Beautiful Disaster

Summary (from the publisher): 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: I received a galley copy from Net Galley. 

This book reminded me of an off-brand, cheap knock off of Fifty Shades of Grey - but without the over the top, BDSM sex scenes. First off, this couple wins the award for MOST Dysfunctional Couple EVER. Their relationship is straight stupid. These are supposed to be two college kids but they vacillate between behaving like immature high schoolers, religiously eating in their regular seats in the cafeteria, to trying to act like adults in their late 20s, gambling in Vegas, talking about marriage, adopting dogs, etc. The violence Travis displays was alarming - it is NOT sexy for a guy to go ballistic and basically destroy his furniture/home and randomly beat up people who say hello to his girl. Plus he's got the whole tattoos and wannabe fight club thing going on. I also didn't like how Abby repeatedly references how he smells like smoke or his kisses taste like smoke. Ew. 

The other thing that bugged me was how Abby and Travis try to pretend like they're not a couple for at least half the book. "Oh no, no we're just friends! What are you guys talking about??!" Oh, I don't know, maybe your friends notice how you're sharing a bed and spend all your time together, guys. That was a small clue-in that you might possibly be interested in each other. Oh, except for how Travis still brings home girls and goes to town on them on the couch while Abby's sleeping in his bed down the hall. Again, ew. 

But you know, I get it, I get it. Travis loves Abby obsessively. Above everyone and everything else. He will fight and die for her (like he almost does in that fire, awww). The idea of all-consuming love, no matter how dysfunctional, is fueling the Christian Grey, Travis Maddox obsession across the nation. It's nice to imagine undeniably being someone's number one. And despite how laughable I found most of this book, I clearly didn't put it down in total disgust - I kept reading to the very end. Sucked in yet again, despite myself.

Stars: 3