Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) in The Indie Bookshelf

Mar 26, 2012 Nance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nance-rr-2012-challenge, romance, books-read-2012, new-adult-romance, e-book, all-time-favorite-romantic-reads

I’m finding that the young adult bookswritten today are not just for teens, but also for adults. This novel, written by Jamie McGuire, was hot, and emotional, and physical, but most of all, riveting. Abby Abernathy meets Travis Maddox during one of his many underground hidden fight meccas. With swarms of college kids betting on his elicit fistfights, he comes to her rescue as the fight gets out of hand. Cousin to her bestfriend’s boyfriend, Travis radiates smokin’ badboy with his colorful tattoo I’m finding that the young adult bookswritten today are not just for teens, but also for adults. This novel, written by Jamie McGuire, was hot, and emotional, and physical, but most of all, riveting. Abby Abernathy meets Travis Maddox during one of his many underground hidden fight meccas. With swarms of college kids betting on his elicit fistfights, he comes to her rescue as the fight gets out of hand. Cousin to her bestfriend’s boyfriend, Travis radiates smokin’ badboy with his colorful tattoos and lean muscled physique. All the girls love him, and what’s not to love? He’s gorgeous! He rides a Harley! And, underneath all that pulsating testosterone, he’s smart too! They become best friends – helping each other with homework, studying for tests, and supporting each other’s decisions. Through time they are inseparable, but with him parading his numerous girlfriend wannabes around, and with her seeing one of Travis’s fraternity brothers, the feeling of jealousy invades both consciences. It all comes full circle when the two make a bet that Travis has the pleasure of winning. Will they take their relationship to the next level of intense intimacy or will they remain just bestfriends forever? This is a deeply moving page-turner with compassionate characters that came from very different upbringings. The character of Travis was sometimes a real jerk with his cocky attitude and childish outbursts, but he was so confident and protective of everything and everyone that was important to him. While Abby was uuummm.......I don’t know what to think about Abby. She sometimes came off as a little too good for everyone else, and she did lead Travis on at times, but that just seemed to go hand-and-hand with the background that she came from. She was very guarded and didn’t want anyone to know where she came from or who her father was. I really enjoyed this novel from author Jamie McGuire, and I am looking forward to reading the story from Travis’s point-of-view...Walking Disaster...when it’s released in 2013! ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Keighley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Read this in two days, loved it! Not gonna overthink it and start tearing apart the teen angst and questionable actions of the main characters, simple fact is this book put a huge smile on my face :D

After reading quite a few 'intense' romance series like Bared to you and 50shades... was a relief to read something funny and sweet without anything too sinsiter lurking in back ground.

A guilty pleasure maybe, but arent those the best kind? ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Nina rated it it was amazing

Beautiful Disaster was a book I picked up when it first came out and hadn't got around to reading. I have that big a reading list. What did make me pick it up was the constant discussion about the MC Abby - or Pigeon as she's called by the male MC Travis - and her co-dependent relationship with him. I'd also heard Travis was abusive, too possessive and was just a horrid character.

Here's the thing. I've read horrible characters in many books. Can anyone say Healthcliff and Cathy from Wuthering He Beautiful Disaster was a book I picked up when it first came out and hadn't got around to reading. I have that big a reading list. What did make me pick it up was the constant discussion about the MC Abby - or Pigeon as she's called by the male MC Travis - and her co-dependent relationship with him. I'd also heard Travis was abusive, too possessive and was just a horrid character.

Here's the thing. I've read horrible characters in many books. Can anyone say Healthcliff and Cathy from Wuthering Heights? Trust me, Travis is a walk in the park compared to Heathcliff and some of the other character's I've read.

I admit I was worried about the amount of times the character drove drunk and some of the fights were fairly volatile. But here's the thing, they're two kids in college. Drink driving happens - in fact, from my memories of my time at College, it happens a lot. As does the underage drinking. It's part of what some would call the college experience. Personally, I always thought it was stupid, but I knew it was a reality.

And who hasn't had screaming fights with your college boyfriend, who you love and hate so passionately because it's your first real 'adult' relationship. I know I have.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there are disturbing elements in this novel - but the reality is, they're elements that are real and this is what makes the novel so refreshing. It's a no holds bar description of two people tottering on the edge of adulthood who are in love but who are still young people trying to work out what their relationship actually is. Reading the way the two of them fought and some of the irrational behavior played out between the two of them I found Jamie McGuire wrote an accurate description of teenagers in love. They're never rational in their fighting or reasoning.

It's passionate, it's scary, and it's authentic. I actually saw Travis differently to the way other people have described him. Instead of seeing him as a bully who is abusive and possessive I saw him as a guy who is falling in love for the first time and it's terrifying him. He didn't know how to react to situations (hence his trashing room and he didn't understand his vulnerability or like it).
Yes, he is possessive. But guess what? So is Pigeon.
I kind of like that aspect about him as well. I found his character refreshing because right from the start it's obvious he is a wounded character, who is vulnerable and in some ways damaged.

Yes, he likes to talk with his fists - maybe, sometimes too much. People may see that as being a bully, but I saw it as a guy standing up for the girl he loves and not letting her be bad-mouthed. Yes, he could have talked his way through it but let's be realistic, they're college boys and since when do college boys not beat the crap out of each other?

Travis is a boy who is rough around the edges, but he has a good heart and he truly loved Pigeon. I loved the emotions that flooded through him because it made his character that more realistic to me.

