Thrive

This is my favorite series of books I've read. Lily and Lo are not your typical romantic characters and I love them for it.

This series is amazing! I love LiLo so much. They are perfect in all their imperfections. I loved Part 1 of the book. Especially all the sister bonding and when they went to comic con. I was sooo glad Poppy got featured more in this book. I always felt so bad for her and wished she was close to her sisters because they're great. I'm glD we saw that all four sisters are close and love each other. I have to say Part 2 was a little slow for me, but Part 3 picked right back up and I loved it again! I just love Lo and seeing his inner struggles. Thrive is a definite must read. It made all the missing parts from Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower make more since. I think the reason I didn't connect with Daisy and Rykes book at first was because I kept wondering what the heck I was missing with Loren lol this book was great and definitely not a retelling of the last two books. It gives you a lot more insight and a lot of amazing extra scenes. It made me understand Lorens action a lot better because he was so mean to Ryke in Hothouse Flower but now I und why. Loved it and can't wait to start Adiccted After All.

Would give it 7 stars if I could!

“We aren’t connected by our addictions. But by our childhood. Souls fused together from the very, very start.”

This quote really gets to me. It is the basis of why I fell in love with Lily and Lo and it sums up the way I feel about this series. I’ve become so invested in Lily and Lo’s story and in the six main characters involved. Every time I read these books, I am immersed in their universe. Reading each book in the series is much like watching a television series from season to season. We get to know each of the characters more and more with each passing year. Six characters and six books in and still the authors have made sure that Lily, Lo, Rose, Connor, Daisy, and Ryke stay true to character. I feel like they are my closest friends and we’ve been through so much together.

If you have just stumbled upon this review, please know that Thrive is not a standalone novel. Let me try to give a quick breakdown.

The Addicted series begins with Addicted to You (Addicted #1) where we meet Lily and Lo; one is a sex addict and the other is an alcoholic. Best friends since childhood, they know and understand each other well. Slaves to their addiction and buried under lies, they foster a destructive relationship that could ultimately lead to their demise.

The story continues on to Ricochet (Addicted #1.5) where we are taken deeper inside Lily’s head as she struggles to fight her addiction. Events in Addicted to You lead to a separation between Lily and Lo, and they each are left to deal with their own demons without each other. This book contains a lot of heartache and history between Lily and Lo and we find out what exactly is the root cause of Lily’s sexual addiction.

The third book in the series takes us to Addicted for Now (Addicted #2). Here, we witness Lil and Lo’s growth and how their relationship progresses. This time, they fight against enabling one another and giving in to their addictions. The battle to stay sober is heightened when Loren’s past comes back to haunt him and threatens to destroy Lily.

Then, we are given a break from Lily and Lo’s heartbreaking story by shifting the focus on to Lily’s sisters Rose’s and Daisy’s life in the Calloway Sisters spinoff series.

In Kiss the Sky (Addicted #2.1, Calloway Sister #1) we are taken inside Rose and Connor’s head. We get an insight to their story and get to know them better.

Hothouse Flower (Addicted #2.2, Calloway Sister #2) is told in Daisy and Ryke’s POV as we get to know them better and find out what’s really going on between them as the depth of their relationship is revealed.

Lily and Lo’s story continues on in the spinoff series, which leads us to Thrive (Addicted #2.5). It takes us back into Lily and Lo’s POV. Thrive covers the time before, after, and during the same period as the spinoff series. Lily and Lo continue their battle to stay sober as they face more and more obstacles. Will they make it out together, or will one (or both) of them fail and surrender to their demons?

Thrive is very character driven. In this book, we witness the brotherhood, sisterhood, and friendships progress as each relationship is taken to another level, becomes deeper, and grows stronger. There is so much growth in each character throughout this book. We also see tensions rise and fights break out! This book has filled me with so much emotion; so much pain and heartache that by 84 percent of the way through, I just couldn’t hold it back any longer. The dam broke. I flippin ugly cried and couldn’t stop. It was uncontrollable.

But like the books before it, Thrive still contains a lot of the awkwardness and humor that we’ve all come to love. Every time the three guys or the six characters are together, I always expect a lot of bickering, bantering, and comic relief. Krista & Becca Ritchie never disappoint!

I found Lily even more adorable (I didn’t think that was possible) and my heart continues to ache and go out to Lily and Lo. Their struggles in this book are just so much more intense that I found myself crying in nearly every single chapter. I fell even more in love with this series.

The Addicted series is heartbreaking, gritty, gut wrenching, and even funny at times, and it’s sure to captivate your mind and your heart. These books are unlike anything you’ve ever read in the NA genre; they are raw and intense and filled with real life struggles. It will give you a glimpse of how an addiction can literally posses your mind and take over your life. So, if you haven’t yet, I highly suggest that you pick up the series today and see why so many of us have become so engrossed and addicted to this touching story!