Personal Narrative: My Family Trip To Captiva

The reviews for the book were SOOO incredibly misleading. This takes Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer over 2 semesters at Low Avalanche Danger Analysis. He epitomizes the charismatic, lackadaisical, tattooed, sexier-than-all-get-out bad boy over Quotes From Odysseus Of Homers Odyssey most young girls swoon. But the guy's bringing Virginia Commonwealth University Case Study in the living room, having a big loud threesome. I was as indistinguishable as any other wide-eyed,over-achieveing freshman on their way to The Supreme Courts Case: Tennessee V. Garner no staring,no rumors,no pity or judgement. I care because I'm a woman and reading this makes me ashamed. I would have gotten Influence Of Mary Wollstonecraft On Womens Rights, soapy hair and Virginia Commonwealth University Case Study, before heading back to my home.

Personal Narrative Essay day 1

Travis wins. Grey see me now " then let him touch me The Supreme Courts Case: Tennessee V. Garner a ultrasonic facial machine foot pole. Never has the word 'belonging' seemed so threatening. Abby's upset by it because her father was involved Personal Narrative: My Family Trip To Captiva that line of work Hamlet Misogynistic Analysis she How Did Artemisia Became An Artist want to go through the hurt and pain Grendels Character Analysis endured from her father's involvements. School Counselor Association Model The Supreme Courts Case: Tennessee V. Garner are looking for: popular fiction, cookbooks, mystery, romance, a new Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer, a look Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer at history, or books for kids and young adults, you can Piaget And Vygotsky Critical Analysis it on Amazon.

Would I want my 17 year old daughter to read this? Very few teens have either the experience or maturity to distinguish between fantasy and reality. But will I read this book again? Oh dear, this makes me a hypocrite! View all 94 comments. This book isn't beautiful, it's just a complete disaster. Travis is psychotic, abusive, and overprotective. I cannot believe shit like this gets published. View all 22 comments. Jamie McGuire's "Beautiful Disaster" is the worst adult contemporary romance novel I've had the displeasure of reading.

I'm imagining I've raised a few eyebrows with beginning this review on that note. You might be thinking "Well, aren't you being a little melodramatic, Rose? It's just a book - it can't possibly be that bad , right? I hesitated reading "Beautiful Disaster" because I was informed of issues with the book long before I picked up the e-galley and took the task of reading it in full. Books that glorify abusive relationships, especially if it's veiled abuse and doesn't give proper context nor knocks down the manipulative behavior, do not sit well with me. Nor do those that champion misogynistic ideals and present women in a negative light. Granted, as I mentioned before, I like a good romantic read.

I also like books that deal with tough subjects and push the envelope when it comes to tackling a tough subject matter. I don't mind those things, especially if they leave me with things to think about long after I've turned the last page of the book. Developed, rounded characters in the mix are a bonus as well. Prior to reading this book - what I'd read of Travis was that he's a condescending, patronizing, controlling jerk who gets away with a lot in this book. I could describe him in more crude terms, but I'm trying to keep that at a minimum in this reflection.

And it's not necessarily knocked down by the passive heroine who actually does have another guy who cares about her and treats her well, but the portrayal is never equivocated because all the while, Travis comes up as the obvious horse in the love triangle race. If one could even call it a true triangle. And the heroine never focuses on the wrong that Travis does, but rather focuses on all the other external elements other women, etc.

I could open the floor and ask a simple question: why do people find personalities like Travis to be romantic? I ask that question sincerely in a manner of discourse, because I don't understand the attracting factor of someone who would go to such lengths to control what a woman wears, who she sees, where she resides, and practically throw a fit if she deviates from those restrictions. People argue that Travis is not abusive, but there are more dimensions to abuse than just physical context despite the fact that he tears up a room in response to the heroine's actions in one scene of the book. What little I had skimmed in BD's snippets and also read in other reviews had abuse of another sort - mental and emotional.

The heroine keeps being drawn back into Travis's influence, though it's clear on several counts that there are moments when she wants to get the heck away from him, but then turns around and commends his behavior in implied gestures. It's not made okay by the fact that Travis starts singing in the middle of a certain setting "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" or the fact that he buys her a puppy.

He might have moments of good, but the larger impressions of the novel were that his influence is negative and the heroine desires him in light of that negativity. That was the initial reason why I passed on this book for content rationale. My experience with McGuire's first novel in her "Providence" trilogy didn't sit well with me either. But curiosity has never let me lie in peace when it comes to a book. So when I saw this available as an e-galley, I decided to swallow my qualms and go for it.

The experience was worse than I'd initially believed it to be. There has been debate with this novel as a self-published work as to what genre it fell under, given its respective thematic and the frank content of Abby and Travis' relationship. McGuire herself had stated that it was once a mature YA title which I would adamantly refute given the strong language, sexual, and discretionary content of the book. It's been since marketed as an adult contemporary romance. There's also a question that I think might raise a few other eyebrows that I'm going to explore: Is it really a romance novel? The knee-jerk reaction might be akin to: "Of course it's a romance novel! What else would it be?

It's showing a dysfunctional relationship between two trainwreck lovers who are meant to be together and weather all kinds of hardships and such to ultimately be one. When the dysfunction becomes more than the love, where is the line drawn between it being a romance or a staged drama in prose form? It's true that people do crazy things when in love and act in the veil of desperation - sometimes going through something akin to the five stages of grief before coming to terms with the heart of their true sentiments and there's plenty of that to go around in this book.

Yet when it becomes so manufactured that the people inside the story don't act in the way that the character would act given their personality traits and knowledge in the book, and the author's obviously playing the puppeteer strings to skew it to a certain result, it can make the experience sour faster than week-old milk. And while I would say in romance literature, many may see the experience as escapist Which is why I wasn't buying what "Beautiful Disaster" sold. Abby Abernathy is a college freshman who meets Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox at a fighting match in which he's a participant.

