I didn't like this book at all. I had high expectations because I had heard a lot of hype surrounding it on Booktok. However, I found it cheesey and predictable. At times it felt like I was reading the book version of a bad soap opera. I won't be continuing this series.

Marketted as a YA-friendly Fifty Shades of Grey, Beautiful Disaster is a book that people seem to either absolutely love or hate with burning passion. Its addictive, fast-paced and emotionally engaging writing style is bound to keep you captivated and entertained all the way through. However, whether you'll actually enjoy reading it or not is a whole different story. I myself came out of reading it emotionally drained, shaky, and very, very disturbed. In the end, despite its intriguing premise and great potential, this book proved to be more "disaster" and less "beautiful".

Make no mistake, this book is no Young Adult fiction and under no circumstances should it be categorized as such. If you're looking for a fluffy romance, or even a more profound, uplifting and meaningful love story, you should probably stir clear of it. Beautiful Disaster is a book full of adult themes and heavy social/emotional/psychological issues. It contains sexually suggestive scenes, plenty of violence and coarse language. The relationship featured within its pages is not by any means positive, and most definitely not one that people should admire, envy, or approve of. Everything about it - from the dynamics of Travis and Abby's interactions, to the way they treat other people - is downright unhealthy and dysfunctional.

In terms of redability this book is a winner. It's more than 400 pages long, but you could probably devour it in one sitting. The plot moves along very swiftly, the tension and excitement never lets up, and I just couldn't wait to find out how the story ends. It's a real emotional roller coaster. That's not to say that I was happy with the ending. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. I kept on waiting for Abby and Travis to realize just how wrong their relationship was. I wanted Abby to understand that this really wasn't good for her (she seemed to know that, but that didn't deter her from dating Travis). Most of all, I really wanted to see some positive changes in Travis. Up until the very last page I hoped he would learn something about himself, change his ways, mature, morph into someone remotely safe and trust-worthy.. someone you could actually be with. But that never happened. As I was getting close to the end, I knew that the conclusion of the story will play a vital role in my overall rating of it. I don't mind reading about difficult, dysfunctional relationships, violence, emotional abuse, and sex - as long as it all accounts to some sort of meaningful message in the end. The only redeemable quality for this story would have been its ending, given that the characters would grow and change, or go their separate ways. Again, that didn't happen, and the ending itself left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and a sick feeling in my stomach. The only thing missing from the disastrous picture painted by the author was a knock-up and a trailer park.

Usually, stories such as this one have a moral, or at least they aspire to teach you a lesson. More often than not, when an author paints a very disquieting picture, it is with a purpose to educate and raise awareness. And in most of the cases there is a clear message: the events described within the pages are not meant to be perceived as positive ones. Heavy-subject-matter books are meant to inspire you to think about certain issues, analyze both the plot and the characters, reflect and learn something valuable about life. Well, that is not the case with Beautiful Disaster. As much as I would love to see a dramatic turn of events that would prove to me otherwise, this book came closer to condoning abusive behaviour that it did to educating or showing that it was wrong. Yes, I understand that the lead characters were both disturbed individuals, with difficult pasts that obviously influenced their personalities and decision-making capabilities in a bad way, but I find it all-too disturbing that their unacceptable behaviour (towards each other and other people in the story) was presented as perfectly normal, at times even cool.

Travis is not hot or sexy. Sure, he's good looking, strong, muscular and self-confident, but he's also jealous (borderline paranoid), controlling, possessive, irresponsible, hot-tempered, violent and emotionally abusive. On top of that, he is very needy and requires constant reassurance that he is loved and wanted. He is most definitely not swoon-worthy. Quite to the contrary, he's the type of person that you often see featured on shows like 20/20 - him being the one who lost his temper and murdered someone for a totally ridiculous reason. His idea of a relationship is just.. beyond wrong. He's not interested in partnership, he wants to own the other person. He needs to feel that Abby is his and his only, and he'll do just about anything it takes to make it happen. He tells Abby how to dress and what to do. He's so insecure that every time Abby is approached by another guy, or even looked at or spoken to, he's all rage and fists. Overprotective? Yes, but also insanely territorial and obsessive. If something doesn't go according to his plans, he's enraged and ready to destroy everything in his path. When Abby leaves his apartment without telling him, he literally goes nuts and starts breaking everything within his reach to pieces.


