Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry Review!

 

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.

Nowhere But Here took me completely by surprise. I picked up this book because the idea of a motorcycle "gang" and the long lost daughter of its leader coming back to meet her father had me wanting to know more. You know the feeling you get when you pick up a book and you know it's going to be good, but when you finish it you are completely blown away by how amazing the book was? That was my reaction to Nowhere But Here. Just by reading the synopsis, I knew I was going to like this book, but I didn't realize that I would fall in love with the story and its characters so quickly.

Emily was one hell of a character. As I read Nowhere But Here, I got to see her grow from a girl that was scared of the world to a girl who decided to take the world by storm. Emily was the kind of character that slowly made her way into your heart. I started out being fascinated by her, especially after reading the very first sentence of the book. I ended up thinking of her as another part of myself. By the end of the book, I felt a certain kinship to her. After all she went through and all the hurt she had to deal with, she was still strong and a force to be reckoned with. I laughed at her fire and quick-wit more than a few times.

Speaking of fire, Oz, the hot "bad boy", immediately caught my attention. I am such a sucker for a man on a motorcycle. So when tall, dark, and handsome strolled in with a devil may care attitude I was hopelessly lost. You combine a sexy as hell guy on a motorcycle with dark hair and blue eyes and you can count me as a goner. Basically, I REALLY loved Oz. Aside from the fact that he was very sexy, he was also the kind of guy that loved deeply and protected his own. At first, I didn't quite like him because he was so standoffish to Emily, but once he let his guard down and got to know her then I finally started to see a different side of him. As the book progresses, Oz got sweeter and sweeter and my heart melted even more. The tension between him and Emily didn't hurt either. Those two were on fire. Add that to the fact that he opened his heart to Emily, and you have one mushy reader on your hands. I have to applaud McGarry because she definitely knows how to write amazing characters. All of them were characters that I felt connected to in some way.

She also knows how to write a damn good book. The storyline for this book is one that will have you hungry for answers from the very start and it will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. The book started with a bang, and it ended just as strongly. As the book switched from Emily and Oz's POV, I got to see two sides of the story and both of them were as infuriating as the other. Emily was searching for answers to her and her parents past throughout the whole book, and I was getting just as irritated as Emily with everyone for keeping the past a secret. Oz, on the other hand, knew a little about Emily's past, but refused to tell her. That was infuriating enough. Anyway, this book really stirred up my emotions, and at one point, I was having to hold back tears. This book had everything from secret pasts, a motorcycle brotherhood that was thicker than blood, a love story filled with struggle and tension, and a surprise that no one saw coming. I have to say, I had so much fun reading Nowhere But Here. I was never bored and the story held my attention until the very end and even after that. I really liked the atmosphere of the book too. It is categorized as a YA book, but it really felt like a New Adult book to me. Just the atmosphere of the book seemed more mature. No, there weren't any sexy times, but I mean the whole feel of the book seemed more NA rather than YA. You will understand what I am talking about when you read the book hopefully.

Needless to say, I loved this book. I read it in one day, and by the middle of the book, it had already earned its place in my favorites list. I wish it were longer than 482 pages because I seriously needed more of Emily and Oz and the whole gang. Everything about the book had me falling in love with it, and I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a fun read filled with everything you love in a book. This is the first Katie McGarry book that I've read and I can assure you that I will be back for more. My bank account may hate me for it, but my heart will be happy. I give Nowhere But Here five out of five stars!