

Fans of Gossip Girl, Friends, and One Tree Hill will devour this edgy new adult romance set in a world of lust, fame, swoon-worthy men, and friendships that run deeper than blood. She's addicted to sex. He's addicted to booze...the only way out is rock bottom. No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway's biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own. Loren Hale's best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they've pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They've mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment. But as they sink beneath the weight of their addictions, they cling harder to their destructive relationship and wonder if a life together, for real, is better than a lie. Strangers and family begin to infiltrate their guarded lives, and with new challenges, they realize they may not just be addicted to alcohol and sex. Their real vice may be each other. Review: Addicted to You was a refreshing read, and something completely different from all the New Adult books I've read this year. - I don't want to be fixed. I just want to live and feed my appetite. It just so happens that my appetite is a sexual one. His vice is a bottle of whiskey. Addicted to You was a refreshing read, and something completely different from all the New Adult books I've read this year. When I first heard about this book I thought it was going to be a great read. I was completely wrong. This is an AMAZING book! Krista and Becca Ritchie did an incredible job in writing a story in which two characters, Lily and Lo, suffer through their addictions together. I will admit that Addicted to You reminded me of Ellen Hopkins writing. If you love reading Ellen Hopkin's books-Crank, Glass, Fallout, etc- then you will definitely love Krista and Becca Ritchies Addicted to You. The only difference is that Addicted to You is a New Adult book, and the situations Lily experiences with her addiction are raw and very out there. I guess the only way to be close to me is to inject yourself in my world because I won't make the move to enter yours. The water washes away the smell and grime, but my sins are here to stay. The memories don't vanish... I never thought that I would love a character like Lily's- a sex addict with family issues. Once again I was completely wrong. As I read Addicted to You, I started to learn about Lily's sex addiction and I started to know her character in a whole different level. She is not just a shy, sex addict. She is a caring, loving, and broken girl that just needs the right person to stand by her side and understand what she is going through. I understand why she keeps her sex addiction a secret from her family, and why she shy's away from others. If I were in her shoes I would do the same thing, because people would not understand this sort of addiction. Heck, I've heard about sex addicts but after reading Addicted to You I learned a lot more. I know that all of this (what happens in the story) is not true, but at some point all addicts, in real life, will cross their own boundaries to get a high of their addiction. I seriously felt everything Lily had to go through in the book. I cried with her when she just felt lost and confused with all that was going on, and I felt her strong love towards Lo. By the end of Addicted to You, I felt a connection with Lily's character. Loren Hale is an alcoholic beverage and he doesn't even know it. Lo's face darkens in contempt. "Watch it, Lily." He picks up the bottle, unbroken, and reacts as though I hit his child. What can I say about Loren (Lo) Hale? Just as Lily, Lo suffers from his own addiction to alcohol. He is totally bad news, but a total swoon worthy guy. I will admit that I don't like alcoholics, but his thoughtfulness towards Lily and the way he cares for her made me love him. He is even more emotionally broken than Lily. I believe that Lo needs Lily more, then Lily needs Lo. I will admit that there are times he is a total jerk to Lily, and at these moments I just felt like slapping or punching him in the face. I already knew more about alcohol addicts and what happens to them, because this is what health teachers teach in all of their health classes. Like I said before I don't like alcoholic addicts, but I just had to make that exception with Lo. Who can resist a protective, caring, thoughtful hottie like Lo? NOT ME :D! His character does develop (matures) by the end of this book, and I can't wait to find out what happens to him in the second book :). We're pretending, aren't we? I'm so confused. What is he to me right now? Friend, boyfriends, something else entirely? The deeper we sink, the harder it is to crawl out. At the beginning I really had no clue what was going on between Lily and Lo. He tells a guy that she is his girlfriend, but as I kept reading I find out that they are in a fake relationship. I seriously felt sorry for Lily, because she was so confused with Lo's loving affections and actions- this of course would only happen when their relatives, or known people would be watching them. Who would agree to be in a fake relationship? This