Review: ATHEISTS WHO KNEEL AND PRAY by TARRYN FISHER

 

Synopsis:

 

Yara Phillips is a wandering muse.

She dates men who need her, but always moves on to something new, never staying in one place for very long.

David Lisey is in need of a muse.

A talented musician lacking lyrical inspiration. When he first sees her, he knows he’s found what he’s been looking for.

Yara believes she can give David exactly what he needs to reach his full potential:
A broken heart.

David’s religion is love.

Yara’s religion is heartache.

Neither is willing to surrender, but religion always requires sacrifice.

 

My Review:

 

4.5 – 5 Stars!!

“I want the pain to stay where it is, hard and heavy. It makes me feel close to her. I am inspired, but I am empty.”

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO GET TO THIS BOOK?! The audiobook is now part of the Audible Romance Package so if you are able, LISTEN TO THIS BOOK! Writing a review for a book that I actually took notes on is not easy. While I don’t always love all Tarryn Fisher’s books, I fell head over heels in love with AWKAP. Even the title is a thoughtful, meaningful reflection of the tone of the book. Please don’t let the title throw you off, this is a story about love, flaws, acceptance and redemption. Definitely NOT a a book about religion!

“It was awful to be this person, so jammed up with bad experiences you couldn’t let anyone see your real face.”

This is a very different kind of romance novel. The main protagonist, Yara, is most definitely not a lovable or even very likable heroine. She moves from city to city, from job to job and from relationship to relationship. She leaves men before they can abandon her, because she is certain that will always be the outcome. But yet I fell in love with Yara and loved how the author made her very human and very REAL, flaws and all. Even when I disagreed with Yara, I understood her motivations. This is a novel filled with romance and with heartbreak and life.

“It’s human nature to want to fix things. That was my first thought, actually, but you’re right. Someone should take you as you are, not have an agenda for how they want to change you.”

Yes, Yara is definitely a character you love to hate. David comes into her life and she just knows that they can never last. Even when David professes his love for her, Yara is so damaged that she creates conflict where none exists and becomes the jealous girlfriend, a role she swears she never wanted. Some of her insecurities are real but some are not. David is a talented musician whose music becomes even better after he meets Yara. She becomes his muse.

“The most twisted thing about being an artist comes when you understand you’re creating for one specific person. The painful part is realizing who that person is, and the devastating part is knowing the compulsion will never go away.”

This is not a perfect story and the rather abrupt ending stunned me. But I expect nothing less from Ms. Fisher and love how she can always surprise me with her writing. I realized after I finished AWKAP that the ending was perfect for David and Yara. Real life is messy and doesn’t always have a pretty, perfect ending tied up neatly with a ribbon.

“My drug was wanderlust. I got high by starting over. We always had a drug. We could replace one with another, but humans were addicts.”

I applaud the author for the very detailed descriptions of Seattle and London, two of my favorite cities. The settings lent a very moody tone to the book and were the perfect backdrop for Yara and David’s turbulent relationship. Yara is the perfect Tarryn Fisher heroine: smart, independent and prickly. If you are a fan of Tarryn Fisher, you will LOVE this story. It is moody, inventive, messy and brutally honest.

“Come back to me. Come back. Come.”