{Review} Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Posted by Jess
Release Date: August 5th, 2014
Finished Date: November 27th, 2014

Publishers: Atria Books
Genre: New Adults, Contemporary 
Source: Bought
Format: eBook

Pages: 337

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

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.

The Review: Well what can I say. Ugly Love stole my heart. It always takes me some time to get around to reading a Colleen Hoover book, mostly because I can seem to prepare myself for all the angst and emotional rollercoasters that she puts us through.

Ugly Love was probably one of my favourite Colleen books. I've read 2 others of her books, but this is definitely the firm favourite. I was engaged from the start, I loved the concept and the way the alternate points of views were written. By about the 70% mark I did start to struggle with liking Tate, mostly because she seemed to be a glutton for punishment, and I of course didn't understand her need for Miles. Naturally Miles is completely charming, completely irresistible, but I just didn't get why Tate stuck around, and I'm still pretty much feeling the same way. However, after finding out what had happened to Miles in his past, I did get a better understanding of him, and his reactions and behavior toward Tate.

The story paced well, and had plenty of development. Writing style was unique in the sense of the way Colleen wrote from Miles's point of view. It continued to engage and awe. 

Full of complete angst and yet satisfyingly engaging and somewhat humorous in parts, I enjoyed Ugly Love, and of course I will naturally be reading more from Colleen, even if it does take me some time to get to the books.

I drop a star mostly for Tate and that 70% mark in the book where I got extremely frustrated with her. Overall, a wonderful story which always left me wanting more from each page, and in the end, a book that I couldn't put down.

{Blog Tour} Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Posted by Donna
Release Date: August 5th, 2014
Finished Date: July 27th, 2014

Publishers: Simon & Schuster  - The Hot Bed
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback

Pages: 400

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

An unforgettable love story that breaks all the rules.

When Tate Collins finds airline pilot Miles Archer passed out in front of her apartment door, it is definitely not love at first sight. In fact, they wouldn't even consider themselves friends. But what they do have is an undeniable mutual attraction.

He doesn't want love and she doesn't have time for a relationship, but their chemistry cannot be ignored. Once their desires are out in the open, they realise they have the perfect set-up, as long as Tate can stick to two rules - never ask about the past and don't expect a future.

Tate convinces herslelf she's ok with it, but soon realises that it's harder than she thought. Will she be able to say no to her sexy pilot when he lives just next door?

This new romance from Colleen Hoover will have you laughing and crying in equal measure - definitely her best book yet!

The Review: “I’m not Tate when I’m near Miles. I’m liquid, and liquid doesn’t know how to be firm and stand up for itself. Liquid flows. That’s all I want to do with Miles. Flow.” - Tate

I didn’t want Ugly Love to be better than Maybe Someday. I didn’t want to love it more. But it’s simply impossible because Ugly Love is a stunning read! 

When Tate Collins and Miles Archer first meet, they can’t hide the instant attraction they feel for one another. The problem is Miles has had a difficult past and for that reason he’s as closed off as ever. Because Mile's is not willing to let anyone close and certainly not willing to fall in love with anyone, it’s how they realize that they can have what they want with each other but without all the feelings of a relationship – so just sex, no feelings. But the more Tate gets to know Miles she can’t help but wish for more. But how can Tate get through Miles coat of armour without him running away from her? But more importantly can Tate come out of this without a broken heart?

I’m amazed and in complete awe of Colleen Hoover. Ugly Love utterly blew me away and I was totally wasn’t prepared for that. I didn’t think anything could beat Maybe Someday but this was just, wow. Completely moving and deeply heart-breaking, Ugly Love has a way of hooking you from the very start and then not letting go until you’re a broken mess with emotions flying all over the place. It's written beautifully and full of suspense and a complete fantastic read! 

Tate is a fantastic character. She’s loving and caring and a little bit feisty and knows what she wants too. It’s like when she meets Miles, she knows she’s in trouble but no matter what she does, she can’t stay away. Miles, it's just impossible not to love him. Even through all the times he is with Tate you can see how much he feels for her but clearly doesn't wasn't to admit. He’s a man of little words but I think that adds to the mystery of his character. I love that is such a lovable guy, even though he’s trying to protect himself you can feel what he’s feeling – it’s heart-breaking. 

