This one definitely wasn't the typical Lily White story but that doesn't change the fact that it was still amazing!! It took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride like no other, I thought I was fully prepared but I was wrong. I was pulled into the story and could almost feel what the characters were feeling. Once I started reading I couldn't stop.

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.

Crazy Madly Deeply by Lily White was very different than other books of hers I have read, but just as captivating and all-consuming! It was such an engaging read with characters you will cheer for.

Holden Bishop was absolutely perfect and heartbreakingly broken. My heart broke for him repeatedly. He came from the wrong side of the tracks and was looked down upon by others. While others could be mean and cruel, he was determined to be who he was. He was strong and confident in a world made to bring him down.

Michaela was the opposite of Holden. She came from a prominent family and was popular and well liked. Though on the outside she appeared to have it all, she hid so much. She was not initially a strong heroine, but we see her grow so much throughout the story.

This book was different than previous Lily White books I have read, and I loved every word of it! It was high on the emotional level, a bit of a slow burn romance and completely captivating! Holden and Michaela journey was heartbreaking and full of hope. This is a must-read story and one you need to go in blind and 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.

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 behavior 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.

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!"

Love never falters, not in divorce, not in anger, not even in death.
It NEVER goes away.

"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.

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

Where do I begin......I am always floored with the twists and turns of Lily's books

I love how Lily develops her characters such detail. This story has a feel of socs vs greasers like The Outsiders. There I go showing my age. The story revolves around the rich and the poor from the wrong side of the tracks.

Holden breaks my heart with all he endures, through his young life. There is alot going on in this story pay attention or you may miss somethibg.

Lily had me second guessing myself throughout this whole book. My mind was blown once again by Lily.

Very interesting plot, just when you think you have it all figured out BAM!!!!

I'd also like to mention that cover LOVE IT!!! That cover is so Holden!

I did enjoy the story however, the characters were a tad on the young side for me. The book had a young adult feel to it.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Holden sees things. Lots of things. Things we would call ugly, but he believes are beautiful. He paints sad pictures and strums lonely guitars. He drowns out the taunting voices while shunning the expected norms. I let them hurt him. I wasn't strong enough to speak out. I hurt him too, only to prove I wasn't just like him. But then I saw him. I heard him. I learned why Holden wasn't crazy like they said. I loved him Madly. I fell for him Deeply. And alone, I decided to save a man who was the most beautiful of us all.

I am going to go ahead and warn you that when I started this book I thought oh no no no.....this is the saddest book ever. So if you find yourself several chapters in and feeling like your going to be reading the most depressing book ever you need to not lay it down and keep reading or you are going to be missing a truly beautiful love story. I loved Holden and Michaela and Angela but I equally hated Jack Throne and pretty much the entire town that these kids lived in. You see this is a town that basically Jack and Michaela's family built. They had a lot of money and if you didn't have money then you had to live on the other side of the tracks and you were nothing. However Holden's sister was a talented dancer and Michaela's family took her under their wing and to the dance classes that she loved so much. Both in high school Holden and his sister Delilah are super close and he has been declared crazy and an outcast all because he would not join the football team. The team that pretty much runs the town and throws party's where things take place that never should. When Holden flies into a rage over a boy touching his sister and beats up Jack and one of his friends Jack is determined to make him pay. This is the beginning of a story you are not going to be able to put down. It is a beautiful heartbreaking story of judging people without knowing them. Of tragedy and loss and ultimately of people having the ability to surprise you. It is a story that will have you on a emotional roller coaster the entire time. This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Lily White has outdone herself with this story that will stick with me for years.

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.

“Because laughter is one of those parts of life that should be free. It should be unrestrained and wild, with no rules or shadows to contain it. Laughter is never polite, it’s never prim and proper, at least not the kind of laughter that is worth a person’s time, the kind that sears a memory into your mind and makes your eyes water.”

Lily White, your writing shines so bright in this beautiful story!

Holden is such a bright shining star! He melted my heart and I wanted nothing but for life to turn around for him. He’s hit from every angle with an obstacle, hatred, and tragedy, and his strength and preservation are so inspiring.

I was uncertain of Michaela in the beginning. I was glad to see her transform and she certainly rose to the occasion as well. I loved the paths this story took. It was emotional and touching and I couldn’t put it down.

The supporting characters really ad so much to the story. You wanted to strangle some and are so grateful for others like Deli and Dr. Silva. And then you have dear, sweet Angela who is such a savior. Her wit and stubbornness mixed with her love made you chuckle, smile, and love her to pieces.

There is heartbreak and anger, sorrow and pain; however, with that, there is also hope, love and goodness. This story stole my breath and I loved every moment of it!