Here's a quote that perfectly illustrates Travis' violent tendencies.

“He took a swing at Shep when he found out we helped you leave. Abby! Please tell me!” she pleaded, her eyes glossing over. “It’s scaring me!”

The fear in her eyes forced only the partial truth. “I just couldn’t say goodbye. You know it’s hard for me.”

“It’s something else, Abby. He’s gone fucking nuts! I heard him call your name, and then he stomped all over the apartment looking for you. He barged into Shep’s room, demanding to know where you were. Then he tried to call you. Over, and over and over,” she sighed. “His face was…Jesus, Abby. I’ve never seen him like that.

“He ripped his sheets off the bed, and threw them away, threw his pillows away, shattered his mirror with his fist, kicked his door…broke it from the hinges! It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

Like that wasn't enough, Travis is just an overblown version of a stereotypical bad-boy, complete with tattoos, smoking and drinking habit, motorbike and a military-cut hairstyle. Oh, and did I mention he's also promiscuous? His entire existence is made up of drinking, fighting and one-night-stands. Every night he goes drinking, comes home with a random girl, has sex with her, and then kicks her out, making it clear that she was nothing more than a way to satisfy his primitive sexual needs. Am I really supposed to believe that he will change for Abby? I guess it's not impossible, people do change, but - having read the entire book - I can honestly say that Travis is as likely to change as I am to go to Justin Bieber's concert. Because to change, one first needs to see the flaws in oneself and recognize the need for improvement. And Travis, while he often realizes his mistakes and wrongdoings, is blaming his bad behaviour on being madly in love with Abby.

Like I said before, it really doesn't bother me to read a book featuring violent, disturbing themes. I don't mind reading about violent/abusive characters either. I am well aware that life is not all flowers and sunshine all the time, and real-life stories, with mature-subject matter, are more than welcome on my reading list. However, when a lead character is described in a way that suggests serious psychological problems and deeply-rooted abusive tendencies, I at least expect to see his actions well-motivated, or entirely condemned in the story (whether it's by the narrator - which in this case is no one else but Abby - or by other characters in the story). More over, I also expect to see consequences of his negative behaviour. That, of course, doesn't happen. Travis is not only not criticised for the things he does (over and over again), he is in fact treated as some sort of hero, who is acting the way he is just because he's in love with Abby (and that makes it all perfectly fine). He is all-too quick to beat the living soul out of random people in the school's cafeteria for reason no other than them making a mean joke directed at his girl. What is even more disturbing, Abby herself encourages him to do so. Now, I know I'm old and it's been a long time since I went to college, but last time I checked it was not the right way to solve meaningless conflicts.

Despite what the blurb claims, Abby is not exactly a good girl, either. Just like Travis she's been through some difficult times in her life. Her mom is an alcoholic who can't tell winter from summer, and who doesn't care about the well-being of her offspring at all. Her dad is a famous poker player. He's addicted to gambling and would bet his own daughter without as much as a blink. Abby's life was never easy, and from the moment Travis comes into it, she knows that he's nothing but trouble. The knowledge, however, is one thing, and what we do with it is a whole different story. Abby can't seem to stay away from Travis, and after she loses a bet, she even moves in with him for an entire month. She then lets him dictate her every move and push her around however he feels like. If Travis doesn't like her clothes, Abby quickly changes. If Travis doesn't like her date, Abby ditches the poor guy without thinking twice. When Travis comes home drunk and accompanied by two random girls, and then proceeds to have sex with both of them on the couch in the living room, Abby puts a pillow over her head and patiently waits for him to be done. As much as I would like to say that Abby is just an innocent victim, though, I can't, because that would be a lie. She is manipulative, undecided, and often mean (and not only to Travis, but also to innocent bystanders), and I liked her even less than her controlling boyfriend.

