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.
more
After only reading a few pages of Crazy Madly Deeply by Lily White I had a moment where I thought I made a mistake in choosing this book because there was something so different about the way the story was told.
I wasn’t sure if I would able to connect with the characters in the way they deserved. But something about the unfolding story kept me going and going … I passed my 3 chapter rule and continued to read.
Getting drawn into the plot I experienced the hurt and anger of the leads. I suffered with them and I was shocked how the story developed. At the outskirts of my mind I am reminded of another story that might have been totally different yet in a way expressed the same devastation to me. That story was “Split” by J.B. Salsbury and if you read that Book I am pretty sure you can imagine where my mind is going.
I am not sure actually what or how much I can tell you about this plot because I went into it blindly not knowing anything except the Blurb and I would recommend to other readers to do the same.
Just be prepared for it to be a darker
Be prepared for it to hurt
Because you won’t be prepared for what will happen
In a town where money talked and popularity was a means to success, poor people didn’t stand a chance at succeeding in this town. Fitting in with the popular individuals required money and status of which Delilah’s family didn’t have. Her brother Holden refused to fall in line like the other sheep in this town. He embraced individuality. Delilah wanted to blend in and Holden did everything in his power to make sure his sister fit in. Living in this town slowly peeled away the large layers of strength Holden built for himself, but he stayed for his sister.
Overall:
Bravo! To Lily White. She once again adds her own branding to a bully story. As I read the opening chapters of this book, processing the characters and the motives I try my hardest not to speculate which direction Lily will take. Of course, my assumptions are always wrong when it’s Lily behind the wheel. When she’s driving the words, I’m the anxious passenger eager to explore the surrounding area.
A touching story about a brother and sister who were faced with the mean kids in high school. Having lived on the poor side of the tracks, yet attending high school on the wealthy side, put them at a disadvantage. Holden didn’t care, but Delilah did.
Some of the high and mighty students felt that money there families made gave them the rights to treat other individuals beneath them. The way Lily explained these situations, illustrating with vivid words was intoxicating. Every book she writes paints a vibrant picture of who these characters are and how the circumstances affected them while at the same time showing tremendous progress.
This may have started as bullying story, but it didn’t finish that way. This road had many alternate routes along the way. When you read a Lily White book you get more than a single genre storyline. She interweaves multiple storylines into her books. It’s a fascinating process which engages the readers mind from beginning to end.
Lily is so good at drawing her readers into the story. She manages to keep her stories dialogue driven which works well for me.
The words expressed by the characters were raw and intense. The passion of these words created an emotional heartbreaking story.
Lily’s characters have heart. While they suffer silently they are strong. Her characters have darkness within them yet the soul is light. She finds strength in her characters even after unfortunate tragedies alter there life.
***Lives aren’t just shaped by the achievements we accomplish, our lives are also shaped by our mistakes***
OMG, my heart was in tatters while reading this book! Lily White, what did you do to me? I was a big mess and saw hubby frequently looking my way with his arched brow.
I devour everything she writes and this was another blow-my-mind book.
Holden Bishop, I just LOVED him, life was a harsh one due to plain and simple jealousy. But Holden pushed on and I thought him to be larger than life.
He is just perfect, loves his family and is fiercely protective towards his sister, Delilah.
Holden is a kind soul who respects women, couldn’t be bother to prove himself just to fit in and saw the inner strength in Michaela beneath her weak exterior.
We’d called him crazy, when in truth, we were the crazy ones.
Crazy for not recognizing a good person among us.
Crazy for judging him when we were the ones who should have been judged.
Crazy for so needlessly hurting a man that wanted nothing from us but the respect to let him live in peace.
Crazy for not seeing that he had more raw talent in his pinky finger than any of us had in our entire bodies.
Michaela Paige, for a great part of the book she was spineless and bland, the proverbial doormat, a small person. Her cowardly behaviour has led to a lot of people being hurt and abused, including Holden and his family.
When, with the help of beautiful Holden, she finally let her inner strength show and decides to become large.