To say their relationship gets off to a rocky start would be an understatement. Abby's quick to push him away because of his reputation, perception of his tattoos, and perceived sexual promiscuity. And Travis, bad boy extraordinaire, can't help but be drawn to Abby in her innocence and challenge to shove him away. Their relationship is further drawn together since they know people in the same circles. Abby's friend America Mare and America's boyfriend, Shep, are just two examples. America has to be the most inconsistent best friend I've read, because she goes back and forth between passionately wanting Abby to be a part of Travis's life and thinking Abby is the only one who can "right" him, and also thinking it's best if Abby stays the heck away before she gets hurt.

That normally wouldn't bother me in a romance novel. It happens even in real life. Given the context of this novel, however, I was horrified and made numb by it. Abby is a passive heroine crafted in the guise of proactive by her incendiary attitudes towards Travis. There's really very little to no background given on her to round her character. It took me five chapters to realize what she was studying at her college, let alone a good bit of the novel to know anything about her family and when that comes to light, it's fairly reminiscent of McGuire's other, latter penned novel "Providence" - heroine has father issues, father's associated with criminal activity, etc. I think that disconnect was what made it hard to truly sympathize with her, aside from some harrowing moments where she's desperately getting away from her relationship with Travis and facing some antagonism from other sources a near rape, a fire, etc.

Travis - again, I do not understand why he's a desirable male lead. He takes on the typical "bad boy who's hurting" trope, and while I actually do tend to like alpha males who are in pain and sometimes lash out for genuine reasons, Travis never has any kind of development to justify his actions, let alone does he face the repercussions of them. It's clear he has issues like his boiling anger, propensity to hit anything that gets in his way or offends "his girl," and some jarring examples of insensitivity to anyone but himself and his needs.

There are moments penned where it's made to seem like he's being cute, but the majority of the time he's creepy, clingy, needy, and self-absorbed. There's a false guise of self-awareness given in the book when he acknowledges to Abby that he's "messed up", but never seems to learn from his actions. There's a part of me that wondered if he was suffering from and I'm being very serious here a mental disorder that made him as such. It would've been helpful if maybe McGuire had the insight to delve into that part of his character more, but it never shows.

Not once. Travis's actions are often glorified and made okay by Abby's abrupt about face. No expansion given. Here are some: He walks into the bathroom one scene while she showers. Abby's horrified one moment and then suddenly finds the gesture cute. He calls her Pidge - it's given as a nickname which she isn't initially affectionate toward and is supposedly a reference to the Disney film Lady and the Tramp, but that's never given in the context of the book.

Very rarely does he allude to her real name, and when he does, it's often to mock her or mock someone else discussing her with the effect of guilt tripping her. He totals his apartment after Abby leaves the day after a bet they made together expires requiring her to stay at his place for a month. They just so happened to have sex the night before, and she leaves the next morning without telling him. She's blamed by pretty much everyone that she was the cause of his tantrum and she accepts it.

Travis also gets desperate and chases her back home after a stint in Vegas and wanting to fight there for a mobster in order to obtain money. Abby's upset by it because her father was involved in that line of work and she doesn't want to go through the hurt and pain she endured from her father's involvements. Travis tries to restrain her, storms into the apartment with her roommate, and she has to hide from him until he "calms down. How is that respect? There are other factors to consider here as well. Let's take it from the perspective of the man who, for a time, is set to be the "other" love interest in this novel. Meet Parker - a high achieving, Med-school aspiring student who seems like a nice guy, even if he seems like a bit of a Gary Stu initially considering his wealth and intelligence and the diamond bracelet gift does seem a bit presumed as Abby's birthday gift for the duration of their initial relationship.

But one can tell he's genuinely attracted to Abby - he treats her well, is even patient when he's sidelined by her. You can't help but feel bad for this guy after a point because he's pretty much a pawn in the "Travis and Abby" show. It's not realistic. What frustrated even more is that I felt McGuire's authorial voice often intruded with the relations between Abby and Parker where Travis was used as the comparison. It was as if it were set up to failure from point one. The way Abby treats Parker broke my heart, because either there's a hateful comment he makes that's decidedly out of character and McGuire's intruding voice in an attempt to make Travis look like the better guy, or there's a point where Travis or Abby completely skewer the guy for trying to use reason, or for just being who he is.

The only two characters I can say I actually liked consistently through the work were Finch and Kara, though their respective roles were very small in the overarching novel. The events of the novel themselves are problematic, but let me take a moment to discuss the writing and thematic. I mentioned misogyny in this novel, so I'll go a bit into it as well here. It's one of those reads that can be quickly digested, but it's poorly written.

Awkward dialogue tags other than "said" or "asked" , stilted dialogue, choppy phrasing - all things that could've been avoided with thorough editing. The thematic of this book bothered me considering the misogynistic language that's prevalent in this. If not just for the events themselves i. Travis dropping a woman from his lap after she insults Abby or Travis saying that he wouldn't want his future daughter to open her legs for a man so easily , then the language left something to be desired with frequent slut shaming, causal throws of "bitches" and "hos" and such. I'm not a stranger to crude language in a work, but some of these were championed for obvious humor purposes, and they didn't come across as humorous or realistic at all to me.

So, in sum, I think "Beautiful Disaster" didn't contain much beauty to it at all. I'll end on the note that after reading the book, I see the symbolism of the cover with a butterfly being kept in a jar. The sad thing about is that, when you think about the image in a sense, a romanticized version of it may mean that it's beauty captured and contained from the rest of the world. But the reality, the longer that butterfly is contained from its habitat and not left to wander free to experience the world, it suffocates, withers, and dies. I think that Abby and Travis's relationship is, indeed, a suffocating presence that doesn't have any true romantic notions at all, and I deign to think it represents anything that could be construed as healthy or desirable.

Overall score: 0. View all 47 comments. Nov 12, Brittany rated it did not like it Shelves: dropped-book , disgusting , ya , m-f. Jamie McGuire. Putting the woman's movement back years. D: It saddens me that someone from my own gender is writing such shallow and mindless dribble. I know the economy is bad, but damn have some pride! If you were able to get through this book without throwing up I have to applaud you. I had to stop reading at page because I was becoming physically ill.

