Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) - Jamie McGuire

Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) by Jamie McGuire 
Date Released: April 2nd 2013
Publisher: Atria Books
Format: ARC
Pages: 433 pages 
Date Read: May 15, 2013
Source: Netgalley

Summary:
Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful 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.

From Goodreads

My Review:

NO SPOILERS for anyone who hasn't read Beautiful Disaster yet, and if you are thinking of starting this series, even if they are both sort of the same, I do recommend you start with Beautiful Disaster first :)

My Review of Beautiful Disaster can be found here.

This is a dysfunctional Romance.

And just like in my review of [book:Beautiful Disaster|11505797], I will quote Deb Caletti

“Love at first sight should send you running, if you know what's good for you. It's your dark pieces having instant recognition with their dark pieces. You're an idiot if you think it means you've met your soul mate.“ -Stay by Deb Caletti.

This happens to so so so many people, to many us and we do not even realize it. Foe example, someone who had an alcoholic parent and swears they will never be caught up with someone like that, only to grow up and marry and alcoholic – it happens.

Let’s think of [book:Twilight|41865] for a moment. I hate using Twilight for this example -Many people loved that story (me included) Why? It’s not a healthy relationship, Edward is a manipulative and extremely old person, and that’s reason enough for it being bad; BUT still, many people loved it and it is a good love story. It shows that no matter how many obstacles you face love triumphs in the end.

Now, what does this have to do with Walking Disaster or Travis? Edward and Travis are complete opposites. Edward is this good and nice old school guy, he doesn’t sleep around with a bunch of girls, he wants to protect Bella’s virtue, he’s beautiful and simply put: perfect. Travis, on the other hand, is completely tattooed (which is not a bad thing, but in the eyes of our society these days, it isn’t exactly the best thing) he’s messy, temperamental, sleeps around with many girls and most definitely wants to be with Abby. They're opposites, and the same goes with Bella and Abby, not much in common.

So... what was the point of this? The one thing both stories seem to have in common: Both argue that true love will triumph in the end. That even if you are a hundred freaking years old or you’re a crazy mess that seems to be way beyond repair, or you have a troubled past or you're and awkward plain and boring mess; there is still someone out there to love you, you still get a shot at that happy ending – or never ending, in Twilight’s case.

Abby and Travis are a disaster, both separately and together- and yes I know everyone keeps emphasizing this, and that it is the title, but it's the truth. This is what we all want, not exactly the disaster thing but what I believe we all want, deep at heart, is to know that no matter how flawed we are or how hopeless and disastrous we can be, we can still find someone to love us. And sometimes that means that the other person will be just as much of a disaster, maybe if we’re lucky that will not be the case. The one goal is to try and be better, try to become the best version of ourselves, be as good as we can be, become Beautiful.

This is why I think the stories are so popular. I don't think they are a good example to follow, or that their relationship is good. But it's a fun, intense, passionate, addictive and entertaining love story.

Now let's talk about Travis's Point of View. This book was a really interesting and refreshing experience for me. I have re-read books before, but never fully and completely, I usually skim the pages and focus on my favorite parts. I have also read sequels where the book is now told from the guy’s point of view, but they usually are a continuation to the story, no the exact same one but with a different POV. Walking Disaster was really the same as Beautiful Disaster, but with Travi’s thoughts and showing what he did or where he went when he wasn’t with Abby, and it was Great. I loved it, I also re-read Beautiful Disaster at the same time, so comparing them and looking at both their thoughts was fascinating, plus, it seems like Jamie McGuire already had in mind to make Travis’s book when she originally wrote Beautiful Disaster, it just all connected perfectly, and not once did it felt forced. I don't really know if those were her intentions from the beginning, but it was all just done really well. Bonus points for that.

Oh and... I sort of hated really disliked Abby in this book? Travis’s point of view was a little bit difficult to read. From Beautiful Disaster I knew Abby was really bitchy and stubborn and also very irrational at times, but it was easy to follow her, especially knowing that Travis would do anything for her. In Walking Disaster you can see how it all hurts Travis and I really, honestly could not help but wish that he would leave her alone because Abby was not good for him. And really neither was him for her. I basically wanted the to break up. I really really wanted them to break up.

But the ending had already been written before, so there wasn't much to be done there, I just got a little bit frustrated.

All in all it was a good book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoyed Beautiful Disaster, it really helps you understand Travis and see this love story from a new perspective :)  more wara wara