Book Review: “Nowhere But Here” by Katie McGarry
*I received this book from Harlequin Teen for a fair and unbiased review!*
Title: Nowhere But Here
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.
Katie McGarry is and will always be one of my favourite authors of all time. No matter what genre, characters or plot, something between her writing and my brain just click. So when I heard about a new series called Thunder Road and the first novel being Nowhere But Here, I was already anticipating finding the next best thing on my shelf.
Emily, our main character, loves her life. Her perfectly normal life. She has friends and family who love her—well, except her biological father who chose the life of being a member of Reign of Terror, the motorcycle club—and it hasn’t phased her since. That’s until she witnesses the club for herself and the danger that their world is consumed with, and her life gets changed forever. Even though she’s conflicted about meeting relatives she hasn’t before, when she meets a mysterious boy who’s sworn to protect her, suddenly her priorities are differed.
Oz wants to be a member of Reign of Terror for more than one reason. They’re a close knit group, like a family. He knows they’re the good guys in a town full of not-so-good ones. So when he gets a chance to prove to Emily’s biological father that he can protect her from a rival club, he jumps at it. But what he didn’t expect was to fall head over heels for the protected girl.
With a fast-paced, explosive and engrossing plot, I was sucked in from the start. Katie wrote an epic whirlwind romance with passionate and lively characters that are standing up there with the likes of Echo and Noah. I loved getting into this new world of exciting themes that will cascade into the next novel (that I CAN’T wait to read!).
Overall, Nowhere But Here is a novel you can’t miss. If you’re a fan of Katie McGarry, or you haven’t read anything from her yet—this is going to be your next favourite YA book. 5 Stars completely through and through. Katie never fails to write another book that I don’t fall in love with.
YA Readers and extended to NA readers, alike.
KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.
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happy reading!