Love never falters, not in divorce, not in anger, not even in death.
It NEVER goes away.
The secondary characters in Holden’s life are amazing. Angela, what a remarkable character, she and Dr. Silva proved to Holden that he was not alone in his struggles.
Lily always has a surprise spin in her books and this one was a real jaw dropper of the I-did-not-see-that-coming kind.
I really was not able to keep it dry while reading, what a tearjerker. I highly recommend Lily White’s newest masterpiece. I would say “do not read the reviews, just read the book!”
“You can live your life regretting the misfortune you’d suffered, or you could pick yourself up from the heaping piles of suffering, dust yourself off, and fight to continue living on.”
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2278931448
Crazy Madly Deeply is something completely different from Lily White, it is not dark or scary it is a heart breaker that will make you cry many times throughout.
This storyline will have you gripped, make you sad in parts, the tears will flow, the romance is hot and you will fall in love with Holden, his family and Michaela.
The character I love hard from this book is Angela she made me laugh so many times, a true friend, she is real and will stand by your side through thick & thin.
Sometime we judge a book by it’s glossy cover but once you go deeper a world of unknown treasures can be found.
A must one click for lovers of true romance, a story that will give you all the feels of heartbreak, hate, love and maybe you will see the best in people you wrongly judge.
I’m not sure where to begin. The beginning chapters are horrific and told in a unique way. Holden Bishop is a man you could love – strong and independent taking crap from no one and protecting those he loves. Michaela Paige is from the right side of the tracks but spineless – wanting to be something else but doesn’t have the courage to do it. I could almost hate her. Almost. But I know she has the strength to get herself out from under the nightmare she finds herself in. Together they bring out the best in one another during a time of sorrow and happiness. There are so many things going on in their story that to mention it could be spoiler-ish. So I’ll leave it at saying it’s a romantic suspense with depth that will leave you thinking about right and wrong but also suspending belief a little so that the story is more enjoyable.
Lily White certknow how to write a book, weave a story and be able to dig deep into your heart and squeeze the life out of it. This is how I felt while readin Crazy Madly Deeply. Sure it was different from her other books but make no mistakes Ms White is so versatile.
I fell in love with Holden. I felt like I was sucked into his life and was experiencing his life with him. At times I was to scared to turn the page as I was worried with what was going to happen next. It has all the feels, sadness, joy, love, heartache, and not just revenge but justice. My emotions were all over the place. I was reaching for the tissues and that is extremely rare for me.
I will shout it from the roof tops for everyone to read this book. Emerse yourself in it and savour every page and written word. It is a Top 10 read for me in 2018.
Holden’s story will stay with me for a long time. He touched my soul.
Wow! 4.5 stars. This isn’t what I expect from Lily White but as usual the writing is beautiful. The world she created in this story is heartbreaking, dysfunctional, tragic and almost dystopian. The separation in classes, among other elements, reminds me of Atlas Shrugged. I didn’t see the twist coming and it was realistically handled. The characters are well developed and wonderful. Holden as a beautiful, strong, unlucky, dark watcher is fabulous and yummy. How much can one person endure without cracking? Michaela finally came into her own and was there for her man. I think Angela was my favorite and provided some comic relief among all the tragedy. This story was a little too angsty for me but the love that developed among the characters was so beautiful. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
Lily has easily become a go to author. This. Book. I can’t even!!
Gut wrenching, heartwarming edge of your seat story and you will need tissues!
I went into the world of Holden and the way Lily writes it just sucked me in and I felt like I was there. My heart hurt for him. I felt so many emotions reading this book literally down to my gut. But, love comes and heals. Michaela and Holden’s love is like no other. I ended up loving Michaela and was cheering her on. This is so much more than a Contemporary Romance to me. This book is everything I look for when seeking out books. I need depth and suspense and real-ness. Crazy Madly Deeply delivers ten fold!
“It’s too late for me to love you. It’s too late to admit I was wrong. It’s too late to tell you how wonderful you are despite everything this town has done.”
“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” (this right here is amazing literature)
“If you truly love someone, you feel them in every cell of your body.”
Lily your words are amazing!!
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
I seriously LOVE this author. L-O-V-E her. Every book I read by Lily is different from the previous. And in this one, we are treated to a heartbreaking and original romance between two broken souls from different sides of the tracks. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Lily White book without it including one hell of a twist. I am RARELY surprised by twists, but this one left me going WTF??!! As always with this author the writing was superb. The pace was a little iffy for me and this is why I couldn’t give it a perfect 5-Stars. It felt a bit too long for me and the middle part dragged. That said, the plot was still engaging enough that I never felt the need to skim. It was quite an emotional book that will have you reaching for the tissues often. Last, it was all wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion.
~HERO~
HOLDEN…Holden was pretty much a perfect hero. My heart shattered for him several times throughout this book. He was sweet. He was respectful towards women. He was an outcast and fine with being one. He loved his sister Deli. He looks past Michaela’s weakness to see the broken girl underneath and then he gave her his forgiveness and love. <--- honestly not sure I would have done the same. I really just completely loved his character. ~HEROINE~ MICHAELA...Michaela was a bit more of a mixed bag for me. I struggled with how weak she was for a good portion of this book. She just let Jack and pretty much EVERYONE roll right over her and in doing so she ruined peoples lives. Now I get she herself was being abused, so I understood. But she never reached the perfectness that was Holden for me. That said, she does FINALLY find a backbone and the way she stands up for Holden did win her a lot of extra brownie points. ~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~ There were some good secondary characters in this one. I loved Holden's sister Deli. I hated Jack with a passion. Both Dr. Silva and Angela were great. Each one added an extra layer of depth to the story. ~HEAT LEVEL~ Low. This is pretty much what I would call a slow burn romance. I don't remember exactly at what point these two have sex but it was fairly late in the book. The sex scenes while good, were also more of the tame side. I am usually not a fan of slow burns but the lateness of the sex and the tame scenes were well matched to the story, so I wasn't bothered by it. ~ANGST LEVEL~ Medium. I actually didn't find this particularly angsty. It was emotional. Very emotional, but it wasn't the type of angst that has you biting your nails or your stomach in knots. There was a bit of OW drama in the form of a f-ck buddy of the hero's wanting more. Drama might be a stretch as after Holden tells her he doesn't want more she simply disappears. Now, this is one of those times that I felt this OW didn't really serve a point in the story. Especially since she is weirdly NEVER seen or heard from again when she works at the same place as Holden (and later Michaela). Not to mention Angela owns the place. I found it incredibly odd that she was never mentioned again. Especially with all the stuff that went down near the end. There is also some OM drama in the form of Michaela's boyfriend Jack. Neither were virgins and the past sex life talk is kept to a minimum. ~IN THE END~ I really enjoyed this one a lot. It wasn't perfect but the issues I had were really only small things. The writing was great. The plot was original. The characters were well developed. I cried. I smiled. I cursed. I cheered. I fell in love with Holden. I forgave Michaela. I wanted to high five Angela. It was an amazing book, therefore, yours truly is going to give this one two HUGE thumbs up.
“He would always be striking and large”
If I could give a review more than 5 stars, I would give this story an infinity amount of stars, like the ones that Holden would look at from the deserted football field. I am so glad that I have been introduced to Lily White’s work. She is amazing!
This book, oh I can’t even begin to explain the beauty and tragedy in this story. The story of Holden and Michaela is absolute brilliance.
I was so envious of Holden’s strength in being himself and making no apologies for it. His love and dedication to his sister Delilah is nothing short of miraculous. The tragedy of the things that were piled on him was heartbreaking.
I could understand Michaela’s “smallness” (when you read this book, and I hope you do, you will understand what I mean). I was angry for the silence she perpetuated, but I understood how she felt. I was so happy that she found her strength in Holden and I am glad he found a safe place with her.
This twist in this story absolutely floored me! It gutted me and made me ugly cry, which really is a credit to Lily’s words and story.
