Blog Tour Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

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.

4 Star Review by Lisa's hubs Bill Downey

“I don't understand how it can be so perfect. How life and love and people can be so perfect and beautiful.  Then it’s not.  It’s so ugly.  Life and love and people become ugly.”

I never read any reviews for a book until after I have read it but I was so stoked with anticipation since the day I read the blurb for this book that I needed something to nibble on and the early reviews only raised the level of my anticipation with words such as “amazing 6+ star review (which I didn't even know existed, I've always believed 5 Stars was the accepted standard for the highest possible rating?) and, “ This is this author’s best work to date. “  I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree, I am a huge CoHo fan and adore her and everything she writes, several of her books are amongst my all-time favorites but for me this isn't one of them.

I am not saying this is not a good book because it is, and I highly recommend everyone read it but it was just a little disappointing for me. Maybe this is due to the expectations that come with the very high bar that's been set by the author’s previous works. The secondary characters were excellent; I especially loved old Cap's sense of humor. I have to say the last 20 % is Hoover at her best, the writing was amazing; filled with so much emotion it made me ( a grown man ) even tear up.  The last 20% of the book was absolutely 5 stars but the first 80 % for me was 3 and ½ stars due to the repetition and my intense frustration with our lead female character (Tate) for wanting so much more and accepting so little.

I also think it was because I am not used to this many cliché’s in a CoHo lead male character – Miles Archer. He has all the book boyfriend boxes checked off, young and attractive – check, sexy well-paying profession (airline pilot) check, Killer blue eyes that mesmerize women into puddles of liquid- check, spends crazy amounts of time at the gym to achieve the Abdominal Holy Grail “The V “- check, exceptionally mind blowing lover even after a self-imposed six year hiatus from such activity (?)  Hold on what did you just say – yes, it’s been six years since a 24 year old gorgeous, dreamy eyed pilot with incredible abs that include the heavily sought after V formation has had any sex at all of any kind – I had to force myself to suspend belief of this in order to continue on. I pondered to myself all the reasons I would willingly not have sex for six years and the only one that I could come up with is-  that I was in a coma.

 I knew there had to be a damn good reason and this was due to a very sad horrific tragedy that happened to Miles six years earlier, it was so emotionally traumatic that he locked his heart inside a safe even he didn't have the combination to and dropped it to the bottom of the ocean. He swore never to love again. When he met Tate he knew she was special, he knew she was everything he could ever ask for but there was no possible way for him to let her in. They come to an agreement to keep it strictly sexual. The only catch is Miles has two specific rules. Rule # 1 – Don't ask about my past, Rule # 2 – Don't expect a future. As we know these are every woman's two favorite rules so this should be a piece of cake. Not quite – Tate falls and falls hard, she wants more and tries everything possible to break the rules to which Miles responds to with callousness, rudeness or indifference. Eventually something has to give and Miles has to go back and face his past if there is ever going to be a chance for a future. This is where I felt the book really amp up, deliver waves of emotion and answer a lot of our questions. Im going to go with an overall 4 Star's for what is sure to be another best seller from this gifted author. This is where I felt the book really amped up and delivered waves of emotion and answered  a lot of our questions. I’m going to go with an overall 4 Stars for what is sure to be another best seller from this gifted author.

“I know the thought of confronting your past terrifies you. It terrifies every man. But sometimes we don't do it for ourselves. We do it for the people we love more than ourselves.”