Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover♥

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Format: Paperback, 317 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Slammed #1
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her.

Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart. Only through the poetry they share are they able to speak the truth that is in their hearts and imagine a future where love is cause for celebration, not regret.

"Sometimes life gets in your way.

It gets all up in your damn way."

 

THAT QUOTE. It is my favorite thing I've seen in a book in a while. Great enough to quote at the beginning of this review. And you know what, it is perfect for this book, too. Because that's what this book IS. Two people, trying to be happy as they live their lives, but life keeps getting in the way. Goodness gracious, this book.

 

I'm just going to declare it here and now: Colleen Hoover is the Queen of Feels.

 

Honestly, I will never know how she does it, but she writes the most beautiful stories. And you wanna know the kicker? I should have HATED this book. I should have despised how quickly Will and Lake's relationship grew, and I should have been bored as heck during all the times Will wasn't around. But you know what? Colleen Hoover rock this beach. (Imagine the curse word that would fit there...that's what I WANTED to say.)

 

Layken. Well, hmm. She wasn't perfect. But she WAS responsible and I liked that. I'm not going to say she never got on my nerves, because she definitely did, but it wasn't to the point that made me hate her. I didn't just tolerate her in this book. I think I kind of liked her. WHOA.

 

And then there is Will. Who I should have not liked. If he were to be in almost any other book, I'd be so bored with him. But Colleen Hoover...she wrote him right. He's responsible, but not a saint, either. But he is still a gentleman. He's nice, but not exactly a goody-goody. Wonderful balance going on with this character, and I adore him.

 

I can't think of a better author to have written this book. Aside from the I-should-have-hated-it thing, the POETRY in this book. It plays a big part, and Colleen Hoover...dang, y'all. She rocked it. So beautiful, but it didn't feel TOO fancy, either. I loved the poetry. And a lot of the time, the poetry in stories doesn't fly with me. It just doesn't work. But here.... It made the story better. It was well-written, but not to the point of seeming pretentious. It simply FIT into this story.

 

**Oh, and Lake's poem, "Schooled"? Yeah, well. It may or may not have made me cry. A little. Just saying.**

 

The awesome thing about this book is that it wasn't too surprising in plot, but I still devoured this thing as fast as I could in my free time. Which brings me back--again--to Colleen's writing. She has serious skill. I can't even describe it to you; it's something you have to experience yourself. But let me tell you THIS now: it is gorgeous.

 

Overall, this is another book by Colleen Hoover I ended up loving. She's turning into one of those authors I doubt has the ability to write a bad book. Seriously. She has SKILLS, people. You should check them out.

 

♥Jessica(:

Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover♥

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: July 8, 2013
Format: eARC, 336 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Hopeless #2
Source: NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

OH HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY.

I don't even know where to start right now. I'm considering ditching this review and just running in circles. But that wouldn't really help anything, because this review NEEDS to be written. Or else I'll never sleep.

OHMYGOD.

Okay, so, before I get into this, you may or may not want to check out my review of Hopeless. It was somewhat scattered, but it got my opinion across. You might want to know what that was. Then again, maybe you won't. I can't tell you what to do. So yeah. Yeah.

Now, Losing Hope. Hopeless from Holder's POV. Honestly, this could have gone bad in so many ways. Goodness knows not everyone should try to write whole books in the male's POV. But, you know what? Colleen Hoover is a freaking badass. Not only did she write the PERFECT male POV companion, but she wrote it even better than the first book.

YEAH I SAID IT.

And I speak the truth.

Character Rundown:
Sky: I was so conflicted with her in this book. I still liked her (which makes sense, considering she is the same person), but I found myself not WANTING to like her sometimes. Because we see everything she did to work through her issues from Holder's eyes now, and it hurt him so much, and I heart the crap out of Holder*, so that made liking her hurt a little. But, gosh darn it, I still do. She's still Sky. And Holder loves her.

