"Addicted to You" by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Series: Addicted #1
Genre: New Adult 18+
Format: Kindle
Publication: August 22, 2013 (Indie)
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

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. 

My Thoughts: I actually really enjoyed this book... with a few exceptions. Let's talk about what I really liked first though:

With the New Adult genre, it's hard to burst in with something original. I mean, there's only so much drama that can go around. But sex addicts and alcoholics? Yeah, that was definitely a new one. I thought the Ritchie's did a fantastic job of portraying someone with an addiction. I know what people are like when they're addicted to something- I grew up in it. So I was hesitant to pick up this book. I didn't want to read it, and be cheated out of the emotional upheaval that comes with addiction. However, I was impressed. Lo and Lil's flaws were spot on and the nature of their problems made sense. They're emotions were devastating and disastrous and exactly what a person would be feeling. They were real. 

I also really really loved the plot/story itself. Like I said, they get major bonus points for originality with this book. It was definitely something I hadn't seen done before and that was refreshing.

So, what was my problem? It's hard to put my finger on it exactly. While I definitely didn't want to put the book down, I couldn't help but feel cheated out of Lo and Lil's real relationship. Usually, when you pick up a New Adult book, it's about the romance. Which this story is... to a point. But what you're mostly getting when you pick up Addicted to You is an emotional roller coaster about addiction. Which is awesome, but I think a lot of people are going to go into it expecting more. I felt like every time we were about to go to another level of Lo and Lil's relationship, the door was shut on us- blocking the reader out. 

Which ties into my next issue: the sex. Okay, this story is about a sex addict (mostly), and while we can see Lily's struggle somewhat, we get blocked out from her experiences. If she's having sex, we don't read about it. She just let's us know that she did. Either one some random guy(s) or with Lo. Which would be okay... if it wasn't such a huge part of the story. It feels like we are just told these characters have this problem and then we see the after effects of it. We don't get roped into why they enjoy their addictions so much. Which makes it harder to connect with them. Especially for Lily.

Overall, I would probably recommend this series to someone who was engrossed in the NA genre, but who wanted a "milder" read.

My Rating: