The Wreckage of Us
By Brittainy Cherry
ISBN# 9781542017862
Author’s Website: http://www.bcherrybooks.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
*Beware of possible spoilers*
Hazel Stone has had a rough life. Living at the trailer park with her mom and her drug dealing step-father. And, worse her mom is now pregnant! She knows Charlie won’t be any help making sure her mom and the baby are okay. So, Hazel does all she can do and goes to Big Paw to get a job. Big Paw is basically the grandfather of town and keeps everything running. He takes a chance on her and gives her a job at the ranch. She just has to deal with his playboy grandson, Ian, who is supposed to train her. If she can get him to keep it in his pants and away from the girls long enough to teach her what she needs to know!
“I was shocked that mono wasn’t being spread around more due to Ian Parker and his manwhore ways.”
Shortly after Hazel starts working at the ranch, Charlie kicks her out of the house with no warning. She has nowhere to go and ends up squatting at an abandoned shed on the ranch property. Eventually, Ian discovers her new living arrangement and offers her his spare room. Hazel refuses, not wanting to be beholden to any man, like her mother is. Eventually he wears her down and she goes to stay with him. And, they even start to build a friendship together.
“Such a softness fell over her as she looked my way. “Ian?”
“Yeah?”
“Drunk Hazel likes you a lot.”
I snickered. “Let’s work on getting sober Hazel to like me too.”
“That’s easy enough.” She yawned in my face, not bothering to cover her mouth. “Just say hi to me sometimes, and it helps if you take off your shirt too.”
Ian is a lead singer of the local band, the Wreckage, that are trying to make their mark in this world. They have an amazing sound, but Hazel thinks their lyrics are crap. And, when she helps Ian finally unlock his emotions and find the words, the band takes off right as their relationship is starting to morph into something stronger than friendship. Can their fragile new found love survive the distance and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle? Or will both of their commitments become too much to handle as he tries to make it big and she tries to get custody of her baby sister …
This book had a slow start, but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved it! Ian and Hazel both had issues to work through and they had more in common than either of them could have imagined. Both of them were examples of what can happen when drugs ruin a family.
I adored Ian, once his outer shell cracked a bit. His parents abandoned him, finding their next high became more important than their only child. Lucky for Ian, he had great grandparents to pick him up and make sure he soared to his full potential. His grandparents were great characters, as well!
“You’ve been a pain in my ass since you were a kid.”
Not the goodbye speech I was hoping for.
“It’s true.” He nodded. “You’ve been a fucking pain in my goddamn ass. Throughout your whole childhood, you pushed my buttons. You acted out and gave me every gray hair on my head.”
“Is this supposed to be an inspirational goodbye, because–“
“Just shut your hole and let me finish, all right?” he barked.
“Yes, sir.”
He shifted his feet side to side before pinching the bridge of his nose. When he locked eyes with mine, his stare was filled with tears, and I swore I hadn’t ever seen my grandfather cry. “I just want you to know that you got all those characteristics from me. The good, the bad, and the messed-up parts. You’re a mirror of your old man, Ian, and I wouldn’t want you to be anything other than who you are. So you go out to Los Angeles, and you give them fucking hell, okay? You be a pain in their ass like the damn devil you are. Push their buttons. Push the whole world’s buttons until you get that dream of yours. You get that success, and you hold on tight to it. Don’t you dare look back to this place until you truly need to, but when you need to look back, we’ll be here waiting.”
Hazel was strong as well. Although I did agree with Garrett, that her need to have the baby was a bit selfish (and I felt also unrealistic) considering she didn’t even have her own place or any real way to support a child on her own.
My heart actually hurt when the guys went to L.A. because the romance between Ian and Hazel was so sweet. I’ve read enough of these books to know that fame would ruin it. Although it wasn’t destroyed, in the way that I had expected.
I also really enjoyed the band members of the Wreckage. I would love to see this become a series so that we can get to know them all a bit better! Plus I love rock star romances!
“You are the stars,” I whispered, our mouths so close that if I moved an inch in, we’d be pressed against one another’s lips. Fuck, that was corny, and fuck, I didn’t even care. Hazel made me want to be the corniest asshole alive. “You’ve been my light, my muse, my inspiration. Haze … you are every star in the goddamn sky. You are my galaxy.”
This is the first book I’ve read from this author, but it definitely won’t be my last! If you enjoy books that make you feel and possibly even cry like a baby then you should definitely check this one out!