It’s impossible not to fall head over in love with both Tate and Miles. With the dual narratives, it was great to get into both heads but I guess what I didn’t expect was for the twists on how the story was written. We get Tate’s present story but Mile’s past story which I guess that makes sense because Mile’s is the one with all the issues, but it just worked so well within the story that it adds the excitement and the emotional side of the story. But when Mile’s story finally catches up with his present story, oh gosh, the tingles… just be prepared! 

Overall, Ugly Love is another exceptional novel by Colleen Hoover and I can only wish and hope for more from this very talented author. 

“I didn’t fall in love with you, Tate. I flew.” Miles 

Thank you to The Hot Bed for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Blog Tour for Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover; Review

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 18th, 2014
Finished Date: February 28th, 2014

Publishers: Simon & Schuster 
Genre: New Adult
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Contains exclusive content: songs from Griffin Peterson.

 Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble - she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope…. Maybe someday… Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…

The Review: Beautifully written and heartbreakingly emotional, Maybe Someday is an incredibly moving story that has left a mark on my heart!  

Sydney Blake has always been a music lover, so when neighbour; Ridge Lawson starts playing his guitar on his balcony every night, Sydney is hooked and she soon finds herself sitting outside listening to Ridge's playing every night. When Ridge convinces her to swap phone numbers, the two share their love of music together when he convinces Sydney to write lyrics for his band. It’s not until Sydney finds out her boyfriend of two years is cheating on her with her best friend, that she is left homeless with no place to go. Luckily for her, Ridge is there to step in and help by offering her a place to stay, however, writing music together can be a personal and intimate experience and they soon have to fight their attraction to one another because Ridge has a girlfriend...one that he won't leave ever. Can these two overcome their attraction to each other while trying to do the right thing, by not becoming unfaithful people?

I have to be honest, if the opportunity hadn’t arisen to read Maybe Someday, I’m not sure I ever would have gotten to around to it anytime soon. And let me tell you what a big mistake that would have been, because then I would have missed out on this gem of a book. So, massive, massive thanks to The Hot Bed!

I'm even sure I can express how much I fell in love with this book. Colleen Hoover has written a remarkable book, that I know I won’t be forgetting for a long time. The way this story written is so heart achingly beautiful that I found myself completely enthralled with it until the very last page. Even now, weeks later, I still find myself thinking about this book because it’s like no other book I’ve read. It's definitely high on my re-read list. The reason I feel for this story so much was because I've just read nothing like it before. It's so unique and you can really feel how much heart and soul has gone into the writing of the story. The music aspect really makes it believable and gives you a strong connection to the whole story and the characters. I loved reading the lyrics to the songs and even better, you can actually listen online to the songs sung by Griffin Peterson. And I've listened to some of them, and they are so great and very beautiful because the lyrics are so real to the story.

The story itself is not only based on music but also the growing relationship between Sydney and Ridge. The problem is that Ridge does have a girlfriend. Some people may be turned off by the fact that it’s kind of ‘cheating’ book, but before you run away and say no, please believe me when I say read it. It's really not your typical ‘cheating’ story where the characters completely disregard everyone’s feelings and just do whatever they want. No, this is a story about strength, compassion and dedication. Sydney and Ridge work so hard at not making any mistakes. They fight their attraction all the time. As a reader, you're rooting for them so you're just dying for something to happen between them, but you can also understand why it hasn't. The tension is unbelievably sizzling and then combine that with the connection the characters have, it's a tense story, one that's very unpredictable and emotional. And because the story is told from both characters points of view, you really are torn with what's right and wrong. You can feel and see the emotional turmoil they are going through. 

