Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for Ugly Love (from Goodreads):
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.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Favourite Author
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m at the point now where Colleen Hoover writes a book and I automatically read it. It could be a love triangle infested, alpha male overload book (two automatic book passes for me) and I would still pick it up. So me reading Ugly Love wasn’t a huge surprise.

I really didn’t know what to expect once I started reading. As with all Colleen Hoover (CoHo) books I knew that there was definitely going to be something more to this story than a simple “no-strings-attached” sex plot-line but I had no idea what and that made me excited. I have yet to be disappointed in CoHo’s delivery so I don’t feel guilty putting so much anticipation on this book.

The Plot:

I just love how CoHo writes her books. The plot can be so simple, like it is in this case, but she makes you feel like you are reading a brand new story every time. So while we might not have had music (Maybe Someday)–though there is a special song written for this book, it’s just not featured within the book–or art (Confess) or slam poetry (Slammed) as a primary element in this story, it was still as beautifully crafted as her other novels.

With this book we get the present day told from Tate and the alternating chapters are Miles from his past. While I enjoyed watching Miles and Tate together, I have to admit that reading Miles past was really addicting to me. I was immediately captivated by his story and loved how is character is presented. It just added a depth to his character that made me like him more because I’m not sure if I would have liked him if his story was kept hidden and he told his POV in the present…

The Characters:

Compared to previous CoHo books I felt like the character development wasn’t completely on point when it came to Tate. She really takes a backseat in this story. I’m not sure if it’s because I found Miles to be a much more interesting character given his past but Tate wasn’t all that impressive of a character to me. Of course I liked her and I loved her interaction with Miles (they had great sexual tension together!)–she is a solid character in her own right and I think that is the “problem”.

Miles is the one who has to overcome this issues and grow into the man he was always meant to be. Tate just has a much better grasp on her life so you really don’t see her growth as a character since she already has found herself by the time we are introduced to her.

I know that there aren’t any plans for immediate sequels for these books but I would love to read Corbin (Tate’s brother) and Ian’s (Miles’ BFF) stories *sigh*

The Romance:

I thought Miles and Tate had great chemistry together. I could see their connection despite not having these long, emotional talks together. I think their relationship in this book is more about finding that person you feel you can be completely comfortable with and the work it takes to let the past go and  embrace that. So what I mean is that I didn’t see this great connection between them like I have in other books but I did see it coming to light and that was enough for me in this book.

Movie!

This is going to be an indie movie! You can watch the official teaser trailer here!

My Rating: 4.5/5

It’s definitely not my favourite Colleen Hoover book but it is definitely worth a read! I shed some MASSIVE tears reading this because the story is so heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. CoHo fans will love this and those new to her works will definitely enjoy!

Read if You Like: no-strings-attached romances, emotional drama, tragic pasts
Avoid if You: want equal character development in your leads, don’t like emotional baggage, want a more erotica based novel

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