Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.
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. 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 uglyAudiobookPublished August 5th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Audio
Source: Publisher in Exchange for an honest review
Four Stars: A book with lots of feels, but lacking in originality.
Bone tired, Tate at last punches the elevator button that will take her up to her new digs. Tate is moving in with her brother while she completes her nursing degree. Hopefully, now that they are both adults they can handle living together again. Unfortunately for Tate, when she reaches the apartment door, she finds a drunk, passed out guy barring her way. When she calls her brother for help, he tells her to get inside and he will call his neighbor, Miles, to help. Turns out, the drunk guy is Miles. After their first rocky meeting, Tate and Miles discover they have a heated attraction, but Miles doesn't believe he is capable of loving anyone, so he purposes as no strings attached, sexual relationship, but before long, hearts get involved and love turns ugly. Will Tate and Miles find a way to heal the past?
What I Liked:
- It is no secret after numerous, wildly successful books that Colleen Hoover is a talented writer. She always delivers heart felt stories packed full of emotion and realistic characters. You know when you pick up one of her books you will get plenty of feels as you navigate rocky pasts and watch hearts heal. This book is no exception. It explores the ugly side of love, and there are lots of ups, downs and heartbreaks as well as smiles. If you are a fan of Hoover's style, you will enjoy this latest book.
- Tate and Miles are realistic characters, struggling with their own set of problems. At times, I wanted to reach through the book's pages and slap both of them for making such stupid decisions. Even though, I didn't approve of the way they acted and the relationship, I liked that Hoover kept it real. It is hard to see Tate remain in a relationship that on the outside is nothing more than lust and sex, but it is hard to walk away when hearts are involved. Tate made me cringe, but in the end, I admired that she stuck by Miles until she knew the truth. Her love changed him for the better. Miles is all kinds of broken, and I waited with each trip to the past for his world to come crashing down. While, I got that he was a mess, I desperately wanted for him to treat Tate right. It is roller coaster ride, that concludes with tremendous character growth and a happy, hopeful future.
- I liked the way that the this book featured dual points of view: Miles and Tate. I am always a fan of books that allow you into both characters' heads. I also appreciated the way that Hoover skillfully wove chapters from the present with the past. It was never an issue discerning the past from the present as she chose to narrate the past with beautiful, lyrical writing. I have to admit, I got to the point in the book when I was fast and furiously reading through the present chapters so I could get back to the past.
- Cap, the eighty year old elevator attendant, stole the show for me. I adored this sage guy who so expertly gave advice to Tate and Miles whether they wanted to hear it or not. I adored him!
- The ending was just perfect. Sweet, happy and satisfying. I loved it.
- The audiobook was fantastically done. It features two narrators: Deacon Lee and Grace Grant. Deacon especially does a phenomenal job with his calming voice of portraying Miles. Both narrators packed in plenty of emotion and made you feel as they read. I would absolutely listen to anything either one of them narrated in the future. I highly recommend this on audio.
And The Not So Much:
- Sigh... maybe it is me, but I am getting tired of the same old same old in NA books. This book features the well known trope of two people coming together, one with a broken heart and plenty of baggage and a relationship that manages to heal and turn something ugly into something beautiful. I couldn't help but to draw comparisons with other Hoover books I've read. I know that fans of Hoover will love this one, but I was hoping that she would break out and do something different. Still, she manages to capture my attention with her gorgeous writing, flawed characters and emotional situations.
- I thought the Ian and Corbin were underdeveloped. Ian was Miles long time best friend, someone who had been with him through thick and thin, yet I knew so little about him. I felt the same way about Corbin, Tate's overprotective big brother. I kept waiting to uncover some more depth regarding both of them, but I didn't. I was especially curious about Corbin and his own romantic life and all that. I am hoping that perhaps Hoover will bring him back in another book because I was getting the impression that something was going on with him.
- Miles and his father had their difficulties in their relationship. I liked that they finally came together in the final chapters in the past and set aside their differences, but then what happened after that? Did Miles' father help him through his tragedy? Did they grow closer or further apart? There are only a couple of tiny mentions of Miles' father in the present chapters which was kind of frustrating since he played a big role in the past.
- This is minor niggle point, but in the early chapters, Tate meets this guy in the elevator who is an absolute prick. A married guy with no morals. He continues to pop in and out and hit on her, and I kept expecting him to get what was coming to him, but then there is a tiny little show down and nothing more. I wanted the wife to leave him or do something but she never comes into the picture.
All in all, Ugly Love is a book that is packed full of emotion. Parts of it will make you simmer with anger and frustration as you see how detrimental a relationship not built on love, trust and friendship can be. It features a tragic and broken character who struggles to overcome the past and learn to love again. If you are a fan of Hoover, or you have yet to read her work, you are in for an up and down journey. You will laugh, cry and feel many emotions in between. I liked the book a lot, but I wished that it was more original.
Favorite Quotations:
"If you love me more today than you loved me yesterday, then I can't wait for tomorrow," she says.
"As much as I know I'm too far gone to continue treating this as casual sex, I'm also too far gone to stop it. I'm terrified of losing him for good, so I sell myself short and take what I can from him, even though I know I deserve better."
"Some people...they grow wiser as they grow older. Unfortunately, most people just grow older."
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
