Stoned: Wrecked, Book 1

What can I say, I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this one is BRILLIANT.Awhile back, a friend had been shouting praises about this book I had never heard of by an author I was not familiar with, but I trust my friend and so I marked it down as something to read soon. After a particularly bad slump, I decided to give Stoned a try and by the end of the Prologue I was texting my friend a big freaking thank you.Yes this is my first Mandi Beck book, but it will not be my last (I have since read her other two books). Her characters are so well written and developed. They are so real and relatable- and there was not one action made by one of her characters that I questioned. Nothing was forced her story flowed organically and just made sense. It was impossible for me to stop reading- so I blame you Mandi for my bad parenting as I hid from my family so I could keep reading :)So second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes (and hello musicians- love that too!). I’m not going to spoil the story for anyone, but what I will say is that I think too many second chance romances are insta-forgiveness. And I hate this. That is not reality. We are human. Someone hurts us and there is no way, no matter how much we love them, that we are able to forgive them. Maybe a small percentage of people are that amazing- but the majority of us stew on it for awhile. That is just reality. So I never understand in book when a character makes a MAJOR mistake and then is instantly forgiven. It just doesn’t work that way so it leaves me wanting and unable to connect with the characters. I want to empathize- even with the one who is in the wrong. I want to ache for these characters. I want the angst. Because when they are REALLY supposed to be together- then (IMO) the journey has to show the value of the relationship.Mandi does that in this book. We see this bright shining couple and right from the start (this is not a spoiler) we see them at their end. We get flashbacks into how their relationship used to be (and I wish we got a little more of that), and we see the effect of substance abuse and addiction issues has on people/relationships. I was so invested in these characters that I felt like I was working and struggling alongside of the them. I understood why they acted the way they did, why they felt the way they did and why the story had to go the way it does. I lost my breath over some incredibly difficult situations. But, at the end of the day, I never stopped rooting for them to find their way back to each other. We all want to believe there is someone out there for them that is as perfect as Stoned and Willow. Not to say they are perfect, obviously they are seriously flawed, but they are perfect for each other and that is all that matters. They are each others rhythm for sure.I loved EVERY word of this book and I cannot stop recommending it to anyone who will listen. I will also never look at a watermelon lolly the same way again :)

When I met this author in April at the North Shore Author Signing outside Boston, I hadn't read one of her books yet and I decided to correct that as soon as I saw the cover and read the blurb for Stoned.When I started reading, I had to go back to double check that this book is in fact the first book in a series because for the first few chapters I felt like I had missed a whole back story. As I continued reading, Stone and Willow's history is revealed through a series of memories and it all started to make more sense. Stone had been spiraling out of control into drug and alcohol addiction but he really goes over the edge when Willow leaves. Eventually he is given an ultimatum: jail time or rehab.As he works his way through months of rehab facing one day at a time, his struggle was clear even as he made the choice to get his s*** together and get clean. His emotions ranged from anger to guilt to frustration to sadness and back through the spectrum again, but through it all he had only one goal: find Willow and get her back. When he was a slave to chemicals, he was seriously difficult to like and that feeling persisted through the first third of the book. The letters he wrote on a daily basis to Willow while he was in rehab went a long way to redeeming him though as I slowly started to turn the corner toward rooting for him instead of semi- loathing him. That doesn't mean he didn't show his inner caveman jerk at the worst possible times though!Willow left because she knew that if she stuck around, she would just end up succumbing to her love for the man Stone used to be prior to falling into the abyss, even if that man was no longer recognizable in the body that stood before her. In order to give herself time to find herself and her strength again, she cuts all ties with anyone related to Wrecked and goes into hiding. She's not sure if she will ever be ready to face him again, but the choice is made for her when a determined Stone finally tracks her down and shows up at her workplace. What he finds is most definitely not what he expected, and the knowledge that he has his work cut out for him to win her back is just reinforced. He briefly wonders if he has lost her for good, but their history is too strong for him to give into doubt.Stoned was definitely an emotional read at times as we experience the realities of addiction through Stone's journeys from active use to rehab to fighting for clean and sober living while dealing with the aftermath of his actions on so many levels. Willow has a strength and spirit that is catnip to him, and she definitely needed that strength time and again to deal with his antics. A determined Stone is a force to be reckoned with, and he pulls out all the stops to win back the woman who makes his heart beat in rhythm again. Music is everything to them, and it is the unifying thread that connects them through every one of their experiences, both good and bad.The secondary characters in this story were excellent, and I am glad there will be more books in the series! I am looking forward to seeing more of Stone's best friends Lawson, Arrow and Judge as well as Willow's friends Cora, Bear and Perry.

4🍭🍭🍭🍭Spanish & English OpinionESP ::Calificar este libro fue muy difícil. Los temas son súper fuertes, los personajes tienen muchísimas emociones complicadas y leer cada lado de la historia es empatizar con todos los ángulos y aprender.Emitir el juicio de “me gusta el héroe” o “la heroína hubiera...” es por demás. La fuerza de este libro justo está en la enorme capacidad de hacernos sentir con mucha fuerza y de entender cómo la realidad de cada persona puede ser distinta a la nuestra, pero no la hace menos verídica.La mejor forma de disfrutar el libro es simplemente leyéndolo.ENG ::This book was hard to rate. It’s a very raw and emotional book, with complicated topics and lots of strongg FF emotions. Every single point of view makes us empathize and learn.There’s no place for judgmental thinking because there’s no right and wrong. This book is made for us to feel and to understand that everyone’s reality is important even though is not the same as ours.So, without telling anything more about the plot, the best advice is to just jump into it.

