Taryn Sams doesn’t believe in love. Period. Every time she’s gotten close, her happiness has been ripped from her, proving once again the only thing worth believing in is the inevitability of her own – and others – screw ups.
For Austin Wright, Taryn is the one who got away. But really, if he’s honest with himself, he pushed her away, with one hard shove. He did the one thing he told her he … her he never would do, and shattered both of their hearts. But it’s been years since then, and somehow Austin and Taryn found a way to be friends, albeit dysfunctional ones.
Theo Evans is the other man in Taryn’s life. He’s also Austin’s best friend. But, to be fair, he’s been in love with Taryn longer. He accepts Taryn as she is, broken, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the one she chooses in the end.
Taryn isn’t the only one with someone else in her life. Austin has a girlfriend he’s trying to see a future with even though she can’t live up to those that came before. Yet they keep coming back together like magnets, unable to resist the pull to each other. Taryn continues her relationship with Theo while starting up again with Austin, willing to give him one more shot though not willing to let go of Theo just yet. While juggling the two men, she’s hoping that her once-bitter heart will eventually open up and tell her who to choose, hoping that she isn’t deluding herself yet again about what’s real and what’s possible.
Can love win Taryn over, or will she screw up her own life yet again, and the lives of at least three others in the process?
Content Warning: sexual content, alcohol and drug use, depression, and language
If you like gritty, angsty, and dysfunctional contemporary romances with heartbreaking twists and strong female characters, I Would Never…But If I Did might be your next favorite book. It’ll keep you reading way too late reading just one more chapter.
Readers say of the author:
“Super excited to read what’s coming next FROM Maria.” – Amazon Reviewer
“I love this author.” – Amazon Reviewer
“Green’s adept storytelling skills are evident not only in the plot, but also in the way she has us rooting for the protagonists.” – Amazon Reviewer
About the author:
Maria lives in Minnesota despite the frozen winters. Actually, she prefers snow drifts and icicles over summer and all that sweat running everywhere. She lives with her husband and little family, which includes a couple lazy cats who make great lap warmers. She absolutely believes in unicorns and ghosts, and hopes vampires are real too. She’s a coffee in the morning and wine in the evening kind of person, preferably with a nap in between. She’s a creative, mouthy, introverted, proud bisexual, highly-sensitive INFJ, Slytherpuff, dork with a lot of tattoos and a sweet-tooth.
After working in the Mental Health field for almost a decade, Maria’s now living her dream as a stay at home writer, kiddo wrangler, professional snuggler, and constantly-tired-person. When it comes to writing, she specializes in dark and twisted thrillers or gritty, angsty contemporary romances. No matter the genre, she always prefers writing deeply flawed characters with dysfunctional relationships. She’s pretty sure the whole “unlikable character” thing is a conspiracy, because every character she loves has been labeled this way. Ridiculous. And because of this, she’s pretty much found it impossible to write anything without at least a little mayhem.
more
Realistic Dialogue. Thought Provoking. – 4.5 Stars
This is a very well written story that is original and unique in nature. This story is filled with: drama, angst, despair, frustration and coming out on top is love. The characterizations were very well done; detailed, unique, with some characters who are not that easy to understand nor like but this element just brought out the characters`individuality even more. There was a lot of being inside a character`s head and privy to their inner dialogue with themselves. The dialogue between characters was really realistic. The main message I took away from this novel is that sometimes people do not get over other`s transgressions; no right or wrong to this, just how each individual reacts to a scenario. Thought provoking.
I voluntarily received an advance review copy from the author through Voracious Readers Only and am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.
5 STARS! This amazing “love” story is indeed a love story. But Green uses her talent with painting with words to present such a twisted, imperfect, and broken tale of smashed hearts, lingering regrets, tortured souls, and helpless mistakes that she almost flips the genre on its head — a more gripping, gritty, and angsty romance that feels very real. The dynamic and deep characters build their relationships along frustratingly winding paths that help them find themselves as much as finding someone else. I read through the night, the tension was so delectable. Relax: there is a HEA and it’s so satisfying after that whirlwind, all written in beautiful prose. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Holy wow. This book was a crazy ride. It was real, raw, and all-engrossing. Taryn is one messed up woman. Love has done her wrong, to put it mildly. There are hurts in her past that are just … wow. Dancing between keeping one man who is clearly head over heels for her just far enough away while keeping a toe in the “friend” pond with her ex who is about to be not so “ex” anymore (and did I mention he’s the first guy’s best friend?), I’m not sure if we’re supposed to love Taryn or hate her. Her choices certainly aren’t endearing, but damned if her brokenness isn’t. It would be like hating a wounded puppy. It’s not their fault when they bite. But I digress.u2063
u2063
The real “wow” factor here was the realness with which this whole you-know-what-show unfolded. I mean, seriously, these characters were so well made, so genuine, that I was completely on the edge of my seat, all wrapped up in the drama, needing to know how it would all unfold. The twists and turns were likewise a natural extension of the setup, as was the ending. When I finished, I was happy that there wasn’t one “ah-ha” moment; it wasn’t like the heroine (anti-heroine?) magically resolved all of her issues in a single, grand realization of where everything had gone wrong. True to its realness, it was an unfolding of circumstances that impacted everyone involved. Some for good, some … not so much. But that was part of its beauty. It reflected the true messiness of life, of bad decisions, and ultimately, of how we really learn about what we need as we blindly make our way through difficulties.u2063
u2063
If it wasn’t obvious, I highly recommend this beautifully written and totally emotionally gutting romance. Seriously a superb read.u2063
Taryn is a pretty messed up chick, but I really connected with her. This is an emotional story, in love with two guys. Well not really, because she doesn’t believe in love. I got so caught up trying to figure out who she would choose. I really enjoyed this book a lot. This was my first read from this author, but won’t be the last.
What do you do when you are in love with one guy, but another one offers you the security you are craving? Well for Taryn you date them both making for an incredibly confusing love triangle with your ex, his current girlfriend and his best friend.
Taryn never wanted to trust anyone with her heart, her past scaring her into not believing in true love so when she fell and got her heart broken she vowed for it never to happen again. She’s a broken character, brash and unapologetic. I couldn’t relate to her, but wanted her to find her happily ever after.
On to the men in her life, Austin and Theo. I did not like Austin from the start and cringed each time he came onto the page. I could not find any redeemable qualities in him. I swooned for Theo from the very beginning. Even though I was #TeamTheo, I wanted to strangle him on a couple of occasions where I felt he was being too passive.
This story takes you from present to past, helping the reader understand the motivations behind the characters actions. Taryn, Austin and Theo have a history that leads them to where they are now.
A great read!