This memoir is amazing, the story of addiction recovery strength to get through it is incredible. Was well narrated and really enjoyed hearing Tracy's story.

Tracy's memoir is an emotional and inspiring story. She shares her experience of growing up with an abusive stepfather who constantly put her down. Struggling with drugs and alcohol at a young age, her journey is one of pain, resilience, and growth. Hearing her narrate the audiobook made it even more impactful, the emotion in her voice brought her story to life. I highly recommend experiencing this memoir in audiobook format. Thank you for sharing your story, Tracy.

Thank you for this ALC provided by BooksGoSocial Audio and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a heart wrenching and raw look into teen drug abuse. I commend the author for being so candid about the darkest time in her life. I'm glad she came out on the other side and is able to help others with her experience.

A candid memoir about her journey from addiction to success. Set against the backdrop of the 80s & 90s, the book combines raw honesty, humour, and inspiration. Viola shares her struggles and triumphs, This one is a powerful account of resilience and transformation.

Tracy shares her raw and honest story of being an addict as a teenager and her road to recovery.

It shocked me to hear such a story, especially of someone at such a young age and the really important message for me as a parent, was to be mindful of who we allow in our children’s lives, as just one toxic person can cause such damage and I’m sad that this happened for Tracy.

While it was shocking and heartbreaking, it was also uplifting and lighthearted at times and I really liked how Tracy looked back on her past and shared stories where not everything was bad and something to be ashamed of, she was still able to see the fun and joy in moments passed in her life.

This book serves as great insight and inspiration for anyone going through a similar situation or if you have a young teen battling with an addiction, this can help in gaining a better understanding and be a guide and support.

Thank-you @netgalley @booksgosocialgroup and Tracy for the Audio Advanced Readers Copy, in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was an amazing experience. To hear the author tell her story, I was ENRAPTURED. I never wanted to stop listening and would sneak snippets as often as possible.

Tracy Viola was able to share a difficult life story in an appropriate length, with strong details without overexplaining. While listening, I could envision her stories and feel her emotions. The added edits to various scenarios were also incredibly raw and honest.

A wonderful memoir that I have been recommending since I started

I hate to rate someone else’s story, so I usually don’t do stars for memoirs, but Tracy’s book is SO excellently done! At first I worried she wouldn’t take accountability or she’d become too preachy (I read a lot of ED memoirs), but she didn’t. This audio book had me on the verge of tears often and rooting for Tracy. I loved all her quotes and thought her antidotes in the throws of addiction were hard to swallow - and I caught myself thinking how easily I personally couldn’t have slipped into some of her toxic situations - I thought her determination to recover and do better for herself was so admirable. She makes it seem easy while constantly reminding the reader of the hard work required.

This was officially my last book of 2024. There was a lot about this memoir that felt nostalgic as the author grew up in the 80’s and 90’s as I did. Many of her experiences felt reminiscint of my youth. If not directly for myself, then for those in my inner and outer circle of friends. This could have very easily been me had I made a few different choices.

A well written documentation of one teens drug and alcohol use, her consequences, and her road to recovery. This is a funny, poignant and sad memoir, but man did it hit home. I’m thankful for her brutal honesty of her recovery. As someone who’s husband just celebrated his 35th sober anniversary all while started my own alcoholic addiction during Covid and just celebrating my 2 years of sobriety, and am now fighting my potato chip addiction that I developed after giving up alcohol, this really stuck with me. I will be forever changed having listed to this audiobook.

#PrettyWrecked
#TracyViola
#NetGalley

Talk about a memoir that will completely destroy your soul.

"My name is Tracy. I'm a recovering addict and alcoholic. Pretty Wrecked captures the train wreck of my teenage life, but unlike other recovery memoirs it also captures the story about how I got sober and created a kick ass life... a life that YOU deserve."

Pretty Wrecked

I have to tell you, I loved the title. The title alone was what intrigued me to want to read more.

Tracy Viola narrates a brutally honest life of grief, hardship and struggles. I have chills as I sit here and try to type this out.

I can't review a memoir, it's someone's personal story. However, I can tell you, anyone suffering from addiction or knows someone struggling from addition should read/listen to Pretty Wrecked.

