Beautiful Disaster- Jamie McGuire

Product Description:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, 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 needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Review

This was the strangest book. You could give it any number of start- 1 or 5 or anywhere in between- and be correct.

This book is so wrong and so right. It's a train wreck. The male protagonist is basically insane, and everyone knows it. Normally, I wouldn't condone his behavior. Actually, I don't condone his behavior. I would never allow an impressionable younger teen to read this. We have the delightful stalker-esque behavior that is oh-so popular in YA fiction and so damaging to a young woman's psyche. I completely agree with the 1 star reviews that rant about how his behavior is textbook for future abuse. We have the obsessive behavior, the jealous rage- not only directed at other men but also the female protagonist, violent outbursts, and the classy "I can't let you wear something that revealing" scene.

And yet...the story is enthralling. And the author throws in these absurd plot twists that I can't decide are a pro or a con. Is a shocking plot twist still good if it's only shocking because it is so out-there?

Overall, the author created this sort of dreamlike atmosphere so everything seemed to fit together. Oddly, it kind of worked. So I went with 4 stars. In terms of quality...it's probably a 2. In terms of classiness, it's a 1 (there is a MRS. ______ tattoo involved at one point, a 19 yo Vegas wedding, and the nickname 'Pidge'). But for entertainment? Priceless.

That being said I don't recommend this to anyone under 16. And I'd suggest taking a few womens' rights classes first, as well. Just so you know to run if anyone ever acts like...well, ANYONE in this book.