Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Tricky Series #1

Tricky Wisdom: Year I

Rate this book
ASIN B010VUPEUO moved to the most recent edition here

Darcy Wright is a closeted lesbian who has been infatuated with her best friend, Taylor, since junior high. Leaving her small northeast Minnesota town for Harvard in a quest to become a doctor, she moves in with med-student Olivia Boyd, a neurotic, anal, gigantic pain in the backside. The first year of juggling medical school is gruelling, but it’s nothing compared to living with Olivia.
Coming out to her friends and family with an anti-climactic flop, Darcy uses her newly publicised sexuality to try and win Taylor’s affections through an ill-hatched scheme that crosses uncomfortable lines. The result is as unexpected to Darcy as Darcy’s affinity for medicine is to Olivia.
The first year of medical school is a nerve-wracking encounter in medicine, learning lessons the hard way, and finding what her heart desires.
*Minor changes to manuscript updated 2nd September*

48,900 words

170 pages, ebook

First published September 1, 2015

61 people are currently reading
810 people want to read

About the author

Camryn Eyde

11 books227 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
622 (48%)
4 stars
438 (33%)
3 stars
186 (14%)
2 stars
36 (2%)
1 star
13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
Profile Image for Lex Kent.
1,683 reviews9,860 followers
May 17, 2019
First I have to take a minute to say I’m excited because this is actually my 1,000th review since joining Goodreads. I can’t believe how fast the time has flown-by. I joined Goodreads as a way to help my poor memory remember all these great books. I stayed because the community of lesfic readers/reviewers here is just amazing. I want to say thanks to everyone for the support, kind words, and friendships that kept me coming back here to make it possible to hit 1k. Okay, enough about that. I actually feel like I’m one of the last people in the lesfic universe to read this book. I wanted to take some time away from ARC’s to read a book that has been on my want to read list for ages. This was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.

This book actually covers three storylines in lesfic that I enjoy, a medical romance, a fauxmance, and an ice-queen character. I was happy to see three of my favorite things rolled up into one book. I thought the pace of the book was really good. It was very readable. Had a little drama to keep the pages turning, but nothing to overwhelming, it was just a fun read from start to finish.

However, one thing I did notice was the characters felt a little young to me for the supposed age of 23. I mean that is still young but they felt more like 17-18, just ready to start college, not really adults yet. And it wasn’t because one character was a virgin; it was more how everyone processed their feelings. I didn’t ruin my enjoyment at all, but this did have a YA feel.

I thought the romance was sweet. I thought it went at a nice pace and I really enjoyed the two mains together. It was fun to see the ice-queen slowly crack a little. And since one of the characters was a virgin, it was nice to see the first sex scene was more realistic, she wasn’t at porn star level her first time, she had to learn what her girlfriend enjoyed. I thought it was well written.

I have heard that the next book is even better which I’m looking forward too. I hope there is a little more medical in this medical romance. I was missing that in this book, but I’m hopefully since they will be second years in med school, it will be more hands on.

If you are a romance fan, and are one of the few like me not to read this yet, I absolutely recommend this. The price is only 1.99 US right now which is an absolute steal in my opinion. I can’t wait to read book 2.
Profile Image for Farah.
767 reviews86 followers
March 13, 2019
Tricky Wisdom does not end with a cliffhanger. Darcy and Olivia are in a really good place at the end of the book, so put your worries away, get the book and join The Darcy+Olivia fan club.. The book is dirt cheap okay, grab it before Amazon realize its mistake and increase the price.


The story is told entirely from Darcy’s POV, and there’s a whole range of storylines intersecting throughout the story – Pre Med @ Harvard, friendship, relationship and personal issues that sucked me in and had my heart pounding from the direction the author is taking with Darcy's love life and my stomach hurting from laughing at Darcy's antics. I absolutely love Darcy - she's 23, never been kissed nor in relationship and bewildered by the mundane responses she gets when she comes OUT. She might be juvenile when it comes to relationships, can't really blame her but her commitment towards achieving her ambition is beyond doubt.


Oh.My.Olivia - pure broody, angsty and the chemistry between her and Darcy is nothing but A++. Of course, there's the instant hatred, but from the very start there’s something much deeper between them, a connection that deepens with each encounter, unknown to them that they each bring something into their slowly developed
I can barely tolerate you - No promises on not smothering you in your sleep - couplehood.

