Review: White Trash Beautiful

Title: White Trash Beautiful (White Trash Trilogy #1)
Author: Teresa Mummert
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: July 9th 2013
Source: Netgalley & Gallery Books

★★★★

Four stars.

Cass has all but given up on her dreams. Her life is far from perfect. Her boyfriend Jax is emotionally and verbally abusive, and his higher than a kite more often than not. Her daddy walked out when when she was little, and her mom has filled the void with the same drug cocktail that Jax has. Cass's life is fragmented, but she clings to the sliver of hope that things will go back to the way they were before drugs. But her minimum wage life is shaken when she meets the beautiful, kind, protective Tucker- the lead singer of a band. She doesn't want to leave Jax, even though she knows it's not healthy, but she can't quite leave the glimpse of normalcy that she finds in Tucker's arms...

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It was really hard for me to rate this book, with an argument in my head going between a three and a four. Ultimately, it was the lead heroine, Cass, that made me bump it up to a four.

+This book is very gritty and real and dare I say realistic, keeping in mind the well-worn fantasy of falling in love with a rock star. The drug use and abuse in this book are heartbreaking and vivid, and it gives the text of this novel a haunting and ominous undertone that sticks with the pages until the very end. I feel, as someone who has been around such relationships, that this is a fairly accurate portrayal of behavior; the mood swings, the lies, the acts they don't remember when they sober up.

+I have to say that I didn't like Cass at first, but she definitely grew on me. I think she's a believable balance of strong and weak. People who don't know the stress and fear and emotional attachment that comes with abuse can tell others to walk away, to just leave. But it's not that easy, and Cass is proof of that. She had bursts of strength that were very brave, and weak points that made her relatable and having flaws.

+-Tucker on the other hand gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand, he is protective and generous. But he too has mood swings that make him seem like kind of a douche bag at times. The author no doubt had Adam Levine in mind when she wrote Tucker into life (I caught four Maroon 5 references without trying). Part of me says that this shows a lack of creativity.... But the other part of me is in love with Adam Levine and sees nothing wrong with it.

-The only real issue that I had with this book is that the plot, at parts, got a bit soap opera-esque and melodramatic. The drama was well written, but some of the "twists" made me say "Really?" aloud. It didn't ruin my reading experience, but it did affect it.

I enjoyed this book enough that I am excited to learn that this is a trilogy. I want to know more about what happens with Cass, and I can't wait to read the next installment. If themes like violence, drugs, or sex offend you, then this book is not your cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for my copy.