Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5

By: Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

Narrated by: Charles Carr, Erin Mallon

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two years will change them forever. When rumors spread like wildfire - like having three-ways with her boyfriend's rock climbing brother - Lily Calloway spirals into a dark place. Her bedroom. Loren Hale is more confident and determined to keep their sex life private, even from their friends, and he helps Lily in the only way he knows how. But how much love is too much?

Their lives are filmed, watched, and criticized. And through it all, Lily and Loren have to face enemies they never thought they'd see, demons they don't know if they should bury, and setbacks they didn't think they'd meet. Not this soon. And one rumor could be too much for them to handle. It will test their greatest limitations, and if they don't hold onto each other, someone is going to drown.

For the most fulfilling listening experience, the Calloway Sisters series should be listened to along with the Addicted series.

Listening order as recommended by the authors:

Addicted to You
Ricochet
Addicted for Now
Kiss the Sky
Hothouse Flower
Thrive
Addicted After All
Fuel the Fire
Long Way Down
Some Kind of Perfect

©2014 K.B. Ritchie (P)2014 Audible Inc.

5 Addicted Stars!!!

This is hands down my favorite series. I am so deeply connected and attached to these characters!!!!!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. I knew Thrive would cover the material from Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower, but from Lily and Lo's point of view. Is this going to be repetitive? Is this going to be boring? I was very excited to read it (because I just can't get enough of the characters and I miss them) but I was afraid it would not be quite as exciting as the next installment of brand new material.

But I was wrong.

This book had TONS of new material in it. There were a few scenes that I remember from the other perspectives given in KTS and HHF, but the majority of this book was brand new. Krista and Becca Ritchie are so talented. I love their writing and I love how they put a different spin on things we have already read about. Props, ladies!!!

Let me just say that Lily cracks me UP!!!

""What do you want for your birthday?" C0ck." ***choke, splutter, laugh!**

"Shut up vagina." LMAO.

Lily is funny, she is sweet, she is painfully shy and she is ashamed of her addiction. And I love every bit of her.

But most of all, I love Lily and Lo together.

"He hugs me close. There is nowhere safer than in Loren Hale's arms."

Loren's POV really, really pulled on my heartstrings. He is an unapologetic @sshole, but he does care what everyone else thinks. He wants approval from Lily, from Ryke, from his father. He wants to make Lily happy. He wants to be worthy of her.

"I'm going to love Lily how I want to love her. Overwhelmingly, umcompromisingly."

"Our love is rare. It's one I can't abandon, even if I tried. .... When she loves, I truly, truly fly."

Lo loves Lily so completely. He makes me melt. But reading about his rough patch was so hard for me. Even though I already knew from HHF that he was going to struggle with his addiction, reading about it from his perspective was so emotional.

My favorite part is seeing how Lily, Lo, Rose, Connor, Daisy and Ryke all interact with each other. These 6 characters have such a bond. They stick together through good times and bad times. They fight, they bicker, they love, they support, they are family. They are flawed and real and I love them all the more for it.

I wish I could jump into the book and become a part of their family.

I know I'm not doing this story justice with my review.

Suffice it to say that I HIGHLY recommend this series. And this book. Even if you have read KTS and HHF you need to read this book. I don't want to miss one moment of the series.

Thank you so much, Krista and Becca for such a wonderful series!!!

I love the narrators for Lily & Lo - they are PERFECT!!! Highly recommend the audiobook!!

Just like the series. I loved Thrive

If you could sum up Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5 in three words, what would they be?

Complete Romance (I know it's not one word, but that's how I felt), Quirky, Epic

What other book might you compare Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5 to and why?

I would definitely compare Thrive to the other books in the Addicted Series. Just like the series, I loved Thrive. If you are a fan of the series, you must listen to Thrive. If I had to compare the series to any other books that aren’t related I would have to compare to J.A. Huss’s Rook And Ronin series. Both series focal on a group and both series have spin-offs with main characters from the group. I love these books. I love loving more than one character and I love it when all of them interact with each other.

What does Charles Carr and Erin Mallon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am a HUGE fan of Erin Mallon. I will listen to anything and everything she narrates. She has the best voice. Her voice is very adorable, youthful and she conveys the emotions on point. I feel her awkwardness, her nervousness and her cuteness as she speaks. I am so happy she narrated for the series.This is my first Charles Carr narration. I enjoyed him as well. Charles’ voice is deep and masculine. He is the perfect Lo. I loved his mixed emotions he portrays, especially when he gets angry, it was very sexy. His voice is addictive and attractive.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Addictively entertaining and Addictively good. It will leave you craving for more."

Any additional comments?

Full Review:

5 I LOVE Lily and Lo Stars

Thrive is a FULL length novel. You must read Addicted to You and Addicted for Now prior to reading Thrive. You do not have to read the spin-offs, Kiss the Sky and Hothouse, however, I highly recommend it, since the story over-laps.

Thrive takes place right after Adidcted for Now and during Kiss the Sky and Hothouse, except it’s in Lo and Lily’s POV.

I listened to the audio version and this is my first time listening to an audio book without reading it before and I have to say…

I LOVED IT!

Lily and Lo are still battling with their addictions. I just feel so bad for Lily. She can’t just stop having sex. I guess she could, but that’s crazy, so her and Lo work on having “safe” sex, meaning Lily not using sex as an outlet for her stress. I love the relationship Lily and Lo have and I love how supportive they are towards each other.

All Lo wants is Lily to be happy, but it’s hard when Lo gets crap from his dad and he still gets cravings all the time. He stops taking his medication because he doesn’t want to throw up if he accidently consumes alcohol through food. I love how protective he is towards Lily and I love that he thinks about her all the time. (As it should be in any relationship < --- totally being serious).