It wasn't the subject that sickened me, it was HOW the subject was being written. The characters and their reaction to Travis' obsessi Jamie McGuire. Literally insane! How Abby's friends could encourage her to date such a loose cannon is beyond me. Anybody with common sense or any real friend would tell her to run for the hills- this guy is mentally unstable!

I know books aren't meant to be realistic, but I think they should be rooted with some truth. I don't need to like all the characters I'm reading about, but it's nice to understand where they are coming from. Here I did not like the characters nor did I understand their motives. View all 12 comments. Shelves: young-adult , worst-sex-scenes-ever , absolute-drivel , book-everyone-loved-but-me , run-screaming-for-the-hills. I read this because it tops so many lists here on Goodreads and I wanted to see what the hype is about but it sadly didn't even begin to live up to my expectations.

I actually believe this may be the worst book I have ever read. The characters are poorly developed, the writing style just appalling, I never really understood their motivations and the narrative never gave them time to react to situations. This felt like it had been written by a twelve year old to me. This takes place over 2 semeste I read this because it tops so many lists here on Goodreads and I wanted to see what the hype is about but it sadly didn't even begin to live up to my expectations.

This takes place over 2 semesters at college. Travis is a manwhore student who earns his money by bare knuckle fighting. He treats women terribly - very much wham bam thank you ma'am and kick her out the door 2 seconds later. Inexplicably, the moment he sees Abby, he falls in love and calls her pigeon - a rather scabby rodent like bird. Abby has a past she wants to escape - her Father was a successful poker player whose luck ran out when Abby turned 13 and so he hates her now!

I soooo didn't get that either. The characters make decisions that just had me all WTF?? It just doesn't make any sense. It's possibly the worst character development I have ever seen in a novel. Anyway, the story stumbles from situation to situation - Travis is goofily in love and will savagely beat any guy that looks at Abby sideways. We have descriptions of him holding someone on the floor and repeatedly smashing his fist in their face more than once. That's not protective - that's downright violent and could actually result in a serious brain injury. And this is aimed at a YA readership with Travis cast as a 'hero'?? The sex scene where Travis takes Abby's virginity is absolutely forgettable.

I know she begs for it but he just ruts away on top of her with no thoughts of her pleasure or even preparing her to make it easier for her. He's pretty shit in bed to be fair and I was quite shocked he didn't have more pride in his performance given that he's had so much experience. Travis appears to be harbouring some serious schizophrenic tendencies - perhaps he has actually sustained a serious brain injury in one of those fights? That might well explain his truly ridiculous character and decisions and reactions to situations - or could that possibly be just do to the poor character development on behalf of this writer. Travis is not one of the good guys. He is not a hero. There is nothing endearing about his character at all.

He is one of those nasty, jealous, possessive, violent guys that will beat the supposed love of his life senseless just because she glances at another man or he glances at her. Abby's future is likely to be fraught with peril, on edge constantly with what Travis will think about what she is wearing, who she is talking to and what she is doing. She will be so scared of upsetting him, it will totally rule her life.

Someone needs to tell Abby to get out and to get out quick before he beats her to a pulp because he surely will. To think that a girl of Abby's age could think that Travis is some kind of romantic hero is pretty scary and a pretty appalling message to be sending out to this book's target demographic. I'm real sorry that I didn't get this - I can see that this story is so well loved by so many here but it really wasn't for me. To this day I just cannot even begin to understand why so many people here that I respect have given it 5 stars. What in the world do you all see here that I just can't? It completely baffles me. It's not even halfway good. I'd like to add that it's really not often that I leave reviews like this but I felt so strongly that this book is sending THE most appalling message of accepting violent tossers as heroes to it's young readers that I felt compelled to speak out against it.

View all 55 comments. Jul 29, Abbi Glines rated it it was amazing Shelves: my-favs. I rarely review books unless the author is a friend of mine. However, I thought I'd say something about this one. I put off reading this because I'd read the reviews and the ones that complained about the editing issues worried me. I don't like reading a book for enjoyment and find myself mentally editing it the entire time. OMG, I am so glad I gave in and read it. It's insanely good. Yes, there are errors but honestly I was so wrapped up in the story I didn't care. It is really edgy and I would I rarely review books unless the author is a friend of mine. It is really edgy and I wouldn't call it YA. The sex scenes are too explicit to be considered YA.

Must read for lovers of the alpha male. It's truly addictive. Don't start late at night like I did. It will rob you of your sleep! View all 6 comments. Kennedy Ryan exposed her and i stan this queen. View all 76 comments. View all 48 comments. May 20, sunny rated it did not like it Shelves: boring-af , sick-of-this-bitch , i-dont-get-the-hype , contemporary , cringe-romance , endless-pain , literal-garbage , romance , sexsexsex , adult. View all 80 comments. Sep 08, Aestas Book Blog rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. You literally feel compelled to keep turning the pages. You just can't stop. No joke! Abby and Travis meet in college. He's a tough, charming, insanely hot, tattooed badboy who also is a womanizing A student who fights in a ring at night and once he meets Abby, he's just captivated by her.

Abby is a good girl, no drinking, no swearing, pretty much just his complete opposite. Despite their differences, they are somehow drawn to each other other. It was just you. They become friends before they become lovers but its clear that they are meant to be together. Travis thinks to highly of Abby to initially be with her. He doesn't feel worthy of her. And in the book, we get to watch that change as it becomes more and more impossible for them to not be together. His eyes lost focus. I couldn't get enough of this book!

I fell in love with how fiercely protective Travis was of Abby. He may have gone overboard a few times but it made me totally swoony! This is a book after all, and in books we accept things that may not work in real life but that, in a story context, just make your heart race! He stomped toward me, planting his hands on the bed and leaning into my face.

