We called him crazy when, in truth, we were the crazy ones… and every girl envies. On the outside, she appears to have it all, while on the inside she feels trapped by life. Although she admires Holden for his refusal to conform, she doesn’t let herself know him until circumstance forces them into each other’s lives.
They are complete opposites. Alone, they endure tragedy. Together, they learn how to overcome heartache as they fall in love.
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***5 ‘Large’ Stars***
I know I’ve used this term many, many times when describing how I felt about a book, and, if I am absolutely honest, is a major understatement when being applied to Crazy Madly Deeply, but holy hell what an emotional rollercoaster this book was. One moment I was all kinds of needing to gut someone with a spoon ragey, only to get the swoons the next moment even as my heartbroke. It really was a vicious cycle that was on a constant loop right up until the bitter end when the author put the pieces back in some semblance of order and contentment.
Where to start with Holden and Michaela? Hows about at the end and how much I adored them and I did, in the end. The beginning…let’s just say they ended up on opposite ends of the spectrum, but having an understanding of why, even if I didn’t totally like it, had me waiting for the catalyst that would change them all, and what a moment it was. That moment brought about a domino effect and while the changes took time and it wasn’t always pretty, the truths that came out from it and how they dealt with them not only made them both stronger, but brought them closer and in the end was definitely worth it all.
This book was an experience. It is so much more than I expected that using too many words could possibly ruin it for others. The romance aspect was something of a slow build, but as it was closely tied to both Holden and Michaela’s evolutions it totally worked for me. There are quite a few issues the author tackles with brutal honesty in this story that some may be uncomfortable with, but they are necessary to the storyline. In the end I adored Crazy Madly Deeply, I devoured it, it slayed me on all levels and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us next!
~ Copy provided by The Next Step PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
You never enter LilyWorld unprepared. You should be ready to be stun-gunned by the sadistic blackness in her books. That’s one thing sure about in this world, after death and taxes…….Or so you’d think!!! But like all Evil Geniuses, she still manages to treat you to a spectacular story filled with every colour of emotion possible with èlan
A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet not that this story is sweet by YA/NA standards, but by Lily standards, it carries poignancy & vulnerability. It’s rounded at the corners, softer around the edges but the content is so formidable, you can’t ignore it. You MUST NOT ignore it, around you, your school, your community, your town or your country. Again the topic is very contemporaneous and sadly prevalent!
Just like Angela’s mean left hook , out of nowhere comes THIS story, of Perspectives, of vantages and Advantages. You see Lily takes you to a remote town of Tranquil Falls. The irony isn’t lost on us, it’s the most untranquil place in the world. There’s social and statistical divide in this town.
the train tracks that cut the town into two unequal halves, the stately mansions holding court on the right while what was referred to as the servants’ quarters plagued the left.
The poorer or underprivileged kids, esp Delilah and Holden Bishop are pepetually taunted, teased & bullied. Delilah in hopes of getting accepted into the upper clique, follows the school princess Michaela Paige like a puppy.
“She desired the limelight, the wealth, the esteem, the friendships of the popular kids who’d gathered together in their exclusive group that believed being worshipped had been their birthright”
Michaela takes Deli under her wing, appreciative of her,But Holden has to hiss and spit on the sidelines, which suits him just fine. The tragic day in the cafeteria has a domino effect on everybody’s lives, but more on the Bishops. Their family is torn apart and the kids’ futures ruined forever !! Holden is not only an owner of a beautiful body , but a beautiful soul & heart, and immense talent his paint speckled abs.
Abs that carried the mark of an artist’s trade, the hint of a beautiful mind, the knowledge that within the recesses of that man’s body lay a soul that was far more brilliant and superior than mine. Rational mind kryptonite
The unfairness meted out to Holden made me so angry, I wanted to bash the bullies’ heads and set this tainted and corrupt world on fire !
Holden, in comparison, was nothing more than an afterthought, the crazy freak in a town where money, power, and popularity were all that mattered. He was garbage they wouldn’t care to toss away.
By this time, I had doubts, was I reading a Lily book?!?! Where are the cruel Masters who treat subs like sex slaves , or the Diphallic dude**shudders** or the cannibalistic rednecks or people haunted by sexual abuse who turned into murderers? Instead she does a complete 180° and while we are looking for weapons of Lily’s Mass destruction, she punches us in the hearts and makes us cry.
No make that tear up. No make that bawl our eyes out. .
Wow !!….just wow!! Never expect the norm from her…lesson learned! The story has a Big Large heart. In a world full of smalls, this story is large, Huge, Giant. The most poignant scene is where Holden is explaining Deli about the smalls of the world.
“It means that there’s nothing inside you worth notice. That to pretend to be something better than everybody else, you have to drag the good people down to your level instead of rising up to meet the bar they set.”
And when Michaela ultimately realises Holden’s Golden Hour, the brilliant light that shines through him, it’s a scene that brought tears to my eyes again. Michaela reaches her guilt threshold pretty soon,the strength of her soul emerging as an admirable entity
I have to tell y’all. My UTMOST FAVORITE line of the story occurs here
“What would happen if I kissed you right now, Holden Bishop?”
“We would both end up heartbroken.”
“Immediately?”
“Eventually.”
“I can live with eventually.”
OH. MY. GAWWWD! #CarpeTheFuckingDiem !