In the end, this book had an enormous potential and could have been so much better, if only Mrs. McGuire approached it with a little bit more thought and caution. I do believe that this author has a talent for writing captivating, emotionally engaging books, though, and I am definitely looking forward to her upcoming ones. Fans of this book (and I know there are many) will be pleased to know that Beautiful Disaster will be adapted into a movie by Warner Bross, with Donald De Line (the producer of Micheal Bay's Pain and Gain) involved in the project. Additionally, rumor has it that Jamie McGuire is considering writing a sequel (or a companion-novel) from Travis' point of view. While I do not agree with the message that this book sends out to young adult and adult readers alike, I did have a good time reading it, and am certainly looking forward to its movie adaptation.

I would not recommend reading this as it features an abusive relationship that should not be romanticized or encouraged. That being said it was a page turner and well written. I hoped for more for the characters but they were fleshed out and real.

Is this a healthy romance? Not at all. Did I love it, though? You bet! I can't believe I slept on the novel for so long. While the relationship isn't the healthiest due to the fact that both of our MC's need to resolve some serious past trauma, their draw to each other was described in a way that made sense and felt real. Not once did I not want them together and not once could I set this book down. I loved everything about it. I also really loved that while this wasn't published recently, it still held up.

What an oldie, but a goodie!

There was period of time right after I graduated from college when I was still trying to figure out what I liked to read as an adult. I read a ton of Tom Clancy and then my co-workers got me hooked on the Harry Potter series so when they started reading the Twilight series, I jumped on that bandwagon. Somehow I discovered Twilight Fan Fiction. It was then that I first read Beautiful Disaster.

I remember it being really popular and several fanfic authors started to get published. I was curious about how they would translate into published novels as there are a lot of things that readers overlook or tolerate in a fanfic that wouldn't be in a published work. I read a few, but whether it was because I had already read the story or it didn't stand up to the expectation of a published work, I quickly grew tired of them. I wanted to see if time made the heart grow fonder so I dug Beautiful Disaster out of my TBR pile.

I remember very little of this book from my fanfic days. I knew the main female character was a college Freshman who went away to school to escape a troubled past and the main male character had some major anger issues and was sleeping his way through the co-ed population.

Beautiful Disaster is a New Adult romance - a genre and audience that I almost never read. So I struggled quite a bit with the book. I felt the characters were selfish and had too many double standards. I kept trying to remind myself that they were only 18 or 19 years old. But they were so immature, I really struggled.

The story is more of a romantic fantasy - you know how you fantasize about dating the bad boy? That's kind of how this story read - a nice fantasy but not at all realistic. I prefer more realism in my novels, particularly when reading romance.

The relationship between the two main characters is quite unhealthy. They both could use some therapy. At least Abby recognized the potential for physical violence against her while dating a guy with Travis's anger issues. But she didn't seem to recognize the emotional abuse that was occurring from practically the moment she met him.

If you have a college-age child reading this, you may want to take the opportunity to use this book to have a frank discussion about various forms of domestic violence.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/07/catching-up-on-tbr-pile.html

This was one of those books that were the first of its kind. It was about broken people coming together, and I flew through it. It gave me a lot of feelings, which is high praise in my book.

I enjoyed the romance in this book. It had me hooked from the start. The writing style was easy to follow and I could not put it down. Even though the main characters were dysfunctional, I loved reading about how their relationship blossomed.

A very different take on "there's only one bed" leading to romance. This new adult romance presses right up against dark romance, and no matter how many times I shook my head at the bad moves Travis made, I couldn't stop turning the pages.

Typical good girl meets bad boy scenario. I'm not sure why I expected anything different. Definitely has a market - that's just not me!

This was a book that I couldn't put down, even as I realized I didn't really like it. I didn't enjoy the writing, and there were inconsistencies that I struggled with, but I kept hoping that the end would justify my sticking it out. Unfortunately, I never really connected with the characters and I didn't feel like the end redeemed the book.

I don't normally read books like this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was the kind of book that I binge read in one sitting, but I don't necessarily remember much about it a year later.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, the characters and the romance - it felt very addicting while reading. I got the same feeling I get when I watch shows from the Bachelor franchise. The writing is fun, fast-paced, and definitely pulls you in and keeps you there. The main character, Abby, was so irritating towards the end, which made finishing the book very difficult. She redeemed herself towards the end, fortunately, so I am glad I stuck through to the end.

