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Fluke
Adam Fluke is a regular guy. He wants love, friendship, and happiness. However, his bumbling-but-good-natured tendencies have left him lacking direction in life. Content with his lack of motivation, he earns a meager living as a pizza delivery boy.
Everything changes one night, though, on a medium cheese pizza delivery to Sara DuBeau.
Sara is interesting, intellectual, fun, and successful: everything Adam believes he is not.
An unexpected, whirlwind relationship begins, and it's a match made in heaven.
Or is it?
Their storybook happiness is called into question by the discovery of a mysterious, buried-away photograph of a man with an uncanny resemblance to Adam.
Secrets are revealed, the search for answers begins, and Adam's very identity is suddenly the one thing that could tear them apart.
Everything changes one night, though, on a medium cheese pizza delivery to Sara DuBeau.
Sara is interesting, intellectual, fun, and successful: everything Adam believes he is not.
An unexpected, whirlwind relationship begins, and it's a match made in heaven.
Or is it?
Their storybook happiness is called into question by the discovery of a mysterious, buried-away photograph of a man with an uncanny resemblance to Adam.
Secrets are revealed, the search for answers begins, and Adam's very identity is suddenly the one thing that could tear them apart.
255 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2012
56 people are currently reading
631 people want to read
About the author
David Elliott
2 books5 followersFlorida native. 21 years in the military. Current Colorado resident. Foul mouth. A bunch of daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
March 14, 2017
Dave Elliott and I had a great time writing Fluke and we appreciate your feedback and positive support!
Not every book will appeal to every person; we all have different tastes. As such, I will mention that if your expectations are a Fifty Shades experience...you will likely be disappointed. I'm not passing judgment, only trying to avoid confusion. Adam Fluke, our protagonist, is not Christian Gray...he's just a regular guy, stumbling through life, trying to figure things out. He's realistic...somebody you might meet on the street today.
But, don't let that deter you from settling down with a warm cup of Fluke. We think it's a fun book that will tickle each of your emotions a little bit. I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting our heads together and writing it.
To learn more about us and some background on the Flukey story, please visit my site: www.barthopkins.com. Dave and I actually completed most of the book back in 2001/2002. Deployments and life got in the way of our pursuing publishing for a decade.
If you want to see (or take part in) my random babblings, check out my blog: http://www.barthopkins.com/blog/.
UPDATE: There is a sequel coming for Fluke. Maybe in 2016-2017. It's going to be fun!
Thanks
~Bart
Not every book will appeal to every person; we all have different tastes. As such, I will mention that if your expectations are a Fifty Shades experience...you will likely be disappointed. I'm not passing judgment, only trying to avoid confusion. Adam Fluke, our protagonist, is not Christian Gray...he's just a regular guy, stumbling through life, trying to figure things out. He's realistic...somebody you might meet on the street today.
But, don't let that deter you from settling down with a warm cup of Fluke. We think it's a fun book that will tickle each of your emotions a little bit. I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting our heads together and writing it.
To learn more about us and some background on the Flukey story, please visit my site: www.barthopkins.com. Dave and I actually completed most of the book back in 2001/2002. Deployments and life got in the way of our pursuing publishing for a decade.
If you want to see (or take part in) my random babblings, check out my blog: http://www.barthopkins.com/blog/.
UPDATE: There is a sequel coming for Fluke. Maybe in 2016-2017. It's going to be fun!
Thanks
~Bart
July 25, 2013
Omg worst story ever. There's a reason some books are free on kindle. This jumped right into a sketchy plot line with no character development whatsoever. I kept hoping it would get better, but the end was actually worse than anything else- suddenly, things just end and not in a way that could even make sense. If I had this author in my class, I wouldn't even give him an F- I'd just make him redo it from start to finish.
June 11, 2013
'Fluke' may have ruined me for first-time authors for the rest of my life.
I downloaded 'Fluke' because it had fantastic reviews on Amazon. WHY?!? Adam Fluke has to be one of the most annoyingly written characters to live on paper. Ever. Yes, he's more annoying than Bella Swan.
