Ricochet (ADDICTED SERIES)

I’m not quite sure why I didn’t read this right when I got it on Amazon after it first came out August 2013. By now I’m sure almost all of you know about my obsession with this series—I absolutely love it to pieces; to the tiniest details. It’s such a quirky, emotional and well-crafted story about two addicts fighting for not only their own health and well-being, but for each other as well. It’s inspiring! QUOTE “You don't make me miserable. You make me want to live. And I want to live with you.” I love allllll the main characters in these books. We get to know Rose and Connor better (which I very much approve of since they’re my favorite couple from the whole series) and in addition to that we see the blossoming friendship between Ryke and Daisy. I adored that we got to see Lily grow on her own and I was rooting for her so badly to succeed, to not give into her cravings. The scene during Daisy’s birthday where Lily has an emotional meltdown and Ryke tries to find a solution? Yeah, I had some tears in my eyes, not gonna lie. The Lily Vow Day scene? Laughed out loud so hard when Connor whistled and Ryke clapped. This book is full of inspiring incidents, scenes and quotes; lots of swoon moments from the past and present both. I did have a few issues with Ricochet and as much as it pains me to say it, the main one was Daisy. I just didn’t get her at all in this book. Perhaps she’s just too much of an energy ball for me, but I like her in all the other books, so I guess she’s not that big of a problem for me? Idk. A tad confused here myself. The other thing that bothered me was Ryke, because he was such a douche to Lily sometimes. I get where he’s coming from though, why he supports Lo more than Lily etc, but still. He did apologize at the end of the novel, so I forgive him. It’s hard to be liked by him, but once you get to the point where he cares, he won’t let you go. That’s what I like the most about him. Anyhow, if you haven’t read this series yet, come on! Do yourself a favor and START IT IMMEDIATELY. RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND. This novella was a solid 4 star read for me, but only for the fact that I know what’s coming next ;) I loved Addicted for Now to the moon and back. Ricochet is the perfect build up for the emotional journey that waits ahead of Lily and Lo and I cannot wait to get my hands on Thrive (which comes out July 18th!). Pssst! It has more Connor in it and perhaps even some of my favorite scenes from Kiss the Sky :’) Overall rating: 4.3 out of 5.0

"Every day feels like an obstacle. And a victory." Originally posted on Goodreads and Booked J. This review may or may not be spoiler free so proceed with caution. Set immediately after the events of Addicted to You, Krista and Becca Ritchie give readers a fantastic look into not only the history of Lily and Loren’s relationship, but the start to their recovery as well. As an added bonus, we see much more of Lily’s bond with two of her sisters, Rose and Daisy, as well as her friendships with Ryke and Connor. Ricochet is short but painfully honest and shines light on the struggles that come with changing yourself for the better. It isn’t an easy task to properly portray separations and recovery, all the struggles in between, but as usual our authors definitely know what they are doing. If you aren’t sold on the series just yet–I get it, New Adult isn’t always the best genre–I encourage you to give it a shot because unlike many of its genre mates, the story is honest and realistic. We see characters who have a lot on their plate and flaws that make them all the more human. Our love interests and respectful and not overbearing. In the moments where things are shaky, they redeem themselves and it is full of so much growth. These are characters who truly love one another and are bonded for life–that doesn’t mean things are constantly peachy, but it does mean something. Most importantly the romance of these novels is pretty high up on the plots but there’s a certain balance of friendship and family that is woven into the story. It’s wonderfully crafted and I cannot stress enough that these books are genuinely good because they are important. Let’s talk the storyline and time frame. I wasn’t quite sure on if this was considered a full blown novel or a novella at first, but it is a decent sized story. Jam packed with emotion, we see Lily Calloway as she adjusts to life without Lo (only temporary–he is in rehab!) and see her navigate her own road to recovery. Along with the habits she is trying to break, she is also getting used to living with her fierce sister Rose, her mother meddling in their lives as usual, trying to bond with Daisy and attending a different university. Did I mention Rose and Connor are actively searching for a good therapist for Lily? Phew. That’s a lot of changes for our little Lily. While her path may be complicated and far from easy–she certainly isn’t having a good time with it all but is very determined–she has a few people who help her along the way. Lily’s addiction, as we know, is a complicated matter. Sex addiction simply isn’t acknowledged as something that is real by many. Lily is strong as hell but her addiction is not something she can just get past instantly and brush under the rug. She has a circle of trust in Lo, Rose, Connor and Ryke who don’t baby her and really watch out for her. I cannot stress it enough, how important this group of people are. Lily and Lo had enabled each other for so long, they depend on their relationship far too much, that it is painful seeing them trying to recover without each other. But what they needed now was to focus on themselves so they could be fully supportive of each other and no longer enablers. I like that Rose and Connor look into sex addiction with eyes that are not judgmental and that purely want to help Lily. It goes without saying that these are two people you would want on your side no matter what. Ryke is a bit more tough love and gives off the vibe of not liking Lily quite as much as the others, but he genuinely cares for her well being as well as his half brothers. Because of this, Ryke is a great addition to the plot. It’s like this group of people have been connected all their lives (beyond the sisters, of course) and he even works well with handling Daisy’s reckless behavior. This is mostly because they seem to be two halves of the same whole, but we’ll get to that in the later novels. I just can’t express how wonderful these relationships are; how much they have grown and will continue to grow. Lily has a particularly hard moment a while into the book, when Ryke finally caves and lets her talk to Lo. Keeping the two apart was a necessity, crucial to their recovery on both sides, but it was time. And soon, Lo will be released from rehab and the two will be together once more. The thing about Lo and Lily is they are both addicts and their relationship could continue to go bad. But they both want the chance to get better and be in a loving and supportive relationship together. Overall, Ricochet is a great read. It builds on the emotions and connections that we were introduced to in Addicted to You and fleshes out the characters even more. There’s never a dull moment and we see so much raw honesty in it, it’s truly a gift to read. We’ve got an intimate look at our Calloway girls and the men in their lives and that’s very pleasing. Finally, a new adult series that gets it right.

