book review for ugly love

Heidi Dischler

Book review: ugly love by colleen hoover.

So many people talk about this book. That’s why I was ecstatic to finally be able to review  Ugly Love . Take  Friends with Benefits and add a little more depth and you’ve got this novel. Thank you, Colleen Hoover, for always delivering novels that I devour in hours. 

Book Information

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover is the story of Tate, who is working so hard to get the job and life she’s always wanted. So when continuing school to get that job means she has to move in with her brother, she’s more than willing to make the leap. The only problem is that her brother has an extremely hot neighbor, Miles, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. Miles is a tortured loner, who swears he will never love Tate, but when they make an agreement to have a relationship that is just sex, Miles and Tate find themselves torn between wanting something they can’t have and taking what they can. Even though Tate knows there’s a connection between them, something is holding Miles back, and he can’t love her because of it.

Review | Heidi Dischler

Oh, Colleen Hoover, you have stolen my heart so many times with your romance novels. Ugly Love is no different. I loved Tate and Miles and am usually not a fan of books that go in between what’s happening in the present and what happened in the past, Colleen Hoover executed it perfectly. I enjoyed the chapters about the past just as much as I enjoyed the ones about the present.

The plot was so well thought out that I never once questioned the plausibility of it or the characters’ motives. Have I mentioned that I love Colleen Hoover’s writing style? It’s just freaking beautiful.

Spoilers ahead.

Talk about a punch to the gut when you finally learn what happened to Miles to make him so tortured. Damn that hurt. It’s one of those instances where you can’t blame him for helping Rachel, and you can’t blame him for not being able to get his son out. I understand that Rachel felt like Miles could’ve saved the baby, but maybe he would’ve tried, and they all would’ve died.

Overall, my heart hurts after finishing Ugly Love , but it also feels good. Colleen Hoover has expertly written romance novel after romance novel and I have just found a new one to enter my top three favorites books written by her. Who am I kidding, they’re all in my top favorites.

Source: Personal Copy

“It’s all worth it. It’s beautiful moments like these that make up for the ugly love.”

– colleen hoover, ugly love, leave a reply cancel reply.

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Ugly Love | Colleen Hoover | Book Review

“Love isn’t always pretty. 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.” –        Colleen Hoover, Ugly Love

Ugly Love  reminds me so much of my old self – the 16-year-old girl whose nose is always buried in a Wattpad book reading about high school , enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance, intense physical attraction, the secrets we harbor, and many more. 

As a 23-year-old though, I have completely fallen in love with a new genre – historical fiction , and have mostly stuck to books of that kind, but sticking to one genre is quite boring and monotonous. 

Therefore, I pondered the idea of rekindling my affinity for the genre that had once held the status of being my personal favorite. Hence, here we are, halfway into the book and completely hooked.

My first impression is that it looks like a cliché kind of a read, and I was somewhat hesitant to dive in because I believe that I have read so many of these kinds of stories – best friend’s sister, stepmom’s daughter – on Wattpad. 

I thought to myself – I will not be able to enjoy this genre again, but for some reason, calling it curiosity if I may, I continued reading this one even though I have a strong sense that my predictions will come true. 

The story as it goes

In their initial encounter, Tate Collins and airline pilot Miles Archer find themselves devoid of any instant romantic connection. They hardly consider each other as acquaintances, sharing only a powerful and undeniable allure that they cannot explain. But when their desires are openly acknowledged, they come to an understanding that suits them both perfectly. Miles harbors no intentions of love, while Tate lacks the time for it, leaving them with the sole option of just physical intimacy. 

Their arrangement appears to hold promise, reliant upon Tate adhering to two fundamental guidelines set by Miles – don’t question the past & never look forward to a future.

But then the reality quickly dawns upon them—they are ill-equipped to navigate such a precarious path. And that’s when everything falls apart.

Now judging from the title, we all know that it is going to be a love story. 

But what kind of a love story? 

This is where the mystery lies. It is not the usual kind of love story, but it is so much more. With its fast-paced plot, a lot of things happen at the same time but within different timelines. 

While it does hold the suspense, it is irritating because I cannot seem to be able to read fast enough to know mysterious muscled-minded Miles. I believe this technique keeps the reader hooked, and the suspense is already killing me within a few chapters of the book. 

Furthermore, the overwhelming aura of enigma enveloping Miles proves to be excessively burdensome to contend with. He is this handsome, tall pilot with muscles that will melt you, ironic right?

A man’s muscles are supposed to crush you, but not Miles’s. He is a man who gives away nothing when it comes to getting close to a person. He is so guarded within himself because of his traumatic past, and therefore any chance of someone moving closer to his boundaries seems quite impossible. 

His present seems too dull, and his past seems to be a little too dark. Allow Tate the task of meticulously peeling away his layers, a feat that hinges upon her success in establishing proximity to him, for we are well aware that Miles is not one to readily embrace intimacy with just anyone.

This love story is so dark and twisted that at times, you feel disgusted by the scenes in front of you, but most times, you will cry in pain because of the chaotic and turbulent lives that our dear characters have had to live through. 

The journey of knowing and trying to learn why they are what they are in the present situation will completely shatter you. It certainly did for me. I feel so much for them, that at times I forget that they are fictional characters that have been created by the author’s creativity, and are not real people like you and me.

Moreover, Ugly Love makes you feel like you reading two books simultaneously. They are so different yet so familiar. We get to see a young Miles, in love and so full of life, but at present, all we get is a stone-cold hard exterior without any signs of a once joyous human inside that guarded façade. 

I think one of the most important messages that is being passed through from this novel to all readers is that the past cannot define us. We cannot stop ourselves from being happy because we believe our past actions made us undeserving to love and be loved. 

But we must learn to let go of all that was and be ready to accept all that will be. 

We are all human beings, and we are created not to be perfect but to make mistakes and learn from them. Ugly Love exemplifies the epitome of such an instance. Accept and forgive ourselves for all the wrongdoings that our younger selves have committed, lest it hurts and ruin our prospects of being redeemed. 

On a lighter note,  this is my second Colleen Hoover book, and she never disappoints . She knows to hit the readers right where it hurts the most. I would recommend this one to my fellow readers because, as cliché as it can be, it is still one of the most beautiful love stories I have read despite it having a rocky, and twisted beginning. 

But I believe the difficult process is what makes a person come out stronger and better when they eventually decide that it is time to come out of the other side of the tunnel with a new outlook on life and an adventurous spirit to grab all that life has to offer. 

Being a beginner in the Colleen Hoover world , I am going to start browsing more books by this author because it is always a pleasant read with her, no matter what kind of story she decides to present to us readers. Until then, I do hope you add “Ugly Love” to your reading list and let Tate and Miles accompany you for some time. 

Cannot wait to read it? Buy your copy of Ugly right away!

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About the Author

Enrida lakiang lyngdoh.

Hello, my fellow bookworms, I am Enrida Lakiang Lyngdoh but you can call me Enri or Enrida. I am an ardent traveller but unlike most people, I travel differently, and that is, through the pages of a book. I love walking and being one with nature while taking aesthetic bookstagram pictures. Oh! I am also one of those readers who likes to write and highlight as much as I can in any book that I read. If you are a true reader, never forget to carry a book wherever you may go. I cannot imagine the horror of waiting for someone if there is not a book to accompany me with. Until then, Happy Reading my dear loves.

