Book Review — Addicted After All (Addicted Series) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

“I am in desperate love with a girl who desperately loves me back. There is nothing more I want than to experience life with her.”

• Buy ADDICTED AFTER ALL (Kindle) — latest book in series, not a standalone.

SQUEEEE!!!!

There’s no doubt about it, this is my #1 Top Favorite on-going series!!! I have loved every single word of every single book so far, and once again, this new book was everything I could have wanted and more!!

This series truly makes you believe in the unwavering bonds of loyalty between family and the strength of love between people willing to sacrifice anything for each other; who want nothing more in life than than to be together. The Addicted series is sexy, angsty, and completely addictive. The characters come alive as you read, they feel like real friends you know and care about. With it’s unique storyline, flawless writing, and compelling characters, THIS is a series that every New Adult romance fan should be reading.

You get a special heart-racing feeling before starting a book in a series you love. That feeling is magnified a hundred times when you know its the last main book about a couple you love. So, all in all, my heart was fluttering all over the place as I excitedly dove into this book.

The moment I started it was like meeting back up with old friends. Everything was so familiar but tinged with the excitement of what was to come. Over the course of this series, the Addicted characters have become such a part of my heart that they feel real. I’ve seen them come so far together — from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and I’ve seen them earn every minute of the happiness they find along the way. But more than anything else, I love that no matter how strongly their love or loyalty is tested, it’s clear that nothing will ever break that bond. These authors have built an entire series around a core group of characters building each other up and helping each other face their battles. It’s refreshing and inspiring.

If you’re new to the series, I’ll just give you a little intro: This is a story that started with Lily Calloway (a sex addict) and Loren Hale (an alcoholic). These two addicts, both fighting so many personal demons, both desperately searching for something outside their grasp, fell in love… and their love for each other gave them the strength and will to battle their addictions, and to strive to become healthy again for each other. For a better future, and for a healthy future. I think the most important thing to remember though is that these are deeply flawed characters. They make mistakes. They are addicts. But equally important is to never let go of the fact that they love each other more than anything. There’s no Lily without Lo and no Lo without Lily. And that love is what gets them through even the darkest times.

Please note: there is no cheating in this entire series.

As I mentioned earlier though. This series should only be read in order so check the bottom of the post for those details. This is NOT the book you should start with. But the review is spoiler free.

This is the kind of series where every single word is important. Each one is filled with emotion. Each one either drives the story forward or gives it more depth. You can just feel how much care went into the writing. These words have weight.

My eyes well with tears… “Against the world, Loren Hale?”

“Yeah,” he nods. “Against the world, Lily Calloway. I’m familiar with that battle.”

I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again that the core cast of characters in the Addicted series is truly one of the most well developed ones I’ve ever read. There are 3 couples — and individually, that’s 6 friends — and they all have their own unique relationships with each other. Each one of them is thrilling, hilarious, heart wrenching, and gorgeous in it’s own way. Each character is so unique, each couple so distinctive, and the dynamics between each set of characters is absolutely brilliant. This story is not just about the main couples, it’s about friends, family, siblings, lovers and more. Each with their own set of flaws and strengths that play off in each other in different, equally fascinating, ways.

Even though this is Lily & Lo’s book and told from their POVs, just as with each of the other books in the Addicted series, it’s just as much Rose & Connor and Daisy & Ryke’s book. They’re one big unit — a package deal — and each of them has their own moment to shine. Gah! That moment when Ryke went to Daisy and sat on the floor with her, or that scene when he went storming into the meeting, or that epic scene when Connor stood up to Jonathan, and omigosh the whole limo scene too (!!!) and just moment after moment, scene after scene, of pure awesome!

But Lily and Lo are two halves of a whole. They understand each other in ways few other people can. Not only did they grow up together and fall in love, but they’ve battled their addictions together. They’ve each seen each other at their worst and both helped each other get better. Their bond is absolutely unbreakable and you can feel that in every single moment of the series.

“I love you,” he says so empathetically that it tears open my heart. “I understand you. Please hold onto that, Lil.”

I can’t praise the writing highly enough. If I could custom order a series to be written just for me, THIS series would be it. It has everything I love and nothing I hate, and at it’s core it has that wonderful feeling where you know deep down in your heart, that no matter how hard the battle is, they’ll make it through.

By the end, you truly see how Lily and Lo’s story has come full circle as they prove to themselves and the world that their love is and always will be stronger than anything that is thrown at it.

“Lily Calloway,” I murmur, and she finally looks up at me. “I love you.” I don’t even have to say the words before her eyes well with tears. I breathe deeply, my muscles wound tight. Years and years with Lily, my best friend, rush though my veins.

