Riley Davis is mixed up in an emotional love triangle that she wants out of. But she can’t help the way she feels about Henry Garner. She’s obsessed. And she’s convinced that her on the sly relationship with Henry is going to end badly.
And Henry has a secret. A secret that could make or break one relationship. But which one will it be? His relationship with Callie? Or his romantic entanglement with Riley?
“I’d told myself that some part of him was better than no part of him. But some part of him is beginning to break me. I want more. I need more. Because like Callie, I’m in love with him, too.” – Riley
I love the stories that have happily ever afters, but if you were to ask me to choose between that and a story about an angst-driven romance, I would probably choose the latter. I don’t know why I like books about messy, imperfect, gut wrenching relationships so much. Maybe on some levels I feel like I relate to them? Maybe it’s because there’s the chance that the ending won’t be predictable? I don’t know. Relationships are just fucking messy sometimes, and I guess there’s a masochistic part of me that likes reading about those imperfect romances; which is why I was pretty dang excited to read He Loves Me…He Loves You Not.
The storyline is pretty self-explanatory: “Riley loves Henry. Henry loves Riley, but he’s dating Callie.” So, just how long can Henry string Riley along before she finally gets tired of being his dirty little secret?
To be completely honest, I had no problem with Riley. I don’t think cheating is right on any level, but it’s not like she was messing around with Henry just to have something fun to do; she legitimately loved him, and after all the lines he fed her about loving her, I can imagine it would be hard to turn him down or just flat out walk away from the situation. I felt for her so many times throughout this novella, because it seemed like no matter what she did or said, Henry was never willing to fully commit to her. He would give her hope and then take it right back. This brings me to my next point…
Henry. It is safe to say I am not a Henry fan. He is in love with Riley, but refuses to break up with Callie. Um…what? The reason he “can’t” leave Callie is made clear towards the end of the book, but I just don’t see that as a valid excuse…at all. He was just downright selfish. I don’t understand how he could continually hurt Riley over and over again if he loved her so much. And granted, Callie is a bitch but no girl deserves to be lied to and cheated on. To me, Henry was the embodiment of a self-centered jerk.
Despite my dislike for Henry, I did still enjoy this book. If a character evokes any kind of emotion from me, whether it is positive or negative, I think that’s a characteristic of a good author. The storyline had me in its grip from the very beginning, and didn’t let go. It’s a short read and I believe it’s only $0.99 from Barnes and Noble (as a nook book) so if you like angst-driven romances, I’d definitely encourage you to give He Loves Me…He Loves You Not a whirl.
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