At first Lily pissed me off and then when she got with her therapist, she was doing better. I really liked that Ryke and Connor became Lily’s friends so she had a support group other than just Rose. I like that Lo was really committed to his sobriety journey as well. The book got progressively better and towards the end it was a good book. I would write this 3.5 stars if I could.

As I mentioned while rating Addicted To You, I’m doing a full re-read/re-listen of the series. I first read several years ago on some random app without the ability to rate. I gave ATY 3.5 stars, so I have to give Ricochet 4. I enjoyed this book much more. But I highly recommend reading in order!! I didn’t the first time around. I genuinely like how you can see the relationships building between the characters. Ryke & Lily bonding is a high point for me! Especially when they are hiding from obnoxious teenagers!! And let’s not forget to give Jonathan Hale his gold star for his one shining moment - chasing away the jerk harassing Lily!! PROS: KBR’s writing, pro-therapy, Lo, Ryke, & Connor having sarcasm for days, Rose being a BOSS!! CONS: Samantha Calloway, Daisy being a selfish twerp

This the kind of story that I most love to read -- a story of two people who are completely and totally in LOVE with each other fighting as hard as they can to overcome the obstacles in their lives and be together. Ricochet is the full-length companion novel to Addicted To You (Read my Review) and continues Lily & Lo's tumultuous, heartfelt and emotional journey towards healing. I can't get enough of this series!!! As a quick, spoiler-free recap, Lily and Lo have been in each other's lives since they were kids, they are both best friends and lovers, but they each have an addiction -- she's addicted to sex, he's addicted to booze -- and in the last book they reached a point of no return where things needed to change... I won't mention any more though because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone. But just be sure to read book #1 first! From the first few pages of this book, I was reminded why I love this series so much with this quote ... "I don't think many people can understand what it's like to be so invested in someone... We have an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship. I know this. And I'm trying to change, to grow beyond him, but why does that have to be a stipulation? I want to grow WITH him. I want to BE with him. I want to love Lo without people telling me that our love is too much." The story told in Ricochet takes place over the 3 months in between the first and second novels. When I first heard about it and realized that it was a full length book as opposed to a novella, I wondered why it wasn't just labelled as the second book in the trilogy but, having read it, I now understand. It has a very different vibe than the first one. While it is still told from Lily's POV, we see a lot of Rose & Connor and Daisy & Ryke which serve to set up their books that will be coming next year as spin-off novels, but we also do see quite a bit of Lily & Lo too through both flashbacks and present day scenes but just, given their situation, their interactions are a little different than in book #1 but no less emotional. I just loved them together SO much!! As I mentioned before, they're exactly the kind of couple that I love to read about. In this book we see them both trying to get better and rid themselves of their addictions. But the road is not easy and they each have their own battles to fight but what gets them through is holding on to their unshakable love for each other. The pacing of this book is also a little different than the first - there were some slower parts but there were also some absolutely EPIC scenes that gave me shivers!!! Seriously a few of the scenes were just pages and pages on end of pure awesome! Even though the highlights of the book are definitely Lily and Lo, I also like that there is a larger character group. The whole family dynamic is intriguing as is seeing each of these characters' issues, quirks, personalities and relationships play out. It's genuinely the kind of cast where I'm interested in pretty much everyone. Lily's therapist also was another highlight. With her help, Lily begins to see a light at the end of her tunnel as she's shown that maybe there is a way for her and Lo to use their love to help one another heal. All the scenes with Lo once again tugged each and every one of my heart strings. I think it's a sign of how invested in a story you are when even the mention of someone's name kicks your heart into overdrive. If it's possible, I love him even more after reading this book!! With Lily & Lo, I really felt like the emotions were deepened because their relationship went back to childhood and so their lifelong history together really gave their story so much more depth. They had so much to work through both individually and together but what I loved most about them, and the element that has put this story on my favorites shelf, is how much they wanted to be together and how they were willing to go to any lengths to help each other heal. And how not being together was just never an option, not really. That is the reason I'm so addicted to this series and it really is the epitome of the kind of book I love - where you have characters with a ton of issues to work through working hard to be together and to build a functional relationship -- where it's not about dealing with stupid mistakes but rather genuinely about overcoming the obstacles life gives them. Together. I really just want to highlight how much respect I have for these authors for not incorporating any "stupidity" into the story. There was genuinely no "drama for drama's sake". I absolutely adored that there wasn't any "big bad" trying to keep them apart. Facing their addictions was big enough of an obstacle and I loved that there were no external plot elements that came between them. Everything that happened made sense and the focus was on them finding a way to be together and to be healthy. I have to say that I am SO impressed that I am now two books into this series and not even once have I rolled my eyes at anything. It was just them working as hard as they can to make their relationship work. And. I. LOVED. It. Also for the record, since I know many of you are wondering about this -- there is no cheating!! This might sound like an odd combination but I almost feel like fans of both the Crossfire series and also the Find You In The Dark series will enjoy this... *happy sigh*... I just love these books. This series shows the journey of two people willing face their worst demons for the sake of love. Lily and Lo's story is heart wrenching, emotional, and addictive. If you're looking for a new series to fall in love with, I highly recommend picking this one up!! ♥ 4.5+ stars

meh.. I'm still going to continue with the series but Idk about this..

