Sunday, November 25, 2012

Review: Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1) by Jamie McGuire


Date Read: November 24 2012
Release Date: May 26th 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Source: Bought
Genre: Contemporary
My rating: 
Synopsis:
"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."

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HOW DOES ONE BEGIN TO DESCRIBE PERFECTION? HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE AMAZINGNESS OF THIS BOOK?

I loved Beautiful Disaster so much I'm sitting here trying to fathom how I'll write this review. I was hooked from the first page and COULD NOT put this down until I'd finished - and when I did I was like ERMAGHERD GIMME MORE!

This bet Abby and Travis made really turns into something else. It becomes something so much bigger and friendships/relationships/hearts and I realised even lives are at stake where one particular "bet"... well more like "game" is concerned.

I think the blurb is a bit misleading though - it says "Abby Abernathy doesn't drink or swear and she works hard." but in fact she does drink and this isn't due to Travis or her secret past or anything. She just does and it's seen from the beginning that she does party. So I thought the first chapter description of her in a pink cardigan was a bit of a misconception compared to her in the second chapter on-wards. She really isn't THAT much of a good girl, just resistant to Travis's charms.

Now I quite liked Abby, she didn't annoy me or anything and all her actions were really justifiable - especially near the middle. However, what I DID find weird was that she didn't acknowledge any feelings during her friendship because honestly not only were they right there, but she was acting on them and the whole time I thought they were together. But no apparently it's all just friendship which I thought was really stupid! STUPID STUPID STUPID BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T DO THOSE SORT OF THINGS WITH FRIENDS OK ABBY? Anyways other than that, I really liked the past she tried so hard to hide. At first it didn't seem all that big, I understood her need to run away but to hide? THEN it's like BAM, her past smacks her in the face and it's like I got hit by a truck full-force because EVERYBODY gets affected and it all blows up in their faces. Butterfly effect people, butterfly effect... Her one decision to go back to that past just about ruins everything! Actually it not only ruins relationships but it DESTROYS people. But I understood her need to do it.

Oh and how I loved the destructive of this book. Abby and Travis are so perfect together but they really are a tornado like Shepley said. Actually I liken them more to a bushfire - they just keep burning and the fire grows and heightens, raging it's way through everything and destroying all around it before it finally dies out once it has nothing left to burn. Their feelings create so much chaos and pain to each other. A lot of the hurt they bring on themselves as well and sometimes I think it could have been avoided, but if so there would have been different outcomes and more people hurt and their relationship wouldn't have been able to withstand as much. This whole BUSHFIRE thing they had going on = ALL THE FEELS OMG ;_______________; I can't even... like omg what even... my heart was breaking and being put back together again and everything hurt AND IT WAS SO PERFECT.
"I can't win with you. I can't win with you! You say you're done... I'm fucking miserable over here! I break my phone into a million pieces to keep from calling you every minute of the damn day - I've had to play it off like everything is fine at school so you can be happy... and you're fucking mad at me? You broke my fuckin' heart!"
"I am begging you." My arm lowered and tugged as he fell to his knees...
FUCK ME DEAD BE STILL MY HEART. JUST EVERYTHING. ALL THESE MOMENTS. *Rocks in corner and sobs*
They destroy each other but they need each other.

Travis Maddox. This boy is absolute perfection. The things he does. The things he gives up. The things he says. EVERYTHING!!!!!! Travis looks like the average bad boy at first but his grades and protectiveness of his friends show there's a softer side to him. And then his relationship with Abby! He really has met his match with Abby and I love their friendship. For most of the book I forget it's even about a bet because there seems to be no more boundaries. All the lines are blurred and like I said before, is it friendship or A LOT MORE? Travis's feelings for Abby are so obvious and it's real love when all he wants is for her to be happy. My heart broke for this amazing boy over and over because he kept making mistakes with good intentions. But you just can't stop loving him. There is a part of the book that is quite ironic as Abby does something Travis usually does and he feels the full impact of what his usual actions cause. It would have been funny and poetic justice IF IT HADN'T BEEN SO HEARTBREAKING.

I loved all the other characters too - especially America. She's the much needed best friend and support that puts her friend above the boyfriend; she sees what's really important and I loved her presence throughout the book. Travis's cousin/America's boyfriend, Shepley is amazing too and I always felt bad for him when he was torn between sides. Absolutely loved Travis's family and even Parker who really showed what Abby THOUGHT she wanted versus what she REALLY wanted. Actually, Abby's room mate Kara. I have no idea what the hell her role was. Useless; get out please.

I really liked the idea of bets throughout this book as it ties in with Abby's past so it really is like she can never escape from it no matter. What I didn't like was the lack of imagery. Especially where food was concerned. There were so many mentions of FOOD and dates throughout this book but THEY WERE NEVER DESCRIBED. I would have liked to know what the Thanksgiving dinner tasted on, what food at an expensive Italian restaurant tasted like and how that compares to a cheap pizza place. But no :( failwhale.

All in all, this was amazing. Abby and Travis are a disaster but what they have is beautiful too. This was seriously a beautiful disaster no joke. ERMAGHERD MY FEELS ATM QQ

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