is just torture for both Lily and Lo, because they are both confused with what the other one feels. The longer they stay in their fake the relationship the longer they hurt (not intentionally) one another. But the loving affections and actions between these two are both sweet and hot :D! Our relationship is dangling on thin strings that threaten to break. I feel it. I'm sure he feels it as well. When they start a serious relationship, it all starts off well. Lily is getting her sex fix and Lo is still getting his alcohol fix. The sad thing about their relationship is that they are just not that good for each other, but at the same time so right for each other?!?. Does that make any sense? Let me try to explain this :). Their addictions just get in the way of their love towards each other. It just doesn't let them love each other, and care for each other the way it is truly meant to be. But at the same time Lo and Lily are always there for each others breakdowns, and they are two broken people who can actually fix each other with each others presence. Lily's and Lo's relationship is just as broken as they are, but at the same time it is also kept together because of their need to be close to each other. I really hope this works out at the end for these two, because they are the perfect match for each other :). We've been friends, allies, for so long that I don't know who I am without him. Our lives intersect at every possible junction... Krista and Becca Ritchie delivered an incredibly fresh debut in the New Adult genre. This is a book that you will not want to miss, trust me when I tell you that this is a MUST READ! There is romance, heartache, sorrow, real life problems (addiction & family), believable characters, and there is a twist that no one will expect (I didn't even see it coming). I will say this once again, if you love reading about true life problems, raw characters, and love reading Ellen Hopkins books, then Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the book for you :D! ~Kassandra @ Kassie's Book Thoughts Review: Heartbreaking story with true love at its core - Lily is a college student, living with her best friend Loren. They both come from money, a whole lot of it. Lily is one of four sisters and seems to be the only one that doesnโt have some kind of โtalentโ. Sheโs not the wife and mother, or the fashion mogul, or the budding super model. She does have one title though, one she would prefer to keep hidden from her family foreverโฆsex addict. Lily is supposed to be living with her boyfriend, not picking up random guys for quick flings in club bathrooms. Loren, or Lo, is Lilyโs best friend, roommate, and fake boyfriend. In order to get their parents to sign off on them living together, and not in some dorm, they have to pretend to be a couple, with a foregone conclusion that one day theyโll be married. But in addition to Lilyโs sex addiction, Lo has an addiction of his own; heโs an alcoholic. Lo has been a functional alcoholic for years, but as college has progressed, he spends more time drunk than sober, more time passed out than in class. Lily & Lo have the co-dependent relationship to end all co-dependent relationships. Reading this book is a little like watching a car crash. Itโs messy, itโs sad; it could very well be people you know or loveโฆitโs real. Their story is really just a big, ugly, mess, but it is most definitely a story that at its very core is a love story. I have seen criticism about the lack of sex in a book about a sex addict, but honestly, I feel as though adding more descriptive sex scenes would lead this book to sensationalize a very real problem. This book is not erotica, the sex is not there to be โhotโ, it is there as part of the bigger picture, how Lilyโs addiction to it affects every action and interaction she has with those in her life. To add sex for the sake of making the book hot would be a disservice not only to the story, but to the relationship between Lily & Lo. Part of me wants to dismiss this book as sort of a โrich kids behaving badlyโ, but another part of me is moved by the very real, very gritty story that the Ritchie sisters have told. Lily & Lo each hit rock bottom in their own spectacular ways; ways that are uncomfortable and Addicted to You is a solid four star read. The book is well written and the story is engaging. The Ritchie sisters have done an excellent job of creating interesting characters and a storyline that moves you. Iโm not going to say the characters have any semblance of depth, because I think most of the characters in the book are very shallow, albeit by design. I have to say that by the end of the book, Lily was starting to grate on my nerves a little bit because she was just so needy and immature, but Loโs response to his further decline was very redeeming. I applaud him for finally getting his act together. I plan on jumping right into the next volume of the series, Ricochet.

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K**S
Addicted to You was a refreshing read, and something completely different from all the New Adult books I've read this year.
