SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK!!!

Here are some of my thoughts after finishing Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire today!

Do you ever get a book and know instantly from the synopsis that you will love it? Well, Beautiful Disaster was like that for me. I started it at 11pm and finished at 2:30am to sleep then proceeded to read it from 7:20am until around 10:30am when I finally finished. It was a fast read because it kept my attention the entire time.

Let me start with Travis. Travis is this muscular, tattooed, slutty, tortured fighter. Can we say man whore? He sleeps with women then kicks them out promptly after. Not exactly boyfriend material. He belongs to a secret fight club and has never lost – his nickname is “Mad Dog” for a reason. He is temperamental to the point that sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into him. He has this sadistic need to put himself down, beat up anyone who so much as looks at Abby and constantly fuck things up. I don’t say this mildly. He is unbelievably sexy in looks and in personality. Who doesn’t want to change the bad boy? Don’t we all have that fantasy? The funny thing in this book is that he does it himself. Maybe Abby is the reason but she never forces him to. He’s got it covered on his own. I think that’s why I like him so much. He doesn’t take anyone’s shit throughout the book whether he’s in bad boy mode or loving boyfriend mode. He is who he is and he’s not ashamed of it. The problem sometimes is that he was TOO MUCH. Getting inked with her name and buying a ring when they’d been together a couple months was a biiiiit too much for me.

That brings us to Abby, err well- Pigeon, as Travis so endearingly nicknamed her on the night they met. Abby is so frustrating that I want to slap her in the face. I get that girls suck and we play games and maybe she doesn’t even mean to do it but seriously chick, MAKE UP YO’ MIND! The audience forgave Travis for his mistakes yet she kept being stupid and going back to that annoying Parker character. I liked Abby for the most part, but this side of her really annoyed me. And what’s with the whole mobster famous poker player dad thing? It just sounded contrived and the whole, going to Vegas to pay back her dad’s debt by hustlin’ all the poker players and then Travis having to save the day by fighting was just too much. This shit doesn’t ever happen in real life. I don’t think a real mobster would be that easy to say no to when they want something. But I digress… her daddy issues were random and didn’t really support the plot and the whole unlucky thirteen thing was just dumb. We get it, girls always have daddy issues. Couldn’t we have created a better way for her character to evolve (and their relationship) than to throw in daddy issues? It’s just a tad overplayed and didn’t really fit with this particular story.

As for the relationship itself, it was completely believable. I think we can pretty much all say we’ve been in a relationship like this where things always come in the way and we are in an endless cycle of I love you but we can’t seem to make this work. I don’t think Abby was ever fooling anyone when she acted like she was over Travis and vice versa. Did I love the way it ended? The romantic in me even didn’t like it. It was too rushed. I don’t expect a nineteen year old freshman in college to rush to Vegas to get married no matter how much they think the guy is their soulmate. Happy endings aren’t always better. Maybe getting engaged would’ve been okay but getting married? Too much. I love a good love story like the next person but at least keep it realistic!

All in all, it was a great read. I had a few problems with plot points and overall logistics… like how is Travis in a frat but never has to do anything? How is he always beating people up and never having any kind of run in with the law?… but there were definitely more good moments than bad, like the endearing moments between Travis and Abby when he shows her a part of himself he’s kept from the rest of the world, Abby meeting Travis’ family, and of course, all the steamy sex scenes between them. They have a real relationship that many find themselves in and I’m excited to get a look into Travis’ head with the release of Walking Disaster next week. If you’re looking for a book with realistic romance (for the most part), adult language, a best friend who would do anything for Abby and scenes that make you blush, this is definitely a must read. (and don’t forget just drooling over Travis is nice…)

-Katie