REVIEW : Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

REVIEW : Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

   1:54 PM       Elisa

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Beautiful Disaster

Author      : Jamie McGuire
Publisher   : Jamie McGuire, LLC
Pages        : 283 (e-book)

Summary 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 lust 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've heard various opinions about this book before I devoured it myself. Some said that this was phenomenal, some said this was not good, some said this was like a 'younger' version of Fifty Shades of Gray. Uh oh, the last one made me quite hesitate because FSoG is not my favorite. Oh well, but I was still really curious and got plenty free time at the officem, so I decided to read this to fill the boredom (yeah I'm a bad worker). And... sigh, this book is my guilty pleasure. I was surprised, really surprised that I enjoyed this book. Jamie McGuire's writing is really good and addictive, the chemistry between the characters are extremely hot and intense. I even re-read some favorite scenes of mine for several times after I finished this book. Does it mean I'm addicted? *sigh*

If I like this book enough, even addicted to it then why I only rate it 3,5 stars? Because somehow I felt things are really wrong here, no matter how it fascinating me. I can say that this book only fulfills our pleasure and fantasy to be so much adored and worshipped by our beloved one, yet in reality it could turn bad and much scary, kind of impossible and could be a bad influence for youngsters. Beautiful Disaster is an exact title for this story. It exposes a pretty example of unhealthy relationship, how a term 'friend' goes off the boundaries, how if the boy, even before he claims the girl as his girlfriend, is extremely obssessed and possesive to her yet at the other side they deny their feelings and date or even have sex with somebody elses. Uh oh, really disastrous. But really I don't know what spell McGuire casted upon this book. Probably because of her exceptional and addictive writing style, or her speciality on making hot and dangerous guys? I dunno. Like I said I liked it, enjoyed it and even wondering somehow girls love to be possessively loved by their boyfriends, at least it's a visible proof that he loves her. Yes? Haha, something is really off from my mind!

Talking about characters, strange that most of the characters are both good and bad in the same time. One moment you like them, but then you getting angry on them. If you ask which character I constantly like from the beginning till the end, it's definitely Shepley, because he's the only character with normal human sense, and I adore his devotion, love and support toward both America although she often trashes him, and toward Travis, his wild cousin. As for Abby, I have to say there were some times I really wished I could reach through the words and strangle her. So wobbly and uncertain about love and friendship and I had this feeling she's kind of using Travis's kindness for her own comfort. But I also liked her enough because she's tough, holding firm her principal and decisions, and at least can use her very logic about it, even willing to break her own heart. There's also America who also has a love-hate relationship with me. I do dislike her because she acts like a bitch and trashes Shepley some times, but she's an amazing bestfriend you can get.
The masochist side of me can't help but adores Travis very much. McGuire has this impressive skill creating intriguing characters, especially bad boys. Travis is the baddest of the baddest, womanizer and really dangerous. But once Travis shows his attention to a girl (the good one) and his unknown soft and sweet side, he could be totally irresistible even for girls as innocent as the saints. So that's why I understand why Abby, who is determined and tough, is strongly attracted to him no matter how she guides her heart and denies her feeling.

So, uh, not sure if I should recommend Beautiful Disaster to everyone. Okay this is a highly entertaining book, the writing is awesome and addictive (I've said it like three times already), a highly guilty pleasure for several [tend-to-be-masochist] people. LOL. It's like you know it's bad, but you can't help liking it. This novel is not for you who prefer to read clean, straight and healthy contemporary romance. You most probably despise this one. But if you still curious and quite open-minded about higher brutality level of life-love story and old enough for some explicit profanities and sex scenes (this novel is categorized as 'New Adult', older than YA, so you'll get those stuffs ;p), then you should try to read this one. Maybe you'll like, or even love it.
Happy reading! ;)