Book Review — Addicted For Now (Addicted #2) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

“Whatever happens, we’re in this together. You and me. Lily and Lo.”

• Book #1 — ADDICTED TO YOU (My Review)
• Book #1.5 — RICOCHET (My Review) 
• Book #2 — ADDICTED FOR NOW

I. LOVE. THIS. SERIES.

These books are addictive, heartfelt, emotional, and sexy with great writing and a unique storyline that really stands apart in the New Adult genre. The intensity of Lily and Lo’s love for each other just rolls off the page. I felt connected to every step of their journey. This kind of story is the reason I love to read.

I don’t want to spoil the storyline from the previous books for you, so I’m not really going to talk much about the plot here. This book’s story is a direct continuation of where the last book, Ricochet, left off but if you are new to the series, be sure to start with the first book, Addicted To You.

Just as a quick intro, this series follows Lily and Lo who each have an addiction — she’s addicted to sex, he’s addicted to booze — and in the previous books we saw them reach an ultimate low and take measures to start their journey towards healing. But curbing their addictions and staying sober had it’s own challenges and when an outside threat entered their lives putting the secrecy of their addictions in jeopardy, they depended more than ever on their love for each other to get them through it.

“I’m here,” he says, a silent tear dripping down his cheek. “We’re going to beat this together.”

I’ve mentioned this in my previous reviews but the thing that I love most about this series is that the focus is on Lily and Lo being able to be together. While the outside forces are scary and the threat was very real, their love for each other was so intense, so passionate, and so all consuming that I could just always feel like they’d get through their hardships together and that they’d support each other every step of the way.

“Your addiction is much different, and there’s less support there… It’s just the way it is. I’m prepared for this. I won’t leave. I won’t ever fucking leave.” 

See this is why I it feels it’s like these books were written just for me because they gave me a couple who were truly, madly, deeply in love with each other and who didn’t let stupid things come between them.

I adored that, no matter how hard things got, breaking up was just never an option. Lily and Lo were just meant for each other and they were willing to work as hard as they had to to make that a healthy reality.

“She wants to be with me, but my mere presence tempts her. I don’t ever want to believe that being alone, being apart, is the solution.

It’s not.

She needs me as much as I need her. We just have to find our footing in this relationship. And that takes time.”

But seeing how much they both struggled was just heartbreaking. What they were doing was not easy and the authors did an amazing job of portraying their addictions and struggles in a way that really made you feel how hard it was for them and which brought a grounding sense of reality to the story.

A wonderful new addition in this book was that we got alternating POV’s and finally were able to get inside Loren Hale’s head!! It was fun because it meant we also got to see his life apart from the scenes he had only with Lily and we got a more up close understanding of how his addiction affected his life. Also, because he was such an integral part of Lily’s healing and since a large part of the burden of keeping control fell on him, seeing his thoughts during these times really rounded out the story. And, last but not least, through his thoughts, we really got to see first hand just how deep his love for Lily went.

“She holds tight around my neck, and I keep my arms underneath her legs, willing to carry her as far as she needs to go – just like when we were kids. Some things never change.”

Something else that I’ve loved about this whole series is that there has been no unnecessary drama. Nothing has made me roll my eyes or lose respect for any of the characters. While there were certainly setbacks along the way, I really felt like it was kept very well balanced. Throughout this book every part of Lily and Lo’s sobriety was put to the test but I loved that, even though their struggles tested their limits each day, their love for each gave them a motivation to keep fighting their addictions.

“I dream that one day, I can hold Lily in my arms without any other influence begging me to drop her. I want to be enough for her to beat this thing.”

There is also a core group of characters surrounding Lily & Lo that have been there since book #1. We have Lily’s sisters, Rose and Daisy, and also their men, Connor and Ryke. Together they formed this incredible support team of friends and family and I’m looking forward to seeing more of their stories in the future.

I loved how open everyone was with discussing even difficult subject matters. These guys all had each others’ backs and it was so refreshing to just see people talk. The drama wasn’t generated from secrets and lies, but rather just the struggles of every day life in their situation was enough to keep the plot moving forward at a steady pace. And Lily and Lo were both very upfront with their problems. They both wanted to get better and they needed each other’s support to do so.

He brushes off an escaped tear with his thumb. “You’re sick… I’m sick too,” he says, “and there will be times where we’re weak. Where we beg for the things we can’t have. But you can’t be scared of that, Lil… You just have to believe that you’ll be strong enough in the end. Even if the middle is all fucked up.”

By the end of this book, I really felt like a huge chapter in Lily and Lo’s lives had been completed. There was no cliffhanger and the next 2 books to be released will be spin-off standalones, one for Rose & Connor and one for Daisy & Ryke, before we go on to the final 2 books which will again be about Lily and Lo.

Lily and Lo have come so far from where we first saw them in the beginning of the series. They’ve had their highs and lows but with the way things ended I felt like there was no unfinished business. I think it’s impossible to read these books and not root for them. While their journey is far from over, I’m also happy to let things sit at this point knowing that they are in a good place. 

“She doesn’t have to say, I love you because… The sentiment is attached to each and every word. She loves me because she believes I’m strong. She loves me because she’s a part of me… there will always be an us.”

*happy sigh* I am addicted to this series!!

Highly recommended 🙂

4.5 stars