Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire... A Review

THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY...

Set in the same time-frame as Beautiful Disaster, now we hear the story from Travis' point of view. Travis lost his mother at a very young age, but before she died she taught him two important rules...Love hard. Fight harder. Growing up in a family of men who like to gamble and fight, Travis Maddox is a tough guy. Known for his bad reputation with women, and feared for his incredible fighting skills, all the boys want to be him, while the girls simply want him...Abby Abernathy is the first girl to treat him the way he feels he should be treated, with dislike and disinterest. It is her lack of interest that sparks his determination to win her round. Will the invincible Travis 'Mad Dog' Maddox be defeated by a girl?

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Review:

I am so glad that I read this... it was certainly worth the wait. Romantic, funny, tear-jerking; everything you really need in a good book. And this had it in spades.

Unlike Beautiful Disaster, Travis's story spans from age 3 until around 30 which really gives the story a lot of depth. The prologue alone brought tears to my eyes; it was extremely emotional and the ending allows the audience to have a better sense of closure than before. I also love how this can be read as a stand alone.

So, what was good?

The characterisation and dialogue are superb within this novel. Travis was an epic character in Abby's story and I loved him. In his own tale however, you really get to understand him. I certainly prefer him to his female counterpart. He's intelligent, witty, sensitive and though he has anger issues, because you know why he has them, they're not as much of a problem within the novel. More of a quirk... Though a destructive one.  His interactions with his cousin (Shep) are hilarious and the added dialogue within the book seems to add an extra dimension to the entire story as a whole. I was a little disappointed to find some conversations edited out but I can live with that.

Seeing more of America and the brothers in this book also made me smile. I liked how the relationship dynamics were further examined/explained; it made the story more fun. Trenton has to be my favourite here. Ace guy.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I love how this book provokes emotion. Jamie McGuire needs an award for heart wrenching moments. There were times while reading this when the bottom fell out of my stomach, my heart seemed to crash through the floor; moments that leave you feeling like you have a hole in your chest is a credit to the excellence of the writing. And it was in all the right places too! Poor Travis... On the other hand, the book also made me laugh and gave me those cheesy smile moments - you know, the ones where you have those silly 'awwww' expressions slapped across your face? - which left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

I loved this book; not even the occasion 'off of' annoyed me. I was wrapped up the yumminess that was Travis and his own personal hell. My favourite part of the entire novel has to be when Travis turns to Shep and says:

'Because I care about her just enough to want to make it for her.'

Can anyone say, 'in love' and 'in denial' fast enough?

If you love, love... Read this! And read it now!!!