Holder:* Never had I ever imagined that I could love this boy more than I did in Hopeless. But, funny thing, I was WRONG. So, so wrong. I should probably stop trying to be right about things considering how NOT RIGHT I was. This boy...oh, man. He makes me giggle-swoon. GIGGLE. SWOON. It's a thing. It's MY thing. And it only happens with Holder.* He still holds his place as one of my top four book boys EVER. That will never ever change. Ever.

Daniel: I can't just let the characters section go by without mentioning him. HE IS SO HILARIOUS. I love his need to think up the randomest nicknames ever, and how he's such a great friend to Holder. And have I mentioned he's hilarious? I swear, I have more lines from him highlighted than any other character. (Well, except for Holder, but I wasn't counting him since he has the unfair advantage of actually being the one, you know, TELLING the story.) But pretty much every time Daniel was in a conversation, I was highlighting something. SO MUCH LAUGHTER. I approve.

Plot.* This is 100% without a doubt the best alternative POV retelling EVER. That I've read, anyway, but I'd sure be hard pressed to find a better one. This book...it wasn't JUST Hopeless in Holder's POV. It was Holder's story. In Hopeless, we watched Sky and went through everything with her. But in Losing Hope, we went through things with Holder. We saw how HE worked through everything and the moments that were significant to HIM. It is NOT just all the scenes of Hopeless in Holder's POV. Goodness, no.* This book...it's just HOLDER. And it was magnificent. Amazeballs. Giggle-swoon-worthy.

Also, I* didn't cry while reading Hopeless. Like, at all. I may have teared up a time or two, but I did not CRY. However, I am inserting foot in mouth now, because HOLY CRAP THIS BOOK MADE ME BALL. There was crying. Like, tears-everywhere-oh-my-God-Holder-I-freaking-love-you kind of crying.* Not during the WHOLE book. I mean, the middle wasn't very tear-inducing. But...well, you know. There are PARTS that were. And those were the parts I fell apart.

Romance. Usually the romance is less...romantic from the guy's POV. I don't know why. Probably because guys don't swoon like girls do. But Holder is the exception to the rule.

WAIT. You know what? I don't know if I'm cool with calling him Holder anymore. Then again...it's really hard to call him Dean after this book because that part was one of the parts that was tear-inducing...maybe I'll just refer to him as Giggle-swoon...

So, Mr. Giggle-Swoon is the exception. He is so sweet and caring and...all he freaking wants to do is help. He wants Sky to be happy and for her to not have to have a hard time with life. And he is still so gosh darn swoon-worthy it should be illegal.

The ending.* Colleen Hoover, I love you for this. You are receiving a virtual hug right now because you deserve ALL OF THE VIRTUAL HUGS. For real. This ending...and Giggle-Swoon...I needed this. Almost happy-tear-inducing, ya know. Almost.

Overall, Colleen Hoover blew me away with Hopeless, but she blew me off the freaking PLANET with Losing Hope. I didn't think it was possible, but this book is even better than Hopeless was. I have such fond feelings for this book AHHHHH. Seriously, Losing Hope has effectively secured a spot in my top ten books of 2013, which is insanely awesome because it's only JULY. Yeah. This book is that great. And yes, you should read it. Actually, I'm not sure how I can be friends with you if you DON'T read it...you need Giggle-Swoon in your life. I promise you this. Don't deprive yourself.

*I wasn't going to do this again, because I thought it'd be overkill, plus there wasn't any platypus birthing, so I didn't think it'd be as fun. But I'm doing it because I did it for Hopeless, so...why the heck not? DURING THESE SPOTS IN THIS REVIEW I STOPPED TO: empty the dishwasher, open my mail (Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines, WOOT!), tell my dad to stop talking so I could think, fangirl over PERKS with my friend Dolly, write a terrible haiku that I'm not even sure IS a haiku, check my Twitter, laugh at SpongeBob, and simultaneously curse out and thank Colleen Hoover verbally for making me cry and giving me Giggle-Swoon.