Well what can i say, this book is just amazing, I definitely have a book hang over with this book. I definitely needed the tissues at the ready with this book. This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster of a ride. This book has amazing characters you will fall in love with from the first page. This author has a fab way of weaving the story and the characters together. This book will definitely keep you reading long into the night. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

Holy freakin’ Hades!!! This book! There are just no words! This book stirred up so many emotions then one by one plucked them from their hiding places and flung them out in front of me to face them in all their messy glory. It was a painfully beautiful journey and I swear to any and all entities that I will never forget this amazing story!

My suggestion is to avoid reviews that give too much away. While it’s not a matter of constant twists and turns, the best part of this book is never knowing what’s going to happen next. Just settle back and let this author introduce you to her characters. They are incredible. Broken and imperfect but exactly what they needed to be to face their inner demons. Then be prepared to hold on emotionally as she takes you on a ride through a desperate and desolate plain where there is no hope to be found at its conclusion. Even the sparks of promise you glimpse along the way will always be overshadowed by the despair these characters live with.

This is a wonderfully written story full of depth. The angst is off the charts, the romance a welcome reprieve in the darkness and the secondary characters gaining a place in my heart without consuming the story. There are not enough stars for this book and I’m already feeling the mega book hangover Crazy Madly Deeply is going to leave me with.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holden Bishop grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but he always remained true to those he loved despite being labeled a freak by those who were lesser. When an incident occurs, it begins a cruel and maddening cycle irrevocably affecting Holden’s life.

Michaela Paige is one of the popular rich girls who outwardly appears to enjoy a gifted life of opportunity and privilege. Always doing what is expected of her, Michaela lives in silence until she finally finds her voice.

While living distinctly different lives, Holden and Michaela cross paths one fateful night and it changes their entire perspective and future. For Holden, he acts to protect his loved ones and his strength lies in his innate ability to remain good in the face of injustice. With Michaela, she always admired Holden but also knew he was off limits. Now that Michaela finds herself in a situation, she and Holden learn much more about each other than they could have imagined.

In starting this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect but it certainly delivered in the feels and angst department. From the onset, Holden’s integrity is evident and his pain is felt on so many levels. In not knowing Holden’s fate, the angst is high as the plot continues to unfold. Viewing Holden through Michaela’s eyes is a tasty treat as he is definitely the strong, silent type but he is more complex and vulnerable than she initially realizes.

What ensues is heartbreaking and maddening to see how misconceptions can ruin the lives of these characters. However, while there is suffering there is also light and goodness that shines even brighter. This story was an incredible journey with thought provoking prose and characters that stir so much emotion.

Crazy Madly Deeply would appeal to those who want to get lost in the plight of these characters and come out stronger in the end. I highly recommend.

What an absolutely amazing story! Crazy Madly Deeply blew me away! Such an amazing story filled with some brilliant twists. I loved Holden and Michaela and their stories were ever so emotional, it's a book that will stay with me forever. It's a mixture of edge of your seat suspense and romance, that made me tear up and get angry. Seriously I went through every emotion reading this story.

I went into this one blind having no idea what it was about, it's very different from any of the books I've previously read by this author, and now my new favourite of hers! I definitely recommend going into this one blind, as you do not want anything spoiling for you!
Cannot recommend this one enough! Five stars!

***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 ~

~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.

Well this book just blew me away!!!

What a perfect title for Lily White's newest release
Crazy Madly Deeply

Cuz this is definitely what you are going to feel while reading CRAZY MADLY DEEPLY!!

I'm just blown away!!! Wait..I think I already said that. lol But it is sooo true!!

"He was the King of Freaks because he wasn't like everyone else.

He lived on the wrong side of the tracks.

Kids at school shunned him, they thought he was Goth. He wasn't like the rest of the kids at school.

People thought he was insane.

Crazy

Deserving of a padded cell.

But he was just a boy who wanted to leave their crazy town. He just refused to bow down, refused to fall in line with what was expected of him.

He cared deeply about his sister and then one day he caught one of the boys doing something to his sister that made him mad!!

Andd now this is where you get to pick up this book and find out what the Hell happened. You will get to fall Crazy Madly Deeply in love with this story along with all the rest of us. You just have to find out did he get revenge? What other things do you learn about him? Does someone help him out?

5 iScream Cones from me!!! I think I will be reeling from this book for a long while. Absolutely loved

How much heartache and torment can one person possible handle?
Holden has lived a life of torment and anguish, loosing himself in his paintings is the only peace he knows.
Known as the freak at school he's always been the outcast, which is fine by him as he can't stand the jocks!!
I hate Jack with a passion and am so glad that karma finally turned into a bitch and bit him in the ass.
I had no sympathy for Michaela, even though she lived a miserable life she didn't know how or want to stand up for herself. When she finally grew those brass balls and stood up for not only herself but Holden aswell I was happy she then started to grow on me.
This book is not your typical romance story. It's heartbreaking, its cruel and at times makes you wonder why.
I can't say anymore without giving anything away.
It's yet again another great read by Lily White.