Review: Kiss the Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Title: Kiss the Sky
Author: Krista and Becca Ritchie
Published: January 22nd 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Virgin. Sex addict. Daredevil. Alcoholic. Smartass … Jackass. Her five friends are about to be filmed. Reality TV, be prepared.

Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she’s a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But with a sex addict as a sister and roommate, nothing comes easy.

After accepting help from a producer, Rose agrees to have her life filmed for a reality television show. The Hollywood exec is her last chance to revive her struggling fashion line, and boundaries begin to blur as she’s forced to make nice with a man who always has his way.

Twenty-four-year-old Connor Cobalt is a guy who bulldozes weak men. He’s confident, smart-as-hell and lives with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Rose Calloway. Connor has to find a way to protect Rose without ruining the show. Or else the producer will get what Connor has always wanted—Rose’s virginity.

This New Adult Standalone Romance can be described as Friends meets The Real World. Expect fist fights, drugs, sex of varying degrees, crude humor and competitive alpha males. Definitely for mature readers audiences only.

It's been over a week since I read it and I can't get it out of my head. This review is so hard for me to write. Not because I didn’t love this book, no, I absolutely did! I just don’t know what to say. My thoughts are speeding on a highway a million miles an hour and I don’t know which ones to catch and which to let go of. They all feel immensely important and want to be told, but I can’t write a full-length novel, so bare with me while I try to work out my feelings and thoughts with you.

“You go through life, seeing people one way. And in one fucking moment, what you thought was commonplace becomes something else, something…different.” He shrugs. “That’s all. I see you guys a little differently. Not bad, not good. Just fucking different.” (Yeah, Ryke has a foul mouth lol.)

The first thing I discovered while reading Kiss the Sky is that it’s so much better to read it along with a friend. Thanks, Nick, for talking to me and fangirling and analyzing. It was truly a blast to share this with you :) The second thing I discovered is that different doesn’t always mean bad. You see, I had this vision or idea in my head of how Rose and Connor were supposed to be. How they’d touch, react, talk, share, be intimate with each other… I had all of it figured out. Some of it, in Krista and Becca’s mind, was similar to mine while other things were completely different from what I expected. I loved Ryke’s quote (read above) about difference and I couldn’t agree more.

Oh, how I love this cast of characters! They’re most certainly one my favorite group of friends in any book I have ever read. They have some huge problems, but still manage to banter, smile and on top of that encourage each other on. They are fiercely protective, loyal and caring. It takes great writing and skill to pull off a plot where the main characters are developed to full lengths and the side characters aren’t forgotten either. It’s a big book, but Daisy and Ryke got an even bigger introduction than in Ricochet and Addicted for Now. In addition, we see the cute, sexy and funny sides with a touch of desperation to Lo and Lily’s relationship through someone else's eyes. The characters are perfectly developed by Krista and Becca—the two wizards of great chemistry and tension.

As for the plot, there were some scenes that had me a bit disturbed. Heh. They just weren’t what I expected, but even through my discomfort (on top of that, it’s all very explicit, which, as I later came to realize, I didn’t mind), I understand all the why’s and how’s and you know what? I approve. Not every couple is meant to be the same and Connor never treats Rose with nothing but utmost respect that is driven by desire, admiration and love. I adored seeing Connor open up and finding himself with the ability to love. It was a great discovery and the way this book ended? I’m only going to ask you this: can you spell p-e-r-f-e-c-t-i-o-n?  Because it was. Perfect, that is.

You know what else was perfect? Lo and Connor's bromance! I could watch them banter every minute of every day. Also, you know how Tahereh Mafi has this famous chapter in Unravel Me? Kiss the Sky has two of them: chapter 10 (Connor doing something incredibly sexy and for some reason every time I hear this song by Drake, the scene just pops into my head as if to torture me. In a VERY good way, haha. *fans self*) and chapter 41 (which had me choking on laughter.) YOU NEED TO READ THESE TWO SCENES (and the rest of the book) ASAP!!!!! 

Because it wouldn't be a review for this book and these two authors if it wasn't for a gif, and because I'm pretty much that awkward with winks. Yeah...

I did my best not to make it all about Connor. You all know by now how much I adore him. You’d all be pretty much bored out of your mind if I wrote this review only about his amazing qualities (which he’d entirely approve of), but to save you from this, I’m going to let you discover him all by yourselves. We can fangirl later. Together :) I hope that you do end up giving this book (which can be read as a stand-alone!), the rest of the Addicted world and its characters a try. This is something you do NOT want to miss and you’ll be kicking yourself later for not having tried them any sooner. I’m saving you from all that emotional turmoil and trouble and ordering asking you to GO READ THESE BOOKS!!!! :D

**PS. On the rating: Why not 5.0? Due to my original discomfort... (read above.)
**PPS. The Nook e-book price is completely ridiculous and in a good way!

Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5.0

Stars: ★★★★★

Thank you to Krista and Becca who kindly provided me with an ARC which has not in any way affected my thoughts on the book.

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