This book is going to be in my best reads of 2018, this book hooked me from the first page and I refused to put it down until the end. I cannot praise this story enough, nor can I exclaim that you get this book and become as mesmerized by this story as I did. Well done Lily, I cannot wait to read what comes next!
Damn, Lily has done it again!!!!!!!!!!! I am not going to ruin it for others whom want to read Crazy Madly Deeply with any details. This book made me smile, laugh out loud, sob, whimper, cheer, gasp and cringe all in the one book. Lily is a true ARTIST when it comes to making her readers fall into the story as if it was taking place right in front of them. She kept me guessing through the entire book. Very few Authors can hold my attention in every work of word art they create, but repeatedly Lily has brought me to my knees. Guaranteed enjoyable read.
5 Stars
Crazy Madly Deeply is not your typical Lily White book. It is an emotional contemporary romance about two vastly different people that are different, but similar in all the ways that matter. It reminds us that crazy is a subjective term and things are never as simple as they seem on the surface. This story pulled hard at my heartstrings and featured the wonderful writing and unique characters she is so well known for.
Holden is know as a freak, the crazy poor boy who is not like everyone else. He see the world differently than most and is ridiculed and tormented because of it. Michaela is the perfect rich princess everyone aspires to be like. She tows the line and does what is expected of her. When these two opposites collide, their worlds get turned upside down and you quickly realize looks can be deceiving and that a person’s character and heart are so much deeper than anything visible on the surface. This is one of those books that are best appreciated as you read them. You shouldn’t know too much going in so you can be along for the crazy, desperate, painful, emotional and beautiful ride Holden and Michaela embark on. I wasn’t sure going into this what to expect as I’m so used to Lily’s much darker works, but I was impressed by how well she managed to move to a more contemporary romance setting. Note that there are still some darker themes in this story, it wouldn’t be a Lily White book if it was all sunshine and rainbows. This is the kind of book that slowly works its way into your chest and sets up residence there long after you have read the last words.
3.5 STARS!!!!
Crazy Madly Deeply is my very first read from this author. She definitely has a way of writing a story that captures you from the very beginning. I finished this book in one sitting. I know I’m in the majority here with my rating but it’s hard to fall in with a book when you dislike the majority of characters. I absolutely loved Holden, Delilah and his family. He was the best brother a sister could have and I was completely devastated when I found out the truth about what really happened. I liked Kaley and I loved Angela’s character also. Angela treated Holden as if he was her son and he needed that tough love and support. I enjoyed their back and forth banter. I can’t even begin to describe how much I hated Jack and Michaela. There was no way for her to redeem herself for me. She is one of the weakest characters I have ever come across in a book and I hated her. She didn’t deserve one ounce of love from Holden and I wished he had found someone better. This book had a sweet ending and Holden deserved everything and more, it was time for him to be happy. This book will definitely take you on an emotional journey and I even though it wasn’t a 5 star read for me, it’s one story worth reading.
Lily White surely is one magnificent writer. She can write the darkest, most grittiest books and then she can write the most profound books that deal with real life stuff.
Crazy Madly Deeply touched my heart like no other book ever has. It talks about things that happen in real life, things kids go through in school, whether you’re rich or poor. The wealthy versus the poor. When you’re rich you have the world at your finger tips and when you’re poor you have nothing and no one to back you up regardless of the circumstances.
Holden and Michaela really were one magnificent duo. The things these kids go through and what they have to experience is tough and it gave me all the feels that I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.
I think this has been my best read from Ms. White to date and the other books I’ve read from her before have been excellent, but this one has really moved me.
I can honestly say that this book deserves more than 5 stars because it really moved me. Holden is my hero and Michaela was my heroine.
Lily White does contemporary!! Holden and Michaela’s story takes hold and doesn’t let go! Heartbreaking and an emotional roller coaster. Some tough topic areas but I wouldn’t expect anything less! Love the angst too!!
I’ve learnt from reading previous books by this author that I need to set time aside to read in one sitting as I’m always reluctant to put down once I’ve started. As soon as I had an afternoon free I grabbed a bar of chocolate and started reading.