I didn't, like, thank her/curse her out in person, though. It was in my head. If it were to be in person, I'd probably leave out the cursing part because I like her a lot.

Then again, maybe I wouldn't.

(I actually would, since I don't actually curse. I say things like "freaking" or "crap." TRUE STORY.)

♥Jessica(:

Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Format: eARC, 433 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Beautiful #2
Source: NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

I LOVED Beautiful Disaster. It is one of my absolute favorite books and I just heart it so much. So OF COURSE when I found out there was going to be a book in Travis' POV, I rushed to get it. And then when I got approved, I did a stomping happy dance in public. Because it was THAT big of a deal to me.

And then I started the book. And...it was good. But it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I was SO EXCITED to see what Travis was thinking throughout the story and see some of my favorite parts through his eyes. But some of those parts weren't even really IN this book, which made me sad. This book WAS a wonderful look into Travis' brain, though. For people who hated Travis in BD (I was not one of those people), this book makes it all fall into place.

And if you loved Travis in the first book? You will understand him better and love him even MORE.

Character Rundown:
Abby: I didn't really like Abby in BD. But now? I hate this freaking girl. She is such a beach. (Yes, I purposely messed up that word. You know what I meant.) She is so selfish and terrible and I literally do not like her at all. The only reason I tolerate her at all is because Travis loves her. I see nothing redeeming in this girl. #sorrynotsorry

Travis: Yep. I love him even MORE now. Because now he doesn't seem as random and explosive. In his mind, there was some kind of logic for everything, or a reasonable excuse. I felt bad for him so much more in this book, and I didn't get frustrated with him like I did in BD at certain parts. Probably because I didn't like Abby AT ALL this time. But Travis? I still love him. <3

Plot. This IS Beautiful Disaster. It is. Just in Travis' POV. That means we get some thing that he was doing when Abby wasn't around, things she didn't know about. But we did also get some of them together that was in BD and that was nice. A few specific parts I was excited to see in Travis' POV were glossed over, but still. The book was good. I don't prefer this one over BD, but it still made me happy in the end.

Romance. This book IS romance. It is about Travis and Abby's relationship and how they work it the frig out so they can be happy. Together. So, yeah, there is romance. There is also punching and arguing, but there is a good amount of kissing and smexy times, so don't you worry. As much as I hate Abby, I still wanted things to work out for them. If Travis is happy, I am happy.

The ending. Okay, so I lied. This book isn't EXACTLY Beautiful Disaster. Because it has a little more! At the end. And it is a VERY great ending. But I'm not telling you anything more. (HA!)

Overall, Walking Disaster was a good book that I definitely enjoyed. It wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be, but it was certainly nice to read after falling in love with Beautiful Disaster. I enjoyed the extra time with the wonderful Travis Maddox and getting to understand him better.

♥Jessica(:

Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover♥

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Format: ebook, 406 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Losing Hope #1
Source: Borrowed

Description from Goodreads:
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies.In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed and Point of Retreat, Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own. Holder has the ability to invoke feelings in Sky she's never had before. In just one encounter he leaves her terrified yet captivated and something about him brings up a rush of memories from the past that she’s worked so hard to bury away.

Sky knows Holder is nothing but trouble and tries to keep him at a distance, but he is adamant about learning everything he can about her. Sky finally caves to his unwavering pursuit, but she soon finds out that Holder isn't the person he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life changes forever.

I wasn't going to review this book, because I didn't read it TO review, but I'm going to be reviewing Losing Hope sometime in the near future, so I wanted to have this one under my belt, too. I read Hopeless something like forever and a half ago. (That's actually a lie. It was like February/March. That's only a few months ago. So yeah.)