I don't want to be fixed. I just want to live and feed my appetite. It just so happens that my appetite is a sexual one. His vice is a bottle of whiskey. Addicted to You was a refreshing read, and something completely different from all the New Adult books I've read this year. When I first heard about this book I thought it was going to be a great read. I was completely wrong. This is an AMAZING book! Krista and Becca Ritchie did an incredible job in writing a story in which two characters, Lily and Lo, suffer through their addictions together. I will admit that Addicted to You reminded me of Ellen Hopkins writing. If you love reading Ellen Hopkin's books-Crank, Glass, Fallout, etc- then you will definitely love Krista and Becca Ritchies Addicted to You. The only difference is that Addicted to You is a New Adult book, and the situations Lily experiences with her addiction are raw and very out there. I guess the only way to be close to me is to inject yourself in my world because I won't make the move to enter yours. The water washes away the smell and grime, but my sins are here to stay. The memories don't vanish... I never thought that I would love a character like Lily's- a sex addict with family issues. Once again I was completely wrong. As I read Addicted to You, I started to learn about Lily's sex addiction and I started to know her character in a whole different level. She is not just a shy, sex addict. She is a caring, loving, and broken girl that just needs the right person to stand by her side and understand what she is going through. I understand why she keeps her sex addiction a secret from her family, and why she shy's away from others. If I were in her shoes I would do the same thing, because people would not understand this sort of addiction. Heck, I've heard about sex addicts but after reading Addicted to You I learned a lot more. I know that all of this (what happens in the story) is not true, but at some point all addicts, in real life, will cross their own boundaries to get a high of their addiction. I seriously felt everything Lily had to go through in the book. I cried with her when she just felt lost and confused with all that was going on, and I felt her strong love towards Lo. By the end of Addicted to You, I felt a connection with Lily's character. Loren Hale is an alcoholic beverage and he doesn't even know it. Lo's face darkens in contempt. "Watch it, Lily." He picks up the bottle, unbroken, and reacts as though I hit his child. What can I say about Loren (Lo) Hale? Just as Lily, Lo suffers from his own addiction to alcohol. He is totally bad news, but a total swoon worthy guy. I will admit that I don't like alcoholics, but his thoughtfulness towards Lily and the way he cares for her made me love him. He is even more emotionally broken than Lily. I believe that Lo needs Lily more, then Lily needs Lo. I will admit that there are times he is a total jerk to Lily, and at these moments I just felt like slapping or punching him in the face. I already knew more about alcohol addicts and what happens to them, because this is what health teachers teach in all of their health classes. Like I said before I don't like alcoholic addicts, but I just had to make that exception with Lo. Who can resist a protective, caring, thoughtful hottie like Lo? NOT ME :D! His character does develop (matures) by the end of this book, and I can't wait to find out what happens to him in the second book :). We're pretending, aren't we? I'm so confused. What is he to me right now? Friend, boyfriends, something else entirely? The deeper we sink, the harder it is to crawl out. At the beginning I really had no clue what was going on between Lily and Lo. He tells a guy that she is his girlfriend, but as I kept reading I find out that they are in a fake relationship. I seriously felt sorry for Lily, because she was so confused with Lo's loving affections and actions- this of course would only happen when their relatives, or known people would be watching them. Who would agree to be in a fake relationship? This is just torture for both Lily and Lo, because they are both confused with what the other one feels. The longer they stay in their fake the relationship the longer they hurt (not intentionally) one another. But the loving affections and actions between these two are both sweet and hot :D! Our relationship is dangling on thin strings that threaten to break. I feel it. I'm sure he feels it as well. When they start a serious relationship, it all starts off well. Lily is getting her sex fix and Lo is still getting his alcohol fix. The sad thing about their relationship is that they are just not that good for each other, but at the same time so right for each other?!?. Does that make any sense? Let me try to explain this :). Their addictions just get in the way of their love towards each other. It just doesn't let them love each other, and care for each other the way it is truly meant to be. But at the same time Lo and Lily are always there for each others breakdowns, and they are two broken people who can actually fix each other with each others presence. Lily's and Lo's relationship is just as broken as they are, but at the same time it is also kept together because of their need to be close to each other. I really hope this works out at the end for these two, because they are the perfect match for each other :). We've been friends, allies, for so long that I don't know who I am without him. Our lives intersect at every possible junction... Krista and Becca Ritchie delivered an incredibly fresh debut in the New Adult genre. This is a book that you will not want to miss, trust me when I tell you that this is a MUST READ! There is romance, heartache, sorrow, real life problems (addiction & family), believable characters, and there is a twist that no one will expect (I didn't even see it coming). I will say this once again, if you love reading about true life problems, raw characters, and love reading Ellen Hopkins books, then Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie is the book for you :D! ~Kassandra @ Kassie's Book Thoughts
