Book Review — THRIVE (The Addicted Series) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

“No matter what happens,” Lo says, his lips brushing my ear, “I’ll always be here, Lil.”

• Buy THRIVE (Kindle) — latest book in the series
• Buy ADDICTED TO YOU (Kindle) — first book in the series

Spoiler-free review. Plot is not discussed.

Thrive is the latest fantastic addition to the Addicted series and I absolutely LOVED it!!

I’ve been a huge fan of this series from the start and can honestly say that it just keeps getting better and better. Krista & Becca Ritchie continue to raise the bar and there really is no other series like this.

The Addicted series has everything I could ever ask for in a romance. It has loveable but flawed characters who each have a special place in my heart, some of the very best writing I’ve ever read, and the entire series has this delightful feeling of intensity that always keeps me fully connected to every page of the story. I absolutely ADORE it. I’m addicted. I love it. I crave it. I always read every new book as slowly as I can to make it last longer. And I highly recommend it for every single fan of romance out there!!

Please note that this book, Thrive, is not a standalone. This series must be read in order (see bottom of post) and this is the sixth book to be released in it so pleeeeeease be sure to start with the first book.

This series essentially follows three main couples (Lily & Lo, Rose & Connor, and Daisy & Ryke) who are bound together by love, friendship, and family ties. There’s a sex addict, an alcoholic, a virgin, a smartass, a daredevil, and a jackass and I promise you will fall in love with each and every one of them.

“Everyone is staring,” I whisper to Lo….

His gaze softens for me…  “You’re a sex addict and I’m an alcoholic,” he says, “and the whole fucking world knows it. We have to get used to people staring, love.”

Also, within this series, this book is technically a “companion novel”. That means it’s a full length novel but it tells Lily & Lo’s story (in their POVs) during the events of the previous 2 books in the series. This is not a retelling of the same story though and it is a must-read for any fan of this series. It contains new content that fills in all the blanks and truly completes the story so far. You might think that you know the whole story but you don’t really… not until you’ve read this book.

The response to this series has been amazing. It has a strong and very passionate fan base who love these characters deeply and I think one of the main reasons is that the six focal characters, who are the heart and soul of this story, are some of the most well developed characters I have ever read. This is literally the most ‘complete’ story you can imagine. It’s a 360 degree look at these characters lives. We know everything about them and so we care about everything that happens. It’s not just that they feel real to the reader, it’s that you feel like you genuinely know every side of them. You know them better than you would even know a friend because you’ve seen their story through six different perspectives. They become a part of you.

The character dynamics are PURE GOLD. It’s not just about the main couples, but each of the six characters has their own, unique relation to the others. That’s 15 interpersonal connections!!! It’s a helluva lot to build a story on and KBR have done a top notch job of conveying each and every emotion flawlessly.

Although I loved each of the couples, Lily & Lo have always had a special place in my heart. I think the desperation and intensity of their situation is just so heart-wrenching that you can’t help but want to root for these two addicts to make things work. I loved Lo’s fierce protectiveness of Lily and Lily’s unwavering faith in him. The only thing stronger than their addictions is their unconditional love for each other. I love how, no matter what, they are each each other’s highest priority and nothing ever changes that. We’ve seen them hit rock bottom, we’ve seen them support each other every single step of the way, and we’ve seen them begin to get better. Together. Always together. There’s no Lo without Lily and no Lily without Lo.

“The only thing keeping me here is Lily. I try to make every day count for something. For her. When I fuck up, she doesn’t act like it’s the end of the world. She tells me that the next day will be better.”

And best of all, they’re surrounded by a group of people bound together by all different kinds of love who are willing to go to any length for each other, and to protect each other. It’s heart-warming to an extreme.

I think I’ve said this in every single one of my reviews for the books in this series but it bears mentioning again that the main reason I have so much respect for these authors is that absolutely everything in these books makes sense and there is never any contrived drama. The story is intense, heart wrenching, romantic, sexy, fun, emotional, but never once is the integrity of the story or the characters sacrificed. Each line, each plot development, everything makes sense. These characters are each fighting their own battles but I respect the hell out of each one of them. And consequently, I feel the same about the authors.

“There will always be bad days, but it’s how we live those bad days that counts.”

It’s a wonderful feeling to have such complete trust in the authors of a series you love. I was halfway through reading this book before I realized that I actually hadn’t even read the blurb yet. I didn’t need to. I just completely trusted that they would stay true to the characters every step of the way. And they did.

This book ends without any big cliffhanger but the next story is fully set up and I can’t wait to read it. If you’re new to the series, you can easily start it at any time even though there are still more books to come.

My honest opinion is that this is one of the very BEST on-going series out there. I highly recommend it!!!

“We’re going to have our happy ending. It may just take us awhile to get there.”

This isn’t a standalone story and while it’s vital to the series storyline, it’s still genuinely a “companion novel” so I don’t feel right rating it on it’s own because it’s just one part of a much larger story. So, I’m going to just add it in to my full series rating instead.

Series rating: 5 stars. Thrive is not a standalone.

• Buy THRIVE (Kindle) — latest book in the series
• Buy ADDICTED TO YOU (Kindle) — first book in the series

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*** TIMELINE EXPLANATION & READING ORDER ***

The Addicted series has a core ensemble cast of 3 main couples: Lily & Lo, Rose & Connor, and Ryke & Daisy. They are all present in each of the books and their stories are all closely connected.

The books this series should be read in order and tell one continuous story. A huge part of why I am so in love with and so addicted to this series is because I know these characters. I’ve been through their ups and downs, I’ve seen their struggles and triumphs, and so each new development in their story has a lot of meaning to me. Everything carries more weight because I know what these guys have been through to get where they are. In my opinion, these characters deserve to have their story appreciated to the max, and that will come with reading the books in order.

If it helps to know…

• 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.

• Then Kiss The Sky continues the same storyline but from a different perspective (Rose & Connors) 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. Addicted After All will move forward in time in their POV while continuing the story of all 3 couples.

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

It is perfectly safe to jump in and start reading this series now. You will not be left hanging! I promise. Cross my heart. No cliffhangers where the story is at now! And – please please please start reading these books, guys. They are just wonderful!!! 😀