I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again because I can. (And in case you missed it, but mostly because I can.) I didn't read Hopeless with any expectation to actually like it. I only read this book because I couldn't find any spoilers that told me why the freak people were crying so much over this book. (I should also mention that this was my first Colleen Hoover book.) So I read it to find out what all the fuss was about.

Well...now this book is one of my all-time favorites and Holder is one of my favorite book boys EVER. He's definitely in the top ten.

Character Rundown:
Sky: I don't really know WHY, but I like Sky. Maybe it's because she picked the money up off the floor instead of running in circles crying about it. Maybe it's because she made friends with* Breckin, and I love him. Or maybe it's just because SKY is awesome. I don't know, but I like her.

Holder: I feel like it's silly* to even have this part of this review. I JUST told you that Holder's one of my top ten favorite book boys EVER. I'm sure you can figure out what that means. (In case you can't--DEAN HOLDER IS MINE. I heart his face. And everything else, too.) ;)

Plot.* I started this book with no expectations really, and it started off like any other book. Then Sky kicked the guy out of her room and I thought it was funny, so I kept going. Then we met Holder, and I was like, "Why, hello there," and kept reading. And kept reading reading reading. And then stuff was HAPPENING and the book was almost over and I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! So, um, yeah. This book was marvelous.

Romance. I swoon even THINKING about the lovely Mr. Dean Holder. OF COURSE there is romance in this book. The fact that you even questioned it makes me want to slap you upside the head. Cut it out, silly reader. Romance is ALL UP IN this book.* It makes me want to happy dance all over the place telling everyone who will listen (heck, maybe even those who don't want to listen) about this awesome book that caught me totally off guard in its awesomeness.

The ending.* High five, Dean Holder! (Man, I WISH.)

Overall,* Hopeless is a magnificent book that everyone in the universe should read because it is completely epic. Also, I question my sanity for not wanting to actually read this book in the first place.* Really, I don't know WHAT I was thinking. I probably wasn't. Oops. Either way, I DID read this book and I DID love this book, even though I never even wanted to read it. So thank you to all the people who didn't spoil. If you were to have spoiled this book, I never would have picked it up.

I AM SO GLAD I PICKED THIS BOOK UP.

Also--well played, Colleen Hoover. Well played.

*Fun fact: At these spots that I marked in this review, I stopped in the middle to check my twitter, argue with my best friend about sloths via email, open a bag of Doritos, eat some Doritos, put the Doritos back, watch and restart Mulan, hit replay on this Youtube video, read some FML's, tweet about my best friend's weirdness, and give birth to a baby platypus.

Okay, maybe not the platypus thing. I'm only 17, I ain't got time for that. But everything else totally happened.

♥Jessica(:

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
Release Date: December 9, 2012
Format: ebook, 262 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1
Source: NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

"Ten tiny breaths... Seize them. Feel them. Love them."

THIS BOOK...okay. First of all, this book took me by surprise. I went into this expecting the regular run-of-the-mill New Adult story, one where we meet Boy Toy right away and spend a majority of the book swooning over him, hiding something as we deal with some kind of issue, and then MC and Boy Toy have some kind of falling out, but don't you worry--HAPPY ENDING ALL OVER THE PLACE.

But Ten Tiny Breaths? I think it's safe to say it...did not follow this path. At all. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE New Adult. Looove it. But it's always nice to find something special when you're least expecting it. K.A. Tucker has written one of those special stories that will grab your heart and not let it go--even after the story has ended.

Character Rundown:
Kacey: There were good things and bad things about her. I liked how confident and independent she was, but I did not like her attitude a lot of the time. I also did not like how detached she could be. There are good reasons for it, but still. Excuses, excuses. I really enjoyed watching her character grow, though. By the end of the book, I truly did like her.

Trent: Awww, my boy Trent. I heart him. But I'm going to admit--a lot of things about him seem way too coincidental. But then the story goes on and we learn stuff and everything slides into place. Oh, and that part with the snake? HA! I'm pretty sure that's when Trent became my boy. He was kind, caring, and carrying a crap-load of baggage. His character was great.

