A review by julianxiv
Ugly Love, by Colleen Hoover
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
actual rating: 2,5 stars
edit 3: the more i think about it the more i hate it. 1,5 stars
god cishets r so boring
edit: i have way too many thoughts about this book that idk if i can keep to myself anymore. every time i see this book i feel violent. i feel a sudden urge to appear on international news. seeing this cover pisses me off. the only reason this is 2 stars instead of 1 is because, somehow, colleen hoover has a way of dragging you into her books and holding onto you for dear life, i swear she does not let go before you've turned the very last page.
regardless of how badly i was sucked into this story, i HATED it. hated every second. the characters had to have been the worst part of it all.
on the top of my list for Doormat Female Characters i've read about in my life, is tate. she is the textbook definition of a doormat. not only does she get stomped on all over during the whole book, she is also really flat and has no defining characteristics. seriously, who is this girl, and why is the main character? all i know about her is that she's a nurse and that her name is tate. now it's been a little while since i read this book, but i can guarantee that's all there was. every time she spoke i wanted to just skip ahead to the next miles chapter. "but what if i wanted more than sex" this, "i think i'm catching feelings for him" that, literally shut the fuck up, he told you multiple times that he didn't want anything serious, it's time to take no for an answer. and it's because of this persistence that she lets miles stomp all over her. its because she seemingly has NO sense of what's best for her personal wellbeing that she lets herself be used and tossed by him (almost literally. if you know you know).
miles's chapters were mildly interesting. i didn't get as attached to him as everyone else seemed to be, and so his "tragic backstory" wasn't all that tragic to me. i mildly enjoyed the way his chapters were written, but mostly because the short lines made it faster to read. i just wanted it over with, if i'm being honest. he definitely made an ... interesting ... choice by sticking with rachel. when it comes to tate, i think his treatment of her is about as close to abuse as it can get. he treated her as if she was a piece of garbage stuck under his shoe. i know that women seem to love the tall, dark, tortured type, but god please have some self respect. him being tortured doesn't mean he has to be an asshole.
i also feel obligated to say something about corbin. first of all, what kind of name is corbin? why would a parent ever look at their newborn baby and decide that CORBIN was a fitting name??? i guess colleen hoover has a history of silly names, though i have to say corbin is less silly than the Monstrosity lily blossom bloom. what i actually wanted to say is that this guy treats his sister as a child. he seems to think that this grown woman cannot choose for herself who she wants to have sex with (which, to be fair, is partly true, considering who she actually chose) and ends up seeming a bit too much like a brotherly knight in shining armour. maybe that's why tate has no personality, she's just been decided for by corbin her whole life, which i would think is true considering tate mentioned he was doing the same thing in high school. i understand not wanting your guy friends to be groping on your sister, and i can understand why he would do it in school, but she is a grown woman and she is never going to learn to be good to herself if corbin is constantly choosing for her.
i was promised emotional damage in this book. i did, in fact, get none.
anyways. i only wrote all this because i've been angrily thinking about this book for 2 months now and felt as if holding it in any longer would make me explode.
edit 2: i can't believe i forgot to mention the smut, it's so horrendous, i usually get turned on pretty easily, but these scenes had me feeling completely normal, if a bit disturbed. maybe it's colleen hoover, maybe it's just the fact that they're cishet. regardless, legs stayed together, back stayed straight, and toes did not curl in the slightest. not even the littlest grab of the sheets happened.
that's all, for real this time
edit 3: the more i think about it the more i hate it. 1,5 stars
god cishets r so boring
edit: i have way too many thoughts about this book that idk if i can keep to myself anymore. every time i see this book i feel violent. i feel a sudden urge to appear on international news. seeing this cover pisses me off. the only reason this is 2 stars instead of 1 is because, somehow, colleen hoover has a way of dragging you into her books and holding onto you for dear life, i swear she does not let go before you've turned the very last page.
regardless of how badly i was sucked into this story, i HATED it. hated every second. the characters had to have been the worst part of it all.
on the top of my list for Doormat Female Characters i've read about in my life, is tate. she is the textbook definition of a doormat. not only does she get stomped on all over during the whole book, she is also really flat and has no defining characteristics. seriously, who is this girl, and why is the main character? all i know about her is that she's a nurse and that her name is tate. now it's been a little while since i read this book, but i can guarantee that's all there was. every time she spoke i wanted to just skip ahead to the next miles chapter. "but what if i wanted more than sex" this, "i think i'm catching feelings for him" that, literally shut the fuck up, he told you multiple times that he didn't want anything serious, it's time to take no for an answer. and it's because of this persistence that she lets miles stomp all over her. its because she seemingly has NO sense of what's best for her personal wellbeing that she lets herself be used and tossed by him (almost literally. if you know you know).
miles's chapters were mildly interesting. i didn't get as attached to him as everyone else seemed to be, and so his "tragic backstory" wasn't all that tragic to me. i mildly enjoyed the way his chapters were written, but mostly because the short lines made it faster to read. i just wanted it over with, if i'm being honest. he definitely made an ... interesting ... choice by sticking with rachel. when it comes to tate, i think his treatment of her is about as close to abuse as it can get. he treated her as if she was a piece of garbage stuck under his shoe. i know that women seem to love the tall, dark, tortured type, but god please have some self respect. him being tortured doesn't mean he has to be an asshole.
i also feel obligated to say something about corbin. first of all, what kind of name is corbin? why would a parent ever look at their newborn baby and decide that CORBIN was a fitting name??? i guess colleen hoover has a history of silly names, though i have to say corbin is less silly than the Monstrosity lily blossom bloom. what i actually wanted to say is that this guy treats his sister as a child. he seems to think that this grown woman cannot choose for herself who she wants to have sex with (which, to be fair, is partly true, considering who she actually chose) and ends up seeming a bit too much like a brotherly knight in shining armour. maybe that's why tate has no personality, she's just been decided for by corbin her whole life, which i would think is true considering tate mentioned he was doing the same thing in high school. i understand not wanting your guy friends to be groping on your sister, and i can understand why he would do it in school, but she is a grown woman and she is never going to learn to be good to herself if corbin is constantly choosing for her.
i was promised emotional damage in this book. i did, in fact, get none.
anyways. i only wrote all this because i've been angrily thinking about this book for 2 months now and felt as if holding it in any longer would make me explode.
edit 2: i can't believe i forgot to mention the smut, it's so horrendous, i usually get turned on pretty easily, but these scenes had me feeling completely normal, if a bit disturbed. maybe it's colleen hoover, maybe it's just the fact that they're cishet. regardless, legs stayed together, back stayed straight, and toes did not curl in the slightest. not even the littlest grab of the sheets happened.
that's all, for real this time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Incest
Minor: Abortion