So now that you’ve endured my ramblings…Pick up the book! It’ll change you and your perspective, you would start looking at people differently, notice the vulnerable and maybe help them a bit.
Be Large! Live Large! Forgive Large!
That’s what large people do. They’re so big and so deep and so wonderful that grudges and resentment and anything deemed ugly are crushed beneath the weight of their virtue.
Holden Bishop was a soul that would always be brilliant. He would always be striking and large.
5 “Broken Bird” stars
“We’d called him crazy, when in truth, we were the crazy ones.”
So…I have been through the ARC phase of my reading and reviewing. Awhile back I became overwhelmed with the sheer number of ARC’s that were before me and I just stopped. I start my review with this and the fact that I seriously wanted an ARC of this book by Lily White. I was so impressed with her writing talent and her insight in my first ever reading of her work in the “Illusions Series”. I wanted to read this book which takes a different direction from the aforementioned writing into contemporary romance. I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out about how extraordinary a writer, Ms. White truly is. I will purchase a copy of this book despite having an ARC copy.
“Crazy, Madly, Deeply” had some of the most difficult and most wonderful moments that moved my heart and touched my soul. There is sweet genius in the character of Holden Bishop.
Holden is that kid at school who despite his good looks and attractive physique holds himself apart from the popular rich kids in a town that is divided by wealth. The poorer section of town is even referred to as “the servant’s quarters”. Of course this is where the scourge of drug dealing leaves its mark even as spoiled rich kids are regular customers of the dealers.
Holden is gifted with a natural sense of self-confidence and artistic talent. He has a completely different perspective on the world. He also has the heart of a guardian. For defying their small town conventions, he is labeled a freak. Whereas Holden has no desire to sidle up to the popular monied kids at school his little sister, Delilah, a gifted dancer, desperately wants to fit in with the popular rich girls on her dance team. Michaela the queen bee of them all inexplicably takes Delilah under her wing.
Holden is ever on guard when it comes to his little sister. The wealthy football players in town were known to throw wild parties were they would slip drugs into the drinks of unsuspecting girls desperate to be part of their crowd. Then they would assault them multiple times sharing the unfortunate drugged girls with each other. When Holden sees one of the football players touch Delilah inappropriately in the school cafeteria, he gets physical with him and Michaela’s boyfriend Jack. Before Jack jumps into the fray he carelessly shoves his girlfriend Michaela to the floor where she injures herself significantly. This fight sets in motion the catastrophe to come in these characters lives.
In this day and age we are inundated with a deluge of stories from women who have endured assault at home, in their relationships, in their careers, schools and churches. We look at ourselves as a society and wonder how could this have happened for so long? There are no easy or simple answers but this author makes an excellent point about how money plays an intrinsic role in hushing things up, corrupting the system, even the wives and daughters of the wealthy are not expected to make waves if they are being harmed or know of abuse by their husbands, friends, brothers or fathers. How then does a poor girl who wishes to be popular contend with being assaulted by the powerful rich boys without being doubted, publicly shamed and made a pariah?
As circumstances push Michaela and Holden in close proximity, Holden has a chance to discuss “abuse” with Michaela. He is astonished to learn that the monied did not fiercely protect their women. Michaela is deeply ashamed of her complicit silence in the circumstances of the girls she witnessed harmed and even the abuse she suffered at the mercy of her drug addicted boyfriend, Jack. The reader sees a magnificent change in Michaela as she finds her truth and her voice. Michaela evolves into a true heroine in the end for herself and for her Holden.
The love story of Holden and Michaela is breathtaking. The author paints their story with words. There is an urgency and desperation to their love because of the circumstances in which they find themselves. The sexiness is in the intensity, the healing, the fierce loyalty. The author blesses us with the characters’ thoughts and musings…some of it situational and some of it universal truth.
The story is mostly told in alternating POV’s of Holden and Michaela. Delilah has a chapter or so. The writing engages the reader from start to finish. At the finish my heart was tender from “all the feels”. But more than this, my spirit soared for the triumph love had over “smallness”, needless tragedy and suffering.
What an incredible, heart breaking, yet somehow uplifting book. This is a very different side of Lily and she hit the ball right out of the park! Holden is an amazing character. He is smart, self contained, a loner, and a loving and protective big brother to his sister. They are from the wrong side of the tracks, and the rich kids, along with their hanger on buddies, constantly torment him. Call him crazy, weird, loser, yet he just ignores it all. He rises above it always. Unless it affects his sister. He is beyond protective of her. She desperately wants to become part of the “in” crowd, and because of her dance group, she actually does. The catalyst for the beginning of the worse years of his life starts because Holden punches a couple of the guys over one of them making an obvious sexual pass at her in the lunch room. This begins a catastrophe of disaster beyond belief. How much trauma, both physical and mental, can a person take and still stay strong? Still stay whole? You are about to find out in this book. At the end of those two years, Holden is still protecting his sister in the only way he knows. There are a couple of bright spots in this sad story. One is his boss, who is a great woman. She is kick ass and take no names and hilarious, as well as caring of Holden. There is a surprising source of solace for Holden also, who also becomes a better and stronger person for having known him. There were times in this book where I wanted to put it down and run away from all the sadness. But I just couldn’t stop. I had to know. If you feel the same when you are reading it, don’t stop. Don’t give up. The journey is well worth it. I promise.