It’s a connection that spawned early on, from chasing her around a golf course and hiding underneath pillows on a yacht. From escaping to a bedroom and playing pretend behind a bar. From shutting out the world until it was just us.

I open my mouth to say more, but it’s hard to put everything to words.

A tear drips down her cheek. “I know.”

There’s a greater message embedded too that most people aren’t perfect and may not fit into the “norm” — maybe they’re too conceited, too shy, too high strung, or too wild, aggressive, or awkward or anything else — but it’s okay to just be who you are. And to be proud of who are you.

“Most people can’t stand me… I’ve realized that the people who can are the ones I love deeply.”

These characters are also extremely open about discussing things which so many people would keep private and I love that. There’s just this complete trust between them all, a lack of judgment, and a genuine desire to make each others’ lives better that is just so incredibly heart-warming.

I say this in every review, but the thing I love most about this series is that it has never once relied on any “stupid drama” or “fabricated angst” to drive it forward. I have limitless respect for the direction that these authors continue to steer the series in. Everything  that happens makes sense. Yes, there is angst, and there is drama, but it always feels right for the story and always has a purpose.

The ending was so beautiful that tears were running down my face. The happiest endings are the ones you fight hardest for, and no one fought harder than Lily & Lo. They earned every single moment of their happiness one day at a time. But with each other’s love, and their family’s support, they made it.

“There’s something about her that makes all the terrible parts of me seem irrelevant. It’s love like this that’s worth living for.”

I couldn’t put this book down. From the moment I started, I was glued to the page. Some scenes made me literally gasp right out loud in shock, others had me laughing like crazy, while others had me wiping tears or fanning myself. There’s the perfect balance of everything. And you know it’s a sign that the book is amazing when you read it as slowly as you possibly can to make it last just a little bit longer…

The Addicted series is sexy, angsty, heart-wrenching, and incredibly endearing. It’s addictive, unputdownable, and one of the best character-driven dramatic romances I have ever read.

It’s one of the only series that, each and every time a new book is released, I will drop everything I’m doing to read it without even needing to read the blurb. I have complete trust in these authors. I just hope that they never ever stop writing because I’ll never stop looking forward to whatever they write next.

This series isn’t over yet. There will be two more books coming (Rose & Connor’s POV, and Daisy & Ryke’s) and then the authors teased at the end of this book about their next series and when I saw who it would be about, my heart seriously skipped a beat. It’s going to be absolutely EPIC!!!!! I can’t wait!!! 😀

Series rating: 5 stars!!! I love every book!

• Buy ADDICTED AFTER ALL (Kindle) — latest book in series, not a standalone.

Yikes! This review is kinda long. Heh. I thought about trimming it down but decided to leave it. I mean every word and I guess all the gushing makes it pretty clear that I love the series 😉

*** SERIES READING ORDER ***

NOTE: This series must be read in order. These are NOT standalones. However, there are no cliffhangers now so you are safe to start reading. They are all full-length novels. Here’s the full series reading order: Addicted To You, Ricochet, Addicted For Now, Kiss The Sky, Hothouse Flower, Thrive, Addicted After All.

PS: I know it says this one is “book #3” on Amazon but it’s complicated — it’s actually the 7th book in the full series. Basically, the main Addicted series is broken down into 2 sub-series, BUT the stories are all about the same characters so just trust me and read them in the order I listed (which is ALL the books).

Click here for more info on the series & links to all my reviews.

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*** TIMELINE EXPLANATION ***

• The first three books (Addicted To You, Ricochet, Addicted For Now) are focused on Lily & Lo and told from their POV with a resolved ending at the end of Addicted For Now — but Rose, Connor, Daisy, and Ryke are all main characters too.

• Then Kiss The Sky continues the same storyline but from a different perspective (Rose & Connor’s) and while it focuses on their story, it also continues the journey of all the main characters that we’ve been introduced to. It has it’s own HEA.

• The next book (Hothouse Flower) is the same deal but focuses on a different couple (Daisy & Ryke) while continuing the stories of all 3 couples as well. It also has it’s own HEA.

• After that, Thrive & Addicted After All go back to focusing on Lily & Lo. Thrive contains their POV during the previous 2 books (which had been told from the POV of other couples). Addicted After All moves forward in time in Lily & Lo’s POV while continuing the story of all 3 couples.

• Finally, Fuel The Fire (Rose & Connor’s POV) and Long Way Down (Daisy & Ryke’s POV) will conclude the series.

It is perfectly safe to jump in and start reading this series now. No cliffhangers!