Ricochet (ADDICTED SERIES)

This the kind of story that I most love to read -- a story of two people who are completely and totally in LOVE with each other fighting as hard as they can to overcome the obstacles in their lives and be together.

Ricochet is the full-length companion novel to Addicted To You (Read my Review) and continues Lily & Lo's tumultuous, heartfelt and emotional journey towards healing. I can't get enough of this series!!!

As a quick, spoiler-free recap, Lily and Lo have been in each other's lives since they were kids, they are both best friends and lovers, but they each have an addiction -- she's addicted to sex, he's addicted to booze -- and in the last book they reached a point of no return where things needed to change... I won't mention any more though because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone. But just be sure to read book #1 first!

From the first few pages of this book, I was reminded why I love this series so much with this quote ...

"I don't think many people can understand what it's like to be so invested in someone... We have an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship. I know this. And I'm trying to change, to grow beyond him, but why does that have to be a stipulation? I want to grow WITH him. I want to BE with him. I want to love Lo without people telling me that our love is too much."

The story told in Ricochet takes place over the 3 months in between the first and second novels. When I first heard about it and realized that it was a full length book as opposed to a novella, I wondered why it wasn't just labelled as the second book in the trilogy but, having read it, I now understand.

It has a very different vibe than the first one. While it is still told from Lily's POV, we see a lot of Rose & Connor and Daisy & Ryke which serve to set up their books that will be coming next year as spin-off novels, but we also do see quite a bit of Lily & Lo too through both flashbacks and present day scenes but just, given their situation, their interactions are a little different than in book #1 but no less emotional.

I just loved them together SO much!! As I mentioned before, they're exactly the kind of couple that I love to read about. In this book we see them both trying to get better and rid themselves of their addictions. But the road is not easy and they each have their own battles to fight but what gets them through is holding on to their unshakable love for each other.

The pacing of this book is also a little different than the first - there were some slower parts but there were also some absolutely EPIC scenes that gave me shivers!!! Seriously a few of the scenes were just pages and pages on end of pure awesome! Even though the highlights of the book are definitely Lily and Lo, I also like that there is a larger character group. The whole family dynamic is intriguing as is seeing each of these characters' issues, quirks, personalities and relationships play out. It's genuinely the kind of cast where I'm interested in pretty much everyone.

Lily's therapist also was another highlight. With her help, Lily begins to see a light at the end of her tunnel as she's shown that maybe there is a way for her and Lo to use their love to help one another heal.

All the scenes with Lo once again tugged each and every one of my heart strings. I think it's a sign of how invested in a story you are when even the mention of someone's name kicks your heart into overdrive. If it's possible, I love him even more after reading this book!!

With Lily & Lo, I really felt like the emotions were deepened because their relationship went back to childhood and so their lifelong history together really gave their story so much more depth.

They had so much to work through both individually and together but what I loved most about them, and the element that has put this story on my favorites shelf, is how much they wanted to be together and how they were willing to go to any lengths to help each other heal. And how not being together was just never an option, not really. That is the reason I'm so addicted to this series and it really is the epitome of the kind of book I love - where you have characters with a ton of issues to work through working hard to be together and to build a functional relationship -- where it's not about dealing with stupid mistakes but rather genuinely about overcoming the obstacles life gives them. Together.

I really just want to highlight how much respect I have for these authors for not incorporating any "stupidity" into the story. There was genuinely no "drama for drama's sake". I absolutely adored that there wasn't any "big bad" trying to keep them apart. Facing their addictions was big enough of an obstacle and I loved that there were no external plot elements that came between them. Everything that happened made sense and the focus was on them finding a way to be together and to be healthy. I have to say that I am SO impressed that I am now two books into this series and not even once have I rolled my eyes at anything. It was just them working as hard as they can to make their relationship work. And. I. LOVED. It.

Also for the record, since I know many of you are wondering about this -- there is no cheating!!

This might sound like an odd combination but I almost feel like fans of both the Crossfire series and also the Find You In The Dark series will enjoy this... happy sigh... I just love these books.

