[Review] Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Series: Beautiful #1
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: August 14, 2012
416 Pages
Format: paperback, purchased
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Synopsis 

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from 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.

My Review

I had a hard time rating this book on Goodreads - do I give it 4 stars or 5 stars? I couldn't make up my mind. There were so many emotions in this book, and so many that I had while reading it! I was happy, sad, angry, laughing. I really loved the beginning of the book and fell in love with Travis Maddox. Seriously, who doesn't like a bad boy covered in tattoos? I sure do! And I really liked Abby's character. She was smart, fun, and of course, pretty. The chemistry they had was really great. I loved that they were strictly friends for a while, though you could sometimes tell they wanted more. And then they finally get together and I was super excited! Unfortunately, the middle of the book felt a little slow for me. Not sure what it was because there was a lot going on with the characters. I felt like it did pick up after a while. It's not that I ever stopped enjoying the book, but I felt like some of the stuff in the middle could have been cut out.

But I also found myself getting a little annoyed with the characters. I just wanted to slap Travis and Abby sometimes! Travis felt a bit needy - which is weird since he has the bad-boy thing going on. They have an odd relationship, but it seems to work for them. And even though I was annoyed at times with the characters, I really did enjoy this book and I'm so glad I picked it up. The romance was sizzling and so fun. Plus the characters are pretty close to my age, so it reminded me of being in college a little - not that I ever saw a floating fight ring (and let's be honest, it's not really my thing).