Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)

by Jamie McGuire

[violetpeanut]

I am so torn about this book. As other's have noted, this book is like crack - or maybe a bad car accident. There are so many horrible things going on but you just cannot help but keep watching - or reading - and despite ridiculous actions on the part of the main characters I just could not help but go back for more. I found myself totally and completely enthralled by Abby and Travis.

Abby is trying to escape her past and Travis is attempting to fill a void by sleeping with anything that moves. They meet and Travis is immediately drawn to Abby because she is the one girl who doesn't take his crap and doesn't want to sleep with him.

Except that she DOES take his crap! Over and over again! And he takes her crap - BEGS her for it, in fact. This relationship is the epitome of dysfunction. Travis has real problems with anger and jealousy and obsessive tendencies and if Abby were my daughter I would tell her to run in the other direction. Abby, on the other hand, while attempting to stay strong only ends up stringing him along.

Despite the dysfunction, I found myself cheering for the couple and wanted the obligatory Happily Ever After. I knew these bad things were going to happen and rip them apart and I knew that they would get back together. I knew it - yet I still wanted all the details. Ms. McGuire's writing is very good, pulls you into the story and doesn't let go. Once you start you have to keep going.

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance who don't mind some mildly disturbing scenes (anger and obsession - nothing physical). I would not recommend this to young teenagers. I am shocked that this book is shelved so often as Young Adult. The characters may be young (they are in college) but the themes and situations here are not appropriate for many teens. This book includes lots of underage drinking, use of fake ID's, underground fight clubs, gambling, unprotected sex and other mature themes. Mature older teens who can tell the difference between reality and fiction may enjoy this but the themes here are not appropriate for many.