Check latest articles from this author:

The hunting party: where friendship ends, fear begins | lucy foley | book review, human acts | han kang | book review, five survive | holly jackson | book review, related articles, meera of karmana vol 1 | nitin antoon | book review, 27 souls: spine chilling scary stories | vaidehi taman | book review, the lost treasure of azad hind fauj | piyush rohankar | book review, सुनो माँ (suno maa) | संदीप भूतोड़िया (sundeep bhutoria) | पुस्तक समीक्षा.

BOOK REVIEW: “Ugly Love” By Colleen Hoover

Title: Ugly Love Author: Colleen Hoover Publication: August 5, 2014 Publisher: Atria Books Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romance Pages: 336 Source: Purchase

  SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.

  REVIEW:

Colleen Hoover has always been a YA Fiction writer to me. I loved her books “Finding Hope” And “Hopeless”. I’ve read a few of her other works. All great. All aimed towards a YA Fiction audience, in my opinion. When I read about “Ugly Love” I knew I had to give it a try. I was surprised to find this was more Romance/Women’s Fiction than YA Fiction. Still really good. Just a bit more naughty. So if you are expecting a PG 13 story like most of Hoover’s other books… this one would likely be rated R for some sexual content.

“Ugly Love” follows the story of Tate Collins as she moves in with her brother to finish nursing school and work. In the process she meets some of her brothers best friends from pilot school. Ian and Miles. Miles has an obvious attraction to her. As that relationship begins to be explored, we quickly find there are some dark secrets in the past that can absolutely ruin a persons future.

Miles Archer sounds beautiful. I have this visual in my head of him and it’s fantastic. Tate and Miles have a connection that is undeniable and incredibly well written. There are times when they are doing… adult stuff… where its so well written you almost feel as if you are intruding on someone’s personal thoughts and feelings. While we discover the relationship, or lack there of, that Miles and Tate have building there is another story line going on. Miles… 6 years prior. We get to see his life unfold and why he may be the way he is in the rest of the book. Closed off. Uncommitted. And even rude at times. It was like reading two books in one. Both incredible. Character development that makes you love and hate the characters all at the same time. I may have to admit I actually cried near the end. You’ll know the spot when you get to it.

As a fan of Hoover, I was already expecting greatness from “Ugly Love”, but this novel was so much more than expected. It was gritty and dirty, emotionally draining, and made my breath catch in my throat. The feelings in this book pour off the pages. My only complaint is that I want more Tate and Miles. Rumor has it, though, I might be lucky. An “Ugly Love” movie may be in the making… Fingers crossed! Five stars for “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover. Highly recommended.

  I recommend you checking out “Ugly Love” for yourself by picking up a copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble or in a bookstore near you. Also add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and make sure to leave your feedback for the author when you are done reading. Colleen Hoover has many more books, so make sure to check out the rest of those on her website HERE !

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April 23, 2024

Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935

Book Review: Ugly Love

by John Downey '23 on February 10, 2022 A&E Co-Editor

Arts & Entertainment

A Perfect Valentine’s Heartbreaker

Tully Mahoney ’23

Those who find themselves on “BookTok” have likely heard of Ugly Love . For those who do not, this novel is written by no. 1 New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Hoover, a romance novel genius. Hoover has an exceptional ability to write with passion, create depth in her characters, and draw readers in from the first page. Ugly Love is yet another one of her truly unputdownable books.

Ugly Love is written from two perspectives: the first follows Tate Collins in the present day and the second follows Miles Archer when he was a teenager. When Tate and Miles first meet, they hardly like each other, as she finds him drunk outside her brother’s apartment. When he sobers up, however, they find they have a deep attraction to each other. The only caveat is that Miles has no interest in finding love and Tate has never been good at no-strings-attached relationships. Nonetheless, their undeniable chemistry leads them to follow two of Miles’ rules for romance: 1. Never ask about his past, and 2. Don’t expect a future. This is the point in the novel where the readers can tell the pair’s relationship is not going to end well. Indeed, ignoring the fact that she knows that abiding by these rules will hurt her, Tate accepts them.

Hoover does an exceptional job of maintaining the integrity of her characters’ perspectives. Some reviewers claim that the beginning sections of this novel are too sexually intimate, but it is clear that Hoover does this intentionally. Since the only narrative in present time is Tate’s, readers experience her mixed-emotions and confusion owing to Miles’ unpredictability in real time. The more time that Tate and Miles spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes: the line between “friends with benefits” and coupledom begins to slowly fade. Tate becomes more invested in their relationship; Miles becomes more inconsistent. However, as the reader learns more about Miles’ past, it becomes harder and harder for them to hate him. Yet, readers are still left with a feeling of frustration as they know what Tate does not yet know.

Readers will get angry that Tate does not leave Miles given what they know about him, but she reminds readers that “love isn’t always pretty. 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.” Tate emphasizes that not all relationships are easy and that it is hard to judge someone’s decisions when they are under the spell of love. She shows that sometimes, love takes patience and perseverance.

Many reviewers on Goodreads have expressed anger that Hoover gives Tate “a lack of self-respect.” Such dissatisfied readers claim that since Tate is unable to stay away from Miles despite the fact that he continues to hurt her, she does not respect herself. This would be a valid argument if Tate was unaware of her actions, but throughout the novel, she continues to show awareness of the situation she is putting herself in. She consciously subjects herself to less-than-respectful treatment because, as she says, “beautiful moments make up for the ugly love.” Hoover’s portrayal of Tate in this manner makes her feel like a real person: she is able to make her own decisions, even if that makes the readers angry. Indeed, readers are meant to hurt for Tate and wish she was given the treatment she deserves—everyone truly wants a happy ending for their favorite characters.

Hoover also uses an interesting writing style when narrating Miles’ past. When initially describing his first love, he says “Rachel. Rachel. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. She’s like poetry.” From this point forward, his entire section is written in poetry because this is the way he views his life with Rachel. When she ultimately hurts him, this poetry disappears, demonstrating he no longer understands the world around him. 

Ugly Love is the perfect novel to pick up for an early Valentine’s heartbreak. It deserves an undoubtable five stars due to Hoover’s beautiful prose and her ability to create characters who lift off the page.

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When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.

BOOK REVIEW: Ugly Love

Colleen hoover.

“I didn’t fall in love with you… I flew.”

I am ruined .

I would like to think that after more than half a dozen books read and loved, I could call myself a seasoned Colleen Hoover reader and thus be equipped for all her ‘mind trickery’, and yet nothing, nothing in this world could have prepared me for the emotional avalanche that is Ugly Love . This is a book like no other in this author’s impressive repertoire, a book that gets under your skin from the very first sentence, and then page after page, it just keeps stripping you of every semblance of control you might have thought you had over your own feelings. It’s a book that annihilates you from within, slowly breaks your heart into so many pieces you’ll need tweezers to pick them all up, and then it simply stuns you into silence with one of the most unexpected, soul-shattering book moments in history. Every element of this story is so brilliantly thought out, so cleverly executed, so skilfully assembled into one of the most perfect stories I have ever read. Colleen Hoover is on an emotional rampage this time around, and she will ruin us all in the best possible way.

