Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

     The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.
     Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
                              
Beautiful Disaster is one of the best books I’ve read in a LONG time. It was everything I could ever wish for. My best friend and I, unknowingly bought the book at the same time. We decided to read it together. This was a first and it was awesome having someone to gush over Travis with.
Abby was a great character. She was running from her past and starting over at college. She was horribly oblivious to Travis and his advances, even as he fell in love with her. She was strong-willed and stood out. It was her resilience that attracted Travis to her. Travis was the ultimate bad boy. He drove a motorcycle, had tattoos, and even a reputation as a knock-out cage fighter. He was a bad boy without trying to be. He was intense. Anything he did, he did to the max as he did with Abby. He was possessive and hot-headed and just the most imperfect perfect boy ever. Their relationship was not without its bumps and bruises. They fought a lot and Travis was very overwhelming. At some points, I wanted to put the book down because it was TOO much drama, but Jamie had already gotten me too hooked to stop. Beautiful Disaster lived up to its name and was visibly and literally beautiful. It brought my best friend and I closer together and gained at least two solid and forever fans.

Kissing Tennessee by Kathi Appelt

Mason and Carrie Marie can't get up the courage to ask each other to dance. Russ's girlfriend has died, and now he's just trying to live without her. Peggy Lee has grown up with Tennessee--how can she ever think of him as more than a friend?

In these moving tales and others, Kathi Appelt captures the sometimes amusing, sometimes touching missteps of some unforgettable students, who come together one last time for the most memorable night of their young lives.

     Kissing Tennessee was a compilation of stories all revolving around the events of the Stardust Dance. All the stories are told from different points of view and all having their own essential purpose. They all hold the sort of wistfulness that you feel when talking about the past whether it be good or bad. The book also has no off limit subjects. A boy struggling with The Question of his sexuality. Sisters who want to be teenagers with a father who thinks lipstick makes you a Jezebel. The book both begins and ends with a poem that both entertains and brings you to the heart and gently lets you go. This book was a quick read, but memorable all the way through.