BEAUTIFUL DISASTER: JAMIE McGUIRE

I have been curious about this book for awhile now, back when the cover looked like this:

AHHH! Scary I know! :) The new cover is much improved!

I would read other reviews about this book and I felt like I wanted to read it, but it sounded so scandalous. I just wasn't sure if it would be for me. Can I say quickly right here that there are NOT enough books about girls in college?! Ok, I got that out now for why this book was awesome.

Is it well written? No, not really. Is the romance healthy and sweet and acceptable? No. Does it suck you in like crazy and keep you reading until the wee hours of the night? YES! At least it did for me.

Beautiful Disaster was actually a huge surprise for me. It has some surprising layers and you learn that there is more to the characters than what you think at first. I admit I had pre-judged this book because of reviews I had read, and I was surprised at the depth of this book. But let it be known that the relationship in this book is kind of abusive and nuts. I'm not sure if the author is condoning this kind of dependent, overly passionate relationship or if she is merely telling a story. Either way, I couldn't get enough of Abby and Travis. Before I read this book, I was expecting a story about a sweet girl that meets a bad boy who is bad for her. But actually both characters are kind of edgy and maybe good for each other? I don't know. Can you tell I am conflicted?

BOOK BLURB:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and 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.

I may have expected a trashy read that I was going to enjoy as a guilty pleasure, but in the end I liked it a lot more than I expected. It has drinking, smoking, talk of drug use, and it is steamy so be warned.

Read more about it HERE. 

Thanks NetGalley for the read!