“Love isn’t always pretty… 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.”

The story is split into two parallel timelines, one in the present and one in the past, and it follows two distinct voices all throughout the book. They are each so vivid and persuasive in their impact on the reader, that it often becomes difficult to reconcile them in our minds and see how one can coexist with the other. In the present, our heroine is a young woman in her early twenties, a student nurse who has just arrived in a new city to pursue a postgraduate degree and find a job. Tate Collins has never put relationships before her professional aspirations, her career always coming first, and she remains determined not to let love distract her from her goals. But on her very first day there, as she is moving into her new home, she meets her neighbour Miles, a young pilot and a close friend of her brother’s, and from that moment onwards, her heart doesn’t stop doing summersaults every time they run into each other. But Miles is not interested in love, now or ever again, and while their attraction is sizzling and at times difficult to rein in, he remains clear on two points…

“Don’t ask about my past. And never expect a future.”

In the past, we meet an eighteen-year-old Miles Archer, at the very moment he meets his first love. Through brief but particularly attention-grabbing little snippets of that past, we get to witness firsthand the heartwarming experience of falling in love for the first time through the eyes of a young Miles and it’s the very innocence of it all, the untainted joy and excitement of those feelings, that stand in stark contrast with the events and the Miles we get to meet six years later.

“It’s not that I don’t like you… I just don’t want to like you. I don’t want to like anyone. I don’t want to date anyone. I don’t want to love anyone.”

While in the past we see our hero free-falling into love, carelessly and enthusiastically, in the present scenario we see him holding back every one of his emotions from the woman who each day reluctantly falls herself deeper and deeper in love with him. As emotions start bleeding through, blurring the lines of the friends-with-benefits arrangement they have agreed on, Miles and Tate’s relationship becomes more and more complicated as time goes by, bringing them each day one step closer to Tate’s inevitable heartbreak and disappointment. Unspoken questions keep piling up, unrequited feelings keep getting suppressed, and eventually all that is left between them is the ugly side of love.

“Make me leave… You don’t need this… I just don’t know how to stop wanting you. Tell me to go, and I’ll go.”

I will stop here and tell you nothing more about this story. This is a book that will keep surprising you, devastating you, leaving you breathless by simply never allowing you to relax or foresee what lies ahead, and I assure you that you will never see the next blow coming. They are all delivered with such precision, I felt like I was on the receiving end of a knife throwing act. It’s a story that shows the resilience of the human spirit, regardless of how terrifying the ghosts of one’s past may be, and the healing power of love. The sheer brilliance of this book also lies in the language used, in the quirky dialogues, in the unique monologues, in the word repetitions, even in the extraordinary visual arrangements of words aimed to imprint the meaning of those words into our souls and leave us shivering in their wake. Nothing is accidental and everything is just right.

“I hope she remembers the moment she became my everything.”

By the end of this book, my hands were hurting from being balled into fists for so long, my heart was aching and rejoicing at the same time from the countless emotions it had been exposed to, my body was hurting from not having moved an inch for so many hours at a stretch, and I had developed an unhealthy animosity towards italics in general. This is the sexiest, most heart-wrenching Colleen Hoover book to date—a book that shows us a brand new side of this author’s writing genius, and it is in my humble opinion, her best work thus far.

I am so ruined… and I loved every single moment of it.

“If I were capable of loving someone . . . it would be you.”

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I have a bad feeling that this book will destroy me. (In a good kind of way though) can’t wait!:!

Love your review can’t wait till release day!!

Natasha, I got goosebumps and you made me tear up with this review. What more if I already have this book in my hands and reading it … I can’t even! I can’t wait for the release of Ugly Love!

The name Tate for a girl is irking me…I’ve never heard of a girl named Tate before..only guys.

Excellent review. I cannot wait for this book. I don’t think I will be the same again

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT REVIEW oh man and I’m slightly scared now *hides* but still excited, definitely.

Holy hell – that is one amazing review. I have loved all of Colleen’s books and I have to say after that review, I am REALLY looking forward to this one!

You made me cry with this review because I love CoHo so much i don’t think my heart can withstand another perfection that is her work.

I have just pre-ordered paperback from TBD, because of your review. Can’t wait to get it!

I have been staying away from reviews and teasers because I want to go in blind. But darnnit Natasha! your review was just too tempting ;)

I’ve got it sitting on my ipad. I’m reluctant to read it if its that ruinous. I mean, more so than Slammed and Hopeless? I… don’t think I can.

When I say it “ruined” me, I meant it ruined me for all other books. ;)

So. freaking. amazing. Just did my part to deplete the global hotel supply of Kleenex.

Warning: Don’t read this book when there are people around you. This book literally make me cry, especially the last chapters. And I love how Hoover write the story, with alternating point of view of the two leads but in different timeline (Tate in present and Miles in past).

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BOOK REVIEW – Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

My first thought was.. I’m guna hate you book. Then I read some more. I’m not guna hate you book. In fact I’m guna love you book

Well, here it is. This moment is huge. This will mark A) my favorite Colleen Hoover book to date and B) My first absolutely without-a-doubt 5 star rating for one of her stories. This is by far the most nervous I’ve been going into a CoHo book and undoubtedly the most controversial story and writing style by her ever….and whadya know- I loved it. I’ve always had this quirky side to me that goes along the path less traveled by and more often than not, this off the wall style of mine shines through the most when reading Hoover’s works. Everyone tends to call Hoover their ‘go-to author’ or the author they don’t believe can ever write a bad book or they believe she writes beautiful stories with heart-wrenching messages that teach us something about ourselves-well, not me. I haven’t loved any one of her books like everyone else does. They are good, sure. But they don’t move me. They never have. But with Ugly? I adored it. I don’t know if it was because it wasn’t trying to be so perfect or if it’s because of the amazing, broken Miles, but this one worked for me where her others didn’t.

A kiss is so much easier than what we’re doing. When you kiss, you can close your eyes. You can kiss away the thoughts. You can kiss away the pain, the doubt, the shame. When you close your eyes and kiss, you protect yourself from the vulnerability. This isn’t us protecting ourselves.

Miles. Miles Miles Miles. Miles was this story. Miles is this story. I adored Miles. From his quiet persona to his broken past I l-o-v-e-d him. He wasn’t your typical moody, broody lead, he didn’t promise Tate a future, he was completely up front about the fact he could never love Tate, and he made so many mistakes I can’t even count. Or did he? I think he got a little victimized because he clearly, clearly was falling for Tate early on, but yet wouldn’t admit he loved her and continued to treat them as a casual thing…but he was very up front about that from day one and never deterred. But day after day his barrier would crack-he was never not kind and he always treated her so sweetly…but then she’d say something or look at him with love in her eyes as if he was the world, then the clouded look in his eyes and his icy persona would resurface and he would close down again into that quiet, impenetrable and unreadable Miles…The Miles I fell in love with.

It’s as if pieces of the guy he used to be bleed over into the guy he’s trying to be.

