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A review by em_thebookish_girl
Ugly, Beautiful Mess by V.T. Do, V.T. Do
4.0
This is my first read by V.T. Do; Ugly, Beautiful Mess is a standalone and book #1 in the Ugly, Beautiful Love series. It was previously published as "The Mess You Left Behind". The story is the same just the cover and title has changed. It's an angsty age gap romance, navigated from the main characters' perspectives: Emery and Wyatt's. I enjoyed reading this book and the characters are great! When they first met an instant attraction occurred between Emery and Wyatt. At times, you'll feel frustrated and annoyed with their behaviors, I certainly did. I mean, it got a bit tiring seeing them going back forth (it dragged on for a while). Unable to decide whether they wanted to be together or not; sabotaging their relationship before it even started. Emery craves for Wyatt's attention, but she can't trust him. Hence, she just knows that he is going break her heart. At first, Wyatt acted like an a**hole and his 'hot and cold' behavior gave Emery a mental whiplash. But as the plot started to unravel, he had his reasons why he acted that way. And eventually they gave in, they couldn't deny the chemistry between them any more. The last few chapters picked up! Especially when the secrets were brought to light.
I loved seeing all the characters' relationship dynamics with each other. Emery's bestfriend Joey is such a character! I laughed out loud at some of their group dialogues, and you can easily tell that Emery and Joey care about each other deeply; they are more like sisters than friends. They balance each other so well: Joey is more of a social butterfly, she's outspoken and confident. And Emery is socially awkward, she tends shy away from large gatherings. But Joey was persistent in bringing Emery out of her shell.
Emery comes from an affluent family, and she is aware that she's privileged. Despite everything being handed to her on a sliver platter, Emery is down to earth. She's smart and intelligent, hence Emery is striving as a college/uni student, valuing her education by studying hard to become successful in life. She prefers (and tries) to blend in and not flaunt her wealth. But she also have certain insecurities about herself. Besides her bestfriend, Emery isn't a fan of socializing or dating. She's questioning herself; something is missing in her life and she's doesn't know exactly what it is, until she met Wyatt.
Wyatt was in the 'right place at the right time' when their paths first crossed; he was literally her 'knight and shinning armour'. As soon as her eyes met Wyatt's, Emery was automatically drawn to him. But they didn't exactly got on the right foot. A relationship that was doomed to fail from the start; there was no future for them to be together. Yet this didn't stop them from wanting each other. A twist of fate, indirectly Wyatt and Emery are connected to each other; there's a shared history between them. Their relationship was formed on secrets, but the funny thing about secrets is that they have a habit of being revealed.
**I received a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review
I loved seeing all the characters' relationship dynamics with each other. Emery's bestfriend Joey is such a character! I laughed out loud at some of their group dialogues, and you can easily tell that Emery and Joey care about each other deeply; they are more like sisters than friends. They balance each other so well: Joey is more of a social butterfly, she's outspoken and confident. And Emery is socially awkward, she tends shy away from large gatherings. But Joey was persistent in bringing Emery out of her shell.
Emery comes from an affluent family, and she is aware that she's privileged. Despite everything being handed to her on a sliver platter, Emery is down to earth. She's smart and intelligent, hence Emery is striving as a college/uni student, valuing her education by studying hard to become successful in life. She prefers (and tries) to blend in and not flaunt her wealth. But she also have certain insecurities about herself. Besides her bestfriend, Emery isn't a fan of socializing or dating. She's questioning herself; something is missing in her life and she's doesn't know exactly what it is, until she met Wyatt.
Wyatt was in the 'right place at the right time' when their paths first crossed; he was literally her 'knight and shinning armour'. As soon as her eyes met Wyatt's, Emery was automatically drawn to him. But they didn't exactly got on the right foot. A relationship that was doomed to fail from the start; there was no future for them to be together. Yet this didn't stop them from wanting each other. A twist of fate, indirectly Wyatt and Emery are connected to each other; there's a shared history between them. Their relationship was formed on secrets, but the funny thing about secrets is that they have a habit of being revealed.
**I received a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review