The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher
November 14, 2011 by Indie eBook
Kindle-200 Pages
Purchased

Olivia has been a very bad girl. Lies, lies and more lies have made the last three years a living pile of regrets. Regrets for losing Caleb, the only man she's ever loved, regrets for not being able to move beyond him, and regrets for the betrayal that caused their initial breakup.

While Olivia has been drowning her sorrows in the past, Caleb has moved on, with a new life and a new girlfriend and seems, by Olivia's stalking accounts, to be happy. Olivia however can't seem to stop thinking about him, stop stalking him or being reminiscent about the days when he loved her. Even with her lawyer skills and promising future, she fights the past everyday. She knows its crazy to not let go and she's actually almost to the point where she can start pulling herself back together when she runs into Caleb and finds out that a car accident she knew nothing about has caused him temporary amnesia. She can't believe her luck, I mean the heavens must be screaming second chance, second chance, make amends..how could she not jump at this opportunity to win him back?

Olivia is apprehensive at first, but really wants the love they had to be real again. Caleb is immediately drawn to Olivia and for unknown reasons truly feels a bond with her, Olivia knows its because of their history, but Caleb just sees a feisty, fun girl he wants to be with. He breaks things off with the forgotten girlfriend and pursues a relationship with the one person he cant seem to stay away from. Olivia is shocked and thrilled to have Caleb back in her life, but also terrified that he will regain his memory back and she'll have to lose him all over again. She ponders the easiness at which Caleb bounced back to her, and is consumed not so much by happiness but paranoia, bringing out her stalker-like mind frame. Caleb's blissfully happy and Olivia wants to hold on to every second she's been granted, but secrets are being kept and lives are going to be ruined. Jilted brides, a killer roaming the streets, an x-girlfriend's revenge are all racing against the clock in the form of  flashbacks and the events leading up to Caleb's accident. Everything is going to come tumbling down and all the lies, truth and the crazy will collide in a strange and twisted outcome.

I liked the overall storyline in this book, for a debut from a young author I thought the writing in the beginning was catchy and while lost memory gets a second chance is a much played out plot device, Fisher stands out with her originality and the spin she builds upon making that in itself a story worth reading. However, even with its twisty take, I cannot overlook the problems I saw while finishing and turning the last page.

I was very annoyed with the "I feel duped" background plotline that was going on to throw me off the actual reveal, because in the end (unless it ties to a sequel) it was unneeded and poorly executed. I really didn't understand the split personality character in Olivia, it seemed from beginning to end I read her character in three different persons, it was never stated that Olivia was a multiple personality, but she sure came off that way in the book. I also wanted to rip my hair out once I hit the last 70 pages or so due to the fact that the ending was really hard to swallow, there was no closure to the decisions Olivia made and it almost seemed like the writing went down a level in maturity. I had to suspend disbelief that an almost 30 year old successful, smart lawyer would use the words wowzers or would go back to where she started from OR would consider doing what she did for those who were not worth it. The end was a convoluted mess, I didn't understand the speed at which Caleb turned from nice guy past/present to horse-munch past/present, turning him too into an almost unrecognizable character, I didn't understand his choices in the end, no matter how self righteous. The best friend who seemed once wise then a weirdo, the breaking and entering, the hasty break up with the fiance, the sudden cardboard of all the characters or the way things were tied up and ended was so bizarre. Those issues took the story from one I was enjoying to one I have too many questions for. I felt as if I was reading a book from a complete different author once the last part of book started, things just didn't mesh or come together harmoniously. The strangeness of the book came riddled with delivery problems and in need of major character transfusions.

Overall why this didn't meet my expectations, the beginning was fantastic and why I gave it a 3 out of 5, I know many readers out there loved its twisted romance and impossibly confusing main character Olivia, and I would suggest anyone try it, especially those who enjoy suspense novels.

Rating

The Opportunist is recommended to adult readers and contains: Mild violence, language, sexuality (one graphic scene) and use of alcohol.

3/5- Contemporary-New Adult

~Please Note: I will delete rude, trolley, and unnecessary comments from this feed. Im sure the author appreciates her fans, but would find it unprofessional to have her fans come to this blog and swear at me on her behalf. Please keep your comments clean and constructive to the discussion.