White Trash Trilogy (Book One), by Teresa Mummert, Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, July 2013
* An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.
WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL is an amazing story of one young woman's struggle to break out of the constant drudgery and abuse hounding her so she can make a better life for herself. Day after day, 23-year-old Cass Daniels leaves her whacked out mom and her abusive and drug-addicted boyfriend in their decrepit trailer and walks next door to Aggie's Diner. It's not only where she works; it's her sanctuary. She aches to get out of the never-ending cycle of broken promises and heartbreak. Sometimes waitressing two shifts a day, Cass scrimps and saves as much as possible so she can get away from the pit her life has become.
Her boyfriend, Jackson (Jax), was once her savior, protector and best friend. Now he's a jealous heroin addict, who constantly asks Cass for money to score his next hit. While Cass tries to make enough money to keep a roof over their head and some food in the fridge, Jax and her mom, Anne, drink, smoke and shoot up whenever they can. Cass has to hide the pittance of saved cash so the other two don't spend it on drugs.
One day a bright light sneaks into the darkness of her existence. Tucker White, a bad-boy rocker in an up-and-coming band, walks into the diner and into Cass's life. He's only known her for a few minutes, but he protects her from her angry boyfriend when he comes asking for money. Tucker sees something in Cass that touches him and, for as long as he's in the Eddington SC area, he does everything he can to make sure she's safe.
Cass gets a brief respite from work and home when Tucker takes her on his motorcycle to Savannah one night. She gets a glimpse of what life could be for her if she were strong enough to break free from Jax and her mom. It's been a long time since she's felt loved and safe, the way Tucker makes her feel. But he's leaving with his band. And leaving her behind.
This is a powerful story full of anger, lies, abuse and survival. Cass endures Jax's fits of physical and verbal abuse and her mom's negligence because she hopes that one day she'll get out of the hellhole that's her life. With Tucker as her lifeline, she knows it's only a matter of time.
If I could give WHITE TRASH BEAUTIFUL ten stars I would. It's gritty, gory, and sad, but it's also full of hope and love. Cass and Tucker are strong, good people who've had bad things happen to them. You can feel their need to be together and hold on to each other. Jackson and Anne are pitiful and broken, and it's hard not to feel compassion for them. Even when they're being mean to Cass.
I can't quit thinking about this story. It sucked me in and kept me there until the very last page. For me, that's a sign of a great book. I'll be revisiting this story often.
*The second book in the trilogy, WHITE TRASH DAMAGED, will be released in 2014.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE: FALLEN TOO FAR SERIES by Abbi Glines, REAL SERIES by Katy Evans, FALLING (WILDER) SERIES by Jasinda Wilder, DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by Jennifer Echols