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dissociativemouse's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Self harm, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Addiction, and Sexism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, and Sexual assault
graceheartsbooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I didn’t think I’d like this book as much as I did. For context: I’m asexual and don’t like sex myself I worried reading about a sex addict wouldn’t be my cup of tea lol
But I kept playing reviews for this series on YouTube in the background so I got curious. I also finished it in two days so clearly it had an affect over me.
(Though piece of advice for anyone getting into this series: maybe get it digitally first to protect your wallet, haha)
This is my first Krista and Becca Richie and I think I will definitely be continuing this series.
Despite its premise of a sex addict and an alcoholic getting together, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Lily and Loren are childhood friends and have been pretending to be dating for three years while in college as to hide their addictions from their wealthy families (mostly Lily’s as her sisters are the other MCs). And despite it being a slippery slope to portray this kind of thing as it can easily be romanticized but in my opinion this book doesn’t do that.
In her narration, Lily knows both she and Loren have a problem but feels that if they tell anyone else about their addictions that they’ll just get hate for it. Lily also has some troubling views on what her addictions makes her and that she’s sending the ‘wrong signals’ after a certain incident but other the course of the book she slowly realizes that these thought patterns are damaging.
Ultimately what I love about this book is the acknowledgment that despite the assumption many people have: love doesn’t fix everything. When Loren and Lily officially became a couple, they start to realize that their addictions do in fact harm other people, including each other, despite not telling anyone, and that they need to accept that they both need professional help. It’s going to be hard but I think they can make it (at least I assume they do as there’s a trilogy spanning their love story in this series)
Also I appreciate that there’s a line about Lily going to a clinic every few months to make sure she doesn’t have STDs or a pregnancy scare from all the sex she’s having. I don’t know how much it would have bothered others but it would’ve bothered me as not mentioning that would’ve been unrealistic.
(And as a comic book geek, the references are noted and appreciated lol)
And lastly, a spoiler:
On a less serious note: the reveal that Loren and Ryke are half-brothers made my jaw drop. Talk about a plot twist😱
But I kept playing reviews for this series on YouTube in the background so I got curious. I also finished it in two days so clearly it had an affect over me.
(Though piece of advice for anyone getting into this series: maybe get it digitally first to protect your wallet, haha)
This is my first Krista and Becca Richie and I think I will definitely be continuing this series.
Despite its premise of a sex addict and an alcoholic getting together, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Lily and Loren are childhood friends and have been pretending to be dating for three years while in college as to hide their addictions from their wealthy families (mostly Lily’s as her sisters are the other MCs). And despite it being a slippery slope to portray this kind of thing as it can easily be romanticized but in my opinion this book doesn’t do that.
In her narration, Lily knows both she and Loren have a problem but feels that if they tell anyone else about their addictions that they’ll just get hate for it. Lily also has some troubling views on what her addictions makes her and that she’s sending the ‘wrong signals’ after a certain incident but other the course of the book she slowly realizes that these thought patterns are damaging.
Ultimately what I love about this book is the acknowledgment that despite the assumption many people have: love doesn’t fix everything. When Loren and Lily officially became a couple, they start to realize that their addictions do in fact harm other people, including each other, despite not telling anyone, and that they need to accept that they both need professional help. It’s going to be hard but I think they can make it (at least I assume they do as there’s a trilogy spanning their love story in this series)
Also I appreciate that there’s a line about Lily going to a clinic every few months to make sure she doesn’t have STDs or a pregnancy scare from all the sex she’s having. I don’t know how much it would have bothered others but it would’ve bothered me as not mentioning that would’ve been unrealistic.
(And as a comic book geek, the references are noted and appreciated lol)
And lastly, a spoiler:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Abortion, and Misogyny
taylornotswift's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If I could give 1000 stars, I would. The turbulent life of Loren Hale and Lily Calloway sucks you in instantaneously, their love story keeps you on the tips of your toes. It is an AMAZING introduction to the Core 6 and future books in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cursing
things100's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved lo and lily’s relationship, there personal battles with their addictions and how their relationship and getting together didn’t go and fix all their problems how they still need to try and fight their addictions to get better, I rally enjoyed this book and can’t wait to continue the series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Body shaming
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm sorry in advance for how long this is.😅
Okay I'm really surprised by this book. I've been putting it off since I've heard about it on the book side of social media for about a year now. It has alot of popularity, but all the tropes I heard people listing weren't favorites of mine. Plus the main thing that made me put this book off for so long was that I heard it depicts a toxic relationship. And I personally loathe reading about toxic relationships.
However, I've finally conformed. It's been on my reading list for a while so I finally decided to pick it up and I can say that I'm pretty surprised on how much I enjoyed it.
Don't get me wrong the relationship between the main characters Lily and Lo is nothing to emulate your relationship after. But in my opinion their relationship is more so "dysfunctional" rather than flat out toxic. Throughout the book both parties have displayed on numerous occasions how much they care, love, and appreciate one another. (the shower scene) They have the potential for an honest, heartfelt, and healthy relationship.
However like I stated previously, their current relationship is nothing to emulate your romantic relationships on. They enable each other's addictions with knowledge that it's not gonna help them out in the long run. there's an scene in the book where Lily and Lo are at a Halloween party and Lo breaks into the owner's cabinet of expensive booze and she just let's him have at it. By the end of the night Lo almost gets into disastrous dibocal and then passes out leaving Lily to clean up his mess. And she's so desensitized to his problem that when Ryke and Connor (especially Ryke) are looking and Lo passed out in concern Lily sorts just brushes it off because "he's always like this". And she's always taking care of him when he goes over the limit. And I also think Lily can be too occupied with her own addiction to really realize that Lo is down bad. I hope we get more insight into how these addictions started.
Lo also becomes desensitized to Lily's actions as well. Up until he found her having sex with two guys at the same time and hooking up with random guys through random phone exchanges, and even considered Craigslist was when he decided to drop the ball on her. And urge her to dile it down. He was so desensitized that it was said that he'd often offer the men that come out if Lily's bed coffee.
Lo can be pretty nasty towards Lily especially when she tries to interfere with his drinking. And when they do start dating for real Lo literally expects Lily to cheat on him because Lily is constantly fighting her sexual compulsions in order to stay celibate/monogamous to Lo. Of course in a healthy relationship you shouldn' t have to constantly worry that your partner is being unfaithful. And the fact that Lo has a tendecy to be pretty hot and cold with Lily (one minute he's a sweetheart, the next a dickhead) is a big red flag. Also Lo's aggressive tendencies are not ideal either (he doesn't hit her at all; there is no physical abuse depicted in this book; he just always has a tendecies to pick up fights with other people). He's just very immature and lacks ambition. They both defintely have alot of growing and maturing to do before they can reach consummate and stability in their lives and relationship.
So dysfunctional and unhealthy. Like I said nothing to aspire to, but definitely not damaged beyond repair. Plus they do seem to be trying to fix themsleves towards the end of the book. And I think that maybe what the writers' objectives are. To showcase the ugly parts of their relationship so they can commence on the journey towards healing. At least that's what I hope the other books are about.😅
Also, I actually like how the authors depicted their addictions and them as characters. Lily being all shy and introverted with a sex addiciton and Loren battling his was really well depicted. And her inner dialogue that she has with herself where she talks about on herself for having her addiction, her social anxiety, and her friendship with Lo, and their background was very entertaining to read about. I was really it was dual POV.
Oh and we also got to meet the future characters of this book series which was cool. So here are my first impressions:
Connor - superficial privileged prick who says out of pocket and insensitive comments and thinks he's above everyone else due to his wealth and intelligence, but deep down has a decent, loving heart (he's okay but certainly my least favorite out of the bunch)
Rose - superficial mean judgmental privileged girl, but the way she scares about Lily and her family warms my heart (also I have to admire how unapologetically smart she is)
Ryke - nosy, but really means well; I liked him and I admired how much he stood up for girls (didn't appreciate him the comment he made about Lily's weight though) so far he's my favorite guy I saw the twist of him being Loren's brother a mile away, but it sure it make the book more emotional
I'm more into plot driven books so it took me a while to get through this because a whole lot of nothing was happening. So this is definitely a character based book. I think when it was around the 70-80% mark was when I started to feel it just a little bit (it was still entertaining though) and because I read this as in e-book it did take me quite a while to get through this, but I surprisingly enjoyed the read and will be continuing on with the second book.
Okay I'm really surprised by this book. I've been putting it off since I've heard about it on the book side of social media for about a year now. It has alot of popularity, but all the tropes I heard people listing weren't favorites of mine. Plus the main thing that made me put this book off for so long was that I heard it depicts a toxic relationship. And I personally loathe reading about toxic relationships.
However, I've finally conformed. It's been on my reading list for a while so I finally decided to pick it up and I can say that I'm pretty surprised on how much I enjoyed it.
Don't get me wrong the relationship between the main characters Lily and Lo is nothing to emulate your relationship after. But in my opinion their relationship is more so "dysfunctional" rather than flat out toxic. Throughout the book both parties have displayed on numerous occasions how much they care, love, and appreciate one another. (the shower scene) They have the potential for an honest, heartfelt, and healthy relationship.
However like I stated previously, their current relationship is nothing to emulate your romantic relationships on. They enable each other's addictions with knowledge that it's not gonna help them out in the long run.
