He was small town, and Renee wasn't."
"That's why they divorced?" Edward questions, and his voice is too gentle, too soft.
I blow out an irritable sigh and smear the end of my cigarette out on the concrete. "I don't know. You'd have to ask Renee. I was too little to remember." It's all lies, of course, but I'm done talking about it.
There is so much I'm not saying about this fic because I don't want to spoil it. But I will say this brand new author has just finished high school and is quite a talented storyteller. I'm curious to see how the story plays out, and I'm looking so forward to what we'll see from allihavetodoisdream next. She has a bright future ahead of her.
Carrie ZM~
In the past three years of reading fanfiction, I’ve fallen in love with many Edwards. There have been Sweetwards and Mobwards, Possessivewards and Daddywards, to name just a few. I fancy myself a bit of an equal opportunity Edward lover – but really I’m not, because there’s a certain one that trumps them all.
The Olderward.
There’s just something about an older man. Maybe it’s their maturity or the sense of power or even just the whole taboo idea of having a relationship with someone so much older. Let’s be honest, who didn’t have a crush on the orthodontist or the hot dad next door as a teen? Or maybe dress up a bit for the American Lit professor when your flannel pajama pants just wouldn’t do?
Crickets.
I obviously have a thing for mature men and definitely Olderwards in fanfiction. The only problem is trying to find a fic with an equally dazzling Bella – that is until I started reading Hollywood by allihavetodoisdream. Wow! This first time fanfic author came along and blew me away with her top-notch writing and perfectly imperfect characters that made my head swim, namely Bella.
I often find that the Bella in this genre is made to seem either too promiscuous or too pure. However, with Hollywood, we meet a Bella who is intelligent and witty, seductive to the core. She’s in love with Hollywood starlets from the past and their glamour and romance. She carries herself with elegance and poise, yet there is so much more behind the red lips and old-school glam. Her relationship with her mother is complex, as well as the secrets she carries regarding her father, and with each chapter, we learn a little bit more about the past of this young woman.
Hollywood is centered around sixteen-year old Bella who has come home from boarding school for the summer. She meets her mother’s new boyfriend, Edward, who is twenty-seven and the epitome of old Hollywood grace. There’s an instant attraction, and the two characters spend many a night getting to know each other over cigarettes and Bella’s midnight swims. Edward brings something to Bella’s life that she never knew she was missing.
Allihavetodoisdream gives us the perfect balance of reality with right vs wrong and a big dollop of UST with the undeniable chemistry between the two characters. Is age really just a number? What if the love of your life was born eleven years before you? What would you do? I know what my answer is ;)
Hollywood will whisk you away into a world of privilege and have you swooning with the stars. Allihavetodoisdream brings her best game forward giving us a cast of characters that all have a story, a secret. What a way to make an entrance into fanfiction!
