REVIEW: It’s a Fugly Life by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

In It’s a Fugly Life (Fugly #2) by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, Lily Snow thought billionaire Maxwell Cole was the love of her life until she messed everything up and he pushed her away six months ago. Before meeting him, she spent her days thinking that her unfortunate bad looks would be what defined her. But with the strength of their love and both of them working through their own personal issues, she was able to look beyond her appearance. These days, Lily’s appearance may not be such a concern after having several reconstructive surgeries courtesy of a serious car accident. But inside, she’s still that girl who doesn’t feel worthy enough. Even though she now has a new man in her life.

“You’re mine, Lily, and you can pretend otherwise, but it won’t change the fact: Patricio doesn’t love you like I do and he never will.”
I held up my left hand to show my engagement ring. “He says otherwise. And so do I.”

So just when things were about to look up for Lily, with a marriage proposal to ponder and a new business to cultivate, Max storms back into her life. And he’s intent on making her his girlfriend again. In true Max fashion, he doesn’t take no for an answer easily and goes all out to woo Lily back. But she’s not going to cave so readily this time around. She’s torn between knowing how good she and Max could be together if they could just settle the emotional roller coaster they traverse when they’re together, and not wanting to give up the laid back relationship she has with Patricio. Neither guy is making it easy for Lily. And so she finds herself trying to push aside the fugly voice inside her head and think everything through rationally.

John and I watched as these two educated, refined men devolved into WWE, trash-talking gorillas.
John flashed a look my way. “You know they’re both totally in love with you, right?”
“I think they’re in love with themselves,” I said.

It’s a Fugly Life was quite a wild experience. And a fun, sincere one, at that. Written in Mimi Jean Pamfiloff’s unique style which blends humor, heart and sensuality with ease, this was a romance–and a personal journey taken by our heroine–which will surely resonate with readers.

“You may have had surgery to make your face beautiful, but you’re still walking around like you don’t deserve more in life.”
“Why would you say that?” I snapped. It hurt. And it wasn’t true. Okay, maybe it was, but everyone–everyone–had challenges to deal with. My fugly voice was mine, and I was dealing with it.

I really do think this story will be easy for nearly everyone to relate to. Once you strip away the funny bits and the sexy moments and the drama, Lily, at her core, was a confused woman struggling with her self-confidence and her inner ‘fugly’ voice. You know which one…that voice that niggles away and tells you that you’re not good enough to deserve happiness, or not pretty enough, not smart enough. I’m sure we’ve all had moments like this and some of us, like Lily, face it every day.

What I truly loved about her character was that she didn’t give in easily to the negative thoughts. She fought it with everything she had. Lily was a survivor and even after messing things up with Max, going through painful reconstructive surgeries after a horrific car accident, and revamping her life completely, she still wanted to believe in love and that things would ultimately work out. How can you not like someone with that much inner strength? And who has such a terrific sense of humor, to boot?

Aside from the personal introspection, the other part of this book was the love triangle between Lily, Max, and Patricio. Lily was already confused about the direction her life should take. So adding to it the chance at a reunion with the man she once loved passionately but who pushed her away, well, things got more complicated. I think Pamfiloff did a great job of showing how difficult it was for Lily to decide between her new beau Patricio, a man with whom she felt a strong friendship and an easy type of romance, and with Max. Someone who might fire her up physically like no one else, but who she shared an absolutely tumultuous relationship with. The resolution was a memorable, fitting one and it will definitely keep readers on their toes until the final page. Loved it.

Whether read as a standalone or as a continuation of Lily’s story, I think fans will thoroughly enjoy this book. It struck a perfect balance between serious and lighthearted, and had a healthy dash of steamy scenes to keep things interesting.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 11th 2016 | Mimi Boutique | Fugly #2

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff, Comes a New Standalone Contemporary Romance. (Approx. 300 pages)

HE’S PERFECT FOR HER IN EVERY WAY, EXCEPT FOR ONE SMALL ISSUE. HE’S TOO LATE.

My name is Lily Snow. And I was once the kind of ugly that turned heads and made people stare. The worst part was how I let it ruin my life and destroy my relationship with the love of my life–Maxwell Cole, one of the sexiest, wealthiest, enigmatic men on the planet. All because I felt ugly and certainly not good enough for a man’s love.

But not anymore.

One car wreck, three reconstructive surgeries, and some unexpected money have changed my life.

I’ve started my own company, I’ve finally learned to like myself–not love, but like (hey, it’s a journey)–and I’ve met a wonderful new man who’s helped me put Max in the past where he belongs.

There’s only one problem: After six long months, Maxwell Cole is back, asking for the one thing I can’t give him. And he’s not taking no for an answer.

NOTE: This is a continuation of the story FUGLY, but is a standalone.