Addicted to You

I know I need to stop wasting my time when all 33% that I've read is the same over and over again. It's like "Okay. I get it. The hero is an alcoholic. The heroine is a sex addict. It was drilled enough the first 15% with nothing else going.... Can I get a story?" Can I get more than he's drinking. She's having sex. He's drinking. She's having sex.

This review was originally posted to Goodreads and Booked J. It may not be spoiler free.“The deeper we sink, the harder it is to crawl out. I fear the moment where neither of us can breathe again–when someone discovers our secrets. At any moment, everything can crumble beneath us. The dangerous game both excites and terrifies me.”In all honesty, New Adult is not my typical genre. Not because it’s 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 books–there’s 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 isn’t your typical love story and I don’t mean that in the cliche sort of way. For a lot of people, it won’t be the same way but the vast majority agree that there’s 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 isn’t 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 high–for Lily, it’s 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 isn’t something that can be approached easily, as so many people are gross and don’t want to believe it is a real thing, but Lily has such a hard time focusing on such mundane tasks without fantasies it’s hard to see why people can’t understand it.Lily Calloway has a serious problem and you can’t 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 relationship–real this time–and things could be better but they could be worse. It’s 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, it’s 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 doesn’t 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 Lo’s 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 Lily’s sisters, Rose Calloway.“In the end, it was not a boy who helped me. It was my sister.”Rose is very… oh, I can’t 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. It’s 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 don’t 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.I’m interested to see more of Rose and her interactions with Lily. And the other Calloway girls. I’m interested to see more of Rose’s interactions with Lo, now that she understands him better and respects him for seeking help for his addiction.I’m also very interested in seeing her relationship with Connor explored. There’s something about the two that just seems… well, right. And I can’t 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 Lo’s 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 didn’t know possible. Krista and Becca are on fire with this standout.Don’t ignore the hype. I can’t 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! There’s 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, won’t you?

Loren's vice is alcohol, Lily's is sex. They are best friends, lovers, addicts. For three years they pretended to be in a relationship to hide their addictions from their families. They have no friends, so that's not an issue. They cover for one another, they enable one another, they are each other's everything. But as much as they love each other, they come in second to their addiction. It's a path of certain destruction until strangers enter their little world. Strangers who become friends, family who won't let them go down without a fight.I'm reading this series backward. I started with Maximoff and Farrow, now I am reading the story of the first generation. I like it this way, getting the history after I know the outcome. Lily and Lo are so likable and it's odd because they shouldn't be. There's nothing pretty about addiction. It's awful, it's pathetic. It makes others view the addict with contempt, revulsion, and pity. But that's only part of it. Addicts are real people, not just their drug of choice. They are scared, broken, angry, hurting. This story exposes every side of Lily and Lo. You love them, you pity them, you want better for them. It hurts to be with them. I'm not sure I should have started this series but now that I have, there is no path but to continue. I must stay until these two come out on the other side. I need them healthy and happy ever after.

