Addicted to You

Krista and Becca Ritchie





Summary (from Goodreads)



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. 

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content
I decided to give this books 4 stars, not necessarily because I liked it (the subject matter isn't something I usually go for, but since I got it from NetGalley I decided I would use it as an opportunity to try something new), but because I believe it accurately depicted life with an addiction.Many readers are going to get frustrated by this novel. They won't understand why the characters acted a certain way, or how they could think/believe such things. They'll want to slap them, I'm sure. And many times, I wanted to do that as well.

But while I WAS very frustrated with the characters almost constantly, I cannot for one second say it was because of poor writing or character development. At all. Both authors have perfectly described how an addiction affects a person's mind and actions. I found Lily's narration and Lo's actions very believable, and heartbreakingly so.

I don't have any experience with addiction, but it seemed as if I was really inside the mind of someone struggling to overcome--or even just cope with--a very serious addiction. While the character's actions may have seemed over-the-top or unbelievable to some readers, to me, I knew that it was sadly very realistic. As someone who's never struggled with an addiction, I know that I cannot imagine what it would be like to put myself in such dangerous situations just to fulfill such a need.

And the authors really depicted the feelings of shame and desire that I suspect often come with an addiction. Lily seemed entirely real in her actions (and unfortunately, so did Lo). I commend the authors for that.

I also found their enabling of each other's habits very realistic, as well as the fact that neither of their families had any clue about their addictions. Many addicts will go to great lengths to hide their addictions, whether out of shame, or a fear of being forced into treatment, or both.

On the other hand, I cannot adequately describe my hatred of the phrase "his cheekbones sharpened". No. Just no. That is a phrase that can maybe be written once, if at all, because it doesn't make much sense. To repeat it over and over again? Stop.

Also, if you go to Penn, and you're an undergraduate business major, then you're already in Wharton. Their B.S. of economics is the only option for undergrad business students. So when Connor kept trying to get into Wharton, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit, unless he was talking about the MBA program.

And another thing, Princeton is in New Jersey, and Penn is obviously in Philadelphia. They're close, but not that close. Certainly not close enough for Rose to come flitting in and out of Lily's and Lo's apartment.

I also found the fact that Lily was disease-free very unbelievable. Yes, she may have taken precautions, but it's highly unlikely that engaging in so much sex with so many different partners wouldn't result in a disease.

But all of the characters were very well-written and fully developed. I really liked to read that.

I wouldn't buy this book, either for myself or for a friend (and the same goes for the sequels). It's not because it wasn't a good book; it is. I just don't like reading about addiction; I have only so much time to read, and I would prefer to read other material. This in no way reflects the book's quality.

Thank you very much, Krista and Becca, for putting this on NetGalley. Great job on the novel, and I wish you and Lily and Lo the best of luck in the future (I know they'll be okay).4/5