Review: Fantastic Debut Novel!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
***ARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review***Beautiful Addictions tells the story about a girl who has no recollection of her past and a boy whose past has been haunting him for years, but together they shared a common ground. When Josie Banks woke up one day without any idea about who she was and anything about herself and worse of all, she lost her family through violence that she resorted to drugs, one night stands and painting.. She became this empty shell of herself after suffering a lot of traumatic experiences when she was put in foster homes. Places where she was supposed to be taken care of yet she was violated that when she reached the age of 18, she ran away and spent time on the streets along with the homeless, addicts, whores and criminals. To numb herself, she resorted to drugs and sexual relationships with random strangers. She abhors emotional attachment to other people, but found friendship in Alex, Gavin and even Monica, her social worker. It took her time to acknowledge their roles in her life but I'm so glad when that time finally happened. She was a tough nut to crack but not tougher enough for Tristan to finally do it. Tristan, the tattooed bad-boy looking bartender whose face keeps haunting her dreams. She began stalking him after that night, when she saw him in the dark alley. Who knew that fate allowed them to see each other after so many years! Time Tristan thought that Josie or Mac was dead yet after all is still alive. But with their haunted pasts and dark secrets, can they rekindle their relationship? Or is their love powerful enough to overcome everything? But with others who wanted both of them dead, they have to work hand in hand to protect each other and be given their second chance in love. As the story slowly unfolds, I found myself glued to my seat, curious and very eager to know what would happened to Tristan and Josie. Their story pulled me from the very start as it was truly heartfelt and emotionally charged that I was rooting for them until the very end.I really liked this book. This is Season Vining's debut novel and right now I can't wait to lay my hands on her next book. Her writing was impeccable. I loved the chapter titles. It was uniquely refreshing. Loved the multiple POVs as it has given me in-depth knowledge of the characters. Josie's character made me cringed at first but after getting to know more about what happened to her, I totally understood her. I loved Tristan. His intellect and vivid memory never fails to amaze me. They complement each other and any one would be a fool not to root for them. I love reading about second chance romance and Tristan and Josie is a perfect example of that. They were childhood sweethearts who got separated due to unavoidable circumstances. I loved reading about their backstories especially their times spent on their tree. It was so sweet and really romantic. Who knows that seven year olds now already feels true love!While I loved Tristan and Josie's characters, I also loved Monica, Alex and Tristan's parents. My heart broke for Monica and Rob. I just felt sorry that somebody had to do some sacrifice for other's safety and happiness. A sacrifice that paved way for the HEA of others. Though the ending left me wanting for more, it made me happy knowing about what happened to the lives of Alex, Rob and our main characters -Tristan & Josie. The author gave us brief glimpses about their future and knowing that others are on their roads to happiness while others finally found closure, forgiveness and redemption.A story that shouldn't be missed. A real page-turner from start to finish.