This is the second (actually #1.5) novel in the Addicted series and it picks up right where Addicted To You leaves off, with Lo leaving for rehab and Lily moving out of their shared apartment and learning how to live life without her best friend and lover. More of this book is about Lily and how she is learning how to deal with her addiction and we see occasional snippets of Lo. Unfortunately I find Lo a far more interesting character than Lily and I was quite bored by the end of the book. Lily is undergoing outpatient therapy by seeing a counselor and getting a job, however it seems as though very little is changing in her desires for sex. Lo, on the other hand, seems to be taking full advantage of the opportunity he has been given and seems to be on the straight and narrow. The two have very little contact with each other, communicating primarily through Ryke, or at least what he will allow. Ricochet is well written and the Ritchie sisters are definitely coming into their own as authors, however this book really seemed to drag for me. Part of that might be because of the lack of options available to those that suffer from sex abuse. There’s just not that much to talk about, right? Many outside the mental health community would hardly label as the insatiable need for sex as an “addiction”. Many would laugh it off; especially if it was a woman afflicted with it…she’s every man’s dream, right? It is so much easier to legitimize drug or alcohol abuse. These are not substances that we “need”, unlike sex or food. I do appreciate though that we learn so much more about what makes these characters tick. We get several flashbacks and learn more about the history between Lily and Lo and really get a sense of how deep their relationship really runs, they truly are soul mates in every sense of the word. I really do wish though Lily was more likeable… Ricochet was a 3 ½ star read for me. Unfortunately it just seemed to lack some of the dynamics of the first book. I want so badly to like Lily and envision the happily ever after that she and Lo so desperately deserve, but she makes that really hard to do. Here’s hoping that some of that magic is back with Lo’s return in the next book, Addicted For Now.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." -Shakespeare This is what Krista and Becca Ritchie do to me, I'm quoting Shakespeare to them and their amazing books. Another stunner that isn't even a sequel but a prequel to the sequel - a 1.5 book in the series, not a 2 - and here I am slayed once again. Babbling in poetry trying to express how freaking much I love these authors and their ability to create literary magic. I'm just going to come out and say I've found my Beyonce(s) of the literary world I am happily going to bow down to their greatness. How often do sequel's fail to impress? Movies? Books? The newer version of your favourite jeans? How often do we express, "it was good but not as good as the first"? Now imagine how often a 1.5 novel is disappointing, too short, not enough plot development, too much of tease etc. WELCOME TO THE BOOK THAT SLAYS ALL OF THESE THINGS AND PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY TO REACH BEYOND THE TOP. You may think I'm over exaggerating but I'm not, simply giving credit where credit is due. Krista and Becca Ritchie not only write a full length novel as a prequel to their Addicted sequel. They write another jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, I can now die happy book despite my exceedingly high expectations due to book one, Addicted to You. It is no blasphemous feat to call them the Beyonce's of authors because they keep the hits coming and I love them for it. In this book Lo has checked into rehab to kick his habit. His decision comes after being stunned and horrified at his inability to protect Lil in a dangerous situation. Because he wants to a be a better man for Lil he checks into rehab with the help of Ryke. Lil has a hard time with Lo's absence in her life, they haven't