There were three reasons why I picked up Fancy White Trash. At first, the cover with a pink flamingo caught my attention and then I was intrigued by the title. When I found out that the book had been selected by the American Library Association's for their 2009 Best Books for Young Adults List and I made a decision to give it a try. As soon as I read the first couple pages, I was hooked.
This debut novel is a lighthearted and hilarious read. Fifteen-year-old Abby Savage is determined to find true love and especially not to repeat family's history of dating and getting pregnant. Therefore, she creates five rules for falling in love which are based on her older sisters and mother‘s mistakes and on soap operas. Abby says: “There’s wisdom in soap operas, especially the ones that have been around longer than most of us have been alive.” Her plan is brilliant, but Abby soon learns that not everything in life turns out as planned. There is plenty of drama, embarrassments and surprises. There is also a great friendship between Abby and her next-door neighbor Cody, who has his own struggles.
Fancy White Trash is full of fresh dialog and interesting characters. It made me laugh and I could not put it down. The plot moves quickly and there are lots of bizarre situations for the characters to deal with. This book is a good light read for teens and adults alike.