Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
- Pub. Date: August 14, 2012, First published May 26, 2011
- Publisher: Atria Books
- Pages: 432
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
First Line: "Everything in the room screamed that I didn't belong. "
Review: I started this book in the middle of the night and stayed up until 5am reading it before I made myself to go to sleep and that first half that I read in those hours were freakin’ addictive as hell. But somewhere in the middle it became to where I was able to put it down (not for long periods of time) but I didn’t have this invisible magnetic pull to the book as I did to the first half. I thought I had read about messed up relationships, and overprotective psychotic boyfriends before but Beautiful Disaster is the definition of an unhealthy relationship and what not to date.
This book has been floating around the blogosphere a lot so I’ll keep the summarization short and simple. Abby meets Travis at an illegal fight ring, Travis is in my opinion a male whore who somehow finds Abby to be different then all the other girls he met. They become friends, even though to the outside world the way they behave you could have swore they are dating. Travis is overprotective, has anger issues (although never directed towards Abby) and the dude loves hard HARD! His obsession with Abby is a little on the unhealthy side in my opinion.
At times I actually felt sorry for Travis because it was obvious he really did love Abby he just couldn’t express it in a healthy fashion. Honestly Abby and Travis were both two damaged people who needed some serious relationship counseling.
Being someone in her late 20’s ( it was my bday the other day which has officially put me there ) anyways I could read this book and take it for what it is especially since I’ve had my share of experiences including a relationship similar to the one in this book at 19 but I would be a little concerned about a teenager reading this and getting the wrong impression about what love is and that it’s okay for a guy to act certain ways because he loves you that’s why he is being overprotective or controlling…not cool. And then the ending WTF was that? No! before they took that step some counseling and growing up some more as individuals would have been nice SPOILER ALERT!..... but marriage really!!! come on no… hell no! There should have been more books about them growing up as individuals and in their relationship before that step was taken. END OF SPOILER.
Overall I liked the book for all the drama and craziness but not for the message it sends out as far as relationships go.
Memorable Quote
"I wish you and Travis would just get your shit together! You're a goddamn tornado! When you're happy, it's love and peace and butterflies. When you're pissed, you take the whole fucking world down with you!"