What I enjoy the most:

The Love between Lily and Lo < ---- it’s epic, once-in-a-life-time romance. I love dependent relationships. I think it’s because I’m completely dependent on my husband. Is it wrong? Some would say yes, I say, OH NO! It’s the best.

The Pace

If you are on the fence with Thrive, I urge you to pick it up if you are a fan of the series. You just get so much more Lily and Lo. As much as I loved Kiss the Sky and Hothouse, I feel like I understand Lo and Lily’s actions more. In Hothouse, Lo goes crazy and I didn’t understand his actions towards Ryke, but now, I totally get it and I love Lo even more.

The Gang

Thrive is not just about Lily and Lo, you will get a HUGE chunk of the gang. Connor < --- my book boyfriend, Rose, Daisy and Ryke < --- Lick. I just love it and I love them. I like that this series includes all the characters. I get so much character development and storyline buildup. It’s simply perfect.

Overall

I love the series and I love this book. I loved getting Lily and Lo’s POV and I’m excited to continue with the series.

Additional Questions:

Would you consider the audio edition of Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5 to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version of Thrive, but I have read all of the addicted series except for Addicted After All. I love audio books and I usually enjoy audio books more than the print version. I feel like I get more of an experience with audio books than reading a print copy. Thrive audio did not disappoint.

Would you consider the audio edition of Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5 to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version of Thrive, but I have read all of the addicted series except for Addicted After All. I love audio books and I usually enjoy audio books more than the print version. I feel like I get more of an experience with audio books than reading a print copy.

Thrive audio did not disappoint.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Overall, the book was very moving, but the ending left with the best and lasting impression. The book shifts and it just goes to a whole new level. What I love so much about hero and heroine is just the pure can-not-breathe-without-each-other love. **SIGH** it’s the stuff I crave and live for in books.

eh

seemed to be largely a regurgitation of kiss the sky and hothouse flower... it was somewhat nice to get Lilly and Lo's POVs on some situations in the spin-offs, but there wasn't a big enough move of the needle...

Addicted to the Addicted Series

If you could sum up Thrive: Addicted, Book 2.5 in three words, what would they be?

Emotional. Fun. Sexy

What did you like best about this story?

Getting to see Lily and Lo's side of KTS and HF will always be my favorite thing about Thrive.

What about Charles Carr and Erin Mallon ’s performance did you like?

Erin's voice when she's reading Lo's and Ryke's lines was so adorable. Both Erin and Charles are perfect narrators for Lily and Lo!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were both parts that made me laugh and cry. The characters themselves all have different senses of humor and it's just adorable when they bicker/banter back and forth. Of course, this entire series touches on some pretty deep and emotional stuff and after having read Thrive a few months ago, I still cried because I just love these characters and their development so much.

Any additional comments?

If you want something fun and sexy but also that will make you feel things, definitely pick up this series. It is one of the best series I've read/listened to.

This one was unnecessary

Okay I have really enjoyed this series so far but I found this book to be really unnecessary! I don't typically rush to listen to the books that are from another perspective , if I had known this was one of those I would have skipped it!

Thrive

I just love Lily and Lo so much. They come together and help each other battle their addictions side by side. They may not be the ultimate power couple like Rose and Connor but they are pretty amazing in their own way. Even though I have listened to this series before, I still get hit with all the feels as if it was my first time. Erin Mallon and Charles Carr did an absolutely fantastic job narrating these characters.

Need to jump into the next one! ☺️

Thrive

I Give this Book a 4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.

Formats Read: Ebook & Audiobook, Audiobook Review at Bottom.

Cliffhanger(?): It’s can definitely be read as a HFN/HEA, but the story continues so why stop now? 😆
Relationship Type: MF
Heat: 3.5/5
Pacing: Mid
Drama: 4.5/5
Suspense: 4/5


Audiobook Review:
Narrators: Erin Mallon & Charles Carr
Overall: 4.5/5, Listing as 4
Story: 4.5/5
Performance: 4/5

This was a really good book, keep in mind it does spans a two years, and I really enjoyed the pacing. Nothing was rushed, and nothing seemed over the top (to me at least).
Sorry for the short review again, I really wanna jump into the next book.

I love these books!

Maybe spoiler

I love the Rose character but I was kinda disappointed by he just giving in to marriage and babies after resisting so long.. it does make her a bit more human.

His brother, her sister… totally saw that coming 🤦🏻‍♀️ and again disappointed by how his brother handled it.. both of those characters are strong too and the weaknesses doesn’t look good on them at all.

Lilly and Lo, although Lo is tipping up Lilly is really doing great and it feels like she is doing ok in spite of it all.

Can’t wait for the last book!!

This series is an addiction!

It feels very voyeuristic listening to Lily and Lo's sex scenes- it actually makes me kind of uncomfortable, to be honest. And I know it's because of Lily's addiction, because I don't feel that way about any of the others.
I liked seeing things through Lily and Lo's eyes, getting a different look at what happened in Rose and Daisy's books. Lo is quick to judge though, especially when it comes to Ryke and Daisy, considering how he and Lily have been treated. I thought he'd be a little more understanding/supportive.
It's funny, I love Lily and Lo in the Like Us series, I think they're wonderful parents, but I'm still liking Connor and Rose the best in this series. But I did tear up when Lily found out she was pregnant- baby Moffy!!!

I'm enjoying the audiobooks, I'm getting used to Erin Mallon's breathiness when it comes to Lily and I look forward to when she says "no, no, no". It's funny how a word or phrase sticks with you. Charles Carr is a good Loren, I'm glad we get both povs now.

On to Addicted After All...

Alohomora

Sir, you mispronounced alohomora. Watch Harry Potter movie!!!! (Double face palm) need four more words