1 star for the first 30% of the book. 2.5 stars for the remaining story. 4 stars for the sexual creativity. 5 stars for the banter. Subtract one point for a few several ridiculous cliches. Don't even think about asking me to do the math on this one. 
 I finally finished the book! Had I known it was going to derail into a drama train, I might have worked my way through Strangers a bit sooner. If you know me even a little bit by now, you'll know of my love/hate dilemma with books which are high in drama. I bitch and moan, yet can't seem to stop reading. It's a wonder I haven't added a "drama" shelf category yet. Addictive, indeed. 
 Let's start off with the first portion of the book. I think it took me at least a week to make it through the beginning 30%. Truth be told, I was bored. I have no idea how an author can take a botched suicide attempt and turn it into something boring, but it was boring indeed. I'll summarize part 1 : Two strangers meet, two lives are spared, two people hole up in an apartment screwing, eating their way through leftovers, and working jigsaw puzzles. For at least 75 pages. Did I mention the all-consuming need the couple seemed to have for one another? I didn't? Yup. It was there. In all its uncomfortable glory. To paraphrase : "Sex with you replaces my need for drugs." Gotcha. I thought I'd retired my finger gun, but it had other plans. 
 Just as I was about to give up on what I thought was a boring erotica book, a page turned and the style changed into a drama-filled contemporary romance. And then there was no way I was stopping the train. 
 Bad cliches aside, I semi-enjoyed the last 2/3 of the book. I'm not going to lie - this book had all kinds of crazy. I put aside my cynical disbelief over the fact that there was no way two people could have so many random crappy things happen to the both of them, and allowed myself to follow the events swirling around Kate and Charlie with actual interest. There were lies, deceptions, borderline acts of sexual violence, and misunderstandings aplenty. But for whatever reason, I felt like this particular couple stood a better chance of coming out of all of this unscathed, when comparing the situation with other high-intensity couples (Travis & Abby, Kiera and Kellan, etc.). Regardless of how they came to find their happy ending, it was easy to see that K & C had genuine feelings for each other - feelings that went beyond their basic survival and what they could gain from using one another. Simply put - two broken people found each other and started the long healing process together, with a lot of bumps along the way. 
 So yes, I had a hate/like/love/intensely dislike/like again with this story. 
 Here's what did shine : 
 The sex was pretty diverse for a one-couple book. Don't look if you don't like sexual details! (view spoiler)[I loved the scene where she performed the long and torturous blow job, and I was amused at the scene where she used the vibrator on him (hide spoiler)] 
 The banter. I loved, loved, loved that they could both dish it out. My husband and I banter like this back and forth and this book reminded me of why I love the relationship with my husband. You know it's love when someone can break you down and you're laughing about it. 
 There were so many quote-worthy moments of banter. If I tried to repost them all in this review, I'd be typing out a good portion of the book. 
 "So you're not a hippo," she said. 
 "What?" Charlie looked back at her face. 
 "I've spent the last couple of hours with your head and shoulders. I wondered what the rest of you was like. Fat, thin, tail, flippers?" 
 "I thought you were a sexy mermaid and you thought I was fat hippo?" 
 "You're not supposed to tell the fifth-sexiest man in the UK, he's got a spot." 
 "Who voted? Senior citizens?" 
 "I really want to fuck you." He growled in his throat. 
 "I really want to be in Hawaii, but we don't always get what we want." 
 "I'm not buying you cigarettes or booze." 
 He glared at her. "You fucking cow." 
 "You don't need them," Kate said. 
 "Yeah, I do," Charlie snapped. I want a line or two of coke as well, to cheer me up." 
 "You've got a fucking cow, what more do you need?" 
 "You've also not helped things by mentioning Crispies because no one knows it's a restaurant. They all think it's some hardcore porno movie." 
 "I know." Kate sighed. "I'm beginning to believe it myself. I've even been offered a part in Crispies Two."