Book Tour for Trailer Trash by Marie Sexton (Review & GIVEAWAY)

As a reader who enjoys intensely emotional stories that tug at your heartstrings, I can always count on certain authors to give me just that.  Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to the coming-of-age m/m romance, Trailer Trash by Marie Sexton, and all the inherent ups and downs of this romance playing out in a small town.  Keep reading to get a glimpse of this story, along with my impressions of it, and then add it to your bookshelf.  In honor of this book make sure to leave a comment below for the chance to win a $50 Amazon GC and increase your chances of winning by commenting at the other tour stops too!

Hello, everybody! I'm Marie Sexton, and I'm here today to tell you about my New Adult novel, Trailer Trash. Trailer Trash is a sweet coming-of-age story about two high school seniors: Cody, who's dirt poor and literally lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and Nate, the preppy new kid in town. It's set in the fictional town of Warren, Wyoming, in the mid-1980s. It's full of angst and 80s pop culture references, and I promise, it has a happy ending.

It's 1986, and what should have been the greatest summer of Nate Bradford's life goes sour when his parents suddenly divorce. Now, instead of spending his senior year in his hometown of Austin, Texas, he's living with his father in Warren, Wyoming, population 2,833 (and Nate thinks that might be a generous estimate). There's no swimming pool, no tennis team, no mall--not even any MTV. The entire school's smaller than his graduating class back home, and in a town where the top teen pastimes are sex and drugs, Nate just doesn't fit in.
Then Nate meets Cody Lawrence. Cody's dirt-poor, from a broken family, and definitely lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Nate's dad says Cody's bad news. The other kids say he trash. But Nate knows Cody's a good kid who's been dealt a lousy hand. In fact, he's beginning to think his feelings for Cody go beyond friendship.
Admitting he might be gay is hard enough, but between small-town prejudices and the growing AIDS epidemic dominating the headlines, a small town like Warren, Wyoming, is no place for two young men to fall in love.

***FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK AT RIPTIDE PUBLISHING***

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

From the very first page of Trailer Trash readers take a time machine to the past, a time when hair was teased, music was populated by hair bands, and AIDS was on everyone's minds.  Even in small-town America the fear of the disease was prevalent, that and numerous stereotypes and feelings of desolation, made for lots of angst as two boys from opposite sides of the tracks go from friends to lovers under the weight of prejudice and fear.  Their journey isn't easy as fears over their own feelings and reactions of others have them constantly looking over their shoulder while dreaming of HEA.

Cody's life is a tough one.  Living at the poor end of town, desperately trying to make ends meet any way they can, makes for a life full of uncertainty for him and his mom. The only bright spot in the bleakness is when a new young man comes to town. Though Nate is Cody's opposite in many ways they form a deep bond that goes through many ups and downs as both believe the worst of the other at times.  Grief ultimately brings them together though, and had me bawling like a baby, as they continue to fight for their HEA.  Cody's an admirable character who gets put through the wringer.  From nasty small-town gossip to barely making ends meet when he's left on his own, Cody's still a survivor.  He's more mature than most adults when put into adult decisions.  I rooted for Cody to find some sort of happiness as he was so alone, wanting acceptance but realistic about it not happening.  Being gay made him feel even more lonely and incorporating issues about AIDS made this part of the story even more powerful and had me hoping he'd overcome outsiders fears of homosexuality.

Nate's life is turned upside down once his dad moves him to a boring small town, but his first acquaintance is the one to change his life irrevocably.  Meeting Cody has him looking at life differently.  For too long life was perfect but now he sees the differences in people, the good and the bad, and becomes more accepting and wiser to the harshness of the world.  He always felt he was waiting for the right woman, but in reality he was waiting for Cody.  Nate learned about life from Cody but showed him friendship and hope that there's more to life than what's outside their front door. Nate might've been uncertain about his feelings at first, but once he acknowledged them, he and Cody made a good team who were there for each other through some very emotionally intense events.

From start to finish this story captivated me.  The narrative was thought-provoking and pulled at every one of my heartstrings.  Living in a small-town can make you complacent and at the start Cody felt stuck with no hope for his future.  His feelings were easy to relate to as Ms. Sexton painted a bleak portrait of Warren, the town's atmosphere and its denizens.  Nate gave him the ability to dream though and their blossoming relationship put a smile on my face.  This is a book that stayed with me long after the final page was turned as I was quickly caught up in its realism and sentimental feelings of first love.  Readers who want to revisit the eccentricities of the 80's, along with a powerful romance affected by the issues of the time, will want to travel back in time with Ms. Sexton's unforgettable read.

My rating for this is an A.

*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She's a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

WEBSITE:  http://www.mariesexton.net

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/MarieSexton

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/MarieSexton.author

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.goodreads.com/MarieSexton

**********GIVEAWAY**********

PRIZE IS A $50 AMAZON GC!

-Leave a MEANINGFUL COMMENT, along with your EMAIL ADDY, to be entered! (NO EMAIL ADDY=NO ENTRY)

-To increase your chances of winning, leave a comment at every stop on this tour.

-Contest is OPEN TO ALL.

-Giveaway ENDS AT MIDNIGHT EST ON MARCH 26TH!