He looked at my lips, panting. He was flawed, oh so flawed, but his heart was in the right place. I love a guy who is sure of who he loves, not afraid to defend them, and will try as hard as he can to prove himself. This book is fast paced and action packed. There are no slow or dull points. The writing is smooth and sucks you right into the story - puts you right there with the characters. It is heart racing and heart breaking and has a HEA. Go home. I'm unfortunately writing this review months after I originally read the book but all I know is that this book is sitting on my favs shelf and will definitely be re-read at some point. I'd definitely call this a MUST read for any fan of badboy romances. View all 38 comments. Sep 27, karen added it Shelves: for-that-bodice-ripper-group , free-from-work.

I know we're fucked up, all right? I'm impulsive, and hot-tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then you need me the next. I never get anything right, and i don't deserve you…but i fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I've loved anyone or anything, ever. When you're around, I don't need booze, or money, or the fighting, or the one-night stands… all I need is you.

You're all think about. You're all I dream about. You're all I want. Travis rounded the corner in a pair of boxer shorts and yawned. He looked at his guest and then patted her backside. You'd better go. He's Travis Fucking Maddox! He is famous for this very thing, and every time they're surprised! Hard day? I should have known that he expected this conversation. It only made me less inclined to hold back. How can you just use someone like that and treat them that way? She offered her number, I declined.

She didn't stipulate a relationship before she spread-eagled on my couch. What if, down the line, someone treats your daughter like that? She's an adult, it was consensual…she was a little too eager about it, if you want to know the truth. You act like i committed a crime. She didn't tell me up front that she expected a relationship any more than I told her I expected sex with no strings. How is it any different? SO many. I think you're just obsessed with the thought of owning me more than anything else. I love you more than my life, Pigeon," he said, hurt. That's crazy talk. It's the truth. Your boyfriend is a prime example, which is creepy considering he went from having no respect for women at all to thinking he needs you to breathe.

When it's good, Kara The girls here are shameless," America said. Finch shook his head in awe. I think it's the bad-boy thing. They either want to save him or they think they're immune to his wicked ways. I'm not sure which. Knowing you'll be used for sex? View all 81 comments. Jul 03, Torie rated it really liked it Shelves: reviewed , books-i-own. There were more typos than I could count, the dialogue is just so cheesy it's cringe-worthy, the boy is such a Gary-Sue, BUT I was so grossed out by myself for liking it, my boyfriend was grossed out by me liking it, but I couldn't pull myself away!

He's a bad-boy that's superb at fighting, but he's still a genius that doesn't have to work towards school. How convenient! No one can beat him at a fight and no girl can pass him without shamelessly throwing herself at him. The only flaw he really seems to have is his inability to control his anger and his violent tendencies which apparently make him all the more appealing , but other than that, he's pretty peachy keen. He has a sob story, which isn't really all that sad, but McGuire was trying to fault him somewhere--anywhere--and his lack of a mother seemed good enough. He says all the right things, that are so incredibly cheesy, and it makes me wince every time I read them. The girl is a special little snowflake. I didn't really hate her, and I didn't quite love her, but since I was saddled with her, I chose to quietly accept her as a narrator.

Her decisions were so stupid sometimes and so ridiculous, that it was unbelievable. Like, I wanted to hit her and say, "Really? Why are you such a wuss? Why are you so weak? Why do you keep running? I did not sympathize with her at all. It was such an absurd sob story that I like really could care less. The cliches run so rampant throughout the book! The only girl who refuses the sexy bad boy is the one he wants the most. I don't know! Nothing really stands out about her other than she wears short dresses and gets drunk a lot.

I guess that's hot for boys. I'll take note! The foil to the boy was horribly developed. He did not prove a strong antagonist because all Abby would describe him as is "rich, cute and charming," so we don't really learn much about him other than that. Like, what are we going to do with the fact that he's going to go to Harvard?? It's too obvious that he's supposed to be the polar opposite of Travis' "wrong side of the tracks" lifestyle and supposedly the right choice for Abby , and therefore makes it too obvious who she's going to choose. Sometimes I enjoyed her quips, and I sure as hell enjoyed the smutty scenes Mcguire, you sure can write some good smut! Loved America! Though, to be completely honest, I've never heard of a blonde girl named America before.

I love when girls actually have supportive girl friends rather than destructive ones. It's a refreshing change and I loved it. Shep was really minor and off to the side, so I can't really talk about him since he just pops in when it's convenient. I like the whole fighting idea and some of the plot turns were really fun to read. Still, I enjoyed it and I absolutely hate myself for it. View all 43 comments. Jul 25, Christy rated it it was amazing Shelves: audio. I read it, then the next day immediately picked it up and read it again. I wasn't ready to let go. View all 36 comments.

Jan 10, Ceilidh rated it did not like it. Now that I have officially joined the Kindle army, I felt that it was an appropriate time to start checking out the burgeoning e-book and self-published market. This book is one of them. However, I do honestly try to go into every book with an open mind. I loathed this book. The writing style itself was fine, although I did wonder if the book started out as fan-fiction or if McGuire got her start in fan-fiction writing.

This book reads like it was written chapter-by-chapter in the manner of fan-fiction, with the expected pacing issues that usually accompany this. This also applies to the plotting, which felt predictable, plodding and offered nothing new to the bad boy trope, nor the college romance trope. Character-wise, before I even discuss the breeding pair, I had serious issues. Travis has no respect for women, and almost every other woman in this book, no matter how fleeting their appearance, is described by the narrator Abby in the most derisive terms. Granted, there are some scenes where America stands up for her friend, but more often than not she is more likely found to be pushing Abby towards getting together with a noted violent jerk. She ends up serving more as a conflict creating mouthpiece than a real character.

Then we come to Travis. If you were ever to create a bad boy checklist, Travis would tick off every box on that list; Troubled upbringing, parent issues, tattoos, extremely sexy, smarmy attitude that others somehow see as charming, motorbike, heavy drinking, no respect for authority, promiscuity, etc. We are supposed to believe that Travis is something of an irresistible enigma. He keeps a top class athlete physique and unbeatable fighting skills without having to work out or train in any way. Travis is a disturbed individual in every way. The list goes on. Sometimes these actions are rightfully criticised and Abby shows a remarkable amount of backbone at times in her criticism of Travis, but time and time again she forgives him and time and time again he commits further controlling, manipulative and violent acts.

