Review: Silver Sweet (Cobalt Empire, #2)

Silver Sweet by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I did not expect to be completely and utterly destroyed by a punk-rock drummer with a bad attitude and a demanding, overachieving singer. And yet, here I am — unable to pick up another book, rereading from page one, and absolutely obsessed with Tom Carraway Cobalt and Phoenix Wolfgang St. Pierre.

Silver Sweet is the best kind of slow burn: the kind where you're staying up until the wee hours, neglecting responsibilities, and genuinely considering calling in sick to work – all for two chaotic musicians who absolutely deserved every second of my spiral. Funny, sexy, tender, and devastating in equal measure. Krista and Becca Ritchie have outdone themselves.

The Setup: A Shakespearean Disaster (In the Best Way)
Tom Cobalt is the fifth-born of the infamous Cobalt family — arrogant, impossibly high-standards, and freshly abandoned by his entire band. Phoenix St. Pierre is volatile, sleep-deprived, and carrying the fallout of imploding his own. They are, on paper, a catastrophe waiting to happen.
What the description doesn't prepare you for is just how cleverly the authors layer in a case of mistaken identity early on — the kind that makes you gasp, put your e-reader down, and text all your reader friends. The meet-cute alone is worth the price of admission. The way Tom describes Phoenix's eyes? I have never related more to a character being knocked completely off balance.
And if you're a longtime fan of the Ritchies’ extended universe — yes, the Cobalt siblings are very much present, the French is flowing, and the sibling banter is absolutely unhinged.

Tom & Phoenix: A Hundred Times Cuter and Hotter
Tom Cobalt is a revelation. Going in, having met him in previous books, I braced myself — he can be a lot. But being inside his head completely dismantles all my prior assumptions. His confidence is a mask for deep insecurities and watching him navigate love for the first time (someone who doesn't know the rulebook and desperately needs someone to take the reins outside of his music) is equal parts heartbreaking and swoony.

Phoenix, meanwhile, is an absolute dream. Badass, fiercely protective, and utterly unintimidated by the entire Cobalt family. He is the kind of character who walks into a room, stakes his claim, and leaves you swooning so hard you have to put the book down and take a breath. There are scenes I want to mention, but I won't so I can keep this review spoiler-free. Tom and Phoenix are comedy gold wrapped in romantic perfection.

Together, they are electric. The tension before their first kiss had me completely losing my mind — there’s one moment that genuinely gutted me for Phoenix — and when they finally come together it is scorching and tender and everything. I was a mess. A happy, unhinged mess.

The Writing: Smooth, Natural, Effortless
One of the most impressive things about Silver Sweet is how organic everything feels. The character development, the relationship progression, the pacing — it all flows so naturally that you forget you're reading a book. It reads like the Ritchies had this story fully formed and just needed to put it on paper.

There are moments of pure comedy. There are moments of gut-wrenching darkness — handled with real care and weight. And there are moments of such tenderness that you feel them in your chest.

This line in particular resonated with me:

“Rock music isn’t the reason we’re in pain. It’s the reason we haven’t let our pain consume us.”

I'm excited to see the authors’ playlist for this book. I just know it is going to live in my head forever. Sum 41, My Chemical Romance, Good Charlotte, Green Day — the music feels woven into the DNA of the story, not just decoration.

Final Verdict: An Instant Obsession
It was hard to pick up another book since finishing Silver Sweet. I went back to page one immediately. I've been stalking their Pinterest boards. I am fully, completely, embarrassingly in love with this book and Tom and Phoenix in a way I haven't been since my absolute favorites, Lily and Lo from the Addicted Series.

Tom and Phoenix are everything. This is the best book the Ritchies have written yet — and if you know their catalog, you know that is saying something enormous.

Do yourself a favor: clear your schedule, warn your loved ones, and dive in. You won't regret a single page.


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Review: Burn Bright (Cobalt Empire, #1)

Burn Bright by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you’re already a fan of the Addicted/Calloway world, buckle up -- because Burn Bright is a rich, emotional, character-driven return to everything we’ve ever loved about the Cobalts…and then some. From the very first page (hello, Kappa Phi Delta throwback), this book reminded me exactly why Krista & Becca Ritchie remain the queens of writing compelling, complex, lovable chaos.

At its heart, this is Ben Cobalt’s story -- and wow, is it his story. Ben Cobalt’s journey is raw, heartbreaking, and so incredibly worth it. Ben’s struggles are told with such raw honesty that it tore me up in the best way. The sibling dynamics? Perfect. The Wednesday Night Cobalt Dinners, the sibling banter, and the unexpected revelations are some of the most memorable moments in this book.

And Harriet Fisher? A powerhouse. Their relationship builds slowly, intensely, and beautifully. The emotional payoff is EVERYTHING. There's so much more I want to say, but I don't want to spoil anything for you, so you'll just have to read it!

There are so many beautiful details that make this book feel lived-in and the subtle callbacks to past books, it’s clear that Krista & Becca wrote this from the heart, trusting their instincts and giving longtime fans exactly what we’ve been craving.

Whether you’re here for the nostalgia, the new ships, the Cobalt chaos, or the emotional wreckage (guilty 🙋🏻‍♀️), this book delivers.


Final thoughts:

This book had me LAUGHING, SOBBING, and SCREAMING into the void. I bookmarked every single moment.