Here is a list of my issues with this book:
1) Adam is annoying. I know I mentioned that already, but it's worth mentioning again. He has no self-esteem, is apparently unattractive given his self-descriptions and he isn't all that interesting. *I* can't understand why Sara is with him. He's a total slacker with no sense of responsibility. Their connection is, what, some 80s music interests and they both smoke? His "humor" falls flat and if my boyfriend did some of the stuff he does to get a laugh, I would have broken up with him immediately and questioned his mental stability.
2) If Sara is so bothered with Adam's resemblance to the person who molested her as a child after their trip to TX, why didn't it bother her before? She goes into a few trances when they first start dating, but is otherwise peachy-keen with their relationship? I don't buy it. If this disgust was such a problem, she never would have asked him out on the first night, let alone slept with him and asked him to move in and freeload off of her after being together for 3 weeks, or whatever insane amount of time it was.
3) Sean is Adam's best friend. I guess. He talks about him a bit. He gets one scene in the book. But when Adam is falling apart about his relationship with Sara, he goes to Heather for advice? The girl who admittedly wants to be with him and is the "back-up" girlfriend? I guess that's in keeping with Adam's low self-esteem. Of course he would want attention from another girl when his relationship is a train wreck, even though he's so in love with Sara that he can't think straight.
4) Blah blah blah, story. Blah blah blah love, love, love. Blah Blah Blah more love. Blah Blah break-up. Sara dies. A year later Adam realizes Heather is beautiful and he wants to be with her.
Wait, what? Sara dies? How? Why? He's completely and obsessively fixated on her for 95% of the book and her death gets 2 lines, and not even a cause of death.
5) The digital formatting isn't great. There were 2 spots where I turned the page and half of the last page repeated onto the new page. Also, there were grammar and punctuation errors throughout.
Overall, I'm really disappointed that I waded through all that crap hoping for some redeeming quality to the story only to find none. The only upside to this book was that I didn't spend any money purchasing it.
I downloaded 'Fluke' because it had fantastic reviews on Amazon. WHY?!? Adam Fluke has to be one of the most annoyingly written characters to live on paper. Ever. Yes, he's more annoying than Bella Swan.
Here is a list of my issues with this book:
1) Adam is annoying. I know I mentioned that already, but it's worth mentioning again. He has no self-esteem, is apparently unattractive given his self-descriptions and he isn't all that interesting. *I* can't understand why Sara is with him. He's a total slacker with no sense of responsibility. Their connection is, what, some 80s music interests and they both smoke? His "humor" falls flat and if my boyfriend did some of the stuff he does to get a laugh, I would have broken up with him immediately and questioned his mental stability.
2) If Sara is so bothered with Adam's resemblance to the person who molested her as a child after their trip to TX, why didn't it bother her before? She goes into a few trances when they first start dating, but is otherwise peachy-keen with their relationship? I don't buy it. If this disgust was such a problem, she never would have asked him out on the first night, let alone slept with him and asked him to move in and freeload off of her after being together for 3 weeks, or whatever insane amount of time it was.
3) Sean is Adam's best friend. I guess. He talks about him a bit. He gets one scene in the book. But when Adam is falling apart about his relationship with Sara, he goes to Heather for advice? The girl who admittedly wants to be with him and is the "back-up" girlfriend? I guess that's in keeping with Adam's low self-esteem. Of course he would want attention from another girl when his relationship is a train wreck, even though he's so in love with Sara that he can't think straight.
4) Blah blah blah, story. Blah blah blah love, love, love. Blah Blah Blah more love. Blah Blah break-up. Sara dies. A year later Adam realizes Heather is beautiful and he wants to be with her.
Wait, what? Sara dies? How? Why? He's completely and obsessively fixated on her for 95% of the book and her death gets 2 lines, and not even a cause of death.
5) The digital formatting isn't great. There were 2 spots where I turned the page and half of the last page repeated onto the new page. Also, there were grammar and punctuation errors throughout.