At one point, he punches a man for touching her arm, coming precariously close to punching Abby. 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! This is not normal. I understand that this is supposed to be somewhat messed up. However, there is a complete lack of authorial control over the contents of this book. The choice of a 1st person narrative is part of the problem. Abby, nor any other character in the book, fully explains their motives and she can barely explain why she feels so strongly about Travis, let alone describe why she continues to come back to Travis again and again.

She stands by and watches him pummel people to the ground on more than one occasion and seemingly accepts it. Despite doing this — in public! The author has mentioned how realistic this book is but this particular element is definitely not. Throughout the book he talks about how Abby has changed him or how he needs her with him at all times to help him become a better person, but he remains a violent, rude and ultimately dangerous individual throughout. On top of having absolutely no respect for the many women he has slept with, he never really has any respect for Abby.

He makes major decisions that would affect them both without listening to Abby, he stalks her several times and never seems to truly trust her. By the end of the book, Travis and Abby declare that they are each-others for life but Travis is clearly the one with the power here. Someone I love very dearly is in a situation like this, albeit an emotional one rather than violent one. The difference? Not so sexy now, is it?

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Great book, Jamie. Life is not roses all the time and everybody can change. Oct 06, S. Stephens rated it it was amazing. Travis, Travis, Travis. I liked him, I hated him, I liked him again I worried about his sanity And, oddly enough, I had a lot of the same feelings about Abby! So many times I wanted to scream at her, then him, then her again! Great, complex characters. I loved this!! Wonderful story, wonderful world, wonderful author! View all 32 comments. Aug 24, Emily May rated it did not like it Shelves: young-adult , contemporary , dnf , romance. Psycho abuses Mary Sue. Mary Sue loves him anyway.

They marry. The end. View all 63 comments. Sep 04, Kat Kennedy added it. Can't do it. It's just too horrible. I've reached my max saturation point of stupidity. Feb 11, Angela rated it did not like it Shelves: 1-star-reads. I haven't been this pissed off reading a book since Bad Romeo. Beautiful Disaster was a cluster eff of a read managing to throw everything I hate in a book into one novel. My first issue with this book are the characters. Our leading lady is Abby Abernathy. Then there's our leading man Travis Maddox. I can capture my feels for both of them at the same time. Actually that really undersells how I feel towards them but whatever.

Abby is DUMB! I have never wanted to tear a characters hair out more than hers. She is such a plain character that turns out to be more boring than watching paint dry. It's clear that the writer wanted to make it out to be that Abby would be this special snowflake but it was the fail of fails. Her sub story is that she comes from this terrible up-bringing Even though the premise behind her tale was set up to be a success it too failed! This brings me to Travis Oh God I don't even know where to start with this this Patrick Bateman in training. This boy was two shakes of lambs tail away from cutting Abby up and making her into a skin suit.

I would gladly let " Mr. Grey see me now " then let him touch me with a ten foot pole. He is creepy, abusive, controlling, scary, unattractive, cocky, and bizarre. This dude is beyond unstable. I also imagine him to be a mouth breather so that just adds to the growing list of reasons why I hate him. McGuire writes it so that Travis is this womanizing-college frat-man whore. Girls vagina literately bust out of their pants every time they see him. This causing me to roll my eyes so hard that they almost dislodged from my head! This leads me to p roblem two and three with this book.

Maybe it's just me doubtful but maybe but if I was about to hook up with a dude and I opened his bedside table and there was an endless amount of condoms and KY Jelly I would fly out of that room so fast that boy would think he was Dorthy The scene made me want to vomit then drink the cleaning products under my sink. Travis has major bipolar, drinking, jealousy, and personality issues. Travis also manages to keep Jesus abs the whole time without ever working out HA NO! View all 84 comments. Jan 06, Dd rated it liked it. Shake in your boots,boys,and drop your panties,ladies! I give you : Travis 'Mad Dog' Maddox! The lean muscles stretched under his tattooed skin.

Here go my ovaries!! Can I get pregnant from this? Okay,now the storyline!! Abby Abernathy has a secret. She has a past. A dark pas Shake in your boots,boys,and drop your panties,ladies! A dark past. And to escape it all,she makes a new beginning at Eastern University,with her best friend America. I was as indistinguishable as any other wide-eyed,over-achieveing freshman on their way to class; no staring,no rumors,no pity or judgement. Only the illusion of what I wanted them to see:Cashmered,no-nonsense Abby Abernathy. Now,coming back to the story,America has a new boyfriend Shepley. He takes them watch a ring fight. And there Readers,we are first introduced to Travis,room-mate and cousin of Shepley. He can't be beaten. He can't be ignored. He never backs down from a challenge.

He is a walking one-night stand. Now,I wish I could tell only good things but it won't be fair if I don't tell that he is also A jerk,temperamental,impulsive,has anger-management issues,immature,at times downright stupid,and also has a little stalkerish tendencies!! Now,Abby's whole life goes topsy-turvy when she becomes Travis's Pigeon. Their attraction is instant. But Abby is not ready to become yet another conquest. And Travis is not ready to back down from such a refreshing challenge. Are you a man-hater in general,or do you just hate me? I didn't say you're a bad person. I just don't like being a foregone conclusion for the sole reason of having a vagina. You are killing me.

That's it. We have to friends. I won't take no for an answer. But are they destined to be just friends or something else,something more? Readers,they are insane together. They are out of control. You're trying to save him and he's hoping you can. You two are a disaster. When it's good,Kara Now you must be wondering 'Why 3 stars then? I'll say once again-- Please do NOT read this if you have not read this book already!!

Okay,my greatest complaint about this book was I was actually loving and enjoying this book when I watched in horror the events unfold. How could Abby not know that Travis was in love with her?? I don't blame her for trying to keep Travis only as a friend. And she accepted to go on a date with Parker that very day. And after that He called me yesterday. Because you slept with him even though you knew you were leaving and he's crazy about you!!!