C**A
Heartbreaking story with true love at its core
Lily is a college student, living with her best friend Loren. They both come from money, a whole lot of it. Lily is one of four sisters and seems to be the only one that doesnโt have some kind of โtalentโ. Sheโs not the wife and mother, or the fashion mogul, or the budding super model. She does have one title though, one she would prefer to keep hidden from her family foreverโฆsex addict. Lily is supposed to be living with her boyfriend, not picking up random guys for quick flings in club bathrooms. Loren, or Lo, is Lilyโs best friend, roommate, and fake boyfriend. In order to get their parents to sign off on them living together, and not in some dorm, they have to pretend to be a couple, with a foregone conclusion that one day theyโll be married. But in addition to Lilyโs sex addiction, Lo has an addiction of his own; heโs an alcoholic. Lo has been a functional alcoholic for years, but as college has progressed, he spends more time drunk than sober, more time passed out than in class. Lily & Lo have the co-dependent relationship to end all co-dependent relationships. Reading this book is a little like watching a car crash. Itโs messy, itโs sad; it could very well be people you know or loveโฆitโs real. Their story is really just a big, ugly, mess, but it is most definitely a story that at its very core is a love story. I have seen criticism about the lack of sex in a book about a sex addict, but honestly, I feel as though adding more descriptive sex scenes would lead this book to sensationalize a very real problem. This book is not erotica, the sex is not there to be โhotโ, it is there as part of the bigger picture, how Lilyโs addiction to it affects every action and interaction she has with those in her life. To add sex for the sake of making the book hot would be a disservice not only to the story, but to the relationship between Lily & Lo. Part of me wants to dismiss this book as sort of a โrich kids behaving badlyโ, but another part of me is moved by the very real, very gritty story that the Ritchie sisters have told. Lily & Lo each hit rock bottom in their own spectacular ways; ways that are uncomfortable and Addicted to You is a solid four star read. The book is well written and the story is engaging. The Ritchie sisters have done an excellent job of creating interesting characters and a storyline that moves you. Iโm not going to say the characters have any semblance of depth, because I think most of the characters in the book are very shallow, albeit by design. I have to say that by the end of the book, Lily was starting to grate on my nerves a little bit because she was just so needy and immature, but Loโs response to his further decline was very redeeming. I applaud him for finally getting his act together. I plan on jumping right into the next volume of the series, Ricochet.
K**E
Addicted to You
I typically post my reviews to another site, but I feel I had to do one for Amazon. Let me preface this and say that this book/series had been on my TBR since 2013. Then I proceeded to take a screenshot of the book cover when an ad on Facebook popped up. If thatโs not a sign, then I donโt know what is. Iโll introduce the two main characters and then get on to my review of this book. The two primary main characters of this book are Lily and Lo. Theyโre childhood best friends, fake dating, roommatesโฆoh and theyโre addicts. Lily is a $ex addict and Lo is an alcoholic. This book is all told in Lilyโs POV and you see how much her addiction consumes her. But the big premise to her addiction (you donโt find out until later on in the seriesโฆyes, Iโve read the whole series; Addicted & Calloway Sisters) and why she turned to $ex is eventually explained. If youโre wanting to give up on this series after one book, thatโs like giving up on a TV show after one episode has aired and you eventually watch more episodes and fall in love with the characters and the storylines. Thatโs what this series is like. Addicts are enablers, liars, and manipulators of the truth. They isolate themselves from others that canโt possibly know what theyโre dealing with. This is exactly what Lily and Lo are. They enabled each otherโs addictions while trying to keep each other safe, they lied to family, and they manipulated the truth to those that cared about them. Lily and Lo isolated themselves, because they didnโt know how long they could go without their vice if they were to do so. Now on to my review. I gave this book 3 stars. Solely because I didnโt always love being in Lilyโs head and me as a reader expected to get Loโs POV as well. This book is about two addicts trying to navigate a world where people (their families) expect them to show up more than they already have on top of making sure their fake relationship keeps up with the charade. I like to not judge other reviews by saying how repetitive everything was. Which, I agree and that it was. And had I read and absorbed those reviews I wouldnโt have taken a chance on this series. But thatโs addict speak. Itโs an endless cycle of the same thing 24/7 and if you think they can snap their fingers and no longer be addicted to the thing thatโs been a constant, then youโre in for a rude awakening. Some of Lilyโs inner dialogue was exceptionally painful to read. Especially when her addiction took center stage when she was at an event for her sister. From then, thatโs when the cards start to fall around her and Lo. The only way she could feel, and essentially numb the pain, was with sex. It wasnโt easy to see how much they depended on one another. This book focuses on addiction and how that addiction can interfere and ruin relationships. Now I wonโt say that Lilyโs addiction gets fully resolved, but over time it does get manageable. To anyone wanting to read this book, keep an open mind. I tell everyone that this series as a whole (intermixed with the Calloway Sisters) is so amazing. The journey that Lily and Lo go on as addicts gets told in a painfully beautiful way.