Overall, I'm really disappointed that I waded through all that crap hoping for some redeeming quality to the story only to find none. The only upside to this book was that I didn't spend any money purchasing it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2012
Fluke is a story about a man named Adam Fluke. He’s just an average pizza delivery man in his 20’s. He falls in love with a woman named Sara. It is a fun loving romantic story…. Until everything goes wrong.
Adam and Sara must travel back to Sara’s hometown to revisit her past and sort find the truth surrounding issues that were haunting them both. When the conclusion is what they were hoping it wouldn’t be, their relationship is in danger.
I feel like this novel was very well written. It started off as a fun, easy-going read. But, as you get further into it, it becomes more tense and issues start arising. I feel like the authors did a wonderful job with character development – something that isn’t always very easy to do.
They touch on some very rough topics that unfortunately many people have experienced throughout their lives, and they handled the writing of it very well.
I really enjoyed this book; to the point where I would probably read it a second time. The characters were all great, the story was very well written, and I really enjoyed the comedy side of it mixed in with the rough topics.
It was an easy read, and well worth it.
5/5 Stars
Adam and Sara must travel back to Sara’s hometown to revisit her past and sort find the truth surrounding issues that were haunting them both. When the conclusion is what they were hoping it wouldn’t be, their relationship is in danger.
I feel like this novel was very well written. It started off as a fun, easy-going read. But, as you get further into it, it becomes more tense and issues start arising. I feel like the authors did a wonderful job with character development – something that isn’t always very easy to do.
They touch on some very rough topics that unfortunately many people have experienced throughout their lives, and they handled the writing of it very well.
I really enjoyed this book; to the point where I would probably read it a second time. The characters were all great, the story was very well written, and I really enjoyed the comedy side of it mixed in with the rough topics.
It was an easy read, and well worth it.
5/5 Stars
December 16, 2015
I loved this book........interesting to have a male protagonist for a change and read the story through his eyes. It's all about Adam Fluke who's a young pizza delivery guy. On a delivery one night he meets Sara and falls for her bigtime. Things progress well until one day Adam finds a photograph Sara has in her possession which features a man in it who looks uncannily like Adam...and he can't let it be and needs to find out what on earth is going on.
It's funny in places and Adam's a likeable guy and other parts are really heartbreakingly sad too. Everso well written and enjoyable nevertheless and you end up really rooting for Fluke and hope he ends up happy !! Try it, you'll like it........I took a chance and didn't regret it.
It's funny in places and Adam's a likeable guy and other parts are really heartbreakingly sad too. Everso well written and enjoyable nevertheless and you end up really rooting for Fluke and hope he ends up happy !! Try it, you'll like it........I took a chance and didn't regret it.
August 2, 2012
Fluke is your typical guy next door, but as you know, everyone has a story or two worth sharing. You can't help but fall in love with the comedic Adam Fluke and truly feel the agony as his past unravels before him. This novel reminds me of my own youth and all the silliness, as well as the growing pains that help mold us into the adults we become. I really recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a coming-of-age selection with a moving and unexpected ending. I would also love to know more about Fluke-- pre or post life with Sara!!
September 11, 2012
Adam Fluke is your average nice guy that is a little too old to not know where his life is going. In his late twenties with a pizza delivery job, Adam Fluke is going nowhere fast. Then, he meets the girl of his dreams on a delivery. After she tells him to call her when he gets off, he takes off back to his job and ups and quits right then, leaving behind a girl at work who was a “possibility”, who also plays a big part in the book.
Now unemployed, and prone to what his friends call “The Fluke Factor”, which pretty much means whatever he can f*** up he will, even if he is just tripping over his own feet, Adam falls head over heels for a girl that seems perfect, though there are some things about her that give him pause. Such as the fact that she will go into her own head and be totally unresponsive when her name is called. Also the fact that she whispers at one time, “You just look so much like him…”
Sara and Fluke instantly become thick as thieves. Fluke revolves his whole life around her, and Sara seems to be a good influence on him. Sara is an assistant curator at a museum, and he feels inadequate up against her education and job. She encourages him to get a job and go back to college. They adopt a teddy bear and Sara names it Flukey.