Sex drug and rock and roll sounds fun. The real thing is not. Stone is a rock star. But the star falls and hits the bottom.Here is where the story starts.A beautiful story of fall and redemption.Gut wrenching.Beautiful.

This was intense! Trigger warnings required for multiple reasons, but holy hell it was well written! Both Stone and Willow have gone through some horrible situations, many of Willows because of Stone in one way or another. The alternating POV let's you inside both of their heads, and Stone's was a really messed up place to be right at the start of the book.The author has done an amazing job of showcasing what substance abuse not only does to the taker, but their family and friends as well. Stone was very lucky to have a band who supported him and were friends with him, even if they didn't intervene until it was almost too late. The age old saying of "you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved" definitely applies.The connection between Willow and Stone was palpable, all the way to the end. I loved that she hadn't been pining away for him, but building herself up and becoming a better, stronger version of herself while she was hiding away. What she went through before Lyric was born was just horrible, and to not have Stone there to support her through that, just heartbreaking.This is not an easy read - their journey is definitely not sunshine and rainbows. But it is bittersweet, and their ending is a happy one. I usually avoid books with love triangles as I feel they're contrived and easy to predict, but this one was well written, and I was definitely curious to see how things went with both Joaquin and Stone. The tension between the two of them was evident, even if they both did and said some stupid things in their effort to do why they thought was best for Willow.In short, a great book that is worth reading, but need the trigger warnings and take care reading.

'Sing pretty, Birdie.'So, this review is probably going to be different from what I usually write, this book brought out a lot of raw emotions in me. But to say I loved this one is an understatement.One of the best things about fiction is that an author can take any subject and twist it, they can blur the lines of reality. But for me, personally, there are two things I'm always wary of reading about, two things that I can't read about if the lines are blurred too much. One of those things is addiction. Drug addiction is not pretty. It ruins lives; the addict's, and the people who love them. That is a fact. A fact I know all too well. What I appreciate more than anything is reading a story that tells it like is. Stoned is gritty, it's angsty, it's painful at times, and you know what? It should be. At it's core, Stoned is a love story. But it's also the ultimate story of redemption, forgiveness, and strength. Redemption and forgiveness are not given easily, they are earned. It takes work. Hard work. That is authentic. And even if it hurts, I want to read the truth about a subject that has affected me so deeply in my life. Mandi Beck accomplished that in this book. This is a rock star romance, a damn good one, but it's just so much more than that.'I'm learning that you're not your addiction, Stone. Your mistakes aren't what define you. That you can be more than your demons and you're doing just that. You are digging in deeper than the scars you've left behind. On both of us.'What do you do when the love of your life lets you down time and time again? When is it time to walk away? In the beginning of this book Willow has reached that point in her life with Stone. Willow embodies strength. She defines it. And it is nothing short of admirable. Even if you can't empathize with her, if you've never been in her shoes, you will love her. She's the kind of heroine I'm always searching for, the kind that leave such a lasting impression you aspire to be like them.Stone. What can I say. Most readers will have a love/hate relationship with him at first. I won't deny that. He's a broody, bad boy rock star. He's also an addict. All I can say is keep an open mind, it's clear as day that the author wanted his battle with addiction to be realistic. And it was. I loved him. From the very beginning I loved him, because I understood him. His growth through this story was tremendous. He fought for his redemption. Appreciate that fight, one that not many are able to win. The only question is: will it be too late to get his girl back?'You can try to stop loving me, Birdie. It won't work because I'll never let you forget why you shouldn't. Not loving you isn't an option for me.'These two love each other fiercely. They have that 'once in a lifetime' kind of love. The kind that distance, messed up circumstances, and time will not change. It's messy. It's passionate. It's all-consuming. It's forever. But is that enough? It might be enough for Stone to get sober. But Willow? Are all of those things enough to forgive someone who's selfish actions, while in the throes of addiction, had devastating consequences?This book has fantastic secondary characters. Their interactions with the main ones add levity to this story in moments when you feel like the angst may be too much. I can't wait to see more of them in the rest of this series.This review is pretty vague but honestly, the blurb tells you everything you need to know going in to this book. Stoned is a well-written, second-chance rock star romance. One that obviously delves deeper. All the feels. All. Of. Them. I highly recommend this one.

For want of a better phrase Rockstars are my drug of choice when it comes to the sub genres of romance, if I had to pick, and I haven't read a good one in awhile.I don't have that excuse now. Mandi Beck has a way with words that makes them flow, like an artist can pick up a guitar a strum a new tune, from nothing comes something beautiful and in turn something amazing ! The words flowed like a waterfall off the page surrounding me, carrying me down stream and leaving me with a wonderful hangover from the Angst, betrayal, hurt, emotional heartbreak, joy, laughter, kinship, family, and Love so much love all rolled into one in a perfect onslaught of everything I want and need from a book.Stone is my wounded heart, addiction is a killer and has taken all he knew without realising what he lost until it was too late, rehab down he's ready to fight and on a mission to claim his Rhythm and the other half of his heart and soul. But what will he find and can he win her back ! From the begging of this story, they way he was written I felt for Stone, I routed for him and wanted him to do right !Willow, beautiful and strong, been through so much and so much more to discover, she'd had enough and walked away from the only man she had ever truly loved her epic love. She had too to start again for her sanity, to live.But there is darkness brewing and lies and betrayal, can all be forgiven and can others get in the way !Not forgetting the supporting cast he give the best advice when needed, comedic relief when it's got a bit heavy and the character development for each us on point ! I already Love Law he's stolen my heart !#TeamStone or #TeamJD I was Stone all the way, there is no other way.I will never look at watermelon lollipops in the same way again 🙄😘🙄 5 beautifully rocking starsCan't wait for Judged Mandi bring it on X