Reviews with content warning for Grief - Ugly Love

Well.

That was a ride.

I would pair the feeling of this one equal to that of watching paint dry. Slow and absolutely pointless. Hoover tackles you with her classic "tragic" storytelling - but really there's only telling and no story.

Why did I put myself through this, you ask? Because I couldn't quite fathom why Ugly Love was so popular despite the troubling content I've been exposed to via spoilers. So it only made sense to dive into my inevitable doom. At least the book was a borrow. My cents dodged a bullet there.

90% of this is just dragged writing of Tate in her apartment block. Either doing homework or doing Miles. A small percentage is paid homage to old man Cap who apparently presses lift buttons for a living. He's there to add character and "plot development" by the way.

Oh, and Tate? Oh she's just so special. She's really a dream. Darling girl simply cannot pass a homeless person without giving them money because her little heart can't take it. She's not materialistic and is a bad shopper and a bad cook. She also has standards when it comes to men. She will not fall for a flirty man who has a wife. She is absolutely NOTHING like other girls. And it seems for the most part, she belongs in a science textbook as she seems to refer to herself as "liquid" a lot.

To add to that, throw in her constantly being at war because she seems to love the term of "being invaded".

I couldn't y'all.

This be what you're lusting after? A deadbeat romance that was ridiculous to begin with? Tate knowing fully that Miles was not willing to commit and she said "sign me up for that", only to be picking up the pieces of her broken heart when, surprise surprise, he refuses to love her? Give me strength Jesus.

Also, don't understand the Rachel hate. I'd rather read from her POV over Tate's any day.

This was just insta love in the worst way possible. There was no foundation to Tate and Mile's "relationship". Nothing for me to feel as if they had something to fight for. Miles had trauma to overcome which is fine but it doesn't cover up the messy trajectory of his romance with Tate. You cannot fool me into feeling angst and anguish for a couple just because of one very traumatic event that has seeded itself as a hindrance in Mile's growth.

No further characters beyond the small group in this one building made for a very long boring read. And what is UP with the stigma that if you're not in a relationship/being intimate with someone, and you're good looking and have a good job, then something is absolutely wrong with you? Why is Miles given the third degree about being abstinent? Apparently that automatically makes him gay too.

Sue me but, fuck this book.

Content Warnings

violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

1.0

Content Warnings

umarshahzad's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ugly Love has got to be one of my fave reads by CoHo. It depicts the themes of PTSD, trauma, and emotional detachment really well. We follow the story fo two characters, Miles and Tate. Tate is a free reign girl that wants to start a fresh life, whilst Miles is an introvert that is very cordoned off from the beginning. Throughout the book, wee the development of both characters and how their lives part and collide with each other. We also get to find out why Miles is always very shy and not as energetic as Tate, and how him and his then wife Rachel had lost their baby in a car crash in water. It shows us the impact of memories and the guilt that Miles had to go through to believe that it was his fault whilst it was the opposite. We also see their personalities going in the reverse direcation to each other. For example, Tate at the start is a very eager girl and when she meets Miles, she feels like her life is going smooth, until we find out that Miles has a lot of trauma behind his past. Furthermore, we see Miles going in to opposite direction. He starts off as being very private and not meddling with anyone else's lives if they don't meddle with his, until he meets Tate and opens up to her about his guilt and his horrific past. We also see Rachel, who was Miles's ex, POV which I felt like was needed in this type of story, and how Miles was very developed and happy during his time with Clayton, their son. It also shows how impactful some post-trauma can be and how Miles blamed himself for the whole accident until he met with Rachel and she consoled him. Ugly Love deals with neglect and shows how even though there are some parts that are bad, it is the happy moments in the book and the lives of Tate and Miles that make up for the ugly love

Content Warnings