But once again the “Fluke Factor” pops up and after a small scare and a terrifying possibility, brought on by one photograph, Sara and Fluke go on a trip that could change their lives…that does change their lives…forever.
Fluke is a wild ride that has SO many laugh-out-loud and WTF moments. The whole time I was reading the book I had that country song “Crazy Girl” going through my mind. Even though what I was expecting to happen never really came to fruition. I definitely did not have the storyline figured out like I thought I did though. I never would have guessed what happened. And now I have you all crazy wondering what happened, huh? LOL, well the only way to find that out is to read it. I will just say that Fluke was unexpected in a good way. I literally laughed and cried before I finished this book, with my emotional turmoil skyrocketing all the time. One minute you will be fine and the next minute your stomach will take a nosedive in disbelief. I refuse to tell you more of the storyline because all of the little tidbits are what make it…and if I tell you now I will ruin it for you. I totally related to all of the characters, they were believable and engaging. The storyline hooked me in and did not let me go. I was horrified at the ending. Bart, I just want to say that the ending was not fair…I was left wanting to know more! Oh, and Terri (Wonder-Woman) Kickner, thanks for the heads up to have tissues handy…I needed them! All-in-all, this is a read that is not to be missed. I give Fluke 5 stars.
Now unemployed, and prone to what his friends call “The Fluke Factor”, which pretty much means whatever he can f*** up he will, even if he is just tripping over his own feet, Adam falls head over heels for a girl that seems perfect, though there are some things about her that give him pause. Such as the fact that she will go into her own head and be totally unresponsive when her name is called. Also the fact that she whispers at one time, “You just look so much like him…”
Sara and Fluke instantly become thick as thieves. Fluke revolves his whole life around her, and Sara seems to be a good influence on him. Sara is an assistant curator at a museum, and he feels inadequate up against her education and job. She encourages him to get a job and go back to college. They adopt a teddy bear and Sara names it Flukey.
But once again the “Fluke Factor” pops up and after a small scare and a terrifying possibility, brought on by one photograph, Sara and Fluke go on a trip that could change their lives…that does change their lives…forever.
Fluke is a wild ride that has SO many laugh-out-loud and WTF moments. The whole time I was reading the book I had that country song “Crazy Girl” going through my mind. Even though what I was expecting to happen never really came to fruition. I definitely did not have the storyline figured out like I thought I did though. I never would have guessed what happened. And now I have you all crazy wondering what happened, huh? LOL, well the only way to find that out is to read it. I will just say that Fluke was unexpected in a good way. I literally laughed and cried before I finished this book, with my emotional turmoil skyrocketing all the time. One minute you will be fine and the next minute your stomach will take a nosedive in disbelief. I refuse to tell you more of the storyline because all of the little tidbits are what make it…and if I tell you now I will ruin it for you. I totally related to all of the characters, they were believable and engaging. The storyline hooked me in and did not let me go. I was horrified at the ending. Bart, I just want to say that the ending was not fair…I was left wanting to know more! Oh, and Terri (Wonder-Woman) Kickner, thanks for the heads up to have tissues handy…I needed them! All-in-all, this is a read that is not to be missed. I give Fluke 5 stars.
August 14, 2012
Wow - what a wonderful book! A tale that takes you through the full gamut of emotions, but with a humorous voice. Fun 80s and 90s pop culture references here and there - just the right amount. I really connected with the characters - real and modern. I stayed up almost all night and morning because i couldn't put it down!!
August 8, 2012
Intense fast read. I love reading from a guy's perspective....that ending killed me though!
August 8, 2012
Good read. I was pleasantly entertained.
February 17, 2016
What a load of garbage, I almost gave up on it several times and wish I had.
Story is - average looking boy delivers pizza to beautiful girl. Girl asks boy out. Boy quits job immediately (like you would). Boy and girl get it on then girl has a weird trance moment. Boy and girl fall in love, he moves in. She finds out he is adopted which brings on another trance moment.
To cut a long story short it turns out she was sexually abuse as a child and his birth father was the abuser. He ends it, she can't live without him and tops herself.