Tate. Sorry-but I loved her. That’s not a popular opinion, but it doesn’t make it any less true for me. I think that many people viewed her as a doormat, but in so many ways, from when she first meets Miles to their first kiss, I see so much of myself in her. So many phrases and thoughts and admissions go through her head that are quite familiar to me and my justification of things. In one moment, I felt so like her it was uncanny: I wad it up in my hands and throw it toward the kitchen, completely pissed off. I’m pissed because I already know I’ll be going with him. I don’t know how not to. I LOVED this quote/moment because it felt like one I’ve lived through numerous times. It happens. We fall for people that don’t want the same things as us and I found that relatable too. Way too relatable. The only thing Tate is guilty of is being a little naive and falling for someone forbidden to her way of life-it’s common , it’s tough , and it’s extremely hard to get past. So, all in all? I loved Tate. She was as strong as she could be and, sure, she had some corny inner monologue at times, but it never bothered me. She was flawed, just like Miles, and she made mistakes (just like the rest of us), just like Miles.

I love being with him but hate myself more and more with each new lie that passes my lips.

More than just the characters, though-It was HOT. It was SEXY. It was STEAMY. I could. Not. Get. Enough. of the sex and the intimate moments Tate and Miles shared. Every kiss effected me, every stolen moment was tantalizing. One thing I have always been able to give Hoover credit for were her steamy scenes-but, and this is a HUGE but, this is by far her hottest, most intense sex-filled book to date and it reached me deeper than any of her other works have. I could feel each sexual encounter to the bottom of my core and when I put the book down it was all I thought about-this book may have centered quite a bit around the physical aspects of their relationship, but it also viewed the subtle moments where they were connecting on a deeper emotional level and finding themselves falling for one another during every day activities-and it worked. I never once rolled my eyes and I still found myself daydreaming about Miles all day while I attempted to work.

It’s a race. It’s Miles and me against everything else. Were racing our consciences, our pride, our respect, the truth. He’s trying to get inside me before any of the rest of that stuff catches up to us. As soon as he’s back on the bed, he’s over me, against me, then inside me. We win.

There are so many things I want to say about this story, but I think I’ll start with the writing. So many people disliked the writing in this one and I can see where people might feel the flow was fractured by the choppy sentencing and poetic style of paragraphs, but hasn’t Hoover always had an odd way of presenting her stories to us? In fact, one of the reasons I’ve NEVER liked her writing all that much is because of the focus on songs and poems and various other forms of art….but in this one? I don’t know, it kind of went with the story and what was going on. It helped drag us through what was in the past and what was in the present. It was clear to me, as a reader, that when I got to Miles’ chapters, they were going to be in the past and it was going to be written differently. I actually started to enjoy it-it’s like it helped differentiate what was happening and what had already happened-there was no room to mistake we were in Mile’s troubled past, and I liked that distinction. But I do get why people didn’t quite respond to it.

He tightens his grip on my neck…and then he kills me. Or he kisses me. I can’t tell which, since I’m pretty sure they would feel the same. His lips against mine feel like everything. Like living and dying and being reborn, all at the same time. Good Lord. He’s kissing me.

One of the other problems people had was the lack of side story (Love you, Tris)-But, see, I loved that. I loved that it focused on these two. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like her other books as much-maybe for Hoover and I to work, that overly dramatic main story and extra (also) overly dramatic side story need to take a seat in the back…because nine times out of ten, they make me cringe. It’s just too much. So, when I realized there wasn’t an extra load of drama on the side, I got really excited. Apparently, when it comes to CoHo’s writing, less is more, and this story delivered-there wasn’t near as much drama and there was just the right amount of angst….and I can’t stop thinking about it.

…I have no idea how I manage to concentrate, because the only thing I can think about is the look that crossed Mile’s face right before he closed the door. I could tell I hurt him. That makes us even now, I guess.

The one and only thing that annoyed me was Rachel. I can’t say why. I can’t say how. But at a certain point in the story, she royally pissed me off. Thank GOD it didn’t sway my love for the book…but it was close. If you want to know why, it’s in the spoiler- (view spoiler) [-There is a certain chapter that switches to her POV near the end of the story. It not only pissed me off, it disgusted me. She blame(ed)s Miles FOR EVERYTHING. She is the reason he is so broken. She is the reason he won’t let love in. She is the reason he cries and feels so alone-she ruined him. She destroyed him. (hide spoiler) ] And it makes me hurt. Makes me hurt FOR him. So, when I had to read (view spoiler) [a chapter about her forgiveness, it made me see red. (hide spoiler) ] That’s all I will say about THAT.

I love the way he groans when our bodies join together. Guys usually tend to hold back their sounds more than girls do. Not Miles. Miles wants me, and he wants me to know it, and I love that. God, I love that.

So….I’m pleased to say I am the black sheep on this one (not at all surprising these days, it seems). I loved this book that is wholly controversial. I loved that Miles was a jealous, possessive, closed off ass. I loved Tate with her fragile heart and their stolen moments. I loved it all. So, if one singular plot is enough for you, if you don’t mind a completely crazy way of writing, if you can keep an open mind long enough to fall for the beautiful, fractured Miles, then give this one a shot-you will NOT regret it.

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November 19, 2014 at 8:34 am

I love how you describe the books ! I loved that book too and thank you so much for sharing what you feel about it because it is exactly what i feel!

November 19, 2014 at 11:12 am

Awww, thank you so much, Lucie! I absolutely ADORED this book and had so much fun writing this review. I am so happy you enjoyed it as much as I did-Miles became an instant BBF of mine!! 😀

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Ugly Love (Book Review) 2 min read

This post features a book review of Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. The novel tells the story of Tate and Miles, two people who are struggling to come to terms with a tragic event from their past. While the subject matter is heavy, Hoover does an excellent job of handling it in a way that is both sensitive and respectful. The characters are well-developed and real, and the story is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. This book is highly recommended to anyone looking for a good read.

Ugly Love Plot

Ugly Love tells the story of Tate Collins, a young woman who falls in love with her best friend’s brother, Miles Archer. Miles is a successful airline pilot who is still reeling from the loss of his wife in a plane crash. Tate is determined to help Miles move on from his pain, but she soon realizes that she may be falling for him herself. As their relationship starts to blossom, secrets from Miles’s past begin to come to light, threatening to destroy everything they have built together.

There are so many things to like about this book. First and foremost, the characters are incredibly well-developed and relatable. It is easy to empathize with both Tate and Miles, even when they are making some questionable choices. Additionally, the plot is engaging and fast-paced without feeling rushed. Hoover does an excellent job of balancing lighthearted moments with more serious ones, which will keep you hooked from beginning to end. Finally, the ending was both satisfying and realistic, which is something that can be difficult to find in contemporary fiction. 

In all honesty, there wasn’t much to not like about this book. However, with the risk of being charged with nitpicking, it could be said that there were a few instances where the dialogue felt a bit stilted and forced. Additionally, some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. However, these are relatively minor complaints in an otherwise excellent novel.

Overall, Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover may be highly recommended. It’s an incredibly well-written novel with complex and relatable characters. The plot is engaging and fast-paced, and the ending is both satisfying and realistic. If you’re looking for a good book to lose yourself in, this is definitely one that you won’t be disappointed by!

If you intend to order this book from Amazon, I would be very grateful if you use the affiliate link below.   Doing so won’t cost you any extra; it will just give me a small commission, and thereby make it possible for me to keep writing these book reviews. Thank you in advance!