This series shows the journey of two people willing face their worst demons for the sake of love. Lily and Lo's story is heart wrenching, emotional, and addictive. If you're looking for a new series to fall in love with, I highly recommend picking this one up!! ♥

4.5+ stars

"Every day feels like an obstacle. And a victory."

Originally posted on Goodreads and Booked J. This review may or may not be spoiler free so proceed with caution. Set immediately after the events of Addicted to You, Krista and Becca Ritchie give readers a fantastic look into not only the history of Lily and Loren’s relationship, but the start to their recovery as well. As an added bonus, we see much more of Lily’s bond with two of her sisters, Rose and Daisy, as well as her friendships with Ryke and Connor.

Ricochet is short but painfully honest and shines light on the struggles that come with changing yourself for the better. It isn’t an easy task to properly portray separations and recovery, all the struggles in between, but as usual our authors definitely know what they are doing.

If you aren’t sold on the series just yet–I get it, New Adult isn’t always the best genre–I encourage you to give it a shot because unlike many of its genre mates, the story is honest and realistic. We see characters who have a lot on their plate and flaws that make them all the more human.

Our love interests and respectful and not overbearing. In the moments where things are shaky, they redeem themselves and it is full of so much growth. These are characters who truly love one another and are bonded for life–that doesn’t mean things are constantly peachy, but it does mean something.

Most importantly the romance of these novels is pretty high up on the plots but there’s a certain balance of friendship and family that is woven into the story. It’s wonderfully crafted and I cannot stress enough that these books are genuinely good because they are important.

Let’s talk the storyline and time frame. I wasn’t quite sure on if this was considered a full blown novel or a novella at first, but it is a decent sized story.

Jam packed with emotion, we see Lily Calloway as she adjusts to life without Lo (only temporary–he is in rehab!) and see her navigate her own road to recovery. Along with the habits she is trying to break, she is also getting used to living with her fierce sister Rose, her mother meddling in their lives as usual, trying to bond with Daisy and attending a different university.

Did I mention Rose and Connor are actively searching for a good therapist for Lily?

Phew. That’s a lot of changes for our little Lily. While her path may be complicated and far from easy–she certainly isn’t having a good time with it all but is very determined–she has a few people who help her along the way. Lily’s addiction, as we know, is a complicated matter.

Sex addiction simply isn’t acknowledged as something that is real by many. Lily is strong as hell but her addiction is not something she can just get past instantly and brush under the rug. She has a circle of trust in Lo, Rose, Connor and Ryke who don’t baby her and really watch out for her.

I cannot stress it enough, how important this group of people are. Lily and Lo had enabled each other for so long, they depend on their relationship far too much, that it is painful seeing them trying to recover without each other. But what they needed now was to focus on themselves so they could be fully supportive of each other and no longer enablers.

I like that Rose and Connor look into sex addiction with eyes that are not judgmental and that purely want to help Lily. It goes without saying that these are two people you would want on your side no matter what. Ryke is a bit more tough love and gives off the vibe of not liking Lily quite as much as the others, but he genuinely cares for her well being as well as his half brothers.

Because of this, Ryke is a great addition to the plot. It’s like this group of people have been connected all their lives (beyond the sisters, of course) and he even works well with handling Daisy’s reckless behavior.

This is mostly because they seem to be two halves of the same whole, but we’ll get to that in the later novels. I just can’t express how wonderful these relationships are; how much they have grown and will continue to grow. Lily has a particularly hard moment a while into the book, when Ryke finally caves and lets her talk to Lo.

Keeping the two apart was a necessity, crucial to their recovery on both sides, but it was time. And soon, Lo will be released from rehab and the two will be together once more.

The thing about Lo and Lily is they are both addicts and their relationship could continue to go bad. But they both want the chance to get better and be in a loving and supportive relationship together.

Overall, Ricochet is a great read. It builds on the emotions and connections that we were introduced to in Addicted to You and fleshes out the characters even more. There’s never a dull moment and we see so much raw honesty in it, it’s truly a gift to read.