J**J
The Best NA Series (Ever)
This review was originally posted to Goodreads and Booked J. It may not be spoiler free. โThe deeper we sink, the harder it is to crawl out. I fear the moment where neither of us can breathe againโwhen someone discovers our secrets. At any moment, everything can crumble beneath us. The dangerous game both excites and terrifies me.โ In all honesty, New Adult is not my typical genre. Not because itโs filled with bad selections but because I often feel as though I am reading the same book, the same plot, the same relationships every time. Addicted to You is not one of those booksโthereโs something far more interesting and authentic to it than the rest of its genre. My first thought on this series is how much it means to me and the second is how annoyed with myself that I didn't purchase physical copies. Krista and Becca Ritchie provide us with so much heart in one tiny story. This isnโt your typical love story and I donโt mean that in the cliche sort of way. For a lot of people, it wonโt be the same way but the vast majority agree that thereโs just something about this novel that is so captivating. Addicted to You is a great introduction to a series because we see the flaws and addictions right away in Lily and Lo. Both have been best friends for years. As far as family knows, the two are in a relationship with each other and have been for three years; they live with one another. They have an arrangement two so they can keep up appearances and seem like good, upstanding people. Lily and Lo are the picture perfect couple on the exterior and behind closed doors, they struggle. Enabling each other isnโt how they view it, but by pretending to be a couple and embracing their addictions in the way that they do and covering for each other as opposed to helping, they are ultimately leading to their own downfall (as a pair and as individuals): Lo, alcohol. Lily, sex. Things grow more complicated when their darkest sides reach an all time highโfor Lily, itโs waking up in a strange room with two strange men. Something in this event startles her for quite a while and she once again faces the fact that she has a serious problem. Sex addiction isnโt something that can be approached easily, as so many people are gross and donโt want to believe it is a real thing, but Lily has such a hard time focusing on such mundane tasks without fantasies itโs hard to see why people canโt understand it. Lily Calloway has a serious problem and you canโt help but to hope she gets the help she deserves. Soon after our story begins, Lily and Lo embrace their feelings for each other without giving up their vices. Along the way, they cruise through their struggles and family life and school and forming friendships with others mid-novel. They start a relationshipโreal this timeโand things could be better but they could be worse. Itโs obvious they love each other, but at the end of the day, like I said, they are enablers to each other and need help. Back to the all time high for Loren Hale. For Lo, itโs one fateful night (his 21st birthday) where he steals liquor at a party, nearly gets his ass kicked, and has to be carried up the stairs by a new addition to their lives, Ryke Meadows. He doesnโt let up even after this event but in some ways it really wakes him up to his problem and opens himself up to Ryke, who genuinely cares about him. It was unexpectedly nice to see the additions of Conner and Ryke to Lily and Loโs life. They kind of blended in so naturally with the two and the plots and seemed like they were in place all along. Conner and Ryke care a great deal for Lo and it is nice to see them wanting to help the man in spite of how little they seem to know him. And eventually, how much they show an interest in helping Lily as her addictions come to light. I also enjoyed seeing one of Lilyโs sisters, Rose Calloway. โIn the end, it was not a boy who helped me. It was my sister.โ Rose is veryโฆ oh, I canโt actually describe her. I loved her first scene, the way she is described as she enters the room. She has a cold exterior, no bullshit attitude, but she has a really solid heart and this much you can see when Lily finally confides in her after a disastrous night out at the club. Their relationship is beautiful. I mean that. Itโs not a very common thing to see a sibling bond like theirs in literature, let alone New Adult. You see, Rose and Lily are sisters in every way. They fight. They get snippy. They donโt always do the right thing. But at the end of the day, they support and love each other in every way that you would want. Iโm interested to see more of Rose and her interactions with Lily. And the other Calloway girls. Iโm interested to see more of Roseโs interactions with Lo, now that she understands him better and respects him for seeking help for his addiction. Iโm also very interested in seeing her relationship with Connor explored. Thereโs something about the two that just seemsโฆ well, right. And I canโt wait to explore that more heavily as we get to know the characters. That, and her fashion line and everything really. I just want to know everything about Rose Calloway--who doesn't? Addicted to You is a wonderful read. A true standout in the NA genre that will surely continue to establish itself in the masses. I thought the ending was lovely: Lily and Lo getting help for their addictions, gaining a support system (and in Loโs case gaining a brother in Ryke) and thought the entire novel was a fresh, important take on the tough topics it tackles. I'm excited to see their relationship grow and flurish as they embrace help and try to conquer their demons. It's going to be a battle but there's something about these two that is redeemable and that they are up for the challenge. Especially since they have something to truly fight for: each other. The topics aren't something you should overlook. Addiction, love, family, seeking help. Strong female leads, strong male leads--all good people, with flaws, worthy of good things. All those things that make life. It is also something that is so raw at times your heart will race or break and you really begin to root for these characters, understand them in a way you didnโt know possible. Krista and Becca are on fire with this standout. Donโt ignore the hype. I canโt wait to continue binge reading the entire series and already am regretting not buying the physical copies. I can already tell this series is going to be one of my favorites of all time and I hope you enjoy it, too. But wait! Thereโs more! (Yes, I did that television advertisement voice.) Addicted to You, the first book of the series, is free to read on digital platforms. Give it a try, wonโt you?
