F*ck Love
by Tarryn Fisher
Synopsis:
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.
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25828204-f-ck-love
Chapter One
#wtf
“You are supposed to be with me.”
What words are these? They startle me, and at first I think I’ve heard him wrong. He’s leaning across the table while our significant others are twenty feet away, waiting in line for our food.
“You and me,” he says. “Not us and them.”
I blink at him before I realize he’s making a joke. I laugh and go back to looking at my magazine. Actually, it’s not really a magazine. It’s a math journal, because I’m super cool like that.
“Helena…” I don’t look up right away. I’m afraid to. If I look up and see that he’s not joking, everything will change.
“Helena.” He reaches out and touches my hand. I jump, pull back. My chair makes a horrid scraping sound, and Neil looks over. I pretend that I dropped something and reach under the table. Under the table are our shoes and legs. There is a blue crayon lying at my feet; I pick it up and resurface.
Neil is at the front of the line ordering our food, and my best friend’s boyfriend is waiting for my response, his eyes heavy with burden.
“Are you drunk?” I hiss. “What the fuck?”
“No,” he says. Though he doesn’t look so sure. For the first time, I notice the scruff on his face. The skin around his eyes is sallow. He’s going through something, maybe? Life is being bullshit.
“If this is a joke, you’re making me really uncomfortable,” I tell him. “Della is right there. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I only have ten minutes, Helena.” His eyes move to the blue crayon, which is resting between our hands.
“Ten minutes for what? You’re sweating,” I say. “Did you take something, are you on the crack?” What type of drugs make you sweat like that? Crack? Heroine?
I want Neil and Della to come back. I want everything to go back to normal. I spin around to see where they are.
“Helena…”
“Stop saying my name like that.” My voice shakes. I make to stand up, but he grabs the crayon, then my hand.
“I don’t have much time. Let me show you.”
He’s sitting very still, but his eyes remind me of a cornered animal: frightened, panicked, bright. I’ve never seen that look on his face, but since Della’s only been dating him for a few months, it’s a moot point. I don’t really know this guy. He could be a druggie for all I know. He turns my hand over so it’s palm up, and I let him. I don’t know why, but I do.
He places the crayon in my palm and closes my fist around it.
“You have to say it out loud,” he says. “Show me, Kit.”
“Say it, Helena. Please. I’m afraid of what will happen if you don’t.”
Because he looks so afraid, I say it.
“Show me, Kit.” And then, “Should I know what this is?”
“No one should,” he says. And then everything goes black.
Robin’s Review
Life comes to a complete standstill each and every time that I read a Tarryn Fisher novel. I hibernate – find a quiet corner of the house – to devour her words. Fisher is a pure genius at marketing her brand. She doesn’t announce a release date for her novels. Instead, she enjoys building fervor and excitement to the point of torment, sending her fans into a frenzy. Just when you think you can’t stand the torment any longer, she publishes the book. But the really cool thing about Tarryn Fisher is that she backs up all of the hype with her writing. Her lyrical, thought-provoking writing touches the minds and hearts of so many.
It’s been awhile since Tarryn Fisher published a new adult/contemporary romance, so to say that I’ve been excited for F*ck Love is putting it mildly. F*ck Love is narrated from the point of view of Helena Conway, and the plot is based on a dream. Helena dreams about a future with Kit Isley – a dream so vivid and realistic that when she pinches herself, she doesn’t wake up. It’s a dream full of beautiful possibilities, and when Helena awakens, the dream stays with her. It haunts her. It’s quite a dilemma for Helena because Kit is dating her best friend Della, and she has been dating Neil.
Helena is my favorite Tarryn Fisher heroine to date. She is awkward, honest, and real. Helena makes no apologies for who she is, and she’s an extremely witty character. Because Helena loves Harry Potter, there’s an abundance of Harry Potterisms throughout the novel. There are passages in F*ck Love that had me roaring with laughter! Because of her dream, Helena is so very awkward around Kit, but he is still charming and sweet. The conversations that take place between Kit and Helena are equally hopeful and full of angst, cementing my attention to the pages of the novel. I should also mention that I think the secondary characters in F*ck Love, especially Greer and June, are some of the best Fisher has ever written.
F*ck Love is a consummate slow-building romance, full of angst and humor. I just love a great slow-building romance. Instead of what I consider insta-love, the feelings between Helena and Kit develop at a nice, gradual pace. Tarryn Fisher is an artist. Her personality shines within the pages of this novel. Her writing is open and honest, with much of her own personal story mixed into this fiction novel. It’s chock full of symbolism, irony and themes. From the undeniable focus on a myriad of colors mentioned throughout the story to references of written material or the inclusion of characters from previous novels, I was positively giddy while I was reading F*ck Love! F*ck Love is right there with Thief in the running for my favorite Tarryn Fisher novel. I’m giving it a 5-star rating and including it on my list of 2016 favorites!
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Tarryn Fisher’s Bio
Tarryn Fisher is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of seven novels. Her newest novel, F*ck Love, will release in early 2016 and she is currently working on the third installment of Never Never. She is the co-founder of Clothed Caption, a fashion blog she runs with her friend, Madison Seidler. Tarryn resides in the Seattle area with her family. She loves rainy days, Coke, and thinks Instagram is the new Facebook. Tarryn is represented by Amy Tannenbaum of the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
Tarryn Fisher is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of six novels. Her newest novel, Marrow, just released in April 2015 and she is currently working on the second installment of Never Never. She is the co-founder of Clothed Caption, a fashion blog she runs with her friend, Madison Seidler. Tarryn resides in the Seattle area with her family. She loves rainy days, Coke, and thinks Instagram is the new Facebook. Tarryn is represented by Amy Tannenbaum of the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
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Saucy Southern Readers 
I loved this book! 🙂