Release date: August 5th 2014Publisher: Atria
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis via 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.
*Approved via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Ugly Love definitely has its perks, but for the most part it was a sad story about the pain and suffering caused by the emotion. While I liked the lyrical writing and how fast-paced the story was, there were some things that bugged me. I would have loved to get more from Miles from the beginning than what the closing chapters offered. I know he's supposed to be this closed-off guy with a lot of pent up hurt, but I think I would have believed his feelings for Tate more had there been some establishment on his part from earlier.
I also didn't really like when the POV switched to him because it was mostly explaining his past and his undying love for another girl. While it was understandable that the author wanted readers to understand why Miles was now determined to never fall in love again, I felt like it didn't have to expound on his past for that long. Maybe two or three chapters, which included the main cause of his pain, and then switch it to present where his attraction to Tate is brought out more. It was just too unbearable reading about his feelings for Rachael (I didn't care for her) while Tate was there loving him so hard.
Speaking of Tate, I wish she was stronger. I know that in reality, some women tend to love a guy so much that they don't even have the strength to steer away from the guy when he refuses to be honest with himself about his feelings. But my gosh, it was just terrible for Tate. She put herself through hell to have any part of Miles, while he continued to punish himself by not giving in to love. Maybe it's me, but that just seems so wrong. I feel that no woman should settle for something like that, no matter how much she loves the guy. If he's playing stubborn and not willing to invest as much, then take a step back and give yourself some space from him. I know you're probably saying it's easy for me to come to that conclusion when I'm on the outside looking in, but their relationship was not healthy. There are people who have those situations worked out, where there are no strings attached, but that was bound to crash when it came to Miles and Tate. Miles just had too much baggage in his past for even casual hook-ups to work.
Fortunately for Tate, she finally got the nerve to walk away, and I think Miles finally realized how much he wanted to be with her when she left the situation and found the strength to not put up with his shield anymore. Even though he had to find his ex to make a decision, I'm glad he came to an epiphany and saw the good thing he almost let slip away.
In regards to other characters, I liked Cap and the way he provided advice for both Miles and Tate. Corbin and Ian were likable guys as well. I liked Corbin even more when he punched some sense into Miles. And Ian was just admirable when he called him out on his crap. It's cool when you've had a friend for that long. They know the hell you've been through and want more than anything to see you find happiness. That's the kind of person Ian was and I applaud him for always being there for Miles.
Overall, it was a good, bittersweet story with great writing. This is my third time reading a book by Colleen Hoover, and while I didn't love it as much as I loved Hopeless, it was still another good reading experience.
