Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Series: #1 - Beautiful
Format: Hardback
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
My Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Author: Jamie McGuire
Series: #1 - Beautiful
Format: Hardback
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
My Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.
Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
My Review:
Okay I am probably going to get a lot of grief over this review, and while I understand what some people are saying about this book. I just didn't see it. First off other bloggers viewed the relationship between Travis and Abby as abusive and controlling. I didn't see it. Travis is intense and the two together go through a lot of altering and changing events that to be honest, the fact that they fought as hard as they did makes the story interesting and believable. Further Abby wasn't weak by any means, she had the strength I thought to stand up to Travis and take his crap and not only dish it back but make him regret the pain he put her through.
Now to my review. Beautiful Disaster was a great great romance novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will admit that sometimes this could be compared to Fifty Shades of Grey, and at certain scenes it is. Overall though not at all. I thought this book was a better representation of how teen or young adult life is. It's not all pretty rainbows and green grass. I love how Jamie just captures a world that's turned completely on head and at times seems to take things to the complete extreme.
Abby ("Pidge") is this ultra average girl, with her best friend America and America's boyfriend Shep, make the prime example of what ordinary relationships and young adults are like. I loved Abby though, she was hard drive, she didn't put up with anyone's crap. I found more often than not she acted on what she thought, and said exactly what was on her mind. She had this air about her that I loved, and when she had her mind set on an action, she was stubborn and determined to see it through.
Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox was a muscular alpha male that no one looked at him the wrong way. In fact I doubt that anyone in the Maddox family had anyone cross them. Travis is this underground boxer/fighter, that is undefeated and even argues that no one can him him, if he doesn't let them. The fighting is how he makes his money for rent and tuition, which to be honest would have to be rather steep. How much money is bet on those fights? Case one of the extremes.
He can have any women he wants, and I will admit he's a bit inconsiderate of women. There was one bit of the book that stuck in my head with Abby after a girl he was just with leaves. He mentions that the girl expected more out of the night with him, but she was still willing to give it up. He never asked or anted more there was no talk before, so what did she expect and if she wanted more she could look elsewhere. He does have a point as twisted as it sounds, if a girl had any sense of self dignity she would take time to get to know the guy before just sleeping with him. It makes the girl sound like a complete whore and yeah he's not much worse, but he know what he was getting out of it, not living in some delusion in just the first few seconds of meeting an attractive guy.
Which is why he falls for Abby so hard. Abby doesn't give him the time of day. Even when he tries so hard. I loved that Travis never gave up, it's a great metaphor for how he perceives love. He loves neverending, and pushes hard and hard. The book is so great with love quotes from Travis, “I know we're fucked up, alright? I'm impulsive, and hot tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then need me the next. I never get anything right, and I don't deserve you...but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I loved anyone or anything ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stands...” He fully loves her, and knows that their relationship isn't pretty, isn't rainbows and butterflies, but he loves her nonetheless. Their relationship is far from perfect, and that's what makes this book so good.
The book being told by Abby, yea I understand why a lot of women would think that Travis is a womanizer and completely psycho. I suggest reading Walking Disaster to get an inside look into his mind. It shows a great person and how his thought process works. However, with Abby the book is fluid and the story flows great from one extreme to the next. Travis's persona doesn't come through all the time, but when it does she notice. I would love to go further into the book, but I think that would ruin some of the book and the buildup of the relationship. I want you to come to your own opinion of the character and McGuire's style of plot and writing.
Now to my review. Beautiful Disaster was a great great romance novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will admit that sometimes this could be compared to Fifty Shades of Grey, and at certain scenes it is. Overall though not at all. I thought this book was a better representation of how teen or young adult life is. It's not all pretty rainbows and green grass. I love how Jamie just captures a world that's turned completely on head and at times seems to take things to the complete extreme.
Abby ("Pidge") is this ultra average girl, with her best friend America and America's boyfriend Shep, make the prime example of what ordinary relationships and young adults are like. I loved Abby though, she was hard drive, she didn't put up with anyone's crap. I found more often than not she acted on what she thought, and said exactly what was on her mind. She had this air about her that I loved, and when she had her mind set on an action, she was stubborn and determined to see it through.
Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox was a muscular alpha male that no one looked at him the wrong way. In fact I doubt that anyone in the Maddox family had anyone cross them. Travis is this underground boxer/fighter, that is undefeated and even argues that no one can him him, if he doesn't let them. The fighting is how he makes his money for rent and tuition, which to be honest would have to be rather steep. How much money is bet on those fights? Case one of the extremes.
He can have any women he wants, and I will admit he's a bit inconsiderate of women. There was one bit of the book that stuck in my head with Abby after a girl he was just with leaves. He mentions that the girl expected more out of the night with him, but she was still willing to give it up. He never asked or anted more there was no talk before, so what did she expect and if she wanted more she could look elsewhere. He does have a point as twisted as it sounds, if a girl had any sense of self dignity she would take time to get to know the guy before just sleeping with him. It makes the girl sound like a complete whore and yeah he's not much worse, but he know what he was getting out of it, not living in some delusion in just the first few seconds of meeting an attractive guy.
Which is why he falls for Abby so hard. Abby doesn't give him the time of day. Even when he tries so hard. I loved that Travis never gave up, it's a great metaphor for how he perceives love. He loves neverending, and pushes hard and hard. The book is so great with love quotes from Travis, “I know we're fucked up, alright? I'm impulsive, and hot tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then need me the next. I never get anything right, and I don't deserve you...but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I loved anyone or anything ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stands...” He fully loves her, and knows that their relationship isn't pretty, isn't rainbows and butterflies, but he loves her nonetheless. Their relationship is far from perfect, and that's what makes this book so good.
The book being told by Abby, yea I understand why a lot of women would think that Travis is a womanizer and completely psycho. I suggest reading Walking Disaster to get an inside look into his mind. It shows a great person and how his thought process works. However, with Abby the book is fluid and the story flows great from one extreme to the next. Travis's persona doesn't come through all the time, but when it does she notice. I would love to go further into the book, but I think that would ruin some of the book and the buildup of the relationship. I want you to come to your own opinion of the character and McGuire's style of plot and writing.
