Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Synopsis: 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, 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 ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, 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’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match

Review: Beautiful Disaster was definitely a roller coaster of emotions. I loved Jamie McGuire’s story! So much so that I know the characters will stay with me, always. At times, I found myself questioning whether or not the story’s characters were really good or bad. None of them were simply black or white. I adored Travis as a love interest for (Abby) Pigeon and I found him increasingly likeable throughout the story. The thing that made me hesitate about Travis was his issue with anger. I really felt like he should’ve sought help outside his friends. At times his anger was explosive and really felt over the top. When you beat someone to a bloody pulp that usually doesn’t go well, there are always consequences. Yet in McGuire’s story there really weren’t any consequences, except that it pushed Pigeon away from him.  I mean wouldn’t people press charges against Travis, there were plenty of times when he should’ve been arrested or something!

I think Beautiful Disaster is a story that many people can relate to. No, maybe they’ve never had explosive angry boyfriends or no they’ve never been a fighter, but I’m pretty sure everyone has been or has known someone who has been in a relationship similar to this one. You love them, but all the signs say you shouldn’t be with them. It literally is a beautiful disaster that many times you just can’t walk away from.

I really enjoyed McGuire’s writing style, the chapters were always entertaining and her characters are really fascinating. They are 3-D and although they are full of flaws, they also have a lot of good qualities. The relationship between Pigeon and Travis builds steadily and you really feel yourself falling in love with Travis.  Although there is adult language and a couple of sex scenes I really felt like this was a secretly a YA novel. It was set at Eastern University but it could’ve easily been set in a high school.  This book is a great read especially if you’re looking to just get lost in a story about relationships. Pigeon and Travis’ relationship isn’t the only story told in Beautiful Disaster. I highly recommend this novel. Although Travis did make me hesitate at times because of his anger, I really couldn’t help but love his story with Abby.