Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: Jamie McGuire
Narrator: Emma Galvin
Unabridged Length: 10 hrs, 30 mn
Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:
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 wants—and needs—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 have to admit when I requested this audiobook I didn't read the description at all, but was lured by the cover. This worked out well for me, because had I read the summary it may not have appealed to me. I believe this book would fall into the Young Adult genre, and I probably would not have enjoyed reading this book as much I enjoyed listening to the audio version.
Our main character Abby, is a young college freshman who has not lived an ideal life. Her father was a high roller in Vegas, but when his luck turned, he blamed Abby and they lost everything. This left them penniless while Abby strived to separate herself from her gambling addicted father.
When her and her best friend America start college at Eastern University Abby vows to make a new start. She doesn't want any of the trash that tainted her life to this point to threaten her future. The last thing she expects is for bad boy Travis to put a wrinkle in her plan. When Travis starts to pursue her she informs him that nothing could possibly happen between the two of them, starting an honest friendship that both of them appreciate.
The relationship between Abby and Travis is a rollercoaster ride of emotional ups and downs. Travis is the opposite of the kind of boy she was hoping to meet, but when she finally accepts that their relationship is much more than a friendship she embraces him wholeheartedly. She cannot foresee that her past will be the factor to threaten their union.
When I first started listening to this book I have to admit that I didn't care for Galvin's narration. It started out a bit cold an unemotional to me. But that changed as the book went on and now thinking back it makes sense. She was trying to start over and leave her past behind, so I can see how one would need to put their emotions at bay.
I enjoyed this audiobook more than I thought I would. Maybe it's because it reminded me of myself somewhat. A girl trying to put her past behind her, but still being attracted to the bad boy. Yup, I admit it. I like the bad boy! With themes of young love, new beginnings, and college life, this made for an interesting audio book. I feel that the young adult audience will appreciate this book even more than I did and I don't hesitate in recommending this novel in audio form.
My Rating: 4/5
Disclosure: This audiobook was provided to me by the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.
2 comments:
The bad boy doesn't usually appeal to me but the book still sounds interesting.
I did not like this one at all. The bad boy thing got old for me and it ended up being a DNF.
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