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The Summer of My Youth - Detailed Feedback

Intro:

The Summer of My Youth was written by a_purple_girl. Taking place in Japan, The Summer of My Youth follows Natsuki, a woman who has taken an interest in Kim Taehyung. It is a BTS fanfic that is meant to be cute and easy to read.

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Detailed Feedback

What Worked:

As I mentioned in the intro, this fic is meant to be cute and easy to read, and it accomplishes that goal. The chapters aren't very long but also not too short, so there is a nice balance in terms of length. The vocabulary is unique without feeling over the top. There aren't too many grammar errors, so the sentences are easy to understand as well. Everything is easy to understand without feeling basic or simple or anything like that. It's a good balance that makes the story feel cute, fun, and even comedic at times.

This is a small thing, but I think it was a good idea to give Natsuki a dog. I know that seems like a small observation, but it gives Taehyung and Natsuki something in common right off the bat, and also an interesting conversation topic considering the health issues Yeontan has. It opens up the door for intriguing exchanges between them, and it also makes some of their meetings feel more believable because of, for example, Kei getting out and going to the neighbor's house. It feels like a more natural meeting that isn't forced. A lot of fics make the first meetings feel too coincidental and forced, but I'm glad this story does not have that issue.

I haven't read a BTS story that has taken place in Japan in a bit. In general, I haven't read many stories that take place in Japan. It's nice to see the representation, and it's also nice to see an author not afraid to make a BTS story take place somewhere other than South Korea. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a fanfic taking place in South Korea. All I'm saying is since it's the norm for BTS fanfic, it's nice to see an author expand their horizons and experiment with the location of the story.

While on the topic, I'm glad the location actually meant something and it wasn't chosen for the sake of being different. The location brings Taehyung and Natsuki closer together since Natsuki teaches him about their culture. I'm glad the location matters to the characters and their relationship. It makes the story feel more realistic as a result.

Taehyung is described well. Many BTS ff writers avoid describing the members as to not "waste time" since we [the readers] already know what they look like. But I don't think that's a great strategy since there are so many different eras that makes it so we may not know what they look like, and beyond that, it makes me more invested in the story when I get the characters described to me.

There's a lot of attention to detail put into the scenes where he's being described. Most notably, when they're in the nurse's office and Taehyung is taking care of Natsuki's injuries. It's a quiet scene where Taehyung is described well, and the readers get a chance to process what's going on since a new character showed up and fainted, so we had a lot going on. The chapter was packed, so that quiet scene was a great way to keep the pacing steady.

I think the friend group is a nice size. It was a good choice to keep the group more limited so we readers can focus on a few people instead of a whole bunch of them. I also liked how they were introduced gradually instead of all at once in, say, chapter one. You give us a chance to be introduced to Natsuki and Taehyung before bringing in new characters.

That all ties into the pacing being pretty good throughout the story. Since the chapters aren't too long, they don't feel like they drag, and at the same time, they aren't too short that they feel unsatisfying. Enough happens in the chapters that there is development in the story.