Plot. Okay, I'm going to be honest with y'all. I totally guessed the twist. BUT K.A. Tucker built up to it so well that I was STILL sitting there freaking out. Seriously--it was Easter and I was sitting on my brother's couch screaming at my Kindle. It was fun. Also, K.A. created this story so perfectly. She knew what she was doing. She knew who we wanted to see and when, and when she took a character that was desperately needed, it didn't take forever and a half to get them back. This made the reading of this book flow incredibly fast, even though it was Easter. I mean, come on, there was cake and stuff. Normally I would get distracted!

Romantic things. Kacey and Trent's relationship...in the end, I loved it. At first, though, when it was just random encounters in a laundry room? I didn't NOT like it, I just wanted more. But as they start to actually hang out and whatnot, and they grow to actually be with each other, I loved their relationship more and more. I swear, that is what makes...certain aspects of this book so devastating. We grow to love these two together, and then BOOM. It happens.

The ending. Okay, so when I was reading the book and STUFF was goin' down, I was freaking out. I was not sure whether or not I'd end up actually, you know, liking the book. Because we all know those books that are so GREAT, but then the ending just goes and ruins everything. But let me tell you, my friends--this is NOT one of those books. Just keep reading (as Val and Kelly told me to do while I was reading this) and you WILL love this book once it's over. Don't give up on this one.

Overall, Ten Tiny Breaths was a refreshing New Adult story that K.A. Tucker wrote fabulously and veers off the path that most NA books take. If you're looking for a New Adult book that will make you swoon, tear up, and scream at your Kindle on Easter, Ten Tiny Breaths should definitely be on your TBR list.


♥Jessica(:

Review: Love Unscripted by Tina Reber♥

Love Unscripted by Tina Reber
Release Date: September 8, 2012
Format: ebook, 576 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Love #1
Source: NetGalley

Description from Goodreads:
An A-List Movie Star…
Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a life where fans would chase him, paparazzi would stalk him, and Hollywood studios would want to own him. While filming in Seaport, Rhode Island, Ryan ducks into a neighborhood bar for a quick escape from legions of screaming fans…and finds much more than he expected.

A Small Town Girl…
Nursing a recent heartbreak, Taryn Mitchell believes men are best kept at a safe distance. But when Ryan Christensen unexpectedly bursts through the front door of her pub, she can’t help but be drawn in by his humor, charm, and undeniable good looks. At six foot two, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and an incredible body, Ryan has every girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn’t every other girl.

A Relationship that Doesn’t Follow the Script…
Despite her better judgment, Taryn soon finds herself falling hard for Ryan. But is their bond strong enough to survive the tabloid headlines, the relentless paparazzi, and the jealous fans who seem determined to tear them apart?

I wanted to read this book because I've been in the mood for the celebrity-type love stories lately. Not sure why, but those types of stories have just been appealing to me lately. So I requested on NetGalley, and WHOA, I got approved. The next moment I had to dive into this book (which turned out to be spring break!) I took without a second thought. I was so excited to read this book! And goodness gracious, this book? Is so completely amazing.

This book is long. Like, super long. It took me longer than usual to finish this book, even though reading this is pretty much all I've been doing for days. But even though this book is ginormous, it's also completely addicting. I enjoyed every second I spent reading this! And when I made it to the last page and the story was over...I was not a happy camper. I WANT MORE!

Character Rundown:
Taryn: She had her good moments and she had her bad moments. But no matter what type of moment she was having, I was interested. I wanted to know what was happening and what would happen next, and her character did an amazing job of drawing me into the story. So while Taryn isn't my favorite female MC to ever exist, I liked her.