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Ugly Love Summary, Review, Themes, Quotes and Characters

“Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover is a contemporary romance novel that delves into the complexities of love, pain, and the past, focusing on the tumultuous relationship between Tate Collins and Miles Archer.

Quick summary : Tate Collins moves to San Francisco, meeting brooding pilot Miles Archer. Their tumultuous relationship is overshadowed by Miles’s tragic past with love, Rachel. As Miles confronts his pain, he finds a chance at love with Tate, leading to their eventual reconciliation and family.

Ugly Love Full Summary

This is a story about a girl named Tate who moves from San Diego to San Francisco to study nursing and work in an ER. She moves in with her older brother Corbin, who is an airline pilot, in his fancy apartment. 

When she gets there, Corbin is away for work, but she meets Cap, the elevator guy, who becomes her bestie. 

She also meets this creepy married dude named Dillon in the elevator who tries to hit on her.

As she’s trying to get into her bro’s apartment, she finds this guy, Miles, drunk and crying in the hallway. It turns out Miles is a friend of Corbin’s. She calls her brother, who trusts Miles enough to let her let him into the apartment. Miles is super emotional and keeps saying the name “Rachel.”

The next day, Miles is all paranoid, thinking they “hooked up,” but Tate assures him nothing happened. They help her move her stuff in, and then it’s Thanksgiving. 

During the holiday, Miles cuts his hand, Tate stitches it up, and they share a kiss. They make a deal to have a casual relationship, but Tate shouldn’t expect anything more.

The story switches to show Miles’ past, where he fell in love with a girl named Rachel back in high school. They had a baby, but due to a tragic car accident, the baby died. Rachel couldn’t handle it and left him, and he’s been messed up ever since.

So, Tate and Miles keep their casual relationship going, but it’s kinda rocky. Tate starts to feel hurt because Miles is super hot and cold with her, like one minute he’s all caring and the next he shuts her out. Miles gets super jealous when he sees Tate with a male friend, but still won’t commit to her.

Eventually, Tate can’t handle it anymore and tells Miles her feelings. He still says he’s not down for a relationship. So Tate moves out and her brother, who had found out about their “thing,” is mad but eventually gets over it.

Two weeks after she moves out, Miles shows up at her door. He had visited Rachel, who’s moved on and is married with a kid. Rachel tells Miles he should move on too. So, Miles decides to go after Tate, tells her about his painful past and how much he loves her.

Fast forward six months, Miles takes Tate and Cap on a plane ride. After the ride, he gives her a key to his place and proposes. She says yes. In the end, they have a baby girl named Sam, and it turns out Miles can actually love again and be happy. 

And they all live happily ever after. 

Sort of. 

• Elizabeth Tate Collins : The primary female character, a registered nurse in her early 20s pursuing her master’s degree in nursing.
• Miles Mikel Archer : The primary male character, an airline pilot in his mid-20s.
• Corbin : Tate’s older brother, also an airline pilot, with whom Tate plans to live in his luxury apartment in San Francisco.
• Cap : The outgoing elevator attendant in Corbin’s apartment building, who becomes Tate’s best friend.
• Dillon : A sleazy married man who shows interest in Tate.
• Rachel : A girl from Miles’s past, significant to his backstory.
• Ian : Miles’s friend, mentioned in context with his high school years.
• Lisa : Rachel’s mother, who becomes involved with Miles’s father.
• Clayton : The name of Miles and Rachel’s baby, named after their English teacher.
• Brad : The man whom Rachel later marries.
• Claire : Rachel and Brad’s baby girl.
• Sam (Samuel) : Cap’s real name and the name of Tate and Miles’s baby girl.

Alright, folks, let’s dive into Colleen Hoover’s “Ugly Love,” a book that’s got the internet buzzing like a bee in a bonnet. 

Now, I’ve had my share of Hoover experiences – “November 9” was a wild ride, and “Maybe Not” surprisingly knocked my socks off. But “Ugly Love”? 

It’s like a rollercoaster that I’m not sure if I loved or just tolerated. Let’s unpack this, shall we?

First up, the pros: Hoover’s writing is like sliding into a warm bath – easy, comforting, and you don’t want to get out. I zoomed through the last three-quarters of this book in one go. 

It’s the perfect pick-me-up for those days when you’re feeling a bit blah and need a story that doesn’t make you overthink. The plot’s got this magnetism, even when it dips into the realm of the ridiculous.

Miles and Tate’s story is… well, it’s something. Imagine a love affair with more baggage than a cross-country flight. 

Hoover throws us into the deep end of their complicated, often doomed, arrangement. The flashbacks to Miles’s past are like watching a car crash in slow motion – you can’t look away. 

And the verse-style prose? 

It’s a bold move, not everyone’s cup of tea, but hey, it shakes things up.

But let’s chat about Tate, our leading lady. 

Honestly, she’s as exciting as watching paint dry. She’s meant to be this everywoman character, but she comes off more like a placeholder than a person. 

Her narrative voice feels like it’s stuck in a teenage diary, which is a bit jarring when you’re reading scenes that are definitely not for the high school crowd. 

It’s New Adult but with a strong YA aftertaste – like a cocktail that can’t decide if it’s for grown-ups or not.

Now, Miles, our leading man, he’s not the bad boy I was bracing for. He’s more ice than fire – a bit clueless, but not the toxic heartthrob I was expecting. 

And that’s a good thing. He’s upfront about what this whole thing is, which is more than I can say for a lot of romance novel heroes.

The latter part of the book gives us a peek into Miles’s head, and honestly, those bits shine. 

Maybe it’s Hoover’s knack for writing male POVs, but those chapters added some much-needed depth.

So, why pick up “Ugly Love”? 

If you’re in the mood for a book that’s like a gossip session with your best friend – easy to get into and hard to put down – this is it. The flashbacks add layers to the story, and while the ending didn’t have me reaching for the tissues, it’s got a punch that might hit you right in the feels.

But, a heads up: if you’re expecting Shakespeare, you might want to keep looking. The characters can be a tad dim, and the writing sometimes feels more high school than young adult . 

It’s a mix of heavy themes and light, almost cutesy prose that’s a bit of an odd duck in the New Adult pond. 

But hey, that might just be what makes it stick in your mind longer than your average romance novel.

In short, “Ugly Love” is a bit like that weird flavor of ice cream you try on a whim – not everyone’s going to love it, but it’s definitely an experience.

1. The Power of Emotional Healing and Confronting the Past

The character development of Miles showcases how imperative it is for an individual to face their traumas and past instead of running from them or suppressing them. 

Miles’s inability to discuss his pain surrounding the loss of his child and Rachel’s departure leads him to build emotional walls, shutting himself from potential happiness and love. It is only when he confronts his past, meeting Rachel again, that he starts to genuinely heal. 

This is a significant lesson on the importance of addressing and processing emotional traumas. Ignoring or suppressing them doesn’t make them go away; instead, it can lead to emotional and psychological distress. 

Confronting and working through past pain, possibly with therapy or counseling, can bring about healing, allowing individuals to move forward and embrace life and relationships more fully.

2. Communication is the Foundation of Relationships

Throughout the book, Tate and Miles’s relationship goes through several ups and downs, primarily due to their lack of clear communication . 

