BR: Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire

I uploaded both the covers cause they both kind of look cool. This book has recently been bought byyy Warner Bros. to make a movie. I struggle to see how they can get anything from it.
This will be yet another cynical review. Because omg.

It's about this girl - I can't remember her name again. Something Abernathy. Oh. It's Abby Abernathy. Her name is Abby Abernathy. Anyway, she is a college student attending Eastern University. She's a good girl, who studies and does not drink. One day, she's persuaded to attend an underground boxing 'event' where she meets Travis 'Mad Dog' Maddox (don't worry, I laughed too). He becomes drawn to her innocence and radiating...whatever it is, and the novel focuses on their relationship and growth.
It is your classic good girl meets bad boy fanfiction. Fanfiction. I see fanfiction as a read you enjoy, but can not praise. That's what this novel was. You get the guilty pleasure of reading about a guy get completely enamored by a girl who has much higher resistance. Like bam, you lose, Travis. But the downside is that it is indeed a shit book.

This book has one theme - co-dependency. Is that even a theme? Anyway, this Mad Dog Maddox completely falls in love with Abby in the most unhealthy way. His entire existence starts to center around her. It's cruel, but whatever, indulge in it anyway muahaha. This novel's Travis, is everything you do not want in a guy; he fights, has anger issues, is clingy, is dependant, is a slut, he overeacts, he tattoos your name and he's spastic. Yet every reader falls in love with him. At first I was like 'aw adorable' too, but my gosh, spastically spastic spectacle. What kind of guy, trashes his entireeee apartment and smashes his phone into one million pieces and cries, just because he wakes up and doesn't know where you are? What kind of guy, stops in the middle of a boxing fight, just because he can't see you? Like what? Yeah, Travis' 'part time' is as an underground boxer. He gets money by winning, and after meeting Abby, he's all 'yo I cannot win if I don't see your face while I'm fighting'. Urgh.

Anyway, moving on. Abby Abernathy is the worst character ever. Slight exaggeration, she's not as bad as the Hush Hush chick. But Abby is horrible. I can't even begin to tell you how horrible. Just trust me on this. Basic reasoning escapes her. She accepts emotional abuse from Travis. She wouldn't be able to see abuse even if it hits her (get it? hahahaHAHA).

All the amateur mistakes in the novel are what really pisses me off about Beautiful Disaster. It had the potential to be a book about a twisted, dark love that somehow works out, but no. It could have been a beautiful disaster, but no. Tis fanfiction.
- College is the American equivalent of university is it not? So why are these people eating in cafeterias together during 'lunchtime'? Why do they have high school subject classes? Why are there high school cliques? Why are there people doing polar opposite courses taking all the same classes? I can only thank the fact that there weren't any lockers involved (that I can recall).
- The romantic spotlight lies in the nickname Travis has for Abby. It's Pigeon. He calls her Pigeon. He then proceeds to tattoo Pigeon to his wrist. I then proceed to die a little inside. Pigeon droppings are my worst nightmare. My most well acquainted nightmare too, glad to see it romantically practiced.
Abby's momentary boyfriend also has a cute nickname for her. It's Abs. Can this get any more romantic? I'm puking from the corniness. Please, contain yourselves. Get a room lovebirds.
- The genre is self-picked by Ms McGuire herself as contemporary romance. The last time I checked, the contemporary romance is nothing like this. Your contemporary stalker criminal, on the other hand, is. She chucked a fit when it got commonly referred to as YA considering the 'mature' content. This novel should be used in some anti-bullying campaign. I can see it now 'WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN BULLIED'.
- Abby's past life is so out of her character that when it comes up, it seems so fake. The effect her past abusive life does not even seem to have affected who she is as a person, her mental scarring seems to only be conveyed by her words of 'I don't want this anymore!' or something. Which explains why she sticks with Travis ==. The point is, she claims to be so affected by her past that her roots are shaped and changed forever or some shit. But you can't really say you understand that, because you can't see it. You just see a girl going 'Omg my past was really bad! *woe* Fyi, I'm a hustler'. It just seems..so 2D that you cannot sympathise with her. She comes off as just so fake.
- Abby's character doesn't drink and she's a good girl. Yet, when its her birthday, she drinks like..10 shots to win a bet and Travis falls in love with her strong alcohol tolerance.
- Travis beats up every single guy who so much as touches Abby's arm, or makes a dirty joke that Abby is within ear shot of. How long will it take before he beats her up too?
- The ONE SOLE character in the novel that seems to have a stable head on her, is portrayed as a massive bitch with a pole up her ass. If I recall correctly, her name is Kara. She has next to no value in this book, simply put there as a little someone for Abby to go 'urgh' at. She has like, one scene in the book where she gets to say like, a paragraph. And it is in this one paragraph that you see the voice of reason. But of course, Abby goes 'urgh'.
IN FACT, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, EVERY GIRL IN THE NOVEL WAS SEEN AS A WHORE. Only ones who were anything above was Abby and her bestfriend America. What an A team (get it? hahahHHAHA). All the other girls were seen as skimpy sluts all wanting a piece of Travis. Like seriously, I can picture it now. If I were to materialise into this world and trip over my shoelace, it would probably be written as 'The girl unsuccessfully tried to pull Maddox's pants down.'
- There is a scene where Abby is at another one of Trevor's boxing matches, and shit goes down. She starts getting all emotional seeing children and families who could be affected by the shit that went down. I ask: why are there families at an underground illegal boxing matches all of a sudden? It ain't no family friendly event. The boxing matches are supposed to only exist 30 mins before a match starts too. The matches are created on a whim, the host quickly calls the boxers, like Mad Dog Maddox, and then he invites his mates/bros/homies and they all rock up to bet and watch. So how the hell did children get their way in? Lol. 'Yo mumma, pappa, shit goin' on in the underground crib tonight, grab ma diapers lesgo'
- There is a scene where Travis starts randomly singing in the cafeteria - High school musical style. He full starts belting out a charming song and footballers start singing and dancing along and before you know it, the entire canteen is singing and clapping and Abby is falling head over heels. Please Travis, tone down your charm. I cannot handle it when you start seducing me like this. *masssive eyeroll*


That all being said, I can see the appeal of the novel. Its annoying when you can see the flaws, but I guess what calls out to the gals is having a massive player, king-swagger or whatnot fall down over himself for you. And then turn into a nut of a monster. If Jamie McGuire wanted contemporary romance as opposed to YA, she should've maybe explored the co-dependent, obsessive relationship a bit more and showed the character development and growth as the novel progressed etc. Like 50 shades. And I guess you're thinking 'If you're so sure, Uyen, why don't you go write your own book and see how much success that garners pft.', but this is just my opinion. And I happen to believe my opinion is right. Otherwise I wouldn't think it.
Beautiful Disaster was a funny read. I'm reading it again. I wonder how the movie will turn out. I don't even know why its becoming a movie. Nothing happens. SOMEONE COME WATCH WITH MEEE.

Ok, I just did some reading on the movie productions of it. It is being phrased 'The Lite-YA Friendly version of 50 Shades of Grey'. The only similarity I see is that both Grey and Maddox are clingy and perceived to be desirable. Which is not defending either books, I'm insulting them both.