Review: HLB Reviews Beautiful Addictions
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2014
I don't think I have ever read a book where a character seriously suffered from amnesia, or if I have it was so long ago that I don't remember it. I was curious to see if I would be able to really form a connection with a person who had no connection to her past, after all you past makes you who you are doesn't it? Surprisingly I did connect with Josie, I think mainly because her amnesia was a few years in the past, so she had recent history that had shaped her into who she is today, which really worked in the context of the story.I liked Josie, but man, she was seriously damaged. She is quite literally the poster child for every horror story about the foster care system. Add that in with how her parents were killed and you can't help but feel incredibly sorry for the girl. She doesn't cope well with reality in my opinion, drugs and mindless sex seem to be her go to weapons to avoid reality. But even though she avoids reality like the plague you can see glimpses of the truly good person she is at heart, she brings food to the homeless kids in the area, and in general is just a good person, in spite of the hell she went through.Tristan I liked a lot. Tattoo, smoking hot bad boy who drives an old car... oh yeah that does it for me. He's a good guy with a rough edge, he's done some seriously questionable stuff in his past, but as the story unfolds before you, you can kind of see how/why he went down the path he did.I think it's really amazing how Josie and Tristan reconnect after years of being away, especially considering Tristan thought Josie was dead, but once they find each other it's like explosive. The two of them really want nothing more than to be with each other, but once again the past has ways of coming up when you least expect it and put some serious wrinkles in their plans. There was a lot of suspense in this novel, mainly because the other clues you in on characters that aren't just Josie and Tristan, so you aren't limited to just their points of view. It really helps to have the insight about all the characters, it really made the whole story much more compelling.Overall, I would say I really did enjoy this book. It definitely isn't the traditional "romance" book by any means, which I appreciated and liked. In all honest, Josie and Tristan would have been the kind of people I hung out with in high school, so it was super easy for me to connect with them and really pull for their happy ending. My favorite secondary character was hands down Alex, super awesome, you'll understand when you read the book why I like him so much, but let's just say what girl wouldn't like a super hot, protective neighbor with a bad boy streak? I would easily recommend this book to anyone looking for a new adult book, especially for someone looking for something with a bit of an organized crime flare to it in addition to the romantic elements, so go check out this book! I am looking forward to seeing Vining's next book, I'd love to see how her writing evolves over time.