Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Genre: New Adult/Adult
*NOT FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 17*
Blurb:
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
*Tissue box warning*
Call me crazy, but this book left me breathless. Colleen is a brilliant wordsmith, winding and wrapping her characters' emotions into a lyrical rollercoaster. The highs brought a soft smile to my face, while the lows brought an onslaught of tears. She. Never. Fails.
Miles, the complicated male protagonist, ensnared me from the moment I met him, passed out drunk in front of his best friend's apartment door. Only later did we find out he rarely ever drank, which I appreciated since he was an airplane pilot after all. While I felt it took a little longer than necessary to reach the reason for Miles' behavior, I knew the author would bring the heartbreak on in a storm of raging emotions.
I'm going to speak from the heart here, hopefully without giving any spoilers. I've experienced the pain Miles did. It's an emotional nightmare in which no one should ever have to experience. Never being able to match words with my feelings, as I read Colleen's descriptions of his despair, I realized she captured the sentimentality with such perfection, my words will never be needed. I'll forever pull quotes from Ugly Love.
Tate, the female protagonist, I noted is getting some hate. I respected her and the decisions she made. Were all of them the most brilliant? No, but she signed on the dotted line and managed to get what she wanted in the end. Tate's not some innocent child jumping into a world unbeknownst to her, and deep down, I figured she had a plan from the very beginning. Wouldn't you? She's a nurse, working on her master's degree while working weekends. He's a pilot gone for days at a time. The time for romance and relationships was lacking.
I wonder, how many people in this day and age have experienced such a situation. Two professionals who work long, hard hours—one ripped and disheartened—need to release some stress, so they sign on for a no strings attached relationship. One wants a little more than the other, but is willing to take what they can get. Made for an excellent story.
All of Hoover's books have a spellbinding, lyrical quality to them. Ugly Love more so than the rest. It took me a bit of time to adjust to the style of writing, particularly Miles' POV. To say I fell in love with those parts of the book would be an overstatement, as I felt they led to more telling than showing, but the words still rang out to me and sucked me right into the whirlpool of hot and spicy sex and tragedy.
Overall, my love for this book is endless. I would warn any readers looking to delve into the awesomeness that is Colleen Hoover, Ugly Love might not should be the first book of hers to read. While it is a pile of awesome covered with genuine genius, the lyrical writing may take a bit to get into. I recommend Slammed in the beginning, then work your way up to this novel.
Side Note: Colleen's ability to weave feelings into her descriptions is my favorite thing about her writing.
A few of my favorite lines:
And her eyes. There's no way her eyes aren't seeing a prettier, more peaceful world than all the other eyes. —Miles, location 283
He tightens his grip on my neck... and then he kills me.
Or he kisses me. I can't tell which, since I'm pretty sure they would feel the same. His lips against mine feel like everything. Like living and dying and being reborn, all at the some time. —Tate, location 971
And my all time favorite:
"I didn't fall in love with you... I flew."