We’ve got an intimate look at our Calloway girls and the men in their lives and that’s very pleasing. Finally, a new adult series that gets it right.

***** 5 ADDICTIVE STARS*****

First off, Krista and Becca Ritchie knows how to write good books. Their writings will captivate you and get you addicted to the story-line hence they properly named this series ADDICTED. Ricochet is a companion novel to the first book Addicted to You, so it highly advised you read that first before reading Ricochet since the story picks up right after the first book.

"To each other, we were safety, love, and free from judgement and scorn."

Ricochet continues where it ended in Addicted to You. Loren Hale (Lo) is off to rehab for his addiction of alcohol and will be gone for 3 months. While Lo is off at rehab, Lily is living with her sister, Rose and starting a fresh new life at Princeton. She will try to battle her sexual addiction with the help from Rose, Connor, Ryke, Lo, and her therapist.

In Ricochet, it chronicles Lily's day to day life as she tries to battle her sexual needs and addiction. Her ongoing struggles to recovery are constantly being tested as she tries to stay faithful to Lo. After reading this book, I love Lily. Her personality and the transformation she goes through shines throughout the book. Lily admits her faults, insecurities, shame, guilt, love and addiction which has me rooting for her recovery.

"I want to grow with him. I want to be with him. I want to love Lo without people telling me that our love is too much."

"He's my best friend, my whole world, and losing that hurts more than losing a body to grind on at night."

Flashbacks of Lo and Lily's childhood and relationship are introduced and are a constant reminder why these two flawed individuals ended up the way they did. Within these flashbacks, their love for each other was evident. I loved getting to know their friendship on a deeper level and how things changed. It really showed how much they love each other, understand each other, and I think in the end are made for one another.

"Our I love yous encompass years of heartache, of hurt, of laughter and pain. And every time we say the words, I feel the rush of our childhood. I couldn't imagine ever losing that."

The love and connection that Lo and Lily has is a strong reminder that love can survive if two people are willing to work on it. Its clear that these two individuals wants to be together and are soul-mates. The three months apart tested how strong their relationship and how they can cope being apart. I truly felt for Lily as she wondered why she wasn't normal and desperately wanted to get healthy. Her addiction will be a life long struggle that she will have to fight daily but I think the strength of her love for Lo will help be her salvation.

"You don't make me miserable. You make me want to live. And I want to live with you."

As much as I love Lo and Lily, I LOVE RYKE!! His love and devotion to helping Lo on his road to recovery is clearly demonstrated when he tries to help Lily as well. He knows his brother will fail and fall back to his addiction if Lily is not also getting the help she needs. I also love Ryke's sarcasm and brutal honesty. As much as there is a major age difference between Daisy and Ryke, I love the chemistry between them. On a side note, I'm happy to know that I will get to read more about Daisy and Ryke in their standalone book, "Hothouse Flower." I can't wait!!!

" 'I love you,' he says again, 'and no other man will ever say those words and mean them the way I do.'....His words are beautiful and painful at the same time."

After reading Ricochet, I can't wait for Addicted for Now. The Ritchie girls got me seriously addicted to the series... I need to know what will become of Lo and Lily. Will their love and relationship be enough to survive???

I've spent months (or has it been more than a year now?) talking about Krista & Becca Ritchie's books and my love for all of them. If you follow my reviews at all, you know this. I have a confession to make. I NEVER READ RICOCHET. I skipped right over it. Now I'm totally kicking myself because I missed so much freaking character and relationship development. Why did I skip it? Well, it was early on in my love affair with this series and I underestimated the importance of "novellas" in it. In other series, novellas are skippable. They're not in the Addicted series. Of course, I want every single little bit of story I can get about these characters...

I was more than a little nervous going into Ricochet for the first time. With Lily barely battling her sexual addiction, I was worried what would happen with Lo in rehab. Would she be able to stay strong? Would she crack? Would she cheat? What was going to happen to them as a couple? (Of course, I know the answers to some of these because I've read other books in the series, but I didn't know what might've happened before they got to the place they're in now.) I made myself half sick thinking about the possibility of her giving in and hooking up with someone else. Also, I knew I would miss their interactions during this book with them being away from each other. I adore them together, even with all their issues (or maybe because of their issues) and I crave quality Lily and Lo time. I knew I wouldn't find that here. But, what I found was just as good.

Another confession: I'm in love with Ryke. Don't get me wrong, I love every single one of the big six characters in this series, but there's something about Ryke that I connected with nearly from the start. I can't pinpoint it, exactly, but I think it's the fierceness with which he protects those he loves, which is such a stark contrast to his hard exterior and amazingly foul language. (Of course, I'm a huge fan of Ryke's favorite swear word, too... so that might have something to do with it.) There's so much Ryke in this book. I hate that I skipped over it before, because now I just love him even more. Whether it was his first scenes (and the ones that followed) with Daisy or the honest way his friendship with Lily developed, I feel like I got so much of a better handle on his character during Ricochet.

I knew from the later books in the series that Lily and Ryke have a special kind of friendship. (And no, I don't mean that in a dirty way.) I just didn't know how it all came about. Now I have those answers. And it was perfect. There's so much of an emphasis on them in this book, in Lily slowly coming to trust and understand Ryke as he helped her deal with her addiction while Lo was away. Ryke's not perfect, and he slips up in this book when it comes to Lily and Lo, but he admits when he's wrong. Just one more reason I love him so much.

This book was quite a bit easier of a read than Addicted to You was. It still deals with some rather heavy topics, but the vibe was different. (Of course, I think each book in the series has a different feel and that's why I love it so much.) I know it's way too soon to be shipping Ryke and Daisy, but damned if I could help myself from getting a big, goofy grin on my face during their harmless flirtations. Their scenes were just as golden to me as those with Ryke and Lily.

I was already a Lily fan, of course, but had I been on the fence about her, this would've been the book that won me over. She did such a great job battling her addiction during Lo's absence. I feel like her strength and determination was really highlighted well in this book. It's not to say it was easy, or that there weren't temptations, but her love for Lo and what they have together was worth fighting for. And with the help of her friends and sister, she would make it.

I could seriously go on all day about the characters in this book and the series as a whole. I can't NOT mention Rose and Connor in my review. They were both an important part of Lily's battle during this book. Rose might have an icy exterior, but I wouldn't want to get between her and someone she loves. The way she protects Lily shows exactly the kind of relationship I enjoy seeing between siblings. Forget the rivalry. Give me loyalty and protectiveness any day. The banter between Rose and Connor is just an added bonus. Man, I love them. The couplings in this entire series are just perfect. I adore them all in their own way.

So, yes, I loved Ricochet. While I regret waiting so long to read it, I'm glad I did it now. I'm also glad I chose to read the audiobook. I LOVE Erin Mallon. She's a perfect Lily. Moreover, she does such a great job voicing the other characters in the series. She makes me actually hear the characters and feel the feels. She's everything I want in an audiobook narrator. I can't wait for Charles Karr to join her in Addicted for Now. I need to hear Lo! (Have I mentioned I love audiobooks?)

I’m not quite sure why I didn’t read this right when I got it on Amazon after it first came out August 2013. By now I’m sure almost all of you know about my obsession with this series—I absolutely love it to pieces; to the tiniest details. It’s such a quirky, emotional and well-crafted story about two addicts fighting for not only their own health and well-being, but for each other as well. It’s inspiring!

QUOTE “You don't make me miserable. You make me want to live. And I want to live with you.”

I love allllll the main characters in these books. We get to know Rose and Connor better (which I very much approve of since they’re my favorite couple from the whole series) and in addition to that we see the blossoming friendship between Ryke and Daisy. I adored that we got to see Lily grow on her own and I was rooting for her so badly to succeed, to not give into her cravings. The scene during Daisy’s birthday where Lily has an emotional meltdown and Ryke tries to find a solution? Yeah, I had some tears in my eyes, not gonna lie. The Lily Vow Day scene? Laughed out loud so hard when Connor whistled and Ryke clapped. This book is full of inspiring incidents, scenes and quotes; lots of swoon moments from the past and present both.

