Strange Days by jandco

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5339014/1/Strange_Days

Official Description: Bella Swan is coming of age in 1967. Small town rumors and her mothers absence shape the summer of 67 for Bella. ExB. rated M.

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ooohlalaah says: This story is another example of why Jandco is by far my favorite author I’ve come across. I don’t have very much time to read anymore, but when I saw she’d started a new story, I peeked inside and I could-not-stop. Her style of writing hypnotizes me, and I was in love before I’d reached the middle of the first chapter. There’s just something about the way she writes; it’s so gritty and raw and real, and still so flows so beautifully.

The story begins when Bella’s mother walks out and abandons their family when she’s very young. Emmett is her older brother, and Edward is his best friend. The introduction to Edward’s character is a few simple lines, but it gives so much insight into the relationship that she builds between them.

“Why would she leave? Is she a bad mother?” I asked.

Because those questions had been on my mind lately, and for whatever reason, Edward was the only one I felt like asking.

“Nah. I dunno. Maybe she had reasons. People usually do,” he said.

“What reasons?”

“Shoot… I don’t know.”

“Should I hate her?” I whispered.

“If I were you…” Edward said, putting the mitt back on his hand, “I’d try very hard not to.”

After the first chapter, the story skips to the summer of 1967, where Bella says, “the only things I was sure of were the heat, Edward Cullen, Jim Morrison and the heat.” You see that Emmett was forced to take on the role of being her mother, and that she and Edward have been seeing each other in secret for two years, which is slightly controversial, being that he‘s older than her and she‘s 14 when they first start seeing each other. Also, this is one of my favorite Emmett characterizations I’ve read. He’s so amazing in this story… a tiny excerpt wouldn’t do him justice, so I won’t bother, but if not even for the E/B love story, this deserves to be read for the relationship between Bella and Emmett.

Alice is her naive and judgmental best friend, who constantly shares gossip with Bella that she hears from her extremely religious mother and the people at her church, ironically. In the first part of the story, Bella is conflicted because of her relationship- or lack of one- with Edward and the constant flack she gets from Alice. Even though he comes from a good home, he’s not exactly straight laced: he has a horrible reputation, smokes, fools around with girls behind supermarkets, sneaks around with Bella in his car behind Emmett’s back, and so on. This Edward is mysterious, and sexy, and loyal, and smart, and… sexy. Seriously, I have a weakness for bad boy Edwards, and Jandco doesn’t disappoint.

Bella’s also constantly plagued by feelings of abandonment because she’s sixteen years old and still has no idea why her mother walked out on her. An accident suddenly causes everything in her life to change, and she’s forced to grow up, and well- I don’t want to give away anymore than I have, so I’ll just say, you need to read this. I’ve recc’d this to so many people so that I could talk about it to them, and everyone has come back to me and told me how much they loved it. I wasn’t around in the 60s, obviously, so I have no idea how things were like back then, but the author does such a good job with the setting, it almost feels like the story plays out as a movie. I could go on and on and on and praise this for hours, but everyone already knows because of Jandco’s other work the magic she can pull off. So, yes, it’s angsty, but it’s so, so worth it. You’re missing out if you don’t read.

I’ll end this with a little bit from my favorite chapter so far.

“You know,” I went on, “Emmett fucks Rosalie in his bedroom and last year he stopped driving me to school. Charlie hasn’t actually looked me in the eye since…I think since two nights after Mama left and I told him I thought it was his fault. Some little kid was dead in a creek and Charlie and the whole police department can’t find the guy who did it because Charlie isn’t good at chasing anyone, Jasper Whitlock loves Alice and Mike Newton kicked me out of his car because I wouldn’t give him a blowjob and everything, everything is wrong.”

“Shit, Bella. Don’t cry.”

“You come in through my window and make me sandwiches and you’re the only one who actually looks at me and knows me, but no one else knows that and it’s horrible…so please. Be alone with me Edward. It’s the only thing that’s still okay.”

Edward made a deep noise and slowly turned his head to me, all black and blue for me.

“I’m not some kind of savior, Bella. Not yours.”

Of course he was, but I didn’t tell him that.

RedVelvetHeaven says: First of all this is jandco we’re talking about here, so really, I don’t need to convince you she’s worth the read. But I could not pass up the opportunity to share my obsession with this amazingly raw and honest story. Not. Gonna. Lie. Strange Days owns me! Owns every emotion I have! Jandco has me crying, giggling, mad as hell, and swooning like a teenage girl. She takes us on the journey of little Bella Swan’s life during the strange times of the late 60’s. Bella’s awkward early teen years, coupled with the difficult hand she’s dealt is so real and so well told. Jandco gives us some very interesting other characters to sink our teeth into as well. Her Emmett is just about one of the best I’ve ever read…troubled and thrown into adulthood before his time, he too has a story here. Alice is perfectly played in more ways than one and Edward….GAH! He’s just simply amazing! Bring your tissues and prepare to not be able to stop reading. Thank goodness she updates almost daily, because it would be a hard wait for more.