Story is - average looking boy delivers pizza to beautiful girl. Girl asks boy out. Boy quits job immediately (like you would). Boy and girl get it on then girl has a weird trance moment. Boy and girl fall in love, he moves in. She finds out he is adopted which brings on another trance moment.
To cut a long story short it turns out she was sexually abuse as a child and his birth father was the abuser. He ends it, she can't live without him and tops herself.
February 6, 2013
Oh what an annoying book. I read it on my Kindle Fire which was great as, while the battery lasts, you can read it in dark places and you don’t have to shuffle the G&T on the plane around while trying to turn over a page. Back to the book. Elliot & Hopkins have done a reasonably good job of building a relationship between two people and then knocking it over in the most dramatic of styles. Fluke is a no-hoper pizza delivery boy who falls into a whirlwind romance with Sara who has a degree, a great job and (as only ex-military male authors can describe) is the most beautiful woman in the world – aren’t they all!
Once you get past the yucky lovey stuff and the abandonment of his best mate the real story begins and it is a dark and difficult story to write about – which they do well. I don’t know if this is a peculiarity of Kindle versions or not but it began to feel like a Readers Digest condensed novel. You know, where so much is cut out that you feel the story is moving too fast and necessary background and character development is omitted? There seems to be so much to express and develop in the second half of the book - and which wasn’t - that I started to get irritated. And as for the ending, I felt the authors were simply dumping me. How can you end it like that! You didn’t give me very much to build my own interpretation from either – I did feel a little cheated by that.
I believe this is the duo’s first novel and, for that, it is very good. I think, certainly in the second half. it needed to be extended to allow the story to evolve (post note - saw Barts note in the comments 15th Jan: great to see authors taking the time to write in there and yes, you are right there is something to tickle everyone in this book!)
Once you get past the yucky lovey stuff and the abandonment of his best mate the real story begins and it is a dark and difficult story to write about – which they do well. I don’t know if this is a peculiarity of Kindle versions or not but it began to feel like a Readers Digest condensed novel. You know, where so much is cut out that you feel the story is moving too fast and necessary background and character development is omitted? There seems to be so much to express and develop in the second half of the book - and which wasn’t - that I started to get irritated. And as for the ending, I felt the authors were simply dumping me. How can you end it like that! You didn’t give me very much to build my own interpretation from either – I did feel a little cheated by that.
I believe this is the duo’s first novel and, for that, it is very good. I think, certainly in the second half. it needed to be extended to allow the story to evolve (post note - saw Barts note in the comments 15th Jan: great to see authors taking the time to write in there and yes, you are right there is something to tickle everyone in this book!)
July 27, 2017
I loved this boook!!!! I am actually really surprised as to how much I loved this book, and how fast I had read it. To be honest I am normally not one for the whole contemporary/ romance trend, but all I have to say is wow !!! Am I ever impressed!!!
This book won't only pull at your heart strings it will also keep you guessing, and on your toes. There was multiplayer times were I was thinking one thing was going to for sure happen, and in the end it happened to be the complet opposit. I truly love when that happens, because then I'm always left guessing love it. I loved that the relationship in this book ( although at times could be far feched ) was so relatable!! I mean it showed use that not all relationships are flowered and sunshine. I think this is more then amazing, because it showed use what things could truly be like ( in the far extreme of cours hahah). I also love the character change as the story went on as well. It was nice to see fluck adult and handl things at his own accord instead of chickening out. All in all great book, and wood reds and it to anyone!!!
This book won't only pull at your heart strings it will also keep you guessing, and on your toes. There was multiplayer times were I was thinking one thing was going to for sure happen, and in the end it happened to be the complet opposit. I truly love when that happens, because then I'm always left guessing love it. I loved that the relationship in this book ( although at times could be far feched ) was so relatable!! I mean it showed use that not all relationships are flowered and sunshine. I think this is more then amazing, because it showed use what things could truly be like ( in the far extreme of cours hahah). I also love the character change as the story went on as well. It was nice to see fluck adult and handl things at his own accord instead of chickening out. All in all great book, and wood reds and it to anyone!!!