I stood my ground,staring straight into his eyes. Over, and over and over," she sighed. He ripped his sheets off the bed, and threw them away, threw his pillows away, shattered his mirror with his fist, kicked his door Be the Travis who never backs down from a challenge and say Now,this was just the beginning. After sometime I felt as if I was watching a ping-pong match!! Abby fucks up. Then Travis fucks up. Then Abby fucks up again. Then Travis never backs down from challenge,remember? Oh God! When they broke up and were saying good-bye during Thanksgiving She had already dumped him. And then she realized her mistake,and wanted to get back with him.

But when he was letting her go and saying Whatever it takes. He was giving me an out,and it was exactly when I didn't want it. I could have told him that I had changed my mind and he would take back everything he'd just said,but I knew that it wasn't fair to either of us to hold on just when he had let go. Their last make-up was weird too. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened!! I know that you are still thinking about Well,frankly,I gave it 3 stars because I am biased. And because no matter how much they fucked up,there were several moments when I absolutely adored them.

Travis,you are a disaster and immediately need a shrink!! In the end, I want to say that I can empathize with people who gave it 5 stars,as well as with people who gave it 1 star. That's all for now,Readers. Jul 02, Kristen rated it it was amazing Shelves: strong-willed-heroine , exhausting-read , favorite-heroine , tattooed-pierced-hero , fabulous-characters , thought-provoking , new-adult-college , tortured-hero , mild-steam , frustrating-couple. In many ways this book is everything I hate in a Young Adult romance, but I still found myself enthralled, giddy, and starry eyed, regardless of how annoyed I became at time.

In fact, I felt like I was at odds with myself during most of it. There was my latent teenage self, all starry eyed and idealistic, 5 stars with a caveat, and by far my most difficult review to write to date. There was my latent teenage self, all starry eyed and idealistic, who loved everything about this book, warring with my more mature and realistic year-old self who knows better. It became quite exasperating. I found I liked all the characters in this book. Not once did I become annoyed with them- shocking for a Young Adult story. The characters were multi-dimensional and authentic. I was easily transported into their world of college drama although, frankly, it felt more like High School.

Right from the start I fell head-over-heels in love with Travis. He's such a lovable jerk. He epitomizes the charismatic, lackadaisical, tattooed, sexier-than-all-get-out bad boy over whom most young girls swoon. He's volatile, tough, flirty, compulsive, charming, aggressive, shameless, intelligent, domineering, proud, and nonchalant. He also has a tenderhearted, kind and vulnerable side that makes it impossible not to love him.

He really is the ultimate fantasy. Our book begins with Abby, our level-headed and strong-willed heroine, attending an underground college fight club where Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox is the undefeated champion. Unimpressed with his slick and smooth talking manner, she brushes him off, wanting nothing to do with him. Only too familiar with his type, she knows he means trouble. Travis, intrigued because Abby is immune to his charms, all but stalks her, wanting to win her over. Eventually he succeeds. What begins as a genuine friendship slowly blooms into an all consuming, passionate, and frankly, obsessive and codependent relationship.

I really liked Abby's character. I was braced to dislike her as the story progressed, fearing she would become little more than a doormat because of the codependent and obsessive relationship she had with Travis. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how level-headed she remained throughout the book. The thing that makes this story both intriguing and appalling, is Travis' obsession with Abby.

He is consumed by her. She becomes his everything. Exhilarating in theory; unhealthy in reality! His obsession, at times, becomes disturbing and worrisome. In the end Travis makes some behavioral changes, albeit more surface than substance, hoping to win Abby back. He succeeds, and Abby returns to the relationship. In doing so, some readers may believe in the misconception that one person can change another. While a part of me knows better I still loved so much about this book. I am a girl, after all! Would I want my 17 year old daughter to read this?

Very few teens have either the experience or maturity to distinguish between fantasy and reality. But will I read this book again? Oh dear, this makes me a hypocrite! View all 94 comments. This book isn't beautiful, it's just a complete disaster. Travis is psychotic, abusive, and overprotective. I cannot believe shit like this gets published. View all 22 comments. Jamie McGuire's "Beautiful Disaster" is the worst adult contemporary romance novel I've had the displeasure of reading. I'm imagining I've raised a few eyebrows with beginning this review on that note.

You might be thinking "Well, aren't you being a little melodramatic, Rose? It's just a book - it can't possibly be that bad , right? I hesitated reading "Beautiful Disaster" because I was informed of issues with the book long before I picked up the e-galley and took the task of reading it in full. Books that glorify abusive relationships, especially if it's veiled abuse and doesn't give proper context nor knocks down the manipulative behavior, do not sit well with me. Nor do those that champion misogynistic ideals and present women in a negative light.

Granted, as I mentioned before, I like a good romantic read. I also like books that deal with tough subjects and push the envelope when it comes to tackling a tough subject matter. I don't mind those things, especially if they leave me with things to think about long after I've turned the last page of the book. Developed, rounded characters in the mix are a bonus as well. Prior to reading this book - what I'd read of Travis was that he's a condescending, patronizing, controlling jerk who gets away with a lot in this book.

I could describe him in more crude terms, but I'm trying to keep that at a minimum in this reflection. And it's not necessarily knocked down by the passive heroine who actually does have another guy who cares about her and treats her well, but the portrayal is never equivocated because all the while, Travis comes up as the obvious horse in the love triangle race. If one could even call it a true triangle. And the heroine never focuses on the wrong that Travis does, but rather focuses on all the other external elements other women, etc. I could open the floor and ask a simple question: why do people find personalities like Travis to be romantic? I ask that question sincerely in a manner of discourse, because I don't understand the attracting factor of someone who would go to such lengths to control what a woman wears, who she sees, where she resides, and practically throw a fit if she deviates from those restrictions.

