Review- F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher

F*ck Love on Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Helena Conway has fallen in love.
Unwillingly. Unwittingly.
But not unprovoked.
Kit Isley is everything she’s not—unstructured, untethered,
and not even a little bit careful.
It could all be so beautiful … if he wasn’t dating her best friend.
Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others.
Until she doesn’t.

Release date: December 31st 2015

Published by: Self-published

Page numbers: 257 

REVIEW:

After having tried to put down my thoughts about Tarryn Fisher's F*ck Love by almost writing two reviews for it, and changing my mind about both later, I have finally decided to divide my review in five parts, which will hopefully help both you and me understand exactly what my thoughts about the book are. 

MY THOUGHTS BEFORE READING F*CK LOVE:

TARRYN FISHER IS WRITING ABOUT LOVE!!! 

The title is on point. It has one of my most favourite and frequently used words. The cover is so gorgeous. Look at it! An almost bleeding heart held in a hand that has nails painted to black perfection with rose petals strewn across. Wow. Tarryn Fisher is on the back cover showing her middle finger and looking fine AF. 

TARRYN FISHER IS WRITING ABOUT LOVE!!! 

MY THOUGHTS WHILE READING F*CK LOVE:

Oh, my God! Tarryn Fisher is a Potterhead. Tarryn Fisher's writing is so beautiful and lyrical. Helena is amazing. She reminds me so much of myself. She is me. No, wait. She is Tarryn Fisher. This is so totally nothing but Tarryn Fisher's Instagram put into words. Why do the titles of the chapters have a hashtag? Is this Twitter? 

MY THOUGHTS TOWARDS THE END OF F*CK LOVE:

This book is called F*ck Love. Why is love happening then? Don't do this to me, Tarryn Fisher! Would it really end like this? Too many coincidences and that's something coming from Tarryn Fisher. I expect reality and not fucking roses from you, Tarryn Fisher. 

MY THOUGHTS AFTER READING F*CK LOVE:

Was I reading a book or stalking someone's phone? 

Helena is the most amazing character Tarryn Fisher has ever written about. Tarryn Fisher's wonderful description of Port Townsend has made me wanting to visit the place. Why couldn't this book end in a different way?

Was I reading a book or stalking someone's phone? 

MY THOUGHTS A FEW DAYS AFTER READING F*CK LOVE:

I may not like the story, but I get it. I may not get the story, but I appreciate it. I may not appreciate the story, but I understand it. I may not understand the story, but I think about it. I may not think about the story, but... but I can't. It has been on my mind since I was done with it, and I've started to realise that even though it didn't end in a way I would have liked, it was still very good. 

Now that we've gone through my stages of F*ck Love, it's time to summarise my final thoughts and I feel that's not going to happen because I don't have final thoughts. 

Would I ever forget this book? No. 

Would I reread it? Maybe. 

Would I recommend it? Yes. 

Was it worth writing three reviews for the book? Did I nail it? I don't know. You tell me. 

Buy the book: AMAZON (COM) AMAZON (IN) 

Review- Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Goodreads Summary:

When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat... and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

REVIEW:

I was completely blown away by Tarryn Fisher's Love Me with Lies series. While I didn't love it as much as everyone else did, I still liked it enough for it to be on my mind for a long time after I finished reading it. I was quite excited about Mud Vein as the both the cover and the summary intrigued me at first glance. Unfortunately- and I say unfortunately because I don't particularly like this feeling- I have mixed feelings about the book. If this were a book I had to study, I would have opted for a detailed character analysis, but because it isn't, I'll just try to sum up my thoughts on the plot, the psychology, the characters and the writing. And as usual, I will leave it up to readers to know the story. That's not my part to tell, but the reader's to figure out.

The plot: This was one interesting and engaging plot. The book started out very slow and I have no idea what made me continue with it. I was just about to give up when something really astounding came up and I knew I had to know what would come next. The approach was something new and great but the way in which it was executed was not all that fancy. The book is basically divided into three parts, each named as per the stages of grief and that was something truly kick-ass to do. The second part was really well put down. It just flowed and it was the only part where I felt connected to the story. Other than that, I found the plot to be less engaging. I felt like I was waiting for something that never happened. I especially did not like the conclusion of the whole issue that was going on. It was too average for my liking. Although what I did love was the end. For a change, I found a kind of ending that I like to read about and that's real. 

The psychology: Like with her Love Me with Lies series, Tarryn Fisher takes up basic human psychology in Mud Vein as well, and that is such a feat. The author puts down human emotions and human nature in their natural, raw and true form. It's messed up but then it gets too messed up. Inertly, we are all very similar but we aren't very open about how we really feel. But the main character in this book is exactly the way she is, inside and out. It's all a game in this novel. Life is a game and everyone plays hard. The psychological aspect was pretty apt and strong. At the same time, it was too heavy and suicidal.   

