The Opportunist

Aptly named, The Opportunist is a well-written guilty pleasure with a rather unlikable main character who is pretty much willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. I don't really like the storyline or the characters that much, but something about this novel is very compelling...though I cringe at most of what goes on.

It's very hard to feel sorry for "the opportunist" because she thinks only of herself and does horrible things in the name of love (a love which seems more like an obsession than genuine caring and affection.) Women (and how they treat each other) do not come across very well in this highly addictive "but I shouldn't be reading this" novel.

The further along I got in The Opportunist the more I found myself show more really admiring the style and heart of it. Some of the feelings Olivia experienced struck me hard with their universality; even if I never did come around to liking her, I can't help but understand that intense emotions often make us do insane things that we aren't proud of. show less

I hated everyone in this book. They were all evil and plotting and manipulative excuses for breathing. But they were true. The world isn't unicorns farting glitter and pretty tulle dresses. It's a lot of people fighting and clawing to get what they want from this one life they have. And at the end, Noah is the character who brought the whole story together, because I really didn't understand how I would be okay with whatever this story's end would be when I didn't even like Olivia or Caleb or Leah. It's true that if you don't love yourself you can't expect anyone else to, and not everything we want is ours to take.

Review originally appeared on my blog, with-a-flower.blogspot.com

What an emotional roller coaster!

Often times when reading I try desperately to personify my judgment, decisions, or reactions onto the various characters, that I’m left frustrated and disappointed. I’m waving, stomping my foot, even screaming “Go here! Do that,” as though they will listen and heed my ‘wise’ advice. The Opportunist flaunted its raw and honest intent in my face. It made the choices I would scream for, but never have the courage to enact in my own circumstances. The very fact that Olivia can, in her own words, admit over and over again that “I’m a bad person,” is so refreshing. You the reader nod in agreement, but you don’t hate her. In show more fact she captured my attention so thoroughly I didn’t care about her claims. I cared she was so true to the nature of this beast we call human.

I’m not going to spoil the ending, but I feel so lost between wanting to cry and feeling a sense of relief, happiness even. Perhaps I will cry for the realism that I didn’t necessarily want, even though I say otherwise at times, and be happy with the gripping honesty. That a story can provoke such an emotion akin to mutual understanding and acceptances to their choices; the very choices that are evil in intent, yet we grapple with deciding do what feels right and what is right.

I was expecting a sappy, predictable, romance fluff novel. I’m glad to know my expectations were so far off their mark.

“I think that after the first time you give your heart away, you never get it back. The rest of your life is just your pretending that you still have a heart.”

Scary words, yet I still find myself careening into them, searching, hoping . . .

Tarryn Fisher. Well done. show less

I had some free time yesterday that turned into a free night because I couldn't put this down.

Olivia. I just loved Olivia. When you love a scheming, lying, manipulative bitch like her character is, you know you're reading a good book! What I liked about her is that she knows the kind of person she is. She doesn't make any excuses for herself. It's just the way she is.
I'd say she even blows it out of proportions at times. Obsession is a weird thing.
Like the abortion. I think Jessica would have done it either way. Or when she reacted badly to Caleb cheating on her. I'd be half-mad, too, although not as extreme.

Caleb was such a fun character. I loved him when he was younger, I loved him when he meets her again in the music shop. I kind of show more called on the whole amnesia thing early-on. Something just didn't add up, and he sort of gave clues about it. He called her Duchess, and he gave her her favorite flowers. If you add that to the whole hiring her as Leah's lawyer, he is a scheming bastard, too, I think.

Together they were so good. I mean, Olivia does have some major issues, and he was always there for her, and they were so good together, from that very first meeting by the tree until the very end. She needed a savior. He was it.
Until he cheated on her. I will not make excuses for him! I think he knew that that was their end, too. That he was to blame for their end, and not her throwing herself on the first person she met when she left. It seemed that he was blaming himself when they were in that hotel room. He knew he did wrong, she was just reacting. And he hurt her.

But here's the thing - it's hard loving someone and always feeling like they don't love you back the same way - and not even because she can't, but because she didn't want to! Yeah, she was broken but he did nothing to make her think he would make it worse. He was sweet, caring, patient. I think in the end he gave up on her and them. It broke my heart that he did that, but really, I think she would never have changed if he didn't.