People argue that Travis is not abusive, but there are more dimensions to abuse than just physical context despite the fact that he tears up a room in response to the heroine's actions in one scene of the book. What little I had skimmed in BD's snippets and also read in other reviews had abuse of another sort - mental and emotional. The heroine keeps being drawn back into Travis's influence, though it's clear on several counts that there are moments when she wants to get the heck away from him, but then turns around and commends his behavior in implied gestures. It's not made okay by the fact that Travis starts singing in the middle of a certain setting "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" or the fact that he buys her a puppy. He might have moments of good, but the larger impressions of the novel were that his influence is negative and the heroine desires him in light of that negativity.

That was the initial reason why I passed on this book for content rationale. My experience with McGuire's first novel in her "Providence" trilogy didn't sit well with me either. But curiosity has never let me lie in peace when it comes to a book. So when I saw this available as an e-galley, I decided to swallow my qualms and go for it. The experience was worse than I'd initially believed it to be. There has been debate with this novel as a self-published work as to what genre it fell under, given its respective thematic and the frank content of Abby and Travis' relationship.

McGuire herself had stated that it was once a mature YA title which I would adamantly refute given the strong language, sexual, and discretionary content of the book. It's been since marketed as an adult contemporary romance. There's also a question that I think might raise a few other eyebrows that I'm going to explore: Is it really a romance novel? The knee-jerk reaction might be akin to: "Of course it's a romance novel!

What else would it be? It's showing a dysfunctional relationship between two trainwreck lovers who are meant to be together and weather all kinds of hardships and such to ultimately be one. When the dysfunction becomes more than the love, where is the line drawn between it being a romance or a staged drama in prose form? It's true that people do crazy things when in love and act in the veil of desperation - sometimes going through something akin to the five stages of grief before coming to terms with the heart of their true sentiments and there's plenty of that to go around in this book.

Yet when it becomes so manufactured that the people inside the story don't act in the way that the character would act given their personality traits and knowledge in the book, and the author's obviously playing the puppeteer strings to skew it to a certain result, it can make the experience sour faster than week-old milk. And while I would say in romance literature, many may see the experience as escapist Which is why I wasn't buying what "Beautiful Disaster" sold. Abby Abernathy is a college freshman who meets Travis "Mad Dog" Maddox at a fighting match in which he's a participant. To say their relationship gets off to a rocky start would be an understatement. Abby's quick to push him away because of his reputation, perception of his tattoos, and perceived sexual promiscuity.

And Travis, bad boy extraordinaire, can't help but be drawn to Abby in her innocence and challenge to shove him away. Their relationship is further drawn together since they know people in the same circles. Abby's friend America Mare and America's boyfriend, Shep, are just two examples. America has to be the most inconsistent best friend I've read, because she goes back and forth between passionately wanting Abby to be a part of Travis's life and thinking Abby is the only one who can "right" him, and also thinking it's best if Abby stays the heck away before she gets hurt. That normally wouldn't bother me in a romance novel.

It happens even in real life. Given the context of this novel, however, I was horrified and made numb by it. Abby is a passive heroine crafted in the guise of proactive by her incendiary attitudes towards Travis. There's really very little to no background given on her to round her character. It took me five chapters to realize what she was studying at her college, let alone a good bit of the novel to know anything about her family and when that comes to light, it's fairly reminiscent of McGuire's other, latter penned novel "Providence" - heroine has father issues, father's associated with criminal activity, etc. I think that disconnect was what made it hard to truly sympathize with her, aside from some harrowing moments where she's desperately getting away from her relationship with Travis and facing some antagonism from other sources a near rape, a fire, etc.

Travis - again, I do not understand why he's a desirable male lead. He takes on the typical "bad boy who's hurting" trope, and while I actually do tend to like alpha males who are in pain and sometimes lash out for genuine reasons, Travis never has any kind of development to justify his actions, let alone does he face the repercussions of them. It's clear he has issues like his boiling anger, propensity to hit anything that gets in his way or offends "his girl," and some jarring examples of insensitivity to anyone but himself and his needs.

There are moments penned where it's made to seem like he's being cute, but the majority of the time he's creepy, clingy, needy, and self-absorbed. There's a false guise of self-awareness given in the book when he acknowledges to Abby that he's "messed up", but never seems to learn from his actions. There's a part of me that wondered if he was suffering from and I'm being very serious here a mental disorder that made him as such. It would've been helpful if maybe McGuire had the insight to delve into that part of his character more, but it never shows.

Not once. Travis's actions are often glorified and made okay by Abby's abrupt about face. No expansion given. Here are some: He walks into the bathroom one scene while she showers. Abby's horrified one moment and then suddenly finds the gesture cute. He calls her Pidge - it's given as a nickname which she isn't initially affectionate toward and is supposedly a reference to the Disney film Lady and the Tramp, but that's never given in the context of the book. Very rarely does he allude to her real name, and when he does, it's often to mock her or mock someone else discussing her with the effect of guilt tripping her. He totals his apartment after Abby leaves the day after a bet they made together expires requiring her to stay at his place for a month.

They just so happened to have sex the night before, and she leaves the next morning without telling him. She's blamed by pretty much everyone that she was the cause of his tantrum and she accepts it. Travis also gets desperate and chases her back home after a stint in Vegas and wanting to fight there for a mobster in order to obtain money. Abby's upset by it because her father was involved in that line of work and she doesn't want to go through the hurt and pain she endured from her father's involvements.

Travis tries to restrain her, storms into the apartment with her roommate, and she has to hide from him until he "calms down. How is that respect? There are other factors to consider here as well. Let's take it from the perspective of the man who, for a time, is set to be the "other" love interest in this novel. Meet Parker - a high achieving, Med-school aspiring student who seems like a nice guy, even if he seems like a bit of a Gary Stu initially considering his wealth and intelligence and the diamond bracelet gift does seem a bit presumed as Abby's birthday gift for the duration of their initial relationship. But one can tell he's genuinely attracted to Abby - he treats her well, is even patient when he's sidelined by her.

You can't help but feel bad for this guy after a point because he's pretty much a pawn in the "Travis and Abby" show. It's not realistic. What frustrated even more is that I felt McGuire's authorial voice often intruded with the relations between Abby and Parker where Travis was used as the comparison. It was as if it were set up to failure from point one. The way Abby treats Parker broke my heart, because either there's a hateful comment he makes that's decidedly out of character and McGuire's intruding voice in an attempt to make Travis look like the better guy, or there's a point where Travis or Abby completely skewer the guy for trying to use reason, or for just being who he is.

