Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) in Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group

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Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1)

Jamie McGuire

Start date: September 1, 2012

Finish date: September 30, 2012

Discussion: Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Dec 04, 2011 Duchess Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: dead-tree-books, highly-rated, genre-contemp-romance, don-t-know-why-i-loved-it, e-pcs, genre-ya, pick-it-for-me, genre-new-adult, read-in-2013

Can I just agree with every review written about this book? Can I? (Well, besides the nasty, ugly ones because no one need pay attention to those.) But if you loved it, SO DID I!!!!! And if you rolled your eyes and hated it, SO DID I!!! But I loved it more.

Abby and Travis鈥�.gah, they truly are a hot mess of a couple. No communication, no trust, no faith. But they do have a healthy lust for each other and a healthy flair for the dramatic. Plus, they鈥檙e young people. They remind me so very much of Can I just agree with every review written about this book? Can I? (Well, besides the nasty, ugly ones because no one need pay attention to those.) But if you loved it, SO DID I!!!!! And if you rolled your eyes and hated it, SO DID I!!! But I loved it more.

Abby and Travis鈥�.gah, they truly are a hot mess of a couple. No communication, no trust, no faith. But they do have a healthy lust for each other and a healthy flair for the dramatic. Plus, they鈥檙e young people. They remind me so very much of myself at that age. When everything you do is life or death except for the really important stuff that matters. All of the relationships you have, whether romantic or friendships, seem like the most important romances or friendships you鈥檒l ever have. You love with every fiber of your being, and to you at that point in time, it鈥檚 a real as it gets. That鈥檚 what you feel, so that鈥檚 the way it is.

Is it stupid? Of course it is!! Is it unrealistic? Absolutely!
But it鈥檚 also romantic, because it鈥檚 young love.

I鈥檝e been there, and I experienced the idiotic mistakes that are made. Travis is volatile and violent, an angry young man. Abby is fairly timid but not overwhelmed by Travis鈥� large personality. They just click鈥o rhyme or reason. They become friends who carry around a smoldering sexual tension that the entire college campus can feel. I鈥檓 surprised there wasn鈥檛 a break out massive orgy scene because good grief! Did they ever need to get it on already!

I get where some don鈥檛 like Travis. He鈥檚 one scary dude鈥nd the setup for this relationship sounds like every parent鈥檚 worst nightmare for their daughter. But this is also fiction. And people still need to remember that someone who acts this way most likely needs even more help than their timid partner. Travis is so very insecure, the typical hothead who can鈥檛 control his rage. He sees subterfuge where there is none, he trusts Abby so long as she鈥檚 glued to his side and wearing a potato sack. He鈥檚 bossy, he鈥檚 pushy, he oversteps his boundaries and is overly possessive.

But he鈥檚 also a real sweetheart. He needs her to balance him. And yada yada, you can tout his instability all you want but I really liked him, problems and all. I don鈥檛 necessarily see him as a total hottie McHotface like everyone else does but I still love him. I even thought that Pigeon was sorta cute. Sort of. (view spoiler)

I waited so very long to read this. There was so much hubbub about it, and I just ignored the hype. But as soon as I started reading, it was un-put-down-able. I even added a new bookshelf called 鈥渄on鈥檛 know why I love it.鈥� But I do!
...more

47 likes · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Holly rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-that-make-you-go-wtf, hot-mess, dark-and-twisted, e-book, disappointing-reads, second-chance-reads, friend-recommendations, 2013, too-stupid-to-live

I FINISHED IT!!!

Yeah...that's about the most positive thing I can say about this train wreck of a novel.

I made many attempts to read this book over the last year. So many of my friends here on GR and out in the real world absolutely LOVED this book and kept promising me that once I got into the story I would fall in love with Travis the way they had. So, for that reason...and because I am just too stubborn for my own good...I kept trying.

A friendly warning...spoilers and ranting ahead. Consider ...more

46 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2011 Seahorse Library rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-contemporary, genre-romance, genre-na, on-my-bookshelf

Read: 19 August 2011
Re-Read: 19 February 2016
Re-Read: December 2023

My Thoughts:

I'm on a bit of a NA spree at the moment, so of course I had to reread the book that pretty much started it all.

I loved this book when I first read it back in 2011. It reminded me so much of all the fanfiction I used to read - so bad it's amazing!

I think what I like most about this novel is the characters. They felt so real and their passions so intense - their emotions flew off the page. Also the plot moves quickly ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 LuvBug rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: rake-playboy, 2-half-stars-not-great-but-parts-ok, dnf-read-half-or-more, kindle, over-rated, young-adult, kindle-buys-from-amazon, bad-boys-ahoy

2.5 stars. Okay so here's the deal with this, It was just a little too immature for my taste. It read like they were all in high school and not college. The beginning was okay, it had me wanting to see Travis and Pidge finally hooking up, but by the middle I started to lose interest since they were already in love with each other anyways. I guess I could see why so many people love this book since it was a unique read with the unstable Travis making things interesting with his wild self, but I'm ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Jackie Lane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a fabulous book. As I said in one of my comments earlier, fan*freaking*tastic!!!! Loved it, loved it, loved it.

YA and teenage angst is winning my heart over every time. It was a definite train wreck romance, but I totally loved the ride.

The story of bad boy Travis and reinvented Abby/Pidge is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. Is it realistic in real life, probably not, but it definitely made for a wonderful YA Romance book. McGuire did a fantastic job with the character developmen ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2013 Darcy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, audio-book, listened-to-at-work, romance, new-adult

This book had gotten so much buzz that I wanted to check it out. I didn鈥檛 expect to like it, really thought it would end up on my dnf pile, so color me surprised when I really enjoyed listening to it despite all the drama.

Oh, the drama, just when it seemed like things should end, there was yet more drama and more drama. I found myself almost getting whiplash as I read this one. First I agreed with Abby and her attitude towards Travis. I didn鈥檛 care for him or his man whore ways. I found his and This book had gotten so much buzz that I wanted to check it out. I didn鈥檛 expect to like it, really thought it would end up on my dnf pile, so color me surprised when I really enjoyed listening to it despite all the drama.

Oh, the drama, just when it seemed like things should end, there was yet more drama and more drama. I found myself almost getting whiplash as I read this one. First I agreed with Abby and her attitude towards Travis. I didn鈥檛 care for him or his man whore ways. I found his and Abby鈥檚 talks about sex to be interesting. He was very honest in what he thought and with his girls, yet was surprised by their reactions. For some reason I really liked seeing Abby鈥檚 reaction to one of his cast offs early in the book. I got why she didn鈥檛 want to have anything to do with Travis, not even as a friend, especially when we learned her background. But even as I say that I thought Travis pestering her was funny, he just plain wore her down, her giving in just to get some peace and quiet. There were times that I was mad at Abby and thought she was a little out of control with what she was doing, then once again I would find myself mad at Travis for something he did, then would again flop over to being mad at Abby. It was exhausting!

I think had Abby been able to get past her past and accept Travis things would have been so much better for them. Of course the book would have been much shorter and not as much to fun to read. Lol

I really liked Abby鈥檚 friendship with America. While she didn鈥檛 always agree with Abby, America was always there for her with her best interest in mind. She knew Abby better than Abby did and could see things with a little distance. I did hate that America let the drama with Abby and Travis affect her relationship with Shed. I thought those two were cute together.

I am happy with the way this one ended. I do wish that we would have gotten to see Travis鈥檚 family鈥檚 reaction to their spring break trip though, I have a feeling that would be a hoot.
...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Hannah rated it did not like it

Shelves: romantic, bad-boys-bad-boys, contemporary-romance, good-girl-falls-for-bad-boy, blegh, annoying-narrative, what-does-she-see-in-him

Author is racist garbage. This book sucks on its own already, but add in Jamie's white nationalism, anti-mask/vaccine rhetoric, and just overall QAnon nonsense, and it's just the flies on the shit. She has actively called for violence and civil war while parading around in the guise of a patriot and is good friends with a Proud Boys. Just look her up on any social media if you're looking for proof. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2012 Jamie ~ Bad Boy Inspector rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-young-adult, read-2012

I actually really enjoyed this book but I would have to agree with some people that it should have ended sooner than it did.

Like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Marissa rated it liked it

3 stars --> entertaining enough, a bit annoying at times, but super easy read that kept me turning pages

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Oct 05, 2011 Roshio marked it as to-read

Oct 25, 2011 Brandy *Ahviel* marked it as to-read

Oct 31, 2011 Allie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, contemporary

Jan 19, 2012 Wminbc marked it as to-read

Mar 15, 2012 K marked it as to-read

Mar 31, 2012 Ally72 rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romances

Apr 14, 2012 *Carissmatik* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kick-ass-heroine, young-adult, favorites, angst, contemporary-ya

May 22, 2012 Kim rated it really liked it

Jul 01, 2012 Katt Hansen rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, new-adult

Jul 08, 2012 Ellieverse marked it as to-read

Jul 11, 2012 Chelsea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites-6-plus-stars, biker-love, lover-and-a-fighter, tattoos-piercings, college, new-adult, contemporary, bad-boy, jamie-mcguire, 2012-read