Addicted to You (Addicted #1)by Becca Ritchie, Krista Ritchie
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Synopsis:
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.
Review:
Our selfishness wedges between us. Neither of us is willing to give up what we love for each other. Not yet. And I’m not sure what it’s going to take to let go of our addictions. – Lily
The premise of this book sounded utterly fascinating. A sex addict (Lily Calloway) and alcoholic (Loren Hale) who have been best friends since childhood and pretend to be in a relationship to keep their addictions a secret from their families? Intrigued! Add in fact that the characters opulence is floated throughout the pages and I was sold! In the beginning, I was enamored with their lifestyle, decisions and struggles. It honestly felt as though I was devouring a book that would be a perfect fit as a reality show on TV. Wealth, addiction, lies, sex, alcohol, family. Flawless, right? But while all of these features initially drew me in, they started to drain me. I felt as though I was drowning in their ill choices and hardships. And in the end, it took too large of a toll on me.
Why can’t I have an addiction that people understand? It’s a vile thought—to wish for an addiction many die with. I’d rather have none at all, but for some reason, I never allow myself that option. – Lily
This stories portrayal of their addictions felt real. And while I’ve read stories with addictions before, none have ever felt as though the addiction is as huge as the main character. Where it is a constant state that never stops breathing. Watching Lo (Loren) be a functioning alcoholic and start drinking from the moment he woke up from passing out hurt. It pained me to watch someone struggle with such a strong addiction. Maybe I’m more sensitive since I watched one of my good friends father’s be a functioning alcoholic. Happy and present, until it killed him. With pages upon pages of Lo constantly having a drink in his hand, of saying and doing hurtful things because of his drunkenness, my god it devastated me. Every second of his day pained me except for the moments where he would say something beautiful and sweet to Lily. They did truly love each other, but it never felt as though it was enough to outweigh their addictions. Now Lily’s sex addiction? It was depressing also. Instead of being hot (not sure why I thought it would be that way because hellllllllo, it’s an addiction!), I wanted to cry for this girl who couldn’t control her sex addiction. Who ended up in potentially hazardous situations all to get her next fix. Can I go in the corner and sob now please?
I can’t do this again. “I’ll stop, not the sex, but the motels, the unknown texts, Craigslist—”
“Craigslist?!” he yells. “What the fuck, Lily? You know who solicits for sex on those things? Child molesters and perverts, not to mention it’s fucking illegal.”
“I didn’t use it!” I shout back, my cheeks flaming. “I was just looking.” – Lily
Even though I could feel their pain radiating off of the pages, I couldn’t make myself connect to either Lo or Lily. Ironically, the one I did connect with showed up a little later in the story and his name was Connor. He was rude, presumptuous, and hilarious. I loved the moments that he was around Lily and Lo because it helped add humor and scenes that didn’t have me wanting to curl into the fetal position and just cry. So unfortunately, Addicted to You was too depressing for me. I knew going into the book that it dealt with addictions, but I didn’t expect to be drowning in their sorrows and hearth-aches on what felt like every page. I wasn’t ale to find many slivers of hope, besides Connor. So no, I won’t be continuing on with this series.
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