And after everything that happened on that camping trip and everything, she was still the same. She ran away, the coward! I hated her for leaving. It's not like she had anything to lose if she told him the truth, and we know he already knew everything anyways. He should have told her! I hated him for not telling her, for not looking for her harder after she left. Their love was such a waste at this point.
And after learning that he eventually did marry Leah, I gave up on them, too. Too late. Some things you don't get over, and I really didn't think they will recover from this. I saw the ending way before it happened. I knew they won't end up together. I didn't think they deserved to, either. They should have fought harder for their love, they didn't deserve a happily ever after.

Still, when they had that final conversation in Rome, my heart shattered into a million little pieces. It was so final. I felt such strong resentment toward Caleb at that point. He just gave up on them, AGAIN. And to Olivia, because she let him, AGAIN.

Actually, the whole Rome thing was disgusting. Caleb should not be in love with Leah. He shouldn't have been so happy on that balcony with her. He was deceptive towards Leah, as well as Olivia. This is when I finally decided, he is not worthy of either of them, I think. He may have been a good person before, but this settled it for me. That was just low.

What pains me is that the whole thing could have been avoided if only they just talked about it. I hate it when I want to scream at characters - TALK. PLEASE TALK. PLEASE, PLEASE TALK. And they never did. Both of them just settled for the second best. But I'm torn. I'm a HEA kind of person, and at the same time I was reasoning that love should conquer all.
The bittersweet ending just about killed me.

This is a pretty severe reaction from me, that's why this whole review is just a bunch of scattered ramblings. I'm still thinking about it, and it's breaking my heart. I effing loved this book. I didn't expect to like it, though. The blurb put me off, but thanks to a friend here (hi Michele!) urging me to read it, I did. And I'm glad.

The prose is beautiful and skillful, you can see the different levels of maturity in Olivia at different times. You almost feel as obsessed as she is. I felt everything, without being told what to think and feel. It's full of twists and turns you don't see coming. The dialogue was natural and kept the whole thing fast paced.

I see that the sequel is from Leah's POV and continuing the story from where it left off. I didn't exactly hate Leah. She was neither the villain, nor the heroine to me. I hope I get to decide on that in that sequel. So, I'll be reading it. And I hope the Caleb/Olivia story is over. I can't invest myself in their self-destructive relationship again. Maybe I will wait for a couple of reviews before I read it. Probably not.
Expected publication: December 28th 2012
Please tell me this is the correct publication date. Is it December, yet? I don't think I can wait that long! show less

Holy crap!I'm gutted after reading this. I'm crying so can't see very well......
I was warned but went ahead and read it anyway and was so glad that I did. I couldn't put it down, reading on my breaks at work and all the spare time in between.
This was one of the most emotional, gut wrenching, heartbreaking books I have read. It tugged at every emotional heartstring, pulled it tight and then flicked it so it hurt. It was just so good!

In the beginning I really felt for Caleb and was a little put off by Olivia but as time went on I saw how tortured she was and how hard it was for her to see clearly. At times I found myself yelling at my ereader for her to make the right decisions, of which she did not on a number of occasions, and hoping show more that all the emotional torture they were putting each other through would stop.
In the end I loved her spirit that she kept going after all that had happened, when a lesser person would have curled into a ball and hibernated.

I really loved Caleb and Olivia and thought that each having their failings, opened them up and made them all the more vulnerable to the situations. There are a number of scenes that I will not forget in a long time.

Although I understood why (I think, although the jury it out at the moment on that one), I wasn't over the moon about the ending and I'm hoping with book two in the works, that they have a lot more to tell.

I don't want to give spoilers so you just have to read it and try and process your emotions after you do. It will rip into your chest, tear your heart out, massage and toy with it, and then put it back in, knowing that it will never be the same again. show less

am OBSESSED with this book. Absolutely obsessed.

After finishing it, I couldn't stop thinking about it for MONTHS. It invaded my thoughts, my heart, every little space in my mind.. The Opportunist is that book that crawls under your skin and STAYS there. It is an addicting, consuming read. It won't leave you alone and no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to shake it.

I really wanted this to be a twisted romance that had an edge of suspense to it.

And this one delivered on all fronts!

This is probably one story where I didn't like the lead heroine but I was captivated by her story. It's quite the adventure and I have to say that by the end of it, I was feeling for her a little bit.

The romance too is the epitomy of toxic but it made this story unique and unpredictable.

It's just pure entertainment for those who like romances that aren't your everyday romances.