Saturday, October 15, 2016

Addicted Series Pt. 1 by Becca & Krista Ritchie

Addicted Series Pt. 1

Addcited to You #1 | Ricochet #1.5 | Addicted for Now #2

by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Publication Date: June 14th, 2013 | August 1st, 2013 | November 30th, 2013
Publisher: K.B. Ritchie
Available to purchase:
Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Audible
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.
I did a video review for the first book in the series, back when I first read in in January 2016, so I will link here if you are interested (spoilers start around the 5 min mark):


Oh this series. I'm going to tell you right now: I'm trash for it.

I love all the characters and while it does fall into the GENRE of new adult, I don't find it fall victim to the tropes. Not fully. Krista and Becca Ritchie has this genius way of giving you everything you want from a new adult book without crossing over into clicheville or boringtown, USA. I find the romance in these books refreshing.

We have the original ADDICTED series, which centers around Loren Hale and Lily Calloway, and then the CALLOWAY SISTERS series, which centers around Lily's two other sisters and their romantic interests: Rose Calloway & Daisy Calloway. This review talks about the first *three* books in the ADDICTED series, focusing in on Loren and Lily.

The first thing I will tell you that is great for you if you are wanting to TRY the series, is that the first books, Addicted to You, is FREE on pretty much all e-book platforms. That's how I got it and read it and I'm really glad, because it's a Pandora's box of awesome. But judging from the cover along, I REALLY was not sure I wanted to read this series. It looks hot and heavy, which is not a bad thing, but the covers do border on cheesy (just being honest). However, I am SO GLAD I picked up the first book because I am so hooked.

Lily and Lo are addicts and their story is addictING (see what I did... okay, enough Shannon). I found reading from the perspective of an admitted sex addict so riveting. I never stopped to think that there are real men and women who don't WANT to be this way. It's not always something they are proud of, and it doesn't mean they are horrible people with loose morals. Compulsions are very hard to kick, especially when your brain doesn't function properly and there are chemicals raging through your mind that tell you, you NEED this to survive. Watching Lily journey through her addiction was educational and eye-opening, to say the least.

And my sweet, sweet Lo. Loren Hale is a twenty-something addict that acts like a 20-year drunken veteran. His addiction to alcohol is terrifying and all-consuming. And while he's the romantic love interest for Lily, I was happy he wasn't romanticized. His problem was called out for being just that: a problem. It wasn't brushed over but it also wasn't a nail in his hands. Seeing him and Lily try to protect each other while suffering themselves was a classic definition of toxic. BUT. I enjoyed seeing their growth. I think it's important to note that I don't think we can "save" people from their addiction, and I don't think LOVE is a healthy reason to try and become sober from any addiction: it needs to be because the addict WANTS/NEEDS it for their own sanity, not someone else's.

The first book has been the strongest so far. I didn't love the 1.5 books, Ricochet, very much because it felt just what it was, very in-between. It didn't give me enough new content. However, I did enjoy book #2 a lot more again as well and I loved getting to know the side characters more, as they are main characters for the other series in this... series (it's complicated).


Overall, I highly recommend this series from what I've read so far. It is NEW ADULT, so it's not for the kiddos out there and I would recommend you be 18 years or older before you read it due to it's mature themes and content. But I do recommend. It's one the best new adult series I've read.

Addicted to You 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Ricochet 3.75 out of 5 stars!
Addicted for Now 4 out of 5 stars!

The 5th Wave Trilogy by Rick Yancey (SERIES REVIEW)

The 5th Wave Trilogy

The 5th Wave | The Infinite Sea | The Last Star

by Rick Yancey

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Publication Date: May 7, 2013 | Sept 16, 2014 | May 24, 2016
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780399162411 | 9780399162428 | 9780399162435
Available to purchase:
Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Audible
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother-or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
My experience with the 5th Wave trilogy has been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least. I went from really enjoying the first book to loathing the second book, to actually liking the third and final book, which surprised me more than anyone.

I think Rick Yancey has a great story here and I really love Cassie as a main character. I think the overarching plot is good and the side characters are strong. HOWEVER, I think this series from too many cooks in the kitchen. Meaning, there was too much going on to adequately fit in a trilogy. And while I enjoyed each different plot line running through the series, that's just it: it felt like a bunch of different plot lines running through the series. If the series had been longer, or split up into a first series and then a spin-off series, I think it would have worked better. But the constant switching of perspectives, while can be effective in some instances, worked against the series as a whole, in my opinion.

All that being said, I did enjoy how the series ended. I thought it was fitting and brave and I was glad to see Rick Yancey "go there," for lack of a better term. He didn't wrap everything up too nicely and it felt more genuine and realistic than many YA stories I have read.

However, I do have to say that The Infinite Sea (book 2) was a hot mess. I did not enjoy a single page and I'm not even sure the book had a point. If you had taken one or maybe two minor things from the second books and divvied it up between books 1 & 3, making the series a duology, I think it would have been much more effective and efficient.

So all in all, I would recommend this series. I think that if you are not into aliens or teen romance, steer clear, but otherwise, I think it's worth taking a crack at. The books are quite heavy in language, so if that bothers you, this is not the YA series for you... so you've been warned. But there is a fun cast of characters and a story running throughout that you probably haven't read before!

Overall, I am satisfied with my reading experience.


The Fifth Wave: 4 out of 5 stars
The Infinite Sea: 2 out of 5 stars
The Last Star: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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