Review : Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title :  Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1)
Author : Katie McGarry
Publication Date : May 26th 2015
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Personal Thoughts 

There's no doubt that Katie McGarry is one author whose books I'm always going to read. While I loved the Pushing the Limits series, I was glad to hear that she was writing a new series around a motorcycle club. Despite my reservations about the motorcycle club itself, Nowhere But Here just might be one of my favorite Katie McGarry books!

One reason why I think this book was a lot more appealing to me than some of the other books in the Pushing the Limits series was because Nowhere But Here was pretty low on the angst. The main character, Emily's, family's motorcycle club, Reign of Terror, plays a huge part in the story. I honestly went into the book, expecting it to be all about rowdiness and violence, but I actually liked that McGarry showed us the various kinds of motorcycle clubs that can exist. Emily's family's one, for instance, was very much family-oriented which was interesting to read about. At the same time, however, I did feel like towards the end, the dynamics between the two motorcycle clubs mentioned in the book became a little unclear and I wasn't sure why they were doing certain things. One reason I enjoyed Nowhere But Here was because of how family oriented it was. Emily's grandmother, Olivia, especially made an impression on me. I grew to really love her character throughout the book and how she pushed Emily to find out who she really was, forcing her to grow up. I also appreciated the fact that Emily's adoptive dad was actually a really awesome guy who loved Emily as his own flesh and blood. He wasn't the typical evil stepdad we tend to see so often in YA.

What I really loved about Nowhere But Here, however, was the romance between her and Oz. It was an antagonistic relationship that started off very rough at first. As the two of them got to know each other, they slowly started to fall for each other. I loved the slow burn and sexiness the romance had to it. Plus, it helped that both characters were great and easy to root for. Emily, especially, wasn't the easiest character to like at first, because she was narrow-minded and had the tendency to avoid the truth because of how scared she was of the consequences. But throughout the book, we watch her grow into a wonderful character, who matured and who learned to be more open minded. Emily's narrow-mindedness was never irritating because you knew where she was coming from. Her mother had put her in a terribly difficult situation, so I couldn't help but feel for her. Thankfully, she had the help of Oz who was, in typical Katie McGarry style, a dreamboat and full of swoons. I loved that we got to be inside his head as well together with Emily. He really was one sweet guy despite his rough exterior and I loved how he was just always there for Emily despite battling some of his own issues. Their romance was definitely one of the highlights of Nowhere But Here for me.

While Nowhere But Here seems like a hefty book at 500 pages, it's one that I breezed through, partly because I buddy read it with some great blogger friends and also because Katie McGarry's writing was easy to sink into. Nowhere But Here will definitely be a winner amongst YA contemporary readers.  I'd very much like to have Razor's book in my hands now.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harlequin Teen for the e-ARC of Nowhere But Here.