August 25, 2012
The book is co-authored by David Elliott and Bart Hopkins. I was really distracted with the authors repeated misuse of "I" after a preposition which wasn't a fluke. Being a free Kindle book with a teddy bear (Flukey) on the cover, I gave the book a chance and tried to overlook the grammatical errors. It had some humorous moments but generally it felt like watching a low budget movie.
January 10, 2013
There weren't any grammatical errors and only one or two typos...fewer than most large publishing house novels. The authors took an original idea that, initially, might seem far-fetched and they really made it work. I appreciated that the main character, Adam, learned from his mistakes in the end. Excellent read!
January 10, 2013
This was a random book that I picked up during my Christmas break. I read it pretty quickly because it was an easy read. I didn't like the story as much in the beginning, but I never gave up on any books so I kept reading. This book has an unexpected ending. I ended up giving this book a 7/10 on my personal rating. Great job to the authors for their first complete novel!
April 8, 2013
Adam Fluke is a guy for whom things never go quite to plan.
Then he meets Sara and his life changes for the better.....for a while.
A photo bearing an image of a man who looks just like him sets of a chain of events that change things completely.
I really enjoyed this book, believable, likeable characters and easy to read.
Then he meets Sara and his life changes for the better.....for a while.
A photo bearing an image of a man who looks just like him sets of a chain of events that change things completely.
I really enjoyed this book, believable, likeable characters and easy to read.
July 26, 2013
I really didn't like this book at all. It was boring, slow moving, and the ending left a big question. I couldn't wait to finish it so I can read something else. It was a free Kindle book and I only downloaded it because of all the positive reviews. I guess my taste and interest differs very much from most people. It was a waste of my time.
November 3, 2013
Was hard for me to get into at first, but pushed mud..kcal to continue. Interesting story, crazy events, and sad yet happy ending. I felt bad for Adam with all he went through, but happy he made it through. Still wonder how Sara died, would have liked to have known for sure other than speculate.
October 9, 2012
Very interesting book...good character development. Just one heck of an incomplete ending.
October 12, 2012
Easy read. Good love story. Ending surprised me
December 29, 2012
I liked Adam Fluke - think I've known men like him. Sleepless night so this occupied me till 4 am.
January 1, 2013
Starts out as a delightful story, but a bit of a dark end.
January 31, 2016
I enjoyed this book, right up to the end which I hoped would be a bit different to what it was. The book certainly wasn't what I was expecting :)
May 23, 2013
I loved Fluke. starts out as a cute love story between a pizza delivery boy and a woman who orders a course cheese pizza. the ending was very depressing though, I must admit. but over all I loved it
November 2, 2013
Such a good book right up to the crap ending. It didn't have to be a HEA to be good, but this was just awful! Glad it was free. Would like my 5 hours of reading time back!
July 10, 2015
Good book
The ending was definitely not what I expected but glad Fluke got his life straight. It takes some people longer to grow up and mature.
The ending was definitely not what I expected but glad Fluke got his life straight. It takes some people longer to grow up and mature.
September 13, 2015
Good read, surprising ending
Well, written, kept me wanting to know what happens. Adam seems like a lot of young men, lost but can easily find his way.
Well, written, kept me wanting to know what happens. Adam seems like a lot of young men, lost but can easily find his way.
July 2, 2017
Love story and life
Nice life lesson rolled into a love story. One never knows what may turn out to be a really good lesson.
Nice life lesson rolled into a love story. One never knows what may turn out to be a really good lesson.
September 23, 2018
This was just an all around good book. The characters had such complexities about them that made you connect with them in a empathetic and vulnerable way. Adam for sure became a better person wholeheartedly from his relationship with Sara. Being that Sara chose him immediately knowing who he resembled showed her state of mind from get go. Sara really needed help that Adam could never give her,and in the end it showed she wasn't ready for real life issues to be put on the table. Some people are only put into your life for a season, and others for the right reasons. This story was a true 360 love story and journey of self discovery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews