No surprises.
This is an example of an actual Beta Review I have done of someone's book.
No details have been changed as I have the authors permission to post their review for this purpose...
It's not an exact likeness but it is similar to what you can expect to see if you request a review from me.
Read on...
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The Type by dreamalittlefic
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What do you think is too much or too cliché?
Okay, so I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent here but please bear with me.
In my opinion, the negative mindset of "Too much" or "Too cliché" is too harsh a stance to take... especially when it comes to the plot of a fan fiction.
I have read some stories where there was swearing in every second sentence, or sexual content in every chapter, or angsty tension from start to finish, and yes, it was a lot (and maybe to some, "too" much) BUT they suited their respective narratives, so it wasn't inappropriate. You've got to look at the big picture.
In terms of your book, the relationship between Jin and Aera is cliché, and so is the plot so far. Idol and his childhood best friend, navigating their mixed feelings for one another. It is definitely cliché.
However, in the world of fan fiction EVERYTHING is kinda cliché... Love at first sight. Bad boy and good girl/boy. Rich boy and poor girl/boy. Dom and sub. Enemies to lovers. High school. College. CEO. Mafia. Wizard. Werewolf. Vampire. Hybrid. Even some phrases, "Like what you see?" or "Jimin's got no jams!" - they're all overused so they can all be considered cliché and actually, there's nothing wrong with that!
Just because a book has a cliché premise, or has clichés throughout, doesn't make it bad or boring.
But what it does mean, is that you may have to add things, or put more emphasis on certain aspects to make it stand out or more original. Such as, action, drama or mystery elements to peak intrigue, upping the romantic chemistry or making character personalities and interactions stand out etc.
You've only written 11 chapters so far and you did say in your author notes that it'd be slower paced, with Jin and Aera only beginning to scratch the surface of their feelings, so though I haven't seen anything that would make it rise above its cliches YET, you've definitely still got the ability and time (if you want) to add some flair to it.
What can you do with your story to make it more interesting?
One of the main things I noticed when reading The Type, is that there is quite a lot of inner monologue and not much dialogue, so I'll say this first as a fact...
Dialogue is more interesting than inner monologue.
Think about when you yourself read a book. Is it the characters inner monologue or dialogue that you feel most interested in? Chances are, is that most (if not all) people will agree on dialogue.
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