Beautiful DisasterBeautiful Book 1By: Jamie McGuirePublished: August 14th, 2012 (originally published May 26th, 2011)Published by: Atria PaperbacksThe new 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 needs—and wants—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.
***WARNING***
Beautiful Disaster contains sexual content. If you are under the age of 17, or are offended by such things, this is NOT the book for you.
...Alright, now that that's out of the way, and the squeamish people have scrolled down to take a look at my "Bait" review (which is just as grotesque- Just with gore and not *ahem* Well..), allow me to tell all those looking for a good book... This book is not something to read in public. I've made this mistake all week. But I couldn't help it. I was sucked in- Just because I was at work didn't mean I had to stop.. Ugh. Why do people ask what I'm reading when I'm reading the steamy parts? *flushes*
Ahem. Got a little ahead of myself there. Beautiful Disaster is the story of Abby Abernathy and Travis Maddox. And the summary is obscenely misleading. The bet is a mere portion of the drama readers will encounter while reading this book, and is only an opening to what turns out to be a romance with a surprising amount of depth. Coming from me, this is a lot- I can't stand the relationships in stories. They are distracting and usually so fluffed up they're used as filler. But, seeing how this book is actually about the love story (and I picked it up? Me? LANA?), I can't complain. And actually...I liked it.
Don't call the cops. It's still Lana. I haven't been kidnapped and replaced with a sap.
Hear me out. The book is written in the first person, and McGuire writes with such craft, Abby's feelings are actually...believable. It doesn't feel like a forced love-story just added for the drama of it, it doesn't feel like a set of teenagers set back a few years to where I can't relate. I could actually see myself in the same position, and having Abby's feelings about Travis, and almost all of her decisions are ones I would've made, too.
The only complaint I really have about this is the insane trust-issues.. I don't want to give anything away, but the fact they both are constantly worrying (most of the time) about how neither one of them is good enough for the other, or that other people might be looking at them, I was huffing a lot. Stop. If you love her/him so much, trust the fact he/she loves you back and isn't going to cheat on you. Thank you.
With a deliriously cheesy ending, McGuire leaves us craving more and desperate to delve into the sequel (Due out next year- From Travis' perspective! AAH!). While I wait these sure-to-be-agonizing months, I'm gonna take a look at Jamie's other works.
But for now. I'll be sitting in the corner... Nursing a book hangover...
...And for those who have seen reviews that claim Travis is "abusive"...Um. No. I'm not telling you everything, but... No. *blinks* Read the book. You'll see.
Jamie McGuire is the New York Times bestselling author of three other novels: Providence, Requiem, and Eden. She and her husband, Jeff, live with their children just outside Enid, Oklahoma, with four dogs, four horses, and a cat named Rooster.
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K, I'm definitely going to have to read this book lol
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