Beautiful Disaster , by Jamie McGuire

Paperback, 416 pages

Published August 14th 2012 by Atria Books (first published May 26th 2011)

ISBN

1476712042 (ISBN13: 9781476712048)

edition language

English

original title

Beautiful Disaster

url

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Beautiful-Disaster/Jamie-McGuire/9781476712048

series

Beautiful #1

characters

Abby Abernathy, Travis Maddox

 

The 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.

 

My Review

Wow, I haven't read a book this good for a long time. just the whole concept of the novel was as believable as real life itself. It was almost as the author really was writing a real experience here, but instead of writing a biography, they were writing in a fictional way that allowed the reader to feel like they could get more involved with it. The story was basically about two characters that didn't really fit together, and didn't seem like the ideal couple. One was tough, the hard nut, the bad boy that everyone wanted to be friends with, wanted to date and wanted to know, and yet the same guy that everyone knew not to mess with and not to do anything to displease. then you have the nerdy chick. the one that tries her best at everything who wants to do as well as she can and who has a plan, a structure to life. Two people that shouldn't fit together and yet we know they do because opposites attract. From the very beginning you know that the two are going to end up as a couple, but that didn't ruin the story for so many different reasons. The whole aspect and concept of the book was not predictable and left you with enough surprise and depth to keep you hanging on to a book. This was literally a book that could NOT be put down. you just had to read it, finish it and think about it and thats a book!

 

I think the best thing about this book is the very fact that its not the good girl falling in love, head over heels, no one else will do, right at the beginning of the novel. in fact its quite the opposite because she is dead certain that she wants nothing more than a friendship. She doesn't want to be one of his one night stands that he leaves heart broken at the end of the night, she doesnt want to be someone who can call on for a quickie. she just wants to be friends. He of course wants to try for more but in time we see him respecting her wants and desires and he learns to be friends with her. But even though you start to see a much softer side to him, he never loses the characteristics and personality that the author has given him at the beginning of the book. we still see him for what he is, which is a tough nut who has to have things the way he wants and who gets angry and jealous at the sillest of things without even meaning to.

 

Still though, you can see that they are starting to fall for each other and instead of the instant relationship that a lot of books seem to have a habit of doing, we something much more natural. the relationship that started as a friendship blooming into something a little bit more. the realistic feeling of the novel really does work well for it because it encourages the reader to really identify with everything that is happening within its pages. there isn't this whole every good guy in the book has to fall in love with you on page one feeling and there isnt the whole unnatural romance that no one will ever get but can only read about. you really feel that you can actually relate to this novel rather than just read it and that automatically makes it a number one book. I can't actually remember reading a book that had me this hooked for a long time. Like seriously, I just could not put it down. it was that good. 

 

The author clearly does have a lot of talent and power and way with words, and its something that is savoured and enjoyed. I think I could probably pick up the book now and read it again and I still would not be bored, I would probably read it from a whole new level and angle and that would perhaps change the story for me. But I dont think that would be in a bad way. It certainly is a novel that is worthy of more than just five stars, Im just not sure where I would stop on the star giving. if you have not read it yet, then why not? go find a copy now. its a must read in my opinion.   

 

My rating