T**E
Amazing
Having read my fair share of NEW ADULT this year, not to mention books on ADDICTION, I thought there wasn't a whole lot more that could be brought to the table. Well, I was wrong. I have said it a MILLION TIMES, but I love it when an author(s) takes a step outside the box and writes something different. Not only that, but do it well. Addiction is no easy feat to deal with, discuss and I would assume, write about. Bring in SEX addiction and you have my interest piqued. This book isn't perfect but it was amazing in it's own right. I don't know HOW common sex addiction is; I haven't seen too many cases on it, I haven't researched it-- nor I have EVER read it about it before in a novel. I can see where the lines might be a little blurred to some--the difference between an actual addiction or just promiscuity. However, I never thought ONCE that Lily didn't suffer from addiction.. It's raw, gritty and very, very hard to witness at times. That's what makes this book so amazing. When I a finish a book and left thinking, emotional and just generally suffering that feeling that a band-aid was just ripped off, I applaud the author(s). Becca and Krista did an amazing job capturing Lily's desperation. Her turmoil and her reckless behavior. My heart really went out to Lily. She had been suffering for years. Not only to sate her addiction, but to live out her crafted lie with Lo to protect herself and hide it from her friends and family. Then again, there were times where I felt she was SO SELFISH I couldn't stand it. Her thoughts that her behavior doesn't affect anyone but herself and that is was less reckless than others was really hard to grasp. She puts herself in harms way every time she hooks-up with someone. Sure, she was safe for the most part but that doesn't mean that what she was putting herself through emotionally wasn't any less harmful. Not only was she suffering from her OWN addiction, she was an enabler to Lo's. This is where I start thinking. She didn't feel like she had the RIGHT to tell Lo to stop drinking, since it would make her a hypocrite. Then again, she used him to sate her addiction as a way to help lessen his intake. It took me awhile to comes to terms with this, because it was NOT okay. Yet, you can't help but sympathize because she knows it's wrong. She knows it's selfish but she can't help it. It's so.. RAW. When things started to change between her and Lo, you can't help but SEE the disaster coming. I loved them together though. They had been friends for years, having each other's backs at every turn. You KNOW they feel more for each other than what is initially let on and you can't help but to root for them. They are each other's rock AND kryptonite (aside from their addictions, that it). I honestly thought it would have taken them longer to get together, but there was more to the drama and plot than meets the eye. It took awhile to see the direction of where things were going, due to some serious slow parts in the middle, when Connor and then Ryke enter the picture. I liked Connor form the beginning. He is funny, a little too arrogant but is a REAL friend to both Lily and Lo. As for Ryke... Hm.. Like I said, I didn't know the direction of where the story was going to go with him in it. It was random and threw me off when he's concerns came out about Lo. Still, he was a good friend to Lo and at times, Lily. I thought it was an interesting plot twist, albeit random. I also really loved Rose, Lily's older sister. She was pretty crass at first though, so it caught me a little by surprise how INVOLVED she became in everything. My Peeve- Well, it's minor things. The middle of the book was really, really slow and I hate having that "WHERE IS THIS GOING" feeling. There were too many similar scenes that I felt we could have went without. There were also some inconsistencies with the writing. One minute, Lily would be "wiping her hands on her jeans" and the next " Fixing her dress", so which was it? Overall- I REALLY liked Addicted to You. Although there were some things I personally could have done without, I thought this was an amazing book overall. It's dark, gritty and one of the best NA's I have read in a long time. I will defiantly be continuing on with this series
S**A
All walks of shame
This book is not for the faint of heart. The emotional impact gouges your heart with a blunt spoon and leaves behind holes, the size of moon craters. This was the most conflicted I've been while writing a review because this book was difficult to judge. Raw and painful journey into black hole of addiction is the central theme, but surprisingly not the oft repeated kinds. It took me a few chapters to come to terms with the open gaping wound that is this story. The further I delved into it, the further it hurt ME, still like a masochist I couldn't put it down. when did these character' pain became mine, I cannot pinpoint the moment. The worst part of being an addict is not only is the debilitating illness has your life in a chokehold or your alienation from all those who love and care for you, or