Review: 4.5 bright stars for Scarred Beautiful!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
On the outside Fran is a young, successful, professional.  Hidden underneath her layers Fran is scarred.  Dealing with an abusive childhood and a sudden devastating loss, she is just trying to make it day to day without having more panic attacks.  Meeting Matt an a conference in LA puts a spark back in her eyes that hasn't been there in a very long time.  Matt has faced devastating losses as well.  Yet, together they seem to find the joy in living again.I was pleasantly surprised with this book! The synopsis had me thinking that I would be reading a really sad and depressing book.  This wasn't the case AT ALL.  Instead, Scarred Beautiful was quirky, sweet, and fun. There were definitely serious underlying topics... but they were spread throughout the book. It was a perfect mix of emotional and light fun.  This book had me smiling from page one.  The descriptions were colorful and the conversations were fun.The dual point of view's gave us great insight into both of the main characters.  Matt is such a sweetheart - always thinking of Fran.  He was so understanding, loving, and caring.  Every time Fran had a panic attack, Matt was sincerely worried about her and came to sooth her.  He really was a perfect book boyfriend.  I was also happy that Matt's wealth wasn't flaunted.  No big, oversized gifts or impractical dates.  At the end of the day he was just a successful guy dating a successful girl.All of the characters had great depth and I especially enjoyed the two sidekicks - Caleb and Peyton.  They were the perfect friends, offering advice, encouragement, and lighthearted conversation.  In addition, the introduction of family characters was handled really well - I loved the family conversations.  So often in books the family is ignored while the main couple falls in love in some sort of bubble where nothing else exists.  It's nice to see caring family members as a part of this story.In the end this book was both meaningful and fun. What a great fairytale ending for these two special characters!  4.5 bright stars for Scarred Beautiful! This was my first Beth Michele book... but it definitely won't be my last.  I have already been browsing Amazon for her previous titles.