I absolutely loved Sydney and Ridge. They were two very strong characters that have tried to do the right things. They are both fierce characters and honest characters, and the way they interact with one another is something I won’t be forgetting for a long time. They open up to each other in many ways they haven’t with anyone else and their journey is just beautifully remarkable. Sydney was a girl that you could admire - she doesn't judge people and takes things as they are. She's very compassionate and loving and I believe she matched Ridge in every way. And by the end of the story, I was balling like a baby, it's pretty hard not too

As you can see, I couldn’t fault Maybe Someday and honestly I’m glad I can’t. Colleen Hoover has written a beautiful story and combine that with Griffin Peterson's music, it's one of the best new adult books I've ever read. You simply can't miss out on this book, so I hope you read it too!

Favourite Quote: "I kiss her every way I can possibly kiss her, because I plan on loving her every way I can possibly love her. Every single time we refused to cave in to our feelings in the past makes this kiss completely worth the sacrifices.” - Ridge 

Massive thanks to The Hot Bed for this great opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review! 

AUTHOR BIO

I love music. LOVE music. Namely The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, Pink, Eminem. I have eclectic taste? If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

I'm addicted to diet pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It's a serious addiction, I tell you.

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request...so request me, dangit!

If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by random, pointless blog posts, follow me at www.colleenhoover.com    

A Review for Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5) by Colleen Hoover

Posted by Donna
Release Date: March 18th, 2014
Finished Date: March 1st, 2014

Publishers: The Hot Bed
Genre: New Adult
Source:  For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 176

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

The Review: After finishing Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday, I needed and wanted to read something else by her. As you can see Finding Cinderella was the pick, and gosh what a fantastic novella it is. (plus the novella it is FREE on Amazon!)

We first met Daniel and Six in Hope and Holder’s stories, but it’s not until in Finding Cinderella, which is told from Daniel’s point of view, do we get theirs. 

While hiding out in a storage cupboard during a free period, Daniel meets a girl – in the dark – that wants and needs to be in someone else’s shoes. This girl – whose name he doesn’t know – wants a fairy tale. She wants someone to love her and take care of her. So, he decides to call her Cinderella. It’s not until Cinderella disappears that Daniel realises that he could possibly fall for this girl but, he never sees her again.

One year later, Daniel has just broken up with his current girlfriend and meets Six for the first time at Hope’s house. They have a connection that they can’t explain, until Daniel figures out that they have met before….and all his dreams may have possibly come true. 

What a charming read Finding Cinderella is! If you wanted more from Colleen Hoover, then this is definitely something you need to read. It’s would be better if you had already read the other books in the Hopeless series but still, this could be a standalone as you won’t feel like you’ve missed a thing. It’s a cute but emotional story, one that’s hot, sexy, and written beautifully. And if anything, it’s left me wanting more of Six and Daniel. 

I loved Daniel. I loved getting in his head. I loved his playful personality. I loved his family. I loved everything about him. It’s pretty hard not to if I’m honest, and it’s the same with Six too. She’s a fun character, but one that needs a connection to someone where they will treat her the way a girl is supposed to be treated. It’s only ever with Daniel that she feels like there is someone there for her – apart from Hope – but someone that can love the true her. Together they are amazing and so much fun together. 

What I didn’t expect at the end of this story was that little shocking curve ball that was added. Well done Colleen, well done! It so wasn’t expected but added that extra humph to the story. It definitely tied Six and Daniel together even more. I would love to see another novella from them maybe 10 year later though - to see if that curve ball in the story ever becomes resolved. 

In all, I loved Finding Cinderella, it was a lovely and beautiful read and it makes me even more eager to get my hands on Colleen’s other series Slammed. 

Favourite Quote: “I have no idea who you even are and now you're my damn girlfriend. What the hell have you done to me?" She holds her palms up defensively. "Hey, don't blame me. I've gone eighteen years swearing off boyfriends and then you show up out of the blue with your vulgar mouth and terribly awkward first kisses and now look at me. I'm a hypocrite." "I don't even know your phone number," I say. "I don't even know your birthday," she says. "You're the worst girlfriend I've ever had.” 

Thank you to The Hot Bed for sending me this amazing book in exchange for an honest review!