Lo also becomes desensitized to Lily's actions as well.
Lo can be pretty nasty towards Lily especially when she tries to interfere with his drinking. And when they do start dating for real Lo literally expects Lily to cheat on him because Lily is constantly fighting her sexual compulsions in order to stay celibate/monogamous to Lo. Of course in a healthy relationship you shouldn' t have to constantly worry that your partner is being unfaithful. And the fact that Lo has a tendecy to be pretty hot and cold with Lily (one minute he's a sweetheart, the next a dickhead) is a big red flag. Also Lo's aggressive tendencies are not ideal either (he doesn't hit her at all; there is no physical abuse depicted in this book; he just always has a tendecies to pick up fights with other people). He's just very immature and lacks ambition. They both defintely have alot of growing and maturing to do before they can reach consummate and stability in their lives and relationship.
So dysfunctional and unhealthy. Like I said nothing to aspire to, but definitely not damaged beyond repair. Plus they do seem to be trying to fix themsleves towards the end of the book. And I think that maybe what the writers' objectives are. To showcase the ugly parts of their relationship so they can commence on the journey towards healing. At least that's what I hope the other books are about.😅
Also, I actually like how the authors depicted their addictions and them as characters. Lily being all shy and introverted with a sex addiciton and Loren battling his was really well depicted. And her inner dialogue that she has with herself where she talks about on herself for having her addiction, her social anxiety, and her friendship with Lo, and their background was very entertaining to read about. I was really it was dual POV.
Oh and we also got to meet the future characters of this book series which was cool. So here are my first impressions:
Connor - superficial privileged prick who says out of pocket and insensitive comments and thinks he's above everyone else due to his wealth and intelligence, but deep down has a decent, loving heart (he's okay but certainly my least favorite out of the bunch)
Rose - superficial mean judgmental privileged girl, but the way she scares about Lily and her family warms my heart (also I have to admire how unapologetically smart she is)
Ryke - nosy, but really means well; I liked him and I admired how much he stood up for girls (didn't appreciate him the comment he made about Lily's weight though) so far he's my favorite guy
I'm more into plot driven books so it took me a while to get through this because a whole lot of nothing was happening. So this is definitely a character based book. I think when it was around the 70-80% mark was when I started to feel it just a little bit (it was still entertaining though) and because I read this as in e-book it did take me quite a while to get through this, but I surprisingly enjoyed the read and will be continuing on with the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Body shaming
jules_c's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Cursing
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
h_brohman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75-4 stars
I flew through this book and loved every second of it. However, it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s not going to be the fluffy romance you want but definitely not the serious book with depth either. While it wasn’t necessarily the best writing and time was passing in the book with no major changes, the tension, love, personal problems, and the characters were worth it for me to rate it high and obsess over it constantly. When I wasn’t reading, I wanted to be. If another book was written this way, I may have wanted more and rated lower; somehow this story left nothing to be desired and I loved it.
I flew through this book and loved every second of it. However, it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s not going to be the fluffy romance you want but definitely not the serious book with depth either. While it wasn’t necessarily the best writing and time was passing in the book with no major changes, the tension, love, personal problems, and the characters were worth it for me to rate it high and obsess over it constantly. When I wasn’t reading, I wanted to be. If another book was written this way, I may have wanted more and rated lower; somehow this story left nothing to be desired and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Addiction
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual harassment and Body shaming
ecravens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Rape, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
khloereads86's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Most of this book I found really boring. I honestly thought about dnfing tons of times, but the ending kind of redeemed it. The last ~15% was so good and I’m going to continue with the series. I didn’t find either of the main characters lovable, and most of their actions were very frustrating. I really liked Rose and Connor though, and I figured something was up with Ryke. At this point I’m mostly just reading through so I can read Kiss the Sky cause I love Rose & Connor, but I’m also cheering for Lo & Lily to get better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Cursing, and Addiction
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Vomit, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship
smasson13's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I originally read the sequels to this series first and am now returning to meet the parents.
I already loved Lily and Lo, so I'm glad that I still do! It's really neat to see how it all started.
The whole situation with Ryke though felt very random and unbelievable, there was probably a less abstract and more realistic way for him to wiggle into their lives.
The romance was not a spicy as their later books, the pace felt a little slow, but overall was still a great book. The best thing about this book over the sequels is that there are actual problems and real angst. Much appreciated.
I already loved Lily and Lo, so I'm glad that I still do! It's really neat to see how it all started.
The whole situation with Ryke though felt very random and unbelievable, there was probably a less abstract and more realistic way for him to wiggle into their lives.
The romance was not a spicy as their later books, the pace felt a little slow, but overall was still a great book. The best thing about this book over the sequels is that there are actual problems and real angst. Much appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Addiction
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse