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lilyya's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 —im not being generous or threatened by lulu— stars. changing my rating cuz im a girouette
Before diving into this story you need to understand that this is not your average contemporary romance, you need to keep in mind that the protagonist’s flaws and addiction problems aren’t here to serve or embellish the romance by sorting out the blemished parts of the characters and with that providing a satisfying ending. I think what made me love this book so much is the fact I knew what I was getting myself into and that helped for not getting irritated or angry at somea lot of the protagonist’s actions. With that said shall we start the review.
Debauchery, depravity might be harsh to describe what Lo and Lily’s life was like since teenage-hood but crudely honest. In the story, the two of them had been friends for most of their lives —their fathers were mogul-best-friends— but after high-school they decided to go into an unhealthy spiral by hiding each other’s addiction from their families and starting a fake-relationship. Lo was dealing with alcoholism since his 11 year old and Lily was taming a sex addiction that bloomed at her 13 year old. After three long years of lying to their wealthy-families —accessory to each other, too— they finally thought; why don’t we try and be in a real relationship together, after all?
Lily was a paradoxical character but lovable, nonetheless. The contrast between her shy and reserved personality but brazen love for sex —in all its aspects— was an interesting part of the storyline. Were her actions morally okay ? No. Did she treat well her family and Lo, in general? Also no.
But how are you supposed to judge a character -Lily- agissements when they are clearly the reflection of her dependency ? She was lost and driven by her corrupted thoughts thatdon’t forget flourished at a very young age, this would mess up with anyone mind. She didn’t get the help she needed because her family had given her the impression that she couldn’t fully or at all be honest with them and confessing was under the table because to them a good and proper image was more important then a mental health. And that goes for Lo, as well.
“
Lo, how can a personnage be portrayed as selflessly egotistical?Still wondering. The way his life was orbiting only around alcohol and Lily was heartbreaking. He had gone through so much and the fact that what happened in the last chapters had given him the strength to fight for him, against his addiction and for Lily was so beautifully heart-wrenching. He didn’t want to lament about his dysfunctional family or his noxious relationship with his father, anymore. His character was the perfect caricature of how parents can wreck the lives of their children.
Lo and Lily’s relationship was the epitome of toxic. The moment Lo had given Lily a pass; assuring her if she ever cheated on him it was okay, because he knew at some point she couldn’t help herself. I was a goner for them and their deficient bond.
Disclaimer: Cheating is forbidden for my taste in romance, AND IN GENERAL. It’s clearly the worse thing that ever happened to humanity.religiously that’s how humanity was created but whatever. no one jumps on my throat, please.
But him being so understanding and yet knowing it would break his heart just because he loved her beyond what her addiction meant for them and how in a way was restraining their relationship for years was one of the most beautiful, selfless act of love.
The addition of Connor and Ryke in the last half of the book brought some life and entertainment into the mixe with Connor’s pragmatic humor and Ryke obstinacy to help Lo. The family drama that literally exploded at the end was ten time more ravaging then what I predicted. I honestly can’t wait to devour the rest of the series.
some quotes:
—————————————————————
Idk if it’s a smart or really dumb move trying to cure my reading slump with this series, but anyway it’s too late.
“ I’ll do better. I’ll try harder for you.”
Before diving into this story you need to understand that this is not your average contemporary romance, you need to keep in mind that the protagonist’s flaws and addiction problems aren’t here to serve or embellish the romance by sorting out the blemished parts of the characters and with that providing a satisfying ending. I think what made me love this book so much is the fact I knew what I was getting myself into and that helped for not getting irritated or angry at some
“Lily, what do you mean about not being good people?”
“We’re selfish and miserable.”
Debauchery, depravity might be harsh to describe what Lo and Lily’s life was like since teenage-hood but crudely honest. In the story, the two of them had been friends for most of their lives —their fathers were mogul-best-friends— but after high-school they decided to go into an unhealthy spiral by hiding each other’s addiction from their families and starting a fake-relationship. Lo was dealing with alcoholism since his 11 year old and Lily was taming a sex addiction that bloomed at her 13 year old. After three long years of lying to their wealthy-families —accessory to each other, too— they finally thought; why don’t we try and be in a real relationship together, after all?
“I realized I wasn’t just another promiscuous girl in school. I didn’t just have sex for fun or because it made me feel empowered. I liked the high, the rush, and how it seemed to fill an emptiness that kept growing inside of me.”
Lily was a paradoxical character but lovable, nonetheless. The contrast between her shy and reserved personality but brazen love for sex —in all its aspects— was an interesting part of the storyline. Were her actions morally okay ? No. Did she treat well her family and Lo, in general? Also no.
But how are you supposed to judge a character -Lily- agissements when they are clearly the reflection of her dependency ? She was lost and driven by her corrupted thoughts that
“
I know I can be a royal asshole. But I love you. You’re my best friend, and the only person I’ve ever told that I have a problem. It doesn’t matter if we’re in a fucking fake relationship. We’re supposed to talk to each other. Come to me before you go off the deep end, okay?”
Lo, how can a personnage be portrayed as selflessly egotistical?
"You’re a permanent fixture in my life. You’re not going anywhere."
Lo and Lily’s relationship was the epitome of toxic. The moment Lo had given Lily a pass; assuring her if she ever cheated on him it was okay, because he knew at some point she couldn’t help herself. I was a goner for them and their deficient bond.
Disclaimer: Cheating is forbidden for my taste in romance, AND IN GENERAL. It’s clearly the worse thing that ever happened to humanity.
But him being so understanding and yet knowing it would break his heart just because he loved her beyond what her addiction meant for them and how in a way was restraining their relationship for years was one of the most beautiful, selfless act of love.
“You two are so weird,” Connor says, very casually.”
The addition of Connor and Ryke in the last half of the book brought some life and entertainment into the mixe with Connor’s pragmatic humor and Ryke obstinacy to help Lo. The family drama that literally exploded at the end was ten time more ravaging then what I predicted. I honestly can’t wait to devour the rest of the series.
some quotes:
"He kisses my forehead before I can form thoughts, and when he pulls away, his lips brush my ear. “I’m here for you. Always "
"“Lo?” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
“Please…don’t move, okay? »
“I won’t”He wraps his arms around me, keeping me warm on the cold tile."
"We may not be good for each other, but sometimes I feel like he’s the only guy who could ever love me."
"Then let me try,” he says, his hand cupping my face. “Let me try to be enough for you."
"I’ve never pretended, Lil. We’ve been together, even if you thought it was some fucking lie."
"We’re terrible at so many things—remembering important dates, college, making friends—but the one thing we’ve always been halfway decent at is being together. We owe it to ourselves to try."
"Sometimes the cannots turn into maybes which become okays."
"I’ll always be yours. No distance or time apart will change that, Lily. You need to believe that."
—————————————————————
Idk if it’s a smart or really dumb move trying to cure my reading slump with this series, but anyway it’s too late.
leonorsantos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ri_ri's review against another edition
5.0
“I’ll always be yours. No distance or time apart will change that, Lily. You need to believe that.”
➙ Second read: January 2024 — 5 stars ★
➙ First read: August 2022 — 5 stars ★
One of my favourite trope is when someone believes they're hard to love but there is someone who loves them like it's breathing. It's so Lily and Loren trope
whitaker21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
tamara_loves_reading's review
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What i liked:
- Rose and Connors/Richards bunter
- the writing was great! I flew through the pages. Even though i hesitated a lot of time before reading it because of the topic . I started reading it a year ago, thought they were together from the beginning and that she cheats all the time, which isn‘t really the case. Which i was pretty thankful about. I hate cheating in books!
- that the sex scenes were fade to black/behind closed doors. There was a lot of sex-talk and being horny, wet, whatever all the time. It‘s a lot of sex and drinking and i was thankful again that it wasn't always in your face. It was just their „normal day of living their lives“
I don't think i can say more positive about the story and i don't mean that in a negative way. It‘s just the topic about addictions, codependency, toxic relationship, cut yourself from every family member and friend because of your addiction. And if you know people like this in real life or you was like that yourself you can relate to that pretty much.
Some would say: oh, she was always whining yada yada yada. When you know how addiction works and you know, how your brain tries to make your addiction work, you would do the same if there were situations out of your comfort zone.
So after all i would recommend, check your triggers beforehand and be safe.
- Rose and Connors/Richards bunter
- the writing was great! I flew through the pages. Even though i hesitated a lot of time before reading it because of the topic . I started reading it a year ago, thought they were together from the beginning and that she cheats all the time, which isn‘t really the case. Which i was pretty thankful about. I hate cheating in books!
- that the sex scenes were fade to black/behind closed doors. There was a lot of sex-talk and being horny, wet, whatever all the time. It‘s a lot of sex and drinking and i was thankful again that it wasn't always in your face. It was just their „normal day of living their lives“
I don't think i can say more positive about the story and i don't mean that in a negative way. It‘s just the topic about addictions, codependency, toxic relationship, cut yourself from every family member and friend because of your addiction. And if you know people like this in real life or you was like that yourself you can relate to that pretty much.
Some would say: oh, she was always whining yada yada yada. When you know how addiction works and you know, how your brain tries to make your addiction work, you would do the same if there were situations out of your comfort zone.
So after all i would recommend, check your triggers beforehand and be safe.
ericabailey004's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ellenmae's review against another edition
4.0
i really enjoyed the beginning of this book and then it became a bit meh but its still a 4 star id say
whendevreads's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like you can’t spend 10 minutes on Booktok / Bookstagram without running into a mention of the Calloway sisters. So, when it finally came on KU, I decided to jump right in. And I have come to the conclusion that a lot of you are insane.
This is marketed as a romance but like… I would say 20% of this is a romance. The whole book is just one giant car crash. It’s interesting, and kept me hooked for sure. But, it’s about addiction first and foremost. And not just one addict but two addicts that feed off of each other and are extremely codependent. It was very uncomfortable at times. I get wanting to write about flawed characters and flawed relationships - not every book needs to be about good people - but I don’t know… I definitely feel like this needs to be marketed differently. Or that booktok needs to let people know what they are really getting into.
I see the potential in both of the MCs, and I liked the side characters, so I am interested to see if I like the subsequent books more. I hope that they are less toxic and less heavy than this one.
This is marketed as a romance but like… I would say 20% of this is a romance. The whole book is just one giant car crash. It’s interesting, and kept me hooked for sure. But, it’s about addiction first and foremost. And not just one addict but two addicts that feed off of each other and are extremely codependent. It was very uncomfortable at times. I get wanting to write about flawed characters and flawed relationships - not every book needs to be about good people - but I don’t know… I definitely feel like this needs to be marketed differently. Or that booktok needs to let people know what they are really getting into.
I see the potential in both of the MCs, and I liked the side characters, so I am interested to see if I like the subsequent books more. I hope that they are less toxic and less heavy than this one.