The characters: The main female character is Senna. The main male character is Isaac. Then we have Senna's love, her shrink and her parents. What I didn't get about Senna is that she calls what her shrink says "existential crap", she hurts herself, she likes pain, she loves death, she is isolated, she doesn't take well to conventions and society and yet, she exists. Some might say she is strong to survive, while others might say she's just too weak to give up. She doesn't accept love, she doesn't express herself, she lives alone, and she walks out of conversations midway. She has an entire room painted white. I get it. I understand her. Even I can be as dangerous as her sometimes. But my point is, why inflict so much torture upon yourself? No matter what she does, she suffers anyway. Isaac and her shrink try hard to get her on track but she won't listen to anyone. Why? Because she's just like that. With Senna, it's either love or hate. There's no in-between. She is a modern, independent, strong yet confused woman whom I didn't really understand and I'm not even trying.

The writing: Wow. Tarryn Fisher's writing is so cool. I absolutely love it. If there's anything I absolutely love about this book, it's the writing. It's so pure and full of passion. I could actually make out how much the author loves writing and how passionate she is about her words. Her words have so much depth to them, it's hard to not praise it and fall in love with it. Even simple stuff was put down so meticulously and some of the lines were just too magical and so real. I loved loved loved the writing.

Mud Vein was a dark, deep, dirty, disgusting and dangerous read that I both liked and disliked. I loved certain significations in it and I loved the whole concept behind the title. It was something very different and that, for me, was refreshing, but at the same time, if I am to read only one book for the rest of my life, this wouldn't be the book I'd pick. Tarryn Fisher has some absolutely smashing ideas and she is a superb writer. She shows human nature in its true and unfiltered form and I love that about her. While Mud Vein had some great stuff in it, I wanted more. It didn't blow me away and I really wish it had. Save aside an incident or two, I didn't feel anything throughout the course of the story and I feel nothing after having finished it. Maybe that's the point of it or maybe it isn't. 

RATING:

Review- Never, Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

Goodreads Summary:

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. 
Complete strangers since this morning. 
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget. 

REVIEW:

I have had two very contrasting experiences with both Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. I loved the first few books of both the authors; I was mind blown by their characters and story- and then boom! Their later books made me question my immense admiration for them. I must say that I was disappointed. However, when I got to know that the two authors would be collaborating to write a dual point of view book, I was excited. Unfortunately, my excitement was of no use. 

I went into Never, Never with a lot of expectations. I was hoping it would be one epic read as it is written by two really great and powerful reality fiction contemporary writers of our time. But having expectations is the biggest problem. For two writers who have always given us dark, mature (even for a younger crowd) and extremely gripping stories, Never, Never was very childish and made no sense to me whatsoever. I seriously felt like I was reading one of those tiny books I would read (and end up loving) as a middle-grader or teenager. Unfortunately, at this point in my life- and especially after having read much better from both Colleen and Tarryn- Never, Never was just pointless; the story wasn't going anywhere and the characters were very forgettable. 

I didn't hate Never, Never. There were some positive aspects to it. The writing was flawless, although not as much as what we've seen previously by the two authors. You know, that is my problem. I keep going back to what I've previously read of Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. But I can't help it. I have read some absolutely dashing stuff from them. So obviously, I was hoping that the collaboration would be twice as dashing. For someone who hasn't read either of the authors before, this book might work. For me, it didn't.

Overall, I was not satisfied with Never, Never. It was too boring and monotonous. And nothing happened. Take the summary for example: He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget. Funny and so ironic seeing as no one does anything. The only aspect of the book that I can say is decent is the fact that it is a very small book that gets over soon. If the other books in the series (that I don't care about) will be just as short, it wouldn't hurt for me to try them as well. 

RATING:

Review- Thief by Tarryn Fisher

Summary-

Note to Self

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love doesn't boast or brag.
There's no arrogance in love;
it's never rude, crude, or indecent-it's not self absorbed.
Love isn't easily upset.
Love doesn't tally wrongs.
Love trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Love will never become obsolete.
I'll fight for her.

Thief

Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle Caleb must decide how how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life there is a consequence, and soon Caleb finds out that sometimes love comes at an unbearably high price.

Review-

Thief is the very much anticipated conclusion to the Love me with Lies series. You can find Sarika's reviews of The Opportunist and Dirty Red. This is one of the most fucked up series I've read and I can't help but being fascinated by the characters and the emotions that these books bring out in me. Caleb and Olivia are willing to do anything, anything for their love.

Thief is completely told from Caleb's point of view and I was really excited to  get into his head. In the previous books Caleb comes off as the most decent person as compared to Olivia and Leah. But all of that changes when we come to know his real self in Thief. He is willing to cheat, lie, destroy, kill, sacrifice his integrity to get back Olivia. His obsession with her has no bounds, just as his love.

