She's addicted to sex and he's addicted to alcohol. What could possibly go wrong?
If you are struggling with addiction please visit mind for help and guidance on overcoming your addiction. Remember we love you and you are stronger than your addiction!
Dates Read: 06/08/2022 to 08/06/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Word to describe: Insatiable
Genre: Romantic Fiction
TW: Sexual assault, sex addiction, alcohol addiction, drug abuse.
This book was recommended by my gorgeous friend @storieswithsaf. In her words, after reading it she couldn't stop thinking about it - and, I wholeheartedly, could not agree more. Addicted To You was brought to me at the perfect time, I have been neck-deep in a reading slump lately and needed something spicy and dark to re-ignite my love for reading. I binge-read this book in less than two days captivated by the plot line and the destructive nature of these characters.
Lily and Loren (Lo for short) are best friends and both enablers of each other's addictions. Choosing to pretend to be in a relationship for three years, Lilly and Lo move into a house together and give in to their desires. Their addiction isolates them from their family and friends so they have become entirely co-dependent on each other in order to survive. For Lo, that meant starting and ending the day with a bottle of whisky clutched between his hands. For Lily, that meant starting and ending the day clutched between someone's hands. Whilst their addictions are completely different, in a physical sense, I found it endearing how Lily and Lo understand each other's addictions and hold no negative opinions or stereotypes on the matter. Lo does not view Lily as a slut for her constant need to be satiated and Lily doesn't try to hold back Lo's drinking and helps to sober him after a bad night. The downside of each other's affection for each other is that in doing so, they also encourage each other to give in to these desires instead of moving past them.
I love the gritty and realistic way these addictions were presented. There were no sugar coatings or creating a romanticised version of them. Both characters are at the complete surrender of their additions and, as a result, have isolated themselves from all that they love. In order to keep up the charade of their fake romance, they even created fake friends in order to further isolate themselves from their family members. This meant using the "friends" as an excuse for not attending a family gathering or social events. It was ingenious and pitiful at the same time. The affectionate side of their relationship soon blossoms into a romantic one when Lo admits that he is hurt every time Lily turns to someone else to satiate her addiction. Lily, similarly hurt by Lo's constant teasing and touching, admits that she has always wanted to but didn't want to ruin their existing friendship. Embarking on a true relationship with each other these characters promise to end their addictions. Unfortunately, all this does is trigger a ripple which plunges both characters further into their own problems.
Kristie and Becca Ritchie do not shy away from the harsh realities of addiction by including scenes of Lo's alcoholism in a negative light. His blackouts, violence, and anger are only small side effects of a deeper issue. Towards the end of the book, Loren begins to admit his problem with alcohol and hopes to become sober. It is clear that the tumultuous relationship with his father is a direct trigger for Lo's alcoholism. Lily's promiscuity is fully explored when she loses days to her addiction and wakes up surrounded by used condoms, men's clothing, and sharing a bed with two unknown men. She is constantly described as very skinny, with visible ribs and bruises dotted on her skin. Her addiction causes her to forget to eat and lose time when her brain is constantly needing that sexual stimulation. This harsh reality is a scary one and it is easy to sympathise with Lo and Lily for their addictions.
The plot line gripped me from the first page and I was hooked on the complicated love affair between these two characters. The side characters in this book were just as intriguing but taking centre stage was surely the relationship between Lo and Lily.
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