10/10 for character development, 11/10 for emotional devastation, and a thousand stars for Ben Cobalt -- the bluebird in the lion’s den.

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Review: Nobody Like Us (Like Us, #13)

Nobody Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMFG. This book should come with a warning label: do not to read in public. It put me through an emotional rollercoaster.



By the way, this book is massive! A chunkster. I took my time reading it because I wanted to savor every moment since this is the last book of the series. And wow, what an epic ending to the series. I couldn't think of anyone better or more fitting to close this chapter other than Luna and Donnelly. I've been invested in these characters from the very start (from the parents/first generation, the Addicted Series) and none of the other books evoked such emotion from me (close second is Some Kind of Perfect). There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, heartbreaking moments, heartwarming moments, some OMFG moments, and ugly cry moments. I haven't cried so much from a book in so long.



Luna and Donnelly have my heart and this book has everything I could ever ask for. It's the best ending.

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Review: Unlucky Like Us (Like Us, #12)

Unlucky Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book deserves all the cosmic stars.

I don't even know how to write this review without giving anything away.

I guess I'll start by saying all the parallels between Lunnelly's and LiLo's story makes my heart sing! This book in particular definitely reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Addicted After All

"You have the purest parts of my heart, and I'm certain that in every alternate universe, I'm always, always in love with you."

To witness this unfold and actually happening is just.....oh my heart!!!



I think Unlucky Like Us is more plot driven than all the other books and it surely put my heart through the wringer! It had me bawling my eyes out and laughing simultaneously like a madman! I honestly couldn't put this book down and stayed up all hours of the night just to keep reading. I don't know what else to say without giving out spoilers. This is probably my most favorite book in the series so far and the wait for the next book will be unbearable! I’m just hoping that after all that Luna and Donnelly go through that they get the best, most epic ending to their story.

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Review: Misfits Like Us (Like Us, #11)

Misfits Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full disclosure, I have been shipping Luna and Donnelly [Lunnelly] since Lovers Like Us, which was 9 books ago! Their interaction with each other in Lovers Like Us caught my eye and I haven't been able to let go since. When the authors finally announced that Lunnelly was going to get a book, I was the happiest person on earth!



We waited nearly 5 years to get Lunnelly's story and I have to say after reading it, it was definitely worth the wait!



Ever since Some Kind of Perfect, I've wanted Luna to have her happily ever after. I love that Krista Ritchie and Becca Ritchie tie all these stories together. Since I read the Addicted Series before the Like Us series, I feel like I have a better understanding of all the characters (Krista and Becca's books are very character driven!) and I get a sense that I've watched these characters grow over the years, from the parents (the core 6 characters from the Addicted Series) to the children (the characters from the Like Us series) - it's a truly wonderful thing to experience! To get a better understanding of the person that Luna is, I think it's best to start (at least) from Some Kind of Perfect when we're first introduced to Luna. She is weird to the core and unabashedly herself regardless of how people treat her and view her as a second hand embarrassment.

We first met Donnelly in Damaged Like Us, but Luna and Donnelly don't start to orbit around each other until Lovers Like Us. Donnelly's character doesn't give a fart whistle about other people's opinion. He is confident and believes in himself, even (and especially) when no one else does. The differences (and similarities) between Luna and Donnelly's characters make them such a cute and unique pair and they're just so perfect for each other. I am over the moon for this pairing and I'm so excited that they continue their story in two more books! I can't wait to read more of their epic cosmic love.

Also, I love all the "Easter eggs" and the parallels between the Addicted Series and the Like Us series. There are so many of them that I bet even if I re-read both series from beginning to end, I will still miss a lot of them. I've read all 26 books by these authors (10 of them from the Addicted Series and 11 from the Like Us Series) and I am still very much in love with their writing. Their stories just completely captivate me and I'm very very much looking forward to the next books to come!!


------- Initial Reaction: June 26, 2020 -------

Lunnelly trilogy! We're getting a Lunelly trilogy!!!!! I don't even know what to think right now. Cake. Has. Name. I can't function.



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Review: Infamous Like Us (Like Us, #10)

 

Infamous Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I don’t even know what else to say. Just…wow. I’m blown away. That was some intense story and I didn’t think it was possible to love this triad even more. It’s so weird because that ending almost makes me feel like I did after reading Some Kind of Perfect…like it was an end of an era.

It’s almost like the circle is complete now that we have a Hale, Cobalt, and Meadows next gen story. I’m still crying tears of joy after that epilogue and I’m so so incredibly happy that this is not the end! We are getting more books in the series and I cannot frickin wait!!! More Marrow, more Cobaretti, more Highveira, and more Kitsulletti!! And next up, Luna and Donnelly!!!! I can’t contain my excitement!!!!! #Lunnellyismyotherotp!!!

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Review: Fearless Like Us (Like Us, #9)

Fearless Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I frickin LOVE this book SO much!! Hands down, one of my most favorite books in the Like Us series. 9 fudging stars!!! Wow. This was one rollercoaster of emotions.



I know I've said this many times before, but I absolutely love Krista and Becca's writing. They create these fictional characters who feel like real people and you empathize with them. They feel like your friends or people you actually know personally. And with the direction our society and our world is headed, I wish more people would pick up their books. These books are so relevant. There's a lesson in them on humanity and how we treat people.

I can't wait for the next book!


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