I loved this story, I’m disappointed in myself for taking so long to read it but I finally did and was so surprised with how easily I got into the story. I loved every aspect of the relationship between Travis and Abby, and really wanted them to work things out no matter how difficult things got. I can’t wait to read more from the series and look forward to reading more by this author. Definitely a new favorite for me!

The day I heard about this book I was on the edge of my seat hoping I would get approved to read it before it's release. Luckily for me I was and I couldn't put it down once I started reading. Author Jamie McGuire is a wordsmith and a fantastic storyteller. I couldn't get enough of this book. I didn't want it to end!

I think this would be the longest I'd gone in reviewing an ebook that I'd already read years ago right before its release. But for some reason, I couldn't get myself to review it at the time - which I wish I had since I think I enjoyed it the first time around more than rereading it a second time years later.

I am big on New Adult books, the darker, the better. and so this should have been perfect, but I really didn't enjoy it. The main lead, Abby, was very up and down, her character was so inconsistent I couldn't relate to her at all, she just made my eyes roll. And then onto Travis, he's such a misogynistic, disgusting guy, the way he treated and talked about women put me off like crazy.

I also felt like the leads' relationship was so toxic, for both of them. It felt like an emotionally manipulative and abusive relationship for them both. That turned me off like crazy.

In any case, I don't know if I'd be into reading the rest of the series. But I'm going to say, it's an interesting book to read when you're in a dark mood and want something to fit the mood.

Abby herself was just a placeholder. We learn little about her, nor do we feel a solid connection to her. She was a "bad girl" who wanted to clean up her image and turn her life around. Yet she didn't exhibit any "good girl" behavior, with the exception of wearing cardigans. She partied hard, flirted shamelessly with Travis, wore short skirts, etc, etc. We were told she was a good girl, but her behavior didn't match what we were told.

She really blew hot and cold with Travis. One minute she loves him, the next she wants nothing to do with him. She kisses him and rubs on him, but swears she isn't attracted to him. Taking into account her age, I can dismiss some of this behavior. But if I factor in her past and how she had to "grow up" before her time because of her father, not to mention the fact that she's trying to turn her life around, I just end up disgusted with her.

That Travis is a violent sort of guy is something I could have overlooked as well. I'm not saying it's a good quality, but I've seen many young, hot-headed high school boys who think throwing a punch is the answer to everything. It didn't work because it's also coupled with an extremely possessive and jealous nature, which pushes him past "hot-head" territory and into the "creepy I-want-to-control-you" camp.

We supposed to excuse his behavior because he grew up rough with 4 brothers and no mother. I don't think that works, however, because his violent, possessive, jealous behavior doesn't inspires sympathy. Even if I felt a twinge of sympathy for a young boy who lost his mother and whose father lost himself in a bottle, it was quickly squashed under the weight of his asinine behavior.

This reads more like a YA novel set in high school than a New Adult novel set in college. I think cafeteria scenes are what pushed it over the edge for me. It read more like high school lunch hour than anything else.

My rating (**) -- This is a chick-lit romance with no paranormal elements. I found the fascination with illegal fighting particularly disturbing. I also disliked the portrayal of Abby as victim (first by scumbag father, then by her beauty -- men can't stop demanding dates, or assautling her) and fighter boyfriend as rescuing hero.

Thank you so much for approving me. Unfortunately I ended up not being able to finish this book.

I just could not connect with this book, despite hearing many good things about it

Abby Abernathy is cautious with who she spends time with and when she peaks Travis Maddox's interest she knows she is not going to be another notch on his bed post. There is something about Abby that Travis likes, he wont admit he wants her for himself - he doesn't do relationships, but he doesn't necessarily want her with anyone else. Abby and Travis form an unlikely friendship but the more they get close the more Travis sends mixed messages.

When a bet leads to either Travis being abstinent for a month or Abby living with Travis for a month, everything changes. Can Travis invest in what he is building with Abby or will has past continually harbor any normalcy he might have?

This is another "why did I wait to pick this up" books. Travis is a hot mess and I thought that the way he was portrayed in the story was spot on, you get that he wants to push Abby away but she is a lot stronger than he gives her credit for. I was surprised how the story unfolded and look forward to the next book. Keep your Kleenex handy.

I have absolutely no recollection of being sent this book and certainly haven't reviewed it. Rather a mystery.