Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Release Date: August 5th, 2014
Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBooks
Kobo

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.

Ugly Expectations….

When I read Ugly Love several months ago, I unconsciously dove in with inequitable expectations. They were ugly.
Ug-ly!!

I have read every single book this woman has ever blessed us to write. Each one bearing an inexpressible brand. A stamp, a trademark that can't be put into words. Something that links each book together as the same, but simultaneously expressing an individuality. This indescribable connection can only be described as one thing, Colleen Hoover.

So what the hell am I trying to say here???

Well…

My biased (and extremely judgmental) head was not on straight before I started Ugly Love. Even though I knew, I knew she was trying something different here, I still expected the same.

So my first reaction after finishing Ugly Love was a direct result of my own ugly expectations.

I thought it was a great book, but I thought it was missing something. Not something, someone. It was missing Colleen Hoover.

Or was it?

Several months later I received my proof copy in the mail. It was pretty….and shiny. Something told me I needed to read it again.

So I did.

I saw things.

Things I should have seen the first time I read it.

You know the "thing" I thought was missing?

It. Was. There. Ugly Love had a thing. It had the thing. This book did contain Colleen Hoover. It contained awesome! Awesome is THE THING!!

Now I'm not saying everyone's going to need to read this book twice to enjoy it. Readers just need to remember that what connects every single one of Colleen's books is her amazing talent for writing, and stories that leave us….leave us….Well, they don't actually leave us. They stay with us.

It's human nature to find comfort in something you love, never wanting it to change. But what if Oreos never became double stuffed? What if fountain drinks never went past the 32 ouncer? What if cubed ice never became crushed!!! Sometimes different is a great thing.

Expect something different.

Ugly Love is a great story. It digs a little deeper. Goes a little darker. Pushes a little harder. It creates an entirely new experience. Even the sex scenes had an intensity that went way beyond being hot or sexy. It emoted passion.

It was heartbreaking.

Miles was heartbreaking.

However, I never quite connected with Tate in the way I would have liked to. I'm not sure if I didn't understand her or that I understood her a little too well. Even though we eventually learn why Miles said the things he said and did the things he did; it was hard to respect Tate for putting up with it. I'm afraid her character was set up in a way that she was damned if she did, and damned if she didn't. Sometimes her inability to draw the line made her come across as weak.

I just missed that connection like I had with Miles.

The lyrical and poetic way the chapters from the past are written were beautiful, but it took me a few chapters to get use to it. However, once I got there, I loved it. Colleen's creativity knows no limits. Her writing knows no limits.

This is definitely a story about loss, but more importantly an excruciatingly painful story about love. Ugly Love displays the spectacular range of what Colleen Hoover can do and I absolutely can't wait to see what she does next!!

READ ON!