Absolutely amazing .

Check out this teaser :

My name is Tracy. I'm a recovering addict and alcoholic. Pretty Wrecked captures the train wreck of my teenage life, but unlike other recovery memoirs it also captures the story about how I got sober and created a kick ass life... a life that YOU deserve.

WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT:

· PW is NOT a free ride to change. I will motivate you and provide lessons and tools, but there is no hand holding. YOU have to do the hard work. The tools are simple - but they are not easy...

· PW is NOT for the faint of heart. I cover real, raw, and heartbreaking topics. Saddle up - life is gritty!

· PW is definitely rated 'R' - and I'm NOT going to apologize for my bluntness or cursing. I'm not going to waste my time or YOUR time with unnecessary filters.

· PW is NOT just a book you read and put down. It's a book that begs to be dog eared, highlighted, circled, and referred back to as you take these lessons and make them your own.


In this gripping and unexpectedly funny debut memoir, Tracy Viola's journey unfolds - from the darkest depths of teenage abuse and addiction to the heights of personal and professional success. Marked by scars and illuminated by triumphs, her brave and vivid narrative skillfully blends laughter and tears. Written in a series of vignettes with 80s and 90s nostalgia throughout, Tracy paints a vivid picture of metamorphosis as she reveals the hard-learned lessons of addiction, recovery, and how to grab life by the balls.

Mesmerizing Memoir

Audiobook Narration:

Tracy Viola- Author and Phenomenal Narrator. Listening to Tracy tell her story felt like sitting in the living room listening to your lifelong best friend flawless deliver their most crucial stories with grace, raw honesty and authenticity in her tone.

Pretty Wrecked: Confessions of a Teen Addict and Her Road to Recovery

As an avid fan of quotes and food for thoughts I could not stop myself from pausing this memoir, I was mesmerized.

Tracy cracked her heart open, owned the ugly truth and shined the light on her tragedies. I heard a woman of action with intention build a life she loves. The titles of each chapter kept me reeled in and laughing. She kept it real when it comes to the substances she had used, cautionary takes and what she was thinking in those moments.

I think Tracy’s story is a great cautionary tale for teenagers to stay clear of substances and an inspiration for those who may be struggling or living a sober life.

To Tracy,

Thank you for being unapologetically honest and vulnerable in sharing your story. It was an honor to hear your story so far with much more to come.

I received a free copy of this book from Tracy Viola and BooksGoSocial Audio. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed listening to this memoir, I found it really easily listening and found myself listening to it in all my spare time. Tracy's life was out of control with her addictions as she brutally describes but she also describes how her life is out the other side of addiction.

This was amazing
Very detailed experience with heart and the narration was great
Very down to earth and I can really appreciate how the author did not hold back
Amazing work and such a great life story

I love a comeback story with inspirational elements, and this book delivered. Read in the author’s voice, it’s a story of her descent into addiction and her journey of recovery.

This is a really interesting memoir about a young woman and her experience with addiction. The narration is good and the story is engaging. Despite doing some questionable things, she's a likeable person. An unstable childhood turned into chaotic teenage years and then spiralled into addiction. This is definitely a good insight into living with addiction.

Pretty Wrecked is the memoir of Tracy Viola, a recovering addict and alcoholic, in her attempt to strive for purpose, clarity, peace and joy.

This is an honest, heartfelt, surprisingly funny, yet cautionary tale about addiction and recovery. The audiobook is narrated by Tracy herself, which adds to the depth of emotion evident in this story.

This story is frighteningly relatable, highlighting the layered misery of self-medication, trauma and addiction, while also being inspirational and emphasizes the capacity for personal growth.

Many thanks to Tracy Viola and BooksGoSocial Audio for the listening review copy for review consideration, via NetGalley.

I have to be really careful with addiction stories. I find "greatest hits packages" (e.g., "I remember the time I did all these drugs/drank so much and got so wasted and did all this stuff") to be triggering. This is more so the younger the memoirist was at the time. For this reason, I passed on Pretty Wrecked: Confessions of a Teenage Addict and Her Road to Recovery the first time. The last thing I needed was to be reminded of... how to put this gently... how much I was not an it girl.