Their agreement to have a physical relationship without discussing emotions or the past eventually leads to emotional turmoil. This underlines the fact that even in the most casual relationships, communication is essential. 

By setting clear boundaries, understanding each other’s expectations, and frequently checking in on each other’s emotions and thoughts, relationships can navigate the challenges and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and heartaches. 

Clear communication leads to trust, understanding, and a stronger bond between partners.

3. The Transformational Power of Love and Support

Cap’s role as a supportive figure for Tate and the eventual support Miles receives from Tate shows how pivotal love and support can be in a person’s life. 

Their bond helps them navigate through the challenges and uncertainties of life. Cap’s unconditional friendship for Tate, and later Miles’s realization of Tate’s unwavering love for him, showcases how love and support can be transformative. 

It acts as a reminder that everyone needs a support system – whether it’s friends, family, or significant others. 

Having someone to lean on, confide in, or simply share life’s moments with can make the journey easier, more meaningful, and provide the strength needed to overcome challenges.

• “Love isn’t always pretty. 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.”
• “God gives us the ugliness so we don’t take the beautiful things in life for granted.”
• “When life gives you lemons, make sure you know whose eyes you need to squeeze them in.”
• “I didn’t fall in love with you… I flew.”
• “Sometimes not speaking says more than all the words in the world.”
• “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 the 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.”
• “It’s the beautiful moments like this that make up for the ugly love.”
• “The pain will always be there. So will the fear. But the pain and fear are no longer my life. They’re only moments.”
• “But the second she opened her eyes and looked at me, I knew. She was either going to be the death of me… or she was going to be the one who finally brought me back to life.”
• “If I were capable of loving someone… it would be you.”

Final Thoughts

“Ugly Love” masterfully weaves a tale of love, pain, and healing. Colleen Hoover’s storytelling captivates readers as she delves deep into the emotional journey of two individuals overcoming their past. The story serves as a testament to the power of love and its ability to heal even the deepest wounds.

Read our other summaries

• Without Merit Summary and Key Lessons | Colleen Hoover
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• Made To Stick | Summary and Key Lessons

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Theresa Smith Writes

Delighting in all things bookish, book review: ugly love by colleen hoover, ugly love….

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated. Promises get broken. Rules get shattered. Love gets ugly.

My Thoughts:

It’s been a long time since I read a novel in a single night, but this one kept me enthralled enough to keep my eyes on the page and completely off the clock. All of Colleen Hoover’s novels have that little something more to set them apart: slam poetry, original music with a soundtrack, confessions from the masses accompanying original art; this story is not without its little something more either.

In Ugly Love, the ‘little bit more’ from Colleen is woven into the chapters told from Miles’ point of view. The text appears different, deliberately and tellingly so, the narrative both high and low, explicitly childlike yet cuttingly clear. But it’s not until the very end of the novel that, if we’ve been paying enough close attention, we really ‘get’ what Colleen’s intention was. It’s one of those moments when you find yourself gasping, hands flying to your mouth in an effort to suppress your shock: the picture is finally complete with every terrible piece at last in its place and you did not see it coming at all. That’s when you realise you’ve been Colleen Hoovered again.

Miles is without doubt Colleen’s most heartbreaking male creation to date and his story is a deeply moving one. This novel is loaded with tension, both emotional and sexual, and Miles himself is often not a very nice man. The way he treats Tate is deliberately hurtful, excusing himself on the basis of his hidden pain. Yet, as readers, we are privy to a side of Miles that Tate is not, so we’re able to forgive these transgressions on his part, while still maintaining sympathy for the trap Tate has gotten herself caught up in.

Colleen Hoover is definitely a writer who just keeps on getting better with each novel. Her words pack an emotionally powerful punch and she’s not afraid to push the boundaries a bit. There was a desperation evident within this story that was at times uncomfortable to behold. Yet being human is sometimes like that: desperate, despairing, angry, and ugly. Human angst in all its glory and I loved every single bit of it.

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11 thoughts on “ book review: ugly love by colleen hoover ”.

Wow sounds like a bit of a journey. I don’t know if I’m up for it but I’ll add it to my list.

Like Liked by 1 person

Definitely a highly emotional book you need to be prepared for. But well worth it!

Same I complete this novel much faster than other novels. The part when he meet her daughter was such a heart breaking . The way she show the emotions. She shows how a man can be so emotionally weak. That he doesn’t want to confront the reality . I have also written a short glimpse of this novel. Please have a look on it.

Thanks Enni. It sure is a powerful novel.

Your welcome 😊😊😊😊 yes it is …

I saw on your post you are reading Hopeless next. Very good story, this one. I also recommend the Slammed series, her first. And Confess. I loved that one.

Cool I will start them in the coming week. Thank you so much . By the way how is the poem on it? I try to give a glimpse of it. Did I do the justice with it ?

I’m not much of a poet but yes, you seemed to have invoked the essence of the story.

Thank you ma’am 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

i complete this in 24 hrs. i like the character of miles such a heart breaking character . but rather i love the story.

Like Liked by 2 people

It was a quick read for me too! Loved it.

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Author Interviews

A historian's view of 'an extraordinary time capsule of the '60s'.

Reena Advani

Doris Kearns Goodwin's late husband, Dick Goodwin, and Bill Moyers peering over President Johnson's desk in the Oval Office to see the edits the president is making on a speech draft in May, 1965. LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto hide caption

Doris Kearns Goodwin's late husband, Dick Goodwin, and Bill Moyers peering over President Johnson's desk in the Oval Office to see the edits the president is making on a speech draft in May, 1965.

When acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin delved into 300 boxes of memorabilia preserved by her late husband Richard Goodwin, she got to relive with him his twenties. In real life, they first met when he was 40 years old and she was 29.

In 1972, he walked into her office at Harvard, where they both had office space, and the two bonded over shared interests. "So began a conversation about LBJ, the Sixties, writing, literature, philosophy, science, astronomy, sex, evolution, gossip, the Red Sox, and everything else under the sun," Kearns Goodwin writes in her new memoir, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s. It's an intimate account of her husband's experience in law, military service, and politics, capturing his pursuit of social justice in everything he did.

Items from Dick Goodwin's boxes. The author's late husband served as an advisor and speechwriter for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Courtesy of Christie's Images, Ltd. hide caption

Items from Dick Goodwin's boxes. The author's late husband served as an advisor and speechwriter for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

As a longtime political speechwriter and presidential adviser to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, he wanted his own history remembered, so he asked his wife to help him relive it and ultimately write it. That meant delving into dozens of letters and journals, a kind of time capsule of the 1960s. Their date nights involved watching old presidential debates between John F. Kennedy and incumbent Richard Nixon and critiquing their performances together.

"He would describe to me how he was preparing Kennedy for that," Doris Kearns Goodwin said in an interview on Morning Edition . "We'd go backward and forward. So it was really fun. I remember he said to me at the beginning, 'Are you nervous? Do you wonder who's going to win?'"

Doris Kearns Goodwin and Dick Goodwin were married in 1975. Marc Peloquin, courtesy of the author. hide caption

Doris Kearns Goodwin and Dick Goodwin were married in 1975.

