Beautiful Bad is not a fast paced thriller, in fact, it is quite the opposite. The story moves forward at a slow pace, and it was often filled with chunks of information, and details I found were unnecessary in order to move the plot forward. The story is told in past and present time, and in multiple points of view. There were simply too many elements to the telling of this story that did not work for me. This affected my enjoyment and left me feeling entirely unsatisfied by the time I made it to the end.
There are three main characters within the story- Ian, Maddie, and Jo- whom I found all unlikable, and the relationships between them did not feel authentic. Maddie and Jo were supposed to be the best of friends, but the way they treated each other at times painted them more as people who didn't even like each other. Then there was Maddie and Ian. Maddie and Ian were attracted to each other during their early days as friends/acquaintances, and that attraction grew to be something more. They wanted each other, cared for each other, and eventually loved each other- without saying it. They went on to spend YEARS apart, yet I was to believe as a reader that these characters had become hopelessly in love after all that time, with limited interactions. Of course, in the present time they are married and have a son, but I never bought into their love affair. I felt no chemistry or connection between the two of them. There was something off with everyone from the start. I came to trust no one, and the story continued to head in a direction I could predict.
Nothing was really shocking at the end and I was just disappointed all together.
There are three main characters within the story- Ian, Maddie, and Jo- whom I found all unlikable, and the relationships between them did not feel authentic. Maddie and Jo were supposed to be the best of friends, but the way they treated each other at times painted them more as people who didn't even like each other. Then there was Maddie and Ian. Maddie and Ian were attracted to each other during their early days as friends/acquaintances, and that attraction grew to be something more. They wanted each other, cared for each other, and eventually loved each other- without saying it. They went on to spend YEARS apart, yet I was to believe as a reader that these characters had become hopelessly in love after all that time, with limited interactions. Of course, in the present time they are married and have a son, but I never bought into their love affair. I felt no chemistry or connection between the two of them. There was something off with everyone from the start. I came to trust no one, and the story continued to head in a direction I could predict.
Nothing was really shocking at the end and I was just disappointed all together.