There are many things I could say about this fic, most of which I stated in the 15 reviews I left for the author, but I'll try to keep this condensed: Initially I thought I was going to enjoy this story, what with the mature writing, angst, and sexual tension demonstrated in the first chapter - It held promise.
However, after plowing through 16 chapters I know now that I was wrong. While I enjoyed some of the characterizations and there were definitely some powerful, real moments, 10 chapters in I was about ready to claw my eyes out if I had to skim through YET ANOTHER ooey-gooey, sappy, dudes-don't-sit-around-discussing-feelings-so-frequently-and-at-such-lengths, unrealistic, and exhausting heart-to-heart.
Another thing that irritated me about the story was that I couldn't figure out what Ron & Hermione were waiting for in order to move their relationship along physically. They'd given each other oral sex multiple times by chapter 10 (or something like that), they planned to be together for the rest of their lives, and they were aware that they would be parted soon - yet it rarely seemed to be the "right" time, or if it WAS the right time, Ginny and/or Harry would inevitably barge in on them. (I swear this happened three times in one chapter.)
The one time that they DIDN'T get barged in on, they decided that they didn't want to have sex for the "wrong" reasons - yet the very next night (at least, I THINK it was the next night, as it was rather difficult to keep track of the timeline in this fic as the days and nights seemed to meld together), suddenly it was the "right" time again (I have no idea what could possibly have changed for them in twenty-four hours). But guess what? Ginny and Harry decided they had to barge in again to gush over Ron and Hermione and to tell them how much they loved them and how much they were going to miss them. I like some sexual tension build-up as much as the next person, but I found this to be just preposterous.
I'm sure that Ron and Hermione eventually had sex (why they didn't ward Ron's bedroom door or Apparate to the nearest hotel room for some much-needed privacy is beyond me), but I didn't stick around to find out. You might wonder why I read so far if I hated it so much, but the truth is that there were parts that I enjoyed, I found the mature writing style to be refreshing, and really, I'd just hoped that the story itself would take off. I finally threw up my hands after chapter 16 and thought,"That's it, I'm done."
This story should have come with a warning of vomit-inducing, uber-sickly-sweetness and an abundance of rainbow-crapping unicorms. (Yes, I was more tactful in the reviews I left the author, but this is my brutally honest opinion.) "Turned to Real Life" is anything but "reality-like," even in the magical world of HP.
Maybe the story gets better. I honestly can't say, but I'm aware that it's a popular fic and that a lot of people like it, so I don't suppose my personal opinion holds a candle to that.
-Kari
Note: I've been told by a reliable source that this story does improve quite a bit once Ron goes off for his Auror training, so I'm considering giving it another chance & just skimming through the irrelevant bits.
However, after plowing through 16 chapters I know now that I was wrong. While I enjoyed some of the characterizations and there were definitely some powerful, real moments, 10 chapters in I was about ready to claw my eyes out if I had to skim through YET ANOTHER ooey-gooey, sappy, dudes-don't-sit-around-discussing-feelings-so-frequently-and-at-such-lengths, unrealistic, and exhausting heart-to-heart.
Another thing that irritated me about the story was that I couldn't figure out what Ron & Hermione were waiting for in order to move their relationship along physically. They'd given each other oral sex multiple times by chapter 10 (or something like that), they planned to be together for the rest of their lives, and they were aware that they would be parted soon - yet it rarely seemed to be the "right" time, or if it WAS the right time, Ginny and/or Harry would inevitably barge in on them. (I swear this happened three times in one chapter.)
The one time that they DIDN'T get barged in on, they decided that they didn't want to have sex for the "wrong" reasons - yet the very next night (at least, I THINK it was the next night, as it was rather difficult to keep track of the timeline in this fic as the days and nights seemed to meld together), suddenly it was the "right" time again (I have no idea what could possibly have changed for them in twenty-four hours). But guess what? Ginny and Harry decided they had to barge in again to gush over Ron and Hermione and to tell them how much they loved them and how much they were going to miss them. I like some sexual tension build-up as much as the next person, but I found this to be just preposterous.
I'm sure that Ron and Hermione eventually had sex (why they didn't ward Ron's bedroom door or Apparate to the nearest hotel room for some much-needed privacy is beyond me), but I didn't stick around to find out. You might wonder why I read so far if I hated it so much, but the truth is that there were parts that I enjoyed, I found the mature writing style to be refreshing, and really, I'd just hoped that the story itself would take off. I finally threw up my hands after chapter 16 and thought,"That's it, I'm done."
This story should have come with a warning of vomit-inducing, uber-sickly-sweetness and an abundance of rainbow-crapping unicorms. (Yes, I was more tactful in the reviews I left the author, but this is my brutally honest opinion.) "Turned to Real Life" is anything but "reality-like," even in the magical world of HP.
Maybe the story gets better. I honestly can't say, but I'm aware that it's a popular fic and that a lot of people like it, so I don't suppose my personal opinion holds a candle to that.
-Kari
Note: I've been told by a reliable source that this story does improve quite a bit once Ron goes off for his Auror training, so I'm considering giving it another chance & just skimming through the irrelevant bits.
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