Darcy's parents, especially her mum adds a very heartwarming family element into the story. For someone as broken as Olivia, hanging around with these kind of people, besides Darcy is just what she needs to create new memories and chapters in her life.

Fantastic book, worth spending time with. Recommended.
Profile Image for lov2laf.
714 reviews1,107 followers
March 31, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised by this read. I've enjoyed Camryn Eyde's short stories but was not a fan of 'The Woman Upstairs' so I wasn't sure what to expect. On the whole, I found the book to be entertaining and it was nice to see a relationship unfold that wasn't insta-love.

The dynamics between Darcy and Olivia is charged from beginning to end and Olivia's character had some unexpected depth, too, that I thought was handled really well.

The only thing I didn't like was a slap that occurs. It's not between Olivia and Darcy, at least, but I get really bugged with any type of physical aggression unless it's part of a plot point someone is trying to get away from.

Anyway, I did like this. Recommend.
Profile Image for Tiff.
385 reviews236 followers
December 27, 2016
This is a wonderful, fun read. The characters are complicated and interesting. Olivia is a conundrum, in the most fascinating of ways.

So the story begins introducing us to Darcy. Darcy is a 23 year old college grad on her way to Harvard Medical School. Darcy is also in love with Taylor, her childhood best friend. She has subjected herself to never having a romantic relationship of any kind because of her pining for Taylor. Upon arrival at Harvard, Darcy meets her roommate, Olivia and surprise her new roommate is total nutcase.

Olivia is an interesting character. She makes this book really stand out. She is flawed on so many ways, but you can’t help but like her. She is prickly and sassy, and so challenging to figure out. You have to feel for Darcy having her as a roommate. She is challenging to say the least. Both of the main characters have issues they are working through. In Olivia’s past and Darcy’s inexperience with relationships.

The book really picks up steam and gets turned on its head when BFF Taylor gets a girlfriend back home in Minnesota. Taylor up until Darcy leaving for med school always dated men. Darcy is jealous and doesn’t understand why Taylor chooses to fall for a girl, especially a girl that is not her. So she tells Taylor a little white lie to save some face. What’s the lie you ask? Well that she is dating Olivia of course. Olivia is then cajoled into going along with Darcy’s charade. I won’t tell you anymore because that would spoil this amazing story. PS, The first kiss is hot. Fire extinguisher please!

The story is well written, clear and concise. You enjoy the twist and turns of their path to true love. The ending is sweet and fits perfectly. Eyde does not rush through the ending. It is well formulated and will have you begging for more I can’t wait till the next book in 2016.

https://theromanticreaderblog.wordpre...
Profile Image for Alexis.
510 reviews650 followers
April 10, 2017
I had forgotten how much I loved this book.

With the release of Tricky Chances: The Clinical Years which is book 2 in "The Tricky Series" I decided to re-read this because I remember it being such a good read. It's even better the second time around which caused me to change my rating from 4* to 5* and I added it to my list of all time favorite books.

Back when I first read this and many other books, I wasn't in the habit of leaving reviews. I just simply devoured one book after another until I realized how much other reviewers influenced my reading habits. Which is why i'm leaving a very short 'review' now.

This was a fantastic read. It made me laugh out loud several times but it also made me cry. Sure there were moments when I wanted to grab Olivia and shake some sense into her because she's not the easiest person to deal with. Ok to be honest I found her to be a royal pain in the *ss a lot of times but Darcy also made me want to bash her over the head with a large mallet Looney Tunes style. Oddly enough that feeling only made me love these emotionally stunted women even more. Considering the way book 1 ended, I have a feeling i'll need a full box of tissues before starting book 2, good thing I have that ready along with a fully charged e-reader.
Profile Image for Starsandsun18.
258 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2017
4.5 nice quick read *fav*


I had to re-read this before starting Tricky Chances.
I almost forgot how much I enjoyed Olivia and Darcy.
I love their odd pairing. I also think I have a thing with Ice Queens. They're difficult and really hard to please but once stick with them they're usually worth it.
Just be patient with them. :)


Darcy is pretty cute. She's really innocent when it come to relationships and love. She's really smart very witty and out going. She's got a huge crush on her straight best friend since childhood but she's too scared to act on it until her best friend got herself a girlfriend.

Olivia is one difficult person. She's cold, bossy, snob, obnoxious etc. I think almost all of the negative traits you can attach to her name. She also got a dark past.

This is free on Amazon now maybe on a limited time so that's a plus.
Profile Image for Diane Wallace.
1,453 reviews167 followers
June 29, 2017
Lovely series! an incredible indepth start to a nice love story,great writing...recommend to all
Profile Image for Kate.
76 reviews13 followers
May 15, 2016
Really enjoyed this book, so much so that it meant I didn't get any work done today.

Such a sweet story of Darcy attempting to navigate coming out, best friend feelings and falling in love. Oh and medical school. Looking forward to the next instalment!
Profile Image for Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud.
Author 2 books761 followers
March 2, 2019
Very sweet. Looking forward to reading the next one in the series. Not the best written book I’ve ever read but sometimes that’s not the most important.
Profile Image for Olivia.
22 reviews
April 6, 2018
Be still my heart. I was pleasantly surprised by all the drama fit into a relatively short read. The combination of the ice-queen and fake relationship storylines including the jealous "straight" best friend, made this one heated but delightful read. Read if you're in the mood for some bitchy banter and angst. My rating: 4.5* rounded up.
Profile Image for Agirlcandream.
755 reviews3 followers
April 3, 2017
I love when an author writes with heat and humour. It's a winning combination. Darcy is charming in her awkwardness, innocence and decency. Olivia is an ice queen with a twinkle in her eye. Watching her thaw while Darcy bumbles about her like some puppy in need of training was all kinds of fun.
Profile Image for MaxDisaster.
677 reviews88 followers
February 1, 2024
5 stars
I liked this very much. The writing, the story, the characters...
Olivia has crap people skills, crap communication skills and generally her attitude towards strangers needs serious improvement. And yet I found it oddly charming. Maybe because there was no intent to do harm, just extremely poor people skills. I wouldn't want to date her, ever, and living with her sounds like a nightmare, but as a book character, she's quite fun to read about.
Darcy wasn't better in the people skills area tbh. Just more on the "oblivious bull in the china shop" side of the spectrum. I related to that.
But somehow those two disasters were kinda loveable together.
I didn't like Taylor much, but, well, she was not the important part of the story.
Profile Image for C.
737 reviews78 followers
March 1, 2017
I loved it!!!

I don't know why it took me so long to read this but I'm damn glad I got my head out of my rear and did. I've pretty much loved all of Camryn Eyde's work and this is no exception. I can't wait for the next in the series to come out...please hurry!!!!
Profile Image for Anna Avian.
609 reviews136 followers
January 25, 2023
This book had a bit of a YA feel rather than a pensive medical romance for me. The characters felt younger than their 23 years of age and at times Darcy's cluelessness and insecureness were a bit annoying. I did however appreciate the way she stood by Olivia despite the numerous challenges and her constant agitation.
Profile Image for T.
308 reviews83 followers
December 12, 2016
I got this book when it was free, and I usual put off reading free books because of low expectations. But this was actually one of my favorite books in a long time. I started it this morning and didn't even stop to take my coffee break. I don't know why, but i just loved these characters and their story. The author not only created a story i loved, but writes in such a smooth compelling manner. I'll probably re-read this one.
Profile Image for Lia A.
68 reviews23 followers
April 30, 2018
Clever, witty, funny.

Nice light read.
Profile Image for Jo.
208 reviews21 followers
March 18, 2019
Sweet story, great characters although Olivia is a bit uptight , it was hard not to love the couple. Really enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Willow.
112 reviews9 followers
May 22, 2017
I love this book. Darcy with her akwardness and Olivia being...well Olivia. Going straight into the second book in the series =)
Profile Image for hubsie.
619 reviews86 followers
October 3, 2021
A delightful, fun read that was surprisingly short, and I got through it on a lazy cottage day. MC Darcy is a clueless 23 year old lesbian who is new the world of all things ladies, and also happens to be foraging through the world of medical school. Her dynamic with her new roommate, MC Olivia, was hilarious. Two opposites, laid back, fun loving yet very intelligent Darcy gets pleasure riling up hard-nosed, fiercely driven Olivia, who likes all things structured and orderly. Their back and forth was nothing new in lesfic, but I enjoyed the story.
Profile Image for Bugs.
250 reviews58 followers
February 22, 2019
*This commentary applies to the entire Tricky series (thusfar, with I believe, the 3rd and final installment yet to be released) including Book 1 "Tricky Wisdom" and Book 2 "Tricky Chances."

Camryn Eyde's Tricky series, "Tricky Wisdom" (Book 1) and "Tricky Chances" (Book 2), essentially is a series that chronicled the personal voyage of one medical student, Darcy Wright, through her eyes and point-of-view as she stumbled her way through medical training in Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, whilst also getting her previously non-existent love life all bent out of shape by being entangled with her roomie and her best mate! Yeh, Darcy's life was definitely interesting!

Speaking of the medical part of the story, whilst Eyde did cover Darcy's (and some of Olivia's albeit in conjunction with Darcy's) clinical experience in various settings, i.e. ER/Trauma, paediatrics, operating theatres and surgery, and of cos lectures, through both installments, there weren't specific medical details, i.e. procedures, surgeries, protocols, per se. The clinical portions were more about the interactions between Darcy and her peers and residents/attendings. In other words, Eyde's Tricky series was primarily character-driven. Think "Grey's Anatomy" (character-driven) instead of "ER" (plot-driven).

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the story, can I just say that reading Darcy's story in the series was like reading someone's personal journal, with every private little detail including slews of secrets being highlighted and scrutinised. What made it feel even more personal was the fact that the entire story was written in a first-person narrative, complete with every little internal monologue in all its glory! Naturally, the "personal touch" was more acutely felt and experienced as a reader. At least I felt like I was sneaking a good long peek at someone's very private journal about her whole entire life! Crikey! Everything, I mean, everything, to me, as I rode this journey along with Darcy, I felt the utter realism of it all. So real was it that in fact, I felt like I was observing everything in person, hand on heart!

Full commentary here: In Bugs' Own Words
Profile Image for Jane Shambler.
799 reviews32 followers
April 9, 2017
Excellent....10 Stars...

O.M.G. I laughed so hard I was crying. This is my second read of this book because I like to catch up before I read the sequel. Yeah I know weird but my head seems to resemble the Bermuda Triangle at times. Information go's in and it's lost forever. Til I'm reacquainted. But I could never tire of this book. It was my first by this author and won't be my last. Doh! There's the sequel. Then hopefully more after that.

The two main characters are seriously the total opposites. At times I applaud Darcy For her incredible patience. Me, I think I'd have been jumping up and down with frustration.

It's an easy to read book. You're reading but totally unaware the pages are slipping away. So annoying when the book ended. I so wanted it just to keep going. It's not a case of not being able to put it down, it was the simple fact I couldn't put it down. The author has a remarkable writing style, one I would not believe would be out off place in mainstream books.

Now I'm off to read the sequel. And yes, I can't wait. All I can really say is read it, make your own mind up, but I'm guessing I know, but I'm sure you'll love it. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Tara.
783 reviews373 followers
April 30, 2017
Tricky Wisdom is the most delicious thawing the ice queen romance. Olivia is off-putting right from the get-go, and yet she (very) slowly warms up as she gets used to Darcy and grows to respect her intelligence. Because the story is told in the first person from Darcy’s perspective, we learn everything about Olivia through her words and how Darcy perceives her actions. Her quirks, like how much she adores Harry Potter, are cute and keep her human while we wait for her to open up and trust Darcy. We’re not left lacking in knowing who Olivia is as a person, however, because when she opens up to Darcy, she lets it all out and it’s beautiful to see.

Full review: http://www.curvemag.com/Curve-Magazin...
Profile Image for Victoria.
527 reviews82 followers
June 15, 2022
I have gotten restless in the past week and cannot settle into one book. It’s really frustrating😩

And so, reading this book, I feel like hitting the jackpot! This is a lovely sunshine/grumpy, opposite attraction and fake-relationship(sort of) romance. I love the written style and the chemistry between Darcy and Olivia. I just couldn't put the book down!