And, yeah, Tracy Viola was all the things I worried about: my age, much prettier (competed in a beauty pageant), popular, cool friends, access to experiences as a teen that I still haven't had at 46. The funny thing is, instead of making me feel bad, she just kept me feeling positive about my own journey. It was especially nice of her to allow her friend to speak about his own passive suicide via alcohol due to a dark personality. It's good to know that you aren't the only one. Not every kid who tokes at a party ends up in a fistfight over a crack rock, but some do. Recovery is work, and Tracy Viola makes that perfectly clear. She shows that it can be so worth it, though.

I really hope that Pretty Wrecked: Confessions of a Teenage Addict and Her Road to Recovery gets the widespread readership that it deserves. I would especially recommend the audiobook, as it meant so much more hearing Tracy Viola herself tell her story. I would like to thank BooksGoSocial Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

It’s hard to imagine that someone so young can so quickly turn into an addict. One moment doing something so simply being a teenage girl to quickly relying on a substance to numb everything.

At first I was throw off by the authors voice and didn’t know it I would be able to listen to it. Thankfully, once she relaxed it became an easy flowing gentle cadence. You could tell some of the moments which had more of an impact, the inflection that she uses is honest and genuine. Sometimes I just want to hug her teenage self while at others I’m like we could be friends…I’m always down for cruising 😂.

There were moments that it felt like Richard the prick (originally I was going to go with Richard the dickard, but you never know your audience), was someone she could use to blame things on. Or her father. The going back to them as main sources of her becoming what she did. Toward the end though the author shares the realization she had that, yes they were catalysts but she was the problem. She had the responsibility of the actions she took to deal with. From there she was able to grow, heal and change. She was finally able to address some of the things she had swept under the wayside before or as she says put in the trash can and covered.

Her college experience was at times heartbreaking but man do I hope some way or some how she is able to finally link up with Ashley. I hope that she is doing amazing and succeeding in life also.

In the end, this is a raw unfettered look at how addiction is for people. Specifically young people. The book levels out how marijuana is an addictive drug, no matter how much society wants to deny it. It has an impact on the decisions and actions that the person who is addicted makes. This novel offers a clear look at how the friends and family of the individual are impacted and the lengths someone will go for something they believe they HAVE to have. I found this to be an enjoyable read, on line with some other books written about growing up in these time periods but still unique because it shared the ability to get out of it. The love and support the author had from those around her was amazing. The counselors in her second recovery place were truly blessings.

I think the only thing I have left is to ask to see pictures of ruffles…him passing brought out all the feels.


And to disclose that I was provided a free copy of this for my honest, unbiased review and that’s what you are getting. I would recommend this book to those who are looking for an easy yet insightful read. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

Heartfelt and inspiring, this memoir of addiction follows the author from childhood, through tumultuous adolescence and young adulthood, into a successful adulthood. In a fun and lively voice readers are reminded to let go of stereotypes about addicts. Some scenes will be triggering for those in recovery, but most readers will laugh and learn while enjoying the read

Wow, what an absolutely fantasticly written and well narrated memoir by someone who has experienced various hurdles in life. Tracy goes into vast detail explaining her childhood, which led to her journey of addiction and tragically also further pain of events that happened throughout this time frame. This is by no means a book of over sharing but giving enough detail for the listener/ reader to comprehend the whys and wherefores that lead Tracy on the path she was on.

The fact that this is narrated personally just really adds to the authenticaticy of this memoir where it feels like you can truly understand and feel the words you're hearing. It takes a great deal of courage to share your life, raw authentic and vulnerable, and to also do so in narrating yourself is a real credit to this woman!

Although this journey is based alot on addiction, trauma and of course the fight back in various ways for her life it simply cannot be denied this book has humour which I believe would make it relatable to anyone but especially younger generation who may be experiencing difficulties with any of these areas in life.

Absolutely fantastic, listen to hear how someone overcame so much. Whilst being able to become the best version of herself in her healing journey and personal growth against all odds, Tracy shows how it can be done. For anyone out there listening to this possibily on this journey of recovery or feels close to it, I hope you also find your peace and healing in this book and in your life.

With thanks to Netgalley & BookGoSocial Audio for this audiobook.