Review: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry

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.

Publishes in US: May 26th 2015 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Harlequin Teen via Netgalley
Series? yes. Thunder Road #1
Untitled (Thunder Road, #2) expected Publication 2015 by Harlequin Teen, there will be a total of 4 in the series.

My reviews from her other series:
Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, Crash into You, Crossing the Line, and Take Me On

Buy it: Amazon|BAM|Barnes&Nobles|BookDepository|GooglePlay|iBooks|Indie|Kobo

Author stalk away: ~site twitter facebook

    I wanted to read Nowhere But Here because I have loved Katie's other series, the characters and the romances have been amazing. So of course I wanted to try the first in a new series by her. 

   The story, much like her others, is told in dual perspective from Emily and Oz. They are two very different people, brought up in different ways. Emily has a nice home in a nice neighborhood and a nice school. She was adopted by her mom's new husband at five, and although she sees her biological father once a year, she still doesn't have a good sense of who he is. She just knows her mom raised her own her own for the first four years and Emily can't completely let that go. Her mom had a rough go of things, and that has colored Emily's view of her biological dad, their hometown, and the family she doesn't know there. 

   Oz has grown up around Eli, Emily's biological dad, who is one of the founding members of their bike club and security company. Oz just graduated and he wants in the club and he is loyal to Eli. 

  

   There is a lot of confusion on both sides. Oz and a lot of the other people in his town, Snowflake see Emily and her mom as deserters and they think that Emily has just been avoiding them, causing Eli and his mom Olivia pain. When Emily goes into town after getting an invitation to attend her grandma's wake, things really blow up on both sides because of miscommunication. But in the process both sides learn truths that they weren't really ready to face. 

   Oz and Emily are thrown together because the motorcycle club had been having issues with their rival cycle club and Eli wanted to make sure that Emily was safe. Oz accepted because he wanted to prove himself, and he was given an in by keeping her safe. Their chemistry was great and I loved seeing them get closer to one another and fall for each other. They challenge each other and broaden the others' horizons. 

    Emily's whole life is thrown into question, and she has always valued honesty. So finding out things from her past, lies told all around really hurts her deep. She finds out things little by little and it seems like for her sake it should have been told all at once, so I suppose that for her character development and to have an amazing book, it couldn't work out for her. 

    But she also had to learn to love the other side of her family, and really understand the unique lifestyle of their biking community. It really takes the it takes a village motto and puts it to life. They all take care of one another, and are close and tight knit. 

   I loved Olivia, Emily's grandma. She is spunky and commands attention and respect, and causes people around her to love her deeply and honor her. She is dying of cancer, and she is the one who gives pieces of the truth to Emily. At first their relationship is tense, but I love seeing Emily realize that Olivia loves her and begin to love her back. 

    The ending was well done in my opinion. It really showcased their character development and the bond that were formed during the course of the novel. It showed the importance or honesty and of family and community support. It also showed Oz making some very brave choices and Emily broadening her mind to different lifestyles. It was a hard road for both of them and some of the plot lines could only come to a sad end, but overall its very hopeful and gave me a good sense of the direction life will take Emily and Oz. 

    I will def read more in this series, the companion novel for Razor and a new girl will be next. 

Bottom Line: Another great one by McGarry exploring love and relationships with family and friends.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever been on a motorcycle?