Series: Addicted #2.5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 18th 2014
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Two years will change them forever.
When rumors spread like wildfire—like having three-ways with her boyfriend’s rock climbing brother—Lily Calloway spirals into a dark place. Her bedroom. Loren Hale is more confident and determined to keep their sex life private, even from their friends, and he helps Lily in the only way he knows how. But how much love is too much?
Their lives are filmed, watched, and criticized. And through it all, Lily and Loren have to face enemies they never thought they’d see, demons they don’t know if they should bury, and setbacks they didn’t think they’d meet. Not this soon.
And one rumor could be too much for them to handle. It will test their greatest limitations, and if they don’t hold onto each other, someone is going to drown.
A full-length New Adult Romance that bridges the gap between the second and third books. Thrive must be read before Addicted After All if you have not read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series.
Lily and Lo are BAAAACK!!!
Thrive is yet another fabulous, intense, and thrilling installment in the Addicted series, a series that I’m so utterly and ridiculously in love with. Each book in the series (and the spinoffs) is so exceptionally well written, and I really just can’t get enough of the characters. And Thrive is just as brilliant as the previous books, if not more so. I loved every single part of this book–I could totally gush all day about Thrive! It’s made me fall even more in love with all of the characters (who knew that was even possible?) and left me with such a warm, gooey feeling in my heart. So for all you Addicted series fans, Thrive should not be missed!!
“We’re going to have our happy ending. It just may take us awhile to get there.”
First off, Thrive takes place a little before Kiss the Sky all the way through a little after Hothouse Flower, so for those who haven’t read the spinoffs but plan to, you shouldn’t read Thrive just yet, because it WILL spoil the plots for KTS and HF. And if you’re worried that Thrive will be just a retelling of KTS and HF, let me assure you that it’s NOT! There’s so much new material and nothing felt repetitive.
Thrive is a huge game changer in the series. It’s dense–it’s a fairly big book packed with almost two and a half years worth of stuff that happens in the Addicted series world. But luckily, Krista & Becca Ritchie are superhuman ridiculously talented and managed to make the book perfectly paced and perfectly, well, perfect. We’re back to Lily and Lo’s POVs, which I’ve missed so much. Lily is honestly the most adorable narrator ever–it’s so cute that nearly everything is a sexual innuendo to her. And I love, absolutely loooove, how much stronger Lily grows in Thrive. The two and a half years will test Lily’s strength, but she’ll come out on top. Lo though, is the one who breaks my heart. His voice is blunt and harsh and raw, and my heart was literally aching for him throughout the book. He has so much hatred and self-loathing, I just wanted to tuck him close to me and hug him (which he would definitely not approve of). But Lo does have his strengths, and he too grows into them. Lily and Lo definitely do not have an easy road ahead of them–they have so many challenges ahead of them, but with each other, they can handle anything on their road to recovery.
“How do you know that I’m strong enough?”
“Because you’re better now,” he said, almost convincing me. “And you have me–sober me. I’ll make sure you don’t spiral out of control.” His voice lowered, and his forehead touched mine. “I don’t want to live if you’re not living with me.”
The thing about Lily and Lo, the thing that sets them apart from the others and makes them my favorite couple ever, is the fact that they are committed to each other 100%. Before, they were each others’ enablers, but now, they are each others’ greatest motivators. Lily is recovering from her sex addiction for Lo and Lo is recovering from his alcoholism for Lily, and I honestly think that that’s one of the most beautiful things about their unconventional relationship. They love each other unconditionally and without hesitation and this comes across so clearly in Thrive. I am in love and in awe of their romance that is just so perfectly imperfect.
Very softly, he says, “I wouldn’t be here without you.” It is bigger than an I love you. It is a declaration that solidifies what I’ve known for so long.
We aren’t connected by our addictions.
But by our childhood. Souls fused together from the very, very start.
Thrive is split into three parts, and in each part there are different events (some we have seen, but most we haven’t seen before) that shape Lily and Lo’s progression. There are the high days where we get to laugh with the characters and get warm, fuzzy feelings from how much Lily and Lo, Rose and Connor, and Daisy and Ryke have become so important to each other. You just know how much everyone loves each other, despite how much they make fun of each other. The Addicted series has one of the best cast of characters I’ve ever read–each relationship is distinct and unique, each character is an integral part of the group, and each character is unforgettable. (And I just have to say, I love Lo, but omg CONNOR!!! Connor is fantastic in Thrive!)
But even with all the laughs and giggles, there are still the low, low days where every minute of every day is a struggle for Lo and Lily. This couple has been through so much that it seems like a never-ending battle for them. They have to battle their addictions, battle the media that won’t give them any privacy after Lily’s sex addiction was revealed, and they even have to battle their family and friends. And no, they don’t end up winning all of their battles, but at the end of the day, no matter how much they’ve been tested, no matter how much they’ve been poked and prodded, Lily and Lo still have each other. They will always have each other.
“The world is never going to understand us,” he tells me, his eyes so impassioned that I can’t look away. “But it doesn’t matter, Lil. We have each other, and I get your pain, I understand how badly it hurst, so I need you to block out the other people today, okay? They don’t exist in our world.”
Thrive is one beautifully told story that is both gut-wrenching and heartwarming. You will laugh with the characters, you’ll cry with the characters, and most of all, you’ll fall in love with them all over again. It’s a phenomenal book that had me hooked from start to finish. I’m seriously addicted to this series ;).
Our love is rare. It’s one I can’t abandon, even if I tried. When she screams, an identical one rips through me. When she cries, my world rains with grief. When she loves, I truly, truly fly.
I have never wanted anyone else but Lily.
5 hearts for Lily and Lo! I love them to death!
It’s not necessary to read the spinoffs, but I highly, highly recommend reading them! So here is the complete Addicted series reading order, including the Calloway Sisters spinoff series!
Reading Order: Addicted/Calloway Sisters series
#1 ~ Addicted to You: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Ricochet: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Addicted for Now: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.1 (Calloway Sisters #1) ~ Kiss the Sky: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.2 (Calloway Sisters #2) ~ Hothouse Flower: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Thrive: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Addicted After All: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.1 (Calloway Sisters #3) ~ Fuel the Fire: My Review •˜ Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.2 (Calloway Sisters #4) ~ Long Way Down: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 (Calloway Sisters #4.5) ~ Some Kind of Perfect: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
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