The only two characters I can say I actually liked consistently through the work were Finch and Kara, though their respective roles were very small in the overarching novel. The events of the novel themselves are problematic, but let me take a moment to discuss the writing and thematic. I mentioned misogyny in this novel, so I'll go a bit into it as well here. It's one of those reads that can be quickly digested, but it's poorly written. Awkward dialogue tags other than "said" or "asked" , stilted dialogue, choppy phrasing - all things that could've been avoided with thorough editing.

The thematic of this book bothered me considering the misogynistic language that's prevalent in this. If not just for the events themselves i. Travis dropping a woman from his lap after she insults Abby or Travis saying that he wouldn't want his future daughter to open her legs for a man so easily , then the language left something to be desired with frequent slut shaming, causal throws of "bitches" and "hos" and such. I'm not a stranger to crude language in a work, but some of these were championed for obvious humor purposes, and they didn't come across as humorous or realistic at all to me.

So, in sum, I think "Beautiful Disaster" didn't contain much beauty to it at all. I'll end on the note that after reading the book, I see the symbolism of the cover with a butterfly being kept in a jar. The sad thing about is that, when you think about the image in a sense, a romanticized version of it may mean that it's beauty captured and contained from the rest of the world. But the reality, the longer that butterfly is contained from its habitat and not left to wander free to experience the world, it suffocates, withers, and dies.

I think that Abby and Travis's relationship is, indeed, a suffocating presence that doesn't have any true romantic notions at all, and I deign to think it represents anything that could be construed as healthy or desirable. Overall score: 0. View all 47 comments. Nov 12, Brittany rated it did not like it Shelves: dropped-book , disgusting , ya , m-f. Jamie McGuire. Putting the woman's movement back years. D: It saddens me that someone from my own gender is writing such shallow and mindless dribble. I know the economy is bad, but damn have some pride! If you were able to get through this book without throwing up I have to applaud you. I had to stop reading at page because I was becoming physically ill. It wasn't the subject that sickened me, it was HOW the subject was being written.

The characters and their reaction to Travis' obsessi Jamie McGuire. Literally insane! How Abby's friends could encourage her to date such a loose cannon is beyond me. Anybody with common sense or any real friend would tell her to run for the hills- this guy is mentally unstable! I know books aren't meant to be realistic, but I think they should be rooted with some truth. I don't need to like all the characters I'm reading about, but it's nice to understand where they are coming from.

Here I did not like the characters nor did I understand their motives. View all 12 comments. Shelves: young-adult , worst-sex-scenes-ever , absolute-drivel , book-everyone-loved-but-me , run-screaming-for-the-hills. I read this because it tops so many lists here on Goodreads and I wanted to see what the hype is about but it sadly didn't even begin to live up to my expectations. I actually believe this may be the worst book I have ever read. The characters are poorly developed, the writing style just appalling, I never really understood their motivations and the narrative never gave them time to react to situations. This felt like it had been written by a twelve year old to me. This takes place over 2 semeste I read this because it tops so many lists here on Goodreads and I wanted to see what the hype is about but it sadly didn't even begin to live up to my expectations.

This takes place over 2 semesters at college. Travis is a manwhore student who earns his money by bare knuckle fighting. He treats women terribly - very much wham bam thank you ma'am and kick her out the door 2 seconds later. Inexplicably, the moment he sees Abby, he falls in love and calls her pigeon - a rather scabby rodent like bird. Abby has a past she wants to escape - her Father was a successful poker player whose luck ran out when Abby turned 13 and so he hates her now!

I soooo didn't get that either. The characters make decisions that just had me all WTF?? It just doesn't make any sense. It's possibly the worst character development I have ever seen in a novel. Anyway, the story stumbles from situation to situation - Travis is goofily in love and will savagely beat any guy that looks at Abby sideways. We have descriptions of him holding someone on the floor and repeatedly smashing his fist in their face more than once. That's not protective - that's downright violent and could actually result in a serious brain injury.

And this is aimed at a YA readership with Travis cast as a 'hero'?? The sex scene where Travis takes Abby's virginity is absolutely forgettable. I know she begs for it but he just ruts away on top of her with no thoughts of her pleasure or even preparing her to make it easier for her. He's pretty shit in bed to be fair and I was quite shocked he didn't have more pride in his performance given that he's had so much experience. Travis appears to be harbouring some serious schizophrenic tendencies - perhaps he has actually sustained a serious brain injury in one of those fights? That might well explain his truly ridiculous character and decisions and reactions to situations - or could that possibly be just do to the poor character development on behalf of this writer.

Travis is not one of the good guys. He is not a hero. There is nothing endearing about his character at all. He is one of those nasty, jealous, possessive, violent guys that will beat the supposed love of his life senseless just because she glances at another man or he glances at her. Abby's future is likely to be fraught with peril, on edge constantly with what Travis will think about what she is wearing, who she is talking to and what she is doing. She will be so scared of upsetting him, it will totally rule her life. Someone needs to tell Abby to get out and to get out quick before he beats her to a pulp because he surely will. To think that a girl of Abby's age could think that Travis is some kind of romantic hero is pretty scary and a pretty appalling message to be sending out to this book's target demographic.

I'm real sorry that I didn't get this - I can see that this story is so well loved by so many here but it really wasn't for me. To this day I just cannot even begin to understand why so many people here that I respect have given it 5 stars. What in the world do you all see here that I just can't? It completely baffles me. It's not even halfway good. I'd like to add that it's really not often that I leave reviews like this but I felt so strongly that this book is sending THE most appalling message of accepting violent tossers as heroes to it's young readers that I felt compelled to speak out against it. View all 55 comments.

Jul 29, Abbi Glines rated it it was amazing Shelves: my-favs. I rarely review books unless the author is a friend of mine. However, I thought I'd say something about this one.