Ugly Love

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.

I was helluva excited about Ugly Love but I was a bit scared to actually read it because I loved Colleen’s previous works especially Maybe Someday. I kept thinking that while there is a good chance I’d really enjoy UL, I’m never going to feel the same way about it that I did with MS. It would be like the replacement goldfish that your parents try to convince you to take care of is just as great as the one you had to flush down the toilet. It’s not its fault but it’s just not the same as the first you really loved.

The verdict? Colleen Hoover has nailed it A.G.A.I.N.! 

I typically don’t make bold statements like this but I’m going to because I feel so strongly after reading UL. CoHo has been a go-to author for me since the day she wrote Slammed. Whenever there’s a new release, I beat down the doors to get it. If I were in my teen days, I’d probably be wearing shirts proclaiming the awesomeness that is Colleen Hoover and would probably be making posters hanging in my wall just like the one’s I did for my favorite boy bands back in the 90′s (true story).

Colleen Hoover is an auto-buy author for me for wonderfully written contemporary novels with swoon-worthy and unforgettable characters. She infuses so many unpredictable elements into her books and the little details are so wonderful. Ugly Love of course is no exception. From an awesome and very peculiar reference to Tate and Miles relationship down to the delicate choice of words. I just found myself smiling at the smallest details and it added so much to my overall enjoyment of the story. CoHo writes the perfect contemporary novel for me. It isn’t so distorted of a reality that it becomes too unbelievable but it has just enough drama that keeps you reading. Because, let’s be honest here, if novels were TOO realistic, we’d be bored and feel like we were reading about our own stories. She writes things I felt as a teen and still feel now at 33 <<–(secret).

All of her characters really felt alive and real to me. Its not very usual that I adore the heroine. Most of the times I want to slap them with their own book. But here in UL, I’d say I loved Tate more than I loved Miles. She’s different. She can be funny but when you get to know her a little deeper, you would know there is more to Tate than just those funny lines and sexy body. Even if she proclaims she doesn’t have time to have a serious relationship, she knew from the start how she really felt for Miles and that is more than just their arrangement for sex. I can honestly say that I felt like I was reading the character of Tate as a big sister. I was protective of her, I wanted to hug her during both crappy and awesome moments. 

And Miles? I know you want to know if the boy is as wonderful and remarkable and swoon-worthy as Will and Ridge. Oh YES ladies! Eat your heart out. Be prepared to be so thrilled about the book boyfriend that CoHo has handed to you on a silver platter. There are seriously not enough “nice guys” in Contemp lit. But Miles could lead the army against all those douchenozzles that seem to be in the “in” thing now. I want to see more guys that are super nice, but not pushovers, and actually have a personality. Miles is one. He’s polite, responsible, very committed to his work and honestly the type of guy I love and I truly felt as though he complemented Tate so well. He’s nice but not perfect. He’s got some unusual habits and interests and some stupid boy moments. He likes, oh scratch that! He needs Tate but not in a romantic way; not in the way she likes him. But he was very vocal about his needs and very upfront about it. No attachments. No Love. Just plain SEX. And the only way they could continue with this arrangement is if Tate follows 2 of his rules. 

It may look absurd, one-way and very UGLY. But Miles has his reasons. Something about his past that made him so apprehensive to start feeling it again. But love, no matter how ugly it could become, has its own instinct, finding the way to the heart. It has its own way to reach its own destiny. And once the destination is found, it follows its own path to blossom.

I don’t want to give away anything about this book, but I honestly loved the whole story, the romance, the tension that was present in different threads of the story, and the ending! Oh my goodness! I felt myself charmed by Tate and swept up in Mile’s life. He certainly went through a lot in the story and I really believed in his progress and the path that CoHo leads him on. Ugly Love was not overwrought with emotion and drama but perfectly captures the complicated nature of love and relationships. It also shows the joys that come with the pain and awkward moments. It shows the ugly side of love.

I know of some who had problems with things in the book. I may not know the technical details in plot diagram or anything like that but I knew that I was held captive by the story. I knew that crazy sensation of shaking yourself out of the pages of the book that you were so trapped in and finding yourself back in reality. I knew the feeling of wishing there could be more pages to appear because you just weren’t ready to be done with the last few ones because you devoured the book at an alarming pace. This is how I felt with Ugly Love. And I think these is all that matters. CoHo’s writing is undoubtedly beautiful and lush and worthy of being savored. But how could I? I needed to know what happened…badly!