I did have a few issues with Ricochet and as much as it pains me to say it, the main one was Daisy. I just didn’t get her at all in this book. Perhaps she’s just too much of an energy ball for me, but I like her in all the other books, so I guess she’s not that big of a problem for me? Idk. A tad confused here myself. The other thing that bothered me was Ryke, because he was such a douche to Lily sometimes. I get where he’s coming from though, why he supports Lo more than Lily etc, but still. He did apologize at the end of the novel, so I forgive him. It’s hard to be liked by him, but once you get to the point where he cares, he won’t let you go. That’s what I like the most about him.

Anyhow, if you haven’t read this series yet, come on! Do yourself a favor and START IT IMMEDIATELY. RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND. This novella was a solid 4 star read for me, but only for the fact that I know what’s coming next ;) I loved Addicted for Now to the moon and back. Ricochet is the perfect build up for the emotional journey that waits ahead of Lily and Lo and I cannot wait to get my hands on Thrive (which comes out July 18th!). Pssst! It has more Connor in it and perhaps even some of my favorite scenes from Kiss the Sky :’)

Overall rating: 4.3 out of 5.0

4.25 stars

I’m enjoying this series alot more than I thought I was going to. Even though this wasn’t romance heavy, it definitely floated in the background where it was very much felt even though Lo and Lily were separated in this one. I liked the little flashbacks that were in the story to really show the foundation of their love and connection even if it wasn’t the healthiest. It was still love. I believed that with my entire heart. When they had these moment where they communicated, it was very much of a relief, but also very much about their love and how they were healing and dealing so they could be together in the future. Even though it was hard, it was hopeful of what the future could be for them. I loved that.

I liked that this didn’t shy away from hard topics of addiction. I liked it showed how much Lily struggled not only from her addiction, but being away from Lo for a significant time too. It wasn’t easy. It was raw. It felt very real as she was trying to deal and be better. Seeing those intense struggles of Lily just made the story that much stronger. It was intriguing and interesting, and something I became very invested in.

All the family and friends dynamics were very interesting in this one as well, not only it affected Lily and Lo and their addictions, but also how it effected different relationships. Daisy and Ryker’s relationship I was very intrigued by and know what I know I am so curious how their romance plays out in the future. Mainly I liked the support that Lily and Lo got as they were battling their addictions and trying to help them find a balance so Lily and Lo could have a happy, healthy relationship. It just was a beautiful dynamic that I wasn’t expecting seeing from that support system, but that was what made great. Plus their investment in them as a couple made me invested in them as characters.

I think I can understand why people love these characters and this series. I can’t wait to read more. I’m officially hooked myself.

3.75 BLUSHES

Lily and Loren – PHEW! What happens when you are a sex addict and your boyfriends goes to rehab for 3 months? Sounds like a recipe for trouble, right? Lily desperately tries to hang on and not slip. Recovery is a very tricky thing and Lily’s relationship with Lo has its hardships. How to stay connected though they are apart? How to avoid temptation when it’s around her all the time? Can their love survive this test? Can Lo literally save his own life? My mind was spinning with the questions.

We learn more about Lily and gain a deeper understanding of her and her past. Fortunately, Lily has people around her that are supportive of her journey. Particularly her sister, Rose. Told from Lily’s POV, Ricochet is well laid out – it does not skip over the very real struggle of these characters. It is obvious the subject matter was well researched even down to the therapy sessions.

I had not read this 5 Book Series in its first iteration and found the additional content interesting. However, I couldn’t connect to the protagonist. I also found the age difference between Ryke and Daisy uncomfortable.

Those of you that want to dive into the rest of the Addicted Series, I’m sure there will be many, can find all the books available on all major platforms.