I actually liked Caleb. He had all the qualities I don't really like in a person but his love for Olivia remained constant throughout. There wasn't a single moment where he denied the feelings and all that just justified his behavior. I really liked Olivia in this one too. Time has matured both of them and it was obvious that they weren't ready for each other in the previous books.

There is no doubt left, that the chemistry between Caleb and Olivia is hot. There's a line in the book which says that, he is the fire and she put in the gasoline. That is SO true. They have a love which destroys them both. They are inexplicably entwined with each other and try as they may they can't break that bond. Tarryn Fisher makes us love these extremely flawed characters.

I think Thief brings everything to a full circle. Many incidents which were left open in the previous books get their clarifications. Despite the wrong things they do, you actually understand Leah, Caleb and Olivia so well that you think maybe a part of you is just like them. Thief was the perfect end to Olivia and Caleb's story after all they had gone through and after all the casualties they'd brought in their love. This was an amazing read.

Review- Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher

Goodreads Summary:

Dear Opportunist,

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now, that he's mine I'll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn't ever think about you anymore. I won't let him go....ever.

Dirty Red

Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn't. Her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.

Love Me With Lies series:

Sarika's review of The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1)

REVIEW:

Dirty Red is the second book in Tarryn Fisher's Love Me With Lies series. You can find my review of the first book, The Opportunist, here. While I had mixed feelings about the first book, I loved the whole experience of reading it which is a plus. Dirty Red, however, was, as the title aptly suggests, a dirty read that I did not like as much as book #1. 

I tend to see good in all people, in spite of how they actually are. Janhvi is an intelligent girl who does her research well before diving into a book. She knew that the MC in this book is a crap head and so she asked me to review the book, thinking that I would see the good in her. 

Well, surprise! I did not like the main character at all. She only ever had one intention- to get her man and keep him. Her family situation, no matter how bad it was- and I can be a sympathetic person- did not make me feel anything for her. All I wanted was to slap her and kick her out. She was the epitome of qualities I absolutely detest- artificiality, bitchiness, egocentricity and manipulation. Ugh. 

I am not even going to bother saying anything about the story. It's one of those things that you have to find out for yourself. What I can say is what I didn't say in my review of the first book. I was so engrossed in decoding the characters that I forgot about the author. Tarryn Fisher's writing is absolutely beaut. Her stories might be mind fucking but her writing is enough to make you love her books. Her writing is accuracy, exactness, precision and this might shock you, but even the truth, all put in one. It's a psychological mess, all of this. 

So all in all, Dirty Red gave us something different and similar at the same time. We only heard from a different person's perspective. Other than that, I didn't find anything quite amusing or extraordinary about it. I didn't exactly devour the book, but I more like sat through it. It was a well written and mind blasting book but not my favourite for sure. I don't know why but I don't really like what everyone else loves and maybe that's why I'm finding it hard to love this series. 

RATING:

Review- The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher

Goodreads Summary:

Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

REVIEW:

Janhvi told me about the Love Me With Lies series over coffee one day. That girl knows what books I will like practically better than I know myself. All she had to say was 'this is messed up' and I was up to buddy read it with my most favourite buddy reader. It's no surprise that Janhvi is a brilliant girl, but I'm sorry to say dude, this was way too messed up than you gave it credit for. 

The Opportunist fucked my mind. Majorly. 

I don't even know how to review this book. Notice I took up the first part to give you a brief about how I got into the book because I either don't have much to say or I have a hell lot to say. And I can't pick between the two so I'll just tell you in two simple words how this book is- frighteningly obsessive. 
I am really not going to say anything about the story. There was a flow between the past and the present which both made everything easy and difficult to understand. 

Have you ever had the feeling where you read or see something you wish you hadn't read or seen? If you haven't, then remember that The Opportunist has many such scenes. It'll make you wish you'd just skipped that one line or that one word. 

Man, my mind is overdriven after reading about so much of obsession, compulsion, manipulation and treachery. The Opportunist shows the excess level of love where it gets obsessive and possessive to such an extent that it tends to turn into masochism. 

There are various ways to interpret the almost electrifying characters and the complex ways in which they want to prove their love. For me, it really was very masochistic where one person only wanted to see their lover go through pain and they loved seeing it. And not in a sexual way at all. It was all about dishonesty, disloyalty, narcissism, mind games and manipulation. It's one big, complicated psychological jumble. 

Well, if you've read my review until here, you might think that I have some serious issues with the book and that I didn't like it. It was an absolutely frightening read- not in a scary way but more in a creepy way- that literary gave me goosebumps more times than once. But it was a thrilling read that has left my mind fucked up beyond recognition. Honestly, I don't know if I love it or hate it. But I sure as hell loved reading it, so that's a plus. Hopefully. 

RATING: