Reviews

Compulsive by Lia Fairchild

hawaiirican808's review against another edition

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5.0

Have you ever had that experience where you start a book and it immediately draws you in? That's what the Duet boxed set did for me. From the first pages of "Compulsive" to the ending paragraphs of "Liar", I was stuck to my Kindle and COULD NOT put it down.
Lia Fairchild has an amazing ability when it comes to writing. From the flow of the storylines for all the characters involved, to her word choice, to how she expressed emotions through her words, the entire book set was a masterpiece. It follows the main characters Gray and Daniel as they navigate through their baggage from their past to be a better version of themselves for themselves and each other. Lia used real-life struggles like alcohol and drug abuse, abandonment, and mental health concerns to bring the character's storylines to life as well as make it relatable for many readers to relate. She brings in minor characters who are a part of the character's storylines and development throughout the series. Besides Daniel and Gray, I fell in love with Alyssa and her rambunctious attitude, but importantly LOVED how her character development grew as the story continued. Lia had kept me on the edge of my seat, not foreshadowing what was coming next, leaving a thrill as the chapter played on and different scenarios took place. It showed how we're able to work through the darkness of our pasts, our mistakes, and the inner thoughts and experiences we hide in ourselves even when we continue to turn to the things that make us the uglier version of ourselves. We're able to work through them and find the light at the end of the tunnel, be able to experience happiness, make new memories, build new friendships, find forgiveness from family and friends, be the best version of ourselves, and above all, find love.

It was an amazing read and I'm looking forward to reading every book she ever wrote, her writing skills are THAT UNREAL. There are very few authors to whom I have brought the book version of their sets, but this set is one I will be ordering paperbacks of for my library. It moved me in no other way that an author has moved me since J.K Rowling's "Harry Potter" series came out.

courts_hodge's review

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4.5

๐“๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž, ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐š๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐š๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง.

Gray is the kind of girl who likes the keep to herself; her past haunts her and nothing seems to help. That is, until she meets Dr Harrison, her soon-to-be therapist.

This is a forbidden romance book but the main focus on the plot is the mental growth that Gray goes through to try and overcome her battles. I loved how realistic this book was; Grayโ€™s emotions were described perfectly and it really felt like I was part of every therapy session that she attended.

โ€˜๐™๐™ก๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ข๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ก๐™ฎ, ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™จ๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ฅ๐™š๐™–๐™˜๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ข๐™š๐™จ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ค๐™ข ๐™—๐™š๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™–๐™ก๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™„ ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ซ๐™š๐™ฉ๐™š๐™™. ๐™„๐™ฉ ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™จ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ฅ๐™š๐™–๐™˜๐™š ๐™œ๐™–๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š๐™™ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ค๐™ข ๐™˜๐™ก๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง ๐™จ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ก ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ญ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™จ ๐™ฌ๐™š๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™™๐™ค๐™ฌ๐™ฃ, ๐™ ๐™š๐™š๐™ฅ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ค๐™ข ๐™จ๐™ค๐™–๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ, ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™ช๐™ฅ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ฃ๐™š๐™ฌ ๐™š๐™ข๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™จ, ๐™š๐™ญ๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ง๐™ž๐™š๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š๐™จ, ๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™šโ€™

Dr Harrison (aka Clark Kent) is our good guy with a knack for helping people, but yet, he has some dark shadows of his own. I really liked Daniel - he showed his compassionate side, his protective side and his flaws. Just to convince you even more, there is the โ€œwho did this to you?โ€ trope ๐Ÿ˜

This isnโ€™t a lovey-dovey romance book. Circumstances are complicated, emotions get in the way and itโ€™s all kind of a mess. But, a good mess that I still enjoyed reading! Nothingโ€™s sunshine and rainbows in life and I think that this book captured that wonderfully. 

โ€˜๐™„ ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ก๐™ก ๐™๐™ž๐™ข ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™ฌ๐™š๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™—๐™–๐™™ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™š๐™–๐™˜๐™ ๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™๐™š๐™ง, ๐™ค๐™ง ๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ก๐™š๐™–๐™จ๐™ฉ ๐™๐™š ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™จ๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ข๐™š. ๐™„ ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™จ๐™–๐™ฎ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™๐™ž๐™ข ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™ข๐™ฎ ๐™ก๐™ž๐™›๐™š ๐™„ ๐™ฌ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ก๐™™๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™จ๐™ช๐™ง๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š. ๐˜ฝ๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™„ ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ช๐™ก๐™™๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ง ๐™– ๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™ก๐™š ๐™ฌ๐™ค๐™ง๐™™โ€™

Iโ€™m looking forward to reading the second book in the duology to see where their relationship goesโ€ฆ if it even does go anywhere?! 

