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alojko21's review against another edition
3.75
my first Colleen Hoover book and my last I fear… it was fine? Literally as soon as we got miles POV I said “dead wife at the beginning of the movie montage” and I was correct!
Also I think I hate insta love stories so much
Also also… whenever the male love interest demands the woman to do something it literally makes me hate them and want to m*rder them and I’m not joking. Miles did this consistently so I did not like him
Also I think I hate insta love stories so much
Also also… whenever the male love interest demands the woman to do something it literally makes me hate them and want to m*rder them and I’m not joking. Miles did this consistently so I did not like him
asangtani's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
tieganc's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
johannebaecher's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
geniesurreal's review against another edition
1.0
.5 out of 5 stars, that's the rating I'd rather give, but since we can't divide the stars in half I'll have to round up. The extra .5 can be tossed in for the finale's small redemption. I'm feeling gracious.
Here are a few thing I liked about this book:
- I liked how the author allowed pieces of Mile's history to bleed into his current "relationship" with Tate. (ie. Miles telling Rachel "I love kissing you Rachel" then later telling Tate "I love kissing you Tate" but more pained and almost regretful. We can see the emotional scarring in his few admissions.
- I appreciated the suspenseful telling of Mile's past throughout the book as opposed to it being revealed in a single flashback. Most of Mile's chapters are written six years earlier, retelling his trauma from the very beginning. It did make the climax all the more explosive and painful, as if I were there experiencing it beside Miles. I got emotionally attached to his happiness with Rachel until it blew up in our faces. I can see why people have said they cried at the end of the book. I teared up too.
Now before I rip Ugly Love to shreds, I'd like to extend a round of applause to Cap for being a real one.
I didn't have any expectations when starting this book, choosing to dive in blind to hopefully be pleasantly surprised by a rivetingly heartbreaking love story. However, with much regret, I was thoroughly disappointed instead. About halfway through I read the back cover to figure out what this book is supposed to be about again and at the very bottom I noticed an author's quote giving this book high praise for its brilliance. That author was Jamie McGuire, the creator of Beautiful Disaster. I should have taken that bad omen for what it was; a red flag.
After I passed the halfway point (approximately 162 pages) it felt like I've read nothing at all. Absolutely nothing up until that pausing point had stuck out to me as memorable.
Tate is a bland half-imagined character with no personality. She's a RN getting her masters while working at a hospital. That's all we know about her. Oh, and she likes orange juice. That's it. That's the little information we're given to string together to somehow create a love interest we should be rooting for. However I couldn't root for Tate, I couldn't sympathize with her or feel bad for her because there wasn't a her to grasp!
On the other hand, Miles is still suffering a traumatic loss from six years ago and isn't emotionally stable yet. He remained emotionally unavailable the entire book . I don't mean this figuratively. Tate is practically making love to a brick wall up until the last two chapters. This man could win millions in poker with his unreadable face! This man refuses to release ANY information about himself, even refusing to answer if he has any siblings. If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to slap him silly for evading the simplest of questions because it "threatened to break rule #1" I would have bought myself an ice cream cone to cool my anger down.
I know this book mentions Tate and Miles try a "friends with benefits" agreement however they weren't friends to begin with. They were barely acquaintances when they first met; Tate having to drag his drunk ass onto her brother's couch for the night so he didn't drool on the hallway carpet. They started out on the wrong foot and never made up for it, still holding the grudge of "what's their deal?" every time they meet again. Then - out of NOWHERE - they agree they're both attracted to each other and they want to have sex. And so ensues their weird relationship of pretending they're a couple while trying their hardest to keep every one night stand as simple as hooking up, and nothing more. Tate falls helplessly in love with an emotionless brick wall while Miles rudely reminds her they have no future while using her for sex. It's a messy arrangement that just gets messier until it's almost difficult to want them to stay together. I almost wished they did break up and let bygones be bygones.
The ending did redeem the book a little with how it tied a few loose ends up and revealing the traumatic event that has forever changed Miles. I'm not a heartless monster, I did tear up at the end after reading all that Miles went through, what he has lost, and my heart - for a moment - went out to him. However the explosive ending couldn't fully make up for the sludge I had to read through to get to that point. For most of the book I felt dragged through lifeless conversations, boring character development - if there was any - and the corniest jokes that apparently had them laughing off their rocker.
Remember how I mentioned they were never friends before becoming "friends with benefits"?
The epilogue was sweet, I'm happy they're happy, but I'm more happy that I'm done with this book.