been separated for longer than a few days since childhood. With the help of her fierce and fabulous sister, Rose and the spiffy Connor Cobalt, Lil starts her own rehab treatment. I learnt so much from this book about the struggles of addicts and the different ways they must be addressed in order to be mitigated. As a sex addict, Lil can't quit cold turkey as sex is a natural part of romantic relationships. What Lil needs to learn is what healthy sex entails and how to break her bad habits. The shame she feels is so hard to read because she hates what her addiction does and ultimately Lil just wants to be happy. Once again, the canny writing of Krista and Becca Ritchie perfectly conveys the torment and hope that comes with kicking an addiction. They beautifully weave strength and weakness together, leaving their characters uniquely flawed and better for it. I've yet to read a series that creates characters this real, this dynamic and this human. The Addicted series has gone from strength to strength and you would be a fool to pass these books by. Go out, buy them and lock yourself away until you're done. Trust me, these books are the next big thing.

This book had everything I missed in "Addicted to you". Los and Lilys separation was painful, no doubt, and I really missed Loren at times. But I really liked the way the relationships in this book were developing. There was so little of Daisy in the first book so I was really happy when we spent so much more time with her and I got to know her better. She is such an interesting character and I am so excited for her book. The way Rose and Lilys relationship developed also felt so good. They really went from Rose spreading pregnancy rumors about Lily at the luncheon to Rose being Lilys closest confidant. I loved how Rose was there for Lily and not only worked on solutions but also just gave her strength when she needed it. Still not the biggest fan of Ryke but I guess he is slowly growing on me since the trip on the boat. Especially his interactions with Daisy make me like him more somehow. He also apologized at the end so I guess there might form a friendship soon. During a lot of scenes I missed Lo and the little glimpses we got of him in rehab were so good. That phone call after she had a breakdown ... I just needed that. And now he will be back in book three and I am so excited to see them master new challenges together. I mean Rose and Lo living together? It will be a desaster and I am here for it. Lily and her Wampa hat live rent - free in my head. They are such nerds and I love it. This makes me feel so understood in my nerdishness.

less plot and more character building and development, you see a lot more of the core six in this book. absolutely love the (playful, kinda angry) banter between daisy and ryke! as well as connor and rose’s interactions, they’re literally so sweet. lily and lo continuing to break our hearts, i love this world so much and already feel so attached to them all. very excited to see more of lo in addicted to you.

I love Lily and Lo, their relationship is painful and beautiful, and I never get enouth of them. I only wish that this book had Lo's pov

It was better than the first one and I really think the story is growing on me. With more stories from the other characters, I really enjoyed this book.

Rating : 4.5 ⭐ (only cause it's a short novel...right?). Review : I'm head over heels for this book and its characters!! I love Ryke way too much o.m.g, like Ryke and Daisy's relationship ? Can't wait to read their book when she will attain the age of majority!! Anyway, I loved this book from A to Z like the first one, there's no surprises. This is way more than just a love story. The authors did a good job at talking about serious topics without them being taboos, like a real good job! (Two claps for Becca & Krista : clapclap). I'm really enjoying reading about Lily and Lo, I am never bored! It's been a month since I read the 1st one so see you again in a month for the 3rd one!!