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A review by erina
Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
4.0
Warning fellow readers, this book brought out my split personality, so this review might be a little on the ranty, oddball side. On the one hand, Travis Maddox is a misogynistic psychopath and this book is ridiculous and nonsensical at best, and will destroy Western civilization and women’s rights at worst. On the other hand, golly gee if I didn’t just read it in a day and a half and I couldn’t get enough of my sweet Travis. A part of me wants to give this book one star, and the rest wants to give it five stars. I liked it, but I feel like I really shouldn’t have.
While I was conflicted but ultimately downright giddy over Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster upped the ick factor considerably. One thing I think is fairy certain, is that if you disliked Beautiful Disaster, you should not attempt to read this book because your brain cells might melt. Also, while it might be a companion book, it doesn’t really work if you haven’t read Beautiful Disaster. Without the knowledge of the first book, this book is filled with plot gaps and lacks character development. I felt like I spent a lot of time in Travis’s head in this book, and, in fact, this book devotes so much time to Travis’s emotions that not a whole lot actually happens in the book. Good thing I knew who Abby was already, because frankly I don’t think we see that much of her here, or at least not enough to really justify Travis’s infatuation with her.
Travis, at least for the first 100 pages, really is a misogynist. Women to him are sluts and vultures, as he frequently tells the reader. He doesn’t respect or like them at any level. Women fall in two categories a) sluts who don’t respect themselves and who he has sex with and, b) the rest of womankind who he entirely ignores. Gross. Then Abby enters the picture and she is a “bitch” and, as such, is “refreshing.” I don’t really know if I get it. Anyway, relatively quickly Travis falls in very confused love with Abby, or at least becomes super possessive and obsessed. Creepy. Eventually, Travis becomes the kinda sweet, lovable, sociopath that I can’t seem to get enough of for some bizarre, probably cultural, reason. Seriously, this is where the split-personality thing comes in. Then he acts extra crazy, even for him, and indeed a suicide watch would likely be called for in real life. He also drinks bottles, and bottles of hard liquor, drives drunk constantly, and has a violent rage problem. Seriously, he is super fucked up. I would run from him in real life, and if I was Abby I would switch schools and get a restraining order.
On the other hand, I can’t get enough of him. I can’t explain it. I raced through this book. I scoffed, but I also read it till my kindle ran out of batteries. God help me, I rooted for the crazy bastard. I don’t know why, but there is something appealing to his character. Maybe it is the complexity, maybe the hotness, maybe the vulnerable confidence thing he has going on, maybe even the possessive/ jealous thing? Whatever the case he is addictive. Hence the “vultures” who want to sleep with him I guess.
A note on the epilogue. It was ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. I loved it in the same fucked up way I love Travis, but really it was ridiculous. There aren’t really any other words.
In conclusion, Travis is a bloody scary person, this book is utterly nonsensical without firmly knowing Beautiful Disaster, and, yet, I loved the damn thing. This is the guiltiest pleasure book ever. I can’t wrap my head around it. Really can’t wait to hear what other people thought, and if they had an identity crisis while reading it too.
While I was conflicted but ultimately downright giddy over Beautiful Disaster, Walking Disaster upped the ick factor considerably. One thing I think is fairy certain, is that if you disliked Beautiful Disaster, you should not attempt to read this book because your brain cells might melt. Also, while it might be a companion book, it doesn’t really work if you haven’t read Beautiful Disaster. Without the knowledge of the first book, this book is filled with plot gaps and lacks character development. I felt like I spent a lot of time in Travis’s head in this book, and, in fact, this book devotes so much time to Travis’s emotions that not a whole lot actually happens in the book. Good thing I knew who Abby was already, because frankly I don’t think we see that much of her here, or at least not enough to really justify Travis’s infatuation with her.
Travis, at least for the first 100 pages, really is a misogynist. Women to him are sluts and vultures, as he frequently tells the reader. He doesn’t respect or like them at any level. Women fall in two categories a) sluts who don’t respect themselves and who he has sex with and, b) the rest of womankind who he entirely ignores. Gross. Then Abby enters the picture and she is a “bitch” and, as such, is “refreshing.” I don’t really know if I get it. Anyway, relatively quickly Travis falls in very confused love with Abby, or at least becomes super possessive and obsessed. Creepy. Eventually, Travis becomes the kinda sweet, lovable, sociopath that I can’t seem to get enough of for some bizarre, probably cultural, reason. Seriously, this is where the split-personality thing comes in. Then he acts extra crazy, even for him, and indeed a suicide watch would likely be called for in real life. He also drinks bottles, and bottles of hard liquor, drives drunk constantly, and has a violent rage problem. Seriously, he is super fucked up. I would run from him in real life, and if I was Abby I would switch schools and get a restraining order.
On the other hand, I can’t get enough of him. I can’t explain it. I raced through this book. I scoffed, but I also read it till my kindle ran out of batteries. God help me, I rooted for the crazy bastard. I don’t know why, but there is something appealing to his character. Maybe it is the complexity, maybe the hotness, maybe the vulnerable confidence thing he has going on, maybe even the possessive/ jealous thing? Whatever the case he is addictive. Hence the “vultures” who want to sleep with him I guess.
A note on the epilogue. It was ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. I loved it in the same fucked up way I love Travis, but really it was ridiculous. There aren’t really any other words.
In conclusion, Travis is a bloody scary person, this book is utterly nonsensical without firmly knowing Beautiful Disaster, and, yet, I loved the damn thing. This is the guiltiest pleasure book ever. I can’t wrap my head around it. Really can’t wait to hear what other people thought, and if they had an identity crisis while reading it too.