Monday, December 16, 2013

Review: Addicted to You by Becca Ritchie and Krista Ritchie

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I received this book for free from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Addicted to You by Becca Ritchie and Krista RitchieAddicted to You by Becca Ritchie, Krista Ritchie
Series: Addicted #1
Published by K.B. Ritchie on August 22nd 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Source: YA Bound Book Tours
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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.

Some might think a book about a sex addict is simply an excuse to write a “New Adult Erotica” but it’s not like that at all. These are people who are addicted to the point of self destruction, and what could have easily been a depth-less sex-oriented read becomes a true eye opener into a very tricky subject.

I’d heard of sex addiction before, but I never really thought about how intense and all empowering the addiction could be. You only need to do a quick Google search to realize it’s an addiction that is under quite the debate. Some experts even say it’s a myth. This novel, however, makes a convincing argument for it. One way it does this, and it does it brilliantly, is by creating a cast of characters who is so genuine, you feel the anxiety and psychological pain that they go through. Lily especially. Her state of mind becomes ingrained in your own; even if I knew her actions were reckless, even if she’s selfish and a bitch at times, I came to understand her desperation. I was 100% in her head when I was reading this book. This is a girl who has giggolos on speed dial for emergencies. This is not only because she simply loves sex, but to her it’s a need that completely takes over her thoughts and body. Making her unable to think of anything else, with symptoms of withdrawal like any addiction. It’s a saddening read, to see someone so dependent on an addiction that they become unable to function without regular fixes.

Her other reckless half and lifelong friend, Loren Hale, has an vice of his own. Together they come to a compromise to feed their addictions. Probably realizing, but likely not caring, that they are leading a disastrous lifestyle that can only end in pain. Even though this relationship feels… well doomed, I couldn’t stop myself from rooting for them no matter how impossible their happy ending seemed to be. Not only do they have amazing chemistry, but it feels like they belong together. On the other hand, you know they will eventually destroy each other. Then there are some wonderfully crafted side characters that join the ranks as well. My favorite was definitely Connor – the arrogant but highly entertaining tutor who becomes a true friend. There’s also Ryke who kind of just stumbles into their lives bringing endless questions and prying eyes. At first I felt his appearance was annoyingly random, though mostly making it a tad obvious there’s more to his story than a guy with an affinity to help strangers in need.

It’s not without some minor flaws. I felt the pacing could be on and off, and a few of the more angsty scenes were maybe not totally required. I also expected Loren to be… I don’t know, different? when they finally got together. He acts like being with her is an inconvenience and it didn’t fit the image I had after learning of his years of secretly longing after her. Though perhaps we’re meant to blame this behavior on his hitting rock bottom, which, I guess could work.

Destructively romantic and full of secrets, Addicted to You is a highly character driven story with an ending that will leave you gasping for more. For real: it’s a pretty emotionally cruel ending, so make sure you have book 2 on hand when you finish this one!

four-stars
4 Hot Espressos!


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This is a great time to grab yourself a copy because it’s only 0.99c on Amazon – for a limited time!
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This post is part of the Addicted for Now blog tour.
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Giveaway

Thanks to Becca and Krista Ritchie, you can enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and Paperback copies of Addicted to You and Addicted for Now


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Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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35 Responses to “Review: Addicted to You by Becca Ritchie and Krista Ritchie”

  1. Charlotte

    WOW. THAT premise is unique and awesome, Giselle. This is the first time that I come across a book wherein the heroine is the one who is addicted to sex. Although sex addiction is not really a new subject to me because I have an acquaintance who have the same disorder, it’s very intriguing to read a book about it.
    I am interested on how the authors will portray the character who have the said addiction. And if they will be able to make it believable to the readers.

    I think this one will make a very painful but powerful read, Giselle. And it’s good that it has a lot of angst. I love my contemporaries being angsty. xD

    And re: your question, aside from blogging, books, and pets, my other addition is food. 😀

    Thanks for the GA.