Richard Goodwin advised Kennedy in the White House, and after Kennedy's assassination, he stayed on with President Lyndon Johnson. In An Unfinished Love Story , Doris Kearns Goodwin celebrates the many historical moments of the 1960s that her husband had a large hand in defining, including the founding of the Peace Corps and helping to draft the lauded Voting Rights Act speech delivered by President Johnson.

Doris Kearns Goodwin came to our studio in Washington D.C., for a conversation with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Steve Inskeep: The key line [in the Voting Rights Act Speech] – you called it the "We Shall Overcome" speech. This is a line from a spiritual that people sang as they were demonstrating for civil rights. Johnson just says it. What did it mean that Johnson just said that?

Kearns Goodwin: What it really meant was that's a moment when the person in the highest level of power is connecting to an outside group, the civil rights movement, who are pressuring the government to act. And that's when change takes place in our country.

SI: How do you think Richard was able to win the favor of and the trust of powerful men without losing himself, as some staffers do?

KG: It wasn't always easy. I think the fact that he had been with John Kennedy before Lyndon Johnson meant there was always a layer in Lyndon Johnson of not fully trusting him because he thought he was a Kennedy. You know, that was that fault line. You were either a Kennedy, or you were a Johnson. Even the first time when he calls Bill Moyers on the phone and there's this great tape where he's saying, "I need someone to be my speechwriter." This was only months after John Kennedy had died.

Dick Goodwin, President Kennedy, and David Dean Rusk, the president's secretary of state, in front of the U.S. Army helicopter on the White House South Lawn. Feb. 1, 1962. Abbie Rowe, courtesy of John F. Kennedy Library hide caption

Dick Goodwin, President Kennedy, and David Dean Rusk, the president's secretary of state, in front of the U.S. Army helicopter on the White House South Lawn. Feb. 1, 1962.

And he says to Moyers, "I need someone who can put sex in my speech, who can put rhythm in my speech, Churchillian phrases. Who could that be?" And Moyers says, "well, there's Dick Goodwin, but he's not one of us." And he knew then that that would always mean that he would always have a layer of not full trust.

SI: I feel that that relationship in microcosm is something that goes all the way through American life because this is a class difference along with everything else, right? Guy from Harvard versus the guy from a teacher's college in Texas.

KG: So true. I mean, one of the things Johnson used to say a lot was that his father always told him that if you brush up against the grindstone of life, you'll get more polished than anyone who went to Harvard or Yale ever did. But then he would add, but 'I never believed that.' I mean, there was always - and he was so much more brilliant than many people who go to Harvard or Yale. I mean, he used to call me Harvard half the time.

SI: When you met your husband, your future husband, in the early '70s, he's still a relatively young man but had had his greatest accomplishments. Would you say that that's true?

KG: I think that was the thing that was hard for him the rest of his life. I mean, he did do work after that. He wrote a play that was put on in London. He wrote columns. He wrote manifestos about America's revolution, the need for a new revolution. He got more radical as time went on. And he did work on Al Gore's concession speech.

SI: That's a gracious speech, Al Gore's concession in the 2000 election...?

KG: It was a lovely speech. Al Gore had called him and said that he wanted a victory speech or a concession speech. But Dick knew that the concession speech would be more important. And what a great, important memory is that right now that in that year of 2000, he was able to say, the law of the land is this. I don't agree with the decision, but I cherish this tradition and congratulate President Bush. We need that so badly right now.

SI: I'm struck by the idea that he thought people would not remember.

KG: I'm not sure what it was, but yeah, he did feel that need. It wasn't so much even for his work but for the work that he did together with these presidents because he wanted people to remember that the '60s was a time when young people in particular were powered by the conviction that they could make a difference. And tens of thousands of people joined the Peace Corps, were marching against segregation, against denial of the right to vote, were anti-war marching – and the beginning of the women's movement, the gay rights movement. It was a great time to be alive and a great time to be young.

The audio for this interview was produced by Kaity Kline.

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Salman Rushdie warns young people against forgetting value of free speech

Author also discusses prospect of second Trump presidency and writing about his stabbing in launch event for his book Knife

Salman Rushdie has warned young people against forgetting the value of free speech and discussed the “very big and negative” impact of a second Trump presidency in a rare public appearance since his stabbing.

The Indian-born British-American author of books including the Satanic Verses and Midnight’s Children also discussed the attack in 2022 that left him blind in one eye during a Q&A at an English PEN event at the Southbank Centre .

“I have a very old-fashioned view about [free speech],” said Rushdie, appearing by video from his home in New York to mark the launch of his new memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder . “The defence of free expression begins at the point at which somebody says something you don’t like.

“It’s a very simple thing, but it’s being forgotten. That is what’s enshrined in the first amendment … In the US, you feel there’s a younger generation that’s kind of forgetting the value of that. Often, for reasons they would believe to be virtuous, they’re prepared to suppress kinds of speech with which they don’t sympathise. It’s a slippery slope. And look out, because the person slipping down that slope could be you.”

Rushdie said academia in America was “in serious trouble … because of colossal political divisions. And everybody is so angry that it seems very difficult to find a common place.”

The Booker-prize-winning author, whose books have been translated into more than 40 languages, discussed the prospect of a second Trump presidency with the author and critic Erica Wagner and encouraged young people in the US to “not make the mistake of not voting”.

He said: “The impact would be very big and negative. He’d be worse a second time around, because he’d be unleashed and vengeful. All he talks about is revenge. And that’s a bad policy platform, that you want to be president to deal revenge against your enemies.

“In New York, people had got the point of Donald Trump long before he ever tried to run for office. Everybody knew that he was a buffoon and a liar. And unfortunately, America had to find out the hard way. I just hope they don’t fall for it again.”

Rushdie was about to give a talk at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state on 12 August 2022 when a man rushed on stage and stabbed him about 10 times. “I saw the man in black running toward me down the right-hand side of the seating area,” he recalls in his new book . The writer was hospitalised for six weeks.

On Sunday, he said he hadn’t been able to think about writing for six months, but then it struck him that it would be “ludicrous” to write about anything else.

He described the difficulty of penning the first chapter, “in which I have to describe in some detail the exact nature of the attack. It was very hard to do.”

Knife, the writer said, was the “only book I’ve ever written with the help of a therapist. It gave me back control of the narrative. Instead of being a man lying on the stage with a pool of blood, I’m a man writing a book about a man live on stage with a pool of blood. That felt good.”

Rushdie also spoke about the postponement of the trial of his attacker, Hadi Matar . He said Matar’s not-guilty plea was “an absurdity” and that he would testify at any future trial. “It doesn’t bother me to be in the courtroom with him. It should bother him.”

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In Knife, Matar is not named, but referred to as “the A”. Rushdie said he was inspired by a Margaret Thatcher line about “wanting to deny the terrorists what she called the oxygen of publicity. That phrase stuck in my head. I thought, ‘This guy had his 27 seconds of fame. And now he should go back to being nobody.’

“I use this initial A because I thought there were many things he was: a would-be assassin, an assailant, an adversary … an ass.”

However, Rushdie said, “the most interesting” part of the book to write was the 30 pages of imagined dialogue between him and his attacker.

