Colleen Hoover’s “Ugly Love” is an attempt at romance that fails to deliver on its grand promises. The novel is led by bland main characters, glittered with explicit scenes, stuffed with useless secondary characters, and defined by cheap prose.
Reading the main characters interacting is like listening to the hold music when you call customer service – it’s repetitive, monotonous and frustrating but you can’t let go because you are dying to reach the ending. Tate is portrayed as a weak and one-dimensional woman who is willing to endure manipulation and contempt from Miles, the male lead. Our leading man, on the other hand, is a brooding and emotionally distant man who lacks any depth or complexity. His “mysterious” attitude and toned abs are overemphasized to cover up his stale personality. Mysterious characters are supposed to be intriguing with quirky behaviors and habits that trigger a guessing game within the audience and build up suspense. This is not the case for Miles. He is simply detached and boring.
The romance in “Ugly Love” is weak and underdeveloped. Tate and Miles have no chemistry and are unable to communicate. Once again, the author uses gratuitous smut and emotional banter to cover up the giant holes in the story. The explicit scenes between Tate and Miles are the primary focus of their relationship, leaving little room for genuine emotional connection. Furthermore, the toxic dynamic between the two characters, characterized by emotional manipulation and power imbalances, sends a troubling message about what constitutes a healthy relationship.
The secondary characters in the novel serve no purpose other than to add more pages to a story that can’t stand on its own. They lack depth, personality, and agency, existing solely as props to further the main characters’ storylines. Characters like Corbin and Dillon. who could have added more layers of conflicts and intrigues, ultimately have a weak impact on the story’s progression. Their presence adds nothing of substance to the plot, leaving readers wondering why they were included at all.
Finally, “Ugly Love” squanders its potential with a waste of passages that add little to the overall narrative. The repetitive nature of the prose and the excessive focus on physical intimacy detract from the story’s emotional impact, creating feelings of dissatisfaction.
Yet, despite the barrage of critique this book has earned, it’s impossible to ignore its peculiar magnetism and the great ratings it has received. “Ugly Love” ensnares its like instant hot chocolate – quick, cozy but unsatisfying. We reach the end, not because we’re necessarily enjoying the trivial banters, but because a part of us strongly wants to see the denouement. This phenomenon is perhaps Hoover’s true literary sleight of hand – her ability to keep readers engaged through sheer narrative force, even when the plot falls short.
***Word of advice: If you’re really curious about the story, grab a copy from your local library in print format. The audiobook version provides a more painful experience since skimming is not an option.***