Well, this is the first time I've tried something from this "New Adult" genre and I honestly can't say that I'm impressed. The novel had its moments and I did like most of the characters a lot, but the actual plot and characterizations were so...not exactly formulaic, but stereotypical? Cliche? The uncle who's a molester, the aunt who's crazy religious, the stripper with a heart of gold and an angelic child. Essentially I felt like I was reading several threads out of reddit's r/relationships, but mixed up and combined. 
 I would have liked the novel more if (view spoiler)[ Kacey had just ended up on her own in the end with her sister, healing and moving on with her life, instead of getting back together with Trent/Cole. (hide spoiler)]. This book had a pretty realistic and powerful message about overcoming trauma and bad life circumstances...up until the twist. Then the unrealistic romance just killed it. I guess part of being a New Adult reader is the ability to just roll with it and ogle the hot abs and killer body and whatnot, but essentially what kind of character IS Trent? He's a walking billboard for sexy male model based on the way he's described, but outside of that, what exactly is so great about him anyway? For at least half of the book, all he does is show up and smirk/flirt/wink/stalk her by staring at her for hours on end at a strip club. (This is...supposed to be romantic? Am I the only woman here who just thinks it's nuts?) I guess you can say he "makes her happy" but that came with a HUGE, HUGE caveat that was more like "he made himself happy." 
 I just felt like the romance here ends up being very shallow and soulless, which is completely at odds with the actual story of Kacey overcoming her trauma, even in a plot basically forged out of strung together cliches. (Cue wealthy father to pay for best therapy in the US, the awesome respectable policeman who just happened to inherit a mansion and save the stripper with a heart of gold from, you guessed it, the abusive asshole ex.) I guess this is basically chicklit - with all the fortuitous coincidences - but with deeper characterization of the main character. But the romance is pure chicklit style instalove and lust. 
 3 stars, but in reality 2.5, because some parts of this was great. I was caught up in the story, I felt for Kacey, and the writing itself was pretty solid. The author excelled at portraying the hurt/comfort aspects of Kacey's past trauma, but at the end of the day, the romance with Trent and especially the ending ruined most of it for me. I'll add that my MAJOR issue with this book is because of the plot twist/spoiler, but I saw it coming from a mile away but still stayed to watch the train wreck. The romance with Trent just turned something that IMO was very powerful and emotional into a cringeworthy plot device. 
 I guess this about sums up why in the end, I just can't with this book: "He's too beautiful and too nice," says Kacey, to be a creep. So basically because he looks hot, all (and I do mean ALL) can be forgiven. Not because he has redeeming qualities, not because of other characteristics, but essentially just because he's hot and can stare her into orgasm - I kid you not. 
 I think maybe I'm just too old and in too much of a real relationship to buy into this kind of hotness-trumps-all mentality. I have this weird feeling that this "New Adult" genre is basically a marketing thing towards the same people who love Twilight.