U— UGLY LOVE, written by Colleen Hoover; reviewed by Debi O’Neille

Published by Atria Books.

UGLY LOVE isn’t my favorite of Colleen’s books, but it’s a good read if you’re looking for romance. In this particular book, Hoover writes a hot lovemaking scene much like Stephen King writes a setting—lo-o-ong, and extremely detailed. That may appeal to some, not to others. Either way, the storyline is good. It’s solid. As always, Hoover's characterization is top-notch. You really feel you know these characters. You can smell the air where they live and feel the heat of any given moment.

The backstory is excellent. Though we don’t get to know much about the female main character, Tate, through her youth (we do later), we get to know a lot about Miles, the young adult male character. Good plan, considering in present day he’s one of those quiet, mysterious types. That can be  romantic, for a while, but it’s not hard to understand how a relationship with Mr. Quietly Mysterious would get old, frustrating.

And that’s where I had the problem. Despite liking the book a lot, because I did, I was disappointed to find out that I was more interested in Miles’s story back when he believed in communication than I was in his present-day life. I kept wanting to rush through the present day sections of the novel and feel my way through his life as a young adult. Luckily, his young adult self grabbed me enough to get me to read the book as a whole. I’m so glad I did. UGLY LOVE was worth the wait to see these characters figuring out their lives.

Happy reading!