I tried to stay away from this series for the longest time. There it was, the first book downloaded on my phone, praised and loved by so many. And I knew that I'd have the worst love/hate relationship with it. I'd love it: because it'd be amazing, a masterpiece really; I'd hate it: because you can't read about the addiction and not have a piece of your heart break and suffer with the characters...Exactly that happened. Firstly, this story is filled with so much angst. Loren and Lily are friends, lovers, and enablers of each other's addictions. Both of them accepted each other for who they are, and they are all in the world the other has. Even though they both have families, none of them knows them like they know each other, and none of them knows about their addictions, the life they hide from everyone. They separated from them almost completely, but they can't separate from each other. Not only because they need their 'enabler', but because they fear, more than anything, of being left alone. Of not being understood by anyone. Because they feel they are the only one who can understand each other."I internally freak out, imagining a world without him. So very alone."Like the addiction causing mood swings and ups and downs, the story unfolds in much the similar way. There are ups, and there are downs. Somehow, Lo and Lily begin expanding their tight circle of... the two of them, really... and everything suddenly begins to go wrong. I wanted to stop reading this book - it affected me that much, and at the same time, I couldn't put it down: I read it in one day, in one breath. Not only do we get to meet Lily and Lo, these two broken but lovely souls, and enter their mind, we meet their families, their 'friends' - or people they meet and choose to let inside a little bit; we enter the twisted world of wealth and money and secrets that come with it, addiction, verbal domestic abuse, broken families, broken trust, destructive love and unbearable loneliness.And even while I neared the ending, I knew this won't be the usual HEA. It's a cliffhanger - and it's not the end of Lo and Lily. And I guess I knew it: it had to get worse before it got any better. This story is one of those that occupies your mind. It makes you think, empathize and try to understand these characters. The authors have done amazing job bringing the images of addicts through Lo and Lily, forcing us, through our love for them, to understand them and their needs and what forces them to their addictions. It was very clever, and that marks just one more amazing thing that made me love this book and recommend it. Just beware, it's not a light weekend reading material. It's filled with angst, self-doubt, self-destructive behavior, even possible triggers. And despite, or better yet because of it, I loved it so much.

It is so so easy to make unsympathetic characters. In this book, Lily is a sex addict and her best friend Lo is an alcoholic. I have to say when this book was first brought to my attention I was like "Addiction, that's a tricky one, I'm going to have to read that." To then find out it was about a female sex addict was so interesting to me because even girls that have slept with no one can be called sluts, how was someone that actually has a compulsion going to deal with it and be dealt with by other people?I remember reading Junk when I was 14/15 and I was just so angry at how they got into drugs and how easy it was for the situation to completely flip over but still I knew that I had read a life changing book. I felt the same reading this but without the anger. There's no apologizing for the addictions that they both have. There's acceptance that they have it and the fear of others finding out. This book is an amazing start to an amazing series.The Addicted Series is so important socially and morally. Is it okay to be cover up for someone's addiction to make them feel better? Is it okay to not even try and curb your addiction? I think people have a very black and white view of addiction and this story helps to focus on people with addictions rather than addictions in people. The characters in this series are phenomenal, they're all from the same background (my one and only real criticism of the book) but with such different and distinct personalities that I believe is what really makes the series.Recommend to: Everyone, understanding addiction is so importantRating: 5 stars - this book really set the bar for meSee more reviews at: aishareadsbooks.blogspot.co.uk

I was sent this book as an ARC by the author.I had not previously read books from this author, but at the end of it I was early seeking out more books from this author, which is a definite good sign for me.It was a nicely written book about a difficult subject, following the lives and issues of two adults with addictions.It was captivating, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, because I think its best read without any preconceived ideas.I would definitely recommend this book, but it’s not for the faint hearted…

Nice characters and well described locations bring the story vividly to life. There is a low sex content surprisingly, as in not described in any but vaguest terms. My reasons for 3 star not 4 is the dopey unappealing heroine who everyone seems to love but WHY?? she looks awful, is unable to converse, is self obsessed, has no humour etc. That drove me crazy

I really liked this story and i thought it was well written, I really got into the plot and now i need to read the rest of the series to find out what happens next.

Seriously this book is one of a kind. Flawed characters suffering from real problems which finally don't involve one character having to "save" another.Lily and Lo are best friends, roommates and both addicts. They have been using each other as means of hiding their addictions from their own wealthy families by faking a three year relationship. Written from lily's POV this book really opened my eyes to the reality of sex addiction. I was someone who never really took it seriously, thinking people just used the term as a means of excusing the fact they were serial cheaters i.e. Tiger Woods but Lily's problem showed me a whole other side.where there was a whole host of similarities between her addiction to sex and Lohan's addiction to alcohol.What I really liked about this book was that it showed addiction from a realistic perspective. As hard as they tried they just weren't able to save eachother and I found it commendable that two independent characters were finally able to acknowledge that they had a problem and seek help from their families. This is an inspiring story and i would absolutely recommend it