Bookish Excursions

This isn't an easy book to review because I didn't exactly dislike it. I am actually somewhat impressed by how the authors handled the challenging premise of the story. Lily Calloway is a sex addict and Loren Hale is an alcoholic. Lily and Lo have been friends since they were kids, and they made a deal to become a fake couple to hide their addictions and lifestyle from their families. It's certainly a different take on a romance novel. Lily and Lo's actions were so profoundly unsettling that it's hard to say their relationship was enjoyable. This isn't to say they don't love each other, but their lives are so dysfunctional its hard to see beyond their enabling behaviors.

I liked Lily and Lo even though they're both entitled and often infuriating. They're interactions with Lily's family, Connor, and Ryke were great to read and lent some humor to an otherwise dark story. I'm not sure I totally buy into Lo's acceptance of Lily's addiction - I just can't see a guy who's been in love with his best gal-pal since age 14 being okay with living with her and pretending to be her boyfriend while she's sleeping with other men in the same apartment. It's too convenient and lets Lily off the hook a bit. I'm not convinced any person, man or woman, would be okay with her behavior.

Addicted to You has an interesting plot, but it really could have been much better.

Here's the thing: editing isn't just about catching typos. There's so much more that goes into the revision process than this mundane task. Yes, the book had a few spelling errors (big deal). The story is "readable," but does this mean the writing is anywhere near where it should be for a published book? Not really.

Unfortunately, a lot of the words used were repetitive. For example, anytime Lily is attracted to Lo she sees him "licking his lips." There are also the characters whose eyebrows "shoot up" when they're surprised or skeptical, and we also learn Lily takes 1-2 showers every chapter. I get some of this is connected to her addiction, but we get the point after the first 2-3 times it's mentioned. I had to fight the urge to keep tally any time I read the words "take a shower" or "bathroom".

Word choice is important and a reader shouldn't be distracted by how a sentence is phrased. While I can see many readers enjoying this series, I can't say I desire to read the rest of the books.