Title: Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie McGarry
Series or standalone: 1st in the Thunder Road companion series
Genre: Mature YA Contemporary
Publication Date: 26th May 2015
Format: eARC & Paperback
Source: NetGalley (Harlequin Teen) & Bought
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighbourhood. 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.
Nowhere But Here definitely exceeded my expectations by around 50000000000000 (plus maybe 10 more zeros). I went into this book expecting it to be a YA version of Sons of Anarchy with a sexy romance and I definitely wasn't wrong, but what I didn't expect was the depth and the HUGE amount of emotions that it would evoke. I've read Katie McGarry first book, Pushing the Limits, and I loved it a lot so I knew that no matter what, I'd at least enjoy this novel, but not only did I love it, it had me in tears, it had my heart racing, it had my stomach in knots, it had me feeling butterflies, it had me feeling EVERYTHING.
I loved the idea of the biker club because you never really see that in YA, and I think it was done exceptionally well and with authenticity. There are so many characters and you really begin to feel like a part of this huge family and I could literally feel the love pouring off of the pages between these fictional people who seemed so real to me.
I also really appreciated how some topics were dealt with in the book like broken families, death and disabilities. One thing that I didn't like at the beginning was when Oz would constantly think about Emily's body and how sexy it was and I thought it was a bit unnecessary, but then I realised that that's how Oz grew up. He grew up in a biker club where women were seen as objects and playthings until the men in the club found that one woman who meant the world to them. So I can sort of see where that was coming from, but it did make me a little bit uncomfortable.
Another thing that isn't just solely from this book, but from many YA books, is how sex is shown (or not shown) in them. I think it's important (especially as this is a mature YA book) that authors don't gloss over certain things. Like when a character orgasms and then just puts his pants back on. Um..... are you going to clean that up or??????? Just stuff like that that gets left out that makes it really unrealistic.
Other than those very minor things, I absolutely adored this book. My feelings were all over the place and I fell in love with not only the characters, but that sense of family and home that they had. It was truly beautiful! 5 stars!
Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighbourhood. 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.
Nowhere But Here definitely exceeded my expectations by around 50000000000000 (plus maybe 10 more zeros). I went into this book expecting it to be a YA version of Sons of Anarchy with a sexy romance and I definitely wasn't wrong, but what I didn't expect was the depth and the HUGE amount of emotions that it would evoke. I've read Katie McGarry first book, Pushing the Limits, and I loved it a lot so I knew that no matter what, I'd at least enjoy this novel, but not only did I love it, it had me in tears, it had my heart racing, it had my stomach in knots, it had me feeling butterflies, it had me feeling EVERYTHING.
I loved the idea of the biker club because you never really see that in YA, and I think it was done exceptionally well and with authenticity. There are so many characters and you really begin to feel like a part of this huge family and I could literally feel the love pouring off of the pages between these fictional people who seemed so real to me.
I also really appreciated how some topics were dealt with in the book like broken families, death and disabilities. One thing that I didn't like at the beginning was when Oz would constantly think about Emily's body and how sexy it was and I thought it was a bit unnecessary, but then I realised that that's how Oz grew up. He grew up in a biker club where women were seen as objects and playthings until the men in the club found that one woman who meant the world to them. So I can sort of see where that was coming from, but it did make me a little bit uncomfortable.
Another thing that isn't just solely from this book, but from many YA books, is how sex is shown (or not shown) in them. I think it's important (especially as this is a mature YA book) that authors don't gloss over certain things. Like when a character orgasms and then just puts his pants back on. Um..... are you going to clean that up or??????? Just stuff like that that gets left out that makes it really unrealistic.
Other than those very minor things, I absolutely adored this book. My feelings were all over the place and I fell in love with not only the characters, but that sense of family and home that they had. It was truly beautiful! 5 stars!
