Bookish Bluebird: Review: THRIVE by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Title: Thrive

Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie

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.

"We're going to have our happy ending. It’s just going to take us a little while to get there."

There are few authors that I’d drop everything to read their books for. Krista and Becca are one, and I say one because it’s like together they make up one superhuman-magic-possessing-or-possibly-mutant-author. Their writing has the ability to evoke so many emotions and make you fall in love with the characters in a flash. Thrive was high up on my most anticipated releases list and it didn't disappoint.

*This book is NOT A STAND-ALONE, Thrive bridges the gap between Addicted for Now and Addicted After All. I highly recommend reading the Calloway Sisters spin-offs, Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower, before reading Thrive. This book fills in many blanks that come up in the spin-offs and by doing so I think you'd get to better experience the journey that is the Addicted series. Not to mention, Kiss The Sky and Hothouse Flower are AWESOME.*

"If anything, this is all my fault. I'm the one who went down this path."—Lily

"I'm giving everything I possibly can. And it's still never enough."—Loren

In Thrive, we're back in the POVs of Lily and Lo following the media leak of Lily's sex addiction. Because Thrive spans the timelines of both KtS and HF, we finally get to know LiLo's thoughts and feelings on everything happening around them. Character development was BIG in Thrive. Relationships also become deeper and more meaningful. If you haven’t fallen in love with LiLo yet, this is when you will. And even though they were among a supportive group of friends, you still notice how isolated they are. There were some very amusing scenes (LoCo!) and some that made me cry (Loren&Ryke). Overall though, Lily and Loren's struggle throughout the book was heart-wrenching and tore me to pieces.

"He's a piece of me. You cut it off, and its like going through life with no lungs.

That is how deep our love really goes."

I could go on and on about how amazing Thrive (the entire book was basically highlighted haha) is but you should just read it and see for yourself. Thrive is amusing, steamy and even enlightening. This book is about love and friendship…about strength and determination. It’s about the lengths one will go for someone important. Lily and Loren's love is the kind you don't forget, we're talking Romeo & Juliet memorable.