Ugly Love

Some find my book genre of choice funny, amusing, weird, disappointing, and a mixture of all that. Taking a doctorate amidst mothering, full-time work, and running an enterprise, I’d like some breath of fresh air. With that said, reading Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, and kilig books that can be considered chill, easy-to-read, and got that kick of warmth is a must, if not a resort.

If you are looking for your next light read that can make your heart swell, here are my five picks, in no particular order:

1. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Who would’ve thought STEM is a good setup for lovebirds with all the sciences stuff? Dr. Adam Carlsen and Ms. Olive Smith will be your new favorite couple! As a bonus, Ali Hazelwood provided an Adam Carlsen POV as a bonus chapter. That chapter can be found on the author’s website.
There is a reason why this piece is a New York Times Bestseller.

I was kilig, happy, lonely, and ugly crying all at once in this book. I did not even want to put it down nor did I want it to be finished–it was good!

I put annotations on the pages that moved me a.ka. made me cry and I highlighted a few pieces that I want to remember in this book.

This book is the type that I can read over and over again and won’t get tired of.

2. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

If you are a fan of the Bridgerton Series on Netflix, it was recently announced that after Anthony’s story, it will be Collin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s story that will come next. In the book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton comes after An Offer from a Gentleman which is Benedict Bridgerton’s.

These two books are my favorites in the series, but I lean on An Offer from a Gentleman as my top 1 and Romancing Mister Bridgerton next. But, all the twists of Lady Whistledown are in it. Many of you might know that Penelope and Lady Whistledown are one and the same, but her works and how it all happened in a full circle will be revealed in this book.

It is a given that the complete Bridgerton book series will make us swoon, but Collin and Penelope’s story, I think, is the strongest, because of their good foundation–friendship.

3. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

This book reminded me of the movie Pretty Woman, there has been a kind of resemblance and I think Helen Hoang also took it as an inspiration in writing the book.

Stella Lane and Michael Larson could be in the opposite worlds, but someway somehow, their paths have crossed.

The Kiss Quotient was long sitting in my TBR list and in my Kindle library. I gave it a try without reading so much about it online and without knowing that it was one of Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2018. It did not disappoint.

4. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

I used to read via my Kindle for the entire 2020 and 2021 and was amused by good physical books that have been released in the market, so I went for it. This book is part of my April 2022 which I read so many good reviews about. Though it was your typical fake dating thing, but it was kilig all the same.

Catalina Martin and Aaron Blackford can give that to you. Some paths of the book you’d see almost the same with The Love Hypothesis, but it is just as good.

5. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

This could be a little fascinating, but you’ve heard the story a thing or two once before. But, nonetheless, a read that you will find staying awake all night to just finish.

Colleen Hoover (CoHo) does that. I’ve read so many of her works and I couldn’t remember if I did NOT like any of them. Tate Collins and Miles Archer are in it for the long haul. It was a little tragic but heartwarming at the same time and CoHo will give you a happy ending.

So, if you are looking for something to think and cry about that has that kilig vibes, too. Ugly Love is a good read.

You might have a different experience in each book and we may not be, in particular, aligned in how we see the book, but these are just from my experience and personal preference. I hope to get your insights too, on how you saw each read if you have tried them. Happy reading!

By Colleen Hoover | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5 stars)

After I read Rebecca, I was determined to start a new read and choose something that will be lighter (in terms of how it was written) and a bit of fresh air. I checked my Kindle library which I was able to update last week and found Ugly Love which was also set in my Goodreads To-Be-Read account. Then, I did. Without further doubt, I did. I didn’t fail.

Less than a week, in the midst of the business, I finished the book, and yes, never without a tear in my eyes. I was in such awe of the tragic reason of Miles Archer as to why he doesn’t want to open himself yet again to love and how much Tate Collins can swallow for someone even though she knows she deserves better. I guess we all are like her at some point, sometimes.

Love isnt’ always pretty, Tate. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it’ll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you’re back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way.
Cap

As we grow older perhaps and with every man and woman that pass through our lives –some may have even created a dent on it–we knew how terrifying it to start over again after every heartbreak. We focused on self-blame for the most part, maybe, but just like Miles, we also have to forgive ourselves and open up to all possibilities to see where life would take us.

Sometimes a man’s spirit just ain’t strong enough to withstand the ghosts from his past.

Tate is all of us. She’s willing to accept whatever it is a man can offer to her even if it is below the minimum. We all her at some point–hoping and wishing something may change, that if we love more and be okay with anything they could only give us, they would come around and give us what we deserve. Nope. It is not true. They will give it to us if they want to. We may be the most perfect, the most available, the ultimate deal, but those aren’t assurance that they will take us or not hurt us. A man will give it to you if he wants to even if you don’t do anything, even if you don’t say so.

There are just so many things I realized while reading and after finishing the book–that we are Miles and Tate at some point in our lives. But the thing that can defy our fears is acceptance–accepting things that we cannot change, things will never have, and times or people that are not for us, and we must always be accepting of whatever it is because that is the only way to move forward. We must also not be too hard on ourselves–that before we forgive other people, we must forgive ourselves first because it is hard to share or to give something that we, ourselves, do not have.

Tag: Ugly Love

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