Beautiful Disaster

By: Jamie McGuire

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

©2011 Jamie McGuire (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

" Beautiful Disaster is insanely addictive. Beautifully sexy, beautifully intense, and beautifully perfect. Jamie McGuire has written a damn good book." (Jessica Park, author of the New York Times best seller Flat-Out Love)

cant say the characters arent emotion jerking.

i want 1 of the main characters to be tossed out and replaced for being the biggest most annoying hypocrite ever, and the other is damnnear perfectly written to be liked even if flawed... like a real life friend. narration is 1 sided so far but good, would be 5 star if it was dual narrated though.
*@4hrs will update if i can stand to finish*

yup, entertaining YOUNG ADULT

This book is definitely a very, very, young adult-styled novel. I mean, the couple is cute, they would do anything for each other an the likes. Some of the lifestyles in the book are kind of awkward, but I mean McGuire is trying to add some tension/excitement to the young readers.

Abby Abernathy is a girl entering the college with the hope to escape from her past, leading to obviously meeting Travis Maddox who's a bad, baddd boy that she was hoping to not meet! Well, they fell for each other.

There are turns in the books but it kinds of get old that Travis is very well obsessed with Abby while she is trying to lie and hide her feeling for him. The romance moves fast in this book and she keeps switching back and forth, running away and giving in.

The book is overall entertaining and I would have given it a 3.5, but that doesn't exist here (ha). Great narration from Emma Galvin! And I love Abby's bestfriend (America).

Great book, terrible narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

yes, made chores pass quickly.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Disaster?

When Travis told Abby he loved her for the first time.

How could the performance have been better?

I honestly could barely tolerate the narrator's voice. She had no inflection at all. I will not buy another book narrated by this performer.

Was Beautiful Disaster worth the listening time?

Yes, only for the story itself.

Great Story!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Disaster?

The ending was great but I wanted more.

What about Emma Galvin’s performance did you like?

Her performance was great. She did an excellent job with the different characters voices.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. The characters were entertaining and the story kept me wanting more. This book was more of a romance and thriller all in one. Now if you're looking more for a Fifty Shades of Grey type of book...then this book is not for you. There were sex scenes but nothing like the Fifty books. You would not be disappointed with this one...it was a great read.

Love the book, just not the narrator...

What did you love best about Beautiful Disaster?

I love the story. I admit that the events are not common to the normal young adults life, but anyone who had the young angsty love affair in their youth, complete with emotional roller coaster will totally love this.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Travis, of course. Everyone wants to believe that their " bad boy" has a loving emotional side and wouldn't ever look at another girl once they found "the one".

What aspect of Emma Galvin’s performance would you have changed?

I've seen other reviews praising the narrator's performance and I don't get it. To me, she sounded like a 12 year old boy, and that was the prominent voice you hear as the narrator and Abby. I had trouble for awhile distinguishing between the Travis and Abby characters. America is the only female character that sounds like a girl consistently. It was more than halfway through the book before Abby's voice took on more feminine characteristics.
And the scene where Travis sings "I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)" by the Stones really annoyed me. It's a pretty well known song, and even though the narrator didn't need to sing it, she says the words in such a monotone, drab way that it looses the intent of the scene in the book.

If you could take any character from Beautiful Disaster out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Finch. He'd be fun to hang out with. :)

Any additional comments?

As much as I love the story, I can't rate it 5 stars because the epilogue ending is pretty hokey and winds the book up on a silly note. It really ruined the end of the story for me. I can't wait though, for "Walking Disasrer" to be released. It's Travis' version of the story.

Mesmerizing

Great read…the bad boy who gets tamed but not just by any girl. The one that can match his energy and they are unstoppable. My second time reading one of my favorites.

Such a good book!

Very good book! It was a little bit spicy at some parts and a decent amount of cuss words throughout the book. Very cute story line and really good ending as well. I also liked the voice of the reader and thought she did a great job. I will definitely be reading the next book.

Wow!

This was a great listen. I loved both of the characters. I'm excited to see the movie when it comes out. I haven't been this attached to characters since Demetri and Rose from the Vampire Academy book series.

Great!!

I really enjoyed this book & audio! I can’t wait for the movie to come out!

Well…

I was extremely put off by some reviews and the movie BUT I really liked it. I’m here for every “touch her and you die” kinda stories though.