Release: September 5th 2014
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary
Publisher: Atria Books
Back of the Book: When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s 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.
By Alex B.
I want to start off by saying some parts of this review was originally written in 2016 and posted on my old, short-lived blog, Black Girls Read, Too (RIP). However, my view on the book still stands but with some updated opinions.
Ugly Love is one of those books you see EVERYWHERE—all over Bookstagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and just about every book blog. However, that’s to be expected when it comes to most Colleen Hoover books.
During the time I originally read and wrote parts of this review, Ugly Love had been sitting comfortably on my TBR list for quite some time. Talks of a movie going into production helped pushed Ugly Love to the front of the list. Unfortunately, the movie never became a reality. Fingers-crossed a movie adaptation happens in the future but for now, let’s talk about the book:
The thing I loved most about Ugly Love is—this is about to get a bit spoilery so if you’re not into reading SPOILERS then I suggest you stop reading now—Miles’ lack of wanting to love someone wasn’t solely based on being in a bad relationship but because of the genuine loss he suffered losing Clayton. And the destruction it caused to his and Rachel’s life and relationship. Losing a child, I’d imagine, is hard to come back from especially if one places the blame on themselves.
Cap looks at me and shakes his head. “That’s not how it goes,” he says. “When life gives you lemons, make sure you know whose eyes you need to squeeze them in.”
— page. 234
Though I love Miles and Tate, it’s Cap who stole the show for me and quickly became my favorite character in the book. His friendship with Tate is adorable and he’s as equally adorable. I was, however, disappointed with the lack of friendships/relationships Tate seemed to have outside of her brother, Corbin, and Miles, which is probably why her and Cap’s friendship was so important to me.
This brings me to my biggest Ugly Love pet peeve: Tate’s lack of growth. My hopes for Tate were very high after reading the first couple of chapters. She came across as a strong and independent person.
However, the moment Miles gave her the smolder, it’s like everything I thought she would be turned out to be a mirage. She became so…weak. She allowed Miles to treat her like crap and while I completely understood her reasons, to an extent, it still left a bitter taste in my mouth. I would have liked to see her stand up for herself more. Although Miles’ character development and growth is gradual and realistic, I feel like Tate wasn’t given the same courtesy.
“It’s the beautiful moments like these that make up for the ugly love.”
— page. 322
Overall, I simply adored Ugly Love. Despite my feelings towards Tate, her and Miles’ growth as a couple is realistic, honest, beautiful, and raw. That’s something I can appreciate and admire.
It’s a great story about loss and how the pain of said defeat can affect someone’s life for as long as they let it. Ugly Love is definitely worth the hype.
Read For Yourself