“I actually wanted to meet him and ask him some questions. Then I read about this incident where Samuel Beckett was the victim of a knife attack in Paris by a pimp. He went to the man’s trial, and at the end of it said to him: ‘Why did you do it?’ And the only thing the man said was: ‘I don’t know, I’m sorry.’ I thought: if I actually were to meet this guy, I would get some banality.”

So Rushdie decided it would “be better to try to imagine myself” into the head of a person who chose to attack a stranger despite reading “no more than two pages of something I’d written”.

‘There is in my mind an absence in his story,” he said. “This is somebody who was 24 years old. He must have known that he was going to be wrecking his life as well as mine, and yet he was willing to commit murder. He’s somebody with no previous criminal record and not on any kind of terrorism watch list. Just a kid in Fairview, New Jersey. And to go from that to murder is a very big jump.”

• Salman Rushdie
• Southbank Centre

More on this story

Knife by Salman Rushdie review – a life interrupted

‘Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run?’: 10 things we learned from Salman Rushdie’s Knife

Knife by Salman Rushdie review – a story of hatred defeated by love

‘I can’t explain it’: Salman Rushdie says his survival in knife attack was a miracle

Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye and use of one hand, says agent

Drastic rethink of security likely in wake of Salman Rushdie attack

Salman Rushdie’s grave fears for Indian democracy published in PEN anthology

Iran denies role in Salman Rushdie attack but claims author is to blame

Salman Rushdie ‘road to recovery has begun’ but ‘will be long,’ agent says

If we don’t defend free speech, we live in tyranny: Salman Rushdie shows us that

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For Caleb Carr, Salvation Arrived on Little Cat’s Feet

As he struggled with writing and illness, the “Alienist” author found comfort in the feline companions he recalls in a new memoir, “My Beloved Monster.”

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By Alexandra Jacobs

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MY BELOVED MONSTER: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me, by Caleb Carr

J. Alfred Prufrock measured his life out in coffee spoons . Caleb Carr has done so in cats.

Carr is best known for his 1994 best-selling novel “ The Alienist ,” about the search for a serial killer of boy prostitutes, and his work as a military historian. You have to prod the old brain folds a little more to remember that he is the middle son of Lucien Carr , the Beat Generation figure convicted of manslaughter as a 19-year-old Columbia student after stabbing his infatuated former Boy Scout leader and rolling the body into the Hudson.

This crime is only fleetingly alluded to in “My Beloved Monster,” which tracks Carr’s intimate relationship with a blond Siberian feline he names Masha — but his father haunts the book, as fathers will, more sinisterly than most.

After a short prison term, Lucien went on to become a respectable longtime editor for United Press International. He was a drunk — no surprise there, with famous dissolute-author pals like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg hanging around the house. But that he regularly beat Caleb and threw him down flights of stairs, causing not just psychological but physical injuries that persist into adult life, adds further dark shadings to this particular chapter of literary history.

In a boyhood marred by abuse, neglect and the upheaval of his parents’ divorce, cats were there to comfort and commune with Caleb. Indeed, he long believed he was one in a previous life, “ imperfectly or incompletely reincarnated ” as human, he writes.

Before you summon Shirley MacLaine to convene 2024’s weirdest author panel, consider the new ground “My Beloved Monster” breaks just by existing. Even leaving aside the countless novels about them, dogs have long been thought valid subjects for book-length treatment, from Virginia Woolf’s “ Flush ,” about Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel, to John Grogan’s “ Marley and Me .” Meow-moirs are thinner on the ground.

It’s taken a younger generation of feminists, and probably the boredom and anxiety of quarantine, to destigmatize (and in some cases monetize ) being owned by a cat. Male cat fanciers, however, have long been stereotyped as epicene or eccentric, though their number has included such national pillars of machismo as Ernest Hemingway and Marlon Brando . When one male lawyer accidentally showed up to a civil forfeiture hearing behind a kitten filter on Zoom in 2021, America went wild with the incongruity.

Carr, though he’s a big one for research, doesn’t waste much time, as I just have, throat-clearing about cats’ perch in the culture. He’s suffered from one painful illness after another — neuropathy, pancreatitis, peritonitis, Covid or something Covid-like, cancer; and endured multiple treatments and surgeries, some “botched” — and his writing has the forthrightness and gravity of someone who wants to maximize his remaining time on Earth.

He capitalizes not only Earth, but the Sun, the Moon and the roles played by various important anonymous humans in his life, which gives his story a sometimes ponderous mythic tone: there’s the Mentor, the Lady Vet (a homage to Preston Sturges’ “The Lady Eve”; Carr is a classic movie buff), the Spinal Guru and so forth.

Names are reserved for a succession of cats, who have seemingly been as important to Carr as lovers or human friends, if not more so. (At least one ex felt shortchanged by comparison.) Masha is his spirit animal, a feminine counterpart better than any you could find in the old New York Review of Books personals . She eats, he notes admiringly, “like a barbarian queen”; she enjoys the music of Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff and Wagner (“nothing — and I’ll include catnip in this statement,” he writes, “made her as visibly overjoyed as the Prelude from ‘Das Rheingold’”); she has a really great set of whiskers.

Before Masha there was Suki, blond as well, but a bewitching emerald-eyed shorthair who chomped delicately around rodents’ organs and disappeared one night. Suki was preceded by Echo, a part-Abyssinian with an adorable-sounding penchant for sticking his head in Carr’s shirtfront pocket. Echo was preceded by Chimene, a tabby-splotched white tomcat the adolescent Caleb nurses miraculously through distemper. Chimene was preceded by Ching-ling, whose third litter of kittens suffer a deeply upsetting fate. And before Ching-ling there was Zorro, a white-socked “superlative mouser” who once stole an entire roast chicken from the top of the Carr family’s refrigerator.

To put it mildly, “My Beloved Monster” is no Fancy Feast commercial. All of the cats in it, city and country — Carr has lived in both, though the action is centered at his house on a foothill of Misery Mountain in Rensselaer County, N.Y— are semi-feral creatures themselves at constant risk of gruesome predation. Masha, rescued from a shelter, had also been likely abused, at the very least abandoned in a locked apartment, and Carr is immediately, keenly attuned to her need for wandering free.

This, of course, will put her at risk. The tension between keeping her safe and allowing her to roam, out there with bears, coyotes and fearsome-sounding creatures called fisher weasels, is the central vein of “My Beloved Monster,” and the foreboding is as thick as her triple-layered fur coat. More so when you learn Carr keeps a hunting rifle by one of his easy chairs.

But the book is also about Carr’s devotion to a line of work he likens to “professional gambling.” Despite his best sellers, Hollywood commissions and conscious decision not to have children to stop the “cycle of abuse,” Carr has faced money troubles. The I.R.S. comes to tape a placard to his door and he’s forced to sell vintage guitars to afford Masha’s medications, for she has begun in eerie parallel to develop ailments of her own.

“My Beloved Monster’ is a loving and lovely, lay-it-all-on-the-line explication of one man’s fierce attachment. If you love cats and feel slightly sheepish about it, it’s a sturdy defense weapon. If you hate them, well, there’s no hope for you.

MY BELOVED MONSTER : Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me | By Caleb Carr | Little, Brown | 352 pp. | $32

Alexandra Jacobs is a Times book critic and occasional features writer. She joined The Times in 2010. More about Alexandra Jacobs

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