I didn’t just read this book, I felt it. I felt as if the author smashed my heart into smithereens and slowly put it together. As you can see I’m not going to go into the storyline. All I’ll say is I highly recommend you jump into this blind and feel the story.
A truly amazing read with an original storyline and some great believable characters. I’m so looking forward to reading more from this author.
If you haven’t read any of Lily White’s books before I highly recommend starting with this one. I was recently turned onto Lily White’s books (September 2017) and I must admit that I am a fan, especially of her Dark Romances which is what I have read until this little gem. Crazy Madly Deeply was a gut wrenching read, which totally broke my heart. From the very first page I was pulled in and Holden held my heart until well after I finished the book. This story was so very different from others that I have read by Lily White but honestly I’ll take her stories anyway she wants to write them, her brilliance comes through in each and every page.
Holden’s love of his sister is evident in everything he does so its not surprising that he will do anything within his power to protect her from the degenerates in their high school, what was surprising to me is the way he was treated by others in the school. I never really understood how someone can come from the “wrong side of town” but I guess growing up in a large city things tend to be a bit different than they are in small towns. Anyway, Holden quickly became imprinted on my heart and he will be there for a long, long time.
Michaela took a while to grow on me but right away I knew there was more to her than we were being shown. I appreciate the fact that Michaela went through a LOT, and I really mean a LOT of crappy things and I totally understand where her mind was when she was dealing with everything but what really made me truly begin to like her is when she had a choice on how things would proceed and she went with the way that was true for herself and not for others. You may not understand what I mean but once you read this AMAZING book you will.
Crazy Madly Deeply will be a book I recommend to not only other contemporary romance book lovers but also to anyone that is looking for a story that will pull at their heartstrings and leave a lasting impression.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**
5 Large Stars
When I get a Lily White book to read, I get the tingly feelings because I know she is going to test me in one way or another. With Crazy Madly Deeply, she tested my emotions. In fact, I’m still rocking in the corner.
With that being said though, snag this book, read this book and savor the words one by one. Not only is there a fantastic story being told but like most of Lily’s books, there is an underlying story being told.
Holden has been labelled the Freak.
Michaela is the perfect image of the All-American teenager.
You are either
Small
Or
Large
Holden is most definitely Large.
No matter what happens, no matter how much you whittle them down, they will grow large again.
Michaela is Small.
They’ve had it so easy that there aren’t enough memories and tragedies and victories inside them to fill them and make them bigger.
When these two come together, it’s not easy, it’s not pretty, it’s not fluffy pandas with rainbow hearts. It’s rough, it’s hard, it’s an emotional journey.
Lily White wrote an excellent book that flowed perfectly, cracked my heart wide open and left me totally satisfied after closing my kindle on the last page.
#BookBistroBlogApproved
I know enough about the author’s style of writing to know the titles always have significance to the story!
A top read of 2018!
Nothing prepared me for what I just read. This read is easily worthy of 10 stars! The author’s story just keep getting more complex, more thought thought provoking, just better.
Flawless writing, with real realistic and flawed characters that just came to life, and shared their story.
Intense, haunting, and gut wrenching. For me, I’m in a tail spin of emotions after reading this incredible thought provoking story.
I knew characters like them so I understood every emotion and every doubt of Holden, Deli, and Michaela. Even the scumbag villain Jack was portrayed so realistically.
This story has so many underlying meanings, I feel my words won’t do it justice. Holden’s story was turbulent and bittersweet story that articulated the ugliness of people as well as the beauty of the human spirit.
In the end it was a journey of self discovery love and acceptance!
A must read!!
This book is just…wonderful!
Yes be prepared to have your heart broken with the intensity Author Lily White delivers in this book.
Gripping, compelling, loving, heartbreaking, it has it all.
Loved the way this story just sucked me right in with relatable characters that were described in such vivid words.
Holden and Micheala will make you deeply, madly, crazy fall in love with their story.