I also liked Abby or Pigeon because her character has issues of her own. She manages to fight through them while resisting Travis at every turn. I didn't always agree with the way she fought, but at the same time I understood her struggle to have a normal life and that her fears were pinning her down. It was only when she let go of her fears of who she would become or who Travis was, she was able to embrace life and love more.

The story is very much based on the whole I want to be friends and friends only line with the obvious fact that they're never going to be just friends and they have a passion that is so intense, so tumultuous that they will only be happy with each other.

Overall, it's very well written. I saw a few grammar errors in the novel but nothing major and I was swept away with the love story.

I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to read a refreshingly honest love story, ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Charlotte Kelly rated it it was amazing

Ok, I'm a gluten for punishment! These damn YA Romance Novels get to me, so bad! I could not put this book down! Abby really aggravated me in this book, which made me feel sorry for and love Travis more. I mean how many times was this boy gonna tell her how much he cared and wanted her?? Don't get me wrong, I mean his behavior was crazy to say the least, but I still loved him! I was a roller coaster of emotions throughout! I have heard alot of good reviews about this book, and a lot of people ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Jennifer Howell / Late Bloomer Online rated it really liked it

I love it when people ask on their facebook status what people are reading. I get SO many book recommendations from those status updates, and one book that I kept seeing pop up was Beautiful Disaster, so I figured it was past time to see what all the talk was about. I have read the book twice now and it was amazing each time.

Abby goes out one night with her best friend America and America's boyfriend Shepley. They end up going to the underground college fight club where the undefeated Travis Ma I love it when people ask on their facebook status what people are reading. I get SO many book recommendations from those status updates, and one book that I kept seeing pop up was Beautiful Disaster, so I figured it was past time to see what all the talk was about. I have read the book twice now and it was amazing each time.

Abby goes out one night with her best friend America and America's boyfriend Shepley. They end up going to the underground college fight club where the undefeated Travis Maddox takes on his next opponent. Completely covered in blood after Travis bashes in his opponent's nose, Abby gets her first face to face with Travis. After some pretty comical interactions the two soon become the best of friends and it is obvious to anyone but Abby that Travis has more than just fuzzy friend feelings for his new bestie, even though it obviously takes Travis himself, a self confessed player, off guard.

Unfortunately for Travis, Abby is running from a past she hates and Travis who is a temper crazed, gambling, smoker who loves paying his bills by the fights he never loses, is the epitome of what Abby has left behind and refuses to get involved in again. She's been there, done that, and the last thing she wants is to be involved in that lifestyle again. However, sometimes our hearts have a mind of their own.

I loved everything about this book. Travis is sexy and sweet to Abby, he's the school player and doesn't apologize for it and Abby has rocked his world and instead of running from it he stumbles through trying to figure it out and you can't help but love him, mistakes and all. Abby is a strong character that keeps trying to deny the feelings she has for Travis and when her past catches up to them I hoped it wouldn't tear them apart, but bring them closer together.

I loved the supporting characters of America, Shepley and Finch. They are great additions to the story and I loved reading the interactions between all of them. America is the best friend everyone wants and needs. Shepley is protective of his relationship with America and is so afraid that Travis and his antics with her best friend Abby will end up ultimately coming between their relationship when Travis inevitably hurts Abby. Finch is a fun friend that brings comedic relief. I also LOVED meeting Travis' family. His brothers are so funny, his Dad supportive even though he has a troubled past relationship with him. Jamie writes them just how I would picture a family of five brothers and I even laughed when she would write one side of Travis' phone conversations with them.

I found this book to be completely addicting. Beautiful Disaster is the perfect title because that is exactly what the relationship between Abby and Travis is. It is sexy and sweet but also has its share of problems and sometimes it seemed they spent more time making each other miserable than happy. I was eagerly waiting to see how they would make their relationship more beautiful than disaster. This is a book you must add to your to-be-read list! A fast read, I was sad when it was over, so I was so thrilled when I read that the author is writing Walking Disaster which is this same book but all from Travis' point of view. I can't wait!

Heads up - The content is too mature, hot and sexy to be considered YA. ...more

Like · see review

May 28, 2012 Suz rated it liked it

It was an easy but interesting young adult love story. It was probably about 40 or 50 pages too long as written, and could have stayed at the number of pages if we would have been able to get a little more into the minds of the characters. I really like Trav's brothers and the Thanksgiving visit. I needed a little more hate for her idiot Father and a little more 'I can't live without you' love from Pidge. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2012 Jane Ozera rated it did not like it

Shelves: new-adult

Wow. This got to be the worst book I've read this year. The story is unbelievable, naive.. I dont get how people adore the main characters disastrous relationship.. ...more

Like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Ellen W-S rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stayed-up-all-night-reading, kindle-bk, first-in-series, contemporary-romance, over-4-0-gr-rating, read-in-2012, highly-recommended, romantic-times-recommended, still-thinking-of-this-book

Wow terrific angsty book of the trials and tribulations of a college relationship between tattooed tough guy biker Travis and street smart Abby who has just left behind the world of gambling and crime for a normal college experience. Travis is not the kind of guy Abby thinks she needs but she cannot seem to live without. Nicely done Jamie McGuire. Totally great flow, emotion and heart. Best friends to lovers theme. Worth the buzz on GR and the spot on the NYT Bestsellers list

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Pam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I LOVED this book, I had a hard time putting it down. Can't wait for book #2 next week. ...more

Like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: new-adult, books-everyone-loved-but-me, college

It was hard for me to rate this book. I really wanted to love this book. It was definitely a 5 star book until the halfway point. It seemed like the characters morphed into different people after that and I was reading a different story. All in all I still think its worth the read.

Like · see review