Here are a few thing I liked about this book:
- I liked how the author allowed pieces of Mile's history to bleed into his current "relationship" with Tate. (ie. Miles telling Rachel "I love kissing you Rachel" then later telling Tate "I love kissing you Tate" but more pained and almost regretful. We can see the emotional scarring in his few admissions.
- I appreciated the suspenseful telling of Mile's past throughout the book as opposed to it being revealed in a single flashback. Most of Mile's chapters are written six years earlier, retelling his trauma from the very beginning. It did make the climax all the more explosive and painful, as if I were there experiencing it beside Miles. I got emotionally attached to his happiness with Rachel until it blew up in our faces. I can see why people have said they cried at the end of the book. I teared up too.
Now before I rip Ugly Love to shreds, I'd like to extend a round of applause to Cap for being a real one.
I didn't have any expectations when starting this book, choosing to dive in blind to hopefully be pleasantly surprised by a rivetingly heartbreaking love story. However, with much regret, I was thoroughly disappointed instead. About halfway through I read the back cover to figure out what this book is supposed to be about again and at the very bottom I noticed an author's quote giving this book high praise for its brilliance. That author was Jamie McGuire, the creator of Beautiful Disaster. I should have taken that bad omen for what it was; a red flag.
After I passed the halfway point (approximately 162 pages) it felt like I've read nothing at all. Absolutely nothing up until that pausing point had stuck out to me as memorable.
Tate is a bland half-imagined character with no personality. She's a RN getting her masters while working at a hospital. That's all we know about her. Oh, and she likes orange juice. That's it. That's the little information we're given to string together to somehow create a love interest we should be rooting for. However I couldn't root for Tate, I couldn't sympathize with her or feel bad for her because there wasn't a her to grasp!
On the other hand, Miles is still suffering a traumatic loss from six years ago and isn't emotionally stable yet.
Spoiler
Understandable though since he did lose his newborn son and lost his first love. The pain he's suffering is tangible and real considering a loss of a child is a wound that never truly heals.I know this book mentions Tate and Miles try a "friends with benefits" agreement however they weren't friends to begin with. They were barely acquaintances when they first met; Tate having to drag his drunk ass onto her brother's couch for the night so he didn't drool on the hallway carpet. They started out on the wrong foot and never made up for it, still holding the grudge of "what's their deal?" every time they meet again. Then - out of NOWHERE - they agree they're both attracted to each other and they want to have sex. And so ensues their weird relationship of pretending they're a couple while trying their hardest to keep every one night stand as simple as hooking up, and nothing more. Tate falls helplessly in love with an emotionless brick wall while Miles rudely reminds her they have no future while using her for sex. It's a messy arrangement that just gets messier until it's almost difficult to want them to stay together. I almost wished they did break up and let bygones be bygones.
The ending did redeem the book a little with how it tied a few loose ends up and revealing the traumatic event that has forever changed Miles. I'm not a heartless monster, I did tear up at the end after reading all that Miles went through, what he has lost, and my heart - for a moment - went out to him.
Spoiler
When he went to visit Rachel to see how she's fairing I felt that was the best thing he could have done. Seeing Rachel having moved on, married, and with a baby daughter gave Miles the conclusion he needed to end this cycle of pain and regret and begin his path towards healing. I really liked that chapter.Remember how I mentioned they were never friends before becoming "friends with benefits"?
Spoiler
When Miles returns from his visit with Rachel he feels ready to start loving someone again, to let them in and to give himself to them piece by piece. That's beautiful, that's amazing, that's the perfect way to start healing. I was proud of him and I was ready to root for him to get back together with Tate, to try actually dating her instead of using her for sex to dumb the pain. However - HE F*CKING PROPOSES TO HER WITH A RING. They just broke off their friends(never having been friends) with benefits and now they're ENGAGED????? How does that make sense!? That's not even jumping the gun, that's diving into insanity. Miles waved it off as "when you know you know" but I think he moved way too quickly and Tate is an idiot for saying yes immediately. This ENTIRE book he has remained closed off to her, offering bits and pieces of himself through gritted teeth, the most she ever got out of him was his favorite color, and he quite literally pushed her away several times and even "ended" them twice already. She barely knows this man beyond his penis and she agrees to marry him. ultimate facepalmThe epilogue was sweet, I'm happy they're happy, but I'm more happy that I'm done with this book.
katie_byrne3043's review against another edition
1.0
My initial thoughts after I finished it, was 5 stars but after thinking about it and processing it. It's a 4
mickydee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0