Tuesday, August 12, 2014

'Why Didn't I Take the Blue Pill' ~ Beautiful Oblivion

 I'm going to level with y'all here... this review is about Beautiful Oblivion, and it's not happy.  These are just my personal musings, reactions, ramblings about this book; many readers how fangirled and thrown their panties at the feet of Trent Maddox.  More power to those readers that enjoyed their experience, I wish I had shared the sentiment.  How I wanted to love it, really, I did.


Fiercely independent Camille "Cami" Camlin gladly moved on from her childhood before it was over. She has held down a job since before she could drive, and moved into her own apartment after her freshman year of college. Now tending bar at The Red Door, Cami doesn’t have time for much else besides work and classes, until a trip to see her boyfriend is cancelled, leaving her with a first weekend off in almost a year.

Trenton Maddox was the king of Eastern State University, dating co-eds before he even graduated high school. His friends wanted to be him, and women wanted to tame him, but after a tragic accident turned his world upside down, Trenton leaves campus to come to grips with the crushing guilt.

Eighteen months later, Trenton is living at home with his widower father, and works full-time at a local tattoo parlor to help with the bills. Just when he thinks his life is returning to normal, he notices Cami sitting alone at a table at The Red.

As the baby sister of four rowdy brothers, Cami believes she’ll have no problem keeping her new friendship with Trenton Maddox strictly platonic. But when a Maddox boy falls in love, he loves forever—even if she is the only reason their already broken family could fall apart.

In the first installment of the Maddox Brothers books, readers can experience the rush of reading Beautiful Disaster for the first time, all over again.


*Sigh*
I need that blue bill to forget ever reading this.

This is particularly hard to write without any spoilers, because everything I have issue with is a ginormous spoiler for the whole book.  Let's see if I can attempt to explain myself without giving key points in the book away...
a. The end of the book - I want to say I got an inkling of it early on, but fought against my thinking because you just DON'T do that.  NoNoNo.  No.  Ok, I know those of you that haven't read it are thinking, "Alana is coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs," right?  The bomb isn't dropped until the end.  The VERY end.  Clear as mud, but remember, no spoilers!
b. Tainting the Beauty of Beautiful Disaster and even Walking Disaster.  Granted, I ended up skipping Beautiful Wedding (just had that uneasy feeling about it) and had I read it, I would have gotten and earlier image of this new 'spin' - 'dynamic' might be a better word- in the relationship between Travis and Abby.  Namely, that it got turned into a 'Beautiful Lie.'  Again, no specifics, but I'm too upset to even look at the cover of Beautiful Disaster now.  I loved BD with a bright fierce passion despite all the grumblings about it being abusive - lalala - I adored it.  But now, it's all tainted, spoiled, soured. *Sigh*
c. While we're on the subject of BD... I get that it was a really popular book.  I loved it.  I have an eBook and and a 'real' book just to place on my shelf and gaze at.  BUT.  Yes, the big "butt".  You don't have to add BD into each and every book.  Beautiful Oblivion makes this a, what, 3rd POV look at Beautiful Disaster.  Granted, it wasn't solely a 'new look' at BD, I feel I should point that out as to not give you the wrong impression.  It's not a retelling, but 'clips' of BD crashed into this book right and left.  I suppose it had unquie-'ish' moments. Yes, this involves Travis' brother and such in addition to the timelines overlapping; so obviously the books are not their own little bubble, but for the love of whatever you hold dear- stop beating the dead horse.  Please.  It's painful to watch, and I can't even consider reading it anymore.
d. All sorts of characters with issues but BO was VERY short on resolutions.  VERY VERY VERY freaking short of any sort of growth in many areas that REALLY needed it.  Dangling plot lines, issues, troubles just left blowing in that wind with no hint of wrapping them up into a little tighter package.  No, they are just left there in their nappy, naked glory taunting you.  Don't even get me started on the secret...  no, seriously, don't.  I'll start cussing like a sailor, spit will start flying... it's not a pretty picture.

Instead of one of those lovely book hangovers, you know the ones that you can't even bring yourself to open a new book quite yet because you're still mourning the fact that the book is over... yeah, I didn't get one of those from Beautiful Oblivion.  Why, oh why, did I not take that blue pill and just pretend that it's BD and maybe even Walking Disaster, and just be content with my re-reads?  Oh, no.  I had to go down that Maddox-hole, and what did I get?