  2. Lindsay Galloway

    Is it too obvious to say that I’m addicted to books? Books are a solid life-long addiction, along with chocolate and my computer. Any other addiction seems to flow in waves, sticking around for only a few days/weeks/months at a time. Writing the next big novel, yoga, opening a restaurant… yeah, I’m pretty spastic.

  3. Damaris @ Good Choice Reading

    I loved this book! The emotions were so raw and everything was very believable. Not sure if there was any research behind it (I would imagine so), but K&B pulled this off. I loved every minute of it!

    Your review was also perfect! I am so happy you enjoyed this one. I am eagerly awaiting for the second book! 🙂

  4. Nick @ Nick's Book Blog

    This is an absolutely wonderful review, Giselle.
    I also didn’t know much about the addiction, especially Lily’s one, so it was eye-opening in a way for me to read this book. She was such a mess, but at the same time I loved being inside her head.
    I completely agree with you about the characters. They definitely make this book quite impressive.
    Lovely review!

  5. Savannah

    So glad you liked it. I thought it dealing with addictions like sex/booze and making it feel like real life situations is awesome and scary at the same time. Nice review.

  6. Sue

    Glad you liked the book! I cant wait for you to read Ricochet and Addicted For Now! I have a terrible addiction with eating chocolates or something sweet. I cant control it.

  7. Jesse @ Pretty in Fiction

    The premise is certainly unique and eye catching. I don’t usually read new adult, but this one might be a must read. Not sure how I’m going to feel about Loren, but Lily sounds like a character that needs to be read!

  8. Bethzaida (bookittyblog)

    Ah Giselle!! This sounds awesome! I heard about it but was hesitant because of the sex addiction part. I just don’t like when sex takes over a book and sometimes the plot suffers because of it. But I really want to give this one a try.

  9. Eileen @ Singing and Reading in the Rain

    I’ve heard nothing but fantastic reviews for this one and I really want to read it soon. I read another book that was about sex addiction recently and I didn’t really like it that much because I didn’t find myself immersed into the main character as much as you did here. Also, as morbid as this sounds, I love a character who’s desperate and basically at rock bottom because they’re so interesting and different!

    Fantastic review, Giselle! <3

  10. Chel

    So true! The summary gave me the impression that this is an erotica and since I don’t read them, I probably wouldn’t have given this a second glance. I’m still not very used to adult themes in NA’s but I’m trying to expand my genre so this is def going to my TBR. Thanks for the review, Giselle!

  11. A Canadian Girl

    I like that the premise of this one is so different, Giselle. I’m also really glad that the sex in this one doesn’t feel like erotica. It sounds like an interesting NA read and I may have to add it to my wishlist. Great review!

  12. Siiri

    Heh, I read your review yesterday, but since I’m down with a flu and had to study for exams, I didn’t comment on any of the blogs. Ok, here we go. I’m SOOOOOOOOOOO glad that you liked this one. Becca and Krista have become two of my favorite authors because they’re so creative and I love how they managed to put something completely unique and new to the table. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I love superheros as well:) I agree, Lo was realllllly weird when they finally started the relationship and for god’s sake! I was rooting for the guy, but he totally screwed it up there for a moment, didn’t he? Also, agreed on Connor Cobalt. Haha, he’s my spirit animal. He’s like.. asdfghjk. He’s one of my favorite secondary charcters and I can’t wait for Kiss the Sky. I need more of him in my life. I hope that when you give the second book a go, you’ll love it even more. Me and Nick sure did so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you, lovely!

  13. Ali

    I was a little blown away by this book. It does have flaws, but I was so easily wrapped up in her frantic ways that I was able to overlook them pretty easily. I can’t imagine a life like this and it was interesting getting a peak at what it could be like.

  14. Brittany

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway!! I read Becca Ritchie’s Wynter Chelsea series and loved it!!!

  15. Neyra

    One of my addictions is definitely the Caramel Brulee Frappuccino from Starbucks. And when it’s not in season (boo!) it’s the Caramel Frapp with Toffee Nut syrup. Soo good! 🙂

  16. Felicia Sidoma

    I am addicted to the computer even though I am not good on it. I don’t know how to do a lot of things how to do pictures, ETC.