This book was a quick, entertaining read. It was exactly what I was expecting: an easy to read romantic-comedy-emotional-drama story. Lately I’ve only had time to read at night right before I go to sleep, so I was looking for something that would be accessible but still engaging. Beautiful Ruins delivered just that. The intertwined stories of the characters were great. It wasn’t too ostentatious, but it wasn’t overly simple. I was curious to learn how their stories collided, interacted, and melded together, so I was constantly engaged throughout the book. My favorite characters were Pasquale and Dee, and I was disappointed that Walters didn’t spend more time with them. I also really enjoyed the story of Dee’s son, Pat. I felt that it added an interesting layer to what could have been a shallow plot. It was well written, but wrought with paragraphs about love and time that were overly sentimental for my taste. It was an entertaining read, and I’m glad I decided to pick it out at my library’s book store.