Cigarettes Before Sex

by Alycia Sigritz

Alex thought she’d buried the past — the boy who once held her heart, the fire that burned everything down between them, and the secrets that could still ruin her. Now, in October 2026, she’s building a fragile future with steady, warm, safe. But a dare on Halloween night pulls her back to Reed Hospital, an abandoned asylum with its own haunted history and into the shadows of a man she thought she’d left behind. In the past, there was Justin — first love, best friend, and the beginning of everything. Sweet summer nights. Rooftop confessions. Promises they were too young to keep. But behind Justin’s smile lived something fractured… something Alex didn’t see until it was too late. As the night at Reed spirals into violence, the truth hidden in the past collides with the danger in the present. And Alex will have to which is more terrifying, the man who wants her, or the part of her that still wants him back? Two timelines. One dangerous love. And a question that could shatter them Can you ever really escape someone who refuses to let you go?

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2025

Reviews

[Cortney Faber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read compared to books that I typically look for. It follows the story of an FMC (Alex) who starts a "casual" relationship with a man named Cole. Something neither of them expected was for Alex's middle school best friend, Joshua, to have deeper feelings that he wanted to act upon. There is a jump between present day where Alex, Cole, and friends are exploring an abandoned asylum where they discover some sort of shrine for Alex. This leads to the story divulging more into Joshua's history of infatuation, stalking, and eventual attempted murder following being rejected by Alex.

This story had me on the edge of my seat. The writing style was poetic and had me hooked from the start. Even with minor spelling/grammatical errors the story was able to flow and pieces fell into place the further I read.

I connected with Alex and her difficult decision to determine if it would be a healthy relationship with Cole. I felt her pain regarding her experience in high school where her autonomy was taken. I felt for Joshua's mother as she attempted to navigate her son's mental illness and the impact it made on her. Joshua's mine resorting to creating "Jared" seems to have been able mixture of trauma response and other unknown factors.

Overall, I would give this read 3.5 stars due to some formatting, spelling, and grammatical errors. I look forward to reading the 2nd book to see if Alex and Joshua both find some closure.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to say something before I do my full review .. I love this community... and what I mean by this community I mean booktok..

I knew nothing about this author .. not her name... didn't know she existed until I saw her on my for you page. now I'm a sucker for an indie author and even more of a sucker for a local one.. so a huge shout out to the author for making such a wonderful book and that cliffhanger ?!? that mean youre starting cigarettes after sex ? now to the review ...

I rated this book as 5 stars . it kept me hooked, if kept me yearning for more of just the book itself but also for more of Alex and Cole.

[Aerial Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and the storyline. It kept me on my toes the ENTIRE time I never knew what was going to happen. I gave it 4 stars due to some typos and I caught myself having to reread/go ahead to try and figure out who was speaking at times. Overall it's a great book especially given that this is her first book.

Now,fingers crossed we get a book 2!!

[jules clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

The flow was off? I don’t know how to explain it. There’s lots of grammatical errors and typos, and the formatting is weird, making it difficult to read. I’m not even sure of the story I was reading… it jumped around too much and nothing made sense. Might consider a reread if it gets touched up and give it another try but right now, I’m a little disappointed and a lot confused.

[Katie Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional Roller-coaster

I really enjoyed this book, for her first book, Alycia did really well! I didn't know what was going to happen with each chapter.