Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

"I knew the second I met you that there was something about you I needed. Turns out it wasn't something about you at all. It was just you."

Yesterday in my post about Abbi Glines I mentioned that Beautiful Disaster is one of my absolute favorite books. It's the truth. Jamie McGuire wrote this story and it speaks to me on so many different levels. Not only because of the story itself but because of the message I see in it. Beautiful Disaster is the first book I read that made me feel like there was perfection in imperfections. Travis Maddox is far from perfect but he still finds his way. He screws up, he's crude, possessive, a fighter, a player, and he makes mistakes. Yet, on some deeper level it's his flaws that make him so perfect just the way he is. It's the same thing for Abby. She's overly cautious, her past is checkered, she's too timid at times, and she has some serious family issues. But Travis and Abby see the perfection in eachother, and I don't mean that they only see the good in one another. That saying "love is blind" is overrated. What I mean is that they see all the flaws and they still think of the other as perfect. That is what I see as the best kind of love.
When I was a little girl I had a security blanket. It was pink, green, and white with fringe on all four sides and had bunnies on it. And most importantly...it made me feel safe. We all had something that gave us that feeling when we were children. Some people had special nightlights, stuffed animals, or something to that manner. As we grow, get older, and mature we give up those things. Some people just throw them out, some people pass that safety blanket or object down, or they might simply pack it up. For me, I replaced that safety blanket with books. This book is my safety blanket. Beautiful Disaster is my peace of mind. It's been with me through break-ups, fuck-ups, fights with my best friend, fights with my parents, moving out of my hometown, my first prom, and so much more. To this day, my best friend and I talk about this book and it's author with nothing but reverance.
Abby Abernathy is a symbol to young women everywhere that we don't have to let our past define our future. Her past is in poker matches, drinking games with her dad, and being raised by mobsters. However, she started over. Now her future is with Travis. Travis Maddox is a symbol that someone that fights illegally for a living, someone that used to sleep with anything in a skirt, someone that takes very little seriously, can change his way of living, and can break the bad habits. Can be monogamous, can make a better future, and can love and be loved even if he never thought it was possible. I'm not saying that any of the things I just listed are necessarily bad things. He just wants to be the best version of himself. This whole book is a rollercoaster of emotions, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a book about friendships, good and bad relationships, and love.
The best parts of Beautiful Disaster are not just Abby and Travis. America and Shepley are a true example of what friendship should look like. America is fierce, sassy, protective and loyal to a fault. The best kind of friend. Shepley is the ying to Travis's yang. The light to Travis's dark. All four friends bring out the best in eachother. They're family. That is how true friendships should feel. This book is a paragon for all books I read. I compare most books to this one. I would recommend this book to young women 16-24 years of age. It does contain adult content so I would ask readers to be mature but I read this at a young age so I'm not going to say 18+ years of age because it's not realistic. I just hope if you read it, you enjoy it. If not, no hard feelings! Different books tend to have different meanings for many people.

5 Stars

Author Spotlight: Abbi Glines

I still remember the day I came across my first Abbi Glines books. I was walking through Wal-Mart and I ended up where I always do, which is of course the book section. On those few shelves I saw Misbehaving and Hold on Tight both of them written by some author I had never even heard of. I didn't pick them up, nor did I read the backs. I ended up buying Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire that day instead, because it is one of my absolute favorite books. I've read that book so many times I fear it's going to fall apart completely. But when I got home I couldn't stop thinking about the author I'd never heard of. You see, I have heard of a lot of authors. It's actually rather unusual for me to not here of a YA author particularly. So I went to Google. And Goodreads. And Facebook. And then...I went to the library.

The first Abbi Glines book I cracked open was Because of Low. I come from a small town where the library never has a whole book series and half the time the first book to a series is nowhere to be found. This was one of those times. I did my research, so I knew these books were different characters and could be read out of order (which I love) so that's what I did. Because of Low was the first of many Abbi Glines books I've read to date, and there are still many I want to get my hands on. Abbi Glines has created a world I want to be a part of. Characters I want to be friends with. And opened me up to a whole new world of books. Reading her stories lead me to authors like Colleen Hoover, K.A Tucker, and many others. Some of my favorite authors and books. Books that stuck with me for a long time. Books that still stick with me.

Abbi Glines is one of the best. After reading most of the Sea Breeze series, I moved to the Too Far series, and then The Vincent Boys series. Next on my list is the Existence Trilogy. In all of those books, I have seen that Abbi Glines is not a one trick pony and that she is a person to look up to. The Sea Breeze series and the Too Far series are something I would say readers 17 years of age and up is for the best due to mature content. Or just a mature readers type of thing because I think I read it when I was 16. The Vincent Brothers however, if I had a 14 year old laying around somewhere I would give the book to her. I'm excited to read more, and see what else she has up her selves. 

I highly recommend Abbi Glines. Her books are fun, flirty, sexy, with great characters, and a great sense of humor. In fact...I may go reread one now.

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken

SWOON!!!

I'm going to be honest, I've actually read this series before. The Eagle Elite series is one of my favorites and I rarely ever reread books so that should tell you how much I enjoyed this it. Rachel Van Dyken is the bees knees. Mafia romances are definitely top shelf for me. They're action-packed, super hot, and addictive. It makes for one hell of a read. Plus the element of danger it adds to the characters personalities actually makes them hotter. Nixon...is super hot. Maybe a bit of an ass...but super duper friggin hot.



Nixon is a total asshole to our female main character Trace. I guess he has his reasons for that and by the end of this book we learn a little about what they are but for me I never truly understood. But Trace has a backbone and can hold her own so it's not too horrible. Trace is the scholarship student in a new school, still trying to get the dynamics of everything straight, and just learning what she can and can't do there. Even being new one of the first things she learns about the school is, don't mess with The Elect. This book does leave a little bit of a cliffhanger, but the second book of the series is also so good it doesn't matter. My advice is that if you want to read these books buy the first two at the same time.

The Elect is the academis most revered and feared clique. Nixon and his friends seem all powerful and shrouded in mystery. Trace can't seem to pull away. The whole book is a mystery and it's thrilling and dramatic and captivating. I love it. I will say, the book is a New Adult through and through. It definitely aims toward a younger audience, like myself. Not too young because of the mature content but 17-21 year olds is probably the best age rage for this series. It's also a series you'll either love or hate. It's got mixed reviews so honestly reading these books is like a coin toss, 50/50 chance that you'll actually like them. I really liked them, and I recommend them, but everyone has different tastes.

4 Stars.