*I received this book off of the lovely author in exchange for an honest review* - and honestly, I binge read it in one sitting because it was just that goodโ€ฆ

marabaelish's review against another edition

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2.0

DNF @ 25%. I tried really hard to get into it but it nearly bored me to tears.

heyehs's review against another edition

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2.0

If I wanted to go to therapy I would do so myself. Not at all what I expected.

debrakelsey's review against another edition

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4.0

Here I am at 3 AM once again to write a review for a book I just couldnโ€™t put down.

If you like romance and suspense, hear me out. Thereโ€™s a forbidden, torturous relationship building. Iโ€™m talking some transference / Florence Nightingale effect but just.. better than the taboo youโ€™re expecting. Thereโ€™s also an additional unrequited love interest. Everyoneโ€™s got deep, dark pasts that we slowly unravel. I was screaming for Gray the entire time and inevitably screaming at Daniel to get his shit together. But also, I love Nathan?! UGH!

This was so well written! Itโ€™s compelling, engrossing and evocative. I canโ€™t say enough for how much I appreciate the representation for mental health struggles in this book. Forbidden love aside, Grayโ€™s journey to healing was absolutely beautiful to get to experience.

There are some serious tear-jerking moments. This story is raw. I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review and I certainly recommend reading it. Iโ€™m very excited to start the next book of this duology.

lzw's review against another edition

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5.0

One clicked this when it was free, and was NOT disappointed! What. A. Story. So well written, so engaging, and I couldnโ€™t put it down once I started! The characters are so fresh & real, all the feels! Loving the 1st person POV as it really gets you in the characters head! Compulsiveโ€ฆlyingโ€ฆfor some itโ€™s convenientโ€ฆfor others it becomes LIFE. This is a book about how one copes with the poor choices madeโ€ฆreally enjoyed this. This novel was so different, and so so good. Canโ€™t wait to read more from this ah-mazing author!

whitneync's review against another edition

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4.0

I would describe this book as a contemporary romance. I absolutely loved the characters in the story. The sparks between Grey and Daniel were sweet but the build up took forever in my opinion. I believe that is what the author was going for so its not a bad thing, just something I didn't really care for. Also the tragedy that struck was heart wrenching!! All in all, the story was well written and flowed smoothly. That's a super plus for me!! Now, the sneak peak to the second book, OMG!!! You know just how to give your readers wanting more!!! I believe you will love Grey and Daniel!! I won this book in a giveaway. I give it 4 stars!!

babblingchatterreads's review against another edition

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4.0

What a beautiful, heart wrenching and inspiring story. There's so much emotions. This story goes so much deeper than the other books. It's not your typical love story with all the hearts and flowers romance or that hot and sweaty lets-roll-around-the-bed-babe kind of moments. It walks you through the life of Gray, a compulsive liar, that went through so much pain and agony throughout her life. Gray has loved and lost the most precious people in her life that after, she just lost her way. She struggled so hard and she has so many defense mechanisms that they now come naturally to her since she's so used to them. This is until a certain situation at work left her no choice but to see a shrink to work out her life issues. She never had the motivation to attend these sessions and saw no point to it until Gray needed to see a new doctor. Although they met at a different circumstance, Dr. Daniel Harrison ended up taking in Gray as his patient.

Gray Sky is such a wonderful heroine. She was feisty and unique and caring especially when it came to Alyssa. She has a ton of issues but she tried her best to change her ways, especially with the lying, and how she looked at life. This story also revolved on her relationship with her father and what they've lost over time. The things Gray's dad told her were just so bittersweet. Her story is bittersweet. And it's not about the romance at all.

Dr. Daniel Harrison is such a darling. His calm and composed demeanor balanced out the angst of the book. He was the anchor to all the things happening to Gray. Although this is what he leads all of us to believe, he, too, has his own issues to deal with and secrets to keep. There are things that happened in his past that keeps him in check and has him holding back the feelings and attraction he has towards Gray. He was so easy to fall in love with.

This connection between Gray & Daniel is way different from the usual chemistry we read about in these kinds of books. It's not that passionate, intense heat, but instead it goes way deeper. Like soul-deep. They were both broken souls. They were drawn together by both their experiences and pain. They complemented each other, drawing strength from one another. It's another story of taboo, but how it was written and told is just so awe inspiring that it will leave you in a daze afterwards. The beginning can be a bit draggy, especially with everything that's going onโ€”and believe me a lot is going on. But do not let that discourage you. Go on and delve a bit deeper. You will get sucked in, I tell ya. And by the time you reach about 70%, make sure to have your heart prepared. The pain is just so unbearable, you'll find yourself massaging your chest at some point just to relieve some of what you're feeling. ~Renery, 4.5 stars

*************************

Gray Donovan once had a happy upbringing until major events affected her outlook in life. This in turn makes her become a compulsive liar; the answer and the defense mechanism she feels is the only way to get through her everyday of living.

After a random encounter with Dr. Daniel Harrison, something about him draws her to want/need him to take her as a patient. There is a connection there and she believes he is the answer to helping her.

โ€œYou have to promise me that youโ€™re going to be honestโ€ฆalways.โ€

When Dr. Harrison agrees to become her therapist the draw to her is secretly reciprocated and the need to fight for nothing more than doctor-patient relationship is in order to help Grey with the demons that she has a hard time admitting and facing.

โ€œYouโ€™ve never hugged a patient before? Youโ€™ve never comforted someone who was upset?โ€ โ€œYes, of course, I have. But, this is different. We both know it is.โ€

This is the first book I have read by this author and it is one that I will not forget. Although there were parts that would drag a bit, the story of Gray and Daniel more than made up for it. Both of these characters had something holding them back in their life and as things slowly get revealed it will have your heart breaking and taking you on an emotional ride with the need for more. ~Cristina, 4 stars

megansendlessreads's review against another edition

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3.0

Compulsive...

The thing about this book is that is it no light-hearted romance. No, Compulsive focuses on the nitty gritty reality that twists you up and then spits you out by the end of the book. While reading this book I kept on thinking that I knew what was going to happen next only to be completely surprised within the next few pages. Sometimes frustrating, yes, but also amazing to not know what the character's next actions will be. I love books where I am continually surprised by the next moment within the story. It makes them more interesting and it holds my attention better than the average book.

There were a few things that struck me as odd in this book that I would hope are resolved in the second book. First off, Becca's husband is a really menacing figure in the book, yet he doesn't seem to ever come up again after a certain point. (by the way, Becca is Gray's aunt). I felt like his character wasn't fully utilized within Compulsive. It was almost a cliffhanger after all this tension and fear was built up about him. Also, Nathan's foster brother threw me off a little. He's another character that seemed pretty dangerous, but again nothing ever happened. I really hope these cliffhangers are resolved in the second book of the Lair Series.

Gray was a tough character to read about. Being a compulsive liar really messed up her life in a lot of ways because the people she loved didn't always trust her. She knew it was wrong of her, but it didn't change the fact that it was a defense mechanism that she always defaulted to. One thing I was a little unsure about was her "visions". She was seeing things and I don't really think this became important enough. I mean she's seeing a shrink and tells him that she sometimes sees things that aren't real and nothing is done about it? It felt a little off to me. Otherwise, I really loved Gray. She did so much to protect the people she loved that it was pretty easy to ignore some of the inconsistencies of her character.

Daniel. I really ended up liking Daniel. At first, I could see exactly how his and Gray's relationship would evolve, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't something rushed into by Daniel. He really did try to stick to the code of a patient-doctor relationship. It was interesting to see some of his personality really come out when he spent time with Gray. I loved how she would frustrate him on purpose to get a reaction out of him. Their relationship might have been "forbidden", so to speak, but they really did make a good couple.

Overall, this book was really good. The characters were great and I loved how the author slowly revealed Gray's past throughout the book. It really built up the suspense and made the story that much more enjoyable. I can't wait to read the second book to the series to see if some of the inconsistencies get explained.

bookbishes's review against another edition

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not my cup of tea