your devil-may-care viewpoint towards your future, career, dreams that are all drowning in a vat of hopelessness and pity... Nope, not even that, dismal as it is... The Absolute Worst part is..when you fall in love with another Addict!! You become both Cause & Effect for each other. Enabling, suffocating, impeding each other's lives without meaning to This degree of toxic, tragic love could not have any chance of surviving intact and THAT is the undertone of this deviously penned book. So many sentiments are flying around, it's hard to pin your attention to just one of them. Loren Hale is an alcoholic. Has been since he was a child. Carrying a huge boulder of abandonment issues on his shoulder, this Atlas is weighed down heavily in the bottom of bourbon bottle and has no desire to climb back up. His pretend/fake girlfriend - Lily Calloway is a closet sekks-addict. Her urges are uncontrollable like a runaway train. It's a serious malady complete with panic attacks, unsuppressable urges that prompt her to take unnecessary risks at the stake of personal safety. Withdrawals, body shivers, foggy mind till she get her fix. I was stunned speechless reading it, my heart goes out to every victim of any kind of addiction. The mood is sorrowful, lo and Lily both full of self pity, trying to decipher the train wreck that is their lives. She continously chases the high while intoxicated, with no recollection of events the morning after, except sobs and tears. It was harrowing recount to say the least. The book ends on a sort of cliffy or to-be-continued spot. And its a series of 3.5 books and I need a break from sadness and gloominess to recoup enough to carry on The thing that irked me a tiny bit is that When building a Billionaire or trillionaire world of world-dominators business tycoons, the authors should not only focus on clothes and branded cars. The vocabulary, the language characters use, their mannerisms should also be kept in mind. A soda pop manufacturer (I'm thinking as big a C cola) daughters don't talk like middle class people. And with so many resources, clandestine help at hand wasn't a far reaching dream. Therapy could've been sought easily in secret. And the prolonged & overstretched plot of who blinks first, got the book to sag in the middle. It was hard to concentrate. Also I can understand the root cause of Loren's anguish, but Lily is blessed with a loving, caring family and her sisters are checking up on her constantly. Her shame stops her to seek help professionally and personally but in the end family is the one she leans on! And for a girl in UPenn, she's pretty dull minded. Academically and socially. And this is the only thing that was my personal pet trigger. My son lost out a set in UPENN Despite everything going for him by a hair-width margin, because people like her, with a wealthy last name take them and they have no business being there. She's not very smart, without her addiction too. Still a really good book, written well, story so powerful. 4.5 stars for walks of shame
C**T
2.5/5
2.5/5 I was in a reading slump, and this book was recommended everywhere so I decided to give it a read. A few chapters in, and I knew it was a mistake: Honestly, Iโm all for what the authors were trying to convey through the story - the power of addiction, how it affects those around you, how it ruins your life. And I appreciate the fact that they were conveying raw, real emotions through a character driven novel. However, there were quite a few things that just didnโt sit right with me. The writing style was not for me. It reminded me of Wattpad too much. It was too repetitive sometimes - especially with her sex addiction. I felt like it was disconnected at times and the writers could have done a better job at making it flow. I understand that they really wanted to emphasize both their addictions, but at times it just became too much. It made me sick sometimes to constantly read about how she imagines having sex with any guy she sees. I realize that this is a real addiction, and Iโm in no way trying to undermine its effects and severity, it was just too much for me. I cringed every time they had sex. It was just not enjoyable to read. As for the characters, I really donโt know what to think of Lily and Lo. Sometimes, Loโs character made me want to scream. He wasnโt always good to Lily and he was toxic in a lot of ways. The same goes for Lily, but I feel like she was so scared most of the time. Maybe because he was an alcoholic and she didnโt know what to expect next? My favorite character was probably Rose. She was always so supportive, encouraging and really cared for her sister and her well being. Iโm really excited to read her series! I donโt know why Lily and Loโs story continues on for four more books, but I guess Iโve got to read them to understand Rose and Connorโs story. Anyway, overall, the only thing I really appreciated about the book was its realness. Even though I didnโt want to continue a few chapters in, this book kept me hooked. And it got me out of my reading slump, so bonus points for that!
