Was your biggest problem with Fifty Shades of Grey that there wasn’t another book that was the exact same story from Christian’s perspective? If it was (and we’re led to believe there are actually people who feel this way, so, yeah, look out for them), then we have exciting news for you, because we’ve solved the problem! Bad Books, Good Times is reading a new erotic romance, because we’re pretty sure if we choose to not read at least one erotic romance novel at any point in time, this will happen to us:
So we’re reading Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Diaster, the tale of a good girl who gets caught up with a bad boy. And we’re reading the sequel, Walking Disaster, which is the same story from the guy’s perspective. It’s the same love (?) story told in parallel by the man and the woman involved in it. And, hey, would you look at that – the people who run this blog are a man and a woman.
So Ariel’s reading the story from the female character’s point of view, and Matthew’s reading the story from the male character’s point of view. And yes, we will be petty and take sides. It’s the battle of the sexes, from the bloggers that don’t even give a shit!
Beautiful Disaster
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 wants—and needs—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.
Ariel says: I’m going to hate this bitch! She doesn’t drink OR swear?!?! Those are two of my favorite things to do! CARDIGANS?!? Oh my God. One thing that interests me is that this is a College Romance! We’ve been so focused on adults with big careers or recent graduates who fall into a life of luxury (literally, actually) that we forgot erotic romance can happen while you’re still in college!
Because I’ll never pass up the chance to side about ridiculous things and passionately defend them until the end, I will (reluctantly) take the side of this Abby person and be personally outraged when she falls prey to this Walking One-Night Stand (is that similar to the walking dead in any way?). I will also be personally outraged when Matt defends this predator.
Matthew says: Predator? Please. He has a tattoo of a butterfly. That is apparently coming to life. Maybe he’s a wizard. I think this is a college wizard erotic romance.
Walking Disaster
Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.
Matthew says: As a similarly dangerous man/sexual tyrannosaurus, I can’t wait to read Travis’s side of the story. Fuck Beautiful Disaster. This is a story about bitches and hoes. Wait, how do you pluralize “ho”? Is it “hoes” or “hos”? “Hos” doesn’t look right. I will have to consult with other dangerous men/sexual tyrannosaurs that I know next time we go motorcycling and shaving. But this is totally the real story, right here, whatever it’s about. This is a story about dangerous men/sexual tyrannosaurs for dangerous men/sexual tyrannosaurs, to be read between sets while lifting at the gym or sleeping with a vast multitude of women, as dangerous men/sexual tyrannosaurs such as myself as wont to do.
Dear Girlfriend, I know you’re laughing your ass off right now.
Ariel says: Matt likes to tell you guys about his life on here, and it’s all like job this job that, but he has this fantastic girlfriend he failed to mention. And she is 100% Ariel approved!
Should we start taking bets on which of you throws your piece of “fine literature” at the wall first? Because that was definitely my reaction to Walking Disaster.
If I wasn’t reading Beautiful Disaster from the kindle app on my computer, it would have been me last night. I mean, for fucks sake, Travis starts calling Abby Pigeon the FIRST TIME they meet (which is of course because she falls into his arms), so barf already.
I was reading a copy from the library so I couldn’t throw mine at the wall either, unfortunately. I don’t remember the “fall into his arms” cliche meeting–I think my brain mercifully blocked a lot of details, although I do remember that you have many more “Pigeons” to look forward to.
It’s when Abby first goes to the Circle or whatever the fuck it is. She gets pushed in the crowd and falls right into Travis’ arms.
If we wind up doing a drinking game for these books, you’d black out drinking every time Travis calls Abby Pigeon…within one chapter.
I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure EL James is writing fifty shades from Christians perspective. I hope you guys read that when it comes out too
There’s rumors. We’re probably required by law.
It would be good for business but bad for humanity.
so in the other novels we’ve read we’ve been able to say pretty easily that the relationships were unhealthy due to BOTH parties. but since we’re getting both perspective we’re in a position as readers to pick sides!! TEAM ABBY VS TEAM TRAVIS. personally, I think i’ll be on team travis. abby sounds like a wet blanket
Oh, you can be certain we’ll be playing up the Team Abby vs Team Travis joke.
I started reading Beautiful Disaster last night, and I’m just so confused about everyone’s behavior. Travis hits on Abby and her reaction is to go into Total Bitch Mode because she knows what kinda guy he is! Oh snap! Bet you’ve never read this scenario before.
I’m (surprisingly) really excited for this! This book has been recommended to me on many occasions, so I’m looking forward to seeing if there’s anything actually good in it or if it’s just another 50 Shades (the college addition). Though, from the description of the guy, it might be more along the lines of the Crossfire series.
I’ve done my post for tomorrow already, and I think the series promises to be just as easy to mock but has enough to set it apart from the other books we’ve been reading. I mean, there are still some of the very same cliches used, but it seems like the two characters might start off trying to be friends first, which is different. I’m getting ahead of myself, though!
I am really looking forward to this as well! But not because I think the books will be any good…I just can’t wait to see the snarky comments fly between Ariel and Matthew. I <3 you two. (In a platonic you rock at this blog kind of way)
D’AWWWW that is so sweet! I too am looking forward to commenting sassy things on Matt’s posts. So far Travis seems to be quite an easy target. Then again, Abby is a pretty easy target too. She talks about cardigans way too fucking much as you will soon see.
I’ve already written my post for the first chapter too. Ariel and I already hate our respective main characters so much, it can only be wildly hilarious taking their sides.
how many IS the appropriate number of cardigans??
I was curious about that as well! I THINK I may own one somewhere in the back of my closet, but that description was making me feel all insecure about my cardigan count! I was wondering if I missed the memo and/or needed to go shopping for a cardigan refill. EEEK!
Ridiculous question! As many cardigans as possible!
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warners-beautiful-disaster-jamie%20mcguire-50-shades-grey-356496
Oh dear god.
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All of the novels you’ve read so far have been from the female’s POV, so it’ll be nice to see a male’s perspective. That being said, all the male characters thus far have been shitty assholes, so it’ll likely be more infuriating than interesting. Also I’m betting the descriptions of the guy getting aroused are going to be hilariously bad.
Pretty much. You’ll see.
OMG I didn’t know you guys were reading this! Thank you so much!!! I hated this book so so hard. I think worse than I hated 50 shades of grey!
So now I will be bombarding your site with comments about shit you wrote a month ago. Bad books, good times indeed!