Ryan: Ahhh, smexy boy. I'm not even going to deny it, because that's what he is. He is also mine. Whenever it comes to boys, I always say things about them being perfectly imperfect. That's because in real life, nobody's perfect. So what's the closest thing? Perfect imperfection. And I am so glad to add Ryan to the list of as-close-to-perfect-as-humanly-possible boys. He's kind, caring, sweet, but also frustrating. And way too casual about his job. "Oh, I just have to kiss her, but you shouldn't be jealous!" I'd be jealous. But I'd live with it. So yeah. Either way, I HEART RYAN.

Plot. It's a contemporary romance! There are some cheesy moments, and some facepalm moments, but overall, this book is fabulous. The story kept me entertained the whole way through. I. Was. Captivated.

Romance! Ahh, my favorite aspect of most stories. I loved it here! Ryan and Taryn have weaseled their way onto my favorite couples list, that's for sure! they got bothersome at times, but they always worked it out and ended up leaving a smile all over my face. Sometimes, these two don't mix. They let jealousy and insecurity get in the way. But they are so made for each other, the problems are never too large to work through. Gah, I love these two!

The ending. Hi, my name is Jessica, and I need book 2. Everything was falling apart around the end, but I'm still addicted to this story and these characters and NEED to know what comes next. NEED, I tell you. NEED!

Overall, Love Unscripted was a fabulous, addicting story that I enjoyed the whole way through. Even when I reached the end, I still haven't had enough. I need more from these characters, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel! Tina Reber did a magnificent job on this book.

♥Jessica(:

Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire♥

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Release Date: November 27, 2012 (first published 2011)
Format: Hardcover,Special Signed Edition, 432 pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Beautiful #1
Source: Birthday gift from Vicki! <3

Description from Goodreads:
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.

THIS BOOK. Guys...I understand that there are a lot of people out there who despise this book. They hate the alpha male and Travis and how Abby acts with Travis and a whole bunch of other stuff. Honestly? I don't care about that. I flipping adore the crap out of this book. At this moment, it's in my top 10 reads of this year.

Beautiful Disaster is everything I look for in a contemporary novel, with some extra stuff thrown in. It's sweet. It's unputdownable. It's interesting. There's a boy and a girl and a whole snap load of other things that complicate their lives and entertain me, as the reader. I had a great time watching their story unfold. Now, I'm not saying that if I were to see this in real life, I'd fully condone it. I'm just saying that IN THIS BOOK, I was amused and there's nothing wrong with that.

Character Rundown:
Abby: I don't like her or dislike her. She was pretty much just the girl to complete the couple I now love. Other than that..meh. She played her role and I liked it. I definitely prefer this over the many, many female MCs that bother me all the time.

Travis: Okay, I'm just going to say it--this boy's got issues. Seriously. ISSUES. But he's working through them. And he DOES make progress. He does. He does he does he does. Am I the only one that sees that? I loved Travis. He wasn't perfect, but we love him anyway. We do this all the time with book characters. I don't see why it should be any different with Travis. I had a great time getting to know him and just getting into his story with Abby. I heart Travis!

Plot. I don't think this was a very intricate, mysterious plot. It was just a story where the characters had to work through things. Where they had to grow together to reach the end of their story, whatever that may be. And just because this book isn't exactly a mysterious trill-ride, I am ecstatic that this book still held my attention and interest. Jamie McGuire writes well, my friends.

Travis & Abby. I think I've said this a zillion times already--these two are the best! They have problems/issues/whatever. They are not perfect. But who is? And yes, their relationsip isn't always the best. But it IS only a book and they DO actually make progress. I'd read another story about these two any day. They're so much fun! I have lots of love here.

The ending. Did we expect anything less? Like, really? LOVE. I am made happy here.

Also, PEREZ, YOU ARE WRONG. That is all.

Overall, Beautiful Disaster is a compelling story that may run on some people's nerves but was absolutely perfect for me and is now among my favorites. I already miss the characters and cannot wait to read Travis' side of the story in Walking Disaster!

♥Jessica(: