How Ugly is “Ugly Love”?

How Ugly is Ugly Love?

     “Ugly Love,” a book written by Colleen Hoover, is an emotional rollercoaster to read through. Elizabeth Tate, one of the main characters, is a nurse who moves in with her pilot brother Corbin in San Francisco to finish school and while she is looking for a place of her own. On her first night moving in, she meets Corbin’s neighbor, Miles Archer who also happens to be a friend and coworker of her brother. She finds Miles passed out against Corbin’s door drunk out of his mind. She tries to enter the apartment but finds Miles trying to enter as well while mumbling “Rachel.” Out of fear, she slams his hand into the door. This is only the beginning of the pain between them.

     After that night, it becomes obvious that there is a connection between Tate and Miles. Tate and Miles begin to fall for each other but Miles tells Tate he is not ready for commitment and that their relationship can only be to fulfill their carnal desires of each other. He then comes up with two rules for this situationship, “Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.” 

     The story is told from many different perspectives. As the book continues on, the reader gets the current perspectives of Miles’ and Tate’s lives. . We also get stories of young Miles and young Rachel.  Tate’s perspective focuses more on how she is helping Miles overcome his troubled past with Rachel. 

      This story is full of angst, drama, and humor which takes you through situations like you are living them as a witness. “Ugly Love” shows the stages of love and hurt while trying to help someone accept that life goes on, even when it is painful. According to Collen Hoover, “Ugly love becomes you. Consumes you. Makes you hate it all. Makes you realize that all the beautiful parts aren’t even worth it. Without the beautiful, you’ll never risk feeling ugly. So you give it all up. You give it all up. You never want love again, no matter what kind it is, because no type of love will ever be worth living through the ugly love again.”  Overall this story is not just about love, but learning to accept someone and help them when they truly are in their worst state of mind. As Colleen Hoover says  “It’s the beautiful moments like this that make up for the ugly love”.