The book has its flaws, some of them I wish it could have been written differently, but I still enjoy every page of it, and for now, I just can’t wait to read the sequel.
Profile Image for Zackary Ryan Cockrum.
482 reviews157 followers
February 17, 2018
This was really well done. Unlike most F-F novels, there was a stronger story and better character growth. I truly enjoyed this one and will continue the series.
Profile Image for Tory.
392 reviews10 followers
November 16, 2022
I loved this one. I couldn’t put it down. I like the push pull always going on. It’s my cup of tea.
Profile Image for Tere.
261 reviews57 followers
October 28, 2019
Review of ‘Tricky Wisdom: Year One’ and ‘Tricky Chances: The Clinical Years’ by Camryn Eyde

This is a double audio feature narrated by Nikki Jacobs and available now through Audible’s Escape membership.

I was thrilled to see this one come up and immediately moved it up my ‘to be listened list’. I read these two books back to back a couple of years ago (the first one was released in 2015 and the second one in 2017; can we hope for another one in 2019?) and loved them. This was the beginning of my lesfic journey so I wanted to see if the ‘re-read’ would be as fascinating as my memory of it. The result is a mix bag of feelings but a good experience overall.

‘Tricky Wisdom: Year One’ is the story of Darcy Wright, who leaves Minnesota for the city of Boston and Harvard Medical School. Told in first person from Darcy’s point of view, the reader gets inside all her insecurities and genuine cluelessness as she navigates a new challenging experience. She rents a room from Olivia Boyd, another first year medical student. The sparks between them are anything but romantic as Olivia is anal, abrasive and just plain insufferable. Basically the opposite to Darcy, who is a small town sweet, laid back and carefree gal. As the new school year begins, Darcy’s closeted life is shaken when her Minnesota straight best friend and one sided first love announces she is dating a woman. Darcy can’t believe she has missed out and begs Olivia to be her pretend girlfriend on her trip back home. And so the game of who loves who begins.

‘Tricky Chances: The Clinical Years’ is a longer read/listen and takes us through the end of medical school. The pressure of medial school is evident as class room gives way to clinical rotations. Long hours put stress on Darcy’s newfound relationship while new friends come in and help carry each other to the end.

Okay, so I gave this some thought. Perhaps the story reads more like they are coming out of high school than really a four year college degree. The problem was exacerbated in my opinion by Ms Jacobs narration. Olivia’s voice was terrible and made an unlikable character (Ice Queen for those who like that) even worse. I had to really power through this narration in the first book. By the second one, either it got better or my tolerance grew. Either way, I was locked on this story and kept listening until the end (18 hours 11 minutes).

There is angst for those of us who enjoy it. Even I will admit enjoying the Ice Queen meltdown as Olivia’s past is exposed and some light shed on the reason for her guarded personality. The secondary characters are good and the friends form a tight group to share medical school misery with. This story worked for me because I could identify with Darcy. Her innocence (yes, yes, that was me) and her struggle to work through certain life experiences. That made the story plausible for me. And a little more real thinking about long hours at a hospital.

Overall, enjoyed this one although beware of the narration. I think the read is better but I will still likely re-listen to this one along the way. The second book ends on a little cliffhanger. Rumor has it the third installment is on the works so worth catching up now gals. 4 stars
Profile Image for MJSam.
477 reviews40 followers
July 28, 2019
I didn't love this or hate it, it was just average. A couple of times one of the characters refers to Darcy's love life as a soap opera and that's pretty much how I felt too.

I read another review when they mentioned that the characters seemed more suited to high school than medical school and I have to agree. I liked Olivia and Darcy enough to keep moving through, but there was a lot of over done melodrama that I could have done without.



I don't know that I liked it enough to bother with the next one in the series, it will depend on how much of a role Taylor plays in that one (hopefully none).
Profile Image for Kennedy.
1,173 reviews80 followers
April 9, 2017
Like the title! What a fun and entertaining read. Olivia Boyd is complicated and full of contradictions, but maybe she has her reasons. Darcy Wright just makes you want to smile as she navigates family and her sexuality. Unrequited love, medical school, roommates, family and finding self. The kissing was awesomely described, hot with a capital H! There is much going on which sets up great for book 2.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.