L**S
A bit emotionally damaging...:P
3.5 stars -- Wow. I'm still trying to process what I just read. While reading this, I think I realized that I don't tend to read a lot of super angsty books. And this is not angsty in like a bad way...huh, so this just spurred me on to look up angsty in the dictionary, and I'm not sure I mean that word. It's just that this book deals with a lot of real and sometimes very negative emotions, and our two main characters are ridiculously self-destructive. So it makes it hard to read for me. I'm a fairly sensitive reader, and so my heart just cringed for these characters over and over again. And there just wasn't a balance of lightheartedness to compensate for the heaviness...which don't get me wrong, I definitely wasn't expecting any lighthearted moments in this book (I wasn't confused about what I was getting into). I mean, objectively there were some (Connor providing a lot of it), but I think I was stuck in horrified mode and it wasn't enough to get me out of that place. It's more that I realized something about myself as a reader, and that I tend to gravitate more towards books that have a balance of the two (heavy and light), does that make sense? And so there's a part of me that really enjoyed this book and all the issues it tackled...and there's another part of me that's just emotionally exhausted. So I find myself desperately wanting to read book 2 and find out what happens with Lily and Lo, and there's another part of me that's more cautious of the emotional strain I'd be subjecting myself to. And so I guess that brings me to what this book does well (much to my dismay): the authors do an amazing job of portraying characters struggling with addiction. Or at least to me it felt very authentic. And it broke my heart. B/C you could see glimmers of who Lily and Lo were beneath it all, but for the most part they were just smothered by their addictions. I can't even honestly decide how I feel about their romance, b/c it was so hard to see their love beyond how they were enabling each other. It really wasn't much of a love story...at least not yet. It's not that you didn't see that they cared for each other, but they both genuinely loved their addictions more and always put those above each other. I actually wasn't sure how I would feel about following a character with a sex addiction, b/c it's not something that we as a society focus on as something real. I wondered if the authors would just use that as an excuse to have a really racy book, but it wasn't that AT ALL. And so I really applaud them for that. I could believe it. And I hated it. I hated how it controlled Lily. :( I feel like I honestly didn't get a great feel for Lo. Maybe it's because the story was told from Lily's POV, so we were able to get inside her head? Maybe it's because addiction twists characters, and so we end up seeing so many different sides of him (including some mean sides)? I don't know. I wonder if the rest of the series is all from Lily's POV, b/c I would love to see into Lo's head so badly. I thoroughly enjoyed the side characters in this book. I have a feeling the more I learn, the more I'm going to want to read all nine books, including the sister spin-offs... Maybe they'll be a bit more reprieving in the emotional distraught-ness area. Other than that this book is a bit outside my wheelhouse and left me a bit scarred, I also felt like it dragged on a bit at times, and so that was where that extra half star loss falls. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about how things went with Lo's father and Lily's thoughts about him at the end (how's that for vague and not spoilery). But I've decided I'm definitely going to give the next book (Ricochet) a try and decide how much my heart can take from there, and see how I'm feeling at that point.
J**N
FIVE STAR READ
This book took some getting used to. What I mean is that at the beginning of this, I disliked the book quite a lot. I put it down after one chapter when I found out that I couldn't get into the writing style at all. But after hearing so much hype, I decided to pick it up again and give it another go. The next few chapters were difficult to get through but once I hit a rhythm the story really flowed very well and I began to fall for the characters and their struggles. They're addicted because they're empty inside and now they realise their worst addiction may actually be each other. OMG SWOON. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
A**N
Storyline
I went it blind and it was worth it. Give it a try, let these characters put roots inside your heart...believe me you are in for a rollercoaster. 6 stars... a 1,000,000 stars worth the hype.
B**K
Addictive
Wow, I didn't see that coming. Firstly I was drawn to the book from the cover, then the blurb had me at line one. Then I started reading, and could not put this down. It's a story about addiction and secrets, and chemistry. Hoo boy did they ever have chemistry!! Loved the sub characters as well. A brilliantly written, addictive book that has me chomping for the next one. Arc provided by Netgalley
E**K
โค๏ธโค๏ธ
I loved it ๐๐๐๐
B**A
Perfect
Perfect
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